30 Second Motion Picture

30 Second Motion Picture were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Ottawa, Ontario that existed for a short time in 1996. They were formed by members of Shotmaker, a legendary band that if you have not heard I highly, highly suggest checking out as well. They were one of the first bands posted on here if you feel like flipping through the archives. 30 Second Motion Picture carried on a similar post-hardcore vein to their predecessor, but with far less recorded output. They recorded one demo in 1996, which was released posthumously a year later. This demo is what became Can't Kill Time, an incredibly solid effort. Enjoy.

Can't Kill Time (1997)

1. The Hundred Hands

2. Fricative

3. Recovery Analysis

4. No Questions, No Answers

5. Input To Receiver

6. To Change A Mind

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Alright, so this wraps up another year. Not only that, but this is the blog's 800th post, and as you might know, I like to feature a major, noteworthy band for every 100 posts. This long-awaited, highly requested, and absolutely essential band seemed like the perfect choice for this for this milestone and year end. As always, thank you guys so much for your continued support, I'm happy to keep this thing going well past the expiry date of the mp3 blog. I'll see ya in the New Year (though I won't feel any different).

It's difficult to even know where to begin with a band this gargantuan. They're momentous in their respective genre, and very well known and loved across the musical spectrum for their orchestrated apocalypse, reaching new heights in post-rock and drone music. Of course we're talking about Godspeed You! Black Emperor, one of the most essential and breath-taking bands ever to exist. I'm not going to go into much detail about their history (since it's fairly well-known and documented), but they're (currently) a 10-piece post-rock band that originated in Montreal, Quebec (Canada) in 1994. They began as a small outfit (3 musicians and 1 film projectionist, the visual component has always been massively important to them). They released the limited hallowed cassette All Lights Fucked On The Hairy Amp Drooling, which was limited to 33 copies and has never been unearthed since its release. To this day, there are no copies online. Allegedly it sounds very different from the band we know today (they utilized vocals), and as their line-up expanded, so did their sound.

By 1997, they had rounded out a large line-up of musicians and instrumental variety, as they crafted these massive pieces marked by movements, crescendos and desolate atmosphere. This resulted in F# A# ∞, the band's debut record. Initially released on vinyl, it was re-recorded and re-arranged for a CD release the following year. Their next major output was a two-track EP, which is just as essential as any of their full-lengths. "Moya" in particular is an incredible piece on that EP. Y2K rolls around, and the world implodes at the release of their magnum opus, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. This is one of my favourite albums ever, one of the best and most highly regarded post-rock albums ever released, and all in all an incredible listening experience. It ranges from drone passages to gorgeous heaven-reaching crescendos, with incredibly layered instrumentation and seamless movements. It's been discussed to death, just listen to this masterpiece if you have not already. Following Lift Your Skinny Fists... they released Yanqui U.X.O., which was a much more raucous affair than its predecessor. It unfortunately didn't live up to the group's first few standout projects, but it's still a very solid album and well worth the listen. In 2003 they disbanded, though many of its members were active in other projects such as Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Fly Pan Am.

The GY!BE spark was reignited in 2010, as they started to play shows again. In 2012 they came out with a new record, which consisted of material recorded both before they broke up and after they reunited. Their sound alternates between the massive ebb-and-flow movements of their early records and these new, droning interludes, providing something familiar and something new. It's a phenomenal record, and an absolute staple in their catalogue. They've since released two new albums in this decade, both of which are very solid outings, but again don't quite hit the same highs as their best albums. Having said that, even relatively "decent" GY!BE is still absolutely outstanding in the canon of post-rock. There's really not much more that needs to be said, this band and their music are super well-known and often discussed. The only thing I would like to add is if you get a chance, pick up physical copies of their material. The visual components of each album are integral to the full vision of these projects, and the artwork is always amazing. Thanks for another good year, and enjoy.

