Review: Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) - When The Sea Became A Giant

Posted on 4 May 2008 | 4 Comments

The emo re-revolution is most certainly upon us now. It’s almost as if this new breed of emo bands like Street Smart Cyclist, Algernon Cadwallader, Rapid Cities, Bridge and Tunnel, Know Think, Jacob and I, and others have just fallen out of the sky and onto my stereo. Another band that fits snugly into this classification is the Fenton, Michigan based Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate). Yes, that is the band’s name. Their debut EP, When The Sea Became A Giant, is and imperfect but impassioned collection of what my brother would call “shitty whiny plinky-plink emo.” It’s an accurate and endearing (yes, endearing) description of a band that reminds me a bit of Mineral and early Get Up Kids. A promising debut from a talented band indeed, but there are points where the vocals are so forced and off-key that it is almost painful to listen to. Sure, some harmonic dissonance is expected, but at times it is just too much. All that being said, I can’t wait to hear this band grow and come into their own. When The Sea Became A Giant moves slowly; purposefully meandering and wonderfully unpolished.

MP3 | Empire ! Empire! – Our Love Has Made Us Pariahs When The Sea Became A Giant

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Indie Rock

Buckets Full of Emo (or) I Might Be Wrong (Part 4)

Posted on 28 April 2008 | 6 Comments

Well folks this is it. This is the end of the line. 80+ songs of tasty emo goodness. I know I missed a bunch of stuff so let me know what you would have included. If you missed any of the first three in this series, you can find them here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

For those of you new to the game, these 80+ songs should give you something to chew on for quite awhile and for all you jaded old farts like me, it’s just a whole lotta nostalgia creeping on. Like seeing Braid, Jimmy Eat World, and the Get Up Kids on a cold December night way back when at the Fireside or when At The Drive-In crashed on the floor of our tiny one bedroom apartment in Indianapolis…

Filed Under: Emo

Buckets Full of Emo (or) I Might Be Wrong (Part 3)

Posted on 22 April 2008 | 6 Comments

Perhaps this one will get the kids talking.

Filed Under: Emo

Buckets Full of Emo (or) I Might Be Wrong (Part 2)

Posted on 21 April 2008 | 1 Comment

Here is part 2 of the revised and reexamined Buckets Full of Emo series (you can find part 1 here). This one covers (roughly) 1994 and 1995 and reminds me of a funny conversation I had with my brother this past Friday evening that went something like this:

Brother: Okay. There is this great band that you need to hear.
Me: Who?
Brother: Why do you post garbage? You should only write about good music.
Me: Who is this band?
Brother: Texas Is The Reason.
Me: Funny. I was planning to post something from them on Monday.
Brother: Cool.

Filed Under: Emo

Buckets Full of Emo (or) I Might Be Wrong (Part 1)

Posted on 18 April 2008 | 9 Comments

This (these) post(s) is (are) actually an updated and much more comprehensive repost of this one and this one and should hopefully satiate everyone that’s been asking for these to be reposted. It also serves as a reminder that way before what teens, tweens, and over-protective parents today think of as emo, the term was shorthand for emotional hardcore. It was not a dirty word that referred to the lifestyle that gets so much negative press these days. It did not mean faux-depression, eyeliner, bad haircuts, and just plain ridiculousness.

Originating in the Washington, DC music scene of the mid-1980’s, some so-called “first-wave” emo or emocore bands included Rites of Spring, Embrace, and Moss Icon. Then came Fugazi (featuring ex-members of Rites of Spring and Embrace), Jawbox, and so on from there…

This is (according to me) a brief history of emo in music only. Yes, it will be incomplete in some areas and too
inclusive in others depending on who you ask, but that’s life. There is the mid-80’s stuff that sounds more like straight-ahead punk, there’s indie emo, mathy emo, and even screamo. And while I could have written about my feelings for all the bands, all the factual stuff has already been said and I’d just be rehashing much of what you can find here, here, or even here. This is also much of what will be covered in an upcoming book called Post by this guy. Anyhow, much of this music is out of print, so dig in, enjoy, and let the hate mail begin.

Filed Under: Emo

Review: Rapid Cities - 3 song demo

Posted on 3 April 2008 | No Comments

It is fitting that Rapid Cities calls New Brunswick, NJ home since that is where my wife is right now. Ha. Anyhow, Rapid Cities plays gritty and driving and emocore/post-rock that is as solid as anything I’ve heard recently within the genre. The mathy grooves of three songs on their demo straddle the smarmy intersection of 90’s Midwestmo, San Diego hardcore, and Chicago post-rock. Indian Summer meets Lustre King anyone? Anyone? Aggressive and infectious, and more dissonant than melodic, it’s just the sort of stuff that you’d expect to come creeping out of dusty vinyl grooves circa 1996 or so. The songs below make up Rapid Cities’ demo but are being re-recorded for their upcoming debut full length which I can only assume will be fucking incredible. These guys give me hope that all is not lost.

