The Van Pelt

The Van Pelt were a four-piece indie/emo band from New York City that formed in 1993 and broke up in 1997. They have since reunited a few times in 2009, 2014, and 2017. They were formed by Chris Leo, who was formerly in the seminal band Native Nod (he's also Ted Leo's brother). The Van Pelt took a decidedly less aggressive approach than Leo's previous band, and instead focusing on clean, winding guitar arpeggios, with odd song structures that fall and rise. Vocally, the stream of conscious, sung/spoken vocal he is renowned for are still present, though far more intelligible and a little more opaque. They released two full-lengths during their initial run, and a new album in 2014. If you dig 90's emo with some heavy post-hardcore leanings, you'll dig this. Enjoy.

The Van Pelt/Radio To Saturn (1994)

1. The Van Pelt - His Saxophone Is My Guitar

2. Radio To Saturn - Young Friends

3. Radio To Saturn - (She Likes The Part) About Wolves

4. Radio To Saturn - Somber Town

(Young) Pioneers/The Van Pelt (1995)

1. (Young) Pioneers - April Violence

2. (Young) Pioneers - Great White Hope

3. The Van Pelt - Everything's Alright

Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves (1996)

1. His Steppe Is My Prarie

2. It's A Suffering

3. Shame On You

4. Magic Fantasy (We Are Provincial)

5. You Are The Glue

6. Simone Never Had It This Good

7. His Saxophone Is My Guitar

8. It's New To Me

9. Turning Twenty Into Two

The Speeding Train (1997)

1. The Speeding Train

2. Evil High

3. The Democratic Teachers Union

Sultans Of Sentiment (1997)

1. Nanzen Kills A Cat

2. The Good, The Bad & The Blind

3. Yamato (Where People Really Die)

4. My Bouts With Pouncing

5. Don't Make Me Walk My Own Log

6. The Young Alchemists

7. We Are The Heathens

8. Pockets Of Pricks

9. Let's Make A List

10. Do The Lovers Still Meet At The Chiang Kai - Shek Memorial?

Live! at WMUC FM on Third Rail Radio (1997)

1. The Van Pelt - Yamato (Where People Really Die)

2. Chisel - Towncrusher

Same As Stone (2005)

1. Same As Stone

2. The Swede's Down At The Beach

Imaginary Third (2014)

1. Infinite Me

2. The Threat

3. ABCD's Of Fascism

4. Three People Wide At All Times

5. The Betrayal

6. Democratic Teacher's Union

7. Evil High

8. The Speeding Train

Artisans & Merchants (2023)

1. We Gotta Live

2. Image Of Health

3. Artisans & Merchants

4. Punk House

5. Old Souls From Different Epochs

6. Grid

7. Cold Coconuts

8. Did We Hear The Same Song

9. Love Is Brutal

Bandcamp

Slow Bloom - Hex Hex Hex REVIEW

Long-time friends of the blog Slow Bloom are back with a fantastic new EP, titled Hex Hex Hex. It was released on January 26, 2018 by No Sleep Records and Dog Knights Productions. They return with their trademark ferocious energy and post-hardcore/post-punk blend, but with some new sounds in the mix.

The EP kicks off with 30 seconds of feedback that throttles into the first track, "Neon Sequitor". This introduces the defining sound of the band, with chorus-laden angular leads, fully fleshed-out chords, and shaking vocals that build into screams. The refrain hits with a memorable intensity, something that's immediately noticeable about these songs. They are just as easy to sing along to as they are to mosh the fuck out to. The band established such a high, fast-paced energy on this first track, it's bound to grab you out of your seat. "Immaculate" continues to crank it out, with skull-fracturing verses, and an incredibly catchy melody in the chorus of straight-forward singing. The bass and drums roll steadily in the bridge, allowing the guitars to shimmer in atmospheric noise.

"Sarcophaguts", the first song released from the EP, features a call-and-response verse between the vocals and instrumentation. The vocals are manic throughout the track, except for the chorus, which cuts through with one of the EP's strongest melodies to tie the track together. This is a personal highlight on this thing, especially when it breaks to just guitar and vocals before bringing it back full-force for the outro. Simple things like this can often be the most effective, and Slow Bloom absolutely kill it on this track. They waste no time launching into "Cataracts", with a spoken-sung vocal passage, which is why I've often drawn comparisons to ATDI in the past. This track is a bit more winding than the previous ones, and burns slower, but with the same intensity.  The vocals hit soaring highs in the choruses, and rally throughout the rest. Plus, the bass tone here is impeccable.

"Hex Hex Hex" closes this 5-track EP out with a wall of sound for rhythm. The echoed background vocals playing off the lead vocals in the chorus makes  for a definite highlight, as well as the change-up of vocals about half-way through, which are a little toned down, but twice as seething. This song is undeniably memorable, with catchy melodies, solid lyrics, and a climax build-up into the final chorus that's sure to snap your neck back. They finally pump the brakes to leave some breathing room at the end, letting the EP exhale to a close.

