Seattle punk rock band originally signed to Sub-Pop Records. During the alternative boom of the early 90's the band signed to Hollywood Records and this was their major label debut. This band sounds like Samiam mixed with Quicksand.
30.1.10
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
Collaborative effort between Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees & QOTSA) and Greg Dulli (The Afghan Whigs & The Twilight Singers). Dark, dense and brooding rock music with lots of build-ups and breakdowns as well as dual lead vocals from both Greg and Mark. Mark's deep baritone voice pairs extremely well with Greg's classic rock'n'roll snarl. If you are even a casual fan of these guys' past work (as I was) do yourself a favour and listen to this, it's really great.
Alkaline Trio
I remember being stoked on this band because it had former members of both 88 Fingers Louie and Slapstick. I had a friend pick me up the For Your Lungs Only 7" when his band played with them in the basement of Who's Emma in Toronto and I have been a fan ever since (for the most part). These are the essential releases in my opinion. Their more recent albums have had some moments of greatness, but are overall pretty spotty.
25.1.10
Chavez - Better Days Will Haunt You
This is pretty much everything that the band recorded. Both LP's and the Pentagram Ring EP all packaged together and released by Matador Records in 2006. This band plays heavy guitar rock, sometimes referred to as "math-rock". If you like Helmet, Slint or Quicksand then you'll love this band. Frontman Matt Sweeney went on to play with Zwan, executive produce Dave Grohl's Probot album and colaborate with Will Oldham on the Bonny "Prince" Billy album "Superwolf". This band also had one of the best videos of the 90's for the song "Break Up Your Band" which can be found here.
Naked Raygun - Understand?
This album is generally regarded as the worst Naked Raygun release, but I think it's pretty rad. Sure there are some duds, but there are also a couple real bangers on this thing. It's definitely the most outwardly "rock" album the band released but it's still Naked Raygun, and it still slays.
Superchunk - S/T
This album was recorded in the span of two days (twenty years ago almost to the day) and is definitely their most "punk" album. Although the album was released at the start of the decade it still contained one of the 90's best songs in "Slack Motherfucker".
24.1.10
F o o F i g h t e r s
Debut from Dave Grohl's post-Nirvana rock outfit. Dave played every lick on this thing (with the exception of one guitar part on X-static which was played by Greg Dulli from The Afghan Whigs).
Toadies - Rubberneck
The bands (now)classic debut full-length. This contains the hit "Possum Kingdom" that was a radio staple of the time. This has held up pretty well over the years, but was definitely overshadowed at the time by much better releases.
23.1.10
BLACK CROSS
Hardcore for the thinking man. Featuring former/current members of National Acrobat, Endpoint, By The Grace Of God, Enkindels, Breather Resist, Coliseum, Young Widows, and just about every other Louisville, KY punk/hardcore band of the last 10 years. Of all the Patterson brothers' bands this is my favourite and also the least active (the band seldom plays live). Their most recent album, Severance Pays, was one of the best releases of 2007.
American Steel - Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts
The newest album from these bay-area legends, and second since reuniting a few years back. Twelve anthemic punk songs full of both melody and grit.
22.1.10
All Systems Go!
Former members of the Doughboys and Big Drill Car playing really great punk rock with just the right amount of pop flourishes. Recorded at Toronto's Signal To Noise studios with producer Daniel Rey. I only caught this band live once and it was when they toured behind this release. The show was at Call The Office here in London and they had Horace Pinker opening up (who at the time had Chris Bauermeister from Jawbreaker playing bass), it was a really great show.
Big Drill Car
Big Drill Car were signed by Greg Ginn to his Cruz Records label in the late 80's. Their sound is very similar to that of their friends/label-mates/tour-mates in ALL. Stephen Egerton and Bill Stevenson even produced the bulk of their recorded material. Tight and fast pop-punk with big melodies and really intricate guitar lines. This band broke up in 1995, just as the sound they helped pioneer started to take off. Vocalist Frank Daly and guitarist Mark Arnold would resurface in the band All Systems Go! with John Kastner a couple years later.
21.1.10
Doughboys
Canadian alt-rock/punk at its very finest. The Doughboys play punk with a very strong Hüsker Dü influence: Punchy tunes with lots of melody and just the right amount of gruffness. Towards the end of the band lead singer/guitarist John Kastner was the sole original member. During the alternative rock explosion of the early 90's the band signed a deal with A&M Records who released their most famous album, Crush, in 1993. The album spawned the single "Shine" which was a hit here in Canada, and was the theme song for the Much Music show The Wedge. Turn Me On is their most polished release and is subsequently their least punk. During the recording of the album guitarist Jonathan Cummins quit the band saying the new songs lacked edge. Listening to it now you can see how it was a bit of a departure but it still sounds like a Doughboys album, just with softer edges. John Kastner broke up the band the following year and started the punk band All Systems Go! with members of Big Drill Car.
