Shop Assistants - 7" Collection

Artist: Shop Assistants

Album: Something To Do 7", Shopping Parade 7", I Don't Want To Be Friends With You 7", Safety Net 7", Here It Comes 7", Big E Power 7"

Release: 1985-1990

Label: Villa21, Subway Organization, Blue Guitar, 53rd & 3rd, Avalanche

Tracklist:

Something To Do 7" (Villa21 Records, 1985):

1. Something To Do

2. Dreaming Backwards

Shopping Parade 7" (Subway Organization, 1986):

1. All Day Long

2. Switzerland

3. All That Ever Mattered

4. It's Up To You

I Don't Want To Be Friends With You 7" (Blue Guitar Records, 1986):

1. I Don't Want To Be Friends With You

2. Looking Back

Safety Net 7" (53rd & 3rd Records, 1986)

1. Safety Net

2. Almost Made It

3. Somewhere In China

Here It Comes 7" (Avalanche Records, 1989)

1. Here It Comes

2. I'd Rather Be With You

Big E Power 7" (Avalanche Records, 1990)

1. Big E Power

2. One More Time

Edinburgh, Scotland's Shop Assistants were one of the pioneers of the indie pop movement in the U.K., being featured on the legendary NME C86 compilation tape and LP. Over the course of their existence, this jangly pop band released only one full-length, self-titled album and a slew of amazing singles, wound up one of the least successful bands to actually chart in the U.K. album charts, and managed to break up twice. Quite the history!

Their aforementioned album is certainly the main place to go experience what this band was about, as it is both their definite work and is relatively easy to find. However, the singles released by this band rival that work and are much harder to find in both physical and digital form, so I've decided to help out with the latter and post every 7" I had by this amazing band, which includes all but one rare split 7" with the Chesterf!elds as part of The Legend zine. If anyone has mp3s of this (or even a physical copy!,) they should definitely shoot the blog an email.

Anyway, these singles start with the raw and unfledged Something To Do from 1985, which bears quite the resemblance to the Pastels (whose Stephen Pastel produced and contributed backup vocals.) It features Aggi on vocals (yes, the one from "Throw Aggi Off The Bridge" by Black Tambourine) and is some of their least original work, but is still extremely catchy. Aggi departed soon thereafter and was replaced by Alex Taylor. 

The band's next three 7" releases are from their peak, with some of these songs ending up on their legendary LP. "I Don't Want To Be Friends With You" is one of their catchiest and best songs, while "All Day Long" was apparently Morrissey's favorite single of the 1986. Whatever the Moz says goes, people.

After the commercial failure of their sole album, the band broke up in 1987, only to reform in 1989 with bassist Sarah Kneale taking over vocal duties from Alex, who had formed The Motorcycle Boy. While it may have seemed like a bad idea to start again, the singles that came from this lineup, Here It Comes and Big E Power, are actually both quite excellent, with the b-side of Big E Power, "One More Time," actually being my favorite Shop Assistants song, as blasphemous as that may sound. Unfortunately, however, they broke up yet again, this time for good, leaving behind a consistently excellent recorded output.

There isn't really much more that needs be said about this legendary band. This is some of the best indie pop to ever be created and the band deserved to have more than its full-length be heard. Also, pop singles are practically the easiest thing to digest, so you have no excuses!

Download Here

-Adam

Doughboys - Home Again

Artist: Doughboys
Album: Home Again
Release: 1989
Label: Restless Records

Tracklist:

1. Buying Time
2. No Way
3. I Won't Write You A Letter
4. Waiting Away
5. White Sister
6. Numbered Days
7. In My Head
8. Today
9. Never Sleep
10. She Doesn't Live There Anymore

This is a first and surely to be rare kind of ICDT post-- a making-of-the-album post. I've interjected tidbits of a lengthy interview I did a while back with Doughboys guitarist/singer Jon Cummins.

Before I delve into sentimental "what the record means to me and why it rules" waxing, I want to give a shoutout to mah boy Tony Pence at Celebrated Summer Records. His recommendations never disappoint.

A year ago I had a jonesin' in me. I'd been playing Husker Du's Warehouse: Songs and Stories record now and again ever since I'd found it on cassette the previous summer, and couldn't get enough of the Descendents' classic Milo Goes to College. Something inside me was thirsty for punk-based music imbued with melody–and not in the manner of Green Day-Blink-182 crap I'd been subjected to all of middle school.

So I walk into Celebrated Summer one fine Friday and try to explain to Tony the sort of sound I'm looking for. He hardly hesitated before whipping out the Doughboys' second record, 1988's Home Again, on CD and popped it in. It wasn't as intense as the sound I'd wanted to hear, but the conglomeration of the music and the imagery in the jacket completely sold me. In the former department, the lo-fi production grabbed me immediately (in a good way) and everything about the tunes seemed to simply sound honest.

I opened the sleeve to see pictures of guitarist/lead singer John Kastner doing an insane jump with his Les Paul outstretched. Other guitarist/singer John Cummins was in mid-headbang. Brock Pytel was sweating his ass off on the drums and John Bondhead, crouched with his bass, almost looked like Mike Dean from COC did in the mid-80s. I couldn't help but feel the hair length kinship, even though the dudes' dos were in crusty dreads. To top it all off, they all sang. Sweet.

