Body Rot - Tuff Muscles CS

Artist: Body Rot
Album: Tuff Muscles
Release: 2009
Label: Vinyl Rites

Tracklist:

1. The Next Morning
2. Skull Bitch
3. Tuff Muscles
4. Creep Beat
5. Red Light A Go-Go

When I first heard Body Rot's first tape We're All Pink On The Inside less than a year ago, I found its drum machine-base and heavy synth (paired with some uniquely Ybor City-sleaze) assault to be an amusing distraction, but couldn't really attach myself to it. Sure, it made for a very fun listen, but something kept me from fully committing to it. Still, I found myself singing along to the refrain of "Sucking dick/For another hit" and when I heard there was a new tape coming out, it certainly piqued my interest.

The first thing one will notice about Tuff Muscles in relation to the the first tape is that the drum machine is no longer present and is instead replace by a real live, human drummer. Play some drum! While the move was unavoidable (R.I.P. Drummy-3000), it gives the band a fuller sound, which is complimented by both the better production and songwriting.

Tuff Muscles is a little longer than the first tape, but barely, and each of the five songs is a winner. The band exhudes such attractive sleeze and an unrivalled sass that I'm both turned on and repulsed by the sounds coming from my stereo. The boy vocals tend to be the creepiest part (see the title track and "Creep Beat"), while the girl vocals take the roll of the trapped-in-high school Mean Girl condemning every other girl and calling them "slut." Maybe it's just my preference for female vocals, but my favorite songs are the incredibly catchy "Skull Bitch" and the closer "Red Light A-Go-Go." Try not to bob your head to the former or sassily sing along to the words "Stretchmarks all over your mouth/You just let it all hang out." You won't.

Included here are straight-from-the-source quality mp3s of both Tuff Muscles, as well as a cut-up version of We're All Pink On The Inside, so you have no excuse not to check this sick tape out!

Not for the faint-of-heart or the P.C. police.

Download Here

NOTE: The cover star is Kickball Katy of Vivian Girls mega-fame. If and when I'm not feeling so lazy, I will go into the background of it.

-Adam

Guided By Voices - Forever Since Breakfast

Artist: Guided By Voices
Album: Forever Since Breakfast
Release: 1986
Label: I Wanna

Tracklist:

1. Land Of Danger
2. Let's Ride
3. Like I Do
4. Sometimes I Cry
5. She Wants To Know
6. Fountain Of Youth
7. The Other Place

Everyone talks about Guided By Voices being this amazing thing, really though this is just a mediocre copy of what R.E.M. and the Replacements were already doing a few years before. But like every other post I make, this was “assigned” by mein Führer Adam, so I’m just going to ramble some bullshit that no one cares about anyways.

This next part is stolen from some slag on wikipedia, as I’m too lazy to type basically the same thing:

“Forever Since Breakfast is the debut Guided by Voices record, released on vinyl in 1986. In contrast to the lo-fi sound they would cultivate in the coming years, this EP was recorded in a professional studio, and features a nearly-slick sound that anticipates their late 90's major-label efforts. Robert Pollard, the band's driving force, has since derided the EP's sound as sterile. Like much of their early output, the songs featured bear a prominent college rock influence, particularly from R.E.M.. The title reportedly comes from Charles Manson's response to an interviewer when asked to state his age.”

There, now for some personal flair so that Adam will keep me around. I was first introduced to GBV by my oldest brother in probably 1991 or 1992, whenever the fuck he was in high school which places me in the sixth grade or something… Anyways, I thought it was great. It was raw and catchy and just about the best “local” band I’d heard at the time. A few years later I saw them play a shitty radio station day festival and had the (dis)pleasure of meeting Robert Pollard. He made fun of my Nirvana shirt and told me to get lost. I never listened to GBV again. Well, at least not until Adam demanded that I write this. This album is seven really good pop songs played by four or five now well-aged [fart bongers]. Fuck GBV.

