Saturday, December 27, 2014

New Bread Club track streaming on Couch King!





Check out the new Bread Club track streaming on Couch King today! It'll be on their split with Flowers Taped To Pens, Beds, and Skull Kid!
This 7" split will be available via Ozona Records, Driftwood Records, Dingleberry Records, Cool Shoes Records, Little League Records, and Age Crisis Records.
Pressing info:
Mystery variant /100
Light pink /100
Baby blue /100
Gray /100

Bread Club: bandcamp

pre-order up soon.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Driftwood Records "Secret Satan" Sale


DIY label Driftwood Records is having one last sale for the year 2014, before they close their store till  January 1st.

-Use the code "hail santa" to get 17% off your order
- free shipping on orders over $50
- all mystery items are buy one get one free.

you can get tons of tapes, 7", 12", merch and more from bands like ANNAKARINA,Flowers Taped To Pens,  Of Us Giants, Roanoke, Human Kitten, Park Jefferson, Things Fall Apart and many more!

The sale last December 15th through the 22nd so act fast!

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Saturday, December 13, 2014

Dream Ritual - Self Titled 2014 Album Experience


Year: 2014
Genre: Rock, Grunge, Alt
FFO: Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins


To preface these next few paragraphs, I would like to say that this is NOT an album review. I perceive album reviews in a very negative light. Music, along with most other subjects in life, is indefinitely a topic of subjective opinions. It is impossible to conclude without biased opinion that, per say "The Beatles are the best band of all time" or "Paranoid is better than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", but we all know that. So this read is one that I call my "album experience", or a personal account of my thoughts and overall experiences with a certain record. After reading some absolutely hysterical album reviews of the Dream Ritual self-titled record, including those comparing the sound to the likes of August Burns Red, Breaking Benjamin, and Linkin Park. If you haven't heard the record yet, go ahead and click on the above "listen" link, then maybe you will understand the perplexity that I was faced with when hearing those comparisons. I know, like I said earlier, its subjective, but to me, that's just flat-out wrong. After reading those misrepresentations, I knew that I had to talk about the record for myself. So here it is.

From 2009 to present day, the underground music era has come full circle bringing many old musical styles and ideologies back in. It seems to be an endless cycle of recurring trends... something gets big, fades out, and in x amount of years, gets picked back up again by nostalgic and in-vogue up-and-comers. However, something that I commonly find, is that most people simply do it wrong. They try their very hardest to recreate the past verbatim. Often in doing so they either leave behind so much originality and creativity that most people would prefer the original, or they completely butcher the replication. With that being said, allow me to rant for a moment about one of the most popular (and annoying) of the revivals: grunge. The term has become allegorical for any music that includes: loud guitars, fuzz pedals, long hair, flannels, shoddy singing, converse, and a list of various other things that make me want to put away my headphones for good. Don't get me wrong here, I love "grunge" and the "Seattle sound" that it truly represents. Nirvana, Seaweed, DJR, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins... are all bands that really get me going. In my eyes, however, this whole modern day revival thing is truly a sham.

Over the years I continued to completely deny the renewal and more or less whine on the subject. Until one day, unwarranted, I came by the band Dream Ritual (then known as Wish). At the time, they had only released one single, "Fade". The dynamic, stimulating, and overall aggressive intro featured all sorts of ear wrenching feedback, pounding drums, and a stomach churning bass line that had me attentively awaiting what was to come. Already feeling the "grunge" vibe and my pessimistic side taking over, I was waiting for the massacre. I said to myself, "this is off to a great start but just wait, thirty more seconds and I bet my suspicions will be confirmed". Thirty seconds later and that bet was undoubtedly lost by the timeless unison of the mesmerizing guitar leads backed by fuzzy rhythm and above all, melodious and surprisingly robust vocals. I was hooked. The song exceeded any expectations by a long shot. Days later, after only one listen, I found myself unconsciously humming and singing the catchy chorus "I will never fade away....." repeatedly. It was a glorious eureka moment. I truly felt like I was back in the 90's, watching Kurt dive into the drums and smash his Mustang. At the same time, I also felt like I was listening to a band that I hadn't heard anything like before. It was not just a straight rip off, but twelve inches of creative, fresh gold. 

