Guidelines - Guidelines EP

One of the homies from Daido Loori posted this in the CMHWAK forums a few days ago, on the day of the EP's internet release I think. My first thought from listening to the EP in its entirety for the first time was that the band definitely had the same qualities that made me love the Drago Miette. This band does not have the synthesizers or electronics that the Drago Miette possessed, but they do have a similar full sound where every instrument and shout adds to some wall of sound feel that resonates throughout the whole EP. Which makes it very easy to get a little lost in the songs. This isn't a bad thing though. A dream-like undercurrent envelops within the songs as you listen to really awesome musicianship and abrasive vocals. Like the Drago Miette, the band makes the noise and production a big integral part of the EP, and ultimately makes the songs fairly beautiful. I don't know how else to describe it. I also get reminded of metalcore tinged screamo bands, stuff like xvpopdmx and Dispensing of False Halos, more the latter than the former especially in terms of the way both the vocalists sound. Actually, thinking about it now, the band sounds like a mash between the production values and sound aesthetics of the Drago Miette mixed in with the musicianship and vocals of Dispensing of False Halos. Again, I'm sorry if the band gets mad at me for comparing them with other bands. I, for some reason, cannot help it today. The worst thing I could do is compare bands to one another. Oh well. This is good stuff.

Guidelines - Guidelines EP
http://guidelines.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-ep

Baklavaa - Hairmoans

The only other band I have listened to that includes a zillion little tiny nearly (both) melodic and chaotic bits in their songs in Mass Movement of the Moth. I think there are a ton of similarities, both have synths and stuff, or I don't know what those are, swirling noises that remind you that post hardcore is also very experimental; the over amounting aggression of not playing overly aggressive sounding songs; and the shouty, not shouty, and the sometimes kind of sung vocals. With bands like these, you have to try to wrap your mind around what other influences they have other than the experimental side of post-hardcore, or even of music. Mass Movement of the Moth was one of those bands that proudly wore their influences and turned them into their own ideas, I feel that Baklavaa does the same. I think it'd be hard to kind of go ahead and tell you what this band digs, but the revolving door of band members inserts a revolving door of influences. The album starts out very modern post-hardcore, like the stuff that's been rolling the deep end of blogspot, tumblrs, and bandcamps for the past two years or so, but it quickly flips the table a minute in, adding a synthy sound without the fear of the musicianship nearly collapsing. It isn't even in a very bland 2012 emotional hardcore type of way either. Then again, it quickly shifts back to where it started with. I think that kind of alternate balance with sound is important nowadays. Bands all too quickly indulge in trying to find out what their fan base will eat up (even underground DIY bands) and play the same song over and over. Baklavaa starts off sounding like a modernized version of Commander Venus (again, with this band today) in "I Don't Understand Anything," then again the song collapses near the end, then picks itself back up with a very natural progression. Somehow the album just keeps building up in this way all the meanwhile as it touches with different styles or influences of post hardcore, until Marijuana Abuse closes out righteously. I think I've already written a good amount.

Baklavaa - Hairmoans
http://baklavaa.bandcamp.com/album/hairmoans

Atlas At Last - Ceviche

This band went through a big change last year. I suppose they were two different bands (according to the info on Sailboats bandcamp page - not the band that died in a tragic, tragic accident RIP) or something, but now go by Atlas At Last. Regardless of the name, the songs are pretty neat. First off on "Fish" there's a weird kind of emo feel to it, with a little more melodic rhythm to it. I suppose I feel it's a mix of Commander Venus with some Shroomunion (they always had weird guitar progressions that this song seems to flow with) caked on top of it, with the versatility and "vibe" of The Convocation Of...; I feel that the song doesn't sound like any of these bands, really, unless they were all strung together. It isn't until the 2 minute mark where the band seems to find its own voice, kind of sounding similar to other post-hardcore bands, but with some "pirate-like" agitation. I don't know, it seems that was done super purposefully given the lyrics and song title. The rest of the songs are fairly similar, not in the way that some bands write the same song over and over, but how you can tell that this is Atlas At Last. "Raindrops Keep Eating One Another" has some Weezer-esque chord progression, I think, at least it sounds like that to me. It sounds even more like Commander Venus than the song before it, with the vocalist tending to shout out words like the homeboy from Cursive. Very Omaha/indie-rock or something. The closer "In The Company Of" is still pretty almost indie rock emo, with some aggression, definitely like Cursive. I hope this band doesn't hate me for describing their sound using other band names.


Atlas At Last - Ceviche
http://atlasatlast.bandcamp.com/

Elad Love Affair - A Woman Gives Birth To A Gun And It Stabs Her

I'm crying. I was listening to my shitty ripped copy of this EP earlier this morning and finally got sick and tired of the skips that came with the burned CD so I searched for members of this band on google trying to ask them for mp3s or something, I dunno, and I stumble on to their bandcamp. I don't know what to say about this band. 2002 was such a weird fucking time for me as I totally was into koRn and at the same time went to backyard gigs set up by the local "non racist" hispanic skin heads where I got my first taste of DIY. It was my first year of high school or maybe my last year of middle school. I can only remember reading about this band in Skratch magazine and they were given a pretty good rating for a "post-hardcore" band. I always wanted to know what that sounded like. Anyways I find a way to get someone to mail me a super shitty burned CDr that has track 5 (When You've Run Out of Words...) twice on it and I figured it was just supposed to be that way. So great to finally hear the elusive track two (which builds up to an amazing finish). God I love this band. You don't have to, if I remember correctly not a lot of people did, at least those I talked to. It's alright, my little secret. Whatever.

Elad Love Affair - A Woman Gives Birth To A Gun And It Stabs Her
http://eladloveaffair.bandcamp.com/album/a-woman-gives-birth-to-a-gun-and-it-stabs-her