Violens

Amoral, V

I have a new band crush. Their name is Violens and they're 4 New Yorkers from Miami. I would describe them myself, but their last.fm info does the job perfectly already:

"Their music imagines a place where The Zombies & The Byrds meet Wire & The Violent Femmes, and Crass meets Angelo Badalamenti & Prefab Sprout."

So much genre melding going on with Amoral - from poppy to psychy to some fast shoegazing on Another Strike Restrained and a little post-rocking on Generational Loss - I'm melting I'm melting! Also, I think there's a didgeridoo playing for a few seconds at the beginning of "Could You Stand To Know." They're so cool (I assume... not like we're close personal friends) and such a great change of pace from all the shit I've been listening to lately.

That's right. Officially dropped off the chillwave and ditched my chillboard, at least for the time being. One second my friend and I were driving around and he was telling me how much he loves Tame Impala, and the next second their music was blasting and I just had this thought:

This shit is kinda boring/repetitive and I've had enough!!!(?)

An inexplicable sorrowful rage filled my body. I asked him to change the music, and when he didn't I seriously considered cashing his face via my fist, but then I remembered that I weigh about 100 lbs, so instead I went home and listened to Violens.

Hope you liked hearing my life story and hope you like their music!

Have A Nice Life

Time of Land

UM HOLY SHIT

THANK GOD

...no, just kidding. dont thank god. thank me.

red sparowes

The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer

ok so yes, red sparowes can't spell. and yes, their album title does strike me as kindof lame. but don't worry, these guys can create some truly brutal, backbreaking walls of sound. it always weirds me out that the only people i see at their shows are filthy, long-haired, pimply metal-types.

why is this? can anyone explain? they sound nothing like slayer, i swear!

i guess i "understand" why they're not more popular... kids would rather suffer through shitty, my-american-heart-esque singing while waiting for some cliche, 15-second breakdown than listen to the builds and swells of a song that actually requires technical skill.

whew sorry that came out so bitter. might have something to do with being woken up by my friends listening to iwrestledabearonce at 5am. almost took my own life. anyway, at least listen to the last track. it's breathtaking.

Myspace // Last.fm

DAUGHTERS

DAUGHTERS

Myspace // Last.fm
BUY IT!

I'm baffled -- a band whose last effort was my favorite album the year I graduated high school releasing an album four years later that still manages to fracture my skull with a jackhammer? Color me brain-damaged. (On second thought, I am still in college...)

If you loved Hell Songs, you'll love this record. Pummels just as hard and convulses just as violently. A few BPM are lost, but what you may miss in speed is definitely made up for in density. I'm bummed that they've broken up just as this is being released, but Daughters has never been a stable band, in personality or in composition -- they were more the talented and proficient do-whatever-the-fuck-we-want type. So maybe it's fitting for them to end before they lose that edge. Pretty sure Daughters will be remembered as one of those bands that was the best contemporary they had in a genre with few decent contemporaries to be had. Cheers, pricks.

Cast Spells - Bright Works and Baton (EP)

Cast Spells is the solo project of Dave Davison of Maps & Atlases. He played at a local venue last night. He was extremely fun to watch. He told some really hilarious stories and his songs were beautiful and fun. The man also has quite a wonderful beard. You would be doing yourself a disservice by not listening to this release.

Bright Works and Baton (EP)

Yakuza Heart Attack II

Yakuza Heart Attack - Yakuza Heart Attack II

Instrumental band made up of 8bit/noise-loving keyboardists usually described by music media as "keyboard-driven art rock." I would describe it as compositional genius. Please do yourself a favor and listen to this.

Myspace

Parotia Tree & Tycho Anomaly & Memory Screen

Stay with me here, this might get confusing. Recently, some dude on www.CollectedAnimals.net posted some of his music. And it was awesome. Some members of the forum requested that he post more music. So he did. All of it was awesome.

The first and most recent thing he posted was this:
Balloons Split
One half is Chordata Primate, the other half is Tycho Anomaly (the guy that posted it). It was recorded "over the past few months".

Chordata Primate is now known as Memory Screen. Memory Screen's album can be downloaded HERE for free (watch the video, too). Get this if you're a fan of Do Make Say Think and miss the way they used to play jazz like they wanted to hypnotize the Titans.

These are both awesome records. Listen to them at their myspace links below if you want a better idea of how they sound. Also, do you see how many genre labels I used on this post? I even resorted to using "experimental". That should tell you something, because I usually make it a point to avoid that tag simply due to its cop-out, anti-descriptive nature. Today, I can't avoid it. I'm of the opinion that the fact of this being posted on an Animal Collective fan forum is enough incentive to download all this stuff.


Then, he posted this album, which the Tycho Anomaly guy made with the guy who is now Memory Screen. And it is awesome. I've been listening to this one the most, which is weird, because it apparently was recorded "several years ago" and, according to the dude who is now Tycho Anomaly, is "definitely not as well developed as some of the stuff on the split". I don't know what he's on about, really.

Parotia Tree Myspace
Tycho Anomaly Myspace
Memory Screen Myspace

School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms (2008)

SVIIB is made up of members of Secret Machines and On!Air!Library!. It's pretty, shimmery, ethereal pop music. Dream pop or whatever.

Myspace
Download - 320kbps, Megaupload
Buy it!

Enon - Believo! (2000)

The debut album from NYC's Enon.