For times sake, I won't give a break down of each song. But overall, this record blew me away. "Fade" was just a surface level introduction to a truly deep and intuitive record that holds its ground in all aspects; from those heavy, head banging, make you want to jump off the stage riffs (notably the song "Little Speck"), to the enthralling and dazzling feel good components (notably the song "Hamptons"). Most songs take you on a wild roller coaster ride of feelings, like the aforementioned song "Little Speck". The song, or ride, takes the listener from a spacey and flangey introduction, to a foot tapping, sing along chorus. Next, the ride takes an upside down spin, with a hair tearing heavy riff that will make even the most serious of metal heads hold their PBR's and "horns" up high. Seamlessly, the song takes the listener from that aggressive mood, back to floating in space to close out the song. The record clocks in at just around 27 minutes of pure blissful anomaly. 

To accompany all of the excellence that the music provides, the vocals and lyrics pack a punch that cannot be ignored. I personally found each song relatable and relevant to me in one way or the other, most notably my favorite line from the song "25", being; "I don't want to die at 25, I want to live for forty more. When life becomes a chore, its such a god damned bore. So when I die, at 25, don't let the time pass me by." The mix of exuberantly aggressive screaming/singing with the calm and tranquil vocal patterns really take the already great instrumentation, and amps it up even more. 

In conclusion, this is a record that cannot be missed. Due to the band's unfortunate origins, I am afraid this record is one that could catch a blind eye from some listeners. Dream Ritual is a band from, as they say, "the middle of nowhere", and knowing some of the ins and outs of the industry, it seems to me that if you aren't from NYC, LA, Seattle, or other major cities, it is near impossible to have your music heard. As another testament to this band's quality, they were quickly picked up by a small but well known label, 6131, respectively. The label must have had a similar experience as myself, knowing that they had to give this band a chance. The overall mix of grunge, rock, and even sometimes dream-pop makes this record a must mention in my top album lists of 2014, as it is a top contender. If I had to compare them to bands myself, I would mention some like The Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Green Day, Swervedriver, and Nirvana. An interesting mix of bands, I know, but it makes sense, at least in my opinion. Be sure to give it a listen for yourself and prepare for what is to come from the band, you won't regret it.

-CM

Monday, December 1, 2014

Hollow Earth - Silent Graves [2014] - Interview with guitarist Mike Moynihan.


Year: 2014
Genre: Metal, Hardcore
FFO: Turmoil, Neurosis

On tour last year we played in Toledo, Ohio with a band called Hollow Earth. The entire day rumors were flying of  staying the night with a man named Mike. Everyone on the tour seemed to have some sort of innate knowledge of who this man was. He seemed to me to be a celebrity of sorts, different stories of him were circling around the group the entire day leading up to our eventual meeting. We drove a few hours out of the way to Detroit just to spend the night in the presence of this guy. When I finally met Mike I was blown away. He seemed to be the most interesting and funny person I had ever met. He was a great conversationalist and on top of all this, his sincere and disarming demeanor helped make a stranger like me feel welcome in his home. Meeting someone like Mike raised the bar for me to what you could accomplish and bring to the table in interpersonal relationships. Over the next year we got to go on a tour with his band Hollow Earth. 
Turns out his entire band is full of extremely interesting and engaging folks. The whole tour consisted of grand antics, great games/conversations, and pre-show parking lot sports.  After getting to spend all this time with Mike and Hollow Earth I can say not only  are they great musicians but they are of the highest caliber of human beings and have influenced me and transformed my ways of communicating and relating to others greatly. Here is my interview with Mike about Hollow Earth's wonderful new album: Silent Graves.

1. Hollow Earth's new record: "Silent Graves" recently came out on Panic Records. What's the story behind your involvement with them? 
The story is basically that we were in MA recording We Are Not Humanity with Jay Maas, and as soon as it was done, we couldn't wait to post a couple songs and have people hear what we had been working on for the months leading up. 40 minutes later we got an email from Timm asking to hear the record. Someone I'm friends in the Northwest hit him up and was like "yo check this shit out". We sent him the whole EP and he loved it. The rest is history. Timm is our boy and has been nothing but incredible to us. He took a chance on some band no one knew because he liked the music, and that means the world to me. I'm glad I got to know Timm, seeing how he's one of my favorite people, even though he'd argue that he's my favorite.  

