Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Envy - Recitation















Bascially, Envy has done it again. This album is absolutely beautiful.

Download.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Xibalba - Madre Mia Gracias Por Los Dias






















I was literally just recced this, but it's fucking brutal, so I need to share it. These guys have a really interesting mix of "tough guy" hardcore and metalcore that I don't think I'd usually like, but there's just something crushing about their sound. Some of the breakdowns are just goddamn heavy, and some of the riffs sound like The Acacia Strain. The vocalist sounds kind of like Jesse Alford, which is weird cause he's hispanic too. IDK good shit.

Download.

New Miseries - I Am Without Me



















Per request of my niggu Gabby. They're a pretty emotive melodic hardcore band from north east PA... I only have given it a cursery listen thus far because I've been checking so much out that Manny's posted on here recently. Anyway, from what I've heard, they've got a good sound, very raw, frustrated sounding vocals, kind of reminded me of Oliver Sykes at points.

Download.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Rapider Than Horsepower - This Is My Big Night


This band is very off putting, very relaxed in some hipster daze but still aggressive. Although they have nothing in common, the lyrical and vocal output remind me of Glassjaw, maybe because they both have unique voices, while the music (with the vocals as well) is very jazz like, or funk like, or both. Really a unique band. I'm just going to put them in the emo fodder folder because I really like calling everything and anything emo. They've got some sassiness factor bleeding through their guitars as well... but I can't put my fucking finger on why this sounds good to me.

Rapider Than Horsepower - This Is My Big Night
http://www.mediafire.com/?f8rs5f841ua9182

Hey Predator! - Spit Smoke, Black Factories


This is like some sort of tricky, bag of change emo... if it's even emo in the first place. Some twinkles here. You can compare the band to the emo legends Kolya and Ohana. Check this out if that style of music is your thing. Like mentioned earlier, the guitars head towards twinkles and are ever changing, and, like implied earlier, the vocals are some double falsettos spouting out stream of thought like lyrics with certain catchy edges. Hey Predator rules.

Hey Predator! - Spit Smoke, Black Factories
http://heypredator.bandcamp.com/

Senses Fail - From The Depths Of Dreams


Yes, I consider this one emo too :)

Senses Fail - From The Depths Of Dreams
http://www.mediafire.com/?9ywsjtq917n33bu

Fall On Deaf Years - We Can Do Anything!

The band is a bix mix of Dispensing of False Halos and Welcome the Plague Year along with a little bits and pieces of well regarded skramz and jamz picked up over the years. Really jumpy drum playing and awesome vocals make me wish they were still playing around, sing-a-longs rejoice; had this metalcore sound stemming from pure skreamo anger. Lasted from 1997 - 2003 with many recordings (get into contact with me so I can have the ones that I don't have) including this Full length. Members went on to form dozens of bands. Very good.

Fall On Deaf Years - We Can Do Anything!
http://www.mediafire.com/?w2bih3hszdyvq0q

Eyes Like Black Stars - Demo


A band from Australia supposedly formed at a Love... Like Electrocution show; only lasted for a year or so and there are hints of a full length S/T or this demo could very well be it. That's all I know, if It's anything to know at all. I feel like I could very well describe this as Love... Like Electrocution styled Aussie kitten violence, but that wouldn't be cool. They are, I mean, like Love... Like Electrocution, but they aren't average enough to be pigeon held. They have both male and female vocals with twangy guitars, playing fast enough for you to hold onto their ideas but not slow enough to where you can grasp them. Very Kitten Violence.

Eyes Like Black Stars - Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/?21tbubjp51l1o64

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Damezumari - No Hugging = No Learning













Damezumari is a more melodic/ambient screamo band in the vein of Funeral Diner. Great post-rock soundscapes, interesting chord progressions, emotive drumming (their current drummer is incredible, but not on this release). I recently was able to catch them at a show at The Secret Art Space in Bethlehem, they were really awesome down to Earth dudes, and their singer was wearing an Amanda Woodward shirt which was p cool.

Download.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Thursday, September 9, 2010

TFFNI - Cloud Formations




















Okay, first off. Todd Rupp is the fucking man. He is hands down one of the most talented artists in the Lehigh Valley. He and his boy have been working on this project for quite some time, and I've always very much appreciated it, but unfortunately never could find a ride to any of their shows.

Anyway, onto the music itself. I've become somewhat of a noise fan lately, not like a huge connoisseur or anything, but when I like noise, I like it a lot. That being said TFFNI is definitely one of the coolest noise projects to come out of our area. They have a lot of dark ambience a-la Brenoritvrzorkrahowthefuckdoyouspelltheirnamefuckit, without any of the annoyingly bad attempts at black metal. Lots of cool vocal effects though. Lots of shrieks varied in volume, which I love and should probably work on myself.

I believe the last track is a live track from the Mammoth Shed hence the title @Mammoth Shed, and it's freaking awesome. It sounds like fucking men losing their minds in some industrial plant.

