Owen

Thanks to Patrick for the request, and Mike for providing so many of the rare tracks (not Kinsella, but thanks to him for making them too).

Owen is Mike Kinsella's solo project that began in 2001 in Chicago, Illinois. Mike Kinsella, as most of you know, has been in a bunch of amazing bands including Cap'n Jazz, American Football, The One Up Downstairs, Joan Of Arc, Owls, and most recently Their / They're / There. It should be noted that he played drums in some of those bands, instead of guitar and vocals like he does with Owen. Like many of his other bands, Owen is signed to Polyvinyl Records.

Owen (or Mike, for that matter) has a very distinct sound. Like his work with American Football, the music is very melancholic, focusing on alternate tunings, somewhat intricate guitar melodies and Mike's soft, delicate voice creaking over them. Though with Owen, the atmosphere is much more minimal (in a good way) since he uses a single acoustic guitar. Owen's earlier recordings are very stripped down, since they were recorded by himself in his home with his own equipment. Later albums would be done in a proper studio, incorporating more instrumentation (usually played by him) to back his vocals and guitar playing. Both eras or whatever you want to call them are absolutely beautiful in their own ways. I seriously have no idea what to say that can't be heard below. I mean, doesn't everybody already love this guy and everything he does? Though if somebody is starting out with this, check out his other bands if you haven't already, and try At Home With Owen first, though everything below is worth checking out too, it's seriously all amazing. Enjoy, and you most certainly will.

One other thing: if anybody has any rare/live/b-sides/covers/misc. tracks (not ones from The Seaside EP), I'd really appreciate you sending them to me, since I'm trying to get a collection together. I'm missing the tracks from The Rutabega side of the split too. Also, he's done three Daytrotter sessions, which I seem to have the worst luck with. I'm missing a song from the first one, I've yet to find the second one, and the third one has a 10-minute track of noise instead of "Blues To Black". So if anybody has working/full versions of those, you can send those too and I'll send my <3 back.

Owen (2001)

1. That Which Wasn't Said

2. Most Days And

3. Most Nights

4. Accidentally

5. Declaration Of Incompetence

6. You Should Do It Now While It's On Your Mind

7. Dead Men Don't Lie

8. Places To Go

9. Think About It

No Good For No One Now (2002)

1. Nobody's Nothing

2. Everyone Feels Like You

3. Poor Souls

4. The Ghost Of What Should've Been

5. Good Deeds

6. I'm Not Going Anywhere Tonight

7. Take Care Of Yourself

(the ep) (2004)

1. Skin and Bones

2. In the Morning, Before Work

3. Breaking Away

4. That Mouth

5. Gazebo 

Owen/The Rutabega (2002)

4. Owen - Never Meant (American Football cover)

5. Owen - Poor Souls

6. Owen - May First Brings Lots Of Laughs

I Do Perceive (2004)

1. Who Found Who's Hair In Who's Bed

2. Note To Self:

3. Playing Possum For A Peek

4. That Tattoo Isn't Funny Anymore

5. Put Your Hands On Me, My Love

6. She's A Thief

7. Bed Abuse

8. Lights Out

At Home With Owen (2006)

1. Bad News

2. The Sad Waltzes Of Pietro Crespi

3. Bags Of Bones

4. Use Your Words

5. A Bird In Hand

6. Windows And Doorways

7. Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground cover)

8. One Of These Days

Owen/The City On Film (2007)

1. Owen - Good Friends, Bad Habits

2. Owen - Top Shelf

3. The City On Film - Aurora Galore 

4. The City On Film - Fahrenheit 451

The Seaside EP (2009)

1. Heads Will Ache

2. I Woke Up Today

3. In the Morning, Before Work (live)

4. More Than Words (Extreme cover)

5. A Fever

6. Stolen Car (Bruce Springsteen cover)

7. I'm Not Seventeen 

New Leaves (2009)

