BOAWS

VA - A Butcher's Waltz (4-way split LP)

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:44:00 -0600

Ah, good to finally be back. Incredibly sorry for the long break there, but getting settled into my new living quarters took a bit longer than I’d expected. There are still some things to take care of, however time is freeing up some and BOAWS should be back in action now. And with that said, on to the music…

A Butcher’s Waltz may very well be the first four way split that I’ve ever really written about on these pages. After getting a look of the bands involved, it was made pretty clear to me that I’d probably find a lot to like on it. And even the one group that I wasn’t familiar with, Power Take Off, turns out to be the new band featuring Gus Engstrom formerly of Grids. As most of you know, that certainly makes it something of interest around here. The other bands contributing some songs are Seawhores, Skoal Kodiak, and Gay Witch Abortion. So yeah, a pretty nice collection of bands, to say the least.

Opening things up on the a-side of A Butcher’s Waltz is the collective known as Seawhores who, for whatever reason, have pretty much eluded me since their excellent LP Forest back in 2006. I do recall listening to Opus Magnanimous somewhere in between there, but at this point likely needs a re-listen. The band also put out a one-sided 12” on Amphetamine Reptile just last year, but I didn’t have the dough for that and in turn haven’t had a chance to hear it. Judging by the songs featured on this split however, I’m going to have make more of an effort to do so as the three tunes that they share with us here are pretty fantastic. Both “Our Embassy” and “The Cleaning Lady” are steamrollers of vaguely groove oriented noise-rock. And of course, they manage to throw in a bit of the spontaneity that has become sort of a signature to what they do with a track like “The Architect” that sounds more like Freddy Votel’s other project Skoal Kodiak here. Good set of tunes, and if anything, I’m happy that this record could jog my memory a bit about these guys.

Filling up the rest of the main side is Power Take Off, which as I previously mentioned, is the project of former Grids member Gus Engstrom. The track “Plow Share” is the lone helping here from the band, however it happens to span a lofty 10 minutes. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing one of Rusted Shut’s lengthier noise excursions on any of their records, then you already have an excellent idea of what Power Take Off sound like. The track leaps into a slow distortion heavy trudge that rolls along for a good portion of the track, really only taking a very small break somewhere in the middle of the song for what I would assume is a sample of an auctioneer at a cattle auction. Ah, the Midwest. This isn’t as hateful/miserable as Rusted Shut, but certainly has the same crunch to succeed in the same type of way. Dig it and definitely look forward to hearing more.

On the b-side is Skoal Kodiak leading the way with two songs that certainly fit the bill for this project of mutated noise and dub heavy beats. They are fresh off a solid record that was just released on Load Records, and it’s safe to say that those of you out there enjoyed that, then these tracks will likely be of interest. Often sounding like every part of every appliance you own circling the drain, Skoal Kodiak skillfully sketch together funk laced beats and the swirling noise to present something that often truly sounds otherworldly. It’s no secret that Minneapolis has been a breeding ground for this type of experimentation over the years, and with Votel’s time in both the Cows and Seawhores, this almost seems natural. Almost.

I feel that the pairing of Skoal Kodiak and Gay Witch Abortion on the b-side was a good idea, as they both tend to explore an uncomfortable mutoid type of rock and give this record somewhat of a tale of two sides feel. Gay Witch Abortion kind of sit closer to something like Lightning Bolt I’d say, with a rather significant focus on percussion. They have six songs on the LP, and as you may have guessed, they are quite short in length. The briefness of it all almost makes it sound like the entire thing runs together for one longer bi-polar track, which actually kind of works in their favor. I like it, but need a bit more to get me off the fence on these guys.

Seawhores – Our Embassy (stream)
Power Take Off – Plow Share (stream)
Skoal Kodiak – Ruined Rings (stream)
Gay Witch Abortion – Angola Rodeo (stream)

Anyone looking to pick this up can do so by hitting up Learning Curve Records. Definitely worth it if you’re a fan of one or more of these groups.

Address Change!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:21:14 -0600

Please note that the address for any submitted material has changed. If anyone has sent stuff to the old address, don’t worry, it will still end up where it needs to.

Normal updates should resume here in the next couple days.

Thanks!

MOVING!

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:30:31 -0600

Yes, I am once again in the process of moving and heading back over to the Missouri side. That’s why there has been such a lack of activity on here lately and I apologize. I don’t currently have Internet access but will in a couple more days (I’m writing this from my phone actually). Anyway, the address on the right side of the page will be changing, however anyone who has sent items for review to the current address have no need to worry as I’ll still be able to recieve them for the time being. Hope to be back soon and as always thanks for reading!

Buildings - Melt, Cry, Sleep

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:32:00 -0600

Despite their debut Braille Animal coming out in 2008, I’d never heard of Buildings up until last year. It may or may not have been the best time to discover them, since just as soon as I had a chance to listen to Braille Animal I was made aware that they had a new album coming out in only a matter of a month or two. I’m not sure if that complicates things sometimes, but the immediate reaction is always the more the merrier. Their debut was a pretty solid offering of noisy inspired rock with some Midwestern influences thrown in for good measure. That’s not all surprising though given their locale of Minneapolis, which as many know, has a rather significant history with that type of music. By and large Buildings are an obvious product from which they are from.

