Me and Him Call it Us - Loss (2006)

This band does not care what you think.  They do what they want, when they want.  They take the notion of 'song structure' and piss on it.  Bands with such little regard for what makes music 'music' usually teeter on a narrow, steep plateau between the valley of glorious triumph and the pit of utter failure.  Me and Him Call it Us dive off of this plateau head-first into the former.  Screeching, roaring and growling nearly unintelligible lyrics amidst flurries of furious shredding punctuated by shamelessly brutal breakdowns, this band unabashedly carves out their own niche among what some might call genres of 'screamo' or 'grindcore' while subscribing to neither.  Another aspect that adds a unique quality to this album is the atmospheric and noisy ambient interludes found scattered throughout.  These really break up the ruthlessness and give you a chance to catch your breath before shoving your head straight back into the toilet.

Loss

Mare - Mare (2004)

"total destroy of my mind, awesome stuff"

~some last.fm user

I couldn't have said it any better myself but I'll try to elaborate for your sake.

If you find yourself listening to Kayo Dot's first record, Choirs of the Eye, and wishing there were anything else in that vein of avant-garde brutality, then this is something you need to investigate.  These Toronto natives have a sludge-tinged chamber music combination reminiscent of Kayo Dot's but the execution is much more raw and minimal.  Don't get me wrong though, the immense, relentless power of Tyler Semrick-Palmateer's vocals really set this band apart.  His growls and haunting shrieks are that of the darkest nightmares while his soothing croon is almost angelic.  These polarities alone exemplify the band's sound and the instruments follow suit, ranging from crushingly distorted guitar to melancholic french horn.  This demo turned EP really spans the entire spectrum and is a truly exciting musical journey I'd highly recommend.

(thanks, lies)

 

Mare

Satine - Satine EP (2008)

My fellow bandmate, Annis, showed me this band a long time ago. I've held off from posting this for a while because the quality isn't all that good but let's get real and get our noses out of the air for a second and use our ears instead. This little french ensemble collages the glitchy spasms of Radiohead with powerful vocals, quite reminiscent of Björk. Between post-rock-esque explosions and fuzzy glitch arrangements, the textures are always intriguing and each song climaxes in a very moving way. Even with all their experimental electronic use, they still know whats up and kill it on acoustic instruments, check out the album closer acoustic-style:


Satine Messsnow Concert à Emporter

Satine EP

Kidcrash - New Ruins (2004)

If I could even bring myself to call this a pop-punk record, it would easily be the best one ever. With all of the catchy hooks and vocal harmonies of 'pop punk', the stunning musicianship of post-hardcore and thoughtful lyrics, this album stands out, especially against the rest of the Kidcrash catalog. Get on it.

New Ruins

Bright Eyes - Letting Off the Happiness (1998)

It might be a bit early to be celebrating that autumnal/winter-y vibe already but I'm too excited to ignore it. This album encompasses every emotion one could feel on a crisp fall day. There are small moments of comfort but it's mostly vast expanses of bleak, raw sadness which, let's be honest, should be expected from Conor Oberst. The textures throughout this album are ever-changing and diverse enough to carry the singular theme of seasonal depression without becoming stale or monotonous. Throughout the time signature experimentation, genre re-definitions (I'm pretty sure he helped invent 'folk punk' with the track "The City Has Sex") and Conor's shaky ramblings, Letting Off the Happiness is easily one of his most solid albums and one of my favorites of the season.

Letting Off the Happiness

Fugue - Siblings (2010)

Hey everyone. I know a lot of you appreciate what I do, despite me slacking quite a lot. I can now assure you that it was all for a good reason. My band, Fugue, has been working super hard on this release for a little over a year now and finally got all our CDs in and are waiting on the 7" vinyl to be pressed. It's certainly not much of a departure from our last EP, Ancient Glass, but it's more of a growth into doing what we really set out to achieve in the first place. Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you guys all checked it out! It's up on bandcamp for high-quality download with a name-your-own-price kind of deal, so feel free to give us what you think it's worth or if you're poor like me just snag it and tell all your friends. I'm fortunate to have a platform such as this and my gratitude for what small 'following' I have is enormous. Ok, I'm done with the shameless self promotion, time to post some music that isn't mine.

Siblings

Dark Dark Dark - The Snow Magic (2008)

Hello everyone who still is crazy enough to check this page out, I'm back. For now. I've been busy finishing things up with my band's new EP but that's not what this post is about. This post is about my recent obsession with the imminent approach of autumn, my most favorite season. This album is one of a few that encapsulates everything I was feeling and in some ways, everything I've ever felt on those blustery, grey, autumn days. This album is the soundtrack to a life filled with corduroy jackets, cigarettes and loneliness. Its haunting, yet sweet melodies are punctuated by plucking, tinny banjo riffs and rich drawls of an accordion played by a woman half the weight of the instrument itself. It is a bit difficult to describe the precise style of music because it's so strange and draws from so many influences but it mostly trudges through gloomy folk song structures featuring soulful, somber creole/cajun instrumentation. Doesn't sound like it makes a lot of sense, does it? Your best bet is to wait for a colder evening, dig out your fall coat and let this music take over.

The Snow Magic

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (2010)

If Fleet Foxes weren't boring and Vampire Weekend had musical talent and they formed a rockin' supergroup, they would be Local Natives. This debut album has all the catchy, hopped up rhythms but without all the fluff and the vocal harmonies really bring everything together. Most of the arrangements on the album just really seem to show some extreme effort. The only issue is, the first half of the album really seems to gel and all of the songs are fantastic but once you get to that half-way point, things start getting a little monotonous. Maybe it just hasn't grown on me or the first bunch of songs are sooooo good that the others pale in comparison, I have no idea, just welcome in the warmth of summer with this album and thank me later.

http://www.mediafire.com/?gommzjmwwgi

Mono - One Step More and You Die (2003)

In spirit of record store day, I bought Mono's album I posted on here a long time ago, You Are There. Then I was listening to their other records and realized it's been a while since I posted some Mono and also realized somewhat recently how much i love this album. The flow is perfect and just about everything about it is beautiful. It's quite the sonic journey.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ju1vldnijbv

Kickball - S/T (2002)

I know I havent posted in too long...don't be upset! I have a slew of amazing albums for you all to check out and I figure I'll start off with something familiar for anyone who digs all the stuff I post. I've posted just about every other kickball album on here, I think, so here's their first, self-titled release from way back. I couldn't even find a good sized picture of the album art but here's a picture of them rocking out for good measure. this album is extremely sparse but still has all the wonky, twangy guitar and eccentric drumming you love about huckleberry eater but more of a happy vibe, perfect for the weather. Get on it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wvxaveymotm