1. New Leaves

2. Good Friends, Bad Habits

3. A Trenchant Critique

4. Never Been Born

5. Amnesia And Me

6. Brown Hair In A Bird's Nest

7. Too Scared To Move

8. The Only Child Of Aergia

9. Ugly On The Inside

10. Curtain Call

Abandoned Bridges (2010)

1. Abandoned Bridges

2. I'm Always In Love (Wilco cover)

O, Evelyn (2011)

1. O, Evelyn...

2. Girlfriend In A Coma (The Smiths cover)

Ghost Town (2011)

1. Too Many People

2. No Place Like Home

3. O, Evelyn

4. I Believe

5. The Armoire

6. An Animal

7. No Language

8. Mother's Milk Breath

9. Everyone's Asleep In The House But Me

L'Ami du Peuple (2013)

1. I Got High

2. Blues To Black

3. Love Is Not Enough

4. Coffin Companions

5. The Burial

6. Bad Blood

7. Who Cares

8. A Fever

9. Where Do I Begin?

10. Vivid Dreams

Other People's Songs (2014)

1. Descender (Lungfish)

2. Girl In A Box (Blake Babies)

3. Some Kinda Angel (Mojave 3)

4. Forget Me (The Promise Ring)

5. Judas (Depeche Mode)

6. Just Like Them (All)

7. Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart (Against Me!)

8. Under The Blanket (The Smoking Popes)

Owen/Into It. Over It. (2015)

1. Owen - Poison Arrows

2. Into It. Over It. - Poor Souls (Owen cover)

3. Into It. Over It. - Local Language

4. Owen - Anchor (Into It. Over It. cover)

The King Of Whys (2016)

1. Empty Bottle

2. The Desperate

3. Settled Down

4. Lovers Come And Go

5. Tourniquet

6. A Burning Soul

7. Saltwater

8. An Island

9. Sleep Is A Myth

10. Lost

The Avalanche (2020)

1. A New Muse

2. Dead For Days

3. On With The Show

4. The Contours

5. I Should've Known

6. Mom And Dead

7. Headphoned

8. Wanting And Willing

9. I Go, Ego

Live, Covers, Compilations, etc.

I'm Not Seventeen

I Woke Up Today (Daytrotter Session)

A Fever (Daytrotter Sesion)

No More No Where

Alison (Elvis Costello cover)

America (Simon & Garfunkel cover)

Chesterfield King (Jawbreaker cover)

Concept (Teenage Fanclub cover)

Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis cover)

The Armoire (Nervous Energies session)

Brown Hair in a Bird's Nest (Nervous Energies session)

O, Evelyn... (Nervous Energies session)

ESRT Page 14

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Alcoa

So, you all know Derek Archambault, lead vocalist of Defeater, a.k.a that dude right up there ↑? Well, he's got this acoustic project going called Alcoa. Apparently it's been a thing since before he joined Defeater, but really only to put more focus on it in recent years. It sounds quite similar to Defeater's acoustic tracks (the four on ED&SN, not so much the acoustic bit in "Prophet In Plain Clothes"). Alcoa had a few demos and whatnot surface, as you can see, which are just Derek singing and playing guitar  mostly or rough recordings of songs with a fuller band, some of which would be re-worked for Alcoa's official release. Earlier this year, the project released its first official album, a full-length titled Bone & Marrow (a teaser single came before it, with one song on the album and one exclusive to said EP). The album features a broad range of instrumentation, including slide guitar, banjo, harmonizing his vocals with a girl's, as well as a full-band set-up (drums, bass, electric guitars, etc.), in addition to Derek's acoustic. Though the acoustic and vocals are still the focal point, and sometimes the only things being played during a song, the higher production value and backing band really bring the album to life, and make me forget the term "side project". I've been really enjoying it since it was released. It's nothing groundbreaking or anything, but he's put together a really good set of songs here, and I'm definitely looking forward to what will come from this project in the future. Enjoy.

