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.

Everything So Far (2015)

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

Cardinal (2016)

1. Old Friends

2. Cadmium

3. Then Again

4. Aphasis

5. Visiting

6. Waveform

7. Size Of The Moon

8. New Friends

Elsewhere (2017)

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)

Skylight (2018)

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.

Bandcamp

Facebook

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.

2008 Demo (2008)

1. Permanent Solution

2. Final Bath

3. Stench Of Defeat

4. Zen And The Art Of Being A Fuck Up

Sterile Walls (2009)

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

Scatter Brained (2009)

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.

Stargazer (2002)

1. Change

2. Stargazer

3. Antares

4. A Bridge To Nowhere

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.

Baptists (2010)

1. Good Parenting

2. Farmed

3. Bachelor Degree Burn

4. Life Poser

Tourette's (2012)

1. Tourette's (Nirvana cover)

Bushcraft (2013)

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 

Bloodmines (2014)

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

Beacon Of Faith (2018)

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

Facebook

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.

Me And You (1986)

1. Me And You

2. We All Fall Down

Dischord

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.

Unsafe At Any Speed (2001)

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

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.

Demo (1987)

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

Slave (1988)

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

Infest/Pissed Happy Children (1990)

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?

Mankind (1991)

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

Live KXLU (2001)

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

No Man's Slave (2002)

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

Days Turn Black (2013)

1. Days Turn Black

2. You're Shot

3. Controlled Violence

4. Why Be Something You're Not (Negative Approach cover)

Live At The Oakland Metro (2013)

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?

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.

Kid Dynamite (1998)

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

Shorter, Faster, Louder (2000)

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

Cheap Shots, Youth Anthems (2003)

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

Carry The Torch: A Tribute To Kid Dynamite (2009)

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