As far as Melt, Cry, Sleep goes, the band hasn’t necessarily changed their sound much but definitely have steered further towards the noisier side of things, with a more noticeable influence closer to Jesus Lizard…particularly on the track “I Don’t Love My Dog Anymore”. I like the fact that the production isn’t super slick, leaving it a rougher aesthetic that bands of the same style occasionally forgo, which I’ll never quite understand. In a way these guys are pursuing a similar type of path as Young Widows, at least with the first couple albums I’d say, but with an increased habit of latching onto bigger riffs at times. Not sure how much further they can go with this sound, but I’m up for hearing more. Overall, good stuff if this is your sort of thing.

Buildings – Wrong Cock (stream)

Anyone that wish to pick this up can do so by hitting up Doubleplusgood for the CD version or the recently resurrected Cash Cow Records for the LP. And of course, there is always Bandcamp for the digital only folks out there.

Britches - Demonstration

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:05:53 -0600

Happened upon the St. Louis trio of Britches awhile back when they had a five song online demo up for download. Admittedly I didn’t give them much thought afterward, but then this album showed up late last year and happily gave them another go around. At the very least the demo was oddball enough to warrant it. They seem to have a recurring thing with incorporating the word “demo” into the name of their releases, this one being Demonstration and the previous release titled Democracy. I assume that these aren’t just cleverly named demos though. Really, this is pretty much a different band than what I remember listening to some time ago when it sounded more like some guys just screwing around and being outwardly weird. With Demonstration the group sounds far more focused; taking a big step away from the simple basement sort of jamming and creating a distinct mood/vibe with a mixture of psych and abrasive noise experimentation. When I received this, it was described to me as being a type of “noisy rock”, which certainly rings true as far as the noisy part goes. However, Britches rock more so in the way of bands like Mouthus and later era Sightings choose to rock. They don’t necessarily achieve the twisting mind altering levels like either those bands tend to, however are certainly operating within the same type of dark and post apocalyptic world. It should be interesting to hear these guys moving forward.

Britches – We’re Both Ready [MP3]

If you’re interested in just checking the entire thing out, the band has it available for free download via their Bandcamp.

Fleshpress / Throat - Split 7'' & Throat - Pee 7''

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:00:41 -0600

More noise from Finland based monsters Throat. This time throwing two new 7-inches at us, one being a split with fellow Finnish sludge mongers Fleshpress. I can’t say I’ve really given much of a listen to Fleshpress in the past, but what I have heard was some incredibly slowed down and exhausting doom/sludge material on their LP Pillars. So, it goes without saying, I was a bit surprised to hear them on this split coming out of the gate with a more traditional type of noise-rock stomp. Solid stuff, and something that will probably force me to scour their back catalog some more. The Throat side of things is some pretty standard stuff from them, in terms of what their past discography has to offer. It gets into a rather Unsane influenced groove towards the end of the track. Each track here from the bands are untitled by the way, with nearly as little identifying which side is which on the actual single. So people who are unfamiliar with both may have a difficult time differentiating the two bands on this split. A co-release from Kaos Kontrol and Kult of Nihilow.

Fleshpress – Untitled (stream)
Throat – Untitled (stream)

The second of the two singles, is strictly a Throat release titled Pee, out now on Kaos Kontrol. Featuring two more new songs from the band, side-a houses the track “Prison Shower” and turns up the hate some. Not that they’ve really ever lacked in the department of bad attitude, but “Prison Shower” seems to be really channeling it hard. The flip of “Pet Peeves” mixes it up some, and even midway through kind of adopts some classic rock ‘n roll riffing before dropping out completely and pounding out a slower monotonous sludge like riff surrounded by high pitched feedback for the last minute or so. Definitely dig that track and may be the winner of the two here. Generally into what these guys are doing and it’s no different on this release. Fans of the band will probably want to grab this.

Throat – Pet Peeves (stream)

I believe both of these releases are available through Kaos Kontrol, however the split it is also available through Kult of Nihilow if you can’t happen to find it there.

Bestial Mouths - Hissing Veil LP

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:23:54 -0600

It’s odd to be able to describe a record like this as being “lively”, but as bleak and gloomy as Bestial Mouths appear to be here on their debut LP Hissing Veil, they play with a type of energy that throws most of what people have come to expect about goth/death-rock for a gigantic loop. A large chunk of this is due to drummer Ebrahim Saleh’s frenetic style often clashing alongside a lurching type of synth based melody, which in itself nearly gives this genre bending attributes. All of this adds up as a huge platform for vocalist Lynette Cerezo to greatly expand her theatrics and likely terrify those in the process. Where most bands would be constricted by the dreary and plodding pacing that typically gets adapted, Cerezo is able to go completely wild with with a variety of wailing and hair raising screeching/screams thanks largely to the open ended drumming of Saleh. There is so much space to move around here and Bestial Mouths do an amazing job of filling most of it. Always moving, but at the same time sketching out a world view that is none too pretty for those that choose to listen. Really good record that shouldn’t go ignored if you’re remotely interested in this type of thing.

Bestial Mouths – Gulls (stream)

To those interested in purchasing Hissing Veil, it’s available through Dais Records or their Bandcamp page for those who prefer digital. It comes strongly recommended.