F# A# ∞ (Vinyl) (1997)

1. Nervous, Sad, Poor...

2. Bleak, Uncertain, Beautiful...

F# A# ∞ (CD) (1998)

1. The Dead Flag Blues

2. East Hastings

3. Providence

aMAZEzine 7" (1998)

1. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Sunshine + Gasoline

2. Fly Pan Am - L'espace Au Sol Est Redessiné Par D'immenses Panneaux Bleus

John Peel Session (1998)

1. Hung Over As The Queen In Maida Vale

Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada (1999)

1. Moya

2. BBF3

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (2000)

1. Storm

2. Static

3. Sleep

4. Like Antennas To Heaven...

Yanqui U.X.O. (2002)

1. 09-15-00

2. 09-15-00 (cont.)

3. rockets falls on Rocket Falls

4. motherfucker=redeemer

5. motherfucker=redeemer (cont.)

'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (2012)

1. Mladic

2. Their Helicopters' Sing

3. We Drift Like Worried Fire

4. Strung Like Lights At Thee Printemps Erable

'Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress' (2015)

1. Peasantry or 'Light! Inside Of Light!'

2. Lambs' Breath

3. Asunder, Sweet

4. Piss Crowns Are Trebled

Luciferian Towers (2017)

1. Undoing A Luciferian Towers

2. Bosses Hang

3. Fam / Famine

4. Anthem For No State

Bandcamp

Constellation Records

MEIAN / Diva Plavalaguna SPLIT PREMIERE

I'm happy to bring you two of the four new tracks off this new split from two incredible bands, Vancouver, Canada's Diva Plavalaguna and Morioka, Japan's MEIAN. The other half of this split is being premiered over at Open Mind / Saturated Brain. Check out one track from each band below, then head over to OMSB to hear the rest. The split pairs an eclectic, high octane synthcore band with a crisp, Japanese screamo band, which makes for an interesting and rewarding mix. This project has been a long time coming, with one band overcoming personal hardships and the other being birthed from the ashes of a previous project, but both bands are finally here. This entire split will be released digitally and on cassette through the always-fantastic Emo Cat Records tomorrow (Sept 14th), which will be linked below and active tomorrow. Enjoy.



MEIAN's track "Move On Up" opens up the split, and it hits the ground running with all instruments in play. They utilize very bright, glossy guitars that really shine in the mix, but never sound too polished. The guitars play with these incredibly melodic lead lines, and if it hasn't been made obvious, the tone of them is something to die for. It's the rhythm section that contrasts this melodic sheen with aggressive d-beats and tom hits to drive the song, along with some incredibly visceral and emotional screamed vocals. They close out with a unified post-hardcore influenced rhythm, which leaves a lasting impression in this track's wake. Sonic comparisons could be drawn somewhere between the bright, melodic aspects of Suis La Lune and the pummelling, commanding sound of Sans Visage, or something of the sort.



Diva Plavalaguna contains members of Emo Cat alumni Terrifying Girls' High School and Black Knight Satellite. They close out this split with fourth and final track, "Diva Protocol". They utilize triple vocals, pervasive weird synth lines, pounding drums and frenzied guitars that come together in an onslaught of noise. This track hits hard with a frantic yet calculated chaos. The vocals just topple over each other with these yelping screams, while the instrumental speedily rips through the first half of the track. It takes a sudden turn with a clean, tremolo-effect laden guitar, which builds into a full gang vocal chant as the song begins to crescendo. The buzzing synth, warbling bass, and vicious blast beats leave the track off in a sense of torment, with sharp guitars and devilish vocals howling to its end. This band's got a unique sound to say the least, and this track really hits out of left-field (in the best way possible).

On a side note, Diva Plavalaguna have launched a comic series titled "Diva! Digital Desert Duchess" in collaboration with illustrator Breanna McGowan. It follows the band as the protagonists in a post-apocalyptic future, with a storyline running adjacent to their musical releases. You can check that out here, along with Breanna's other work here.