I bought Home Again on the spot and I'm still listening to it all the way through these days. Right from the disc's opening seconds, "Buying Time" has one of those riffs that, when played live, would have a lot of jumping involved. There is a whimsical, nonchalant youth about the album that seems to revel in semi-slackerdom. "I don't care/if I never sleep again," sings Pytel on "Never Sleep." "I don't care/if this highway never ends." "In My Head" is Kastner's more lamenting attitude towards the touring mindset: "This goes out to all the shakers/And all my friends/That feel the pressure/From that tour tension."

Make no mistake-- this is a road record, penned while on tour and recorded quickly in California with Stephen Egerton and Bill Stevenson from All and The Descendents. "We spent so much time away from home," says Jon Cummins today. "It was always good to get back. At that time, my real home would still be Toronto which made getting back to Montreal a little bit weird at times. Later, Paul and I would live in our rehearsal space just after Happy Accidents because we were on tour too much to justify actually getting an apartment. I remember we would eat French fries from this place and walk around while other bands practiced in the space."

As for the recording process itself, Cummins recalls times being "somewhat stressful, as cracks between the individuals in the band were starting to form, but still stoked as this was the first record I had ever played on. We stayed at the All HQ, which was located in a strip mall which was a big wakeup call for me to see how a real touring band lived and ate really good Mexican food at a place a couple of blocks away in Lomida, California. Like any punk rock record, we did it really fast and went back on tour. Brock recorded his vocals laying on his back because he read Ace Frehley did that. I would like to set the record straight, though, that the classical intro on “Never Sleep” was done by Brock and not me. There is flubbed note on that and I thought the idea made us sound like Jethro Tull – still do."

Home Again closes with a straightforward ballad. "She Doesn't Live There Anymore," adds romantic tones to the slacker charm exuded by the rest of the album and features soft acoustic plucking underneath the usual wash of flanged-as-hell distorted guitars. Bondhead, in his sole contribution as primary songwriter, keeps his basslines a little more reserved than on other cuts (great playing) and focuses on a past tour crush. "She had hair just like the wheat in Colorado," he recalls, "and every time we pass those fields I have to wonder/because they're waving there just for me/I can't wait to get back home again and leave." "I remember it being a true story," affirms Cummins. "I think there was a girl Bondhead met in middle America on the first tour with the Descendents and when he went back to the city the person had moved."

I've written this a lot lately, but this is yet another album with few weak points regarding songs. You could make an argument the production is crummy, but I'd just say that takes little away form the catchy, addictive songwriting these dudes were capable of. They'd later go on to a major label, but that's a story for a different ICDT post. If you want a short little pop-punk album or something perfect for a journey, here's the one.

Download Here

-Asa

Altars - Ewig Verloren

Artist: Altars
Album: Ewig Verloren
Release: 2009
Label: Down In The Ground

Tracklist:

1. Ewig Verloren

One song to rule them all. Ewig Verloren is yet another blood-curdling release from the recently-prolific Altars. This one-sided 7" is notable amongst an already strong discography in that it is, believe it or not, the most noise-oriented release by Altars thus far.

While the band's black metal and noise hybrid has always skirted back and forth between the two not-so-disparate genres, this release, despite its lack of synths, has its feet planted firmly in the harshness of the latter. Guitars, vocals, bass, and drums (which are the only instruments included) are all practically indiscernible here, with both sharp and blunt tones weaving violently in and around each other. In the process, a nauseating wall-of-noise is born from the aural war. Tremble as the sounds of genocide carry you into the ultimate void.

Download Here

-Adam

Mohoram Atta - The Weight of Existence

Artist: Mohoram Atta
Album: The Weight of Existence
Release: 2007
Label: Self Released

Tracklist:

1. Ani Achad
2. Gravelight
3. Weight Of Existence
4. Landscapes
5. The Fall
6. Cracked Face Of A Megalith [Demo 2005]
7. Judgement Rising [Demo 2005]
8. Unfulfilled Hopes In Standard [Demo 2005]
9. Haud Caritas [Demo 2005]
10. Cursings for Disobedience [Demo 2005]
11. Violence, Internalized [Demo 2005]
12. Landscapes [2005 Version]

On the small northwest island of Bainbridge, where I grew up and still live while home from school, the Blood Barn is a DIY venue that frequently features local and touring bands. Hell, Life at These Speeds even played there. Anyway, during winter break last year, these guys stopped in. I thought the name was goofy and had no idea what to expect, but they absolutely crushed.

Mohoram Atta are a three-guitar crust outfit from Santa Cruz, California, and they cite their influences as "Cursed, Tragedy and fuckin' black metal." All three influences show pretty damned well-- the raw, raging power of the former two with the occasional tremelo pickings and quasi-blast parts of the latter. The recordings sound incredibly dark, but retain a fantastic clarity. If you dig crust, you'll dig this. Period.

Download Here

-Asa

Ancestors - Demo I

Artist: Ancestors

Album: Demo I

Release: 2006

Label: Self Released

Tracklist:

1. I

2. II

3. III

4. IV

5. V

I don't know too much about Ancestors at all. I know that the band contains the Mark McCoy of Charles Bronson and Das Oath fame. He also runs Youth Attack. I also hear he is just an all around ass, but that doesn't really effect this band.