Northern Liberties - Glowing Brain Garden LP

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:03:55 -0600

First thing I noticed about Glowing Brain Garden was the elaborate artwork that is featured pretty much everywhere on the record. It also includes a couple inserts that also display the same type of sprawling images. Have to appreciate the type of effort that went into putting this together, a completely self-funded venture it would appear and one that is obviously a labor of love. As for Northern Liberties and their music, they actually kind of mimic what you see covering every inch of this release. At least in terms of imagery, as lyricist Justin Duerr takes a rather psychedelic/fantasy turn with the themes for this. The music itself ends up falling into a much noisier/abrasive area, but one that likely lands smack dab in between say…Karp and Lightning Bolt, kind of drawing elements from both styles I’d imagine but never really committing to either completely. Multiple listens has found me enjoying it more, and while the old bass and drums setup is a plentiful one they do well here in a adding a bit to it instead of merely taking up space. Despite this being their 5^th record, from what I understand, this is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of hearing them. Busy individuals it would appear; probably will have two more releases out by the time I get this one on the site. Kidding, give it a listen.

Northern Liberties – Maryanne of the Deep [MP3]

Anyone looking to pick Glowing Brain Garden up can do so by heading over to the bands website where they have that and a variety of their other releases available.

Bloodhouse - Please Don't Meet Me 7''

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:59:00 -0600

Was pretty pumped to see this land in my mailbox roughly a month or so ago. Yeah, it’s been that long…way too much shit going on right now, blah blah blah. Anyway, got hooked on Bloodhouse from a link to download their six song cassette from One Base On an Overthrow awhile back, although I’m not necessarily sure exactly on the specifics. The Halifax group play a delay heavy and fuzzed out sort of pop/punk mixture that I doubt I’ll ever get sick of hearing at this point. Bands want to tackle this sound? Be me guest. This here single on Caesar Cuts is the bands debut on any type of vinyl format, featuring two brief two minute rockers that do well in showing off what the band can do. The a-side of “Please Don’t Meet Me” is what would probably qualify as “heavy pop”, something that the band uses to describe their own sound. It gets going with the slow stomp of guitar and drums and continues to pound it out for two minutes interspersing here and there with some lovely guitar twang/squall that brings on the downer vibes a bit. On the b-side there is “Cool Intentions”, which lays into a subtle shifting and quite effective melody for its duration while surrounding it in plenty of rough distortion as well. These folks hit the nostalgia button kind of hard at times, but I believe it to be well worth the ride.

This comes from my own rip of the single, as I did it before they put it up for free download. Oh well. Give it a listen.

Bloodhouse – Please Don’t Meet Me [MP3]

This is currently available through Caesar Cuts or the band has put the two songs up for free download on their Bandcamp site.

Eww Yaboo - Yeah, What? 7''

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:41:26 -0600

Got this single awhile back from Summerstep Records, who also had a hand in putting out that Kid Icarus record that appeared on these pages not all that long ago. With that said, it kind of gave me an idea as to what could be expected from this little 2 tracker (4 if you count bonus digital downloads), in that it’s probably going to be some sort of jangly indie-rock type of deal. Sure enough, Eww Yaboo grind out what is some solid enough rock here at times that actually amps it up a bit on a couple of these tunes sort of teetering into some garage inspired recklessness, which is appreciated. It would be nice though to hear them step a bit further outside the box, however. They seemed to choose the two actual tracks for this single wisely, as both are easily the best of the bunch. The a-side of “Make it Fast” is a cut that’s sort of true to it’s a name, but manages squeeze in some plucky guitar work alongside some intermittent raises of decibel levels. On the flip there is “So Many of the Kids”, which boils it down to a simpler grungy type of crunch and throws in a somewhat soulful sounding chorus to decent results. The two bonus cuts, well, sound more or less like bonus cuts typically do for the most part. I feel like staying away from the slower tempo tropic influenced sound that they feature on “Don’t Change Yr. Mind” would be a wise move. I imagine there are people who will dig that, but it kind of throws a wrench in a set of songs that generally keep things loud, uptempo, and moderately catchy. Kind of like that Fat History Month single I wrote about not too long ago, this one splits it 50/50. Not too shabby.

Eww Yaboo – So Many of the Kids (stream)

Anyone looking to grab this can do so over at Summerstep Records. I think it’s also available digitally as well through Bandcamp.

His Electro Blue Voice - Dead Sons 12''

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:33:02 -0600

I was a bit late getting into the Italian trio of His Electro Blue Voice, not really hearing them until I listened to their Animal Versus single on Batshit Records that came out a couple years ago. After that however, I found myself seeking out whatever else they had released. As it turns out they aren’t the most prolific band, hanging around since 2006 or so and spitting out a single here and there, so doing so wasn’t terrible hard. The release of this 12-inch, Dead Sons, is quite possibly the longest running item they’ve put out yet, with three songs that span just over 20 minutes or so. They chew it up in fine fashion though, bringing together their usual post-punk influenced sound while bringing in some interesting droning/psychedelic elements to the mix.

