Saturday, February 28, 2015

Twenty-Two Days

I wanted to also discuss more screamo bands, and yesterday I received this 10" I found on discogs. I could have bought this off the Meatcube storenvy for 8+shipping but I got it for 9.99 in total so I saved a few bucks. Well the band name says it all, yes they lasted 22 days as a band who released a 5 song demo (Not sure if it was cd/tape) they played 4 shows during their time active as a band (June-July 2007) 2 years later Communique Records (Same dudes who released Ghost towns 7") did the demo in 10" honestly the demo isn't fancy and only includes one insert which are the 4 dates of the shows and that's practically it. I didn't know of this band til year or 2 ago when I saw a review of the demo and being entitled similar as "the spirit of versailles" although I'll completely disagree I can admit it reminds me more of early Bear Garden like the 3 song demo of theirs. Honestly this demo is pretty good and does sound more of a late 90's screamo band. I wanted to throw this in here as well so you can hear it for yourselves. There are copies of this still around (I don't think they'll be around until Meatcube runs out on their distro)

Demo 10"
There is a test press of this but I believe that is possibly the most impossible thing even for myself to get, the difference my only be that the test press is single sided and either it is the same handmade cardboard cover or a generic one.

Acrobat Down

I am back with another Crank! band... If you are annoyed by it well I'll be done soon and you'll live. Acrobat Down reminds me of a Dillinger Four/Texas is the reason/Cap'n Jazz mix band. I had bought the releases before even listening to them, although I don't own 100% of what they have (Missing a 7inch and CD) I honestly don't even have much info on this band to begin with. They started off with a 2 song 7" under Crank! They began doing other short releases; a split 7" with Blast off heads, a second 7" and another 7" before doing a debut length. The last 7" are on the CD and are both the same versions. I kinda wish I can give a little more on this band but they happened to also have a bunch of unreleased songs and b-sides but that was never physically out til one of the members posted it in their web page. I do plan on picking up the one 7" I am missing and the debut CD since then they are both pretty darn good to have. Since the bad debut on Crank! I wanted to give these guys a listen and they do sound like something off Crank! A record company.

Acrobat Down 7"
Acrobat Down/Blast off heads split 7"
Life/Robots 7"
Both songs are RE Dereliction so there wasn't need of me ripping the 7" they sound exactly like the ones on the debut just minus the vinyl hissing.
Since I am missing the 5, 11, 8, 6 7" and RE Dereliction I post those below along with the set of unreleased songs down here. Perhaps some of those unreleased songs were done before the bands first 7" but I can't say it is for sure.

5, 11, 8, 6 7"
RE Dereliction
Switchable Tess and various unreleased tracks

Monday, February 23, 2015

Boyfriends

Lets talk about more of the modern-ish bands for a brief moment I feel like I discussed and showed many of you of the old stuff, I'd like to start off with this one first. Boyfriends was a project band that had members of 1994!, Algernon Cadwallader and Snowing. The band began in 2009 under "Barf Academy" but switched to Boyfriends sometime late 2009. I remember this band more for the 2009 Demo they did.I was brought to them after discovering Algernon and when Snowing was barely a band. Boyfriends was just some project that lasted a few years. Joe Reinhart recorded practically the bands entire discography for the exception of the instrumental and both demos. Pete from Algernon did these tapes. They were done sometime late 2013 and it was pretty cool to see the entire collection plus 3 unreleased songs that were done sometime when the band was no longer active anymore. The band still resembles 1994! due to vocals being the same and same vocalist but has a mash up of Snowing as well. Well it's the closest description I can even give you since I am 90% sure many of you are familiar with Snowing or even Algernon Cadwallader in that case. In the end the band left about 17-18 songs and it's a pretty nice discography that was compiled by Pete himself. The quality of the tape isn't bad neither and it's pretty enjoyable to hear without the sound of a 64 kbps.
A discography of mediocre punk rock
It's one of the few cassettes I own that I really like, Pete's tapes is still selling these but if you are a cheap ass I guess you can download my digital copy here. These songs really bring up my high school kickback days, just ready for beer pong whenever these songs play. I believe there are still copies of the bands 7" and split with boysandsex as well if your more into the vinyl separate releases.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Bright calm blue