If I had to describe this quickly, I'd call it Youth Attack black metal (which does not include Altars.) This cassette is almost equal parts hardcore and black metal. The drumming is hardcore punk. The guitars are 50/50. The vocals are black metal with an odd sass. The recording is the made-in-the-basement type of recording that I have come to love from my BM.

Youth Attack rides over falling Israel!

Download Here

-Trey

P.S. This has nothing to do with this post but I am going to see Jimmy Eat World play Clarity tomorrow. So stoked. Fight me.

Cake Like - Delicious

Artist: Cake Like
Album: Delicious
Release: 1994
Label: Avant

Tracklist:

1. Billy Boy
2. Bum Leg
3. Sweet 15
4. Fruitcake
5. Suck
6. Homewrecker
7. Fall Down
8. Lovely Ladies
9. Abraham Lincoln
10. Jane
11. Spaceguy

A lost gem of early/mid 90s indie, Cake Like's Delicious is one awesome slice of weird, Beat Happening-esque, naive pop, albeit with a twisted spirit. While this is better produced than BH, it maintains the same amateurish spirit, as the members learned to play their instruments while writing and recording the album. Speaking of which, this band is probably more known for their members than their actual music, as guitarist Nina Hellman was Nancy in Wet Hot American Summer and appeared in various Stella shorts, while bassist/singer Kerri Kenney-Silver was a member of the State and, more notably, currently stars as deputy Trudy Weigel in Reno 911.

Anyway, about the music: this three-piece plays stripped down and noisy pop with some absolutely bizarre and hilarious lyrics. It is a darkely humorous album for sure, with songs about bum legs ("your dad works for my dad!") and oddly sexual, incestual sleepovers or something. It rules. The lyrics are consistenly entertaining and the songs themselves are extremely well-written, many with odd outbursts and explosions of noisy parts. "Suck" is probably my favorite cut from the album (which clocks in under thirty minutes, always a plus,) but there are no real weak moments to be found.

Despite this not-so-star-studded lineup and a release on John Zorn's Avant label, the band never really achieved much success, releasing two pretty alright albums on a major label. Both albums have their moments, but they have nothing on Delicious, so be sure to check out this lost artifact of the 1990s, a wondrous time!

Download Here

-Adam

Coroner - No More Color

Artist: Coroner
Album: No More Color
Release: 1989
Label: Noise Records

Tracklist:

1. Die By My Hand
2. No Need to Be Human
3. Read My Scars
4. D.O.A.
5. Mistress of Deception
6. Tunnel of Pain
7. Why It Hurts
8. Last Entertainment

We live an an unfortunate age where musical technicality is more often seen as playing as fast, complex and ridiculously over-the-top as possible. So popular is this definition that even a bunch of fucking hipsters can learn arpeggios and blast beats, pretend they like grind and add cutesy Carebears parts for shits and giggles. Meanwhile, they haven't even heard Repulsion, much less Gorguts.

Slowly, this influx of terrible songwriting/musicianship balance is being countered by bands who know how to manage it (see: Obscura). But the world still needs Coroner.

The Swiss tech/thrash metal trio began as roadies for Celtic Frost (well, everyone except vocalist/bassist Ron Royce) on the 1986 Tragic Serenades tour, recorded the classic Death Cult Demo with the Frost's Tom Warrior doing vocals and "UNGH"'s, released two solid platters of tech-thrash and then finally this, their 1989 turning point album. No More Color's eight chilling cuts had enough of a intricate thrash metal foundation but more than enough experimental touches to indicate the progressive, atmospheric and darker direction they'd pursue with their two later records.

Every track features highlights of its own, really. "Die By My Hand" is quite a solid opener with a catchy chorus and Ron's vocals on full snarl. "No Need to Be Human" and "Read My Scars" over plenty of steady grooves along with the thrash riffs. "DOA"'s intro sounds properly funereal. "Mistress of Deception" has a jaw dropping section that follows every chorus, and also intersperses a spacious hand drumming. "Tunnel of Pain" simply rules and "Last Entertainment" is the creepiest piece on here. The instrumentation, though complex as usual, takes a backseat to drummer "Marquis" Marky Edelmann's spoken word narration.

Coroner had skills, but they also had songs. iwrestledabearonce, Job For a Cowboy, Animosity and any other bunch of folks who think aural clusterfucks with the occasional breakdown are good compositions should take note.

Download Here

-Asa

Morning Paper/Moscow Olympics Split 7"

Album: The Morning Paper/Moscow Olympics Split 7"
Release: 2009
Label: Lostmusic

Tracklist:

1. The Morning Paper - Always Real
2. Moscow Olympics - The Farthest City

Yes! The new release by my favorite new band Moscow Olympics is finally here! Go Philippines! I had been anticipating the new release by them for awhile now, all the while waiting for this 7" split with Stockholm, Sweden's The Morning Paper to come in the mail for a few months, as there was a slight delay in shipping these out. However, I've finally received mine and I can say that I am NOT disappointed.

The split starts with The Morning Paper's contribution, which is an excellent slice of shimmering dream pop. I had never heard of this band, but after hearing this track I will certainly attempt to track down more of their material. As excellent as this track is, however, it is no match for the Moscow Olympics side.