The bit of goth-rock leanings that these guys generally had before are all but gone on Dead Sons and instead opting for a more straight, but not any less ominous, post-punk sound. They’ve opened up things here for what I would consider a bit of experimentation, with a couple tracks that are practically divided up into different movements I guess you could say. The lead track “Dead Mice” would certainly count towards one of those, with the first half being a rolling piece of excellent scuzz that eventually hits a point about midway through where it just completely stops. A looping sample plays for about 30 seconds before the song begins to kick back in with a roughly three minute outro complete with saxophone and flute. It eventually gels to what ends up being a fantastic finish and one that only adds to the sense of impending doom that these guys drum up so well.

It ends up that the second track on the a-side “Eat Sons” becomes the outlier here with its three minute run time. There is no shortage of distortion here though, as His Electro Blue Voice throw up a wall of buzzing guitar noise for this one that is propelled along with nice solid rolling drums. An excellent way to finish off the side as it quickly fades out allowing for the track “Zum” on the flip to bring everything back down to a menacing sort of crawl. Opening up with just the pluck of bass, the track gradually builds upon what starts off as a simple ambient piece of droning background feedback that eventually hits an apex, and yet again promptly stops midway through, where the noise jumps out from it’s initial second fiddle placing and promptly swallows everything up. The track gets moving again shortly thereafter with another burst of guitar but quickly sets itself into a groove that plays out the remaining three or so minutes while adding a number of psych/kraut flourishes along the way with keys and the eerie distant howl of someone or something occasionally creeping into the picture.

Love that these guys are willing to go in a number of directions while still firmly holding onto a distinct vibe. Their releases may be too far and few between, but they are no doubt worth the wait. If they ever put together a full-length, beware.

His Electro Blue Voice – Dead Mice (stream)

Those interested in grabbing this can do so by hitting up Brave Mysteries, where it should still be available.

God Bows to Math - Self-Titled

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:31:32 -0600

Yep, that would be a Minutemen reference you see there, however that’s pretty much where that homage stops. God Bows to Math are an Auckland, New Zealand based group that I first noticed with their EP from earlier last year and enjoyed enough to throw on a podcast. Didn’t realize an album was already in the plans, but as it turns out they’ve been trying to get this thing together for awhile now with a number of hangups along the way and finally getting it released towards the end of 2011.

The band is often advertised as something vaguely mathy, but really I don’t hear that, which is sort of surprising considering all the other areas they do lightly touch upon. Although with a song title like “Details on How to get DONCAB on Your License Plate”, you’d be led to believe otherwise. Also, I laughed a bit at that title. On this debut, God Bows to Math do tread somewhat into noisier territory at times when they feel compelled to with a guitar tone and riff largeness that kind of mimics the now sadly defunct Part Chimp. They however interject these aggressions with post-rock inspired instrumentals throughout the album that thankfully do not also include the characteristically long track lengths, which in turn makes for some decent transitions from track to track. Like fellow New Zealand peers Die! Die! Die!, the band isn’t afraid to adopt heavier pop leanings to allow their songs to be a bit more catchy, which I had not initially expected from them. Although, I wouldn’t quite say it’s to the extent of the aforementioned Die! Die! Die!, but as someone who went into this record looking for it to be more of a straight presentation of slightly noisier rock; it’s in fact turned out to be a much more varied record than I anticipated and largely in a good way. While I’ll never know if that’s more to do with the lengthy period of time it took to record it or just a natural growth as a band, either way the results turned out pretty good.

God Bows to Math – Blues for the Blind (stream)

Anyone that is interested in picking this up can do so by simply hitting up the groups Bandcamp page where they have it available on CD or digitally.

Download BOAWS Podcast: Episode #12 01 – Royal Headache – Down...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:21:00 -0600

Download

BOAWS Podcast: Episode #12

01 – Royal Headache – Down the Lane
02 – Conger! Conger! - Pray
03 – 90 Day Men – Missouri Kids Cuss
04 – Anne – Tarvantovaara
05 – Rational Animals – Thought Debris
06 – Whatever Brains – Cousteau on a Crutch
07 – Cat Party – Articles of Anxiety
08 – Castor – Five Hours Later
09 – Buildings – The Magician
10 – Cousin – Tensions in the Lido
11 – Love 666 – Reality
12 – Scrawl – Charles
13 – Wounded Lion – Wyld Parrots
14 – Marilyn Rambo – Minimum Full Power
15 – Uzeda – Goddamn Thoughts
16 – Hooves Not Hands – Wolfgobbler
17 – Cyclic Amp – Hands of God
18 – Aqui – There as it Bleeds
19 – Radiant Republic of Texas – Deaf Lumberjack Cut in Half

Reports - Dinamo Cambridge LP

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:25:05 -0600

Always having their feet somewhat submerged in the pool of indie-pop, Reports have seen a gradual shift from those straight forward numbers found on their first album to what has become a noticeably more garage and fuzz filled sound for this second LP Dinamo Cambridge. The single that preceded this album a couple years ago featuring the excellent “Bill Wyman Metal Detector” was a pretty good indicator as to the direction they were heading. For those that enjoyed that, well Dinamo Cambridge should hit the spot as it’s punched up some with healthier doses of noise and one that boils the songs down to the absolute essentials. Every song here keeps things quick and to the point while cramming in all the pop hooks that one could hope for. The only outlier is the interesting title track that runs roughly twelve minutes that makes good use of a droning organ as a backdrop for the track as it slowly gains steam over its hypnotic travel. For these guys the releases have been few and far between since their ‘07 debut, but those that have been following know that it’s been well worth the wait. Don’t sleep on this one.