FFO: Defeater's acoustic songs, City And Colour, Koji, Bright Eyes, Elliott Smith, Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons

Demos
I Try I Try, I Do I Do
One or Two or More
Rilke
We Speak the Same, but Talk Different

Note: I don't really know anything about these songs, except that they're earlier than anything else of his on here. If anybody knows something about them, please do share it

"It Keeps My Friends Worried" Demo (2011)
1. Keep Track / Lose Track
2. I Don't Feel Welcome Here or Anywhere
3. Family Tree

Drowned (2013)
1. Drowned
2. On Fire

Bone & Marrow (2013)
1. Keep Track/Lose Track
2. Drowned
3. I Don't Feel Welcome Here Or Anywhere
4. Cab Rides & Cigarettes
5. Limbs
6. Second Untitled
7. Rilke
8. Lucky Me
9. Family Tree
10. Whiskey & Wine
11. Third Untitled

Thank You (2014)

1. Shambles

2. Young Kerouacs

3. Stations

4. Who's Gonna Carry You Home?

5. I Don't Mind

Parlour Tricks (2015)

1. Old Habits

2. All Dolled Up

3. Codebreaker

4. It Won't Get Better

5. Always Chasing Me

6. Come & Go

7. Poison Acquintance

8. 13 Year Bad Luck

9. For Holden

10. Rations

11. Famous Last Words

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Lake Michigan

Band submission. Lake Michigan is the acoustic project of Chris Marks, from York, England (that's a long ways away from Lake Michigan). Lake Michigan approaches music in a minimalistic way, with most songs consisting of just an acoustic guitar and a single vocal track. This definitely pays off. For such a simple set-up, this huge atmosphere of introspection and reflection is created. The guitar melodies, which tend to be fairly intricate passages akin to Kinsella-related bands, the soft vocals, which kind of remind me of Ben Gibbard, and the lyrics that bring up very personal issues make Lake Michigan an experience to be felt, not just listened to. The recording quality of each album also plays a big part in creating the sound, since it makes the music sound so intimate and vulnerable, which is perfectly complimented by the music itself. I think Chris' description really sums it up, and when I read it, I knew what I was about to hear was going to be good: "sleepy late night 90s emo influenced folk". I know you're not even reading this since you're already checking out what's below after a description like that, since that description is that awesome. And the music certainly lives up to it. Enjoy.

FFO: Death Cab For Cutie, Owen, American Football, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes

Links removed by request, but you can still check him out at the Bandcamp link listed below!

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Wolf Town DIY

I Hate Myself

I Hate Myself was a three-piece emo band from Gainesville, Florida, formed by brothers Jim (lead vocals + guitar) and Jon Marburger (drums + backing vocals), as well as Steve Jin (bass + backing vocals). The band was initially around from 1997-1998, and reunited in 2003 to play two shows and 2005 to record 3 Songs (which only featured the brothers, with Jon filling in on bass). They were signed to No Idea Records, and worked with them on almost all of their releases. Jon would play in Gunmoll after I Hate Myself broke up, and both brothers are now in Die Hoffnung together.

It's kind of unclear whether or not the band took themselves seriously, but that's kind of irrelevant. They made some fucking awesome music. The band often used a loud-soft dynamic (Indian Summer style). The band would alternate between guitar melodies colliding with some great bass lines during quieter parts, and explosions of distortion and octave strumming. The vocals sometimes use this nasally, whiny, singing voice, or burst out in a scorching screech. The lyrics often touch upon personal thoughts and experience (and Dragon Ball Z). They're a great band who everyone does (or should) know, I don't know what to say really. They're one of my favourite emo/screamo/post-hardcore/whatever the fuck bands ever, if that means anything. If you're starting with them, 10 Songs is the obvious choice to begin with, but 4 Songs is also amazing.