MP3 | Rapid Cities – Space Is Infinite Demo
MP3 | Rapid Cities – There Is A Black Hole Demo
MP3 | Rapid Cities – In My Mind Demo

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Post Rock

Review: The Sound Of Animals Fighting - Lover, The Lord Has Left Us

Posted on 2 April 2008 | 1 Comment

Have you ever heard The Sound Of Animals Fighting? Not wild animals, but (rather) the Southern California progressive rock collective formed by our old friend (and former RX Bandits trombonist) Rich Balling? They supposedly have a new album that is being currently being readied, but their last release, 2006’s Lover, The Lord Has Left Us can be a pretty crazy listen at times that incorporates everything from sheer noise to Eastern-influenced female vocals; from glitch-tronica to spiky emo riffs. There are parts of the album that are almost catchy and others that are almost unlistenable. It is (however) part of an overall whole that is really quite different than almost anything else out there.

Aside from Balling (aka The Nightingale) the band features (or has featured) current or former members of RX Bandits, Circa Survive, Finch, The Autumns, Never Heard Of It, The Hippos, Chiodos, Days Away, and others. The more I listen to Lover, The Lord Has Left Us, the more I like it (or at least have begun to appreciate it). That and the fact that The Nightingale is a really good guy have me intrigued and excited to hear what the group will come up with next.

MP3 | The Sound Of Animals Fighting – Skullflower Lover, The Lord Has Left Us
MP3 | The Sound Of Animals Fighting – My Horse Must Lose Lover, The Lord Has Left Us

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Noise, Post Rock

Review: Hot Water Music - Till The Wheels Fall Off

Posted on 30 March 2008 | 1 Comment

If you’ve been reading this blog for long or if you’ve checked my last.fm profile, you know that both my wife and I love Hot Water Music and their double-fisted melodic post-hardcore fury. While there aren’t any new songs on Till The Wheels Fall Off, as it is a collection of songs from splits, comps, and other rare stuff that didn’t make it (or wasn’t yet released) for Never Ender, you still need it. Yeah, there are a few omissions but I can live with them if you can. No matter how you spin it though, this album (just as everything by Hot Water Music is) is essential.

MP3 | Hot Water Music – God Deciding Till The Wheels Fall Off
MP3 | Hot Water Music – So Many Days Till The Wheels Fall Off

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Punk

Review: Dartz! - This Is My Ship

Posted on 22 March 2008 | 1 Comment

England isn’t exactly known for producing top-notch emo groups, but then again Dartz! is more of a fusion band; but not some jazz-rock fusion (though Bitches Brew is pretty great). Sounding like the bastard child of American Football and Test Icicles, the drunk and buoyant emo-dance-punk on This Is My Ship is absolutely infectious. It is really really fucking good. This Is My Ship takes familiar elements and combines them in a way that is hard to describe but easy to fall in love with. There are the typical dance-inspired hi-hats that mingle right alongside the circular melodic guitar lines in a way that just makes me want to get up and move (and I’m not much of a dancer). It is a raucous and off-kilter I-don’t-give-a-shit free for all full of catchy hooks and dynamically spiky new-wave-emo-something-for-everyone. There are pretty parts; there are sassy parts and despite the fusion tag I’ve applied to it, This Is My Ship may be just about as close to the traditional Midwest emo sound as the British can come, but if so I’m certainly more than OK with that. Get a copy now from Deep Elm.

MP3 | Dartz! – St. Petersburg This Is My Ship
MP3 | Dartz! – Once, Twice, Again! This Is My Ship

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, New Wave

Review: Able Baker Fox - Voices

Posted on 2 February 2008 | 5 Comments

Listening to the recently released Voices from Able Baker Fox makes me wish I was also going to tonight’s Hot Water Music show at Metro in addition to last night’s (photos forthcoming). For those not already informed, Able Baker Fox is a collaboration between former members of The Casket Lottery, Coalesce, Small Brown Bike, and LaSalle so I really don’t even need to begin to describe just how amazing this record is. It is amazing, and sounds almost exactly like what you’d expect the sum of the parts to sound like. Voices is an incredibly tight and cohesive album full of impressively played post-hardcore. You need this album and can get it now from Second Nature Recordings.

MP3 | Able Baker Fox – Stuttering Voices
MP3 | Able Baker Fox – Brand New Moses Voices

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Post Rock

Review: Attack In Black - Marriage

Posted on 30 January 2008 | No Comments

My favorite album of the moment (in addition to the new Chris Walla and Ida albums) has got to be Attack In Black’s 2007 album Marriage. It beautifully fuses rough and tumble punk with delicate and yearning alt-country melodies shaded with a hint of Springsteen-esqe rock n’ roll and sounds like the pulse of the American heartland. Except that these guys are from Canada.

On Marriage Attack In Black incorporates tons of different stylistic elements (saxophones, banjo, steel guitar, gentle piano codas, snarling vocals, etc…) together into a cohesive whole that couldn’t sound more natural. The music is effortless and relaxed but (at times) has an urgency that could fuel a revolution. Contradictions and juxtapositions are the foundation of Marriage and what keeps it interesting, engaging, and exciting from start to finish. They can erupt from quiet and almost minimal verses into huge swelling sing-a-long choruses that could fill a stadium or just blaze straight ahead.