Reports – Sub Toucher [MP3]

Anyone interested in picking this one up would be wise to do so in a timely manner as I believe these are reaching the point of being nearly sold out with a pressing of only 150. They can be had currently over at Ride the Snake, who have been releasing nothing but quality for awhile now.

I'm Still Here...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:19:58 -0600

Sorry folks, I expected to return sooner but busy holiday weekends kept me away and then when things finally returned to normal I came down with some sort of nasty respiratory infection. However, I think I am nearly good to go. Updates shall return soon!

BOAWS Top 20 Records of 2011

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:51:00 -0600

With 2011 nearing to an end and my schedule getting a bit busier around the holidays I figured I would take the opportunity while I had a bit of time to go ahead and get my best of list up. It was another excellent year to which I had the pleasure of hearing a number of good tunes. Thank you to everyone out there that continues to read the blog and check out new music. I wish all of you happy holidays! No on to the list…

20 – The Gary – El Camino (Cedar Fever) BUY IT!

One of the earliest entries of 2011 that made the list here from Austin, Texas based The Gary, a band that has gotten increasingly better from album to album. Not to say that their debut from a couple years back was anything short of solid, but El Camino is an album that seeps in their surroundings and paints a distinct picture for those that take the time to listen. It’s not necessarily always a pretty one, but one that certainly speaks to most of us I believe. This is one of the better straight up indie-rock records you’ll hear all year, and easily one that will encourage cracking open a couple beers too.

The Gary - Rope (stream)

19 – Life Partners – Music is Hard (Ride the Snake) BUY IT!

I kind of sat around and thought about how I felt throwing a record like this on to the list, not because I was having doubts as to just how good it is, but rather the reasons as to why I like it so much. For those that aren’t familiar with Boston’s Life Partners, well, they have a sense of humor and one that may rub some the wrong way at times. However, in the end those are probably the types of people that I don’t want to meet anyway. With Music is Hard the band successfully took on friend rock, the various pitfalls of being in an incestuous music scene, and life being in a band in general. As far the music goes, well it’s mockingly standard bar rock at times, which makes it all the better in my opinion. In the end I decided there was no way I couldn’t include this record on my year end, if anything for songs like “Music is Hard” and “Lyrics”.

Life Partners - Music is Hard [MP3]

18 – Brief Candles – Fractured Days (Guilt Ridden Pop) BUY IT!

It may have taken awhile, but the band finally delivered their much anticipated follow up to their excellent 2006 record They Live We Sleep. The time in between records didn’t seem to alter the bands approach terribly; still firmly rooted in the pedal heavy ways of shoegaze. While that was to be expected to some degree, what came as a bit of surprise was the tighter songwriting. More to the point than ever, Brief Candles seem more focused on Fractured Days and with that each of the songs on the album hold their own in one way or another never giving me the thought of clicking “next”. Those that consider themselves enthusiasts of this sort of music should probably already be listening to these guys, but if that’s not the case, then allow this as your chance to correct that.

Brief Candles - Bitter End (stream)

17 – High Castle – The Spirit of the West (Zum) BUY IT!

This is the full-length debut to follow up their fine one sided 12” from awhile back. On The Spirit of the West the band managed to successfully turn their spazzy post-punk tendencies into a dirtier garage influenced concoction. It evidently worked well for the band, because this set of songs is certainly tops as far as what I’ve heard from them. Again they have a few things they would like to say and they do so in a way that is pretty blunt lyrically, which I can appreciate.

High Castle - Crustaceans Demise (stream)

16 – Big Troubles – Romantic Comedy (Slumberland) BUY IT!

It seems like there is always one of these types of albums on my list that is so grossly poppy but gets me hooked. Last year it was Depreciation Guild, and if you remove the electronic element from them, then there are some definite similarities here. Romantic Comedy has a glistening studio sheen to it and walks a fine line between twee and standard indie-pop. With that said, it shouldn’t be all too shocking that this album was released through Slumberland. Before, I wouldn’t have thought Big Troubles belonged anywhere near that roster. Their previous album wasn’t particularly memorable, seemingly riding the wave of numerous haze heavy pop bands at the time. However, they struck back this year with this fine set of tunes that really seems like a completely different band. I hope this version sticks.

Big Troubles - Never Mine (stream)

15 – Hammerhead – Memory Hole (Amphetamine Reptile) BUY IT!

Yeah, I know this could technically be considered from last year, but I mean does it really count when that release was an insanely limited run of CD-R’s that was sold only at shows? Instead I’ll choose to go with this year, where it was released on an even more insanely limited run of one-sided 12” vinyl. But hey, it beats a CD-R, right? Anyone who reads this blog and is into good old fashioned noisy rock probably doesn’t need an introduction or a summary of who Hammerhead are. I like Hammerhead, this EP sounds like Hammerhead in just about every way possible, and thus it’s on this list. Simple as that.

Hammerhead - Memory Hole (stream)

14 – Pink City – Designing Women (Self-Released) BUY IT!

Love the title. But better yet, it’s a good record from a couple guys who live in the US/UK who collaborate over that long distance to make some absolutely punishing noise-rock. Littered with hints of industrial touches, this mass of noise drives its misery and annoyances home in the same demeanor of those like Swans, Distorted Pony, and Twin Stumps. Let Designing Women take your frustrations out for you. Look forward to more from this project down the road.

