BOAWS

Workin' Man Noise Unit - Drinkin' Stella to Make Music to Drink Stella To

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:46:37 -0500

Unpleasantries via the UK with this cassette from Workin’ Man Noise Unit. The type of cassette that you already have a pretty clear understanding as to what actually lies on that tape inside of it. As such, I didn’t need to read much of the letter that came with it. In fact, I could have just flipped it over and saw the drawing of construction worker standing atop a mountain of skulls while holding a beer and pissing all over them and drawn the same conclusion in a matter of seconds. That’s really better than some bio anyway. Needless to say, if you haven’t gotten the idea that Workin’ Man Noise Unit is in fact a noisy rock band in the spirit of Drunks With Guns, Killdozer, or really just about anything AmRep related in the earlier days…then…well they are. Six songs in total here that lays on looping feedback for pretty much every track that gives it the feel of a psych-rock record gone terribly terribly awry. Their crowning achievement on it has to be the eight minute long “Sweat it Out”. A track that just snowballs its way into a pretty satisfying and disgusting mess by the end of things. I would suggest that these guys get out of Reading…but if it’s going to spawn this type of greasy sleazeball shit…then I just can’t.

Workin’ Man Noise Unit – Sweat it Out [MP3]

Currently the tape is available for purchase through Doubledotdash Records or if anyone wants to just give it a test run, it’s available through their Bandcamp for a set your own price rate.

mOck - mOck LP

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:37:55 -0500

Up until this point Berlin’s mOck has only had brief appearances on some split 7-inches, which is where I initially heard them. In particular their track on the split they did with the now defunct Rapid Cities. At the time it didn’t seem clear as to what the and were attempting with a five minute sprawling song that jumped between a more standard type of post-hardcore and the smooth jazzy influenced math-rock that they seemed to turn on at the press of a button. Confusing? A bit. Interesting? Somewhat. Thankfully they have this debut full-length to kind of clear things up and allow me to dig into them a bit more.

It’s obvious from the first listen of this LP that the track I heard on that aforementioned split wasn’t necessarily the best representation of the band. Likely an attempt to get the most out of a full side of a split. Can’t really blame them for that. This record, being handled by Coraille overseas and I Love to Hate Records here in the states, is a much more refined and focused attempt at what I believe this band ultimately is trying to capture. It’s apparent from just taking a look at the associations that mOck have as to just what that is. Having toured with the likes of Joan of Arc and even going so far as to do a split with Victor Villareal. Then you take a look as to who mixed the record and it happens to be John McEntire of Tortoise & Sea and Cake. That right there gives a pretty fair picture as to what mOck are kind of about. A nice melding of sounds that drift along in an ultra pleasant way, to the point where you hardly even notice the interjections of the equally smooth and dulcet vocals. It’s a familiar sound, but one that kind of edges itself away from the mathy and overly feel good twinkle of many many current and insufferable “emo” revivalists. And more power to them for doing so, as mOck seem to lock down a sound that is equal parts throw back indie-rock as it is some of the 90’s heyday of post-rock before it became the bombastic mess that it is now. The interludes between some of the actual songs are a nice touch on here as well, breaking up the crystal clear clarity with some snippets that sound more like practice space outtakes and some random noodling. Good record from these guys, and probably a bit more than I was actually expecting.

Mock – An Hour From Now (stream)

For those interested in picking up the debut from these guys, it’s available through I Love to Hate Records here in the US and for pretty much everywhere else Coraille has you covered.

Ferocious Fucking Teeth - S/T

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:41:57 -0500

Originally turned on to Ferocious Fucking Teeth with last years EP Hounds, it didn’t take them along to follow that up with this here debut full-length on Safety Meeting Records. Although, it HAS taken me far too long to write about it. Bummer. Never mind that though, this record is pretty damn good. Definitely a bit different than what I originally heard from them on their EP, less straightforward rock/noise stuff being done here and A LOT more riffage going on. Good call, as it gets some pretty good mileage out of the two drummer set up they have going, which by the way is very well done here. It seems on record things can become a mess quick with this type of set up, but these guys have a pretty good understanding of what they are doing and the recording help of Steve Albini probably doesn’t hurt either. With that said, the bands self-titled debut sounds enormous, but in a way that doesn’t seem immediate. It’s slow burner of a record that lets the heaping riffs kind of crackle away in almost a drone fashion, letting the heaviness seep in slowly rather then overpowering quick punches to the gut. It doesn’t forget to rock though, there is a nice balance of both on the record. Reminds me a bit of Bullhead/Houdini era Melvins at times or maybe the less excruciatingly slow moments of Harvey Milk. Cool record, give it a listen.