"The Farthest City" is classic Moscow Olympics; even the name invokes the majestic sound inherent to the band. This mini-epic again recalls the best of the glory days of dream pop and I am already afraid of wearing out the grooves on this side. This track actually deviates a little from their older material in that it is a little less poppy than both the Still 7" and Cut The World. However, despite the amped-up atmospherics, there are still enough pop hooks to keep this from being boring and aimless meandering. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this makes the band 10/10 in releasing amazing songs.

Be sure to check this shit out, as both bands have turned out an amazing song for this 7". Act fast and get your hands on this awesome release because there is no way it will stay in-print for long! Dream pop?

Download Here
Buy Here

-Adam

Lotus Fucker - Answer=Bloodwashed Noise

Artist: Lotus Fucker
Album: Answer=Bloodwashed Noise
Release: 2008
Label: Self Released

Tracklist:

1. WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK WE ARE??
2. Like A Tiger That Doesn’t Tread On Any Flowers
3. Red Moons Rising In The Distance
4. Black Dog
5. Spiral Life
6. One-Eyed Fish
7. When The Cicadas Cry
8. The Rock That Will Not Be Withered By The Waterfall

With a name like Lotus Fucker, some (or just judgmental assholes) might be turned off by this band, but who cares? This cassette fucking rips. You can tell not only from the image above (which is not the album art,) but from the sound of the band itself that these dudes LOVE Japan. Love it. From the no-man's land between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD, this is fast, crusty, punk-as-fuck hardcore reminiscent of Lip Cream and Gauze or at least bands who love them.

This demo is one of the most impressive things I've heard from either D.C. or Baltimore in quite sometime. Even for all you D.C. haters, you will actually like this. And to think, this band is just getting off the ground. Trust me when I say that this band packs a shit ton of enthusiasm and trust me when I say that this band has a lot more to offer in the near future. I cannot wait.

Also, once I finish listening to this demo, the next song on my iTunes is Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" and that makes me happy.

Download Here

-Adam

T-Pain - Epiphany

Artist: T-Pain

Album: Epiphany

Release: 2007

Label: Konvict

Tracklist:

1. Tallahassee Love

2. Church

3. Tipsy

4. Show U How

5. I Got It

6. Suicide

7. Bartender (Feat. Akon)

8. Backseat Action (Feat. Shawnna)

9. Put It Down (Feat. J Lyric)

10. Time Machine

11. Yo Stomach (Feat. Tay Dizm)

12. Buy U A Drank (feat. Yung Joc)

13. 69 (Feat. J Lyric)

14. Reggae Night

15. Shottas (Feat. Kardinal Offishal & Cham)

16. Right Hand

17. Sounds Bad

T-Pain, born Faheem Rasheed Najm, jumped on the hip-hop scene in 2005. His smooth voice single handedly revived the vocoder in R&B/Hip-Hop (for better or worse.) Since his departure from Tallahassee and ascension to global recognition, he has been on almost every top 40 song or subsequent remixes. Normally, this would really bother me, but his over-the-top swag never seems to disappoint. When he actually decides to rap, he has a better flow then 95% of rappers out right now.

Epiphany is a perfect top 40 release. Mr. Najm, who produces all of his own beats on the record, delivers banger after banger. It definitely gives the bass-heavy tracks that gives with little self respect desire to make their youtube booty clapping videos. He has one blemish on this instant classic, its the song "Tipsy." He basically says he is okay with date rape with lyrics like this:

"I'm not trying to get you drunk

I just need you tipsy enough

I know that you wouldn't do what you do

Unless you are tipsy enough.."

But he definitely has more pros than cons. Other than this "Tipsy" debacle, he is rather positive with females. In the interlude "I Got It" his girlfriend finds out that she has HIV and, after freaking out a bit, he comes around and reassures her that he isn't leaving and that he loves her. In the songs "Backseat Action" and "69" he sings about something that most rappers would never talk about, performing cunnilingus. Teddy Penderazdoun is as close as this brand of hip-hop is going to come to being sex-posi and he deserves some respect.

I know many of you group him in with the many other acts that are currently beating the vocoder to death, but you're wrong. He is an originator and dislikes it just as much as we do. I believe that the only people that should ever use the vocoder is Ralf Hutter, Teddy Riley, Roger Troutman and T-Pain.

-Trey

Slavescene - Heaven Only Knows

Artist: Slavescene

Album: Heaven Only Knows

Release: 2008/2009

Label: Cult Maternal

Tracklist:

1. Factory Heaven

2. Designer

3. Drug Couple

4. Beekeeper

5. Isolated Quarters

6. High School Head

Another absolutely fucked-up creation from Florida, the home of the best, Slavescene's Heaven Only Knows is one release I just cannot put down. Their sound is akin to Brooklyn's Drunkdriver with its chaotic sound and megaphone-esque vocals, only with a slightly more hardcore feel and structure. Did I mention they feature a member of Cult Ritual?

The first side of this cassette is comprised of five headache-inducing jams in eight minutes. This is cacophony at its finest, as the songs balance intense feedback with the power of some of the finest hardcore. You will be confused as to whether to fist pump or allow the noise to overtake your body and liquidize your internal organs. The flip side of the tape, entitled "High School Head," is a single eight minute song that brings the No Trend and Brainbombs influences in the best way possible, being vile and putrid in both sound and imagery. I can't, I can't, I can't stop listening to this fucking tape. It's brilliant.