Pink City - Wrung (stream)

13 – Pleasure Leftists – Pleasure Leftists (Fan Death) BUY IT!

Another EP/mini-LP makes this list. I really enjoyed this debut set of songs from this Cleveland group. As much of an obvious nod as it is to the early 80’s post-punk/goth/darkwave set, it’s a pretty damn good one from everything down to the production and vocals. Speaking of the vocals, although considerably deeper, they give it a very prominent Siouxsie and the Banshee’s vibe, but again…it’s fantastically done and I’m fan of them anyway. It’s a win on all fronts here and those looking for a healthy dose of throwback to this fine era shouldn’t look any further.

Pleasure Leftists - Nature of Feeling (stream)

12 – Condominium – Warm Home (Self-Released) BUY IT!

One of many records I was highly looking forward to this year has found its way on here again. Condominium, who put together an excellent run of singles before putting out this LP, bring it all together on their debut. Displaying even more range than they did on their singles, they molded this brief but satisfying set of songs that touch on straight forward hardcore, AmRep noise-rock leanings, and even some bizarro noise twists here and there. It’ll be interesting to see where they take it from this point on but they’ve kept everything so short and so good that even hearing a rehash of this stuff would be welcomed.

Condominium - Life is Amazing [MP3]

11 – Hawks – Rub (Trans Ruin) BUY IT!

While I was a pretty big fan of their first record Barnburner, it’s with their follow up Rub that they become the massive force that they certainly should be. Replacing the raw noise of the first record is a whopping dose of drums and bass that is perfectly suited for a nice big pair of floor speakers. Returning however is the bands characteristically creeper vibe, delving further down that dark path and even allowing for a couple segues on the album that do well in the way of keeping that level up.

Hawks - Hung (stream)

10 – Vaz – Chartreuse Bull (Damage Rituals & Sleeping Giant Glossolalia) BUY IT!

Vaz triumphantly returned this year with Pink Co…I mean Chartreuse Bull. Pretty unexpected was this release. In fact, any release from Vaz by this point was to come pretty unexpected really. All this time I’d wondered whatever happened to their initially planned album Pink Confetti, having been lost somewhere in the void of record label hell, that I’d figured Vaz had more or less disappeared. Then out of nowhere Chartreuse Bull appeared initially on a run of cassettes and was then later this year released on vinyl. All I can say is “thanks”, as anything by these guys is welcomed onto my record shelves. With Chartreuse Bull the band doesn’t venture too far away from their brand of groove oriented noise-rock (that’s a good thing), the only main difference here is that a lot of the weird sort of instrumental tracks are pretty much nonexistent. As a whole though, it’s good…something that actually WAS expected.

Vaz - Cutter (stream)

09 – White Suns – Waking in the Reservoir (ugEXPLODE) BUY IT!

Following a string of solid EP’s, White Suns unveiled their first LP this year on Weasel Walters ugEXPLODE label. Before fidelity had always been sort of an issue here, but I’ll chock that up to some of those releases being on cassette. Things were a bit muddy and restrained due to it, but the ideas were there. Thanks to some fine recording by Ben Greenberg, this LP lets loose the band in a big way. So much that I was actually caught off guard some by just how devastating this unit can be. Forgoing having a bass player is an interesting but not uncommon choice, however with White Suns it’s still relatively impressive that they get so much power with the combination of electronic induced noise and twisted guitar scrape. It’s ultimately a cold landscape that they draw up here, but if there is a band that really should be sound tracking NYC…it’s these guys.

White Suns - Harvest (stream)

08 – Slug Guts – Howlin’ Gang (Sacred Bones) BUY IT!

Just a small fraction of the gluttony of amazing music that has been coming out of Australia recently is Slug Guts. Howlin’ Gang serves as their second album after an amazing debut on Stained Circles not all that long ago. Taking a few cues from various Aussie brethren Bird Blobs, King Snake Roost, and so on Slug Guts crawl their way through the filthiest gutters to create their best set of tunes yet with this dismal swampy noise. Not sure if there is an album out there from this year that is as down and out as this one. Beware.

Slug Guts - Hangin’ in the Pisser (stream)

07 – Dead Rider – The Raw Dents (Tizona) BUY IT!

I was actually just listening to this one in the car recently and realized that it’s even better when driving around at night during the winter months. Those new to Dead Rider might find a familiar name with Todd Rittman, who served/serves time in US Maple and Singer. Much like those bands, Dead Rider strives to create music that is both uncomfortable and occasionally unsettling to the listener, the latter being a much more prominent factor with Dead Rider than previous projects. As a result it’s largely representative of past and present Chicago. A key difference here though is the band eschewing the idea of loose guitar play in favor of loose drumming and rigid synth to coexist alongside Rittman’s out of sync weirdo speak. As a whole it ends up being a rather seedy/creepy sounding affair. The band has even gone as far to create a number of music videos that, while humorous, increase this aspect of the band.

Dead Rider - 2 Non Fictional Lawyers (stream)

06 – True Widow – As High as the Highest Heavens and From the Center to the Circumference of the Earth (Kemado) BUY IT!