Ferocious Fucking Teeth – Fuck on a Weeknight (stream)

For those interested in picking up the record, it’s available through Safety Meeting. It comes with a CD as well, for those without turntables.

SSWAMPZZ - Sleeper

Sat, 12 May 2012 14:06:59 -0500

Debut cassette EP from this Syracuse bunch. SSWAMPZZ are driving dead set into lo-fi aesthetics to tag along with plenty of other sloppy shit going on that at times get kind of sludgy. Tinny sounding guitars and crashing cymbals pushed to the front, but that’s really all overpowered here by bass, giving these tunes something meatier to listen to rather than just ear piercing feedback and hiss. I’m a bit perplexed by this EP as the noisier side of the band is fine and all, but then they bust out something a bit more impressive with “Pools” that ties together the bands overall anti-fidelity tendencies into a rather nice catchy tune. Would have absolutely loved to heard an EP focused more towards what they are doing on that tune. Still some good bits to be found here though, if in small bursts, and certainly and set of songs that lays out some promise. They certainly have the chops to craft a song that brings together the best of their elements.

Sswampzz – Pools [MP3]

For those interested in picking this up, it’s available on the groups Bandcamp page on cassette or it’s available digitally at a “name your own price” rate.

Forkboy - 1993-1999

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:47:37 -0500

As indicated by the title, Forkboy formed in 1993 and had a run of things in Finland for a handful of years before fading from obscurity into further obscurity. I say that since the band never really had an official release to their name, rather they had a series of 3 demos and an unreleased session towards the end of their time together. Now Finnish label Kaos Kontrol in conjunction with Arkisto Rekords has taken it upon themselves to collect all of this material into one nice tidy CD, all lovingly remastered. Granted, I can’t imagine their being a huge audience for this type of release, but like the Shiny Beast anthology that was put out not all that long ago, I find it rather endearing that small labels (profit be damned) take the time to dig up this type of archival material. Not all of it is certainly worth releasing, but if you’re being comprehensive then screw it. You’re releasing it anyway right? Done up in 300 copies, I think they are going about this the right way.

As to be expected, not all of this is grade-a material. But Forkboy, despite wallowing in relative obscurity, laid some fairly shining moments to tape before splitting up. Seeing as how I’ve written about current Finnish noise-rock/sludge purveyors Throat multiple times in the past, it’s interesting to hear a band like Forkboy who were doing a very similar type of sound roughly 15 years prior. Not that either were/are necessarily reinventing the wheel, but it’s a testament to how far and wide the AmRep influence reached. Hell, it even mentions it in the liner notes. The early tracks clearly show a band that were operating within that raw and charmingly flawed area of noise, no fancy stuff…just distortion masking some riffs. As they moved forward though the band clearly pushed towards a further straight forward heavy rock approach, employing the type of meaty riffs that would have resembled Helmet at the time, but with a noticeably heavier focus on 70’s riff/radio rock. At times that can be a bit too much, but otherwise they managed to keep it in check more often than not. Not a bad disc, and definitely a band that could have found an audience if things would have broke right for them. Kudos to Kaos Kontrol and Arkisto for unearthing these tracks.

Forkboy – Charity, My Dear (stream)
Forkboy – Television (stream)

For those interested in grabbing a copy of this, it can be had through Kaos Kontrol.

DownloadBOAWS Podcast: Episode #16 01 – Roomrunner – No Wait 02...

