Monday 25 April 2016

Pinegrove


This band has been getting an overwhelming amount of requests, so I couldn't wait any longer to finally get them on here. Pinegrove are a four-piece indie/alternative/emo band from Montclair, New Jersey that formed in 2010. For their first few years, they remained relatively unknown, though put out a slew of self-released material. Then last year, they put out a compilation of all that material, which was later re-released by Run For Cover at the end of the year. Now in 2016, they've put out their technical second full-length, but first with a label (also Run For Cover). They've got a ton of attention in the past year or so, and for good reason. They've got a unique sound that's hard to pin down, though fans of Sorority Noise and Teen Suicide will definitely find some appeal in this band. Even comparisons to bands like Wilco and The Good Life could be made. Just give them a listen, the charismatic appeal is immediately evident. Enjoy.

1. New Friends
2. Angelina
3. Problems
4. Need
5. Overthrown
6. Size Of The Moon
7. Need 2
8. Namesake
9. V
10. &
11. Unison
12. Palisade
13. The Metronome
14. Mather Knoll
15. Over My Shoulder
16. Peeling Off The Bark
17. Morningtime
18. Recycling
19. Sunday
20. On Jet Lag
21. DAYS

1. Old Friends
2. Cadmium
3. Then Again
4. Aphasis
5. Visiting
6. Waveform
7. Size Of The Moon
8. New Friends

1. Visiting (Live)
2. Angelina (Live)
3. Old Friends (Live)
4. Aphasia (Live)
5. Recycling (Live)
6. Cadmium (Live)
7. Size Of The Moon (Live)
8. New Friends (Live)

1. Rings
2. Portal
3. Intrepid
4. Paterson & Leo
5. Angelina
6. Thanksgiving
7. Easy Enough
8. Darkness
9. Skylight
10. Amulets
11. Light On

Note: All proceeds go to Musicares, the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention, and the Voting Rights Project. I won't upload the files, but you can click the link to go their Bandcamp and pick up the album at a donate-what-you-can rate.

Psyched To Die


Psyched To Die were a New Jersey punk band that featured members of other phenomenal bands such as The Ergs! and For Science. They were only around from 2008 to 2010 and put out three great EP's, as well as a compilation that just consisted of all the songs on the aforementioned EP's. Psyched To Die are a solid band through and through; they play with the same energy and melody that a band like the Descendents do. With a roster of amazing musicians, it's no shocker that this band knocked out a slew of amazing songs. Enjoy.

1. Permanent Solution
2. Final Bath
3. Stench Of Defeat
4. Zen And The Art Of Being A Fuck Up

1. Onward Armageddon
2. Permanent Solution
3. Five Year Plan
4. OCD Life
5. New Hampshire Man's Quandry
6. Staged Reality
7. Sterile Walls

1. Scatter Brained
2. Conditioned To Fail
3. Punch Press
4. Admitting Defeat

Stella Luna


Stella Luna are a five-piece shoegaze band from Jacksonville, Florida that possibly formed in 1997. I say "possibly" because there is not much information out there on this band. This is with the exception of their sole EP, Stargazer, which was released on Claire Records in 2002. Though not widely circulated, it's gained a decent audience for a shoegaze band from the early 2000's, when the genre was at a virtual standstill. Though Stella Luna don't reinvent any wheels here, they do present four solid songs of ethereal, reverberated goodness. Heavy guitars fill the speakers, while the drums and vocals drift in the background, which are immediate reminders of the bands that made this genre great. Enjoy.

1. Change
2. Stargazer
3. Antares
4. A Bridge To Nowhere

Friday 8 April 2016

Baptists


Baptists are a four-piece hardcore band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 2010. Thus far they've put out two albums, both by Southern Lord Records and produced by Kurt Ballou. They've even garnered the interest of Dave Grohl, who mentioned his admiration for the band's drummer. As far as sound goes, Baptists play a dark, heavy, fast-paced brand of hardcore with some sludgy tones and guttural vocals. They're fairly comparable to the greatest band ever, Cursed. Baptists have a new album on the way this year, so be sure to look out for that. Enjoy.