Emo Cat Records

Open Mind / Saturated Brain

Emo Cat Records

Website

Bandcamp

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Diva Plavalaguna

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MEIAN

Bandcamp

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Bearings

I know I've been neglecting the pop punk fans on here, so here's a decent one for ya. Bearings are a four-piece pop punk band from Ottawa, Ontario that have been around since 2014. They play a brand of pop punk that fans of bands like Seaway and Knuckle Puck will undoubtedly dug. They're currently signed to Pure Noise, and have their debut full-length coming out later this year. Enjoy.

Higher Ground (2015)

1. Constant State

2. Up All Night

3. Secret's Safe

4. Dead Weight

5. Hollow

Home is... (2016)

1. Indecision

2. What's Best For You...

3. Absent

Nothing Here Is Permanent (2017)

1. Petrichor

2. Spent

3. Letters Home

4. North Hansen

5. Makeshift

Blue In The Dark (2018)

1. Where You Are

2. Aforementioned

3. Eyes Closed

4. Beautiful Places

5. Blue In The Dark

6. Stuck In A Doorframe

7. Careless Clarity

8. Hear Me Say

9. Goodbye (To All Of Our Friends)

10. Tide

11. Love And Decay

Bandcamp

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Respire

Respire are a six-piece "post-everything" band from Toronto, Ontario that formed in 2013. This is a project I admittedly slept on for a long time, which is a damn shame because "members of Foxmoulder" should be a selling point in and of itself. Regardless, that feels like a millenia ago, since their recent sophomore release has left an unforgettable wake in its path. It's the kind of thing that makes your eyes bulge while your hands grip the steering wheel, and you can't help but mutter loudly "holy shit, this is awesome".

Dénouement is a collapse of catharsis, featuring sprawling instrumentals and searing vocals. The band blends a multitude of sounds and emotions throughout these eight tracks, making it one of the most heavy-hitting releases in recent history. They take influence from genres as diverse as screamo, post-rock, post-hardcore, blackgaze, and even hints of classical, making their "post-everything" descriptor spot on. Respire is a notably collaborative effort, with numerous musicians performing on record in addition to the core members. This brings in a whole other layer of instrumentation, including strings, brass instruments, and keys, among other things that really lift its skinny fists to this grandiose sound. This record has me completely floored, and floods with these intensive build-ups and calming moments throughout. Respire have truly crafted a masterpiece here, and I cannot recommend this album enough.

Also, I don't want to leave their debut unmentioned, Gravity And Grace is also a stellar record, and the crescendo at the end of "Ascent" will leave a single tear in your eye. If your a fan of bands like Suffocate For Fuck Sake, Envy, Deafheaven, or even Godspeed You! Black Emperor, do not let Respire go by in your rearview. Trust me, you will regret it. Additionally, I can't let the chance to shout out Zegema Beach Records go to waste, since they are the geniuses who put Dénouement out. You can grab a copy below, or from one of the other fantastic labels who backed it. Enjoy.

Demonstration (2014)

1. Aeterna

2. Nox

3. Luk

4. Nihil

Anthems For Falling Stars (2015)

1. Anthems For Falling Stars

Goth Girl x Respire (2016)

1. Storm & Stress

Note: Collab between Goth Girl & Respire, all proceeds go to Pieces to Pathways

Gravity and Grace (2016)

1. Pitter Patter

2. Ascent

3. Eternal Light

4. Waltz

5. Gravity and Grace

6. Eternal Nothing

7. Evening. Melancholy I

8. Evening. Melancholy II

9. Evening. Melancholy III

Dénouement (2018)

1. Bound

2. Haunt

3. Shiver

4. Bloom

5. Catacombs

6. Virtue

7. A Heart Still Pines

8. Dénouement

Respire

Bandcamp

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Zegema Beach Records (CAN)

Order

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Middle-Man Records (USA)

Order

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Narshardaa (GER)

Order

Dingleberry Records (GER)

