Common Sage

Common Sage are a four-piece post-hardcore/emo/alternative band from Brooklyn, New York that formed in 2018. They've released a few EP's and three full-lengths since then, the latest of which came out at the end of November this year via Equal Vision Records. I wasn't really familiar with this band until recently, when a few of you guys requested them, and I completely understand why. Their melting pot of influences is right up this blog's alley, being melancholic as hell, with melodious vocals, effects-laden arpeggios, seeringly angular riffs, cathartic climaxes, and off-kilter, textured rhythms. They sound like a lot of things, ergo sounding like their own thing. But to give you an easy point of reference, if you're into Taking Back Sunday, On The Might Of Princes, Quicksand, Balance And Composure, you'll dig this, with some added flashes of things such as The Blood Brothers and Modest Mouse. Regardless of my poor descriptors here, Closer To; is worth your time to check out, and I thank you guys for your recommendation of it. My Top 50 list is pretty much solidified at this point, but if I had more time with it I could definitely see this record making the cut, it's one of the year's finest. Enjoy.

"Where are you? I'm in Klamath Falls, are you here?" (2018)

1. Klamath Falls, OR

2. oh, December

3. a Dead Tree, a Dead Shopping Mall Outlet

4. Bassett, NE

5. Nailbiter

6. Montauk, NY

7. Roadkill

8. Virginia

9. Omer, MI

10. Tiny White Spiders

11. Sure Is Weird

12. Hold Hope Peninsula

Might As Well Eat The Chicken, We Won't Be Here In The Morning (2020)

1. "part i" (Original)

2. Wraparound Background

3. "part i" (A Rearrangement)

4. Saw Daddy

5. "part i" (Continued)

6. Wet Grass

It Lives And It Breathes (2021)

1. Daydream

2. Think About The Desert

3. Sour

4. Only Human

5. River

6. Book Burning

7. In The Back

8. An Earthquake

9. Fall Down

10. Sheol

Nostos | Algos (2024)

1. Hiraeth

2. Edin

3. Rituals

Closer To; (2024)

1. Witness (feat. Stay Inside)

2. Vehicles

3. Come Undone

4. Shiver

5. Until I'm Gone

6. 47.

7. Waste

8. Bulrushes (feat. Sainthood Reps)

9. (desiderium)

10. Patient & Kind

11. Apparitions

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Closure

Closure were a five-piece screamo/emo band from Rockville Center, New York that were active sometime in late 90's, most likely 1996-1997. Unsurprisingly, their output is very limited, consisting of one compilation track, a split (with the fantastic Breakwater), and a sole LP, their essential release. They masterfully use loud/quiet dynamics, with wiry and angular guitar leads cutting through hard-hitting chords and pounding rhythms, with a scathing vocal delivery. If you're into bands like Portraits Of Past or Four Hundred Years, this underrated gem will be of massive appeal to you. If you need any coercing, they were also they were tangentially related to Saetia back in the day, playing shows together and sharing a label (The Mountain C.I.A. put out both bands self-titled releases).  Enjoy.

Breakwater/Closure (1996)

1. Closure - Servant To Silence

2. Closure - The Children's Crusade

3. Breakwater - Eleven

I Can't Live Without It (1996)

4. The Trial

Closure (1997)

1. K.M.

2. Sebastian

3. Silhouetted

4. Inferno

5. Time Off

6. Untitled

Last Days Of August

Last Days Of August were a five-piece emo from Long Island, New York that were around from 1997 to 2000. They put out a demo, split with The Remington, a self-titled 7" and self-titled full-length . Their entire output was compiled and released by Beginners Tapes in 2022. They played incredibly melancholic songs with a driving energy, with melancholic guitar noodling indebted to both midwest emo and post-hardcore. As far as "2nd wave emo" goes, they leaned into the poppier side of things, with great distinct songwriting and strong vocal melodies, despite their forlorn delivery. The self-titled LP is essential, though worth digging into their rawer back catalogue found on the discography. If you're a fan of bands including The Get Up Kids, Braid, Jimmy Eat World, Texas Is The Reason, and The Promise Ring, check this out. Enjoy.