1. Good Parenting
2. Farmed
3. Bachelor Degree Burn
4. Life Poser

1. Tourette's (Nirvana cover)

1. Betterment
2. Think Tank Breed
3. Bullets
4. In Droves
5. Still Melt
6. Mortarhead
7. Crutching Trails
8. Bushcraft
9. Soiled Roots
10. Russian Sprits
11. Abandon 

1. Chamber
2. Wanting
3. String Up
4. Closed Ports
5. Vistas
6. Harm Induction
7. Festered
8. Dissembler
9. Bloodmines
10. Calling
11. For Profit

1. Worse Than Hate
2. Absolved of Life / Spent Cells
3. Beacon of Faith
4. Gift Taker
5. Capsule
6. Outbreeding
7. Vicarious Trauma
8. Victim Service
9. Indigo Child
10. Eulogy Template
11. Bevel Down
12. Carbide
13. Nostrovia

Egg Hunt


Egg Hunt were a two-piece post-hardcore band featuring Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, better known as the founders of Dischord Records and former members of Minor Threat. They recorded a single 7" in London in 1986, which became known as either Me And You or 2 Songs. When they returned to DC, they attempted to turn it into a full-blown project with members of Gray Matter, but ended up averting their attention to two new bands, Fugazi (MacKaye) and Three (Nelson). Regardless, this 2-track EP was released. It was fairly experimental and progressive, and the guitar work is definitely indicative on what would appear on Fugazi's EP a few years later. The second track, "All Falls Down" apparently was a left-over track from Embrace (another band of MacKaye's), and this would make sense, since the vocal delivery is very similar. Something else of random note is the production work on this EP, with the drums and guitars sounding full and nicely reverberated. Enjoy.

1. Me And You
2. We All Fall Down

Thursday 7 April 2016

The Sky Corvair


The Sky Corvair were a post-hardcore/emo band from Chicago, Illinois that began in 1994 and broke up in 1995, though briefly reformed in 1997. Their discography was compiled and released as a single album in 2001. Though the band is relatively unknown, their members were in some other very notable bands. Their vocalist was Tim Kinsella, who joined The Sky Corvair as a side-project of Cap'n Jazz. He's also known for Joan Of Arc, Owls, Make Believe, you know the bands. Another major member was Bob Nanna, better known as being a member of Braid, as well as Hey Mercedes and The City On Film. Kevin J. Frank and Neil Sandler played in Gauge before this band, and formed Haymarket Riot and Rollo Tomasi respectively after The Sky Corvair ended. There may have been other members, at least a different singer on the last three songs, but I'm not entirely sure because info on them is both scarce and inconsistent. Either way, we've got this album below, which is a great mix of Kinsella's distinct vocals with the intricate instrumentation and off-kilter rhythms that one would expect from the rest of the band. It nicely balances experimentation with musicality, and makes for both a good album and an interesting document in the members' long musical histories. Enjoy.

1. Astaire
2. Ethyl
3. Swallow Water
4. Congratulations, I'm Late
5. Dinky Rope Dog
6. Choking Tonic Soda
7. St December
8. Fifth Grade Tender
9. Iris Is Aching For A Day
10. Carpetbaggers
11. Peppermint Gas
12. Joy

Wednesday 6 April 2016

Infest


Hopefully this band doesn't need much of an introduction, considering the massive influence they've had. Infest were a hardcore band from Valencia, California that were originally around from 1986 to 1991. They've reunited since then, and play shows and festivals sporadically. Infest were a massive influence on powerviolence, with their original material being continually repressed and circulated for years, and then their seminal full-length No Man's Slave being released in 2002, almost 10 years after they broke up. Infest were basically a powerviolence band before powerviolence existed, which is the expected next step when you're dealing with a band of Negative Approach disciples. Not only were they an influence but Infest managed to carry the torch by creating some of the most intense and aggressive music ever pressed to a record. Even years later, it still holds up as if it were released today. Even bands now are still trying to top what Infest did 25 years ago, which makes them one band on here that are obligatory to listen to. Enjoy.

