it was just the drug for me

6.5.10

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.

5.5.10

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.

1.5.10

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.

29.4.10

TAD - Inhaler

TAD were one of the first bands to be signed to Sub-Pop Records, as well as being one of the first Seattle bands to be labeled as "grunge". While a lot of Seattle bands took their influence from punk, TAD drew more inspiration from 70's metal and hard rock. They definitely leaned more towards the metal side of things, lead vocalist/guitarist Tad Doyle even ran his guitar through four different fuzz pedals at the same time! TAD were also the only band of the grunge-era who really did dress like lumberjacks. In almost every promo photo of the band Tad Doyle has a beard and is wearing a flannel shirt, work boots, track pants and a trucker cap. I sometimes get the feeling that if Tad Doyle had even been half as handsome as Chris Cornell (no homo) the band would've been twice as big as Soundgarden. Inhaler was produced by J Mascis and homeboy makes the band sound absolutely huge.

Sloan - Smeared

The debut full length from one of Canada's most popular bands. Halifax's Sloan sounded like a more shoegaze-y Sonic Youth with four-part Beatle-esque harmonies on this one. Geffen Records released this in the U.S. to little or no fanfare in early 1993, and the band were dropped shortly after and still haven't had a U.S. breakthrough. In Canada however, the band is all over the radio and TV, winning Juno Awards (Canadian Grammys) and having their music featured in beer commercials.

Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque

This early 90's Glaswegian power pop band sounds just like Big Star. Gumball's Don Fleming produced Bandwagonesque, which was their commercial and critical breakthrough (in America at least). This album beat out both Nirvana's "Nevermind" and My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" in the 1991 Spin magazine year end poll.

28.4.10

Hooded Menace - Never Cross The Dead

Another soon-to-be-classic full-length album from this Finnish blackened doom trio. Frontman Lasse Pyykö also shreds his pipes in Acid Witch and Claws, two totally rad bands.

Fu Manchu - In Search Of...

This was the last Fu Manchu album with lead guitarist Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano who split to form the band Nebula. More great rock from California's third best stoner band (after Sleep and Kyuss, natch). Songs about muscle cars, space, and getting totally rad. You'll dig this if you like fuzz-pedals, riffs, fun and bong-hits.

27.4.10

Glass & Ashes

Glass and Ashes - Aesthetic Arrest

Glass and Ashes - S/T

I first caught on to this band from a friend who had a song on their myspace 4 years back. I was immediately hooked by the not so traditional guitar work and constant throaty screaming (no singing at all) which not many bands do now a days in this style. Members of Young Livers (hence the post), very under rated, barely toured and put out 2 records on no idea. I was able to pick up their last release in New york this past weekend. FFO: Planes Mistaken for Stars, Fugazi/Rites of Spring

25.4.10

Eric's Trip - Love Tara

This is the group's 1993 Sub-Pop debut, and first release not put out by the band members themselves. Eric's Trip were a dreamy lo-fi punk band who took their name from a Sonic Youth song. They were part of a tight-knit scene of musicians in Halifax, Nova Scotia that generated a lot of buzz in the wake of the Seattle and grunge music explosion. Along with Sloan, Thrush Hermit and Jale they helped popularize the "Halifax" sound. Eric's Trip write short dreamy pop songs that are pure fuzzed-out bliss. Rick White and Julie Doiron's voices blend extremely well together, especially on the folkier numbers. This is one of the best albums to ever come out of Canada.

Andy and the Pandys - Drink Up, Weary Soul

Andy and The Pandys - Drink Up, Weary Soul

This is a new record from an old friend. I met Andy Maitland in London where we both went to school for music. He's a drummer by nature but a song writer at heart. His first album was a double disc of material that he wrote, played, and recorded entirely by himself. If you dig this, I can post that later. This record reminds me of Matt Pond PA at times. I recommend listening to "Cannibals" on repeat.

Batcomputer - Spring Is A Chorus Of Vomit

Batcomputer - Spring Is A Chorus Of Vomit, Everyone Rejoice!

This record reminds me of an 80's movie where there was a Jock and a Geek who were both trying to get with the same Girl, and the Geek has to prove himself to the Girl but the Jock doesn't because he thinks he's too cool for school. Then by the end of the movie the Geek wins over the Girl at the school dance they were trying to save and then this record comes on and they get their first slow dance. Like Cru Jones and Aunt Becky in Rad, except without the bikes, and more reverb.

Gumball - Super Tasty + Wisconsin Hayride EP

Gumball were a New York alternative band led by scene vet Don Fleming. Prior to Gumball Don led the bands B.A.L.L. and The Velvet Monkeys and was also an in-demand record producer, working with Sonic Youth, Hole and Teenage Fanclub to name a few. He was also briefly a member of Dinosaur Jr appearing on the recording of "The Wagon" that Sub-Pop released as a single in 1990 as well as a couple tracks on Green Mind. This is the European version of Super Tasty that included the Wisconsin Hayride EP (an EP of covers). I know that at this point it must be getting pretty old, but yes, J Mascis does play on this album as well as a couple tracks on the EP (the Damned and Black Flag covers). Super Tasty is a rad album that references 70's punk and power pop, eighties indie rock and even grunge music without sounding derivative. Both Super Tasty and the Wisonsin Hayride EP sound super thick and fuzzy thanks to the Butch Vig production, and are definitely lost 90's classics that should have been all the rage.

Frightened Rabbit- Winter Of Mixed Drinks

I always describe this band to people as being just like Coldplay but not as shitty. This album sounds huge but doesn't have the same punch as their last one. Don't let my negativity discourage you though because this is still an amazing album.

Pure

Pure- Feverish

Pure- Extra Purestrial

Pure- Generation 6 Pack

Pure- Pureafunalia

Pure were a 90's alternative band that i'm sure didn't get much play outside of Canada but were definitely one of my favourite bands at the time. Generation 6 Pack was their most popular album here in Canada but my vote for their best release is the Extra Purestrial ep. When i was 15 I bought Generation 6 Pack which was promptly taken away from me by my dad not because of any sort of questionable content but because i was "wasting" too much money on music. Thankfully my mom was able to talk some sense into him and I got the cd back. Now here it is 14 years later and I'm still "wasting" too much money on music, oh well.

Toe- For Long Tomorrow

Wow long time no post, thank dog (the bounty hunter) that Tommy is holding this shit down . Well lets get down to business, this right here is the newest Toe album which i'm sure if you're into post rock you'll already have but if not than grab this immediately. "Goodbye" is my favourite track on this album by far. An alternate version of the same track is on their New Sentimentality Ep, I'm not quite sure which version I like better but both are incredible. If I decide to stop being lazy I may even post that album but until then eat this shit up .

23.4.10

Young Livers - Of Misery And Toil

New one from these hirsute Gainsvillians. Of Misery And Toil sounds like Hot Water Music in a big way and is a lot more melodic (musically) and focused than The New Drop Era, but still every bit as gruff. The songs flow so well and the musicianship on here is out-of-this-world good. Best punk album I've heard in 2010.

Desaparecidos - Read Music|Speak Spanish

Sadly this is the only full length release from these Omaha, Nebraska cats. These guys are famous for having members of The Good Life, Statistics and, oh yeah, Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes as their vocalist. All kidding aside, this is my favourite Conor Oberst project, hands down. Here Conor screams about his distaste for American materialism, and trust me he does scream. This album was recorded by Mike Mogis in less than a week and the recording is raw, intense, and totally rad. Sounds like Pinkerton-era Weezer with a post-hardcore edge.