In this post (as well as in future posts) you might notice that much of the emo that I really enjoy is really lo-fi or raw sounding. I just like stuff that you know was recorded on the cheap or in someone's bedroom. Not necessarily poor recordings, but bands on a shoestring budgets, singing and playing their hearts right off their sleeves regardless of the setting.

I would be willing to bet that after the last 4 years of mainstream dominance on the radio airwaves and MTV, the majority of Americans under 35 know who Jimmy Eat World is. They are what happens when emo goes pop. I can even recall hearing a bar full of drunken "townies" from my wife's hometown in the hills of Pennsylvania singing along to "The Middle." Point proven.

From their humble beginnings as a pop-punk group in Arizona, they somehow became pop-rock superstars. Between points A and B though they left some very memorable music that changed my life as well as countless others. I first heard Jimmy Eat World on a free sampler featuring them and Less Than Jake and just passed them off as another major-label rock band. The first time I heard Clarity was from a shitty cassette playing in Boxer's van as we rode along with them to Stevie Ray's House of Wax in Muncie, IN to see a most memorable show that was my first inroduction to At The Drive-In (but that's another story for another post).

The guys from Boxer had an advance copy playing on the stereo over a year before it actually was released by Capitol Records (you may recall the huge delay in the release of the album). When I was told that what I was listening to was Jimmy Eat World I couldn't believe it. I was floored. They had grown in leaps and bounds since Static Prevails and produced a sonic masterpiece (thanks in part to the skills of Mark Trombino). Clarity still remains one of my favorite records mainly because every time I listen to it I seem to "discover" some little part that I hadn't heard the time before. Simply amazing.

Jejune (from San Diego) sadly called it quits in 1999. I had the opportunity to see them live only once (in Anaheim, CA with Jimmy Eat World), and while they were an amazing band, they never got a whole lot of recognition during their existence. That might be (in part at least) due to the fact that their songs were spread out all over the musical map. "The Early Stars" is (however) a focused burst of emo-pop-rock with one of the best choruses that the genre has ever produced.

In 1997, Jimmy Eat World released a split 7" with Jejune on Big Wheel Recreation. Both somgs featured below are from this record. I love the dirty/distorted sound of this record a lot and it just happens to feature my favorite songs from both bands.

MP3 | Jimmy Eat World - What I Would Say To You Now JEW/Jejune Split 7"
MP3 | Jejune - Early Stars Jejune/JEW Split 7"

Both Maximo Park and Moving Units play that dancey, punky, new wavey sort of music that is all the rage these days. I present these two to you in an attempt to ward off the onset of the dreaded midweek blues. (Note: click on the daily MP3 player over on the right to fire these up!)

I read today that a mother from NY is planning on fighting charges brought against her by the RIAA, and that she is the first of the accused that has done so. You can read about it here, here, or here.

I also found it interesting that I had two converstations today about Cafe du Monde and their fabulous beignets (french-style doughnuts covered in powdered sugar). I had them when I was on tour with Allister in New Orleans a few years ago. It seems that almost everyone who eats a beignet from Cafe du Monde has fond memories of them and the experiences surround it. Lets all hope and pray that things return to normal for the people of New Orleans as fast as they can.

Now Maximo Park hails from Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. Their sound sometimes reminds me of Franz Ferdinand or maybe even the Smiths at times. What I mean is that they sound even more British than Bloc Party, but it’s not a good thing. There is an energy to this record that makes it a worthwhile listen despite some of the mundane and downright silly lyrics. Oh, “Apply Some Pressure” is number 20 on the English charts.

Moving Units sound like they could be from NYC but are actually from LA. They churn out dance-punk like it’s 1980. If the Rapture punched Gang of Four in the face, and then got all sweaty disco-dancing the night away, it might approximate what Moving Units sound like. It’s been done a million times before (I know) but I like it nonetheless.

MP3 | Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure A Certain Trigger
MP3 | Moving Units - Between Us And Them Dangerous Dreams

So I went to the doctor today because I've been having strange headaches for the past few months. I've been feeling what I thought might be pressure from a sinus infection, stress-related tension, or maybe eye strain (I need new glasses). Aside from this pressure I have tingling or itching sensations mostly on the right side of my head. Who knows what it is. I told the doc all my symptoms and what he didn't do was diagnose anything. He said it might just be allergies and gave me something like Claritin and told me that if it didn't go away after awhile or if I felt that it might be something more serious to come back for an MRI.