Download Here

-Adam

The Nils - The Nils

Artist: The Nils
Album: The Nils
Release: 1987
Label: Cobraside Distribution

Tracklist:

1. River of Sadness
2. Truce
3. If Heaven Lies
4. When The Love Puts on a Sad Face
5. Wicked Politician
6. Bandito Callin'
7. In Betweens
8. But For Now
9. Young Man in Transit
10. Daylight

Happy Hallmark Day from ICDT! This album has nothing to do with it.

The Nils were a pop-punk/powerpop band from Montreal, Canada. Although they were started when brothers Alex and Carlos Soria were mere pre-teens, the band only managed to put out a handful of EPs and this sole LP before its eventual breakup.

But man is this LP a fucking monument. Bob Mould was a fan, and it doesn't take a genius to see why: both these guys and Hüsker Du brilliantly blended a punk drive with the exuberance of '60s pop and old rock 'n' roll. The Descendents brought pop catchiness with punk snotiness, but the Nils opt for powerful singing and an inherent sense of deep honesty. When the steady, strummed chords of "River of Sadness" open, you know something special is about to start. This record is pretty perfect in my humble opinion-- and if not so, then I'd be hard pressed to find a bad song on it. The album even finishes strong, too: the jangly, chiming melody of "Daylight" does indeed conjure visions of..."green fields in daylight," as the lyrics seem to go.

If you call yourself a fan of pop-punk, I'd be blown away if you can't dig on this. But really, this should be to the liking of anyone remotely into rock 'n' roll.

Download Here

-Asa

Abyssic Hate - Suicidal Emotions

Artist: Abyssic Hate
Album: Suicidal Emotions
Release: 2000
Label: No Colours

Tracklist:

1. Depression, Pt. 1
2. Betrayed
3. Depression, Pt. 2
4. Despondency

One my personal favorites, Abyssic Hate (aka Shane Rout) is a black metal band/project hailing from Australia. When I think of the BM albums that have impressed me the most over the years, Suicidal Emotions might come out on top. Abyssic Hate's brand of BM is repetitious and, most importantly, raw: the way all black metal should be; This is no goofy, orchestral BM like Emperor or fakin'-the-funk shit like Wolves in the Throne Room. Instead, this is pure, unadulterated, lo-fi hatred and I love it.

Suicidal Emotions stands as Abyssic Hate's lone full-length album, which means he has one perfect album in as many tries. These four songs have some of the best guitar lines and riffs I have ever heard in any type of music, with its raw, yet hypnotic guitars dancing around each other, all the while pummeling drums and tortured vocals bludgeon the listener. Cliched, but true. Atmosphere is the name of the game here, as the whole album is essentially one entity and, if you're willing, you will find yourself utterly enraptured by the mesmerizing qualities of this album. It's that fucking good.

If you're not really acquainted with BM, this is the album I suggest to most for their first experience. True, many will point to Burzum as a jumping point and that's not necessarily a poor suggestion at all. However, Abyssic Hate and Suicidal Emotions don't suffer from the poorly-executed sound experiments of many Burzum releases, making one flawless release. Additionally, there are no overtly shady politics on this album that may prevent someone from truly engaging the material. Really, I just can't reccommend this album enough. Download it and kill yourself.

Download Here

-Adam

P.S. Fuck the "Depressive Black Metal" label. What a stupid name.

Reload - A Collection Of Short Stories

Artist: Reload
Album: A Collection Of Short Stories
Release: 1993
Label: Infonet

Tracklist:

1. Teq
2. Peschi
3. Ahn
4. Rota Link
5. 1642 Try 621
6. Ev-I-Loy
7. Akzinor
8. Mosh
9. Ehn
10. Psychophylaxis
11. Le Soleil Et La Mer
12. The Enlightenment
13. Event Horizon

Oh, thank my white god for electronic music and for Mark Pritchard and for Tom Middleton. These two artists from the U.K. are responsible for Reload’s very bipolar, ambient electronic album: A Collection Of Short Stories. If their names sound familiar to you, it is because they are the folks behind Global Communication and several other projects that span all genres of electronic.

After listening to the first track, I noticed some similarity to the dark/evil/ambient works of Lustmord and the less-evil ambient works of Loscil, yet this style was sped up. Then, after the second track I realized there are two sides to this album: a dark side (with vegan cookies) and a dancy/happy side. This electronic is extremely bipolar, in a sense that it takes you through several layers intricate build-up and eventual destruction, which I guess would aid the moody listener.

One would expect a mixture of two good things to result in a cluster-fuck of overdose, but the separate genres truly come together to make a completely perfect ambient/electronic album. This is good and bad for doing homework, because you may get distracted by the dancy parts. Imagine a serene day spent with your love versus cold metal and darkness, the smell of rust and the dampened streets of a sci-fi, dystopian city inhabited by cyborgs, and human beings must become cyborg in order to function in society just like the US’s MONETARY-based society where big corporations control how you live and think. THEY’RE FUCKING INBRED BASTARDS. The album is definitely worth downloading if you <3 electronix.

Download Here

-Johnny B

Order 66 - Demo II

Artist: Order 66
Album: Demo II
Release: 2008
Label: HUNG LIKE A HORSE!?

