Battles - EP C / B EP (2006

Battles is a very strange mathrock band that incorporates many unorthodox elements into their overall style in ways that will really capture your attention. One of these outlandish practices is the very unique guitar style of Ian Williams (formerly of Don Caballero) which involves looping guitar licks together and weaving them into an intense and mathy tapestry, often without you realizing how complex and layered it really is. This collection of 2 EPs is a great example of forward-thinking music and is a pleasure to listen to. While looking up the track listing, I realized that, for some reason, my version is switched and the C EP comes first. I'm sure you can all deal with it. Enjoy.

Disc one - B EP

1. "SZ2" - 9:19
2. "TRAS 3" - 1:11
3. "IPT 2" - 1:49
4. "BTTLS" - 12:27
5. "DANCE" - 4:43
6. "TRAS" - 3:38

Disc two - EP C

1. "B+T" - 6:09
2. "UW" - 3:01
3. "HI/LO" - 7:51
4. "IPT-2" - 1:34
5. "TRAS 2" - 5:50
6. "FANTASY" - 9:09

EP C / B EP

Venetian Snares - Detrimentalist (2008)

Glitchy, intense, mind-blowing. These are the 3 words my shattered brain can still think of after listening to this album. Maybe after I can think straight again I'll actually write more about this album. Probably not though. You should all just probably trust me on this one if you're into any kind of awesome electronica or intelligent dance music (IDM as they call it). Do it now before you start trying to convince yourself that you're sane.

1. "Gentleman" – 4:33
2. "Koonut-Kaliffee" – 4:55
3. "Sajtban" – 4:06
4. "Kyokushin" – 4:43
5. "Eurocore MVP" – 4:26
6. "Poo Yourself Jason" – 4:36
7. "Circle Pit" – 4:34
8. "Flashforward" – 6:29
9. "Bebikukorica Nigiri" – 3:37
10. "Miss Balaton" – 9:38

Detrimentalist

Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Omar Rodriguez (2005)

This album, besides being apparently quite elusive, is a great representation of creativity and freedom through music. The guitarist from The Mars Volta takes numerous influences into account while recording this album (his 2nd "solo") in Amsterdam. It takes a very free and loose approach at rock and jazz fusion with very lengthy improvisations and driving background beats and arrangements. This is a great album to just get lost in and really pick apart all the different instruments and hear how they all meld their styles together and lend their unique skills during any solos.

1. "Een ode aan Ed van Der Elsken" – 3:22
2. "Regenbogen stelen van prostituees" – 10:06
3. "Jacob Van Lennepkade" – 17:27
4. "Vondelpark bij nacht" – 7:11
5. "Spookrijden op het fietspad" – 5:03

Omar Rodriguez

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)

John McLaughlin is truly one of the most talented and innovative musicians ever. In 1969 he recorded Bitches Brew with Miles Davis and then moved right into this project where he composed every song. Each song on this album has a different and special feel and they are all extremely enthralling pieces. He was a pioneer of progressive rock but with a massive jazz fusion influence and a very experimental approach to composition. The band also has an insane violinist who can mirror McLaughlins ridiculous riffs and really makes this band stand out (as if they didn't already). This CD is my personal favorite, as well as their first studio release, but I encourage all of you to definitely check out their 2nd album, Birds of Fire. After that release, the band was changed up for personal reasons and I never really got into their other albums. I know that a lot of people know of this band but I'm just making sure everyone has a chance to listen.
Happy 7/11!

1. "Meeting Of The Spirits" – 6:52
2. "Dawn" – 5:10
3. "Noonward Race" – 6:28
4. "A Lotus On Irish Streams" – 5:39
5. "Vital Transformation" – 6:16
6. "The Dance Of Maya" – 7:17
7. "You Know You Know" – 5:07
8. "Awakening" – 3:32

The Inner Mounting Flame

People of the Internet!