Download Here

-Evander Holywar

Gone - Let's Get Real, Real Gone For A Change

Artist: Gone
Album: Let's Get Real, Real Gone For A Change
Release: 1986
Label: SST

Tracklist:

1. Insidious Distraction
2. Get Gone
3. Peter Gone
4. Rosanne
5. Climbing Rat's Wall
6. Watch The 'Tractor
7. Last Days Of Being Stepped On
8. Ch. 69
9. Lawndale Rock City
10. The Fifth Force Suite: Hypercharge/The Wait

Long review: Gone was an instrumental trio comprised of long hair-era Greg Ginn and two other scabs that history has all but forgotten. All that matters is that they are a comparable rhythm section, because the obvious highlight of this release is Greg Ginn's guitar wankery. At this point, Ginn had gone way off the deep end into jazz worship, even moreso than the later, masterful Black Flag releases. This style, when combined with the riffiest of all the riff-filled land and a punk fury, is what Gone is all about. Shit is funky.

Let's Get Real, Real Gone For A Change is the first and best album by the band. If you can get down with either later Flag (particularly The Process Of Weeding Out and Family Man), there is a great chance you will really enjoy this. During my freshman year of high school, I declared this to be my favorite post-Flag discovery on SST. Obviously, the sentiment lasted only briefly (fortunately, it never reached this kind of low), but boy did I have fun relating this album's glory to all my uninterested friends in gym class. Now you can too!

Short review: This.

Download Here

-Adam

The Cancer Kids - The Possible Dream

Artist: The Cancer Kids
Album: The Possible Dream
Year: 2006
Label: Clean Plate/Youth Attack

Tracklist:

1. Let's Get Blacklisted
2. WWUD
3. Boston Blow
4. Fuck It
5. 9021 Oi!
6. XY Zoo
7. Enough Already
8. T.I.E. It Down
9. Q & A
10. Dead F'n Air
11. The Possible Dream
12. Let's Get Excited
13. D.I.W.H.Y.
14. The Real Thing
15. Punks With Dogs
16. Escape Velocity
17. | Cancer + Kids | = (___)
18. Astonishing! Spectacular! Exhilarating!

Mother fuckers need to know! I know that Fashionable Activism already did a review of this record, but the fact that it is still widely available with a lifetime press of 700 is flabbergasting to me. When The Possible Dream was released sometime during the winter of 06/07--I can't remember because time to me is determined by the academic calendar--it was an enormous breath of fresh air (pardon the cliché). The Cancer Kids are, for lack of a more explicit adjectival noun, a fast hardcore band. Swirled together here are thrash and 80s hardcore sounding riffs played at grind speed, including the catchiest mid-tempo breakdown parts you have ever heard, lined up with the most savvy, and laissez-faire lyrical playfulness you may ever know. The Cancer Kids are more self-aware than any punk band out there. Despite their departure from the world of hardcore this record should be owned by all. These are words of wisdom for years of punk to come, unto the Ages of Ages, amen. Two shows at the Florence VFW and 538 and never to be seen again.

"Live for you, not for them. F-U-C-K-I-S-M."

Download Here [Link fixed. Full album is now included!]
Buy Here

-Colman

Disco Inferno - The Five EPs

Artist: Disco Inferno
Album: Summer's Last Sound, A Rock To Cling To, The Last Dance, Second Language, It's A Kid's World
Release: 1992, 1993, 1993, 1994, 1994
Label: Cheree, Rough Trade

Tracklist:

Summer's Last Sound (1992)

1. Summer's Last Sound
2. Love Stepping Out

A Rock To Cling To (1993)

1. From The Devil To The Deep Blue Sky
2. A Rock To Cling To

The Last Dance (1993)

1. The Last Dance
2. D.I. Go Pop
3. The Long Dance
4. Scattered Showers

Second Language (1994)

1. Second Language
2. The Atheist's Burden
3. At The End Of The Line
4. A Little Something

It's A Kid's World (1994)

1. It's A Kid's World
2. A Night On The Tiles
3. Lost In Fog

I know, this is technically a repost, but I thought I would organize all of Disco Inferno's phenomenal EPs into one place for all of you just in case you missed one or two or all of them. Regular posting will resume shortly.

To be brief, Disco Inferno is one of the most unique bands you will ever hear and these five EPs are some of my favorite music recorded. I absolutely love this stuff. That's all I have to say, really.

Get to the downloading!

Download Summer's Last Sound Here
Download A Rock To Cling To Here
Download The Last Dance Here
Download Second Language Here
Download It's A Kid's World Here

-Adam

Entertainment - Gender

Artist: Entertainment
Album: Gender
Release: 2008
Label: aDistant Sound/Stickfigure Records

Tracklist:

1. Romance In A Rain
2. Swing Movements
3. A Seduction Walks
4. Patroness
5. New Joys
6. The Nervous Walk
7. Confusion Of Senses
8. Flesh!