Tracklist:

1. Nieve
2. Untitled (Cephei)
3. Hell

I've been quite impressed with Ohio has of lately, specifically with bands like Vile Gash, Dirty Sheets (get excited for their upcoming one-sided 12", which is incredible,) Nukkehammer, and, for the structural purposes of this sentence, Cincinnati's Order 66.

Bands like these somewhat restore my faith in modern hardcore. Sure, some (read: boneheads) don't like stylistic deviations in their hardcore and prefer the same old, rehashed '81 revival tip (which can be awesome!) or B9 bullshit (which can never be awesome, let alone palatable,) but for those with half-a-brain and a slight adventurous side, there's shit like this! Granted, there's nothing too weird or adventurous about hardcore that contains elements of sludge or has "unconventional" guitar parts like Void, nor does it mean it is any good. However, this new cassette by Order 66 is, in fact, good. Very good.

If you recall, I gushed about the first demo (or more about Star Wars, actually) by this band, which made my the notables section of my top ten list for 2008. While both demos were recorded on the same day, I still find this set of songs to be the better of the two. As of now, "Broken Teeth" is my favorite song from this band, which incorporates not only the sludgy hardcore elements of Order 66 that we're (surely) all familiar with, but a few fucking incredible guitar lines that border on pretty or beautiful, as well as a final group vocal part that, believe it or not, actually transcends the usual cheesiness of group vocals. What a fucking accomplishment.

The rest of this awesome cassette stands up to the opener and I highly encourage you to check this shit out and get pumped for an upcoming cassette and 7".

Hail Order 66. Hail the Galactic Empire. Hail Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Download Here
Buy Here

:Edit: My suspicions were correct. Thank you, Alex. No "Broken Teeth." I guess you will have to reorder your tracks, people!

-Adam

Label Profile: Frog Records

Hey everyone! I am so very excited to present to you a new feature to our blog, the label profile. In these rare types of posts, we will be highlighting labels (either defunct or functioning) that we find to be of the highest quality. Hopefully, this particular post will set a precedent for us and we will have the participation of the good folks running the labels themselves, as Stu (one half of Frog Records) has generously written for us an extremely interesting biography of the label that was home to one of my favorite bands, Shiva Affect.

This particular "project " (this is almost too serious of a word) started when Stu emailed me to correct some huge mistakes in my Shiva Affect review. What followed was an email conversation over the past three months that I thoroughly enjoyed and learned much from, inspiring this foray into something new. Don't worry, though, you will still get free, awesome music.

I will cut this off here and end with a big thank you to Stu for taking the time out of his busy, super-adult life to not only being an awesome email correspondent, but for writing this awesome piece. Thanks, Stu!

Frog Records

Frog Records was a small independent record label that I established in the early 1990's with my then partner, who for the purpose of this document I shall refer to as Mrs. Frog. It may be useful to give a bit of background info on how the beautiful chaos that was frog records came into being.

Music was always my thing. I grew up to the sound of the Beatles and the Stones, Motown and Mod; my Dad always claimed he kept me away from all that glam and stadium bollocks of the 70's (with the exception of Bowie,) then he got into Punk and New Wave. Anyway, I digress.

As I reached my teenage years, I took up guitar. Upon leaving school aged 17, lost and confused and living in a featureless town on the fringe of East London called Dagenham, I got myself a job in a record shop. I also started socialising in the local alternative/indie/goth/punk scene alongside the likes of Bark Psychosis, Disco Inferno and Cheree records, amongst others. Inspired by all those great releases of 87/88 (Pixies, Sonic Youth, Spacemen 3 My Bloody Valentine…you get the idea) as well as the birth of grunge (early grunge made perfect sense to me; the best bits of metal and punk with the clichés discarded) my band got their shit together, then imploded in a shower of paranoia.

Around this time I blagged myself a job at Southern Record Distribution (SRD) which helped with setting the label up and also how we met some of the bands.

So here is a brief history of the label, band by band. Some of the details are a little hazy; it was almost 20 years ago after all (holy shit, I'm old) and let's just say we…errr….emulated the rock n roll lifestyle at the time. I apologise for any omissions or inaccuracies, but not for it being Anglo or egocentric. It was my label and I'm a Brit after all! If any of these records sound interesting then good luck in finding them…most sold pretty poorly and I have only just managed to hold on to one of each of them! So, may I present to you, Frog Records…

Shiva Affect

The band that started it all! Shiva Affect were an East/South London based post-rock band, active in the early 90's. I knew Rik, their bass player, from his days with the Fury Things, who released an EP on Cheree Records, and generally from alternative/indie clubs in the area. At time, my partner and I had a small (and I mean really small!) van and SA asked her to drive them to play some gigs, all five members and their equipment!

Anyway, SA were creating a bit of a buzz on the London scene and Melody Maker were about to publish a full page article on them, but there were no releases on the Horizon, so me and Mrs Frog decided to form a record label to release two of the tracks they had already recorded at the legendary Toe Rag Studios, where Ed, singer and guitarist happened to work. This became Rest Is Easy 7"

Shiva did pretty well and started being offered pretty serious support slots across the UK capital, so we asked them if they fancied recording an album, which became the mythical Yahweh. Again, all the tracks were recorded at Toe Rag, with the exception of Crank which was recorded by Andy Weir, previously of the band Pram.

Shiva Affect started to disintegrate a little after this with second guitarist Ed leaving, which seemed to be the catalyst for their demise. They left us with one more gem in the guise of the Road Movie 10". And then they were gone!