Overall, there are not enough good things I can say about this. They are absolutely recommended for people who just want a high-energy, catchy band with some instrumental chops to boot. You can stream the entire EP on Bandcamp below,  or pick up the 12" from No Sleep or Dog Knights Productions. Also, check out the dates for their upcoming US West Coast Tour in April.

Slow Bloom
Bandcamp
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No Sleep Records
Purchase

Dog Knights Productions
Purchase

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)

Bandcamp

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thisishowitendedintokyo

thisishowitendedintokyo are a five-piece screamo band from Chicago, Illinois that formed in 2017. Their debut album, april(s)in came out last month, and it is a true spectacle to behold. They mix very upbeat drum patterns with bright, slightly noodley guitars typical of midwestern emo, with some of the rowdiest screaming imaginable on top of it. They are undoubtedly an interesting band, and their debut has a very unique energy that's hard to really pin down. It seems lodged between melodrama and a fun time, which is a strange mix, but I love it. Definitely recommended if you need some new screamo in your life. Enjoy.

demo (2017)

1. i may be a scumbag but i'm not a fucking loser

Plutonium Brood (2017)

1. Martha's Got a Limp Wrist - Worthless

2. Martha's Got a Limp Wrist - Cannibal

3. Martha's Got a Limp Wrist - Suicide

4. thisishowitendedintokyo - dies irae 

5. thisishowitendedintokyo - tantrum of a 3rd grade boy

6. thisishowitendedintokyo - daemon 

april(s)in, (2018)

1. 3

2. november snow

3. math song

4. theoneishowedjeffreyatwillsuncleshouseonmapleinbrookfield

5. i may be a scumbag but im not a fucking loser

6. boys life

7. chanting song

Note: You can grab the cassette from Mount Seldom Records here

somehow soon! (2018)

1. harriett

2. these moments

3. cap tap.

4. split

5. The Comforts You Seek Before And After Sleep

Bandcamp

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Think I Care

Think I Care were a four-piece hardcore band from Winchendon, Massachusetts, that were around from 2000 to 2007. They released a few fantastic EP's, as well as two LP's in their time. Their sound is heavily influenced by Boston hardcore, and early on in their career they played with such speed and ferocity, I wouldn't be surprised if Infest also had a hand in their sound. As they progressed, they slowed down a bit in tempo, but never aggression. They began taking a heavy Celtic Frost influence, in addition to their hardcore roots. They made the jump to hardcore titans Bridge 9 for their final record, and broke up after that. They've played reunion shows in 2015 since. Enjoy.

Draw The Lines (2000)

1. Draw The Lines

2. Trapped

3. Stay Home

4. First Things First

5. Think I Care

6. Persist

7. No Turning Back

8. Quick To Quit

9. Where's The Courtesy

10. Without

Think I Care 7" (2001)

1. Phase

2. Belong

3. Burn

4. Force Fed

5. Different Face

6. Toy Town Crew

7. Doubt It

8. How's It Feel?

Think I Care (2003)

1. Broken Neck

2. Easy Answers

3. Stepped On

4. For Real

5. 28 Visions

6. No Chance

7. Black Out

8. Move Back

9. It Surrounds

10. What A Pity

11. Struggle

12. Bitter End

Mongrel (2004)

1. The Hammer

2. Disease

3. Drain

4. Fifty Two Pickup

5. Choke

6. Rotting Away

7. Scraps

8. March Of The Mongrels

Fucked Up/Think I Care (2006)

1. Fucked Up - Color Removal (Live)

2. Fucked Up - Police (Live)

3. Think I Care - 28 Visions (Live)

4. Think I Care - Disease (Live)

5. Think I Care - Nature Of The Beast (Live)

World Asylum (2006)

1. World Asylum

2. Chains

3. Nothing Means Nothing

4. Life Sentence

5. Nature Of The Beast

6. Reality's Nightmare

7. No Where Man

8. Heads Will Roll

9. Matter Of Time

10. Survival Machine

Worst Party Ever

Worst Ever Party are a four-piece indie/emo/punk band from Sarasota, Florida that formed sometime around 2014. They broke up temporarily near the end of 2016, but are now back with a new album in the works. These guys play an incredibly fun, energetic, bedroom-demo style of music. They're catchy as hell, with fantastic lyrics built around personal anecdotes. Some of it's acoustic, some of it is full-band. They bear a striking resemblance to very early The Front Bottoms, which is an absolute compliment, as well as Modern Baseball and Mom Jeans. Fans of those bands absolutely need to check this out, they won't be disappointed. They've released a couple of EP's thus far, as well as Anthology, which contains a good chunk of their recorded material up until now. I'd suggest starting there. Enjoy.