Mon, 07 May 2012 14:27:20 -0500

Download

BOAWS Podcast: Episode #16

01 – Roomrunner – No Wait
02 – Arcing – Crown
03 – Circus Lupus – Chinese Nitro
04 – Fag Cop – Teenage With Rhythm
05 – Low Fat Getting High – People Like Me
06 – Lust for Youth – Always Changing
07 – WaMu – Celibrate/Celibate
08 – Shoppers – II
09 – Geffika – Relativity
10 – Blood Sausage – Static
11 – Sleeper – 10 Miles
12 – Maribel – Slumber Street
13 – Ed Schrader’s Music Beat – Right
14 – feedtime – Fractured
15 – Death and Vanilla – Cul-De-Sac
16 – Fork – Tapeworm Begat Tapeworm
17 – Five Dollar Priest – Mama’s Stew
18 – Intentions – Functionalist Dream
19 – Holy Night – Dead Friends

KASH - Full Of

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:37:07 -0500

Italy has never been short on bands that represent the mechanical, nuanced, and sharp edged type of math-rock, giving us such notables like Uzeda and Three Second Kiss over the years. A sound that has probably become more synonymous with all things Steve Albini, more specifically Shellac. Admittedly it’s not always the most easy of listens and can fall victim of drowning in dullness far too easily if not given the proper attention. KASH happen to fall under the umbrella of bands from Italy trying to produce a similar sound, if not exactly.

The group wasn’t exactly the most productive bunch throughout the aughts, releasing just two EP’s between that time to which was later released on one disc through Sickroom Records here in the states. They are just now releasing what would be considered their first proper album titled Full Of, which is being handled here in the US once again through Sickroom. Containing eight tracks, it’s a bit of a mixed bag for these fellas. Surprisingly (or maybe not) there is very little giddy-up throughout the album, focusing far more on refined arrangements. They do however free up every so often to work in some bit of groove and make good use of nuanced elevations in volume to probably give the illusion that there is bit more of an apex to these tunes than what there actually is. What shouldn’t be a shock to anyone is that Albini recorded this and that it sounds pretty gosh darn good. As a record though, it’s split pretty closely down the middle. Maybe one that will appeal more so to those of the Touch & Go/Quarterstick crowd and bands like June of 44, Rachel’s, and maybe even Bedhead rather than some of their Italian peers that live for that razor-like aluminum sound.

KASH – Eagle (stream)

Those looking to purchase Full Of can do so by simply hitting up Sickroom Records. The record comes with a CD as well. Or if digital is your preferred route, then it’s available through Bandcamp.

California X - Sucker 7''

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:48:55 -0500

I’m still not quite over the fact that Shoppers have since called it a day, but helping me move on some is this debut single from California X that features former Shoppers drummer Josh Smith pounding it out to a bit of a different tune here. Containing two tracks, the a-side of “Sucker” is a nearly seven minute rocker in the area of Dinosaur Jr.. I doubt that’s any coincidence considering that both are from Amherst, MA. The tune motors along through some fairly nice riffs backed along a constant churn of melodic humming fuzz that brings to mind Boston vets The Beatings at times and who are certainly no strangers to six minute plus anthem rockers. On the backside is the tune “Mummy”, which doesn’t necessarily get the ball rolling quite as soon as its companion, but eventually hits it stride about mid way through and bubbling up all those nice thoughts of great power trios in the 90’s. Nice debut for these folks. Hope they keep it coming…

California X – Sucker (stream)

Right now the single is available through Feeble Minds for those interested in picking it up.

Merchandise - Children of Desire

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:42:05 -0500

Just in time for the summer is this infectiously catchy new one from Florida’s Merchandise. Their previous album (Strange Songs) in the Dark was an eye opener or sure, with a wonderful mixture of darker post-punk, shoegaze, and touches of their former hardcore related projects. However, with Children of Desire the group has tossed a lot of that out of the window and are certainly going for broke on creating a pop masterpiece here. By all accounts they are coming about as close as to anything I’ve heard for years with this record. Wonderfully blended once again, keeping around enough of the fuzz and scraping metallic distortion from the gazier aspects of their sound to surround the Moz like crooning of singer Carson Cox. It also helps that this has a deliciously 80’s throwback indie/pop vibe throughout it, right down to the production values and the echoed drum effects. Perfect. Did I already mention that this thing is catchy? Oh right, I did. Well it is worth mentioning again because the effects of listening to these tracks are the cause for countless days of humming riffs to myself while walking around work. I wasn’t really aware that Merchandise had this sort of potential in them, even after hearing their excellent debut record, but Children of Desire is the type of album that is going to stick around for awhile. No doubt. Get ready to see this championed throughout the summer folks. It’s good, real good.