Kinda lost touch after that. Rik went on to play in Holly Golightly's band for a while and, as far as I know, now lives in Ireland. Apart from that, I've only got (and just about got) the records and the memories!

Spokepoker

Whilst working at Southern Record Distribution I was contacted by Gina of Harp Records from San Francisco to see if we wanted to distribute her releases in the UK. We did, and we got along and to cut a long story short, she asked if my new label wanted to release the Spokepoker single in Europe. We did. Valerie from Spokepoker and Gina came over to London on unrelated business and we hooked up and they were both lovely people. Spokepoker didn't sell too well but we liked it and we were proud to release it.

Bush Pilot

I knew Phil, Bush Pilot's drummer from trying to flog him records when he worked in a record shop in Leeds. Phil was, probably still is, a great bloke and I started hearing good things about his band, who were an amalgamation of two bands; Purple Eternal and Spectral Alice. BP sent me their demo and I was knocked over by their punky take on Krautrock. They won some admirers and kinda got signed by Cherry Red records but got dropped before they had a chance to release anything. Later their line up included Richard Formby who has worked with loads of cool people. I have a great, lost EP on minidisc and they recorded a cover of Gang of Four's "Damaged Goods" for a compilation for the label of the same name, which I don't think ever got released. Members went their separate ways with some successful projects but, Bush Pilot, RIP!

Reid

Reid were another band we came across through a contact in a record shop, this time Missing Records in Glasgow. Hard to describe their single, really. Apart from it was bloody great! Once again, band members went on to better things, most notable of all, forming Scottish post-rockers Ganger.

The Golden Mile

The Golden Mile was a band from Belfast who sent us a demo. We liked it so we released it! There's not much else to say really. They went on to have a track on the Che label compilation, Disco Sucks. That's it, a great slice of early Sonic Youth-like noisiness!

Songs About Croaking

Artist: Various
Album: Songs About Croaking - Mean Green Mutha, Vol. 1
Release: 1993
Label: Frog Records

1. Animals That Swim - Roy
2. Frantic Spiders - Retard
3. Spokepoker - Mercy
4. Boyracer - Railway
5. Hula Hoop - Sweetest September
6. Scissormen - Petula
7. Shiva Effect - Rest Is Easy
8. B.L.E.E.D. - I Killed It Myself
9. Johanna's House of Glamour - Distant Someday
10. Bush Pilot - Canine
11. Wands - Behind the Veil
12. Thumper - Maybe
13. Helen Love - Formula One Racing Girls

It was suggested that we should compile a CD of hip bands' early and hard to get singles. I won't bore you with the details of the arrangement, but let's just say it was bloody hard work, took forever, and didn't sell! Melody Maker called it the best indie compilation of the year and it shipped 87 copies! After losing a few thousand pounds, pretty much all our savings, we decided to call it a day for Frog Records.

I have mixed feelings about the compilation. Sometimes I think it's great, sometimes I reckon it's a pile of shite, but mostly I look back and see it as snapshot of a couple of fun and exciting years.

The CD is as follows:

Animals That Swim – Roy

Great London band that went on to sign to a subsidiary of Alternative Tentacles. This was their second single, their first, King Beer, is one of my favourite records ever. Top blokes, too!

Frantic Spiders – Retard

UK all female band from Exeter and were, at the time, big John Peel faves. From their first single. Good fun stuff.

Spokepoker – Mercy

As above. I think it came as a bit of a surprise to Gina Harp that we included it. Oops, sorry Gina (if you're reading this!)

Boyracer - Railway

Early single from this top Leeds band. Stewie Boyracer was a thoroughly decent chap, too.

Hula Hoop – Sweetest September

American friends of Boyracer.

Scissormen – Petula

Unreleased track from this London band.

Shiva Affect – Rest Is Easy

What can I say? Their only appearance on CD, I think.

Bleed – I Killed It Myself

Early single from this often confrontational London band.

Johanna's House of Glamour

Single from this US band originally released on the Essex (UK) label, Sticky.

Bush Pilot – Canine (1993)

See above. Peel liked this one, too. Still sounds great!

Wands – Behind the Veil

Taken from their 7" on Norwich's (UK) Backwater Records.

Thumper – Maybe

Unreleased track by this Brooklyn trio.

Helen Love – Formula One Racing Girls

First single from this Welsh Phenomena!

Secret Track

Shucks....if you get that far you deserve to know....It's me, OK! Don't know if I like it or not and I certainly didn't think it was good enough to release at the time, but how could I put out a CD without me on it? I couldn't, so I stuck me demo on the end. This track, "Yossarian" was by one of several bands I played in (previous band Unknown Origin didn't release anything, but supported Boo Radleys at an early gig and Babes in Toyland when they did a secret show to warm up for a Sonic Youth support!), This band was called Son of Consho (don't ask) and the pinnacle of our achievement was supporting Girls against Boys in Wales! So there you go...

Download Here

And there you have it. A quick history of Frog records. We didn't sell many records and we lost a bit of money but we had a great time…can't think of a better way to waste your youth! As I hit my mid-20's I became sick of the music industry and went back to college to train to be a Youth and Community Worker. Me and Mrs. Frog parted our ways and I now live in a small village in North East England, have four kids under the age of 7 and am Development Manager for an Environmental Charity. Mrs Frog has someone new, still lives in London and I think is some kind of legal executive.