Here's something that flew under my radar when it was initially released. The debut LP from Georgia's post-punk/goth stalwart Entertainment is an excellent ride through post-2000s death rock (is that what it's called?). Clearly, this is not something I'm really an expert on, but here's my misinformed take on the album:

The band seems to take its cues from goth legends Christian Death and 45 Grave (Confession/Real Talk: I think these are the only death rock bands I listen to, let alone can actually name) with a little bit of Pornography-era Cure thrown in the mix. What this amounts to is a fairly concise, eight-song album that is just the right length. Their setup is fairly conventional for the genre: Creepy keyboards/organs create a foreboding atmosphere, while wiry guitars and a pounding, yet subdued rhythm section holds everything together. The vocals are actually really effective, as his delivery isn't ridiculous and dramatic and his lyrics are in no way hilariously verbose. What I'm saying is that I don't laugh at him like I would if I was listening to the unintentional comedy gold of Rozz Williams.

One slight problem with the album is that in maintaining such a uniform atmosphere, one can get a little too carried away and, towards the end, things start to blend together a little too much. This is not to say the album is homogeneous, but its atmosphere can have this effect. Maybe I just have ADD. However, before one can get completely lulled away, the album ends on "Flesh!," which is a really sick ending to the album and probably my favorite song from the band. It's really awesome. Since my understanding of this specific subgenre is pretty elementary, let's just say this song is Entertainment's "Romeo's Distress." I suck.

Anyway, I encourage you all to check this album out. It's a really great modern take on 80s post-punk that doesn't sound too contrived or ham-fisted. Also, for what it's worth, it was voted the album of the year on deathrock.com. I guess that's cool?

Download Here
Buy Here

-Adam

Alex Kerns - Art Of The Underground Single Series: Volume 33

Artist: Alex Kerns

Album: Art Of The Underground Single Series: Volume 33

Release: 2008

Label: Art Of The Underground

Tracklist:

1. Clamor On

2. I Know I'm Not Wrong (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Alex Kerns is the male vocalist and drummer of Lemuria. He also runs Art Of The Underground. AUTU has put out a series of singles by smaller pop and punk bands.

This single has one original song and one fantastic cover. Although I've grown to like it, I used to think his voice was odd for a pop-punk band like Lemuria. Well in "Clamor On" his deeper voice works perfectly with the catchy pop he plays.

I don't know if I have said this before, but I fucking love Fleetwood Mac. His cover of "I Know I'm Not Wrong" (off of Tusk, get into it!) totally does my boy Lindsay Buckingham (name drop! Adam must be rubbing off on me) justice.

Sorry people, I've lost momentum. I guess this will continue to be the Adam hype machine with occasional appearance of my ramblings and insults to Adam.

Download Here

-Trey

Pollution - n.s.Drugs CS

Artist: Pollution
Album: n.s.DRUGS
Release: 2009
Label: Self-Released

Tracklist:

1. Black Commune
2. Fuck Hope
3. Reds
4. D-IX
5. Ashes III
6. Downer (Lush)

I now present to you n.s.Drugs, the latest cassette offering from one of the best current hardcore bands in all of NYC, Pollution. Thing is, Pollution isn't your standard hardcore band. Taking their name to heart, the band plays an amalgamation of filthy hardcore with thrash (read: not pizza party thrash) and black metal riffage, all while equipped with heavily-reverbed vocals that absolutely slay. Alternating between faster, metallic punk parts and slower, dirgier sections, the band brings to mind 90s hardcore bands like Rorschach, later-era Black Flag, as well as an established base of something akin to Von. Maybe that's just me, but I definitely see some black metal influence in this, particularly in the standout tracks "Black Commune" and "D-IX."

Just when you think it couldn't get any better, the band throws the listener HUGE curveball and not only covers a Lush song ("Downer"), but does it really fucking well. The blown-out and atonal guitars are actually capable of producing a similar wall of ethereal (pun, sorry) sound that early Lush possessed, albeit more menacing. Additionally, Pollution's vocalist doesn't exactly have as angelic of a voice as Emma Anderson, but he's more than capable of handling the vocal duties. With this superb re-imagining of a shoegaze classic, Pollution reinvent the song and make it their own.

