Sophie's Floorboard: February 2021

Friday, 26 February 2021

Wow, Owls!

Wow, Owls! were a five-piece screamo/hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia that were around from 2003 to 2006. Their output was pretty limited, with one incredible LP, a split, a demo, and a few final recordings. Sonically, they are fairly comparable to bands such as L'Antietam, Wolves, and Life At These Speeds with a dash of post-hardcore a la At The Drive-In. They played with a burgeoning energy and distinct attitude, creating tension with angular chords and heavy syncopation. Their LP, Pick Your Patterns is sorely underrated, and I highly suggest anyone who has not heard give it a listen, I think a lot of people who frequent this blog would dig it. The only other note to make on their discography is the compilation Pee Sout, which includes their demo (also included here), a remix and the final three songs they recorded. Members went on to play in Best Practices and Mouthbreather. Enjoy.

Mind Explosion Demo (2004)

1. Initiate Mind Explosion Sequence

2. Five Sexy Alligators, Please

3. Chris, Did You Ruin The Dance Party?

4. Cole Hutchison: 1982-2012

4. 1989: The Best Four Years Of My Life

6. More Explosive Than A Jerry Bruckheimer Joint

7. Mind Explosion: The Saga Continues

The Setup/Wow, Owls! (2004)

1. The Setup - My T-Shirt Has Something Important to Say

2. Wow, Owls! - Hissy Fits and Temper Tantrums

3. Wow, Owls! - Cole Hutchinson 1982-2012

Pick Your Patterns (2005)

1. 1989: The Best Four Years of My Life

2. Your New Favorite Song

3. Five Sexy Alligators, Please

4. I'll Be Your Huckleberry

5. Destination: Pizza

6. Houston, We Have a Drinking Problem

7. Chris, Did You Ruin the Dance Party?

8. Saccharine for My Sweetie

9. Nominative Was The Case They Gave Me

Pee Sout (2006)

1. Scary Barry

2. Gems

3. Let's Get The Fuck Out Of Raccoon City

4. Initiate Mind Explosion Sequence

5. Five Sexy Alligators, Please

6. Chris, Did You Ruin the Dance Party

7. Cole Hutchison 1982-2012

8. 1989, The Best Four Years of My Life

9. More Explosive Than A Jerry Bruckheimer Joint

10. Mind Explosion: The Saga Continues

11. Five Sexy Alligators, Please (Yeah Yeah Remix)

Saturday, 20 February 2021

The End Of Julia

The End Of Julia were a four-piece emo/indie band from Tyler, Texas that were around from 1999-2003 (approximately, I can't find much definite info on this band). What is definite about them is the absolutely stellar full-length they put out in 1999, Sunday Driver, which is a very underrated effort of high-energy punk pop with the tinges of melodic/melancholic emo bred by bands such as Cross My Heart, The Gloria Record, Pop Unknown and Knapsack. Highly, highly recommended stuff. Enjoy.

Sunday Driver (1999)

1. What Happened To Forever?

2. Sail Away

3. Favorites

4. One Last Sunrise

5. Maintaining Radio Silence

6. An Elevated Man

7. Canvas

8. The Blue Period

9. Long-Awaited December

The Emo Diaries - Chapter 5: I Guess This Is Goodbye

12. The End Of Julia - Landmine

Saturday, 13 February 2021

The Last Forty Seconds

"I wish I had stayed, I do". I spent the last wracking my brain and come up with the perfect band this year, and began to look back. This little tradition began in 2013 with The Saddest Landscape and Her Breath On Glass, which to this day are virtually uncontested in their appropriateness for the holiday. Naturally, I had to include the band Andy Maddox was in prior to the aforementioned, which makes them the perfect band to bury your head in your hands to today. That absent feeling in your chest will be there forever, but at least this might distract from the loneliness today. I also included a list of all previous instalments at the bottom in case this flatlining of your heart wasn't enough. Don't enjoy.

The Last Forty Seconds were a three-piece screamo band from Northampton, Massachusetts that were around from 1999 to 2001. Sonically, they are loosely comparable to classic screamo acts such as Portraits Of Past and You And I. This band is especially notable from its line-up, which includes members involved in a ton of other incredible projects, including Ampere, Wolves, Montcalm, and Ritual Mess, in addition to the aforementioned The Saddest Landscape and Her Breath On Glass. Fans of any of those should definitely check this out, as they recall (though they pre-date) the cathartic melancholy of The Saddest Landscape and visceral dissonance of Ampere. What more could you want for today's mourning? Looking back only makes the future look bleaker. Happy V-Day.