Merchandise – Become What You Are [MP3]

The album is currently available through Katorga Works. However, if you’re just looking to give it a test run before pulling the trigger, it’s also available for free download through the same link. If you like what you hear though, please by all means pick it up.

Grass is Green - Ronson

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:06:49 -0500

For the past couple of years Boston’s Grass is Green has been a band that has always seemed to have the potential to put it all together. Listening to their first album Yeddo presented numerous glimpses into great ideas, but a level of inconsistency always remained. That carried over some into their EP from last year Chibimoon as well, leaving me with a couple of really great songs and the rest being the sort of songs suitable for EP filler. Yet, there was plenty of intrigue here and always has been, with that chance of delivering a track that could blow me away. I’m not sure I ever really expected them to make the jump, but damn did I wish.

This past March saw the release of Grass is Green’s second full-length Ronson, self-released and made on a limited run of CD’s for their tour. The band has always been one to draw heavily from 90’s post-hardcore/punk or the more left of the dial indie/alt waves of the time. With Ronson it’s absolutely no different, featuring a sound that brings together some of the artier and angular Dischord bands from that time period like Smart Went Crazy, Jawbox, and Lungfish and then injects it with a grungier/alt leaning with nice big chunky riffs throughout. For example the track “Life of Mike” has a small guitar part that sounds eerily similar to a Failure tune that I can’t place right now. The big key here though is that Grass is Green have dramatically made strides with songwriting. Finally discovering and harnessing the magic that made some of those moments on past material so damn interesting. From top to bottom on the album is tactfully placed hooks and changes to keep the listener reeling and constantly guessing. The track “Jesse’s Fashion Show” is on my list of one of the cooler songs I’ve heard so far this year, complete with the type of unpredictable nature and hook-line-sinker twists that this band had hinted at all along. The integration of influences may not be hidden from plain sight, but the palette they’ve decided to work with is a wide one. Really good stuff.

Grass is Green – Jesse’s Fashion Show (stream)

Anyone looking to acquire the whole album can do so by heading over to their Bandcamp page where they have it available digitally and I think as of this writing there is like one CD-R copy left. Not sure if there will be more. No matter, get it whichever way you can.

Wishgift - Folktwain 12'' (one-sided)

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:36:17 -0500

A one-sided 12” from this Chicago group who like to get weird and with that leads down a big path of unpredictability and confusion. If there is one loose thread that somehow ties these five songs together is that the songs are often laced with stoner type riffs and fuzz along with it carrying a very Chicago math-rock vibe. From song to song though, Wishgift are pretty much all over the map after you separate that from their overall sound. Sometimes focused on more full bore rock n’ roll mode, sometimes prog-rock, sometimes just downright goofy. All of it adds up to an interesting package of noise that after repeated listens I’m still not quite sure what to make of it. Heavily reminiscent of groups like Cheer-Accident, Karp, and hell…maybe even Faith No More I’m not so sure if even the band is aware of which direction this is going whenever they write this stuff. There is some saxophone skronk injected to the track “Pillow is Trash Talk”, really only adding fuel to the already jumbled fire here. Weird record.

Wishgift – Pillow is Trash Talk (stream)

You can grab a copy of this 12” over at Sophomore Lounge Records or digitally through Bandcamp.

Friend Collector - Friend Collector

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:35:32 -0500

It would be a surprise if Friend Collector was actually out there making good on their name and actually, ya know, making friends. However, judging by the sort of nihilistic noise and message that comes together on the bands debut album they probably aren’t winning them over in droves. As has been the case with Jason Donnells’ past projects such as The New Flesh and Pfisters, where they dished out yet a similar brand of unrelenting brand of noise-rock. Where does Friend Collector stand in the mix of things? Well, certainly more towards the frustrated and violent characteristics of The New Flesh and not so much the more rock n’ roll or Jesus Lizard type of sound that Pfisters presented. However, that’s not to say that Friend Collector doesn’t bring together a bit of both here. There is definitely noticeable hints of rhythm here and there as opposed to the straight run of monotony of a Swans like bludgeoning. There is still certainly plenty of that as well though, leaving it loud and bursting at the seams with bass and drums. Showing their disgust to those that are misinformed and inept at making commentary towards this country, it certainly adds to the levels of intensity and vitriol that spews forth from collection of tracks here. Friend Collector successfully creates the type of imagery of a spiraling present and a not so bright future if current trends continue. Give it a listen.