Pollution is just an incredible band. Their first album on tape, nasty.DNA, was really great, but n.s.DRUGS propels the band even further into greatness. Look out for a vinyl treatment of nasty.DNA coming out soon on Feast of Tentacles, as well as new material in the not-so-distant future.

No Fun. No Core. No Mosh. No Trend.

Download Here

-Adam

Confines - Demo

Artist: Confines
Album: Demo
Release: 2009
Label: Self-Released

Tracklist:

1. Mediocrity Rules
2. Downward Harmonization
3. The Impossible Standard
4. Culture Trust
5. Polite Conversation

Confines are the band that I have been waiting for since the demise of Cut the Shit sometime in 2004. This is by far the most exciting demonstration tape I have heard in the last two or three years and I cannot wait to devour whatever else this band releases in the future. This is hardcore/punk at its best. Mid-tempo, degenerate, and raw, without all the over-driven post-production I get the feeling has been at the heart of creating the No Way sound.

Perhaps the singularly most important thing about this demo is the uncanny songwriting. This was characteristic of Cut the Shit, and is why that band has continued to sneak into my own fickle "my favorite hardcore outfit" lists for the past five years. While Confines (to my knowledge) only share a singer with CTS, certain people/factors just fit here and the result is breathtaking. Andrew has one of the most dynamic voices in hardcore and has always been one of my most loved frontmen. Ryan Abbott can play every instrument better than you and has probably superseded DFJ at one point or another in occupying the most active-duty Boston bands.

The Confines demo is five songs of genius hardcore featuring wonderfully tried-and-true lyrical themes that are nuanced and not-so-boring, creative stop-and start-rhythms, and subtle, live-sounding guitar noise.

I don't know what else to say except get excited. Key tracks include "Downward Harmonization" which has a chorus that rings loudly with me, as well as "Polite Conversation", a song that lambasts my favorite of bourgeois oppressors, dreary, homogenizing social nicety.

Features members of Failures, Brain Killer, Social Circkle, and Even Keel.

Download Here
Buy Here

-Colman

Ramleh/Libertarian Recordings - A Return To Slavery/Slaughter At Random

Artist: Ramleh/Libertarian Recordings
Album: A Return To Slavery/Slaughter At Random
Release: 1983
Label: Broken Flag

Tracklist:

1. Ramleh - A Return To Slavery
2. Ramleh - Nordhausen
3. Ramleh - New Force
4. Ramleh - Phenol
5. Libertarian Recordings - Slaughter At Random

I can thank this split LP between Ramleh and Libertarian Recordings (a.k.a. Philip Best of Consumer Electronics, Skullflower, Whitehouse, etc.) for not only being one of the first records of its kind to really strike a powerful chord with me, but for remaining one of my favorite power electronics releases altogether.

This album was released during Ramleh's most "pure" and, arguably, most brilliant period, all before their harsh industrial sound was colonized (quite well!) by Skullflower guitars. I would argue (quite lazily!) that this is not only an excellent example of early British power electronics, but one of the definitive releases of that school of noise. On the other side of the record, we have a monolith of a song by Libertarian Recordings. It does its best to outdo the violence of Ramleh's side and sounds like the convergence of a thousand airplanes and the utter destruction caused in its wake. Best contributes some of his best (poor word choice) work here, making both sides of this releases perfect. Download now to ruin your life.

Download Here

-Adam

Our bad...

Hey folks! Sorry posting has been slow going. We've all been really busy. Some of us have started back up with school, some of us have gone on tour, some of us are planning to move to an anarchist (read: HIPPIES) commune, and some of us are just plain lazy. Normal posting will resume soon, hopefully! Some awesome shit is coming up...

Pissed Happy Children - Vigilante 7"

Artist: Pissed Happy Children
Album: Vigilante 7"
Release: 1989
Label: New Beginning

Tracklist:

1. Vigilante
2. Gravel Truck
3. Dead Pig

Pissed Happy Children was part of the huge SoCal family of bands that spawned legends Man Is the Bastard, Neanderthal, Infest, Pillsbury Hardcore, and many, many others. Made up of Eric Wood (a.k.a. G-d) and the Connell brothers (Joel and Shawn), this proto-powerviolence (actually, let's just call them hardcore...) band only had two solo releases, the almost overly-long (but phenomenal) Pissed Playground LP and this, the Vigilante 7".