2. What jobs do you do in the band? (instruments, lyrics, art, business, tour routing, driving, etc?)
I'm the primary songwriter. A lot of the foundations of the songs come from my shitty brain, and I bring those ideas to practice and let everybody riff them out how they feel is best. A band is more than one person, and I learned the hard way how much it sucks to not be part of a band but just to be someone who plays the songs. Other than that, we all share responsibilities with loading, driving, and doing what needs to get done. 
3. Where do you write for the band? (in your room, at band practice, in the park, in your head while driving? etc.)
I write a lot when I'm at home fucking around on my guitar. We all bring stuff to practice when we have it and try to make it work within a song. 
4. Will you show anyone in your family "Silent Graves" and what will they think?
I've already shown my mom. She said "I like the music but not so much all the screaming."  Maybe one day I'll write music my parents will want to listen to.  

5. Can you give us an outline about how hollow earth was formed and your time in Shai Hulud and your spontaneous move from FL to MI. 
It starts when Steve got involved with Shai Hulud and met in January of 2010. We were immediate friends and over the course of the next year of touring, he became of of my best friends. Fast forward to October of 2011 when I was in Europe, skyping with Steve just to catch up. He tells me he bought a van and our friend had moved from NY out to MI to play drums and they wanted me to come play guitar. I had riffs that I sent them and they loved them. I came home from that tour and was home for an hour before I started my drive to Michigan. I've been in Michigan since November of 2011, and we're still kicking. 

6. I know members of hollow earth are vegan and that this lifestyle influences a lot of the lyrics. Can you talk about these lyrics, and what other topics are covered on Silent Graves?
The only lyrics that it really affects as the lyrics in the song World To Come. Steve and I wanted to get a little ignorant and write a vegan song, but didn't want to be ignorant about it. We kept trying to think of a cool way to present the topic, and it didn't come until we were in the studio recording the album. 
We wrote the song from an animal's perspective, it's last day alive in a slaughterhouse. We wanted to capture the helplessness and complete rage a creature feels towards its murderer the moments leading up to its death. I think we nailed it.

7. If Hollow Earth broke up today what's the one thing you'd remember?
I'd remember jumping off a lot of rocks and writing music that challenged me and made me proud of my creativity. 

8. If you could have it your way what would happen to Hollow Earth?
People would like our band and we could get paid enough to tour that we could sustain ourselves and stay out for longer chunks of time.  

9. What factors determine whether you'll stay at home for the night or if you'll go to the show?
If I like a band that's playing, if I have the money to spend, and honestly if I even feel like being around people. Not that I'm anti-social by any means, but I spend a lot of my time around people, and sometimes it's nice to chill by yourself and be in your own world 

10. What do you do outside the band? Do you date?
 I nanny 2 girls as a job, play guitar, and watch movies. I don't really date as much as I like to, but I'm always willing to change that. 

11. What's the worst thing you've ever done?
One time when I was 15 I flipped a lemonade stand over on a girl who couldn't have been more than 10 years old. She got soaked in her own lemonade and cried  

12. Tell us a little about your personal background and your entrance into music.
 I had parents that loved Classic Rock and an older brother that loved Nirvana. I was introduced to Weird Al when I was 7 and to this day, he's still my favorite musician. I got Green Day- Dookie when I was 8, and Offspring-Americana when I was 10. My first show was AFI and Thursday when I was 12. I lied and told my parents I had to work on a project at a friends house to be able to go. 

13. You are one of the most sociable and fun to talk to guys I've ever met. Do you think this attractive temperament was somewhat formed as a result of your non-stop touring since age seventeen? How has being a relatable and personable guy influenced your life as a musician?
I honestly think my outgoing and personable nature is a result of moving 14 times before I finished high school. Being young and having to start over so many times, you either turn inward and become introverted or do the opposite and choose to be obnoxious and make friends. I chose the latter. 

14. You meet a lot of people on a regular basis, and many people seem to have memories with you. Do you remember everyone you meet? Is there enough room in your heart for all the friendships and relationships you form on a regular basis? 
I think there's enough room in my heart for as many friendships as I can take on. Does my brain keep up with the madness? Not always.  I do my best to remember those who have impacted my life, but it doesn't always work. 