Friend Collector – Pinpointing the Enemy (stream)

Anyone that is interested in picking up a copy of Friend Collector’s debut, just simply hit up the groups Bandcamp page where it is available on LP and digital download.

Bikini Eyebolt - Bikini Eyebolt

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:59:57 -0500

More noise here from Australia, although this one comes about four years after it was actually recorded. Bikini Eyebolt existed for a brief period between 2007 and 2008 and managed to record this full-length somewhere in between. I think one of the guys has since moved on to the sludgier sounding DEAD, who released a pretty cool record last year on Wantage actually. Not sure if the Bikini Eyebolt record ever got a release back when it was originally recorded as details about the band and the record itself are pretty elusive. Whether it did or not, Tenzenmen has seen it fit to release this year. Unlike the bass and drum approach of DEAD, Bikini Eyebolt was a full band and one that seemed to teeter between the throwback type of rubbery post-punk and more full frontal AmRep style scuzz. Although I’d say the former is more prevalent in their sound, at least of what makes up this record. I’m assuming this is the majority of what they ever managed to record properly, ten tunes in all and not too shabby at that.

Bikini Eyebolt – Accuser (stream)

Anyone interested in picking up a copy of the record can do so by heading over to the Tenzenmen Bandcamp page where it’s currently available on CD or digital download at a fairly cheap price.

Fake Limbs - Man Feelings

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:22:47 -0500

Some distinctly Chicago rock music to be found here on the debut from Fake Limbs. Music that is specifically aimed toward the burly bearded, hard drinking, and bitterly aging crowd. Although the title may spark the thought of there being some type of revelatory self-reflection or therapy session for guys out there on this record, you might want to drop that thought altogether. This may inflict a state of identity confusion if any of the number of themes lovingly joked about on Man Feelings hits home. One of those moments where you’ll find yourself laughing along and as you slowly realize that you in fact have a shining resemblance to their own self deprecation the album takes on a whole new light. One that becomes a bit more personal, but equally enjoyable.

Music wise, Fake Limbs are, as previously mentioned, much a product of the surrounding Chicago area showing flashes of past notables like Jesus Lizard, Tar, Shorty, and so on. The bit of choppy abrasiveness is then funneled through a hefty dose of 70’s riff rock, leaving the album with a nice balance between the rough stuff and the rockin’. At just over twenty five minutes, the pace is kept at a speed that suits their sound perfectly, allowing the frequent injections of riffs to stay fresh. Recorded at Electrical Audio, the drums and bass make for a record that sounds mammoth coming out of the speakers. Particularly on a track like “Hanging Kudzu”, which is a lumbering rock beast that actually represents both sides of the band perfectly. Give it a listen, cool record.

Fake Limbs – Hanging Kudzu (stream)

Those interested in grabbing a copy of Man Feelings can do so by heading over to BLVD Records, where it is currently available for pre-order. Official release is May 8^th, but you get an immediate download of the album if purchased any time before that.

Airiel - Kid Games

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:26:00 -0500

Airiel have never been a band that rushes to put out material, with a series of EP’s and an album to their credit over the span of fifteen years. It’s been slow going, but well worth the wait in most cases. In the beginning Airiel was merely a two man shoegaze duo founded by Jeremy Wrenn, putting to use lush sound of guitar work and a drum machine. The EP’s that were released during that time eventually became something of a series or box set known as Winks & Kisses, to which I still occasionally pop on these days. There is a bit of charm to those EP’s, due to the almost bedroom like qualities. Now days, the band is four members strong and are set to release their first new material since their 2007 debut album The Battle of Sealand.