Demo (1999)

1. Tristessa

2. What I Like To Do In My Spare Time

3. Consumed

4. Third Time Is Never The Charm

The Last Forty Seconds (2000)

1. I Felt A Funeral In My Brain

2. The Third Time Is Never The Charm

3. Number Eight

4. My Favorite Actor

5. Cutting Down The Glare

6. Waking From The Dreamdate

The Last Forty Seconds/Sundowner (2001)

1. The Last Forty Seconds - Tristessa

2. The Last Forty Seconds - ...And Never Let Go

3. Sundowner - Bullet Gone Astray

4. Sundowner - Innocent By-Stander

The Last Forty Seconds/A Trillion Barnacle Lapse (2001)

1. The Last Forty Seconds - Open Letter To Anestheist

2. The Last Forty Seconds - Where Were You On The Nineteenth

3. A Trillion Barnacle Lapse - Tips To Conceive A Typing Instructor

4. A Trillion Barnacle Lapse - The Active Ingredients Of A Home Appliance Rebellion

5. A Trillion Barnacle Lapse - I Am A Xerox Machine, But My Father Said He Was The Same When He Was My Age

Previous Installments

The Saddest Landscape / Her Breath On Glass (2013)

iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook (2014)

You And I (2015)

Love Lost But Not Forgotten (2016)

In Loving Memory (2017)

Kite Flying Society (2018)

The Khayembii Communiqué (2019)

Harrison Bergeron (2020)

Undone

Undone were a four-piece hardcore/screamo band from Mantes-la-Jolie, France that were around from 1993 to 1996. Along with bands like Anomie and Peu Être, Undone were one of the many incredible bands to come out of the French screamo scene in the mid-90s. This band in particular took a darker, hardcore-oriented root to their sound, with influences from bands like Downcast, Frail and Angel Hair being fairly apparent. They've got a solid slew of material here, so enjoy.

Demo (1993)

1. Intro Song

2. We Don't Fit In

3. Machines

4. No Common Points

5. We Got Vibed

6. But You Love Religion

Undone (1994)

1. Loud Silence At Home

2. Under Their Flag

3. New Sense

4. Truthful Lies

Dark Future (1995)

1. Out Of Me

2. My Nothingness

3. The Sleeping Beauty

4. Resignation

5. Untitled

6. Dark Future

7. Ashamed

8. Oppressed

9. Leave

10. Under Their Flag

11. Witness

Live Benefit For Animal Liberation (1996)

1. Undone - Side A

2. Peu Être - Side B

The Other Side (1996)

1. I Would Do Much More

2. Our Silence Kills

3. I'm Happy You're Dead

4. The Other Side

Thursday, 11 February 2021

Gauge Means Nothing

Gauge Means Nothing were a four-piece emo/screamo band from Tokyo, Japan that began in 1997 and broke up in 2005. Their output was fairly limited, with only one EP and one split (that I can find, at least). They were a truly unique band that's hard to pin down where they sit in screamo history. They constructed long, dynamic songs that can be be loosely compared to a band like Envy, but they go above and beyond and incorporate things that no other band would do. For one, the vocals are split harsh screams and sweetly sung with pop sensibilities, and are often layered on top of each other thanks to their dual vocalists. They utilize a variety of instrumentation (often in the background), including keyboards, trumpets, and what I think is a xylophone one one track. They even take the standard four-piece band instrumentation to another level, particularly the drum interlude in "I Think I Sink Ai Shinku". For the few tracks we have of theirs, they really set themselves apart as a must-listen. Enjoy.

The Absent Trail Of An Echo And My Future Plagued By Surrender (2003)

1. Pilgrims

2. My Glasses Reflect an Untrue View on My Eyes

3. Boku Wa Bikaiin (I'm Glorify Commissioner)

4. (Surely) Dyes Black

5. Right Hand

My Precious/Gauge Means Nothing (2005)

1. My Precious - Lost in Transition

2. My Precious - I Love Daddy (For Daghdad)

3. My Precious - Bliss

4. Gauge Means Nothing - Lost Eternity

5. Gauge Means Nothing - I Think I Sink Ai Shinku

6. Gauge Means Nothing - Beneath the Same Sky

Tuesday, 9 February 2021

1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal

1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal are a three-piece post-hardcore/emo/screamo band from Kita-Kyushu, Japan that began in 1999 and ended in 2004. They were an incredibly unique band, taking influence from the hardcore roots of bands like Dag Nasty or Ignition and blending it with the darker, off-kilter sounds of bands like Yaphet Kotto. They had a genre-defying penchant for melody and song structure, with a sound that was equal parts melancholy and energy. Their sole LP, Owari Wa Konai is criminally underrated, and really in a league of its own with a distinct, impassioned sound. Highly recommended stuff. Enjoy.