15. Do you plan on keeping on keeping on with music and touring for the forseeable future or do you have an alternative plan in mind?
My plan is to keep writing and performing music as long as I can. My backup plan is eating myself to death. 

16. Let's say divine intervention prevented you from doing music, what would you do with your life if you couldn't do music?
 I honestly have no idea. Talk to people. I'm good at that.  

Friday, November 7, 2014

Meryl Streaker - Sky Burial 7" pre-order


genre: Screamo/emo-violence

label: Trends Die Records (TX)

format: 7" vinyl

pressing info:
100// clear w/ smoke
100// opaque violet
100// black





Wednesday, November 5, 2014

James Carroll - Disconnect Yourself From the Machine


genre: emo

year: 2014

tracklist: 
1. Disconnect Yourself From The Machine (part 1)
2. Disconnect Yourself From The Machine (part 2)
3. Disconnect Yourself From The Machine (part 3)
4. Disconnect Yourself From The Machine (part 4)

favorite track: Disconnect Yourself From The Machine (part 2)




Acoustic twinkly emo isn't something you here all the time so this is an interesting listen right off the back (thou it doesn't sound like its all acoustic and contains artifical elements in certain songs). Unfortunately interesting doesn't always equal a good listen but i will go into that later, good things first. This album creates a slow dreamy atmosphere ( exception being part 2, but even that is mellow) and the almost ambient sound really creates a calm enviorment that i enjoy including soft vocals. My gripe with this release is it does get a tad bit boring thou after a while, it has my attention for a little bit but i quickly found myself slightly bored. There are changes song to song but not enough to respark my interest (part 2 is a good effort with a more upbeat sound that comes as a good re-energizer but just doesn't quite have enough). Even thou there are negative aspects its not a bad release if you are into something calm and tired of hearing the same old twinkly bands or soft spoken acoustic or ambient acts. There is a physical release through Little League Records if you are interested as well.

-Conner

Monday, October 27, 2014

Meryl Streaker 8" lathe


genre: screamo/emoviolence

year: 2014

tracklist:
1. call to arms
2. see it through
3. expect resistance 



Meryl Streaker is releasing their 3 songs from their split with Nayru as a lathe through Driftwood Records. These are currently up for pre-order right now and will be limited edition with only as many as are pre-ordered being made. the lathe is an 8" black tinted with silver swirl/marble and will have screenprinted covers on brown cardstock as well as a lyric insert.


Saturday, October 25, 2014

Father Figure


Genre: Emo/screamo


Father Figure is a twinky screamo band from Denton TX. This band creates the perfect combination of light hearted twinkle with passionate screams and high pitched shrieks. the Lyric content is confessional and the vocals really reflect and convey the emotion in a prefect way. This band shares members with the infamous Two Knights, but in my opinon this band is far better. highly recommended everything they have released.

7" split with marcy available herehere, as well as many other places

-Conner

Friday, October 24, 2014

Free At Last - What's Inside Four Walls


Genre: Youth Crew, Hardcore Punk
Year: 2014


Free At Last is a hardcore band from Springfield, Missouri.
"What's Inside 4 Walls" out now on Moshers Delight Records!
freeatlasthc@gmail.com // freeatlast.storenvy.com // moshersdelight.bigcartel.com // facebook.com/freeatlasthc

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

BURST OF RAGE - 2014 Sampler // Interview- Burst Of Rage's Jack Daut

BURST OF RAGE 2014 SAMPLER


Genre: youth crew, hardcore punk
Year: 2014


Last year as I stood outside the tiny Brooklyn venue "Saint Vitus" waiting for the intimate one-off JUDGE reunion show to begin my eyes were drawn to a young spirit standing lean and uncomfortable in front of the venue. I went and introduced myself to the kid. He had taken a bus all the way from Connecticut to NYC only to find out the show was 21+ and his ticket would not be recognized at the door. Luckily the legendary PORCELL came to the rescue and got Jack in to the show. This bold move marked my first encounter with JACK DAUT. My second encounter happened this summer. Our van broke down on tour in upstate NY.  We ended up stranded in a town called Poughkeepsie and stayed with the lovable Max Garnot and his crew of goons, one of which ended up being Jack Daut. After 5 days of fun and games (literally) with the Poughkeepsie crew, Max, Jack, and the others had earned permanent places in my heart. Just a few weeks later I come to find out that Jack is now singing for a band called "BURST OF RAGE" and are opening the Boston Edge Day show. I had many questions, and now you all have many answers......