We'll see how I feel after an eye appointment and some new glasses. I don't think it's allergies though.

So Iron & Wine and Calexico have collaborated on a new album that is due out September 13th. "16, Maybe Less" is a song from that release. Calexico provides a more alt-country vibe but it is still 100% Sam Beam.

Keith Fullerton Whitman is master of everything drone. His recordings range from techno-breakbeat freakouts under his Hrvatski moniker to 20 minute plus dronescapes. Quite the experimental musician, KFW's material tends to be "challenging" but also very listenable and melodic at times.

MP3 | Iron & Wine | Calexico - 16, Maybe Less In The Reins
MP3 | Keith Fullerton Whitman - Weiter Schoner Flussengel

Here is a short, quick post in (sort of) bullet point format to get you through the weekend. I got my mid-term grades this week (all A's). Kyle Orton will start opening day for the Bears. Having a grammar blog is a great idea, Kurt. Not sure if that is correct. I'm gonna try to ride 15 miles on my bike tomorrow because I need to be more active. I'm intrigued by single-speed bikes. American Minor is a guilty pleasure of mine. They play southern-fried cock-rock in the vein of Skynyrd vs. Black Crowes. Hot Hot Heat's latest album is not even close to as good as their previous effort, but "Goodnight (2x)" is so fucking catchy. I'm gonna cut all my hair off this weekend. Peace out.

Note: If you have any suggestions for bands that should be inclued in my series of posts about emo please lemme know.

MP3 | American Minor - Buffalo Creek Buffalo Creek EP
MP3 | Hot Hot Heat - Goodnight Goodnight Elevator

I highly recommend that all of y'all read the book Freakonomics. Anyone with a rational mind and a penchant for the truth behind how things really work will love this book. My brother suggested that I check it out and I am hereby saying, "It is informative, entertaining, and just plain good. You should read it!"

So last week That Girl Who Needs Therapy posted some stuff that got me thinking about George Winston.

I was first introduced to George Winston by my father when I was still a youngster and the music spoke to me even at a young age. The Winston material that I am familiar with is generally for solo piano and although there is only one instrument at work, it can be both dense and fragile. My favorties (including the song posted below) are full of haunting melodies that will rattle your soul if you just listen hard enough. This is true fuckin' emo music.

And in sharp contrast to Winston is Seattle's own The Blood Brothers. For those that don't know, they are a spastic art-core band that sound like they are on the verge of falling apart at all times. Simply put: they are incredible. Howling guitars, pounding drums, shreiking vocals, and bass thet makes you wanna shake your tailfeather. While not for all, they have definately pushed the boundaries of hardcore and never fail to impress me.

MP3 | George Winston - Colors/Dance Autumn
MP3 | The Blood Brothers - Every Breath Is A Bomb Burn, Piano Island, Burn

For some time now it seems that emo has been a dirty word to a lot of people. It is the genre that wishes it wasn’t. Now I'll readily admit that much (most) of what is now considered emo is total crap, but the emo of the mid-nineties that I was raised on (however) is a much different animal.

Emo is short for “emotional" music or more specifically emotional hardcore. It’s roots can be traced back to Washington DC bands like Rites of Spring and Embrace that eschewed the tough-guy hardcore of the day in favor of more personal and (yes) emotional lyrics. They blazed a trail and provided a loose blueprint for the groups that followed them. While I am not going to focus on those DC pioneers, there is no denying their importance in the evolution of emo.

I’m going to feature all the heavy-hitters of the genre as well as some lesser-known players that I am a huge fan of. These songs were the soundtrack to a time that will not be forgotten and in looking back at these so-called emo groups, they do seem more real and their sounds less forced than many of groups that followed and imitated them. For those kids who never got to experience this music during it's heyday, pay attention and take careful notes. Now to begin...

Texas Is The Reason was an amazing band that existed from 1994-1997. Their official releases include their self-titled EP and their one and only full-length Do You Know Who You Are? (both released on Revelation Records) as well as a split 7" with The Promise Ring on Jade Tree Records. From the start you knew they were something special. Their sound (as familiar as it may be) is hard to describe and even harder to imitate. They broke up (much too soon) citing personal differences and after being courted my numerous major labels. Members of the band did (however) go on to play in bands like Jets To Brazil, New End Original, and The New Rising Sons. Sadly though, all those bands have also called it quits.