Letter (1999)

1. Nandedaro

2. Atarashii Tabira

3. Genjitsu

4. Kage

5. Moshikashitara

Minority Blues Band/1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal (2000)

1. Minority Blues Band - Antiheroic

2. Minority Blues Band - Flow My Tears

3. Minority Blues Band - Naked Me

4. Minority Blues Band - Lukewarm Days

5. Minority Blues Band - Days Are Passing Romantically

6. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Magarikado

7. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Katachi

8. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Gurasu No Mukou

9. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Kanjiteirunoha

10. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Miharashino Okahe

Owari Wa Konai (2003)

1. With Smile And Slobber

2. The End Never Comes

3. On The Highway Midnight

4. Choose

5. There Is Nothing

6. Dear You

7. Rambo

8. Don't Turn Your Eyes Away

9. Anyway

Aghast/1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal (2004)

1. Aghast - Telescope

2. Aghast - Oxygen

3. Aghast - Medium Is The Message

4. Aghast - My Friend Slobodane

5. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - The Place I Stand

6. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Reach Out

5. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Can Only Get Off

Sunday, 7 February 2021

Cease Upon The Capitol

Cease Upon The Capitol were a three-piece screamo band from Nashville, Tennessee that were around from 2004 to 2007. They were insanely prolific in that time, releasing two fantastic full-lengths and a number of splits, EPs, and compilation tracks. Conveniently, this was all compiled in 2014 along with demos and live tracks, which is what's available below. Sonically, they encapsulated a variety of sounds, making them really hard to pin down in an overarching description. They utilize the dark, heavy aggression of bands like June Paik or Danse Macabre with just enough melody to keep it on the brink of dissonant collapse, which also evokes comparisons to Raein or La Quiete. On top of that, they occasionally utilize the atmospheric post-rock sound, providing some strong dynamics and fluctuating emotions. I don't know if that description does them any justice, but they are a must for fans of screamo from this era.

On a side note, this band has been on my "to-do" list for months, and I almost got around to doing it in December. Since there were already a bunch of other posts to get through, I figured I'd wait until the following month. Then of course January 2021 became the absolute worst time to include a post with this name in the title, so finally here it is. Enjoy.

Discography 2004-2007 (2014)

1. Yelling "Fire" In A Crowded Theatre

2. Citizenship

3. Breaking A Coma

4. Mothers & Widows

5. The End Of History

6. Body By Design

7. Protocol For The Left

8. King Of The World

9. Turn-Offs Include...

10. Scaleback The Dosage

11. Lullabies And Bad Dreams

12. Bombs Away

13. More Red Lines

14. Untitled (Emo Armageddon Spoken Word)

15. Paralysis

16. Untitled (2006 Album Track 1)

17. Untitled (2006 Album Track 2)

18. Untitled (2006 Album Track 3)

19. Untitled (2006 Album Track 4)

20. Untitled (2006 Album Track 5)

21. Untitled (2006 Album Track 6)

22. Untitled (2006 Album Track 7)

23. Untitled (2006 Album Track 8)

24. Untitled (2006 Album Track 9)

25. Untitled (2006 Album Track 10)

26. Cell

27. Untitled (2007 Album Track 1)

28. Untitled (2007 Album Track 2)

29. Untitled (2007 Album Track 3)

30. Untitled (2007 Album Track 4)

31. Untitled (2007 Album Track 5)

32. Untitled (2007 Album Track 6)

33. Untitled (2007 Album Track 7)

34. Untitled (2007 Album Track 8)

35. Untitled (2007 Album Track 9)

36. Untitled (2007 Album Track 10)

37. A Good Death

38. Protocol For The Left

39. Pleased

40. Fucking Wrong

41. Untitled (Third Memory Split)

42. Il A Fallu Ne Rien Dire (Third Memory Cover)

43. People Before Profit (Breaking A Coma Demo)

44. Citizenship (Demo)

45. Yelling "Fire" In A Crowded Theatre (Demo)

46. Mothers & Widows (Demo)

47. The End Of History (Demo)

48. Lullabies And Bad Dreams (Live)

49. More Red Lines (Live)

50. Mothers And Widows (Live)

51. Paralysis (Live)

52. Protocol For The Left (Live)

Bandcamp

Saturday, 6 February 2021

Dear Diary I Seem To Be Dead

Dear Diary I Seem To Be Dead were a four-piece screamo/hardcore band from New Orleans, Louisiana that were around from 2002 to 2003. They released one EP of screamy hardcore in the vein of bands such as Reversal Of Man and Majority Rule. It's a solid release on its own, but this band is also notable for its vocalist, Bryan Funck, who has been a member of sludge metal band Thou since 2007. Enjoy.