1. I hung out with you just 2 months ago and you were not in a band, now you are!? How did this happen? Tell us tales of BOR's genesis

BURST OF RAGE is the result of one weekend in the vast Pennsylvania wilderness. Sometime around mid April, Stick Together had a record release show for their LP. I was fortunate enough to stay at Ned Russins house after the show with some other cool people. In the morning I asked Ned to see his basement. Low and behold I had found his drumset and asked Austin Stemper to play Backfire. He did and I grabbed a cheese grater and starting singing and going off as if we were doing it live. Few more covers went by and Ned joined us on guitar and Dan Horres, on bass. Crucial John (CJ) convinced us to do a cover after their GIVE set that night since GIVE was playing with Rival Mob in Asbury, NJ. Rival Mob dropped and we did the cover after the GIVE set. We all went off including Nick Hinsch who was playing an uplugged guitar and going crazy. 5 months later me and him are doing it still with him servicing the bass duties and me staying put on the mic.

2. Also within that 2 month period BOR was able to play the highly coveted Boston Edge Day show. Tell us how this came about!
I had known about the Boston 15th Anniversary Edge Day since February and we were actually supposed to play Saturday's show but due to time restrictions and other blockades, we ended up playing a very sick show the day before in a VERY ill spot at New Bedford. That show was awesome as that was my first ever performance in a band, EVER. Austin Stemper and Pat Flynn were practicing for the show the next day a few streets down from the venue and they said since they didn't get to see us play they would donate 5 minutes of their set time to us so we can rock the funky stadium for the nice people. So we ended up playing two first shows, one on 10/17/14 and one on 10/18/14.


3. I understand some members of BOR are in other bands, what are they?
Nick YOUTHxCORE / Funk - plays guitar in Nuclear Age and sings in Stand Off. Primal Connor / Crunch - plays guitar in Primal League and some other band from Texas that sounds badass. Double G (MMM) / Skins - rocks the drums for Stand Clear too.

4. Other than skating, what are you singing about?
The vast majority of the lyrics I write are a manifestation and culmination of instances that have happened in the distant past that for some reason always come back to haunt me. I write about emotions and try to put my own twist on it. A song on the sampler has lyrics that my dad wrote and I found them in a secret journal in his room. Lightning Struck is about being confused and being angry at myself. I write what I feel and I like using metaphors.

5. This demo sounds like it was recorded in 1988. I love how it sounds, tell us about the writing/recording process!
We recorded that demo September 27th, 2014 at a cool Maryland kid's house named Nathaniel Salfi. We set up about 2-3 mics and recorded it track by track. I really hate the quality of it, but I'm really grateful we have something out that at least people can get a sense of what we are about. I think there is a lot of honor in urgency and rushing to get things out. I lost my voice a few hours we recorded and thats why it sounds so harsh. I always lose my voice......

6. It looks like the members of BOR are scattered all over. Who is from where and where is the band officially located?
I live in Connecticut, Connor is in Boston cause he goes to school there but he lives in Texas. GG and YOUTHxCORE live in Maryland a few minutes from each other. I say we are from Connecticut and DC because those two locations have an extensive history. Especially when concerning the bands we live. It's tight. I'm gonna move to DC soon. 

7. What is next for the band?
What's next is in 4 days I go to wedding, then I come back and book a trip to DC so we can write and practice more. We're looking to release an extensive tape with at least 8 songs. Each clocking at no less than 90 seconds. I'm hoping to record it before Thanksgiving so we can have it before Xmas. There is power in urgency. Next up is playing more shows and spreading the good words.