A few notes on their discography: 4 Songs has no official song titles. However, the second track appeared on  the compilation Bread: The Edible Napkin under the title "Less Than Nothing". 10 Songs was released in 1997 on vinyl. In 2000, the album was reissued on CD with an additional song, "To A Husband At War", which first appeared on the Strikeforce Diablo split. This version is what's included below. I guess I already mentioned 3 Songs being recorded during their second reunion, and how Jon plays bass on it. I Hate Myself also appeared on a bunch of compilations, but every song included was previously released on one of their own albums, except for their cover of "Care", originally by Spoke, which appeared on No Idea 100: Redefiling Music, which I don't have. If they ever get around to releasing 15 Songs, an album containing all songs not on their full-length, it'd be on there. Regardless, enjoy their amazing discography.

4 Songs (1997)

1. Song 1

2. Less Than Nothing

3. Song 3

4. Song 4

10 Songs (1997/2000)

1. This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai

2. Urban Barbie

3. Polar Bear Summer

4. ...And Keep Reaching For Those Stars

5. Caught In a Flood With The Captain Of The Cheerleading Squad

6. Kind Of A Long Way Down

7. Not Waving But Drowning

8. Destroy All Monsters

9. To A Husband At War

10. Conversation With Dr. Seussicide

11. Secret Lovers At The Heaven's Gate Ranch

I Hate Myself/Twelve Hour Turn (1997)

1. I Hate Myself - Fred Mertz Was Most Likely A Bad Poet And A Pervert

2. I Hate Myself - Song For All The Young Casanovas And Casanovettes

3. I Hate Myself - Kamikaze

4. Twelve Hour Turn - Pennyloafer

5. Twelve Hour Turn - Jack

6. Twelve Hour Turn - Call Chance

7. Twelve Hour Turn - Clothesline

8. Twelve Hour Turn - Cassette 

I Hate Myself/Strikeforce Diablo (1998)

1. I Hate Myself - To A Husband At War

2. Strikeforce Diablo - Lift Me Up

3. Strikeforce Diablo - Sleepyhollow

2 Songs (2000)

1. Darren's Roof

2. Drama In The Emergency Room

3 Songs (2005)

1. Roy Sullivan, By Lightning Loved

2. Roy On The Make

3. The Lightning Says

Ampere

Ampere are a four-piece screamo/hardcore punk band from Amherst, Massachusetts that began in 2002 and continue to play today. Many of the members played in other notable bands, the biggest of these being the legendary Orchid, which featured guitarist Will Killingsworth (who's a prominent figure in the screamo scene for running Dead Air studios as well). Other bands members were in include Bucket Full Of Teeth, Montcalm, Wolves, and The Last 40 Seconds, among others.

Ampere themselves are quite the noteworthy band in terms of influence and importance within the genre (I kind of think as them as being second tier essential screamo, with first tier being Orchid, pg.99, Saetia, Jeromes Dream, etc.). They play a style similar to that of Orchid in that the music is chaotic as fuck, and features lyrics and ideologies that can be considered "intellectual". They also like to keep things short, especially Ampere. Most of their songs don't even clock in at a full minute, and their longest songs don't even hit two and a half minutes in length. Their live sets are also short, but blisteringly intense, as is their material on record. They've managed to keep fairly busy in their decade of existence, especially considered the fact that operate under rigid DIY ethos, and they don't have a revolving door of line-up changes (it's been the same four people for their entire tenure). So, yeah, enjoy, as I'm sure you will. These guys are legends. If you are starting out with this band, go for All Tomorrows End Today, the Sinaloa split, The First Five Years, and Like Shadows, you'll practically have their entire discography. Though they seemed to have a tendency to put out great splits with other amazing bands, so I'd highly suggest going for those too.