Even though Grubbs might take offense at this description, just imagine a cross between the honest Richmond punk of Smoke Or Fire, On A Wire-era Get Up Kids, and the anthemic rock qualities of The Boss. Rarely have I been as immediately smitten with an album as I was upon hearing Marriage for the first time. And maybe only because both bands are from Canada and some hardcore punk history, I’ll toss Attack In Back into the same category as The Weakerthans; and rightly so since Marriage is right up there with Reunion Tour as one of 2007’s best records.

MP3 | Attack In Black – Young Leaves Marriage
MP3 | Attack In Black – Marriage Marriage

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana, Emo, Punk

Street Smart Cyclist - Emo's New Golden Age? (Vol. 2)

Posted on 22 January 2008 | 1 Comment

WI’ve written about Street Smart Cyclist before, but they are just so good that I need to say it again. This Bethlehem, Pennsylvania outfit has a dazzling debut EP that has been on regular rotation since I first heard it almost a year ago. The songs are full of everything that I loved about Braid and Cap ‘n Jazz. With a frenzy of youthful energy and punk attitude Street Smart Cyclist has (in only three songs) restored my faith that the Midwestern emo sound of the early 90’s is still alive. Lilting bass, sung/shouted vocals, and looping math-rock guitars all coalesce into a thing of singular beauty.

The honesty and fervent melodies of Street Smart Cyclist are undeniable. Their music is melodic, complex, passionate, and comes at you like a tidal wave. It was made for yelling along to. Yeah, they may be aping their influences a little bit but don’t we all do? Street Smart Cyclist is This is the closest thing I’ve had to a fix since Braid called it quits.

MP3 | Street Smart Cyclist – Hoods Up 7”
MP3 | Street Smart Cyclist – Pastor Of Muppets 7”
MP3 | Street Smart Cyclist – The Three Lane Cut 7”

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo

Jacob & I - Emo's New Golden Age? (Vol. 3)

Posted on 20 January 2008 | No Comments

Jacob & I is a South Carolina based instrumental post-rock/emo trio without a guitar player. Their Shadout Mapes EP is full of swiftly rolling and intricate mathy music that ebbs and flows and seems to envelop the room. Perfectly controlled, the tightly woven melodies erupt into frenzied bursts at exactly the right moments. The low end rumble is dynamic and propulsive but (somehow) gently twinkling. Dianogah vs. American Football anyone? Download the entire thing here.

MP3 | Jacob & I – Shadout Mapes ‘ Shadout Mapes EP
MP3 | Jacob & I – Twelve Shadout Mapes EP

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo

Bridge And Tunnel - Emo's New Golden Age? (Vol. 2)

Posted on 16 January 2008 | 3 Comments

I (like many of you out there) was sad to learn of Latterman’s demise earlier this year, but was pleased to find out about Bridge And Tunnel; another new band that seems to be keeping the tried and true traditions of the Midwest emo sound alive. This Long Island-based band is made up of past and current members of Latterman, Slingshot Dakota, Regarding I, and others, and manages to extract the best elements of all of ‘em. In what I can only call a sound reminiscent of the Get Up Kids meets “Tinfoil”-era Rainer Maria, Bridge And Tunnel melds gritty but melodic indie pop with complex rhythms and delicate melodies on their debut EP

The record’s four tracks are more than enough to hook any unsuspecting listeners that don’t know what is waiting for the. They are raw but catchy with excellent male/female vocal harmonies and twinkling guitar interplay that will have you singing along in no time at all. It is (as mentioned) a sound that harks back to the mid-90’s emo scene but adds enough elements to break away from most direct comparisons. Their EP is out now on No Idea and we can only hope for a full-length soon.

MP3 | Bridge And Tunnel – Circles To Shreds EP
MP3 | Bridge And Tunnel – The Rules Of Children’s Games EP

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo

Algernon Cadwallader - Emo's New Golden Age? (Vol. 1)

Posted on 15 January 2008 | 2 Comments

Philadelphia’s Algernon Cadwallader is one of a handful of new bands that is churning out tunes that are almost certainly inspired by the “classic” Midwestern emo sounds of the early 90’s. You know exactly what I mean. Twinkling guitar lines dance around intricate rhythms while impassioned screams and singing punctuate the in-between in true Kinsella fashion. The few songs from Algernon Cadwallader I’ve heard are outstanding. They are refreshing and despite falling squarely in line with the output of Cap n’ Jazz and American Football from over ten years ago this isn’t a rehashing of tired ideas. It sounds new, exciting, and bursting with passion, life, and optimism. Sure they wear their influences on their sleeves, but Algernon Cadwallader is simply a talented band making the music that they love. They are the real deal, folks.

MP3 | Algernon Cadwallader – Katie’s Conscience 7”
MP3 | Algernon Cadwallader – Serial Killer Status 7”

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo

The Anti-Matter Anthology

Posted on 29 October 2007 | 1 Comment

From 1993 to 1996 Anti-Matter was a fanzine published by Norman Brannon (former guitarist for Resurrection, 108, Shelter, Texas Is The Reason, and New End Original) from his New York City apartment. The zine featured interviews with many hardcore, punk, and indie bands that read more like conversations with friends rather than your run-of-the-mill interviews. Brannon also released the Anti-Matter compilation album in 1996 which featured many of the bands that graced the pages of the fanzine. I had a copy of the last issue of Anti-Matter an one point many years ago and still own the compilation CD. Brannon’s writing, music, and philosophies were influential to me so to hear that he had a book coming out was exciting news to me.