1. Where's The Unity?
2. If I Were You
3. Mindless
4. Which Side
5. V.Y.O.
6. Snooze-U-Loose
7. Son Of The Sun
8. Going
9. The End
10. Dirty Dope Dealer
11. Sick-O
12. Screwed
13. Plastic
14. Pickled
15. Sick of Talk
16. Iran Scam
17. Life's Halt
18. Fetch The Pliers
19. The Mojo Hand

1. Break The Chain
2. Pickled
3. Sick-O
4. Plastic
5. Mindless
6. Which Side?
7. Voice Your Opinion
8. Where's The Unity?
9. Skcrewed
10. Machoism
11. The Game
12. Sick Of Talk
13. Iran Scam
14. Life's Halt
15. Slave
16. Head First
17. Sick And Tired
18. Fetch The Pliers

1. Pissed Happy Children - Never Fair
2. Pissed Happy Children - No Gain, No Pain
3. Pissed Happy Children - Seizure At The Circus
4. Infest - Mindless
5. Infest - Which Side?
6. Infest - Them
7. Infest - V.Y.O
8. Infest - Sick And Tired
9. Infest - Machoism
10. Infest - Head First
11. Infest - Where's The Unity?

1. Mankind
2. Judge Me
3. Speak Easy
4. Once Lost
5. Excess Pig
6. Them
7. Nothing's Changed
8. Shackled Down
9. Just Act Blind
10. Kill The Peace
11. Three Or Nothing
12. The World Is Dead
13. Nothing Left Inside
14. Big Mouth
15. Outro

1. Shackled Down
2. Mankind
3. Judge Me
4. Blinded
5. Nothing's Changed
6. Once Lost
7. Speak Easy
8. Kill The Peace
9. Excess Pig
10. Why Don't You
11. Sick And Tired
12. Just Act Blind
13. Seen It All Before
14. Slave
15. Pickled
16. Sick-O
17. Break The Chain
18. My World My Way

Note: Recorded in 1991

1. Cold Inside
2. Feeling Mean
3. Sick Machine
4. Upright Mass
5. Terminal Nation
6. In His Name
7. Behind This Tongue
8. What's Your Claim
9. True Violence
10. Sickman
11. Punchline
12. Contact
13. Effort Falls Down
14. You're A Star
15. Freeze Dried
16. Rabid Pigs
17. Lying To Myself
18. Nazi Killer
19. My World...My Way

1. Days Turn Black
2. You're Shot
3. Controlled Violence
4. Why Be Something You're Not (Negative Approach cover)

1. Break The Chain
2. Pickled
3. Mankind
4. Judge Me
5. Cold Inside
6. Feeling Mean
7. Sick Machine
8. Shackled Down
9. Just Act Blind
10. Voice Your Opinion
11. Behind This Tongue
12. Mindless
13. Which Side?
14. The World Is Dead
15. Kill The Peace
16. My World My Way
17. Excess Pig
18. Once Lost
19. Freeze Dried
20. Terminal Nation
21. In His Name
22. Nothing's Changed
23. Sick And Tired
24. Machismo
25. Nazi Killer
26. Sick-O
27. Where's The Unity?
28. Why Don't You?

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Kid Dynamite


I figured since I already put Lifetime up on here last month, I couldn't let another month go by without the inclusion of Kid Dynamite. Both bands are massive influences in both melodic hardcore and pop punk of course, but the two are also related through guitarist Dan Yemin, who began Kid Dynamite after Lifetime broke up in 1997. This new band released two amazing full-lengths, both through Jade Tree, before breaking up in 2000. A compilation came out a few years later, titled Cheap Shots, Youth Anthems.

Kid Dynamite reunited a few time after their initial break-up. Once in 2005, and then a handful of times between 2010 and 2013 before officially calling it quits. Their members have been involved in a handful of amazing bands, including Paint It Black, None More Black, and The Loved Ones, in addition to the obvious Lifetime. As far as sound goes, Kid Dynamite are pretty straight-forward. Catchy, heart-pumping "youth anthems" were their forte, and have made them a timeless classic, so please enjoy. I included a compilation of covers just because there are a ton of amazing bands that appear on it, including The Ergs!, The Wonder Years, Comadre, Lewd Acts, Make Do And Mend, This Time Next Year, Broadway Calls, Death is Not Glamorous, This Is Hell, the list goes on and on.