Surpassing the five-minute mark, the title track of this release is not only the longest song the band recorded (as far as I know), but it is actually my favorite PHC song. Slower than many of the LP songs, this also contains a very familiar signature bass-stamp; this is clearly the work of the auteur Eric Wood. With lyrics like "this world is on a downfall," the song's lyrics make me think of the Dark Knight Returns-era Batman comics, which is a definite plus. This is one of the hardest songs the band recorded and it ends with an awesome Robocop sample. What's not to like? The remaining tracks are shorter, faster, and weirder. "Gravel Truck" even has Wood vocals and "Dead Pig" has a strong Cyclops vibe to it. These two songs are very good, but the real reason to check out this release is the tremendous title track.

Also, this is by far the best rip I've ever heard of this, just so you know...

Download Here

-Adam

Powderburns - Self Titled 12"

Artist: Powderburns
Album: Self Titled 12"
Release: 1990
Label: Noiseville/Slumberland

Tracklist:

1. David
2. Chinaski's At The Wheel
3. Shut Up
4. Speedway/Razordrill

Here's a real treat for all you Slumberland fans! The third release from the legendary DC-based label, Powderburn's only solo release (they contributed one track to Slumberland's What Kind Of Heaven Do You Want? 7" comp) is also one of the strongest. I was never able to find actual mp3s of this anywhere to hear it before purchasing it, so I bought it blindly and, let me tell you, I was far from let down. So much so that I had to rip it myself and share it with all of you. The world must know!

Featuring members of Whorl, Black Tambourine, Big Jesus Trash Can, and others, Powderburns are, for some odd reason, almost completely forgotten, even though the band contained Mike Slumberland himself. Prior to this post, there didn't seem to be any way of actually hearing this 12", which left only 500 lucky people with the opportunity to hear this amazing material. Powderburns take the more Birthday Party moments of Whorl and marry them to a light shoegaze base. Bass-heavy with piercing, atonal guitars, this release manages to still remain somewhat melodic. It's as if the disparate sounds of Whorl's two 7"s were merged into one, so, in a way, it sounds both very similar to those 7"s, but also drastically different.

The A-side begins with "David," which contains a furious drum part and leads into scorching guitars and unintelligable, chaotic samples continuing on for almost three minutes before coming into an abrupt ending. From the ashes of this perplexing intro comes the main attraction of this side, the seven-minute "Chinaski's At The Wheel." This is the drone I was talking about, with the singer shouting nonsensical and angry lyrics about Chinaski and liking you less. I don't know. The A-side concludes with "Shut Up," which opens with a drumbeat identical to Black Flag's "Gimme Gimme Gimme" and acts as the most pissed-off Powderburns/Whorl/Black Tambourine song ever recorded. Sure, it's not as lyrically violent as Whorl's "Stupid Shit," but it's much more angsty and the music matches its venom. With an ending similar to the beginning, Powderburns do an excellent job with pacing, as the slow jam of "Chinaski" is bookended perfectly by two brief, intense bursts of sound.

As amazing as the A-side is, the B-side, comprised of the standalone "Speedway/Razordrill," is the winner on this release. Spending its first three minutes feedbacking, the song breaks into another bass-led drone, lasting for over eleven minutes. The bassline in this song is so brilliant, with the guitar swimming around it in the most genious way. This is one of my favorite songs from any Slumberland release and, considering my unhealthy obsession with the label, that really means something.

I'm still shocked this hasn't been well circulated (or circulated at all) on the internet before this, but I felt it my duty to share this with everyone. It's one of my favorite records and I hope this reaches at least one person who can fall in love with it. Seriously.

Download Here

P.S. Get stoked because I ripped a bunch of other records, as well, including the What Kind Of Heaven Do You Want? 7", an amazing, live DC comp, and a bunch of Frog Records releases. Exciting!

P.P.S. Re-upped because I fucked up the first file. Sometimes I suck.