Brannon’s new book The Anti-Matter Anthology: A 1990’s Post-Punk & Hardcore Reader features many interviews that have been culled from the pages of the Anti-Matter fanzine. Included are documents of conversations between Brannon and the following: Rancid, Jawbox, Sick Of It All, Samiam, Quicksand, Rage Against The Machine, and many more. The book is insightful and bridges the gap between the well-documented hardcore and punk of the 1980’s and the Internet-spawned overexposure that so many bands of today receive. It is one last glimpse into the close-knit world of mid-nineties post-hardcore that Brannon and so many others poured their hearts into.

The book is amazing and is due out November 7th on Revelation.

Filed Under: Emo, Hardcore & Metal, Punk

Review: Golden City - 1 EP

Posted on 16 August 2007 | 5 Comments

Former Christie Front Drive and Antarctica member Eric Richter has a new band called Golden City and the band has a new EP simply called 1 which is out and also available for download from the band’s myspace page. Eric’s songs are sunny and his vocals are airy. The music combines the shimmering melodic emo of Christie Front Drive with a slight hint of golden heartland Americana. It is absolutely perfect driving music. Have a listen for yourself below.

MP3 | Golden City – Gray 1 EP
MP3 | Golden City – Diamond Suits 1 EP
MP3 | Golden City – Cars In Space 1 EP

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana, Emo

My New Favorite Blog

Posted on 13 August 2007 | 3 Comments

My new favorite blog is called Eazy Emo (thanks Eric). Now besides having a clever and hilarious name, Eazy Emo features the blogger’s own mashups of indie and emo artists like Coldplay and Fugazi with hip hop stars like Biggie and Busta Rhymes. Below is just a sampling of the tracks you’ll find over there, so head over to Eazy Emo and show him some love.

MP3 | Eazy Emo – Busta Rhymes vs. Braid (Urbana’s Woo Dark)
MP3 | Eazy Emo – Coldplay vs. Clipse

Filed Under: Emo, Hip Hop

Review: Circa Survive - On Letting Go

Posted on 8 August 2007 | 6 Comments

Even after a few listens to the new album from Philadelphia’s Circa Survive, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to write here. The album is called On Letting Go and it is full of agile and atmospheric rock music that straddles the line between accessible and something a little more post-hardcore.

Perhaps because the album is out on Equal Vision Records and because Circa Survive’s vocalist Anthony Green was previously in Saosin, I think I was expecting something a little more hardcore. What I found was atmospheric nu-emo that falls into the same category as what Sparta and countless other bands are doing.

On Letting Go simply sounds like a document of a band that is still searching for their identity. There is nothing terrible about any of the songs on the record, but aside from a few tracks, nothing really stands out. Imagine stripping away a majority of the experimental bits from the first Mars Volta album or all the catchy melodies from a Coheed album and you’d be left with this. It is good, but basically unremarkable.

The guys in Circa Survive are (without question) talented musicians and On Letting Go is technically brilliant, there is really nothing to hook the listener and demand repeated listens. Perhaps you might feel differently after hearing the tracks below. I’m not hating Circa Survive here, I just think that they have the potential for so much more.

NOTE: After writing the above review, I listened to On Letting Go again, and it started growing on me a little more. Just thought I’d let you know.

MP3 | Circa Survive – Semi Constructive Criticism On Letting Go
MP3 | Circa Survive – The Difference Between Medicine And Poison Is The Dose On Letting Go

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Post Rock

Review: Hot Rod Circuit - The Underground Is A Dying Breed

Posted on 1 August 2007 | 1 Comment

One of the bands that I had the pleasure of seeing over the weekend at the Warped Tour was New Haven, Connecticut’s Hot Rod Circuit. The band played old favorites as well as a number of songs from their stellar last album The Underground Is A Dying Breed as the crowd gladly soaked in the sun and the sound.

Hot Rod Circuit’s sound is an unlikely combination of alternative-pop and post-hardcore punk that is tied together with a bit of country twang that comes together like rootsy emo and sounds not unlike Blackpool Lights, Brand New, or even Midtown at times. However you want to describe their sound, Hot Rod Circuit’s The Underground Is A Dying Breed is full-on rock assault that has more hooks than a tackle box. Melodies are carried by the jagged punk guitars and yearning vocals of frontman Andrew Jackson as well as the warm melodic tones of “Spacey” Casey Prestwood’s pedal steel. It is an unusual genre-defying sound that really separates the band from the pack, but also perfectly illustrates why many of the teenage fans in the Warped Tour demographic may be confused by the band.

Picture the front porch swing of a house in a small town on a warm and sunny summer afternoon. Instead of an old man in a straw hat listening to the ballgame on transistor radio, a kid wearing black jeans and Buddy Holly emo glasses is listening to Hot Rod Circuit. HRC’s stylistic convergence is unique. It as a sound that is honest and unpretentious and is permeated by Midwestern and Southern warmth. It is emo before it became all fashion and Fall Out Boy.

The Underground Is A Dying Breed is amazing and it is out now on Immortal Records.