Demo 7" (2002)

1. Thanks For Teaching Me The Things I Would Rather Not Have Learned

2. Up The Contrast

3. Shaking Hands And Made-Up Minds

4. A Letter To A Friend

5. I Never Really Missed It Until It Was Gone For Good

6. There Is No Miracle Here

Wolves/Ampere (2003)

1. Wolves - 10

2. Wolves - 11

3. Ampere - My Favorite Movie

4. Ampere - What It's Like To Fly

5. Ampere - A New Dialect

6. Ampere - A Letter To A Friend

7. Ampere - Things I'd Rather Not Have Learned

All Our Tomorrows End Today (2004)

1. Remain Unadapted

2. Now We Rise, & We Are Everywhere

3. The Jailors Speak Of Freedom

4. Woodlawn

5. Our Adventures Incomplete

6. New Urbanism

7. The Old World Is Behind Us

8. Against Automation

9. Dover & Grove

10. Past Imperfect

11. In Memoriam

Ampere/Welcome The Plague Year (2005)

1. Ampere - Away From The Bright Lights/Your Still Life

2. Welcome The Plague Year - You Are My Economic Rival And I  Hate You

Live At Dead Air: Death To Tyrants/Ampere/Daniel Striped Tiger/Wasteland (2006)

1. Death To Tyrants - Presence

2. Death To Tyrants - Exposition 9: Female

3. Ampere - Burned Out And Hollow

4. Ampere - What It's Like To Fly

5. Ampere - At Its Heart And At Its Head

6. Ampere - We Bite

7. Ampere - Your Still Life 

8. Daniel Striped Tiger - Passed Out On Passion

9. Daniel Striiped Tiger - Think About Carbs

10. Daniel Striped Tiger - Dawn Flared Into

11. Wasteland - Marching As To War

12. Wasteland - Fading Light

Das Oath/Ampere (2006)

1. Das Oath - The Living End (The Jesus And Mary Chain)

2. Das Oath - Tourettes (Nirvana)

3. Das Oath - Wardance (Killing Joke)

4. Das Oath - Feel Like A Man (Negative FX)

5. Ampere - Bit Part In A Bad Movie (Born Against)

6. Ampere - Money Stinks (D.R.I.)

7. Ampere - Conspiring The Go-Go (Antioch Arrow)

8. Ampere - The Regulator (Bad Brains)

9. Ampere - Mr. Suit (Wire)

Ampere/Sinaloa (2006)

1. Ampere - New Forms

2. Ampere - At Its Heart & At Its Head

3. Ampere - Wormwood, Radiation

4. Ampere - Our Exit Strategy

5. Ampere - Burned Out & Hollow

6. Ampere - We Live Like Lost Children

7. Ampere - In Antiquity

8. Sinaloa - The Earth Is On Fire

9. Sinaloa - Tongue To Teeth

10. Sinaloa - I'm Getting Tired

11. Sinaloa - Teeth To Tongue

12. Sinaloa - Expect Delays

Ampere/Daïtro (2007)

1. Ampere - Escapism

2. Ampere - Diffident Dissonance

3. Daïtro - La Substance Et La Matiere

Ampere/Funeral Diner (2007)

1. Ampere - Secret Hallways/Sleepwalkers

2. Funeral Diner - I Was The Sword

Ringers/Ampere (2007)

1. Ringers - Dialtones

2. Ampere - Abject Failure

Off Minor/Ampere (2008)

1. Off Minor - Abattoir

2. Ampere - Conquest Success

The First Five Years (2008)

1. Escapism

2. Diffident Dissonance

3. Conquest Success

4. Abject Failure

5. Dead Weight

6. Secret Hallways

7. Sleepwalkers

8. Away From The Bright Lights

9. Your Still Life

10. My Favorite Movie

11. What It's Like To Fly

12. A New Dialect

13. A Letter To A Friend

14. Things I'd Rather Not Have Learned

15. Things I'd Rather Not Have Learned

16. Up The Contrast

17. My Hands Are Shaking My Mind Is Made Up

18. A Letter To A Friend

19. I Don't Need It Anyways

20. No Miracle Here

21. Bit Part In A Bad Movie (Born Against)

22. Money Stinks (DRI)

23. Conspiring The Go-Go (Antioch Arrow)

24. The Regulator (Bad Brains)

25. Mr. Suit (Wire)

26. Live 1

27. Live 2

28. Live 3

29. Live 4

30. Live 5

Like Shadows (2011)