-Adam

Ricardo Villalobos - Alcachofa

Artist: Ricardo Villalobos
Album: Alcachofa
Release: 2002
Label: Playhouse

Tracklist:

1. Easy Lee
2. Y.G.H.
3. Bahaha Hahi
4. I Try To Live (Can I Live)
5. Waiworinao
6. Theogenese
7. What You Say Is More Than I Can Say
8. Dexter
9. Fool's Garden (Black Conga)

Let’s take a walk together down to South America. A very romantic and LONG walk. Ricardo Villalobos will take us there, in a very nice vessel made of clave beats and conga rhythms. He is originally from Chile, but when he was young his family moved to Germany to escape Augusto Pinochet. His art is minimalist in nature, but the beats he uses are extremely Latin and complicated. The samples that are used sound like they are hopped up on PCP or maybe some awkward psychedelic. I’m not suggesting that he is a user. It’s not obvious or anything, as you can see in this picture here. As of recent, though, I am covered in fleas and I think I can grasp some of the feelings of someone who does that sort of thing. This album is not your average minimalist album. It contains multiple layers of effects, which morph constantly. Each track is constantly bubbling with changes yet they keep their own individual flow. The only thing that’s constant is the Latin flavor that spices each track, like Justice Sotomayor put to music. It’s very similar to my cooking: it’s usually only one type of food (maybe beans or something like that), each time it only changes slightly, and every time I add cyan pepper and garlic. It may seem uneventful, but it’s good food! Also, I guess I’m pretty good at stir-fry and boiling water, but that’s the limit to my cooking.

Download Pt. 1 Here
Download Pt. 2 Here

-Johnny B

Warhead - Drive It In Your Head! 7"

Artist: Warhead
Album: Drive It In Your Head! 7"
Release: 1995
Label: Fast Nail

Tracklist:

1. Getsuka
2. Face Crisis
3. Nichitai

I guess I've been listening to a lot of Japanese hardcore lately, so why not share some more? Warhead's Cry Of Truth 7" is one of my favorite hardcore releases period and, while subsequent releases don't quite match up with its perfection, the band still had a lot of amazing material. The Drive It In Your Head! 7" is probably the least known and hardest to find of their three 7"s, but it's still fucking great. Due to a newer rock feel to their sound, this 7" feels a bit slower than Cry Of Truth and The Lost Self And Beating Heart, but it still has more energy than most other bands. Additionally, this is a much shorter release than its aforementioned counterparts with only two structured songs and a noisy outro; this is practically a short single instead of an EP. Still, these two songs are fucking great and make a worth addition to any vaunted mp3 collection.

Download Here

-Adam

P.S. Eliot - Introverted Romance In Our Troubled Minds

Artist: P.S. Eliot
Album: Introverted Romance In Our Troubled Minds
Release: 2009
Label: Salinas

Tracklist:

1. Tennessee
2. We'd Never Agree
3. Hail Mary
4. Incoherent Love Songs
5. Augustus
6. Like How You Are
7. Tangible Romance
8. Tonight
9. The Cyborg
10. Zoroaster
11. Sore Subject
12. Troubled Medium

This album has been the subject of some deliberation. Everyone at ICDT went ape shit for this demo after I posted it on my blog (Adam copied me and followed suit here). Totally fuzzy pop-punk. This album is really nothing like that. When I first heard a couple new tracks off the album posted on their myspace several months ago, I was caught off guard, perhaps even felt a little bit betrayed (I like to think I started some of the deserved internet hype surrounding this band). These songs were not what I was expecting. Adam didn't even want to talk about it.

I gave those songs another chance and fell in love with P.S. Eliot all over again.

Since the demo, P.S. Eliot has undergone a few changes, swapping bassists and adding another guitarist. Perhaps more notably, someone learned how to record. Like the demo, this was recorded at their house. This recording, in addition to being way cleaner (perhaps a little bit too much sometimes), is truer to what they sound like live. It might not have the fuzzy charm of the demo, but it still fucking rules and has a charm all its own. More on the indie rock side of pop-punk, this record calls to mind Lemuria, Discount, or even Tsunami at times. At others, it even reminds me more of the Crutchfields' old band, the Ackleys (sans keys), more than it sounds like the demo. Three songs ("Like How You Are," "Tonight," and "Troubled Medium") are rerecorded from the demo. Here, the band's less urgent approach is most apparent even though the songs remain among the strongest on the album. "Like How You Are," a reference to My So-Called Life, reveals their worship similar to my own. Though not as wry as '90s acts like Liz Phair or Archers of Loaf, P.S. Eliot bring a sugary angst of their own. Furthermore, what these new renditions and the new songs lack in urgency, they make up for in maturity. Being eighteen or nineteen or twenty, a year or even less can make a big difference.

Continuing from the demo, the real strength of this band lies in Katie's songwriting. Whether about a drinking contest with Little Lungs ("We'd Never Agree") or various romances, she's one of those people who will articulate what you're thinking better than you ever will whether with simplicity or with those details you could never explain. I've tried to pick favorites of the new songs and change my mind every time the next one comes on, but I think after listening to this on repeat for nearly two months, I'd have to go with "We'd Never Agree" and "Sore Subject."