The bands latest EP Kid Games will be released through Shelflife Records on May 27^th. It’s important to remember the bands beginnings here because it has a lot to do with how Kid Games sounds. I imagine that probably gets a few fans of the band out there excited since they were a bit divided when The Battle Sealand came out. It was a departure for sure, but one that I felt moved the group forward in a successful way while still combining what people sort of fell in love with during that first run of EP’s. On Kid Games though, the group has certainly returned to a much more dream-pop based sound as opposed to the near alt-rock leanings that were scattered throughout their first LP. In a lot of ways this reminds me much of their self-titled EP from 2005, with the same type of approach as those early days but with the production to really give the songs the lush textures that they deserved. For it they’ve even brought back the drum machine for a tune or two and familiar vocalist Stella Tran, who first made an appearance with the band back on the Melted EP on the track “Firefly”. While this may not seem like a logical step in direction for Airiel, it certainly is nice to hear them embracing much of what made them interesting in the first place. Even as a duo in the late 90’s/early 00’s they showed that they had the tunes to not just tread water in a saturated genre of rehashes. Definitely give Kid Games a listen if you’re a fan of the band or just enjoy solid dream-pop/shoegaze.

Airiel – Flashlight Tag (stream)

For those wishing to grab a copy of Kid Games you can do so by heading over to Shelflife Records where it is currently up for pre-order. First 100 are on cyan.

White Load - Wayne's World III b/w Godfather IV LP

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:03:56 -0500

Some grimy and blistering hardcore from this Providence, RI trio on what would be their debut and chuckle worthy titled LP. White Load previously laid waste to ears around the globe with a string of equally mind damaging singles, thus making this debut one of raised interest. One would think that with a whole full-length at the disposal of White Load that they might be tempted to wander into the woods some or just fuck with listeners, however the band keep to the straight narrow with this record and I cant praise them enough for doing so. There is nothing but short blasts of unrelenting hardcore at budget recording quality to be found on this LP to further pollute your already filthy deranged mind. Absolutely raw, ripping, and uncompromising from start to finish, at the end you nearly feel lucky that it’s only a little over 20 minutes long. I mean, what else is there to expect from something that was recorded completely at a place called “Vomit’s Hole”. Awesome record.

White Load – Nothing is Funny (stream)
White Load - Void (stream)

To pick up a copy of Wayne’s World III b/w Godfather IV just hit up Load Records.

Shit and Shine - Jream Baby Jream

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:13:31 -0500

I’ve followed Craig Clouse through just about everything he’s done, most notably his more rock leaning projects like Crown Roast or TODD, but Shit and Shine has always been the most challenging of the bunch. More of an outlet to dabble in the harsher and possibly disorienting realms of power electronics, samples, basic guitar distortion, and synthesizers Shit and Shine is further muscled up with stacks of amps and multiple percussionists at times to create an amalgam of noise that really is quite like no other.

In the past Shit and Shine took to the chopped and screwed cuts of electronics and placed them against mammoth like simple riffing for desirable results more often than not. Blown out and punishing, the hulking mess created by such did well in further blurring the lines between straight noise and rock. Over the course of what has become a fairly prolific catalog, Shit and Shine has followed a similar track of that of fellow experimentalists Sightings. Both bands have went from the harsher beginnings of malfunctioning amps and sheer noise barrages towards a more bastardized form of rock that actually hits more nerves than their noisier pasts ever managed to. It’s with Shit and Shine’s latest album Jream Baby Jream where I believe they’ve really hit upon a great mixture of past and present, provoking feelings of paranoia, dread, and levels of discombobulation without sacrificing much of the groups infatuation with beat driven electronics. After a short thirty second intro, Shit and Shine hits with full force on “Dinner With My Girlfriend” by employing the use of swirling feedback to continually wrap around a HUGE blown out beat for the duration of nine minutes. It’s as close to “doom” as the group will likely ever get, but it’s an epically sized helping no doubt and one of the finest things on the album. Another highlight is on the flip side of the record with the roughly ten minute “Rodeo Girls” that develops a bit of a retro vibe to it thanks in part to an uncharacteristically danceable beat and guitar twang throughout that repeats in loop like fashion. It’s like one of those movie sequences where someone is walking down a huge city street surrounded by nothing but people, cars, and skyscrapers only the person walking is in no doubt inebriated and terrified. The album as whole operates greatly on a backbone of recurring beats and ambiance to create its creepy theatrics. The balance shown here though is fairly impressive.

Shit and Shine – Dinner With my Girlfriend (stream)

Those interested in grabbing a copy of Jream Baby Jream can do so by heading over to Riot Season. Limited to 400 copies with no repress.