1. Pause
2. K05-0564
3. Sweet Shop Syndicate
4. Table 19
5. Ph. Decontrol
6. Showoff
7. Bookworm
8. Scarysmurf
9. Ronald Miller Story
10. Bench Warmer
11. Zuko's Back In Town
12. Never Met The Gooch
13. News At 11
14. 32 Frames Per Second
15. Pacifier
16. 3 O'Clock
17. Shiner
18. Wrist Rocket
19. Fuckuturn

1. Pits & Poisoned Apples
2. Death And Taxes
3. Cheap Shot Youth Anthem
4. Copout
5. Handy With The Tongue Sword
6. Living Day Lights
7. Introduction To The Opposites
8. Gate 68
9. Troy's Bucket
10. Rufus Wants A Hug
11. Got A Minute?
12. Penske File
13. Rid of The Losers, Bring On The Cruisers
14. Three's A Party
15. S.O.S.
16. Two For Flinching
17. Birthday
18. Give 'em The Ripped One

1. Heart A Tact
2. Breakin' A Memory
3. Give 'em The Ripped One
4. Two For Flinching
5. Rise Above (Black Flag cover)
6. Deny Everything (Circle Jerks cover)
7. Hateful (The Clash cover)
8. I Don't Wanna Hear It (Minor Threat cover)
9. Macho Insecurites (Dead Kennedys cover)
10. Showoff
11. Sweet Shop Syndicate
12. Never Met The Gooch
13. Fuckturn
14. Scary Smurf
15. The Ronald Miller Story
16. Bookworm (Demo)
17. The Unheard Chorus (Demo)
18. 32 Frames Per Second (Demo)
19. Wrist Rocket (Demo)
20. News At 11 (Demo)
21. Death & Taxes (Demo)
22. S.O.S. (Live)
23. Heart A Tact (Live)
24. Handy With The Tongue Sword (Live)
25. K05-0564 (Live)
26. Never Met The Gooch (Live)
27. The Penske File (Live)
28. PH. Decontrol (Live)
29. Deny Everything (Live)
30. Untitled

1. Antillectual - Wrist Rocket
2. Smartbomb - Heartatact
3. Ernie Parada - Bench Warmer
4. Call It Fire - 32FPS
5. Fallen From The Sky - Pits And Poison Apples
6. 12 Cent - Pacifier
7. Broadway Calls - Bookworm
8. All Teeth - Never Met The Gooch
9. Deny Everything - Zuku's Back In Town
10. No Secrets Between Sailors - Living Daylights
11. Lewd Acts - PH. Decontrol
12. Comadre - Death & Taxes
13. No Harm Done - Three's A Party
14. First To Leave - SOS
15. The Golden Age - Got A Minute?
16. Death Is Not Glamorous - Pause
17. Make Do and Mend - Ronald Miller Story
18. Endgame - Copout
19. Get Back Up - Sweet Shop Syndicate
20. Static Radio NJ - Give 'em The Ripped One
21. To The Lions - Rid Of The Losers, Bring On The Cruisers
22. Stay Warm - Showoff
23. Hollywood - Gate 68
24. Take My Chances - Handy With The Tongue Sword
25. Hour Of The Wolf - Breakins A Memory
26. The Geeks - Shiner
27. No Trigger - K05-0564
28. Jump The Shark - Scary Smurg
29. Sakes Alive!! - News At 11
30. Latin For Truth - Table 19
31. The Ergs! - Fuck U Turn
32. Soldiers - Introduction To Opposites
33. Kill Conrad - Rufus Wants A Hug
34. Spanish Gamble - The Unheard Chorus
35. Torchbearer - The Penske File
36. The Wonder Years - Cheap Shot, Youth Anthem
37. This Is Hell - Troy's Bucket
38. Troublemaker - Two For Flinching
39. This Time Next Year - 3 O'Clock