8. You are quite the connoisseur of the core. How did you get into hardcore, and at what point did you realize this was gonna be a major interest? What is it about hardcore that attracts you? The message the energy? What bands are pulling your heart into it?
I didn't really get super stoked on hardcore until late 2011, early 2012. Before that I had heard Bad Brains and I liked a lot of older heavy metal and stuff like Motorhead and Black Sabbath but I had never heard of anything Straight Edge Hardcore. I was doing bad things and focusing on negative impulses rather than cherishing every day as if it was my last. I was listening to, and still am listening to, a lot of Impulse! Records 1960s jazz, 90s rap, turntablism. I started listening to hardcore extensively when I stopped getting high, which was January 1st of 2012. I knew it would be a large piece of my heart when I heard JUDGE. My absolute favorite thing about this music is the shows. I have way too much energy which often times channels itself into manic outputs. I like going to shows and losing my mind. Coming out and having the whole show be a giant blur. Every band has a different message, which I love, I'm HUGE into lyrics. In 2014, my favorite bands are like this - Caught In A Crowd, Sweet Jesus, GIVE, The FLEX.

9. You are a well known kid in the scene, and you are traveling for shows all over the place in the northeast. Is it hard to keep relationships that are long distance and/or rarely getting to see these people?
I don't really know, I don't think about most people that live long distance unless you've had a profound effect on me. I get caught in whats going around me. Which shouldn't be seen as an insult, most people I meet once or twice at a show and have a 2 minute conversation with do not cross my mind.


10. What do you do outside of music?

Work a few jobs and jump around in my room. I started writing a lot more. And I like to read comic books. Sometimes I will go on a quest to get lost in the woods and my objective is to get home safe.

11. Let's say divine intervention prevented you from any involvement in music, what would you be doing instead?
Had I no music, Jack Daut would be one fuckin blank canvas. Because auditory stimulation is the only thing I look forward to. I remember in high school I would be most excited for the 4 minute transition period between classes so I could play a song or two on my listener. I'd probably be on a street corner in Phoenix, AZ preaching about something abstract and indifferent to most people. I don't know. That's a scary thought.

12. Will you show anyone in your family BOR, what will they think/say?
Yeah my grandma really likes it. She wants to buy a t shirt but she doesn't like the screaming. She showed me jazz so she gets the crazy shows and incessant passion. My dad thinks it cool but lowkey probably makes fun of it to his friends at golf. My mom kinda hates it. My sister is indifferent.

13. What's your most starstruck core moment? (if any)
I saw about 20 kids in CIAC WAGED WAR 00 EDGE DAY jerseys going OFF to CIAC. The biggest starstruck moment though would HAVE to be when I realized that a hardcore show is a series of large and soft vibrations, they make their way into you and you can either ignore them or let them vibrate you. I realized when I can do exactly how I feel, I feel best. It's really something sincere.

14. What do you think a full grown adult Jack Daut is gonna be like?
I will be young until I die. I will be jumping off things and screaming when I am 40 years old. Maybe not in the same format but my passion for internal expression will be prevalent. I'll still be listening to Dag Nasty Demo, X Marks The Spot Comp, You're Only Young Once, Schism 1-4.

15. What's the worst thing you've ever done?
I said something extremely vulgar to kid that sat next to me in Spanish class sophomore year. I got a week of in-school suspension. That was the worst thing I did. 

16. It seems like you are at every sick show up there, what is the threshold for you to decide to sit one out?
The threshold is very slim. I try to make every show, even if I only like one band. I travel to shows because I don't wanna ever look back and think I could've done it better.

17. If you could give one message from your heart to other guys in their early 20s about living their best life now what would you say?
DO WHATEVER YOU LOVE. HOLD ON TO IT. STRECH IT OUT. EXPLORE IT. DRAIN IT. DISSECT IT. VIEW IT FROM 13 DIFFERENT SIDES. Then make sure to do it exactly how you want, without outside influence. We will all die someday, and when that day comes we will be proud that we stayed true to ourselves.

Thanks Jack! Can't wait to see what is next for BOR!

Chained Down - Crossroads (2014)


Genre: youth crew
Year: 2014

Self Worth - For What It's Worth (2014)

Genre: youth crew, hardcore punk
Year: 2014

Monday, October 20, 2014

Back On Track

Hey everyone, we've all been extremely busy doing life but we are excited to be posting again! Thanks for reading and expect tons of new posts very soon!