It took some time to find this band but as for physical copies that was easier than expected. Bright calm blue was a Texas screamo/post hardcore band from the early 00's that released a 7", a debut length and a EP (which I don't like) mainly because they replaced the vocalist with a crappy one that reminds me of La Dispute and it sounds pretty bad which is why the band ended after the EP. While the 7" throws on full screamo the LP/CD has blended some post hardcore and naturally matured without any force (this is a good thing) I also got a CD copy of the length I havent had much chance to grab that on LP format but the CD will do it for now.
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Bright calm blue 7"

This are the first 4 songs by the band the most memorable one is April, the intro even reminds me of what Kolya would have done. There is less Post Hardcore driven influence on the 7" while the later LP combined both elements.
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Asymmetry set
This is the debut length and honestly this is where the band pretty much ends for me. It be worthless to show the bands EP with the new vocalist. It didn't hit the home run like the original vocalist. Honestly that EP didn't sound like Bright calm anymore. The length has 8 songs which I can also say again it reminds me.of Kolya's LP at some points of the songs along with At the Drive In with some screamo running in between. I feel like I just described how this one sounds.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Okara

I will obviously speak about Mothman next time I post here cause I mean if I am gonna show you Okara Mothman is another great example as well. Okara was a mid 90's Canadian Post-Hardcore/Math rock band that were god damn good. Hell, even one of the members decided to post up some of the bands unreleased b-sides that didn't make it to the 2 7"s they did. The band put a pretty neat 9 song demo tape which surprised how well the quality of the tape was made with cheap headphones and extreme diy low budget for the recording of the demo tape, they also self-released a 3 song 7" which I happen to not own :(. Those must be extremely limited and rare. The band also re-recorded one song off the demo and did a split 7" release with Mothman on Rocket Science Records (this is my first mention on the label) The split is gnarly. They also released a second 7" with four songs and a debut LP which was their last. But I also mentioned b-sides so there are a couple of good songs that band left behind.
Demo tape Okara/Mothman Split 7"

Okara "Rose" 7"

Well all the stuff above me you can download all that on the bandcamp that was made. I am only giving this link because it has b-sides that are not on the 2 7"s, everything they did was super awesome. The band also introduced me to Mothman and even Rocket Science Records but I'll talk more about those two next time. You might wanna download Months like years off here since that is not included on the bandcamp Okara's bandcamp
Months like years 12"
As I mentioned above, this isn't on the bandcamp I guess I can talk a little bit of this release, this was the debut length and last of Okara. The LP has new re-recorded songs off the demo and first 7" (it's only two the rest are new) it still follows the same format off the previous Rose 7" so the band never had a "last minute change" I do happen to find the LP cover a little odd but fits right in with what Okara is. It's a gnarly mess of Canadian jams ey. But if you love the combination of 90's Post-hardcore and Math rock blended this is the right tunes to jam to tonight.

Anton Bordman

I am back again with some stuff to update, I been wanting to talk about Anton Bordman here since the start. Anton Bordman was a two-piece screamo band that began sometime in 2000. Unlike any typical screamo or even two-piece bands this one in particular does not have guitars included. It's all drums, a fast ass bass that sounds like a guitar at times and both members screaming The band often reminds me of those like Get Get Go and La Bella (due to the political songs that were written) All songs are very fast and are no longer than 2 minutes. The god damn bass keeps me from listening to this band on the daily and both vocalists are extremely talented on their own unique form of style. This band is definitely not your average Saetia or Jeromes Dream for that matter. And guess what? The band only released 2 7"s during their lifespan. It fucking sucks, the band stopped sometime in late 2003 or 2004. Giving it about 3-4 years where they could have done a few more releases. But the band does remind me of a more fast paced La bella.
Anton Bordman 7" (2000)
The first 10 songs by the band there isn't anything else I can mention about it but guess what? This is another Moganono release which got me curious about the band so I gave them a listen. Both 7"s were being sold under 2 dollars, that was just more luck for me. Anyways the songs are wild from start to end and all in less than 10 minutes. Honestly it is the perfect work of two-piece screamo bands.
Anton Bordman 7" (2003)
This was the bands second and last release. The songs are just a little more slower and more longer than the first 7" other than that this one is also amazing. This time it's a 8 song 7" although the songs are a little longer the 7" is still short (being like any other 7") This was not a Moganono release but it doesn't mean the first 7" is better than the second, oh no. Both are very alike and the same. Still keeps the prompt bass, drums and screams