1. (We're) Stranded

2. Escapism Pt. II

3. Centuries Fled

4. Of Nightmare Reality

5. Bullshit Sloganeering

6. Chasing Ghosts

7. The Submerged Tenth

8. Statement Of Capitulation

9. We Neither Rise Nor Fall

10. Maps, Legends

11. Dead Weight

12. Flightless

13. For Automation

14. Terminally

15. Tiny Victories

Ampere/Raein (2015)

1. Raein - Comete

2. Raein - Spaccare Il Mondo

3. Ampere - Parallels

4. Ampere - Holding Pattern

5. Ampere - On Form & Function

Republic Of Dreams

Republic Of Dreams are a three-piece German/Polish screamo/emo violence band with members of Louise Cyphre, as well as Resurrectionists. Is that enough to convince you that these guys are worth checking out? I think so. Enjoy. But seriously, they are a fucking awesome band in their own right, so get into it. Also, the self-titled consists of the songs on both splits, both of which are with GREAT bands as well, so check them out as well if you haven't.

Beau Navire/Republic Of Dreams (2012)

 1. Beau Navire - Phalanx Of Lenses

2. Beau Navire - Ghostlike

3. Republic Of Dreams - Golden Parachutes For The Carpetbaggers

4. Republic Of Dreams - It's Still Fucking Personal

5. Republic Of Dreams - A Refuge Becoming Utopia

Cloud Rat/Republic Of Dreams (2012)

1. Cloud Rat - Burning Doe

2. Cloud Rat - Parachute

3. Cloud Rat - Stench Of Sage

4. Cloud Rat - Keba

5. Cloud Rat - Moving Mouths

6. Cloud Rat - Astronomy

7. Republic Of Dreams - There's No Bullshitting Here

8. Republic Of Dreams - Your Fahrenheit Is My Celsius

9. Republic Of Dreams - An Enlightened Macho Is Still A Macho

10. Republic Of Dreams - Franz K. Is (Not) My Bus Driver

11. Republic Of Dreams - Dance Tonight, Revolution Every Day

12. Republic Of Dreams - Shit Hits The Fan, But I'm Still Not The Asshole

13. Republic Of Dreams - (Your) Banality Is Evil

Republic Of Dreams (2012)

1. There's No Bullshitting Here

2. Your Fahrenheit Is My Celsius

3. An Enlightened Macho Is Still A Macho

4. Franz K. Is (Not) My Bus Driver

5. Dance Tonight, Revolution Every Day

6. Shit Hits The Fan, But I'm Still Not The Asshole

7. (Your) Banality Is Evil

8. Golden Parachutes For The Carpetbaggers, Austerity For The Rest

9. It's Still Fucking Personal

10. A Refuge Becoming Utopia

Epilogue Of A Car Crash...A Tribute To Orchid (2013)

13. Eye Gouger (Orchid cover)

Full comp here

Republic Of Dreams/Autarkeia (2015)

1. Republic Of Dreams - Dooh Nibor

2. Republic Of Dreams - Would You Like Some Sauce To These Toxins?

3. Republic Of Dreams - No Pretense

4. Republic Of Dreams - Don't Live By Any Letter

5. Autarkeia - A Constant

Alles Brennt/Republic Of Dreams (2020)

1. Alles Brennt - hellhounds

2. Alles Brennt - complicity

3. Alles Brennt - motherfuckingteresa

4. Alles Brennt - coercive power

5. Republic Of Dreams - from rubble to bubble to bust

6. Republic Of Dreams - turning flesh into metal

7. Republic Of Dreams - the altruistic hypocrisy of watching someone drown

8. Republic Of Dreams - a slew of slogans

9. Republic Of Dreams - never again