Italian Horn - Gotham White

Unlike a lot of people I know, I'm usually one of those guys that can listen to an album and immediately place its sound-a-likes, its predecessors, and what type of person would usually listen to said record. Whether thats good or not isn't really the issue, what is the issue is that I'm pissed off. I'm pissed because Italian Horn's Gotham White is a rare occasion where I can't really place said music in a specific genre or a specific type of person that would like it. But I'm going to try my best to describe its sound because this album is amazing. 6 definitely solid tracks of what, to me anyway, fits somewhere between post-rock melodic repetition and Today is the Day's dark ambience. This is something you're all going to want to check out for sure. Definite favorite for sure is the albums closer, "Skinhead with a Bluetooth Earpiece".

Myspace
Italian Horn - Gothic White

Stolen Bikes Ride Faster - Nothing Has Changed

Somewhere in Italy, inbetween Dag Nasty's guitarwork and Lifetimes energy and vocal prowess lies Stolen Bikes Ride Faster. 6 songs of purely awesome, deep, but FUN melodic hardcore are yours for the taking right here. From the very Young Loud and Scotty'ish "They've Drawn a Strip", to the very Against Me acoustic outro of "Black Lungs, Pink Eyes and Puddles", this ep goes by fast. Almost too fast. I WANT MORE!

Stolen Bikes Ride Faster - Nothing Has Changed

http://www.myspace.com/stolenbikes

Frodus

Frodus


Well, I haven't been posting anything lately, and for that I apologize. Real life reared its ugly head and has kept me busy. Noone tells you when you have kids that they want all this attention! But I digress. Ahh Frodus. I can't say too much about them, except that I have been listening to these albums for a couple of months straight now. And they don't seem to be getting old. I first discovered this band while in high school, and then I sorta just lost touch with them. I have recently corrected this problem by buying as many of their cd's as I could find. The link here is to my frodus folder on my mediafire. Just click the picture. It contains about 5 albums and one split. This isn't everything that they put out, but it is definitely a good start for someone unfamiliar with them. I know that I am shit at describing a bands sound, so go on over to their website and take a look. www.frodus.com It has some rare mp3s to download plus a shitload of literature to read.

Rival Schools - Discography

You asked for it and here it is. If someone can get me the track listing to the Unreleased LP you should let me know. As I said before Rival Schools is one of my favorite bands. While his work with Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand might be more influential to the modern music scene of today Rival Schools was easily his most mainstream outfit. I mean, they were played on MTV for christs sake. That being said there is nothing at all flawed on United by Fate. This band is one of those you have to look back at and listen to in the context of a certain time period. Imagine the mid to late 90's. Everclear, Third Eye Blind, Eve 6 all might come to mind as far as popular rock music goes and United by Fate fits right in there with the lot of them except it definitely has a LOT more depth and a lot less angst. The others, to be perfectly honest, I rarely listen to, but its worth listening to them at least once just to experience it.


















United by Fate











Lost Album

















United by Onelinedrawing














Unreleased LP

Walter Schreifels Solo

Home Recordings 06
Arthur Lee EP
Walter Sings the Hits Live

Walter Schreifels music has saved my life in more than one ways. His work with Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools and Quicksand have saved my life from the drab, the mundane and the depressing things that fills peoples minds as they grow older. It's needless to say that he is easily my favorite musical artist and, as I know having "heroes" in the hardcore scene is a faux pas, he is honestly a person I'd enjoy to model my life by. Gorilla Biscuits got me to want to get more involved in "the scene", Quicksand expanded my view on hardcore and heavy music in general, and Rival Schools was the band that made me want to dedicate my life to doing what I want and not what others expect. It's needless to say then that I would love his solo work. Up there is 2 bootlegs and an EP.

The first upload is just some recordings he did at home that he put up on youtube and someone recorded it onto mp3 format. Whoever you are out there I would enjoy to shake your hand someday. The recording quality is sometimes something to get over (you can hear his dog walking in some of these, I mean this is literally just him playing at home). Some you might recognize as Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand songs, and a few others that he's written. My favorite from this boot is "The Distance". It has a bit different recording quality which makes me think its not of the same sessions but to me its the deepest. Do not miss out on this.

The second upload is I believe an actual EP that he has released that I'm sure someone could find to buy if at all possible. It's completely worth the money. The recording quality here is a lot better but some of the songs lack the same depth and intensity that he does when he plays just on the couch. For me these definitely seem a little bit poppier and upbeat. Maybe a bit more for the person light of heart. Standout track is "Summertime", which incidentally is the darkest song on this ep.