Monday, February 9, 2015

Jupiter Lander

Jupiter Lander was a very 90's similar emo band to such as Bob Tilton, probably a little more softer than BT. The band lasted shortly only to introduce us to a 3 song 7", I heard them on Lyrics won't reach the audience blogspot sometime in 2009. Recently about a few months ago I ran onto the 7" so now I am giving a little more detail on it. The label who put this 7" Strictly no capital letters has put out some gnarly stuff over the years such as this 7", Wishes on a plane, The birds are spies they report to trees, etc.

Jupiter Lander 7"

The 7" meets the qualities of UK emo music. Or at least to mine. Some parts remind me a little of Moneen for some reason. Just like any 4, 3 and 2 song 7" its short making you want more but well the band was going to release a second 4 song 7" but the band broke up but did record the 4 songs and put them on some internet file sharing accounts and what not. The 4 songs still follow the same steps from the previous 7". It would have been cool if the band did released a 7" of these 4 songs though, In the end the band had 7 songs. I hope some Discography LP comes out eventually, maybe like a side A with the 4 songs and side B the 7".
Jupiter Lander 7"+Final Recordings

James Dean

The Australian band not the actor okay, well another post for another short lived band. At the time this band was around (2006-2008) they had their own unique sound that many now just rip off or under "twinkle daddies" (whatever that means) James Dean were able to put out a s/t ep cdr and a 7", hell even a music video on one of my favorite songs of theirs. The band later on formed under "The let go" but that also lasted shortly. There isn't many bands that pull off the rhythm these guys did. It's a damn shame to say the 7" only 103 copies were made, I got lucky 100. The 7" itself is a blank one (no band/label/which side is which) it has nothing, I still need to write A and B on the blank labels of the 7".

James Dean 7"


This was the second and last release of the band, while it still brings the same stuff like the first EP this one has 3 new songs plus one re-recorded one (In the hospital) there's a difference to both versions. The 3 new songs which would be the bands last have a pretty point and I even imagine at time on the bands second 7" or split or even LP. The bands first 5 songs have more cleaner notes and theres a few noodling here and there. It's best to just download both cause both are just very good short releases.
James Dean EP+7"

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Kolya

When I first heard Kolya, they were a addiction. I have never heard such an odd band play such a way they play. While Kolya may have the same concepts of spoken word such as the later Moss Icon, The Van Pelt, Native Nod and Slint Kolya is able to still be completely different than from those. Kolya has its own signature style with instruments and even the tone of the spoken words and even the lyrics themselves. The band sounds like energy glowing and keeps building up slowly, it mixes post hardcore/math rock (especially on the bands song Iditarod)/emo. Even at this day Kolya can easily be one of my favorite picks, although not my favorite band. The band was able to put out 2 7"s and a LP which has a few songs similar to the 7"s and others that have more singing involved. Now that doesn't mean its a bad thing but those 7"s are more memorable when it comes down to Kolya. In recent years a rehearsal demo tape appeared in a couple of blogspots the tape was after the Iditarod 7" which still had 2 guitarists, during Kolya's early stages as a band the band was a 4 piece only to note that the bands second 7" has one which is our one and only Todd who also does the vocals. The demo tape has early versions of the 2 songs off the second 7" only that it appears to have 2 guitarists playing.. Both versions are incredible and I can't come up with any reason saying one is better than the other. But it also has 3 songs that I have never heard when I first discovered this band that being 2 instrumental songs and one very odd and possibly the darkest Kolya song entitled "Jet Lagged" while at my college campus I had kill time by going to the library and writing out the lyrics to this song (about 90% I got done) the song still clearly makes no sense but the tone is so mysterious and dark it makes you wonder. There were no physical copies of this demo since it was just some rehearsal of some sort.
These 7"s took me years to find and luckily I ran into 2 near mint condition copies being sold for 25 bucks each from the same discogs seller, these are very very rare to run into due to the very extreme quantity of these. I am not sure how many were pressed but hell i couldn't find these anywhere and even now.


