Grandaddy

Grandaddy - A Pretty Mess By This One Band EP

Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway

Grandaddy - The Broken Down Comforter Collection

Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump

Grandaddy - Concrete Dunes

Grandaddy - Sumday

Grandaddy - Artist's Choice: Below The Radio Compilation

Grandaddy - Excerpts From The Diary Of Todd Zilla EP

Grandaddy - Just Like The Fambly Cat

Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter

When amateur skateboarder Jason Lytle injured his ACL and was unable to skate he used his down-time to form/lead/create the atmospheric pop band Grandaddy in his bedroom. Their sound is a mix of the brash indie rock of Pavement, the electronic experimentation of Radiohead, the symphonic pop of the Flaming Lips and the melancholy of Sparklehorse. Jason Lytle wrote all the lyrics/music, produced all the albums and sometimes played all the instruments as well, although the full-lengths are all the work of a full band. The Comforter Collection and Concrete Dunes are rarities collections that contain mostly the same songs (both also have the Pretty Mess EP on them) and Below The Radio is a mix-compilation put together by leader Jason Lytle of some of his favourite tunes. Jason's solo album is really great and I'm very thankful he has continued to make music after the break up of Grandaddy. Don't sleep on these albums, they're some of the best things released during the oughts.

Blue Album: Deluxe Edition

Weezer - Blue

Weezer - Blue Deluxe Edition (Bonus Disc)

This is the deluxe edition that was released a few years back. Ten perfect pop songs played by a bunch of nerds. Everyone should already know this album and love it. The real gem here is the bonus disc that came with it subtitled Dusty Gems And Raw Nuggets. All the b-sides from the era (including "Suzanne", "Jamie" and "Mykel And Carli") as well as the demo that brought them to the attention of Geffen Records and a couple pre-production tracks that never made it onto the Blue Album. Now if they would only hurry up and release that Pinkerton Deluxe Edition.

BOAT - Setting The Paces

BOAT - Setting The Paces

Super catchy, smart and funny indie-pop from some dudes who really loved 90's rock (mainly Weezer's Blue album and Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain). Leader David Crane was once a Chicago school-teacher, but he burned out and moved to Seattle where he started this band as a bedroom project. Fourteen highly infectious pop tunes.

The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics

The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics

Seattle proto-punk band from the early 60's who were obsessed with Little Richard. These guys were a direct influence on The Stooges and MC5 and they played punk before there was even a name for it. Kurt Cobain has stated that the drum sound on this album is the best he's ever heard (and it was recorded with only one microphone).

Haymarket Riot - Bloodshot Eyes

Haymarket Riot - Bloodshot Eyes

Angular punk/hardcore band from Chicago, IL. Bloodshot Eyes was released on Thick Records in 2001 and it is their debut LP. This album reminds me of Fugazi, At The Drive-In and Hot Water Music, which is some pretty rad company to be in.

Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

Fairly decent debut LP from Wes (or Wesley as calls himself now) Eisold's new band. Wes used to be the front man for the hardcore bands American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost and Some Girls. Cold Cave take the lyrical approach of Morrisey and the melodies of New Order and cloak them in a thick blanket of despair. Cold Cave's music was mainly created using synths because Wes was only born with one hand and is unable to play stringed instruments. If you like Depeche Mode, Joy Division and sadness this is for you.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire

The second album from these dudes, and the last with the classic original line-up. A little bit mellower than Inner Mounting Flame, but not too much. All the crazy riffs, soloing and time signatures are still here. John McLaughlin may be the only dude who can still look cool playing a double guitar:

Nah, scratch that, nobody looks cool playing one of those things, not even Rick Neilson from Cheap Trick:

Helms Alee - Night Terror

Helms Alee - Night Terror

If you liked the Harkonen albums I posted even a little bit, you should be all over this. This is Ben Verellen's new band with two chicks and they are absolutely killer. Heavy, loud and melodic rock that any fan of Torche, These Arms Are Snakes and The Melvins should totally dig. These jams are really catchy and even though Ben just shouts the lyrics you'll still be humming the melodies for days. I can't believe that I haven't posted this yet, as it is truly one of the best things I've heard in the last few years.

MELVINS - The Bride Screamed Murder

Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder

This is their third album since adding Big Business to the rhythm section. It's a lot weirder than (A) Senile Animal and Nude With Boots, but in a good way. More chanting, more singing, more sludge equals more radness.

Woods

Woods - How To Survive + In The Woods

Woods - At Rear House

Woods - Family Creeps

Woods - Songs Of Shame

Woods - At Echo Lake

Lo-fi Psych/folk indie pop band from Brooklyn. Woods features 3/4 of the band Meneguar and was started as a side-project to that band but has since become their main project. The boys also collectively run the Woodsist Records label (and have released albums from Real Estate, Kurt Vile, Wavves, and Vivian Girls). The first three albums were mainly created as a duo and contain weirdly poppy folk numbers. The two most recent albums, Songs Of Shame and At Echo Lake, are very much the work of a full band and contain some of the best psychedelic pop music around. Great guitar work and harmonies, kind of like Pavement mixed with the Byrds. Great stuff.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame

Five musicians at the top of their game playing incredibly technical instrumental jazz/rock. Leader and guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin had previously played with Miles Davis on three of his albums, including the landmark Bitches Brew album. The musicianship present here is seriously unreal. This album was a huge influence on The Mars Volta, but unlike The Mars Volta the Mahavishnu Orchestra is talented. Drummer Bill Cobham even won the prestigious drum competition "The Great Beat-Off".