20.1.10
The Lawrence Arms
Full disclosure: I never really got into The Larry Arms until recently. I saw them a couple times live, but I was just never really drawn into their world. That is until I sat down and listened to their Fat debut, Apathy And Exhaustion, and something really clicked. The Lawrence Arms hail from Chicago and play really great Jawbreaker influenced punk. This band formed out of the ashes of The Broadways in 1998 and have been going strong ever since. The two distinct singer/songwriters in this band really set them apart. The times that I have seen them they always have funny between song banter, which makes me think they'd probably be a blast to hang with (plus they drink copious amounts of alcohol both on and off stage). It should also be noted that these dudes just get better with each release.
The Halo Benders
Side project featuring Doug Martsch and K Records founder Calvin Johnson. Musically these guys are all over the place. They can best be described as quirky indie rock ala Pavement and Built To Spill, with Calvin's deep baritone voice intertwined with Doug's relatively high-pitched singing.
The Killing Tree - The Romance Of Helen Trent
Great metallic hardcore band fronted by Tim McIlrath (Rise Against). If you like The Bled, Poison The Well and Rise Against you should dig this. This shit was all the rage back in 02/03.
Creeper Lagoon - Take Back The Universe And Give Me Yesterday
I first became aware of this band after repeatedly seeing David Cross wearing one of their hats on the first season of Mr. Show. This is their major-label debut; solid rock songs with huge hooks that sadly went unheard by the masses. I have heard this album compared to generic rock-radio bands like Third Eye Blind, but I frankly do NOT hear it. This album has a real Nada Surf feel on some songs while others remind me of Modest Mouse's more recent output. If anyone has their first full-length post it up in the comments, I heard it sounds just like Pavement.
Slapstick
This group is more famous for the number of bands that it spawned than for the actual music they released. Ska-punk that is heavily influenced by Operation Ivy. This is everything recorded by the band (one full length and an aborted 10"). Singer Brendan Kelly now fronts The Lawrence Arms, and bassist Dan Andriano is in Alkaline Trio.
18.1.10
Sleep - Jerusalem
(original bootleg artwork)
(official bootleg artwork)
The original truncated version of "Dopesmoker". This was bootlegged with the bands permission 2 separate times: The first was a straight-up boot, the second was an "official" bootleg release by The Music Cartel (licensed from London Records). What the band didn't agree with on both of the bootlegs was the division of the song into 6 separate tracks.
"Drop out of life with bong in hand"
Sleep - Volume 1 & 2
The debut release and follow-up EP from Oakland's heaviest weed-freaks. Volume 1 is the only release with guitarist Justin Marler (he left to become an Orthodox monk, seriously), and is the most straight-up doom release by the band. Volume 2 has a cover of Black Sabbath's "Lord Of This World" along with two early versions of Holy Mountain tunes.
Sleep - Holy Mountain
Their classic second full length album totally remastered. In addition to the original stoner metal masterpiece you get the band's cover of the Black Sabbath tune Snow Blind. These guys really did love weed. This is where the band really came into their own.
The Hope Conspiracy - Hang Your Cross
Their comeback 7" from a few years back. Which of the 4 colors of limited vinyl was this ripped from? None, it's the Australian CD release version. Exclusive to this release is the song Eurohell co-written by Kurt Ballou.
Proclamation- Let The Truth Be Told
Infest inspired straight edge hardcore from Boston (Beantown Beatdown!). Hugely under-rated band. This is their discography.
The Exit
Three-piece punk rock band from Queens with a serious fetish for The Police (Sting's Police, not those in law-enforcement). The first album had some really tight punk jams produced by none other than Mr. Daniel Rey. The second album saw the band maturing more and really growing as songwriters. I first saw this band when they opened for The Lawrence Arms at The Embassy here in London (in front of no more than 25 people) and they fucking blew the lid off the place. A really interesting side note is that singer/guitarist Ben Brewer is M.I.A.'s baby-daddy and the heir to the Bronfman/Seagram's billion dollar empire (his father is Edgar Bronfman Jr. the CEO of Warner Bros.).
Carry On- A Life Less Plagued
This came out in 2001 and i'd have to say its probably one of the best hardcore albums of the last decade. Fast, pissed off, straight edge hardcore from California.
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