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Mortality Rate

Mortality Rate are a five-piece hardcore band from Calgary, Alberta that have been around since 2014. Thus far, they've put out an EP and a split, and hopefully have a ton of great things coming in the near future. Sonically, they're obviously very aggressive and abrasive, and feature some assaultive vocals. To give a broad umbrella of references to their sound, you might dig them if you like bands like Year Of The Knife, Jesus Piece, Expire, Cruel Hand, and Punch, or dig the Entombed/HM-2 guitar tone, or if an always fast-paced Disembodied sounds appealing. Their discography is relatively small, so it doesn't hurt to check it all out yourself (the EP, in particular). This is solid Canadian hardcore, you can't go wrong. Enjoy.

Snake Charmer (2015)

1. Snake Charmer

Sleep Deprivation (2016)

1. Sleep Deprivation

2. Sandman

3. Temple

4. Chapter Six

5. Plaster

6. Beautiful Mouth (ft Melanie Boccabella)

7. Climate Change

8. Nerve Damage

Mortality Rate/Judiciary (2017)

1. Mortality Rate - Forms Of Fear

2. Mortality Rate - Veins

3. Mortality Rate - Lucid

4. Judiciary - Reign Of Turmoil

5. Judiciary - Pure Fury

6. Judiciary - Overthrone

You Were The Gasoline (2019)

1. Lena

2. Roses

3. Selfish Thieves

4. Heathen

5. You Were The Gasoline

6. Lonely Soul

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Gulfer

Gulfer are a four-piece emo/math rock band from Montreal, Quebec that formed in 2011. In keeping with the recent trend of sharing fantastic new emo records on here, Dog Bless could not go unmentioned. This is their sophomore album, and was released by Topshelf, Big Scary Monsters, and Friend Of Mine. It's a half-hour of guttural vocals, technical guitar work, and a raw punk energy. This will undoubtedly be a breath of fresh air for fans of bands like You Blew It!, Prawn, and I Kill Giants, or any classic revival band really. Definitely recommended. Enjoy.

Gulfer/Fago.Sepia (2012)

1. Pink Kong

2. Hulk Logan

3. Willow Fight

Note: Gulfer tracks only

Transcendals (2013)

1. Ten Souls

2. Tiki Marathon

3. Bauer Ranger

4. Jurassic Spark

5. Shoreline

Splits (2013)

1. M.C. Groggy

2. Shrimp Charade

Del Paxton/Gulfer (2015)

1. Del Paxton - Paline

2. Del Paxton - Bad Batch

3. Gulfer - F'real For Real

4. Gulfer - Bob Abate

What Gives (2015)

1. Bloody Lookin'

2. Getting Hit By Parked Cars

3. Most Of My Time

4. Post-Molly

5. Trim It Short

6. Altalalaval

7. Almost Sterling

Dog Bless (2018)

1. Secret Stuff

2. Doglife

3. Fading

4. Blessed, pt. 1

5. Baseball

6. Be Father

7. Babyshoe

8. Blessed, pt. 2

9. Judy Froster

10. Florida

11. We've All Done Wrong

12. Blessed, pt. 3

Bandcamp

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Topshelf

Spurn

Spurn are a four-piece hardcore/grindcore band from Calgary, Alberta that have been around since 2015. Their debut LP, Comfort In Nothing, was released in 2016, and absolutely rips. The band play this noisy blend of grindcore and metallic hardcore, with elements of death metal in the mix. They utilize very technical, chunky riffs, blast beats, and some guttural, throat-shredding vocals. Lyrically, they tend to focus on sociopolitical subjects. If early Dillinger Escape Plan were really into grind, this would be it. It's a fantastic full-length spanning a ton of extreme genres, and I highly recommend it. Apparently there is a follow-up in the works, which is something to look forward to. Enjoy.