Preview on Myspace
Try it - V0(VBR), mediafire
Buy it!

Marnie Stern

In Advance of the Broken Arm (2007) V0(VBR), .mp3, mediafire


This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That(2008) .mp3, mediafire

ETA: KRS is really good at killing my links.

I'm not sure what to say about this woman except that she's an incredibly talented guitarist and the new album is intense. Zach Hill worked with her on the album and if you liked his solo album, you'll like her work as well. She's touring with Gang Gang Dance - go see her if she's coming to your town.

Preview on Myspace
Buy them and see tour dates

The Watery Graves of Portland - Portland (2007)

Adrian Orange does drums for this project. That's mostly why I found it. It also includes Curtis Knapp on piano and Davis Lee Hooker on bass.

Preview on Last.fm
DOWNLOAD - V0(VBR), .mp3, mediafire
Buy it!

Deerhoof - Offend Maggie (2008)

I hate the cover art, but I'm impressed with the album itself. And sooo happy to hear more Japanese in the lyrics!

Kill Rock Stars keeps zapping my link. I'm not uploading it anymore, sorry. Try google.
Preorder it!

The Sound Of Animals Fighting - The Ocean And The Sun (2008)

They've gone back to the stripped-down lineup that performed on Tiger & The Duke, minus a few members. They retain a little bit of the experimentation that made Lover, The Lord Has Left Us so intolerable to some, but it is toned down. Despite similarities one may draw between the three records, they are all unique beasts. This beast is slower, at first, than one might expect. This beast builds up and breaks down and is always heavy but not always hunting. As always, worth a listen.

Preview on Myspace
Try it
Buy it!

These Arms Are Snakes

Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home (2004) - V0(VBR)


Easter (2006) - V0(VBR)


Tail Swallower and Dove - V0(VBR)
Will be released October 7th.

Preview on Myspace
Buy it!

Talkdemonic - Eyes at Half Mast (2008)

Talkdemonic is an instrumental, self-described "folktronic hop" duo from Portland. It's very densely layered and simultaneously light and airy stuff, with a lot of post-rock borrowed dynamics. Did I mention beautiful? Creative?
This album will be released September 16th on Arena Rock.

Preview on Myspace
Try it - 192kbps(VBR), .mp3, mediafire
Buy it!

Mount Eerie - Lost Wisdom (2008)

"10 songs recorded quickly and quietly during a surprise visit by Julie Doiron, keeper of the world’s greatest and saddest voice, and Fred Squire, hidden guitarist of the floating riff, in a small wooden room in Anacortes, Washington before they returned home to eastern Canada. Songs with the expression of the face of a baby in a burning world, in the swirling dust. They hang on a theme of impermanence and destroying forces. The river is revealed to be going right through the house, the river of inevitable chaos, sorrow and love."

Check out Mount Eerie's tour dates with Doiron here. He's going all over, see him!

Try it - V0(VBR), .mp3, mediafire
Buy it!

Women - Women (2008)

Women is a new band to Jagjaguwar (Okkervil River, Sunset Rubdown, Bon Iver), which will release this album on October 8th. They're a nice little Canadian noise pop band. I wouldn't call their debut a creative stand-out among records by bands who have been doing this sort of thing longer, but they have a lot of promise and a lot of energy.

Preview on Myspace
Try it - 256kbps(VBR), .mp3, mediafire
Buy it! (soon)

Holy Fuck

Holy Fuck's name describes the reaction I have whenever I hear their music. They are from Canada and they have a very unique spin on their genre. In their Wikipedia page's words;

"The band uses live instrumentation and miscellaneous instruments and non-instruments (including a 35 mm film sequencer, toy keyboards and toy phaser guns) to achieve electronic-sounding effects without the use of laptops or programmed backing tracks."

They improvise on a lot of songs live. This is gonna be kinda confusing because both albums are named "Holy Fuck", but the first is their debut album, with the second being their most recent.


Holy Fuck - Holy Fuck (2005)


Holy Fuck - Holy Fuck (2007)


Official Website
Myspace

Mount Eerie

Live in Copenhagen (2003)


Seven New Songs of Mount Eerie (2004)


Mount Eerie Dances with Wolves / Two New Songs of Mount Eerie(2004)


"No Flashlight" Songs of the Fulfilled Night (2005)


SINGERS (2005)


Eleven Old Songs of Mount Eerie (2005)


Twenty Bees 7" (2005)


I Whale 7" (2006)


Mount Eerie Pts. 6 & 7 (2007)


Black Wooden Ceiling Opening EP (2008)

I'd give you links to buy the stuff, but who knows what's in print any more? I can't keep track. http://www.pwelverumandsun.com/

The Microphones

X-Ray Means Woman (1996)



Tests (1998)



Moon Moon 7" (1999)



Window (2000)


It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (2000)


Little Bird Flies Into a Big Cloud (2001)


The Glow Pt. 2 (2001) Pt.1 Pt.2



Song Islands (2002)


Mount Eerie (2003)



The Drums From Mount Eerie 10" (2003)


The Singing From Mount Eerie 10" (2003)


Live in Japan February 19th, 21st and 22nd (2004)


The Headwaters of Mount Eerie (2004)


Don't Smoke/Get Off the Internet 7" (2007)

All on mediafire, and everything is AT LEAST 192kbps.