The last thing is an entire live set, composed of his solo songs, a few Rival Schools songs, a GB song, a Quicksand song and I believe a Walking Concert track or two. It's 40 tracks and pretty big so I had to put it on Megaupload but if it comes down request it I'll put it back up. A lot of the tracks are just filler times that he talks during. Luckily they're in seperate tracks so its easy to skip them if you listen in the car or something. Something fun to listen to that sort of mixes it all together.

I hear rumors of a full length someday but I have no real news on it.
http://www.myspace.com/walterschreifelsmusic might have some updates.

I don't have time till probably tomorrow night to put it up but expect all 4 Rival Schools albums (United by Fate, the collaboration with Onelinedrawing and both Unreleased LPs) up sometime in the future.

Any Last Words - Any Last Words (2003)

Any Last Words - Any Last Words

Fast, powerviolence influenced hardcore is not really my forte. I mean I love Ceremony and others like it but it's not something I'm in the mood to listen to all the time, but when I'm pissed about almost anything there is nothing that doesn't help turn my fury into happiness like Any Last Words. They were from Minneapolis, Minnesota and were put out on Havoc Records (I wonder what they sound like, oh wait no you don't, they were put out on Havoc they are fast and pissed). What initially turned me on to this album is the intense fucking artwork. If I could be half that good I could die a happy hobo just by doing artwork as good as that over and over again and collecting spare change just to afford pens and paper. A hardcore kid angry to the point of tears and squeezing his ears till they bleed...tell me what gets better than that (I don't expect you to actually, because there is nothing: fact). Back when my edge was still straight I used to put on "This Aint Posi Core" and feel like if I ever sold out these guys would come down from the wintery north and slaughter my entire house. All the songs follow the same sort of music type but they do cover a fairly wide array of topics. Of course theres the necessary baseball reference and themes of never giving up no matter how shitty the circumstances in "Ten Run Rule", the necessary song about wanting to skateboard, and "Hardcore Prom Queen" and "I'd Rather Be Fighting than Crying" take on scene kids and emo kids in one double teaming track duo. Honestly if you like Outbreak, Crossed Out, Ceremony and other quasi-powerviolence youth crew influenced bands this is totally your schtick.

Polar Bear Club (2006)

The Redder the Better








Demo

Okay this is a band seriously everyone (if you had to ask yourself "me?" then the answer is yes, you too) should download, listen to and BUY asap! Based out of towns up and down the east coast ( Rochester/Syracuse/Boston/Tampa ) and featuring current members of Another Breath and ex-members of Ensign, this band is neither really hardcore and not exactly experimental either. They walk a fine line between melodic Texas is the Reason style post-hardcore ("His Devotee" off the Redder the Better, "Overflow" off of the demo) and heavier, sometimes epic feeling riffs sort of like Antenna era Cave In ("Election Day" and "Most Miserable Life" off of The Redder the Better). This band is one of those that you could listen to and disect every vowel, every syllable and every note or just put it on as backing music to something else, it fits both needs. Incredibly uplifting lyrics and vocals round out what can only be described by me as a nearly repetoir. This is one of my favorite newer bands still putting things out. If any of you get the chance to see this band you should do so. They're putting out a new full length on Red Leader Records sometime in the fall or early winter entitled Sometimes Things Just Disappear.

http://www.myspace.com/polarbearclub

The Plastic Constellations - Mazatlan (2004)

Every once in a while, for the purpose of maximum jamming, I put this album on and rock out. The Constellations are from Minneapolis, and forge a steady groove consisting of a mixture of DC twin guitar style and an almost rap-rock style that on paper sound terrible, but in actuality works well on so many levels. Mazatlan works on a heavy rhythmic based sound, with the guitars doing more to anchor the rhythms than dance around them. Some of the songs are so driving and anthemic that its hard not to bounce around when listening to these guys. The album starts off with the appropriately titled, We Came To Play - "We hear the whistle and we know its time" and "We wrote this, and we stomp our shoes, We came to play, its what we do" - theres a light heartedness to the songs that makes them perfect for rocking while driving, getting things done or even just sitting and listening. Though sitting will be hard. Especially when Evil Groove comes on. The drum and the guitars that start the song are not particularly evil but they groove like no other. Describing them with the "rap rock" term comes at a price. Limp Bizkit this is not. But they do rhyme and pretty well, and they have a meter to their delivery that is definitely rap based. The rock element and their attention to details keeps it from becoming a tired trick. In not time you'll be singing along to clever lyrics like, "All we ask is to somehow end up remembered, and not to end up beheaded or otherwise ex-members." The clincher to all these songs is how they build on the basic rhythms and bring most of the songs to a crashing close. Definitely a top notch record with only one short miss in the form of the title song. All the other tracks brim with energy and power.