Demo (2015)

1. Spoiled Failures

2. Newsfeed

Comfort In Nothing (2016)

1. Spoiled Failures

2. Comfort In Nothing

3. News Feed

4. Reproduction

5. Obsolete

6. Quota To Meet

7. No Next Time

8. Old Man

9. No Safety

10. Refugees

At The Precipice Of Excitation (2019)

1. Clapping Seals

2. Gioblastoma

3. Lepa Radic

4. Confusing Ignorance For Innocence

5. Eating The Rich For Self Defense

6. The Eleventh Hour

7. Looking Past Your Own Nose

8. Pushing The Flat Earthers Off The Earth

9. Hoist That Rag (Tom Waits cover)

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Terry Green

Terry Green are a four-piece screamo/post-hardcore band from Mississauga (Toronto), Ontario that formed in 2014. After an EP and split under their belt, they put out an incredible LP last year that I cannot recommend enough for fans of screamo goodness. They play a very progressive blend of the genre that displays their technical ability in addition to raw catharsis. This includes lengthy instrumental passages with influence culled from every great faction of screamo. If you like a little melody in your chaos, or are a fan of bands like Daitro, Kidcrash or The Reptilian, this is highly recommended. Enjoy.

Visiting Hours (2014)

1. Hi Hater

2. Bye Hater

3. Rich A$ Fuck

4. Yard Sard

5. Yale Sale // Another Sard

Terry Green/Huge Cosmic (2015)

1. Terry Green - What The...

2. Terry Green -  Instant Relief

3. Huge Cosmic - Danny Bombs The Universe

4. Huge Cosmic - Garmonbonzai

Note: You can pick pick up the cassette here

LP (2017)

1. I

2. II

3. III

4. IV

5. V

6. VI

Note: Pick up the 12" here

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Zegema Beach Records

iburiedyourflowers

iburiedyourflowers are a four-piece screamo band from Saint Catharines, Ontario that got started (presumably) earlier this year. They recently released their debut EP Love Is When You Leave, and this thing just shreds. It's the heroin to your intense sad jams fix. These 6 tracks play out with as much overblown melancholy as you can imagine, creating some truly incredible songs in the process, blending the pulsating energy of hardcore, the jagged, scorching vocals of screamo, and the melodic sensibilities of emo. They're pretty comparable to bands like Touché Amoré, as well as other modern screamo/hardcore blend bands. They've also got a lot of hints of the good ol' classic screamo shiz, such as You And I. Highly, highly recommended. Enjoy.

Love Is When You Leave (2017)

1. Standard Callback (No One Online)

2. A Bird in the Bush Usually Has a Friend in There With Him

3. Fix Your Heart Because Mine's Already </3

4. iburiedyourflowers

5. A Bittersweet Narrative

6. Love Is When You Leave

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Frail Hands

Frail Hands are a five-piece screamo/hardcore band from Halifax, Nova Scotia that formed in 2017 (presumably). They just released their debut, which is nothing short of incredible. The band plays this melodically discordant (I'm aware of the oxymoron) brand of "skramz" that's slightly reminiscent of bands like Loma Prieta and Lord Snow. Their self-titled debut is also one of the best screamo albums to come out of Canada in the past couple years (and there have been a ton of good ones). This really caught me by surprise and absolutely blew me away, so I'm sure a lot of you will dig this. Enjoy.

Frail Hands (2017)

1. convoy

2. dissolution

3. snow in june

4. lambsong

5. crematoria

6. remorse

7. grasp unyielding

8. a third and final solstice

9. intravenous

10. kernel panic

Ghost Spirit/Frail Hands (2018)

1. Ghost Spirit - Sick Dreams

2. Ghost Spirit - The Guilt of Your Affection

3. Ghost Spirit - A Hollow Peak

4. Ghost Spirit - Dark Winter

5. Ghost Spirit - Hereditary

6. Ghost Spirit - In Parting

7. Frail Hands - The Image Of You

8. Frail Hands - Mortar and Pestle

9. Frail Hands - Collateral

10. Frail Hands - Atonement

11. Frail Hands - In Conclusion

12. Frail Hands - Every Volatile Thing

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