Look Mexico

Look Mexico - So Byzantine EP

Look Mexico - The Crucial EP

Look Mexico - This Is Animal Music

Look Mexico - The Crucial Collection

Look Mexico - Gasp Asp EP

Nobody asked for it, but here is everything else by the band Look Mexico. This band has definitely improved from album to album. They are like the American This Town Needs Guns (or is This Town Needs Guns the British Look Mexico?). Math-y indie rock with great hooks.

Eric's Trip - Forever Again

Eric's Trip - Forever Again

The sophomore album from this beloved Canadian quartet. More wispy, fuzzy, dreamy, short and beautiful songs. If you liked Love Tara, then you'll be all over this. The melodies on this album are amazing and shine through even when they are being buried under a wash of fuzz, tape-hiss and noise. Listen to this with headphones on.

Grateful Dead - American Beauty

Grateful Dead - American Beauty

This is my favourite Dead album. I used to work with an aging hippie (he was a pretty rad dude with a thick white beard, Che Guevara tattoo and an amazing record collection) and he turned me on to this and Workingman's Dead. This is basically a country and folk record with splashes of rock and roll, plus Jerry Garcia just wails on the acoustic and pedal steel guitar, leaving the electric guitar to Bob Weir. Every track on American Beauty is stellar and it is truly an American classic. This is the Rhino re-issue with great bonus live recordings of American Beauty tracks from the months before and after it's November 1970 release date. An added plus was that the album was prominently featured in the series finale of Freaks And Geeks, one of the best TV shows of all time.

Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea

Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea

Billy Corgan's post-Smashing Pumpkins supergroup. Besides Billy, Zwan counted among it's ranks David Pajo of Slint and Matt Sweeney of Chavez on guitar, Paz Lenchantin of A Perfect Circle on bass and Jimmy Chamberlain on drums. This was recorded by Billy in Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago and was mixed by Alan Moulder. Guitar-heavy rock that any fan of the Smashing Pumpkins can get behind, it is definitely better that the last couple Pumpkins albums. When Zwan played SNL and a couple other late-night shows they looked to be having a real good time on stage together, which made it seem all the more odd when Billy broke the band up a few months after this album was released. Billy later claimed that it was because some of the members were having too much fun on tour, but in reality it was because Billy is an insufferable prick.

Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts

Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts

Lo-fi garage punk band from the United Kingdom. Nothing Hurts comes out next week on Sub Pop records and it is an absolute rager. Thirteen reverb-drenched tracks in under thirty minutes. These guys write super catchy, fuzzy, fast and fun songs that sound like No Age mixed with The Buzzcocks. The only time these guys really take their foot off the accelerator is on the acoustic closing track ("Worse To Come" featuring members of the Vivian Girls).

Zola Jesus

The Spoils (2009)



Stridulum (2010)

I feel weird posting about this while it's light out, blue skies and sunny. This is the type of music you sit alone in your bedroom to during the coldest days of February wishing summers heat would come quicker. Dark, lo-fi, "chill wave" music with female vocals. The Spoils is a little bit more atmospheric/drone-y than her latest, Stridulum. I ended up finding two copies of Stridulum (I prefer this over The Spoils) and giving them both away to my roommate and girlfriend. Awesome.

Deftones - Diamond Eyes (Bonus Covers)

12. "Do You Believe" (The Cardigans cover)
13. "Ghosts" (Japan cover)
14. "Caress" (Drive Like Jehu cover)

Download

I'm always skeptical of listening to new records from bands that were around when nu-metal first started. It takes some talent to still write good riffs and hooks after 20 years. If you haven't heard the new Deftones yet and were a fan of them during the Around the fur days, shit hasn't changed. Anyway, to celebrate the new release, here is the iTunes bonus tracks. Never been a fan of Japan, but the Deftones can't go wrong in this cover.

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever

So this was released to lukewarm reviews this week, but, whatever I dig it. If you're a fan of the band you'll be pleased and if you never cared about the Hold Steady then you're not going to be blown away by this. More anthemic songs about drinking and being young/youthful. This is the first album since keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay split and his presence is sorely missed here. This band is the perfect soundtrack to summer hangouts with your bros, and hearing them always makes me want to drink beers and have some laughs. There was a shitty sounding leak of this album floating around, but this is a high-quality rip.

Walter Schreifels - An Open Letter To The Scene

Walter Schreifels - An Open Letter To The Scene

The new solo album from one of the best songwriters around. This was recorded a while back and has been ready for release for a couple years now. This album is closest to Walking Concert in sound/structure and is mainly an acoustic affair. There is also a great cover of the Agnostic Front song "Society Suckers" on here as well as one of my favourite Walter songs, "Requiem" (a song he's done with World's Fastest Car, Rival Schools, and Walking Concert). The follow-up album was already recorded this past March in Welland, Ontario and is due out in the fall.