Everyone probably knows (and either loves or hates) Milwaukee's The Promise Ring. Formed by Davey vonBohlen after he left Cap'n Jazz, TPR started as a typical emo band but honed their sound into something much more by the time the sun set on their summer careers.

They released a slew of singles and EP's as well as three proper full-length albums all on Jade Tree Records. They released their final album Wood/Water on Anti. My two favorite albums by TPR are their middle two Nothing Feels Good and Very Emergency. I know Jacob will disagree but I really don't like their last record much at all. They changed a few members and (to me at least) left behind almost everything that made them great. Davey now fronts Maritime. Have a listen.

One last note: If you have any suggestions for emo bands that you think need to be included here, comment or drop me a line.

MP3 | Texas Is The Reason - If It's Here When We Get Back It's Ours ST
MP3 | The Promise Ring - Red And Blue Jeans Nothing Feels Good

Efterklang is a band whose name can be translated from their native-tongue (Danish) to something like "after-noise" or "reverberation." It's fitting when you consider that their sound is similar to that of Sigur Ros but is a bit more electronic. It swells and flows as gently as you would expect and just like the Icelandic group named above their lyrics are fairly unintelligible. That just adds to the mystery and the otherworldly feelings their music conjures within.

While Efterklang presents a picture of crystalline beauty, Akron/Family has a different take on what is beautiful. And just to clarify, they are not from Akron (rather Brooklyn) and they are not really a family. In looking for words I could use to describe their music I kept coming back to modernist-Americana. The music is acoustic, organic, and (dare I say) post-rock-folk-rock. Stylus Magazine called their debut full-length "an absolute (but glorious) wreck of false starts, abandoned experiments, fractured faux-anthemic folk-rock and somewhat-fettered-improvisation. It is free-associating fantasy, musically and lyrically, pure carnival; deeply flawed; precious and self-mocking, glowing-via-the-glum. Viva the flaws, though." I couldn't have said it any better.

The record is full of skipped beats, wrong notes, and off-key vocals. The beauty (however) is in the fact that Akron/Family doesn't hide any of it. I actually think they may be laughing at us all.

Thanks to our good friend Jacob for the wonderful post giving me some love. I'm sending it right back. Your daughter is beautiful and taking good pictures (see previous post) of her is really easy becuase of it.

MP3 | Efterklang - Step Aside Tripper
MP3 | Akron/Family - Running, Returning ST

Yesterday Amy and I went to a first birthday celebration for the lovely little Gillian. She is the daughter of fellow bloggers SD and CBT and is quite the little peanut. Because I have a new camera that needs using I took some pictures. I took 104 (mostly terrible) pictures to be exact, but as Jay said, "Sometimes we amateurs get lucky...and then there are the professionals."

Since neither of Gillian's parents have posted any pictures, let me post of few of my faves from yesterday.


What a smile.




Mmmm...Sippy cup.


Every little girl needs a Wilco tee. (Yeah, we got her that one!)


CBT behind the camera.

So both of Gillian's parents were in the short-lived band La Divina Demora along with Dave from Passenger (I swear they had a website) and Mark from Division. They played sweet pop music with male/female vocal interplay. Nice stuff here. I also thought I'd post a song from a much talked about band called Thee More Shallows. More nice dark indie-pop here.

MP3 | La Divina Demora - Between Us Demo
MP3 | Thee More Shallows - Freshman Thesis More Deep Cuts

This picture was taken at the B&B we stayed at last weekend in Michigan. Amy likes it. She also likes The Zombies.

I know that Everyone probably knows The Zombies, but lately I have been hearing "Time of the Season" everywhere. On the radio, at work, just about every single place I go. Damn fine song I must say so. It ain't Pet Sounds, but nothing else is. I find that it contrasts nicely with the Shai Hulud song that I posted. It is an amazing tune from an amazing band that is (aside from the reunion tour in NZ) long gone. They bring the rock.

I think I might drink some vodka this weekend.

MP3 | The Zombies - Time Of The Season Odessey & Oracle
MP3 | Shai Hulud - Given Flight By Demon's Wings That Within Blood Ill-Tempered

I will be a horrible parent. Last night we discovered that we were out of cat food and did nothing about it. In the morning I fed them (the two cats) the few remaining kitty treats we had in an attempt to satiate their hunger. It didn't work. After I left for work she tried to go to CVS to pick something up, but they don't open until 8AM. Bummer.