The Constellations also have a newer record called Crusades that was released in 2006 on French Kiss Records, the label of Seth Jarbour of Les Savy Fav fame.

Reason to Believe - When Reason Sleeps, Demons Dance (1990)

I missed the boat on Reason To Believe, until some people started talking about them a ways back, and then again, after the recent Sense Field post. I remember seeing this record around, and I always toyed with the idea of getting it, but I was particulary snobby at times in respects to album artwork. (Only at times though). Sometimes even to band names (not that I have a problem with this name, but i mean, Gorilla Biscuits? come on! best band ever with a ridiculous name....) I digress though.

I guess the main things I'd want to say about this record (and the appended "The Next Door EP") are that, A) Ive been listening the shit out of this, B) Most of these members went on to Sense Field, who were actually not as good, but I still like their first two albums, the self titled and Killed for Less (both released on Revelation Records) mainly because I liked the way Jonathon Bunch sang, I always thought he had a great voice... and one more, C) This does not sound like Sense Field, save for the voice. It is fast, cathartic, uplifting, melodic and catchy as the bubonic plague in the 14th century. Basically, awesome, positive, uplifting hardcore. and I'm kicking myself for not ever picking this up, cuz I wouldve loved this shit in High School. Its got an old school vibe, but theirs way more going on, almost along the lines of some of Bad Religions earlier stuff, or even Dag Nasty, when Dave Smalley was singing for them. Anyway, I'm reliving my youth with this album. Awesome.

Oh and one more thing...

RIP Raybeez

10 year death anniversary

Don't forget the struggle
Don't forget the streets

Supertouch

Ok so heres the deal. Ever since I got into "real" hardcore I've loved it when a band starts off as a hardcore band that can get my feet moving and my fist pumping, but I love it when they take a direction of their own and don't just recreate their early hardcore stuff album after album. A prime example of beggining as a hardcore band and later blending other music into one kick ass band is Supertouch. They started off as just another hardcore band (under a different name, Death Before Dishonor) but went on to become sooooooo much more. Listening to this band gives me the chills. Songs like "Vendor" with a little bit of a more upbeat pace and songs like "Anything It Takes" with a bit of Smiths influence in there. Either way this is their full length, their EP and their live WNYU set.


Supertouch - The Earth is Flat


Supertouch - Live WNYU Set


Supertouch - What Did We Learn

zen and the art of mix tapes #011

zen and the art of mix tapes #011: Doom 'n Gloom

Ahhh, filthy, stinking, disgusting scourge of Doom. A billowing cloud of heavily distorted haze, mixed in with a small helping of astral projection. Take off all of your clothes, turn up the sound on the speakers, tune in to the heady frequency of Doom n' Gloom and prepare to have your mind fucked clean of all thought.

1. Toner Low - Evil Machinery On The Rise
2. Boris - ぬるい炎
3. Colour Haze - Tempel
4. Mammatus - Dragon of the Deep Part One
5. Goatsnake - Innocent
6. Isis - False Light
7. Ufomammut - Lacrimosa
8. Electric Wizard - Funeralopolis
9. Red Sparowes - We Stood Transfixed In Blank Devotion...

zen and the art of mix tapes #010

zen and the art of mix tapes #010: I'm a Prisoner of Routine

this mix thanks to the licentiousness of Walt from Believes in Patterns

"So this mix contains all the songs that I currently am digging. Most of them are songs I put on other cd's all the time thus the name. The meneguar song was the song that stuck out the most on that cd so I named it after a line in the song that is on this mix. Ummm I am not expecting many people to get all the way through this, because it is pretty heavy by most people's standards, but to all those who do give some feedback. I know it flows about as well as a huge turd with peanuts but I tried a little. - Walt

Side A:
1) The South - Fire In The Hole 4:02
2) Army Of Flying Robots - The Goths Brought Revels And I Felt Cheated 2:22
3) Cobra Kai - Binary Conniption 4:05
4) Devar-toi - A Season To Heal 3:48
5) Meneguar - Scrape And A Pull 3:20
6) Andrew Jackson Jihad - I Love You 2:38
7) Do Androïds Dream Of Electric Sheep? - Ignorance Is Bliss 4:57
8) Environmental Youth Crunch - Crumbled Suites & Surfing Boards 1:37
9) gtuk - i love gangstarap 1:09
10) I, Robot - Call Me "Killer" 2:49