MP3 | Hot Rod Circuit – Stateside The Underground Is A Dying Breed
MP3 | Hot Rod Circuit – U.S. Royalty The Underground Is A Dying Breed

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana, Emo, Punk

House and parish in the house

Posted on 26 July 2007 | 2 Comments

I recently heard an excellent new band called House & Parish. The band is an emo super group of sorts and features a bunch of ex-members including Jason Gnewikow (Promise Ring), Brian Malone (The Gloria Record), John Herguth (The Love Scene), and Scott Winegard (Texas is the Reason). Can’t really go wrong with any of that I suppose. Have a listen.

MP3 | House & Parish – Standardesque
MP3 | House & Parish – Summer Programme

More music at The Hype Machine or buy from Insound | eMusic

Filed Under: Emo, Post Rock

Review: Dear And The Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves (or) it's not just who you know

Posted on 22 May 2007 | 2 Comments

Is it just me or did Dear And The Headlights seem to come out of nowhere? They play a spazzy and highly addictive brand of emo folk-rock that just won’t get outta my head as of late. “Sweet Talk” is sooooo good. The rest of their debut full-length Small Steps, Heavy Hooves is equally impressive.

Reminding me a some strange amalgamation of The Cure, Brand New, and Bright Eyes, Dear And The Headlights has (in their brief time as a band) already secured a spot at this year’s Lollapalooza festival where I’ll be sure to catch their set. Small Steps… is a dynamic record that is best when it is raw and coming apart at the seams (as it often seems it is). It is moments of head nodding and gentle folk rhythms punctuated by bursts of anthemic rock fury.

Dear And The Headlights’ Small Steps, Heavy Hooves is out now on Equal Vision Records.

MP3 | Dear And The Headlights – Sweet Talk Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
MP3 | Dear And The Headlights – Run In The Front Small Steps, Heavy Hooves

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Folk, Indie Rock

Review: Street Smart Cyclist - 7" (or) look at the sky without looking through it

Posted on 26 April 2007 | 3 Comments

Where did Street Smart Cyclist come from (aside from Bethlehem, PA that is)? I simply can’t stop listening to the songs that make up their debut 7”. Literally. They’ve been on repeat since I first heard ‘em. The songs are full of everything that I loved about Cap ‘n Jazz and Braid. With a frenzy of youthful energy and punk attitude Street Smart Cyclist has (in only three songs) has restored my faith that post-hardcore is still alive. Lilting bass, sung/shouted vocals, and looping math-rock guitars all coalesce into a thing of singular beauty. The band sounds great in a low-bit rate MP3 format, so I can only imagine how absolutely fantastic this sounds on the actual vinyl record. Street Smart Cyclist will also be on tour this summer so go check ‘em out!

Yeah, they may be aping their influences and treading the same music ground that many a Midwestern emo band did 10+ years ago, but I don’t care. I think I’m in love.

MP3 | Street Smart Cyclist – The Three Lane Cut Demo 7”
MP3 | Street Smart Cyclist – Pastor Of Muppets Demo 7”
MP3 | Street Smart Cyclist – Hoods Up Demo 7”

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo

Review: Blackpool Lights - This Town's Disaster (or) I was raised on rock and roll

Posted on 19 April 2007 | 1 Comment

I (like Jeff Tweedy) was raised on rock and roll and have had a hankerin’ for some straight forward rock music lately. One band that certainly fits the bill is Kansas City’s Blackpool Lights. Now Eric from Theme Park Experience has been shouting about how good this band is for awhile and now that I’ve gotten around to checking ‘em out, I have to concur.

The band is made up of former members of The Get Up Kids and The Belles (among others) and on their debut This Town’s Disaster as well as their acoustic tour EP, they play no frills rock songs that occasionally lean towards folksier moments. Its a sound that doesn’t stray too far from the country-emo that The Get Up Kids were progressing towards, and I’m OK with that.

Some might write this off as a cheap and unoriginal rehash of The Get Up Kids, but I don’t buy it. The rootsy power-pop of This Town’s Disaster is a perfect sonic companion for the view from my hotel room here in rural Iowa where all I can see are rolling hills beneath the hazy cloud-streaked sky. Right now it all makes perfect sense.

This Town’s Disaster is out now on Curb Appeal Records.

MP3 | Blackpool Lights – Goodnight To Romance This Town’s Disaster
MP3 | Blackpool Lights – Empty Tank This Town’s Disaster
MP3 | Blackpool Lights – Empty Tank (Acoustic) Tour EP

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana, Emo, Just Plain Rock

A spoonful of emo revisited (one last time)

Posted on 10 April 2007 | 3 Comments

After the overwhelming response to my last history of emo post, I thought I’d dig through my records and find a few more gems that I’d overlooked the first time. Here’s another dozen.

Filed Under: Emo, Mixes

A spoonful of emo revisited

Posted on 3 April 2007 | 18 Comments

Way before what teens today think of as emo, the term was shorthand for emotional hardcore. It was not a dirty word that referred to the lifestyle that gets so much negative press these days. Originating in the Washington, DC music scene of the mid-1980’s, some so-called “first-wave” emo or emocore bands included Rites of Spring, Embrace, and Moss Icon. Then came Fugazi (featuring ex-members of Rites of Spring and Embrace), Jawbox, and so on from there…

This is (according to me) a brief history of emo in music only. Yes, it will be incomplete in some areas and too inclusive in others depending on who you ask, but that’s life. And while I could have written about my feelings for all the bands, all the factual stuff has already been said and I’d just be rehashing much of what you can find here, here, or even here. Anyhow, much of this music is out of print, so dig in, enjoy, and let the hate mail begin.