Money. (2014)

1. Sleeping With My Cellphone

2. Wires

3. You Don't Party

Worst Party Ever (2014)

1. Sleeping With My Cellphone

2. I Drive Past A Light Store On The Way To Your House

3. Lakes

Super Soaker (2014)

1. Kicking Myself In The Face

2. Come On, Guys

3. Lakes (Acoustic)

Cheap Haircuts/Worst Party Ever/Junior College/I Am Clark Kent (2015)

1. Cheap Haircuts - Callaway Villas

2. Cheap Haircuts - Paper Cuts

3. Worst Party Ever - Real Sports

4. Worst Party Ever - Dewey

5. Junior College - Deja Vu

6. Junior College - Limescale And Rust

7. I Am Clark Kent - OhLookADonnybrooke

8. I Am Clark Kent - Bronchitis

We Still Love You (2015)

1. Kicking (myself in the face)

2. 1:30

3. Come on, guys

4. Swimming

Trying Soda (2016)

1. Big Wave

2. Trying Soda (I Know You So Well)

3. Brian, In Tampa

4. Creeper (Instrumental)

Anthology (2016)

1. Sub Bean Every Day

2. Did The Cubs Just Win The World Series?

3. Trying Soda (I Know You So Well)

4. Trying Harder

5. Ohmygodicantbelieveiforgothowtoplaythis

6. Big Wave

7. Dewey

8. Real Sports

9. Brian In Tampa

10. Kicking Myself In The Face

11. 1:30

12 Come on, Guys

13. Swimming

14. Wires Demo

15. Sleeping With My Cellphone

16. I Drive By A Light Store On The Way To Your House

17. Sleeping With My Cellphone (Demo)

18. Fault Lines (2014)

19. Wires

20. Come On Guys (Demo)

21. Lakes

Worst Party Ever/Wake Up Spaceboy (2017)

1. Worst Party Ever - Ganon Main (Demo)

2. Wake Up Spaceboy - I'm Never Leaving Florida

The Year Of The Manatee (2018)

1. Ganon Main

2. Camping

Japan (2018)

1. Alright

2. Holy Water

3. Worst Party Ever

4. Sake Bomb

5. 12/11/17

6. Things Change

7. 09/2016

8. Japan

here, online (2020)

1. Cross Country

2. False Teeth

3. what about you?

4. Chofu

5. Road Trip

Worst Party Ever/Dogleg (2020)
1. Worst Party Ever - Star 67 (Dogleg cover)

2. Dogleg - Ganon Main (Worst Party Ever cover)

3. Worst Party Ever - Fos (Dogleg cover)

4. Dogleg - Road Trip (Worst Party Ever cover)

Dartland (2021)

1. Prism On A Window

2. Circle 

3. Provenance

4. Where's Jack?

5. In Chamber

6. Talk

7. Beautiful Out

8. ALYWD

9. 3D Camera

10. New God

11. Natural

12. Into The Pür

Bandcamp

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Jejune

Jejune were a three-piece (later four-piece) emo/indie band that were around from 1996 to 2000. They originally formed in Boston when all its members attended the Berklee College Of Music, but moved to San Diego in 1997. They played an energetic style of emo at the beginning of their career that can be loosely compared to bands like Jawbreaker, Christie Front Drive or early Jimmy Eat World (who they put out a split with). As they progressed, they began to develop a jangly-pop song, featuring clean bright guitars. Into the mid to late stages of their career, they start taking influence from elements of shoegaze, most notably in the heavily distorted guitars and reverberated vocals. They are also known for the interplayed, dual vocals, which had a knack for harmony and some striking melodies. Overall, this band isn't nearly as well-known as they should be, and definitely stand out among their "emo" contemporaries as being truly unique. Highly. highly recommended. Enjoy.

Garden Variety/Jejune (1996)

1. Garden Variety - New Guitar Parts

2. Jejune - Drive By Negly

The Emo Diaries - Chapter 1: What's Mine Is Yours (1997)

8. Hialeah

Junk (1997)

1. Meteorite

2. Greyscale

3. Pablo

4. Stresser

5. Ethan Allen

6. Pablo

7. Radical Firepower

8. Ford

Jejune/Jimmy Eat World (1997)

1. Jejune - Early Stars

2. Jejune - That's Why She Hates Me

3. Jimmy Eat World - What I Would Say To You Now

4. Jimmy Eat World - Speed Read

This Afternoons Malady (1998)

1. Morale Is Low

2. Coping With Senility (Lowlife Owns A Pen)

3. This Afternoons Malady

4. Fixed On The One

5. Sitcom Epiphany

6. Solar

7. New Clear Saturday

8. Regrets Are Unanswered Dreams

9. Demonica

10. 38 Calumet

11. One Transmission

12. Same To You

Jejune/Lazycain (1999)

1. Jejune - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (The Smiths cover)

2. Lazycain - Handsome Devil (The Smiths cover)

Jejune/Dignity For All (1999)

1. Jejune - Record City Afterworld

2. Dignity For All - Transparency

3. Dignity For All - Short Distance

R.I.P. (2000)

1. Record City After World

2. The New State

3. Lunatic

4. The Highs And Lows

5. 2000 Miles

6. Heart Of Desire

7. Early Stars

8. Morale Is Low

9. That's Why She Hates Me

10. Solar

11. Lowlife (Version Remix)

12. Grace (Wizard Glick Is Swimming)