Hey, if there are any broken links for any albums and stuff you should comment on this post with the album title and I will do my best to replace anything. Although I love Mediafire, they can be really lame and delete things for no reason. If anyone knows how I could prevent this from being a nuisance in the future, please also let me know by commenting here. I'll try to get any broken ones up ASAP once the reports start coming in though because im far too lazy to scour all my posts. THANKS!
BTW FREE SLURPEES AT 7/11 TODAY!
i think you go in there and say HAPPY 7/11! and then you get a free small slurpee?
DO IT

Sharks Keep Moving

Hey, you are all in for a treat. I finally tracked down all of the EPs and the single LP by this awesome band. Its made up by some pretty elite people that went on to be in bands like Minus the Bear (I love them), Pretty Girls Make Graves (never given them a chance...should I?) and The Blood Brothers (ughh, if you like them, i pity you). The only thing I noticed upon first listen is that it features the singer of Minus the Bear before they really existed (I think) and his voice is as sultry and awesome as ever. The music is really atmospheric and many of them carry out into a long, relaxed kind of jam thing. There is always a lot of interesting stuff going on and is good music for just about any situation. I just got these tonight besides the EP, Desert Strings and Drifters, which I really love. I've given the others a once-through and decided they're awesome enough to all be in one post so i hope you enjoy.

Desert Strings and Drifters

Sharks Keep Moving


Pause and Clause

The Flaming Lips - Zaireeka (1997)

This post may require some explanation. This is an extremely experimental project by The Flaming Lips where they split the sounds of the album onto 4 separate CDs and the listener is supposed to listen to them each on 4 separate CD players. I've never thought of myself as the biggest Flaming Lips fan but when my friend and I took all 4 CDs of this album and played them in his living room it was a pretty mind blowing experience. I was elated when I found a version where all of the CDs are combined so one can listen to it without all of the synchronizing and equipment (although that's a really cool experience and if you end up enjoying this album, I'd reccommend getting the actual 4 CD set and trying it out). Anyway, check this one out for sure.

01.	Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand
02.	Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your...)
03.	Thirty-Five Thousand Feet Of Despair
04.	A Machine In India
05.	The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed...
06.	How Will We Know? (Futuristic Crashendos)
07.	March Of The Rotten Vegetables
08.	The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now

Zaireeka

Radiohead - Hail to the Thief (2003)

Yeah, we all know Radiohead...but this is just one of those posts where I'd personally like to emphasize how much I enjoy a pretty popular and well-known album. This is my favorite release by Radiohead and I feel that it's also their most solid album. It combines all of the elements that make them an immersive and interesting band without any fallouts. If you don't agree with me or have never given this album a real chance or never even gave Radiohead in general a chance then well...here's your chance. Besides this album, I would also like to stress the fact that their best song, hands down, is Talk Show Host which i guess I'll upload too because it's not on any LPs and i think it was a B-side but used in that Romeo and Juliet movie with Leo DiCaprio. Anyway, definitely get this essential album.

1. "2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)" – 3:19
2. "Sit Down. Stand Up. (Snakes & Ladders.)" – 4:19
3. "Sail to the Moon. (Brush the Cobwebs out of the Sky.)" – 4:18
4. "Backdrifts. (Honeymoon Is Over.)" – 5:22
5. "Go to Sleep. (Little Man Being Erased.)" – 3:21
6. "Where I End and You Begin. (The Sky Is Falling In.)" – 4:29
7. "We Suck Young Blood. (Your Time Is Up.)" – 4:56
8. "The Gloaming. (Softly Open Our Mouths in the Cold.)" – 3:32
9. "There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)" – 5:23
10. "I Will. (No Man's Land.)" – 1:59
11. "A Punchup at a Wedding. (No No No No No No No No.)" – 4:57
12. "Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)" – 3:52
13. "Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves.)" – 3:21
14. "A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.)" – 3:23

Hail to the Thief

Christian Scott - Rewind That (2006)

Alright, here is some jazzy stuff to change it up a little bit. This debut CD for the Christian Scott ensemble is full of amazing fusion and technical jazz. Not to mention Thomas Pridgen (now of The Mars Volta) on the drums, tearing it up. He really keeps this album together with his sparse, yet commanding, style and really shows how diverse and talented he is. The guitar also brings something new and interesting to the table and is very edgy compared to most jazz guitar you might hear. Not to downplay Scott's amazing dominance of the trumpet but I just felt that these other elements were what really stuck out to me and made me truly respect this album. Also, there is a pretty cool cover of Miles Davis' "So What" on here that everyone should at least give a listen to.