MP3 | Sunny Day Real Estate – In Circles
MP3 | Knapsack – Cellophane
MP3 | Lifetime – Ostrichsized
MP3 | Shotmaker – Shortwave Radio

MP3 | At The Drive-In – Napoleon Solo
MP3 | Boxer – Georgia
MP3 | God’s Reflex – The Summer In Between

Filed Under: Emo, Mixes

Review: Hialeah - Where You're Standing (or) have you ever had too much fun

Posted on 28 March 2007 | No Comments

Hialeah is not just some town in Florida. It is also the name of a rock band from San Diego, California. Their 2006 album Where You’re Standing is full of muscular post-hardcore in the vein of Frankie-era Braid, Jawbox, Helmet, and Elliott. The lilting bass and dynamic guitar interplay create swirling and temperamental grooves that are buoyed by just enough melody to keep it all afloat. It is damn fine stuff and you can even call it emo if you want to.

MP3 | Hialeah – Bite Your Tongue Where You’re Standing
MP3 | Hialeah – Nothings Automatic Where You’re Standing

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Post Rock

Review: Alta Voz - City Of Echo (or) sucker punched in the ribcage

Posted on 22 March 2007 | 2 Comments

Why does San Diego, CA have weather that is just about perfect all year long? And why then does every band I seem to come across on the interweb from San Diego seem to be really good? Dumb luck perhaps or something more than that?

My latest San Diego “find” is a band called Alta Voz that sounds like ghostly and fractured math-rocking apparition of At The Drive-In or maybe a less Latin influenced Mars Volta. I should also note that any band that garners comparisons to ATDI from me (or anyone else) had better be damn good. Alta Voz is damn good. The music rocks really hard at times but also has an almost haunting and ethereal quality to it as well. Much like some of the more brooding tunes from Death Cab’s Transatlanticism album effect-laden guitars chime and wash over propulsive and relentless backbeats. However you describe Alta Voz, they have a new full-length record City of Echo that deserves your attention. It is available from CD Baby if you aren’t from their neck ‘o the woods.

MP3 | Alta Voz – Bayonets City Of Echo
MP3 | Alta Voz – Makeshift City Of Echo

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Atmospheric, Emo, Post Rock

The ice of Boston is muddy

Posted on 12 March 2007 | No Comments

Clark Sabine (at one point) had a solo project he called Disconnect but changed the name when additional members joined the fray and it became a full band. All that being said, the band is from the DC area and goes by the name of Statehood. In addition to Sabine, the band also features Eric Axelson and Joe Easley (both formerly of The Dismemberment Plan) on bass and drums. If the tunes they have posted are an indication of things to come, this is a band you’d better keep an eye on.

MP3 | Statehood – Disconnect Demo
MP3 | Statehood – Blank Eyes Demo

Filed Under: Emo, Post Rock

Review: Fever Sleeves - Demo (or) arson on the inside wall

Posted on 9 March 2007 | 1 Comment

Another band from San Diego? Yep. Fever Sleeves (named after a Q And Not U song?) play some sort of disjointed post-rock-core something that is fueled by angular guitars and which falls somewhere between Cap ‘N’ Jazz, The Dismemberment Plan, and maybe Shudder To Think. That sounds about right to me. Basically it’s technical and aggressive without being either mathy or hardcore. Anyhow, if you like bands like Make Believe and Plastic Constellations, I think you might also like Fever Sleeves. I do.

MP3 | Fever Sleeves – Awkward Moments Ketchup & Mustard Demo
MP3 | Fever Sleeves – Remember When Everything Hurt Ketchup & Mustard Demo

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Indie Rock, Post Rock

Never if you're out there

Posted on 7 March 2007 | 1 Comment

I’m not sure how it happened, but I seem to have stumbled across a lot of good bands from San Diego, CA recently. One of those bands is Irradio. I would describe them as sort of a cross between The Dismemberment Plan and TV On The Radio. Well, maybe if those two bands were siblings, Irradio would be their little brother whose troublemaking friends were Fugazi and Q And Not U. You know, spastic post-punk that you can dance to that also has some rough edges and atmospheric weight to it. Serious music from a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I’m actually not really sure how their last album didn’t get way more attention than it did. (Did it?)

Even though my wife and I have enjoyed their 2004 album Make-Up For The Inaugurated since its release, the band (at least to me) seemed to have all but disappeared. Their main website went dormant some time ago and I didn’t hear much about them for awhile. Recently (however) the band’s myspace page has been updated with a few songs from their new demo. Hopefully this is an indication that a killer new Irradio record is on the horizon. In the meantime, feast your ears on the tracks below.