I arrived home (with food in hand)to two wide-eyed and starving cats. They both meowed (read: yelled) at the top of their little lungs until there was food in their bowls. How and I supposed to raise a child if I can't even keep my cats bellies full?

AC Newman is the frontman for The New Pornographers. I like his solo record better though. It is a great pop record that I would recommend to fans of Brendan Benson, Spoon, Ted Leo, and basically anyone who likes a good power-pop tune.

If only it were cloudy and snowing outside then it would be a prefect day for State River Widening. Their sound could be described as being from any number of genre hybrids. Is it organic/electro/folk? Is it shimmering folktronica? Does it sound like Four Tet meets Nick Drake? Could you call it minimal modern new age music? Yes. I first heard thir latest record "Cottonhead" last winter and I have really enjoyed it. The music has a certain cinematic quality and an adventureous spirit that really make it stand out from others making this type of music.

MP3 | AC Newman - Miracle Drug The Slow Wonder
MP3 | State River Widening - Madder Hues Cottonhead

For some reason I really like a lot of crappy punk rock bands. You know, the bands that can barely play their instruments and recorded their record in a basement with one microphone hanging from the ceiling kind of punk rock. The Falcon is one of those bands. The Falcon is comprised of Brendan (ex-Slapstick, The Broadways, and current member of Lawrence Arms), Dan (ex-Slapstick, Tuesday, and current member of Alkaline Trio), Neil (ex-Baxter, current member of Lawrence Arms), and Todd (ex-Rise Against). They pretty much suck (but in a really good way.) If you like FYP, Crimpshrine, Jawbreaker, etc... you might take a liking to this Chicago supergroup.

In other news I have been feeling our little baby kick up a storm in the last few days. It is amazing to finally be able to "feel" something. She was kicking (or punching) Amy like crazy last night so I decided to talk to her in an attempt to calm her down. She seemed to respond to my voice and my singing her a little song. Fucking incredible I must say. She is gonna be adorable.

I also always find myself wondering what music she will like when she gets older. Do any other hip (not saying that I am) parents wonder about this conerning their own children?

MP3 | The Falcon - Building The Perfect Asshole Parade or Scratching Off The Fleas God Don't Make No Trash or Up Your Ass With Broken Glass
MP3 | RJD2 - Iced Lightning Since We Last Spoke

A few years ago my brother asked if I wanted to go see Coheed and Cambria at the House of Blues in Chicago. I had just gotten into their latest album (what a guilty pleasure) and thought it sounded like a good time. I picked him up (figuring he had the tickets) and we headed downtown.

During the ride downtown I discovered that the shithead didn't have tickets, but we thought it would be no problem. We were just going to see a relatively unknown band at a decent-sized venue like HOB.

We parked and walked over to the HOB and discovered that the show was sold out. WTF? How could Coheed and Cambria sell out the House of Blues? Neither of us realized how popular they had become or that they were even capable of selling out a venue of that size. The following month they were on the cover of Alternative Press magazine. So we ended up going to a bar and drinking $4.00 cans of Schlitz (yeah, we're stupid) and going over to Pishko's place. We almost called my wife with Coheed on the car stereo to "fake" how awesome the show was. That would have been funny.

"If Rush was an emo band," is how I would describe Coheed and Cambria. They have been lumped into the trendy "prog" genre as well. What they definately are is a slightly technical punk/rock/emo/pop band with a vocalist that has a great set of pipes. The song I've posted below is strange because it really doesn't fit with the rest of the album at all and is not really totally representative of what their sound is. That being said, it is probably one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard and my wife's favorite from the album. They also have a new record coming out September, 20th that I am definately looking forward to.

I also need to give credit where credit is due. Yesterday my guy over at Hush posted the Jeff Caudill cover I have re-posted today. There is just something about it. His earnest drawl and the harmonica just make the song. The first time I heard Gameface (Jeff's previous band) was when Justin let me borrow Jacob's CD. Its been awhile and I had forgotten how awesome Jeff and the band were. Jeff also has a new album out that you should get.

MP3 | Jeff Caudill - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight Previously Unreleased
MP3 | Coheed And Cambria - Blood Red Summer In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3

What a drag it is coming back to reality. After a wonderful weekend away with my wife in Michigan it is time to get back to work. Arghhh...



Enjoy the music.