I discovered that music was much better as a hobby than as a job. Whilst working in the industry I became bitter and jaded and disillusioned. I had virtually given up playing guitar until I did some voluntary work at a Unit for Young People who were too anxious to attend school. All these kids were blowing me away on the guitar, even though I had been playing since before they were born, so I figured I better start practicing again!

I now play guitar when I can, attend a few gigs and try and keep abreast of anything new and exciting happening music wise. As for Frog records; well, it's something to tell the kids, innit?

-Stuart Dexter (Mr. Frog)
January 2009
Co. Durham
UK

Third Eye Blind - Self Titled

Artist: Third Eye Blind
Album: Self Titled
Label: Elektra
Release: 1997

Tracklist:
1. Losing a Whole Year
2. Narcolepsy
3. Semi-Charmed Life
4. Jumper
5. Graduate
6. How's It Going To Be
7. Thanks A Lot
8. Burning Man
9. Good For You
10. London
11. I Want You
12. The Background
13. Motorcycle Drive By
14. God of Wine

A confession: When in elementary school, the only music I really followed was Radio Disney and its respective catalog of teenybopper bullshit. But the summer following fifth grade brought a drastic change in my radio dial. It was now set to Star 101.5, home to much more 'adult' pop.

Perhaps it was the melodies or the catchy lyrics, but Third Eye Blind intrigued me. This was way back in 1999, where despite being out for a whole two years their self-titled album's holy triumvirate of singles–"Semi-Charmed Life," "Jumper," and "How's It Going to Be"–were still in HUGE rotation on commercial radio. I didn't have much of an allowance at the time but I bought the album rather quickly.

My attention span had some troubles in my youth and it was no different in regard to music or academia. As such, I would put the CD in my lil' stereo/alarm clock combo and only listen to the singles. It seems entirely stupid now, but in those days of prepubescent anxiousness all of the songs sandwiched in between just seemed like fluff.

Fast forward to 2003. I was a freshman in high school and my copy of 3EB's album was gone somehow. My newfound friend and I somehow got to talking about how we both had a soft spot for it and after he hooked up a burned copy I listened to it all the way through and was blown away.

Simply put, 3EB may be pop...but it's pop of a different caliber entirely. The musicianship is top-notch; Stephan Jenkins may be sporadic in his live vocal capacity, but his voice has some truly special moments on this record. The one that really comes to mind is the chorus in "God of Wine." "A sadness I can't erase," he sings, and then, going to vulnerable, wounded higher pitch, "all alone/on your face." Chills, man. Arreon Salazar is one hell of a bass player too, lurking subtely beneath the surface and likely slipping by those not too keen on keeping an ear out for low-end dynamism. Listen to "Narcolepsy"- in addition to having some pretty odd lyrics, the bass' practically spastic countermelody is astounding given the musical genre.

Perhaps it was my relative innocence at the time, but the adult world of relationships Stephan's lyrics discussed made me desperate to grow up and date women. "I Want You" was his rather intimate (to say the least) Stephan solo piece, a tale of honest-to-God lust that somehow didn't seem to objectify like, say, a mainstream hip-hop song might. "An open invitation to the dance/Happenstance from the vibe that we're in/No apology because my oath is genuine/And the mystery of your rhythm is so feminine." BAM! SEXY!

I hadn't even had a girlfriend yet at the time (and wouldn't for a while...) but wanted to feel these feelings somehow. The lust of "I Want You," the melancholy of "How's It Gonna Be," the rivalry of "London," the alcoholic wreckage of "God of Wine." To this day, however, what really stands out to me is "Motorcycle Drive-By," with its gently-plucked acoustic intro (and liberal bass melodies, wow). Lyrically, it's also fantastic. "Visions of you on a motorcycle drive-by/The cigarette ash flies in your eyes and you don't mind/You smile/And say the world it doesn't fit with you, I don't believe you/You're so serene." BAM! SEXY!

-Asa

The Cardigans - Gran Turismo

Artist: The Cardigans

Album: Gran Turismo

Release: 1998

Label: Stockholm

Tracklist:

1. Paralyzed

2. Erase/Rewind

3. Explode

4. Starter

5. Hanging Around

6. Higher

7. Marvel Hill

8. My Favourite Game

9. Do You Believe

10. Junk Of The Hearts

11. Nil

The Cardigans are a Swedish indie pop/alternative band that was most popular in the 90s. Their guitarists were both in black metal bands before deciding to join a pop band (and get paid.) Due to their metal background, they covered Black Sabbath on two album ("Sunday Bloody Sabbath" on Life, and "Iron Man" on First Band On The Moon.) They crossed over the Atlantic in 1996 on the wave of their international success, Life.

After one MEGA hit and a couple smaller ones, The Cardigans decided to drop the style that made them huge and go for a trip-hop/pop sound. Normally switching your style at the height of your popularity alienates your fan base and the music is normally sub par. Fortunately for music lovers like myself, this was not the case for their music (but was for their fans.) Although they never returned to the fame they had with "Lovefool," Gran Turismo produced one hit in "My Favorite Game," and the other single "Erase/Rewind" was featured in three different films.

-Trey

P.S. We're gonna do a whole bunch of 90s alternative posts. You're going to fucking love it.