Friday, September 5, 2014

Double Review: Fist Benders - It's Raining // Cabin Fire/ Love Is A Black Widow -split

since i havent posted in a while, here is a double review, something twinkly and something heavy



genre: twinkly emo
year: 2014

tracklist:
1. You'll Be Calm
2. "I Know"
3. It's Raining
4. Keystone
5. Raining For Two
6. Run Every Day
7. Grasshopper
8. I've Just Made A Fucking Mess
9. In Dog Years

FFO: Midwest Penpals, Nicknames, Tiny Moving Parts


Fist Benders release this new album around 2 weeks ago and it is amazing. A vast  over their first improvement over their first release. This album carries a youthful feel with the all the twinkles and sing screaming you could want (thou some more actual screaming would have been nice) with a slight old Modest Mouse influence. Instrumentals are great enthralling, the layered vocals create and interesting effect as well. This is DIY recorded the sound quality isn't the best but it definitly doesn't take anything away from the album in my opinion. Even is if the sound quality isnt the best and some parts are a tad bit sloppy, i feel like this album really captures a youthful feel of twinkly emo that a really enjoy and i strongly recommend this album.



genre: screamo/emo-violence
year: 2014

FFO: pg. 99, Kilgore Trout, Jeromes Dream 



This is a cool split, there isn't much to be said thou. Both bands play a dark brand of emo-violence, Cabin Fire going for more atmesphere and LIABW for a more straight forward approach. There are quite a few tracks on here as well, alot for a split. Anyways you should definitely check this split out.



Sunday, August 17, 2014

Driftwood Records



Driftwood Records is a DIY label ran out a house in Eugene Oregon. Now the logistics of a Label in the DIY music scene is a topic for a lot of debate, but thats not what i am here to talk about. Driftwood has been a large contributor to the DIY music scene doing numerous cassette tape/vinyl/ cd releases for many bands that larger labels would never take a chance on, releases include bands like Human Kitten, Flowers Taped To Pens, Wet Petals, Kill the intellectuals, Things Fall Apart, Cabin Fire, Park Jefferson, secret stuff and many many more . Thou many rumors have spread about Driftwood and individual (who is a sweetie) who runs it, You cannot deny that Driftwood has indeed helped many bands and made physical releases a more obtainable idea without pouring tons of money into buying equipment. Whether its truly DIY or not, I believe Driftwood Records is a huge ally to the DIY music scene and should definitely be supported.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Work Ethic Records

Blackhole - Deeper

Genre: Hardcore
Year: 2014

Tracklist:
1. Intro/Deeper
2. Not Cool Enough
3. Keep Spitting
4. Art Extortion
5. Lost Sight, Start A Fight


Blackhole are a band from around Springfield MO, and these guys have been posted here a few times, like last year we posted their release before this Ledges, be sure to check that out as well. This time around they've made their sound even more heavy, fast, and angry. Another highlight of this is the lyrics, sending out messages like in Art Extortion, where its about people who are just making music for money and how they are fake. Overall this release is sounding great, I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Lion House - Drancy

Genre: Emo/Screamo/Post-Hardcore
Year: 2014

Tracklist:
1. Support The Army; Not The Assholes
2. Come Back With All Of Your Faculties
3. Dooty Pooty
4. "I'm All Out Of HP"
5. Please Return My Daniel Johnston Record
6. AGAPE? Fuck That, PHILOS.


Lionhouse are a band from Kansas City, MO. Playing a twinkly sounding style of emo combined with the brash melodies and speed of screamo, Lionhouse pulls off a very admirable and solid release. This album is chock full of sad lyrics and pretty riffs. It reminds me of older bands like Mineral and The Casket Lottery, but combines it with sounds of newer emo bands like The Reptilian or even PBTT. Impressive release, definitely check this one out as well. 


-Jacob Rice

Flowers Taped To Pens 7"



Flowers Taped To Pens 7" are shipping out now
order from any of these places:


free download here


Friday, August 1, 2014

Under A Sky So Blue - Demo - Summer 2014


genre: screamo

year: 2014

tracklist:

1. Truth Is
2. "United?"
3. Nothin is Genuine Anymore
4. Right To Well-Being


Under A Sky So Blue is a screamo band from Athens. A very good addition to the growing screamo/emo-violence scene. If you are familiar with this genre then you will be familiar with this band, thou where they stand out is in vocal prowess. Multiple vocals at once from screams to almost whiney shrieks can be heard throughout each song and its awesome. This 4 song demo is definitely worth listening to, and along with it their embrace of DIY culture and opposition to racism, sexism, homophobia, social class, and capitalism. This band has a lot of potential, i personally can't wait to hear what they have next.