If I weren’t already a fan of this band I would have assumed that this was some Explosions in the Sky type bullshit due to the unnecessarily long title. Seriously, what’s the deal with that? When half the websites/magazines out there won’t even take the time to type the full album title, I think that says enough. No matter, True Widow capitalized on the success of their 2008 debut by delivering a bit of a refined and further realized version of the slow burn/hazy rock that they won so many over with initially. Not sure what to call it really. I mean they do the slowcore thing really well, but in the end it’s not nearly as sparsely arranged or cold as many of those bands generally tend to be. True Widow are instead a hulking mass of fuzz that seem to be drawing from a number of other areas as well. It’s easy to get lost in this one, and that’s partly why I love it.

True Widow - Jackyl (stream)

05 – Pygmy Shrews – You All Can Go Straight to Hell (Jack Shack) BUY IT!

An absolute steamroller of a record, that succeeds be such on both sides despite their glaring differences. The a-side is the traditional punk/noise-rock amalgam of Pygmy Shrews, that rips through six tracks of smart ass lyrics and high octane riffage every corner of the way, the best track in my opinion being featured here for listening. Then you get to the b-side which is consumed by one long track appropriately titled “Fuck the Law”, where it starts off briefly with some odd looping sample and then charges head first into pure guitar fuckery/shredding for over eleven minutes. Amazing and fairly ballsy really. Great band, great record. Don’t miss it.

Pygmy Shrews - Snake Eyes (stream)

04 – Tenement – Napalm Dream (Mandible) BUY IT!

The bands first record confirms what I had long suspected when listening to their singles, and that is that they can write a fucking hook. Practically every song here pulls all the right strings and it’s good to see some old faves on here like “City Bus #30”, which is still one of the best of the bunch. While pop/punk isn’t exactly a formula that is new to anyone, you still have to know how to write songs that aren’t going to bore the listeners to tears and Tenement certainly know that. Napalm Dream, despite largely being a straight up pop/punk record, has the type of variation that allows it to truly succeed by focusing more heavily on different elements of their sound from track to track. Nonetheless, it’s an exceptionally solid record that fans of this sort of ringing guitar driven rock will certainly want to get their hands on.

Tenement - Earwig (stream)

03 – Balaclavas – Snake People (Dull Knife) BUY IT!

As soon as this record was announced I automatically assumed it would appear in this list. I mean, nothing is automatic and nor should it be, but Balaclavas are so good that it would have taken a real bomb to sway my opinion of them. Last years album Roman Holiday was about as good as it got. After a string of silence I’d feared that maybe they were no more, but alas they returned this year with Snake People and it’s fantastic in a lot of the same ways Roman Holidays is. Obviously there are some alterations to their sound, one being a heavier dub influence and less of the no-wave inspired guitar mangle that was prominent on their last record. The trade off was definitely worth it, as before they sounded liked murderous troublemakers, but now sound truly apocalyptic with these set songs. Snake People is a glimpse into a world I truly fear living in. Kudos guys.

Balaclavas - Shit Meridian (stream)

02 – Kim Phuc – Copsucker (Iron Lung) BUY IT!

Boy oh boy was I excited for this record. They may have released what may be my favorite run of singles from any band currently and the idea of a full-length about sent me over the edge. Between the wait, silence, and label fuss it nearly did. They are such a treat to listen to though in that their sound is such an amazing accomplishment of the past and present of hardcore/punk. Described by Iron Lung as a “band that has been crafting, honing, and re-imagining the way punk music should be played”, I’d say they have done a fair amount of that with Copsucker. This record kills, enough said. Just buy it.

Kim Phuc - Yeti (stream)

01 – Shoppers – Silver Year (Feeble Minds) BUY IT!

I was introduced to Shoppers this year through this album. A cacophony of noise-punk created by a couple ladies and a guy that immediately won me over. I know many are probably thinking, “so what, you’ve posted like 10 other noise-punk related albums in this list, how is this one any different?”. Well it may not sound like much but it’s start to finish noise that as much as it relishes in the atonal styles of now and then NYC noise, it’s a melody driven beast as well. It may not seem so, but underneath it all there is some fantastic hooks in there. Trust me, or actually buy this record and stop listening to crap on shitty ear bud headphones to see for yourself. But if that’s out of the question, you CAN download it for free from the labels website. Please do.

Shoppers - VII [MP3]

Psychic Teens - Teen LP

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:14:00 -0600

First release for Golden Voyage records is this LP from the Philly based Psychic Teens, simply titled Teen. As the big heart with an “X” through it would indicate, this isn’t exactly your feel good record. This one rides the 80’s goth/darkwave era hard, but with a bit more added noise and distortion that will likely draw mentions of influence from shoegaze, etc. The singer especially seems to really be following the Joy Division line of approach, with cold monotone echoed out vocals. They seem to go back and forth with each track as far as ramping up the noise factor goes. The lead track “YUNG” serves well in getting things started and is no doubt one of the highlights, aside from the opening “Surrender” riff that pulls me away from it some. However, towards the end of the track it turns into a claustrophobic mess of noise that seems to be about the heaviest moment on the record actually. Other than on a track like “ARM”, this bit of thick nastiness doesn’t really reappear and instead more so follows a similar path that bands like Ceremony and Screen Vinyl Image are also exploring by wiring together big melodies, treble heavy noise, and ample amounts of goth influence. That’s a bit of competition right there, and there is certainly more than that out there currently, but from what I’m hearing on Teen they stand to elbow their way past a few.