Side B:
11) Loma Prieta - Welcome Spring Break 1989 1:48
12) Love Lost But Not Forgotten - Nobody's Watching Department 23 3:19
13) Neil Perry - Sorry for the Misunderstanding Mr. Watts... 2:32
14) Q and not U - We Love Our Hive 4:36
15) Reaction-Reaction! - Six Seconds In Dallas 3:30
16) This Computer Kills - Paradigm Anomie 2:39
17) Transistor Transistor - Black Cat 2:59
18) You And I - seascape 2:58
19) Wolves - (Seven) 3:41
20) In The Face Of War - Everlong 3:39

Zen and the Art of Mix Tapes #009

Zen and the Art of Mix Tapes #009 Nothing Feels Good

My entire beginnings in the hardcore/punk community is all because of one mix tape. Before she left off to become a big college girl she left me a mix tape she made for that summer with some of her favorites (Less Than Jake and Rancid for the most part) and a 6 foot Rancid poster I still have up in my living room.

Well needless to say she grew up. She's 26 now, engaged and has a career of her own and no time to go to shows and buy records. But the mark she left on me is undeniable and great with a few inches of plastic and sound embedded on film. Either way this mix isn't the same as hers but I just thought everyone should know a little backstory about me and know how important mix tapes are to me.

Side A:

#1 - Jimmy Eat World - A Praise Chorus
#2 - Get Up Kids - 10 Minutes
#3 - Embrace - Building
#4 - Jeremy Enigk - Cannons
#5 - Rival Schools - Good Things
#6 - Texas is the Reason - Dressing Cold
#7 - I Hate Myself - ...And Keep Reaching For Those Stars
#8 - Spanish Bombs - Summer 05
#9 - On My Side - Definition
#10- Carry On - So Much Of You
#11- Gorilla Biscuits - First Failure
#12- In My Eyes - Welcome To Boston
#13- Verbal Assault - Scared

Side B:

#1 - Go It Alone - Our Mistakes
#2 - Any Last Words - Hardcore Prom Queen
#3 - Integrity - Hollow
#4 - Turning Point - Thursday
#5 - Lion of Judah - U N I Vs All Equals Peace
#6 - The Misfits - Astro Zombies
#7 - Lifetime - I'm Not Calling You
#8 - Bouncing Souls - The Ballad of Johnny X
#9 - Operation Ivy - Freeze Up
#10- The Fad - Vinyl Paradise

zen and the art of mix tapes #008

Zen and the Art of Mix Tapes #008 Tickle Yr Ears

this tape courtesy of gabbagabbahey over at Hardcore for Nerds.Hardcore for Nerds.

"This is just a fairly representative selection of what I listen to really, mostly stuff I've been listening to for longer than I've been visiting this blog... just to show a bit of a back-story to how I got listening to these kinds of music. Hopefully there's a kind of a flow to the tape, (although a lot of it seems to me as a succession of songs arguing with each other) and a good mixture of familiar and unfamiliar. Enjoy!"

SIDE A
1. Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
2. Undertones - Teenage Kicks
3. My Bloody Valentine - You Made me Realise
4. The Radiators - Johnny Jukebox
5. Operation Ivy - Soundsystem
6. Rancid - Life Won't Wait
7. Fugazi - Turnover
8. Moss Icon - The Life
9. Swing Kids - 43 seconds
SIDE B
10. Sweep the Leg Johnny - The Blizzard of '99
11. Patti Smith - Ghost Dance
12. Radio Flyer - (312)
13. Hot Water Music - No Division
14. Leatherface - Gangparty
15. Lungfish - Non Dual Bliss
16. Green Day - Walking Contradiction

zen and the art of mix tapes #007

Zen and the Art of Mix Tapes #007 This is a Test

courtesy of deaddreamnation who does some pretty awesome artwork.

"Most of these songs are songs stretching back for years that I have used on many a mix tape or gotten on mix tapes from others and quickly became my favorites...Mostly because at each moment in time, these songs reflected something important that was happening in my life...not just the words...more the feeling when listening to them."

1. Shellac - Prayer to God
2. American Steel - Every New Morning
3. Three Mile Pilot - The Open-Sided
4. Lincoln - Bench Warmer
5. Drive Like Jehu - Hand Over Fist
6. Strikeforce Diablo - Polymer On Parade
7. M Blanket - Coaster Brakes
8. Twelve Hour Turn - Little One
9. Car vs. Driver - Without a Day
10. Sweep The Leg Johnny - The Face Perpendicular to the Shoreline
11. Consonant - That Boston Life
12. The Dismemberment Plan - Rusty
13. Fugazi - Long Division
14. Hot Snakes - Plenty For All
15. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Clair de Lune
16. Big Business - Grounds for Divorce
17. Lifetime - 25 Cent Giraffes
18. Hot Water Music - Eating the Filler