1. Rewind That
2. Say It
3. Like This
4. So What
5. Rejection
6. Lay in Vein
7. She
8. Suicide
9. Caught Up
10. Paradise Found
11. Kiel

Rewind That

Kickball - Huckleberry Eater (2003)

Kickball is a very laid-back and mellow sounding band with very catchy melodies that will get stuck in your head. The singers vocal style is unique in the sense that he phrases things almost awkwardly with his timid sounding voice. Nevertheless, he has some really great vocal chords and really makes the band what it is. The music itself is, like I said before, very mellow with a lot of acoustic guitar and the drummer uses brushes most of the time but it has a certain energy that you wouldn't expect so its a pleasant surprise when you really get into it. Another very good summer album. Happy 4th of July by the way. Get off the computer go eat obscene amounts of meat or something. I'd also like to give a shout-out of sorts to Emily for sending me this album woooooo.

1. opposite
2. sea
3. sauvie island
4. stop
5. bird
6. storm
7. fortune cookie
8. ladybug
9. arms & legs
10. salt
11. lightning
12. imaginary people
13. tides or swells

Huckleberry Eater

Maps and Atlases - You and Me and the Mountain (2008)

Apparently this recently leaked or something a couple of days ago and I was lucky enough to come across it. Anway, here we have yet another EP from the LPophobics, Maps and Atlases. This time around they sacrifice a little bit of mathiness (yeah, in my reality that is a word) for a ton of catchiness and more of a groovy, almost pop, feel. I still think I like their last release a substantial amount more but this one hasn't grown on me yet so who knows...I mean, Witch is probably the catchiest song thats not by animal collective that I've heard in a while.
SNAG IT!

1. Witch
2. Artichokes
3. You and Me and the Mountain
4. Daily News
5. Ted Zancha

You and Me and the Mountain

Pedro the Lion - It's Hard to Find a Friend (1998)

I'm exhausted from this heat so I'm in a pretty mellow mood. When i get home from working outside i just want to crash and listen to something that isn't abrasive or intense...or so I used to think. This stuff is actually quite a bit of both those things, just not through the instruments. The way the guy sings is very reflective and almost shy and its just great to listen to. It's 2 guys who play all the instruments so it shows through their somewhat minimalist structure and acoustic nature. Great night-time summer music.

1. "Of Up and Coming Monarchs" – 3:00
2. "The Longer I Lay Here" – 3:04
3. "Big Trucks" – 2:32
4. "Suspect Fled the Scene" – 3:56
5. "Bad Diary Days" – 4:01
6. "The Longest Winter" – 4:12
7. "When They Really Get to Know You They Will Run" – 2:34
8. "Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives" – 2:48
9. "The Bells" – 4:09
10. "Secret of the Easy Yoke" – 6:41
11. "The Well" – 3:31
12. "Promise" – 2:19

It's Hard to Find a Friend

Rumah Sakit - Rumah Sakit (2000)

Rumah Sakit (Indonesian for "hospital") is a raw mathrock band out of San Fransisco. They have a very fast-paced and busy sound much like Piglet. This band also shares a bassist with Sleeping people and you can hear his style shine through with pulsing rhythms and he also does a great job keeping up with the drummer and anchoring the band. Anyway, this album is very intense and powerful and will definitely hit the spot if you're looking for that intense mathrock fix.

1. I Can't See When I Close My Eyes!
2. Scott & Jeremiah
3. Careful With That Fax Machine
4. Wind & Wing
5. Bring On The Cobras
6. Stomachache Due To The Sincere Belief That The Rest Of My Band Is Trying To Kill Me

Rumah Sakit