MP3 | Thunderbirds Are Now! - To: Skulls Justamustache
MP3 | The Album Leaf - Thule In A Safe Place

I will be out of town along with my lovely wife, LBS, all weekend. We are headed to the "third coast" of western Michigan for a much deserved getaway. I'll be gone, but I won't, however, leave you all empty-handed.

Today's musical picks come from the always lovely guys of Killswitch Engage and the charming men in The Autumn Defense (featuring John & Pat from Wilco). Enjoy.

MP3 | Killswitch Engage - My Last Serenade Alive Or Just Breathing
MP3 | The Autumn Defense - Written In The Snow Circles

I just got back from the waste of time that was my accounting class. Out of the 2-1/2 hours I spent in class tonight we talked about new material for only 20 minutes. We had a take home test due tonight but my teach went over all the answers including the extra credit in class. What a joke. Is it too much to ask to learn something during class? I mean, I'm willing to play along and get an easy A, but it's such a waste of my time. I don't have a whole lot of extra time just floating around. I also think that the amount of $$ I am paying to attend this school justifies my whining. On to the music.

Most people are probably familiar with Tim Kinsella's work in some form or another. You may know his work in caP'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Sky Corvair, Friend/Enemy, Owls, and now Make Believe. While I would never really classify anything that Kinsella has done as "easy listening" most of it is (to me at least) enjoyable and rewarding. After hearing the caP'n Jazz version of "Winter Wonderland," Ben Weasel called it "the proof that caP'n Jazz is the crudiest and most pretentious band in Chicago." I have to belive that only fueled his fire.

The new Wilderness album has been getting a lot of play in my MP3 player (no I don't own an Ipod) as of late. It is reminiscent sometimes of Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, John Lydon (PIL) and other bands in that vein, but that is a good thing. They are also from Baltimore. I don't why I think that's strange, but I do.

MP3 | Make Believe - We're All Going To Die ST EP
MP3 | Wilderness - Marginal Over ST

Sometime's it is hard to belive how lucky I really am. Amy and I have been married for three wonderful years as of today. The truly amazing thing though is that I love her more now than I did back then. I can't (however) come remotely close to topping her post on this subject. She even threw a Death Cab reference in there. Awww, does that make her like Summer and me like Seth? How sweet! Here's to a zillion more amazing years together!

Happy anniversary baby!

Both artists below are new to me and I really don't know smuch about either of them. That doesn't matter though because the music speaks for itself. If you feel the need to find out more about either of them, just look it up. This is the internet.

MP3 | Hammock - The Air Between Us Kenotic
MP3 | Cass McCombs - Sacred Heart PREfection

I think that the retelling of my days in Allister in the previous post may have been a little long-winded for most. Oh well whatever. "Fuck all of y'all..."

So yesterday was sort of a Flashback Monday if you will. I was first introduced to Mission of Burma though my uncle Craig. They were way ahead of their time back in the late 70's/early 80's with a sound I would discribe as a little melody and a lot of dissonance (but in a good way). The same statement could be used to describe yesterday's other post, Fugazi, fairly accurately. Everyone (seriously, I'm not kidding) should know who Fugazi is.

I have recently stumbled upon a number of other MP3 blogs out there that are saying and posting lots of really great and interesting things. If you are so inclined, you should check out:

Black balloon

Feed me good tunes

Hush

So much silence

South of mainstream

Today's dilemma is what should I post? I was going to post a song from the new Death Cab record, but that is so fifteen minutes ago. Instead, I'm posting something from violinist (and whistler) extroardinaire Andrew Bird and also Seattle's Minus The Bear. Bird plays haunting, orchestral, low-key pop that is really, really good. His latest album (from which this song is taken) is worth purchasing for the Jay Ryan artwork alone.

I will admit that I don't know a whole lot about Minus the Bear and I kinda like the mystery. They are ridiculously good and have songs with ridiculous titles. How many times can I use the word ridiculous? I also know that they have a new album (which this track is not from) due out this fall.

That's all I got for now folks.

MP3 | Andrew Bird - Sovay The Mysterious Production Of Eggs
MP3 | Minus The Bear - Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!! Highly Refined Pirates

John and Tim first played together in a cover band at a high-school talent show. I met John in a freshman calculus class at the University of Illinois and shortly thereafter we started writing and playing short, fast, pop-punk songs. We played our first show in early 1997 as Phineas Gage but changed our name a few months later to pay homage to Alasdair Gillis (we spelled it differently)from the Canadian TV show You Can't Do That on Television. During the year we played shows throughout Illinois anywhere we could and recorded a demo tape that we sent to a bunch of different record labels.