Iditarod 7"
This is the bands first two songs which has 2 guitarists, the songs have a mathy side especially on the song Iditarod. Both songs are equally good and they are good impression newcomers as the very first bands 7" this is also One week records first and only release by the label. The sleeve on this looks pretty neat, the lyrics to Still life with candle are pretty long but they fit on the sleeve. Some odd reason there is a deer. Not bad actually.

The tone tells the story/Conversations and smoke screens 7"
I remember playing this one a lot when I heard them, the same night I discovered them sometime in late October where my parents and I went to a family birthday somewhere deep in LA since I had picked up a couple of new bands like Kolya, I gave this one a listen first. I quickly fell in love with it yet my 16 year old brain at the time wasn't familiar with such music like this. Perhaps the bass makes up for the other missing guitar from the original recording in '99.
1999 Demo Tape
I believe I mentioned that this tape wasn't discovered until sometime in early 2012, I am not sure if the band themselves ripped the tape or if someone else did but thank you to whoever did it. You see these songs weren't on the internet when I discovered Kolya. It was the 2 7"s and the amazing LP they did on Caulfield. The songs are rehearsals of what later happened to be in Kolya's second 7" (or at least 2 of the songs) The other 3 "Cutting apparatus" and "An encounter with logic" are both instrumental while Jet lagged is one that could have made it into Kolya's second 7" and possibly turned into a 10" instead with Jet lagged being on side B. Well I wasn't gonna post this but since I fixed those tiny glitches might as well. In the end we really need more motivating bands like Kolya especially now, hell even I started my own Kolya-esque project on my own about a year ago which you can hear it here

UNI-V

UNI-V another Crank! release which falls as the 12th one this one is very short but sweat, from what Crank! mentioned was that this band had recorded 2 songs 2 years before the 7" was even on crank! or ever released, the band sent the Crank! dudes the songs which were then thrown to the label with Vitreous humor, Boys life, Mineral, Etc. The band also appeared on Crank's first compilation "(Don't forget to) Breathe" after the 7" was released the band never contacted Crank! and neither does anyone know what happened to the band or if they ever broke up and what not. Such a mysterious band huh.

UNI-V 7"
The 7" slightly reminds me of some of early Cursive work and The Vehicle Birth but UNI-V is still able to keep it to their own unique style. This makes it a perfect Crank! release. But like many bands from the 90's the band disappeared off the face of the world without any leads or trace.

Far apart

You'll see me talk a lot about Crank! A record company a lot here, I happen to have a bunch of non-Mineral releases from the label. Here is a very short lived one I will talk about today. Far apart was a late 90's indie emo band that released a 3 song debut 7" on Crank! and did a song on a split 7" on a German label I think. There has been many times where I purchase a vinyl without hearing it and it has usually been stuff off this dead label, I been lucky to buy these and still end up liking them, the bands on Crank have not failed me. The band also made it on one of the 2 Crank! compilations which is their song "Hazel" This is where I heard of the band. It's a damn shame many of the Crank! bands lasted short or went on to a different label and ended up sounding completely different.

Hazel 7"
This 7" is not bad and even for the start of a band, The main lead song that starts the 7" entitled "Hazel" starts pretty strong with a catchy tune. The other 2 are pretty good too, as a matter of fact all 3 songs are very good. I still find it a darn shame the band didn't go anywhere (or that I know of) This release is a practical 100% of what most Crank! bands sound like or what it aimed for during the early stages. This is the 18th Crank! release, while UNI-V, Vitreous Humor, Boys life, The Regrets, Cursive were already part of the early Crank! releases this one is about halfway there.