Download BOAWS Podcast: Episode #15 01 – Walls – Wants and Needs...

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:42:00 -0500

Download

BOAWS Podcast: Episode #15

01 – Walls – Wants and Needs
02 – 3 Toed Sloth – Walking
03 – Blank Banker – Relayer
04 – Nude Beach – Cathedral Echoes
05 – Tidal Arms – Several Circles
06 – Pink City – Loop One
07 – Balaclavas – Call the Law
08 – Honey for Petzi – Late Night Tale
09 – Giants Chair – Muelbach Pigeon
10 – Pop. 1280 – Nature Boy
11 – White Fence – Do You Know Ida Know
12 – Far-Out Fangtooth – Before Now
13 – Peal III – Soot
14 – Graham Repulski – Everyone Likes My Three Dollar Shirt
15 – Bakamono – Power of Mammoth
16 – Dreamdecay – 02
17 – Long Weekends – At Last
18 – Unsane – Roach
19 – Joint D≠ - Confused

Katadreuffe - Period

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:25:15 -0500

Amsterdam checks in here with this EP from Katadreuffe. I don’t know much about them other than that I’ve heard one other EP and enjoyed it. This is some smooth and mechanical sounding math-rock, very crisp sounding for whatever reason. Not some over processed junk with some fluttery notes all about, but rather a nice wall of noise that runs together with a sheen of being incredibly well though out before picking up and letting loose on a barrage of notes. Kind of like a Battles type thing, but way more serious and one that packs a bit of a punch recording wise. Something about the guitar sound immediately makes me my mind think “video games”, but I can’t figure out which one. But I feel like I should be in a damp cold cave whenever I listen to these songs by the way guitar has the high pitched echo throughout. They wisely envelope it in a layers of synth and ample fuzz to kind of create a hallucinatory type of effect that tones down the sharpness of it allowing it to gel together in a manner that goes back to the aforementioned smoothness of this whole recording. Dig this.

Katadreuffe – Exclamation Marks the Spot (stream)

Anyone that is interested in grabbing this can do so at Narrominded Records or it’s also available digitally through Bandcamp.

Retisonic - Robots Fucking

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:19:58 -0500

Well, this is certainly a nice surprise. A new album from Retisonic, who were last heard from back in 2006 I think with their EP Levittown. Big fans of Bluetip are probably well aware of the existence of Retisonic, due to the presence of former member Jason Farrell and the fairly similar qualities in which both bands share music wise. However, it always appeared to me that Retisonic never really got the same sort of exposure as Farrell’s previous band, probably mostly due to the fact that Bluetip enjoyed a nice stay on Dischord during their time together and they were the band that directly followed Swiz for Farrell. Those that haven’t heard Retisonic and enjoyed Bluetip’s discography, then it would be a good idea to at least give them a listen. Their latest album Robots Fucking serves as good as any place to start, and in fact may be the best material they’ve put together yet.

While I’m generally a backer of most Dischord related bands, Bluetip always appealed to me because they seemed a bit different than a lot of the bands on the roster in that they didn’t bare as much of the DC sound as most. Really, to me, their style always sounded much more rooted in a Midwestern post-hardcore/rock vibe that relied on a big bass and melody driven combination to create a distinct largeness. While Retisonic carries a lot of similar attributes, they’ve moved much closer to that territory than Bluetip ever really did. With the presence of Joe Gorelick, you even hear a slight resemblance to his previous band Garden Variety at times. On Robots Fucking the group hasn’t altered their approach much, but the songs all seem to have a bit of vibrancy to them that seemed to be lacking on previous Retisonic releases. There are loads and loads of riffs/melodies here, more so than I ever remember, making this an extremely fun album to listen to. I don’t know exactly what the band was up to during all the time in between albums, but if it was spent refining a good majority of these songs, then it has certainly paid off for them with what is hands down the best thing they’ve released. Let’s hope it’s not the last.

Retisonic – In and Out of Dim (stream)

While the album was put out through Arctic Rodeo Recordings, it may be cheaper to get it through Dischord since the actual label is based out of Germany making it a bit pricier for those of us in the US. It’s also available digitally through Amazon.