In December of 1997 we recorded 5 songs with Phil Bonnet (RIP) at his Solid Sound studios. He had recorded some of our favorite bands such as Screeching Weasel, Slapstick, Smoking Popes, and Apocalypse Hoboken so we figured that he’d make us sound great as well. Phil did his best, and four of the five songs we recorded ended up being released on our first (and only) seven-inch record appropriately entitled You Can't Do That on Vinyl.

Drive-Thru Records eventually got back to us and said they were interested in distributing our record. We were pretty stoked. The 500 copies of that seven-inch sold pretty quickly and we continued to play shows around the Midwest. Sometime in mid-1998 I moved from bass to guitar when we asked Scottie from The Humdingers (another Chicago pop-punk band) to play bass. The addition of another member, however, made things much more complicated: John was still in school at the University of Illinois, Tim was going to Eastern Illinois, Scottie was in the suburbs of Chicago, and I was living in Indianapolis with Amy.

We flew out to Los Angeles in December of 1998 to record our first full-length called Dead Ends and Girlfriends at Amerycan Studios in North Hollywood, CA and while we were in California we played about a half-dozen shows. The CD was released in the summer of 1999 to coincide with our first national tour.

Shortly before the tour, Amy and I moved back to Chicagoland and I headed west with the band in our shitbox van “Moose.” We played Omaha, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, and then drove through the desert (with no air-conditioning) on our way to the Drive-Thru Records home base in California. After meeting label mates Last Summer, Caught Inside, and New Found Glory, we circled back through Texas and the south with most of them. After shows in Atlanta and Florida we made our way up to New Jersey, New York, and finally back home.

We continued to play shows after we got back from tour, but sometime in the fall of 1999 I quit being in the band. I could say that I quit because Drive-Thru was becoming too big and “unpunk” because of their major-label ties, but the truth is that my heart just wasn’t in it anymore. The CD was re-released in November 1999 after Drive-Thru inked a deal with MCA records.

I didn’t really keep in touch with the guys for awhile after I quit, but they kept plugging along. While I was solidifying my relationship with Amy, the band was solidifying their new lineup. Tim moved from behind the drums to the guitar in order to fill the role that I vacated. Dave joined to play drums and the band kept touring, played the Warped Tour, and even went to Europe and Japan. They released their second album for Drive-Thru in 2002, but before that was released John left the band and Chris joined to fill his spot. Dave quit shortly after that.

You have got to admire their determination because Tim and Scott wouldn’t let all the personnel changes stop them. Longtime friend Mike joined on to play drums and they added Kyle to play guitar after Showoff broke up.

In early 2005 the band started work on their third full-length. A little over a month ago I saw the guys after a show that Bam (of MTV fame) was supposed to be at but bailed out on at the last minute. We had a few drinks, a few laughs, and even got to watch the Cubs beat up on some hapless opponent. It was really good to see Tim and Mike for the first time in awhile, but when the game was over we all went back to our normal lives.

MP3 | Mission Of Burma - Trem Two VS.
MP3 | Fugazi - Repeater Repeater

Can you see the sunset from the southside? Can you? I have had a number of people ask me what the name of this blog is all about. I have also had a bunch of people ask why its called "CYSTSFTS" and then tell me how dumb of a name it is. Do you want the story? OK.

If anyone remembers my first post (if you don't you can find it in the archives sans the posted music) you will recall that the first track I posted was the Lifetime song Ostrichsized. Lifetime was great. The song begins with a great sample from the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola movie The Outsiders. That classic slice of American cinema stared too many young actors to name here, but check the IMDB if you don't believe me. That is reason number one.

Y'all may or may not know that I am a Cubs fan. Now in Chicago you are either a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan. Sox fans are oftentimes referred to as "south siders" because of the geographic location of their ballpark and the fact that their primary fanbase has been the south side of Chicago. By posing the question "Can you see the sunset from the southside?" It is a juxtaposition of the White Sox current success against the continual woes of the Cubs. Even if the Sox win the World Series, Chicago baseball fans will still be whining about the Cubs. That is reason two.

I would go into reason number three but it is Friday night and I'm tired from a long week of work and school. You should know about Diverse and LCD Soundsystem. Check them out below.