Dear Diary I Seem To Be Dead (2003)

1. 09.11.01

2. 08.26.20

3. 03.01.04

4. 10.07.02

5. 04.08.03

6. 04.25.03

Bandcamp

Thursday, 4 February 2021

Sinaloa

Sinaloa are a three-piece post-hardcore band from Somerville, Massachusetts that began in 2001. Perhaps the most apt description of them is the marriage of the Ebullition/Gravity roster with the Dischord roster, resulting in a balancing act of chaos and calculation that carried them through the a decade. Fans of bands such as Circus Lupus, Antioch Arrow, and Yaphet Kotto will undoubtedly dig the angular chords, shuddering rhythms and shouted vocals that Sinaloa made their trademark over a slew of releases. If you're new to this band I'd suggest starting with Footprints On Floorboards, though they were a band of such consistency that just about everything is work checking out. Enjoy.

Demo (2002)

1. Can You See Me Through Your Rose-Colored Glasses?

2. Rich Haven

3. Fictitious End Overtaken is Stasis

4. People Mover

Fathers And Sons (2003)

1. Don't Let This Tie You Down

2. Silenced Through Justice

3. Brendan

4. An Aberration

5. Can You Still See Me Through Your Rose Colored Glasses

6. Pete

7. Ancestry is Relative

8. Hello To Goodnight

9. Night Noise

10. Rich Haven

11. Order By Border

12. Luke

13. Tales Of A First Grade Nothing

14. People Mover

15. *

Wolves/Sinaloa (2004)

1. Wolves - 16

2. Sinaloa - New Teen Craze

3. Sinaloa - Strike Aloud

Life At These Speeds/Sinaloa (2005)

1. Life At These Speeds - Landfilled

2. Sinaloa - Montgomery Express

Footprints On Floorboards (2005)

1. My Hands Hold Fire

2. Polar Bears and Cubs

3. Only In Dreams

4. November's Unanswered Questions

5. Tracing Portraits

6. Words Through Wires

7. Static

8. Green Street

9. Regard To Structure

10. With Our Ears To The Soil

Catena Collapse/Sinaloa (2006)

1. Sinaloa - Drawing In Dirt

2. Catena Collapse - Maze Of Traits

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

Daniel Striped Tiger/Sinaloa (2008)

1. Daniel Striped Tiger - An Errand To Run and Untying Knots

2. Sinaloa - Cause And Effect

Oceans Of Islands (2008)

1. Tread, Not Trudge

2. What We Could Not Move

3. Ashes Of Giants

4. Seek Harbor

5. Voices Resound

6. Rows Of Tops

7. No Bearing

8. Echoes

9. Name Names

10. Legs.Limbs.Wings

Chapel & Basement (2009)

1. Tread, Not Trudge

2. What We Could Not Move

3. Ashes Of Giants

4. Seek Harbor

5. Voices Resound

6. Rows Of Tops

7. No Bearing

8. Echoes

9. Name Names

10. Legs.Limbs.Wings

Sinaloa (2010)

1. Night Vision

2. Redirect

3. Scars Showing

4. Older Men

Bandcamp

Spotify

Monday, 1 February 2021

Iselia

Iselia are a six-piece post-hardcore/screamo band from North Carolina that began in 2010. I think their line-up has been whittled down to a four-piece since then, but can't be 100% sure. What I can be sure of is this band should have been peak "Sophie" circa 2012-2014, and one of many, many bands I look back on and can't believe I missed out on a post then. Admittedly, what is perhaps their magnum opus Life From Dead Limbs I have not revisited in years, but going back it's still hard-hitting and bittersweet to reminiscence in the burgeoning of bands such as Iselia, State Faults, I Create, Maths, and Calculator that blurred the lines between post-hardcore, emo, and post-rock to bring "screamo" into the 2010s. I highly recommend all their material, as I think they've become a little underrated as the years have dragged on, but the aforementioned Life From Dead Limbs is an absolute must.

These were on constant repeat back then, so I figured there was no better band to introduce what I have arbitrarily dubbed "screamo month" on Sophie's Floorboard, where I catch up on a bunch of bands that should have already been here. Read into that with a grain of salt, as it's just what I conjured up realizing I've got about 4-5 bands coming this month that should have been day one additions, as well as our ceremonial Feb 14th dour session. Enjoy.