Psychic Teens – YUNG [MP3]

Anyone that is interested in picking up Teen can do so by hitting up the Golden Voyage webstore or Bandcamp if digital is your thing.

Fat History Month - A Gorilla 7''

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:56:00 -0600

Fat History Month is a Boston group that seemingly enjoy gracing their album covers with crudely drawn sketches of odd things. This single in particular, as you can see, features a sketch of a gorilla. I haven’t had the chance to hear their latest album Fucking Despair yet, but from what I’ve seen it features a bizarre sketch of a pear with a penis hanging off of it. Yep. In what seems like an effort to match these sketches, their music is an equally crude/rough and often slow moving style of indie-rock. Really these guys sound like a number of bands that could have come out of the Louisville or Pittsburgh scenes in the 90’s. That’s not necessarily a knock on them, as lord knows I’m certainly a huge backer of a number of those.

I’ve heard the previous album that came out in like ‘08/’09 from these fellas before and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The tracks for this single, A Gorilla, happened to be recorded around the same time, which would make sense as to why I am sort of digging what I hear on this. Again, I haven’t heard their most recent full-length, but it’s becoming more apparent with each listen of this single that I should probably take a listen. But focusing on this set of tracks, the a-side contains a couple tunes that are both pretty similar in their approach. Each one kind of venturing into drony indie-rock territory, blurring where riffs and melodies might actually emerge. However, this is the aspect of the band that I find myself really enjoying. The slower build to a more damaged tumble of guitar mess that kind of caps each of these tracks. People seem to be gravitating towards the song on the b-side “Heart Takes Beating” for its more direct take, and really it sounds too much like a Modest Mouse outtake for my tastes. The song sort of redeems itself though with its garage like roughness and the toned down moodier outro. They finish off the single with an untitled instrumental track that dives back into the slower drawn out post-rock that filled the a-side. In the end I’m kind of split on this one. Dig the two tracks on the a-side, but not too warm for either on the flip. However, looking at it I’d say that’s not too bad for a small batch of leftovers from 3 or so years ago. Look forward to seeking out their new LP.

Fat History Month – B (stream)

Anyone looking to pick up this single can do so by hitting up Sweaters & Pearls Records, which is ran by Jason who also does the solid 7 Inches blog.

Kim Phuc - Copsucker LP

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:31:00 -0600

As one of the many “music listeners” or “dipshits” (as Kim Phuc lovingly put it on their blog) that take pleasure in crafting an admittedly pointless top whatever list of records at the end of the year, I held out starting work on said list until I had a chance to hear the bands full-length debut Copsucker. C’mon guys, I was smart enough to not make one until I heard YOUR record! But anyway, holding out hope that it would arrive sometime by the end of the year, the album was originally slated to be released what seems like eons ago on Parts Unknown. However, shit happened and that fell by the wayside until Iron Lung announced sometime mid this year that they would be releasing the bands debut. Fantastic. It’s certainly been a long time coming and holy shit were those first three singles a killer precursor, right? It’s mid-December now and Copsucker is officially out there. I can start my list. Thanks guys.

I imagine it’s pretty easy to figure out what I think of this record based on what’s already been said. But if not, well then it’s fantastic and pretty much what I had hoped in hearing from the band. I hadn’t anticipated in seeing all three a-sides from their singles ending up on the record, but really those songs are so gosh darn good that for those that haven’t heard them they absolutely need to be on here. As for the new tracks, well they aren’t too shabby either. Crafted in the same ominous mold of ringing noisy post-punk as before, as a combination of new and old here, this record absolutely rips. The track “Yeti” that was previewed on Youtube a month or so ago certainly stands as one of the highlights here, but only by a small margin, and that says plenty about the strength of Copsucker. There isn’t a single lull to be found on here, just a pure straight through blast of intensity/energy. This certainly comes highly recommended.

Kim Phuc – Yeti (stream)

Those looking to pick this up can do so through Iron Lung. However, if digital is your thing then it’s available through Bandcamp. Either way, don’t sleep on this one.

Trabajo - Slow Pageant

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:24:58 -0600

Can’t say that I get too many 3-inch CD’s in the mail. In fact, I don’t think I ever have until this little four song EP from the Brooklyn duo Trabajo showed up. I wasn’t really too interested in ripping it to my computer as I remember the only other time I had to deal with one of these was a lengthy and troublesome time spent getting it out of my computers CD tray. Thankfully they had this one up elsewhere for free download and saved me the worry of having to possibly deal with that sort of thing again. That aside, Trabajo present an interesting take on post-punk with the tracks featured here that often lean more so to the noisier/experimental side of things. They rely heavily on big distorted drum & bass beats and a number of samples that often have a tribal/ethnic side to them, which makes for a nice listen whenever it pops up. The vocals are a bit unnecessary in the grand scheme of things here, as they are indecipherable and mixed a bit too low to even have them be noticeable anyway. Overall though, the music has some good ideas going for it that seem to be put to use in different ways from track to track. Consider me intrigued.

Trabajo – Two Horns [MP3]

From what I understand this thing was super limited and has probably long since sold out. However there is nothing stopping anyone from grabbing it for free on their Bandcamp page, albeit track by track.