MP3 | Irradio – We Downsize Make-Up The Inaugurated
MP3 | Irradio – New Diversity Make-Up The Inaugurated
MP3 | Irradio – Think About The Dream Sexy Wolf Demo
MP3 | Irradio – Call The Nation Sexy Wolf Demo
MP3 | Irradio – The Wonderful Sexy Wolf Demo

Filed Under: Emo, Indie Rock

Review: Modern Rifles - Demo (or) broken wings make broken things

Posted on 3 March 2007 | No Comments

Modern Rifles are a band from San Diego, CA that is totally reminiscent of the sort of mid 90’s post-hardcore that I totally love. The music is biting, noisy, and dissonant with just enough underlying melody to propel it into your brain like an exploding hand grenade. Check out the tracks below from the band’s demo, befriend them on Myspace, and hope for a national tour.

RIYL: No Knife, Jesus Lizard, Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, Lake Of Falcons, etc..

MP3 | Modern Rifles – Terroplane Demo
MP3 | Modern Rifles – United Lead Demo

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Post Rock

There is a light that never goes out

Posted on 20 January 2007 | 2 Comments

I really like this song a lot. I might actually like the Braid version better than the original. Imagine that. I remember when Morrissey toured with the Smoking Popes. This is pretty random.

PS: Anyone want to redesign this site for me? For free? Cheers.

MP3 | Braid – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out Movie Music Vol. 2
MP3 | The Smiths – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out The Queen Is Dead

Filed Under: Emo, Indie Rock

Review: Canpamento Nec Nec - Presenta Alimana (or) nec nec in a tom tom bang

Posted on 23 December 2006 | No Comments

Molly Neuman is a founding member of the riot grrrl band Bratmobile and is also a co-owner of Lookout! Records. She (however) is now focusing on her brand new label called Simple Social Graces Discos. Which was (according to Neuman) started “to promote the most exciting emerging artists from the global underground.”

One of those emerging artists is Spain’s Campamento Nec Nec. They are a band that plays some seriously crazy (and I mean crazy) but really outstandingly awesome music. And while I should probably stop there, because words can’t really describe this, I won’t.

Spastic like Deerhoof and disjointed like Cap ‘n Jazz is a good tarting point. From there virtually unintelligible vocals and furious drumming that stops as quickly as it begins emerges from the glorious wreckage that is Presenta Alimana. Rhythmically and sonically dense, the sounds that Campamento Nec Nec spit out come so fast, it is hard for your ears to make sense of it all. I don’t mean to imply any real level of dissonance, but whenever that tiny fragmented bit of melody finds you, its like pure magic. Maybe what They Might Be Giants would sound like covering the Locust. A far fetched maybe. I’ve heard that this might appeal to fans of influential Spanish emo hardcore band A Room With A View, but that means nothing to me.

MP3 | Campamento Nec Nec – Corteza Mandril Presenta Alimana
MP3 | Campamento Nec Nec – Pinata Presenta Alimana

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Punk, World Music

Review: Lake Of Falcons - The Panic Solution (or) pounding the proverbial pavement

Posted on 21 November 2006 | 1 Comment

The Seattle trio Lake of Falcons has a killer new 7-song EP out on Beep Repaired Records. This is a band that walks a line between more introspective indie rock and screamy, noisy, gritty hardcore and does it all with a DIY attitude. Mine came via a CDR lovingly packaged in a hand screened cardboard sleeve. You can tell this is a labor of love and that the guys in Lake of Falcons mean business.

Their music is intelligent, heartfelt, and uplifting but somehow leaves me with visions of desolate stretches of rural highways. The songs are oddly catchy, sloppy and unrefined in the best possible way. This is the music that the blue-collar kids in their winter coats are dancing to I’m dancing cuz I just love this kinda shit. RIYL: The Casket Lottery, John Cougar, Hot Water Music, etc…

MP3 | Lake of Falcons – Stone Steps The Panic Solution EP
MP3 | Lake of Falcons – Pretty Little Knife The Panic Solution EP

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Punk

Review: Brazil - The Philosophy Of Velocity (or) underhanded wagons of resources

Posted on 5 November 2006 | 2 Comments

So the band Brazil (actually from Muncie, Indiana) have a new record called The Philosophy Of Velocity out now and it ain’t exactly what I expected it to be. Yes, the band still dishes out emo-prog-rock with blistering buzzsaw guitar acrobatics and jagged tempo shifts but also shows that they aren’t afraid to slow things down a bit and infuse some “classic” elements more akin to the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and even Queen. It is a stylistic leap forward for the band that shows them exploring new ground to create music that is both epic and accessible. The Philosophy Of Velocity is out now on Immortal Records.

RIYL: Coheed & Cambria, At The Drive-In, Murder By Death…

MP3 | Brazil – Crime And The Antique Solution The Philosophy Of Velocity
MP3 | Brazil – Au Revoir Mr. Mercury The Philosophy Of Velocity

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Post Rock

An incomplete history of Chicago punk rock (vol. 14)

Posted on 24 October 2006 | 3 Comments

Here is a really obscure entry into this series. Back when the third wave ska/punk fusion was all the rage in the early and mid 90’s, one of Chicago’s finest was The Eclectics. They put out a few records on Jump Up! Records, including Idle Worship which was recorded with (none other than) Steve Albini. After a few lineup changes they weren’t the same. Anyhow, when former Eclectics front man Roy started a new band (I think it was about 1997 or so), he incorporated more punk/hardcore/emo styling into the music. I’ve also heard (but don’t know for sure) that the drummer was also in the Eclectics. To the best of my knowledge, Skokie was only briefly a band and only recorded one demo tape with five songs that is long out of print. Despite that very limited output, I remember them fondly rocking the Fireside Bowl. Here are all five songs in iPod friendly format straight from the original demo tape.