Anyhow, check it fools:
Download

Skycamefalling - Skycamefalling EP



















IDK if I've ever mentioned this before, but I am HUGELY into Skycamefalling and have been since I was pretty young, courtesy of my friend Andrew, to whom I give infinite props. Anyhow, Skycamefalling was a band that started out as an extremely raw metallic hardcore band, with much of the hardcore influence left untainted, yet they utilized dissonant tritonery a-la bands such as Coalesce and Disembodied, but with a strangely different execution. They later grew to follow a more melodic, post hardcore influenced sound on 10.21, and then, with this EP took those influences to a higher level. This EP is beautiful, the songs still have intense hardcore segments, but much of it is soothing melodic post hardcore, with emotive clean singing from both Cameron and Christopher.

So if you're interested in metalcore with post hardcore influences that isn't a butchered overlay of the two in the most generic modern fashion, then I highly suggest you check this out.

Download (mediafire link since they're back up, and megaupload was failing)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Vis-A-Vis - Demo


I found this tagless (and tried to fill in what I know) on slsk and didn't bother trying to figure out ALL the pieces to this bands puzzle, most of what I found will be mentioned here or you will be linked to it. Basically this is, in my opinion, really beautiful sounding screamo. Most will tag it, respectively, as post-hardcore or something but what does that really mean anyways? Sounds very mainstreamish, with no shrieks but a lot of uplifting shouting and growling. The music is low budget Hot Cross inspired I think, taking cues from some twinkles (this band broke up in 2007 I think) before they were a big deal, and totally reminds me of a much unfocused Kanaris (Who are steadily growing to being one of my favorites) which is a good thing, can't have too many incarnations of the same wonderful sound :)... The guitars are the best part. Here's their myspace.

Here's a picture of the singer, he's very screamo:


Vis-A-Vis - Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/?o29mky89ay8cygt

Katja - Demo

This is stuff you'll probably find on their discography but I haven't gotten it yet. This is written on their last.fm:
The words of a mere mortal cannot describe the juggernaut that was Katja. After distancing themselves from their hobbit influenced origins, the boys emerged like some sort of deranged butterfly from a denim cocoon, influencing all and ripping off the rest. Throughout their all too brief existence, guitars got swung, opposing drummers were put to shame, vocal chords ended up bloody, headbands were worn and jobs at cake factories abandoned all in the name of the almighty rock and/or roll. Toronto, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and beyond. They came, they saw, they broke your heart and made sex noises while you were trying to sleep. Where the fuck did you go?

It really describes absolutely nothing. Has buildups that aren't buildups, they're severely rocking at all times, nothing low. Shouty, like usual.

Katja - Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/?jdp2p6aycn965nh

Juniper Strain - Demo

So far I've put up bands who have little to no history online (most of these have little to no post rock influence and are before the kinsella onslaught, this is all emo), which is great because their music was still salvaged BUT it's getting really annoying not knowing what's going on. This band only has two listeners on their last.fm page which makes me want to know how many more bands are lost in this haze. Shouty off beat screamo based hardcore with weir guitar tones. I wish the vocals were recorded lower so we could hear the bass and drums more, but that's all there is wrong with this. If you dig bands just playing through their songs and don't want to put up with other shit than get this.

Juniper Strain - Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/?sd68g1j1rpe99w7

A Million Knives Lie In Wait - Demo

Only a two song demo from a band that I couldn't find anything about online aside from them being from Roseburg/Portland, Oregon. They must be known enough to have a line or two of history on their last.fm page. Again, shouty hardcore, vocals are gritty and sound teary eyed from time to time, and the musicianship is there but hardly worked on. Sloppy like normal and a little blurry, when the first track ends it quickly segues into track two...

A Million Knives Lie In Wait - Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/?y298r8zxaqvz8dn

Vampire Cat - Demo

I don't know anything about this band, their last.fm page is emptier than my head and the bands name is hard to search through on google. Great sound though, their music is a tad bit traditional, as in you've heard something like this before, but what've you got left to complain about? Similar artists on last.fm are Schematic of a Waking Life and XVPOPDMX all the while they have been tagged as grindcore and they don't sound anything like grindcore. Skramz and Jamz.

Vampire Cat - Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/?w8qj8bhrvzaf2n7

Adriell - Demo


I am back to bring you some of the worlds most mysterious screamo releases. Aside from After School Knife Fight being the most famous yet obscure band to ever release anything, Adriell also are obscure yet not famous. There are a lot of reasons why, but mainly the important one is that screamos tend to forget everything. With highly violent music being completely 1999-2004 sounding and vocals that are on par with ...Of Death screechiness, Adriell were genius. A completely maddening concoction of short, fast and chaotic songs. Their demo is poorly recorded (but still perfectly audible) and a little high, but I think that adds a lot of mysticism to the bands artwork. If you already like the skreamies than you're going to like this.

If you're interested in knowing more, because there might be more, than check out their myspace and last.fm pages. Oh yes, this band has most definitely been broken up for a few years now.

Adriell - Demo
http://www.mediafire.com/?rted3lq80mjifu7