MP3 | Diverse - Blindman One AM
MP3 | LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing At My House ST

Have you ever bought a CD/record just because of the cover or packaging? I have and it seems like forever ago when I last had the courage or disposable income to do something like that.

About the time my extra cash started being used to pay bills, I began taking less risks on new music (at least purchasing albums from unknown bands). Along with the "responsibility" that "adulthood" brought on it has been the internet that has changed my record-buying habits more than anything. I now am able to research everything about a potential purchase. I can view cover art, listen to song samples, read reviews, and even read band interviews. Back in the day I used to have to dig through magazines and make assocations between bands by the record labels they were on. Those were the days.

The explosion of the internet has made information almost too accessible. The experience of discovering something totally new or stumbling accidentally upon some gem a record is all but gone for me. Almost every purchase I make over $5 has been researched ad-nauseam. Digitization, though, is not all bad. I am now able to find out about so much more great music than I ever would have been exposed to before.

The last time I can recall buying a record becasue of the cover art was probably back in about 2001. I was browsing the clearance imports at Tower Records during my lunch-break when I stumbled across what looked (from the packaging at least) to be an interesting release. And I bought it. The CD I was holding in my hands was Fridge's Ceefax and contained within the little plastic disc was a mess of jazzy post-rock leftfield indie space-jams. Both the songs posted below are from ex-members of Fridge.

MP3 | Four Tet - She Moves She Rounds
MP3 | Adem - Ringing In My Ear Homesongs

Song one is from Battles. They feature former members of Helmet and Don Caballero as well as Tyondai Braxton. Pretty good stuff if you like the more experimental side of math-rock.

Song two is from Greg Davis. He is an electro-acoustic artist who also does a lot of field recordings. More good stuff.

MP3 | Battles - IPT2 EP B
MP3 | Greg Davis - Curling Pond Woods Curling Pond Woods

You may or may not know Jonah Matranga from his previous work. he fronted the amazing band Far who released their masterpiece Water & Solutions in 1998. You may also know him as Onelinedrawing or the frontman for the short-lived New End Original. His latest group, however, is called Gratitude. They recently released their self-titled debut on Atlantic Records, but I am a bit confused about it.

Gratitude plays no-frills pop-rock with a hint of the punk attitude you'd expect from Jonah. I mean, these guys should be all over MTV and so-called "modern rock" radio but for some reason I can't figure out, aren't. Maybe they didn't participate in the big payola scandal, but they are on a major label and play catchy-as-fuck rock music that would be right at home blasting over the airwaves on a hot summer day.

I know that being on a major is not an automatic guarantee of success even with enormous talent (Jawbreaker, Smoking Popes, Texas Is The Reason, etc...), but this band should be huge. It's a perfect example of everything that is wrong with the music industry as a whole. The people that run major labels are after one thing and one thing only. Profit. They don't call it the music "business" for nothing. The clueless fuckers in suits who run major labels basically peddle mostly substandard, unoriginal, and derivative products to many people who don't have access to (or know about) anything else. The majority of them don't care about the artists or about the "art" that is being made.

For every Fall Out Boy that has a little success, there are dozens of bands like Gratitude that, despite their talent and skill, will continue to struggle in obscurity.

(Sorry for the rant, I'm a little fired up.)

MP3 | Gratitude - Sadie S/T
MP3 | The Headphones - Shit Talker S/T

I go and stick up for the guy and what does he do for me? He gets himslef busted for juicin'. C'mon Rafael! Why'd you have to go and do a thing like that?

Next topic: Does anyone even listen to the music that I post? I sometimes get the feeling that all of y'all out in Bloggerland just aren't interested. All I am trying to do is share some new (and old) favorites with everyone. I read a few good MP3 blogs out there and just want to give a little back to the community.

Now, even if no one reads this or listens to the songs that I post, I will keep posting. I'm good like that. So this week I present to you two artists that predicted/influenced/changed the directions that there particular genres of music. Ornette Coleman released The Shape Of Jazz To Come in 1959 and caused quite a stir with this "difficult" (but beautiful and ultra-melodic) album. Refused released their genre-defying punk/hardcore manifesto The Shape Of Punk To Come almost 40 years later, but it's impact on the world of hardcore has been no less significant that Ornette's was to jazz. Judge for yourself though.

MP3 | Ornette Coleman - Chronology The Shape Of Jazz To Come
MP3 | Refused - New Noise The Shape Of Punk To Come