-Conner

Friday, July 25, 2014

No Outlet - Victim of the Void

Genre: Hardcore
Year: 2014

Tracklist:
1. Annexation
2. Victim of the Void
3. Struck Down

Get it!

No Outlet are a Hardcore band from Fort Worth Texas, this is their second release (I reviewed their first release a while back, go check out that release as well HERE). On this time through No Outlet is coming through with a more heavy and memorable song structure, i'm loving parts like the end of Struck Down where everything is just switched into complete anger. This album will definitely keep your attention, it is rad riff after riff and great throughout. -Jacob Rice

PS. I hope to get back to posting once or twice a week, Sorry if this review was not so good, I am very rusty on reviewing. Definitely check No Outlet out.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Nayru//Meryl Streaker Split


genre: Screamo/emo-violence 

year: 2014

tracklist:

1. Nayru// The Monster Inside Me Has Grown So Big
2. Nayru// God In The Wired
3. Meryl Streaker// A Call To Arms
4. Meryl Streaker// See It Through
5. Meryl Streaker// Expect Resistance 


Two screamo bands from San Diego...

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Flowers Taped To Pens - S/T 7"



genre: screamo/emo

tracklist:

side. A
1. Anime Love Story
2. Clever Pessimistic Remarks
3. Jack SNES and Jeff Mango

side B
1. Somber Eyes
2. We Are Standing Right Now, What We Build Could Be Anything
3. The North Migration
download

 Flowers Taped To Pens - S/T  is available for download and 7" pre-orders are up as well.

Ten Thousand Leagues


genre: screamo


Since this band has recently become somewhat active again i decided this post was necessary. a few years ago back in my hardcore punk days i saw Ten Thousand Leagues at the Che Cafe, i remember being perplexed by the combination of melodic and punk with somebody screaming rather then the usual yelling i was used to. They were actually my first exposure to "real" screamo and i didn't even know it. TTL is one of the best in the genre and their recent reunion is very exciting, I look forward to revisiting old memories when i see them Bridgetown DIY in La Puente. If you live near Riverside/LA go see them and definitly give this band a listen.
Mark = Skr4mzl0rd

-Conner 

Friday, June 6, 2014

Mason Mercer - Slobber [2014]


genre: experimental/jungle/pop/tribal/bedroom

year: 2014

tracklist:
1. Circumcision
2. Hunger
3. Scrappy-Doo
4. Slime
5. The Water Helps


New EP from NYC's Mason Mercer (who also plays in FocusedXMinds and Free At Last). Sounds like if Sugar Ray/Smash Mouth and RATM collaborated on the soundtrack for the new Jurassic Park movie.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Meryl Streaker - Sky Burial


genre: Screamo/emo-violence

year: 2014

tracklist:
1. A Mile In Ed Gein's Skin Shoes
2. My Ishmael
3. Transposed Skeletal Rebirth
4. I Want To Die Wondering
5. Insignificant Steps and Shallow Breath




New album from Meryl Streaker who will be going on a west coast tour with Nayru in July.Dark  screamy stuff

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bear Creek - Sickly


genre: Lo-fi/ emo
year : 2014
tracklist:
1. yrs
2. bite me
3. dingus
4. april 22
5. recently deceased
6. asleep
7. breaking mirrors



Bear Creek is back once again. Deciding to take a break from dark trap project Yung Baer $quad Erik has made "Sickly". This album will allow you to bob your head more and has a more depressingly upbeat feel. But don't worry there is still sadness in droves. With tracks like and classic Bear Creek spacey dreamy feel such as the ambient creepy "april 22" and the gentle piano to dreamy fest that is known as recently deceased" actually the whole second half of album take a turn into the more slow dreary territory, this is my personal favorite part of the album ending with a throwback to the sound in "Listen To This With Your Eyes Closed". Overall different in some aspects the same in other, but good none the less.

-Conner Sgarbossa