I'd love to go on ranting about my love for this band and this album, but I have trouble thinking critically since I've probably listened to it at least once a day since their show in Cambridge. There's a clear reason I have played it over and over again though. This is one of the best albums in the indie rock/pop-punk genre of the year in addition to just being a personal favorite.

Download Here
Buy Here

-Catherine

Merchandise - Terminal Jagger Jane's Addiction Boxset

Artist: Merchandise
Album: Terminal Jagger Jane's Addiction Boxset
Release: 2009
Label: Drugged Conscience

Tracklist:

1. White Walls
2. History Repeats (God Bows To The Past)
3. Tommy Krang
4. I Know The Light In Your Hall
5. What I Want/What I Wanted


The new Merchandise tape certainly earns the somewhat self-proclaimed post-punk title that was given to them on the Cult Maternal site. This release has far more of an experimental nature to it than their first CD-R, both in song structure and production. This means it's not quite as catchy or clean-sounding as the first, but the experimentation pays off and this proves to be as strong as their first effort. Oddly enough, with this newer, more inaccessible angle to the sound comes more of a personal touch to the lyrics. Don't wanna know what happened there...

The tape kicks off with "White Walls," an explosive punk opening that, dare I say, is quite the jagger! :D. Ahem, this song is an excellent opener to the album, not only in its visceral feel, but the way it introduces the new, raw and lo-fi sound. It's followed by another less-than-two-minute song, "History Repeats (God Bows To The Past)," which is essentially Merchandise's power ballad. The real TVP of this release comes in the form of the final two songs, both of which are five and six minutes. "What I Want/What I Wanted" is definitely the finest moment on this tape. I don't know what it is, but everything falls into place with this song, with the last three minutes being particularly excellent. As with their S/T joint, these dudes do an amazing job closing out their releases.

This tape is still available from Drugged Conscience, so be sure to pick it up before it sells out. Also, I heard through the grapevine that there might be an LP coming in the future, so be sure to lookout for that. It will no doubt be earth-shattering.

Download Here
Buy Here

-Adam

P.S. Please note that the version of this that's going around the internet (slowly) is a shitty tape rip, but this version is straight from the computer it was recorded on.

Carl Craig - More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art

Artist: Carl Craig
Album: More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art
Release: 1997
Label: SSR, Planet E

Tracklist:

1. Es. 30
2. Televised Green Smoke
3. Goodbye World
4. Alien Talk
5. Red Lights
6. Dreamland
7. Butterfly
8. Act 2
9. Dominas
10. At Les
11. Suspiria
12. As Time Goes By (Sitting Under A Tree)
13. Attitude
14. Frustration
15. Food And Art (In The Spirit Of Revolution)

So, this is it. I’ve never listened to much Detroit techno before, but after listening to Carl Craig’s classic More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art, I have totally fallen in love with this album. Detroit techno is a school of electronic known for its analog synthesizers and retro 80's drum machines. This album does have a hint of the genre, but the composition is way more experimental and ambient. I would say more ambient and house than experimental though. It’s not harsh at all, and some of the pieces are intertwined with orchestral samples and wobbly effects, which make it easy listening and interesting.

More Songs has a very ambient and sci-fi opening, which I didn’t like at first, but it flows well with the funky bass minimal-dance groove of the next song. The wobbly-ness really does control how spacey and sci-fi a piece can be. Then it flows into two very sad and very good ghostly pieces, “Goodbye World” and “Red Lights.” They are a continuation of the wobbling, located on the synthesizer in the background. You could say I’m a fan of the wobble, and my last favorite song proves it! It’s called “Frustration,” which is appropriate because by that point you would be a little irked. This is because the track right before “Frustration” is improvisational scat, which isn’t very interesting, but for an electronic album it adds some experimental aspects. “Frustration” is a very dark piece with beautiful synthesizer/orchestral violin samples playing over grimy and slow-wobbling bass. Also, it contains a very cool sample of someone (maybe a blacksmith!) pounding on a piece of metal to the beat. The rest of the album is awesome; just expect a lot of synthesizer and some house tunes. It’s very much a dance-type album to share and dance along to with your friends.

:Link Removed:

-Johnny B