Filed Under: Chicago Punk, Emo, Punk

Review: Rainer Maria - Catastrophe Keeps Us Together (or) not your average mopey teenager

Posted on 19 September 2006 | No Comments

Rainer Maria has been making music since the mid 90’s, and is one of the few bands that is actually still together (even if they have moved from Madison to Brooklyn) from the glory days of the Midwestern emo scene. Seeing them perform new material at Lollapalooza was all I needed to make me go get a copy of their latest album Catastrophe Keeps Us Together.

The songs on Catastrophe are more streamlined and more tightly focused than much of the band’s recent work. And (surprisingly) they seem to have shaken off some of the indie-rock dust that covered up their last few records and have ended up sounding energetic and almost youthful. They sound like a band with a smile on their collective face even when things look their bleakest. Everything aside, I really really like this new album of theirs.

Caithlin De Marrais’ vocals are smooth and powerful and (without much from guitarist Kyle Fischer) end up as a focal point of the album. There are no shortage of great melodies on the album, which (at times) almost reminds me of an amped-up Rilo Kiley. As much as I miss the Caithlin/Kyle tension, it works. While some may criticize the band as being less adventurous and sounding more radio-ready than ever before, don’t be so quick to judge. Catastrophe is a big and sprawling album on which the band (for better or worse) returns to some of their emo-rock roots. The songs are hopeful, urgent pleadings for times in which we really need some.

MP3 | Rainer Maria – Catastrophe Catastrophe Keeps Us Together
MP3 | Rainer Maria – Burn Catastrophe Keeps Us Together

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo

Call it like you see it

Posted on 16 September 2006 | 2 Comments

Okay. By now you all should know that the legendary post-hardcore/emo band Texas Is The Reason is reuniting for one show at NYC’s Irving Plaza on November 25th. Supposedly the show is an attempt provide a little closure (they abruptly broke up in early 1997 while on tour in Germany) for both the band and the fans.

“The one thing we all agreed on, even back then, was that our last show should have been in New York City. We’ve had reunion offers in other states, but we turned them down. This show has been in the back of our minds for a long time.” – guitarist, Norman Brannon

That much is fact. What I’m not so sure about is the rest of the story. It just seems to me that there might be more to this reunion than just one show. For example, their Myspace page has new press photos of the band from the past few months. They are an official member of the Riot Act Media promotions roster. And their official site indicates “full website coming soon.” These actions (to me at least) are not those of a band that has been apart almost 10 years and plans to remain that way. Am I crazy, or might I be onto something here?

Filed Under: Blog, Emo

Review: The North Atlantic - Wires In The Walls (or) red wire right temple black wire left

Posted on 14 September 2006 | 2 Comments

The story of The North Atlantic evidently goes something like this… These guys from San Diego by way of Kalamazoo, MI (Bells shout-out) broke up shortly after the initial release of Wires In The Walls in 2003, but couldn’t stand the heartache that being apart left them all with. So now the year is 2006 and the reunited band has re-released the album on We Put Out Records for the world to have a second look.

On Wires In The Walls The North Atlantic deliver frenetic post-punk that never loses steam despite sometimes wandering (but not far) into what sounds to my ears to be almost new-wave synth. Jagged guitars and pummeling drums shift and contort with every tempo change like an out of control freight train. The band also showcases a humorous side on songs like “Scientist Girl.” How can you not love a band with lyrics like, “I’d rather listen to The Clash all night than be with you.”

RIYL: The Blood Brothers, Bear Vs. Shark, Small Brown Bike, etc…

MP3 | The North Atlantic – Drunk Under The Electrics Wires In The Walls
MP3 | The North Atlantic – Street Sweepers Wires In The Walls

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Post Rock

Review: Park - Building A Better______ (or) the coast via the cornfields

Posted on 8 September 2006 | 5 Comments

Very few bands can play contemporary emo-pop-punk-rock music that doesn’t sound totally overdone, juvenile, and shallow. Even fewer can make it appeal to a more mature audience. Whether is it an infusion of indie rock, straight-forward pop, or even hardcore, most bands seem to fail miserably at the task.

Springfield, IL’s Park (however) is a band that actually does it quite well. They’ve been around in some form or another since the late 90’s and it’s kinda funny that I recently came across the band because (although I’ve never seen them live) I remember seeing flyers for their shows all over central Illinois when I was going to school at UIUC.

Their latest album Building A Better_______ sounds like cornfields hitting the foamy surf of the west coast in the late afternoon. It has the charm and technical complexity of Midwestern emo (a la Braid) combined with a more laid-back, slick (but slightly dark) SoCal pop-punk sound. The hooks and catchy choruses aren’t necessarily immediate, but they are there. Park isn’t breaking any new ground, but they don’t have to. Building A Better______ is out now on Lobster Records.