Last Days Of August 7" (1998)

1. Written In White Ink

2. Baltimore Again

Last Days Of August (1999)

1. Wishful Thinking

2. Braille

3. In Heaven Everything's Fine

4. A Sailor's Dream

5. Marathon

6. First Light, False Down

7. The Art Of Breathing

8. Carousel

9. Cheating Distance

10. Paper Hearts & Broken Glass

Complete Recordings (1997-2000) (2021)

1. Wishful Thinking

2. Braille

3. In Heaven Everything's Fine

4. A Sailor's Dream

5. Marathon

6. First Light, False Down

7. The Art Of Breathing

8. Carousel

9. Cheating Distance

10. Paper Hearts & Broken Glass

11. Written In White Ink

12. Baltimore Again

13. Six Ways From Sunday

14. Words I Wish Were Mine

15. Dead Boys Club

16. Carousels ("Carousel" Demo)

17. Holy Thursday ("The Art Of Breathing" Demo)

18. My Sky (Demo)

19. Fay (Demo)

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Watership Down

Watership Down were a five-piece emo/screamo band from New York (not sure exactly where) that were active in the late 90's (possibly from 1997 to 2003). There's really not a ton info out there on this band, so I can't say much for certain. They put out a three-song release in 1997 and a compilation track in 1998. Apparently there is more material out there from them (particularly a handful of tracks on a sampler), but I've yet to track them down.  The band Atomship also used the moniker Watership Down for a while, so it's even here to try and search for anything on them. If anybody has any info or more tracks, please send them my away! Sonically, they incorporated the melancholic arpeggios of midwest emo with cathartic, distorted crescendos, often with dual vocals screaming and singing. If you're into bands including Split Lip, Texas Is The Reason, Midvale, Amber Inn, or Maggat, be sure check this out! Enjoy.

Watership Down (1997)

1. Second Step Still

2. Spoken Silence

3. If Tomorrow Ever Gets There

Blood, Sweat & Tears: A Compilation (1998)

9. Watership Down - Tme Bandit

Another Breath

Another Breath were a five-piece melodic hardcore band from Fulton, New York that were around from 2003 to 2011, with a one-off reunion show occurring in 2018. Across three releases (and a demo that I'm missing) the band brought vigor and earnestness to their tried-and-true sound, which incorporated anthemic vocals and an instrumental energy that makes it hard to sit still. If you're familiar with the melodic hardcore of the 2000's, this band will be undeniable to you. This may be way off, but they sort of sit somewhere between Kid Dynamite and American Nightmare. Not Now, Not Ever is my personal favourite from them, so that's probably the best jumping off point (literally and figuratively). Enjoy. 

Not Now, Not Ever (2004)

1. Racing A Fading Image

2. Token

3. Rotting

4. Clio

5. Passing The Torch

6. Surfacing

7. 17 Minutes

8. Truth In The Television

Mill City (2006)

1. Jailbreak

2. Marla

3. A Tragic Hero

4. Coward

5. Sincerity

6. I'm Pro-You-Shutting-The-Fuck-Up

7. Diesel And Gunpowder

8. Organized Crime

9. Spineless

10. Orange

11. Coming Home

12. Off With Your Head

13. Anchors

14. Walls Without Windows

15. Catharsis (The Conclusion)

The God Complex (2009)

1. No God

2. Sin Eater

3. Nausea

4. I Want To Live

5. The God Complex

6. Belly Of A Whale

7. Dogtown

8. Weight

9. Mayko

10. I Am The Messiah

11. Eleventh Hour

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Exhibition

Exhibition are a five-piece hardcore band from Buffalo, New York that formed in 2020. Since then, they've dropped a demo, EP, and a full-length, which just came out this year on Triple B Records. The Last Laugh absolutely rips; it's 10 tracks comprised of tight, high energy, thrashy NYHC-inspired hardcore. The riffs are solid, the lead breaks shred, and the band plays with such intense ferocity that its near-impossible to sit still while listening to this. Highly recommended,  this is just a solid album through and through that manages to sit comfortably with both new and old school hardcore sensibilities. Enjoy.

Demo (2020)

1. Losing Control

2. Exhibition

3. The Last Laugh

4. Livin' In The Past

You'll Be Next... (2021)

1. Bottom Feeder

2. Adapt Or Die

3. Give It Up

4. Chaos Unfolding

The Last Laugh (2023)

1. Exhibition

2. Losing Control

3. Can This Last Forever?

4. Predator

5. Bottom Feeder

6. Your Way Back

7. Crucified

8. The Last Laugh

9. On The Run

10. The Fire

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Ennui

Ennui are a five-piece screamo/hardcore band from Long Island, New York that formed in 2020. Thus far, they've released one demo and one split of hardcore-influenced screamo. The band utilizies heavy, discordant, and angular riffs, brooding rhythms and raw vocals in their crushing delivery. Fans of bands including Yaphet Kotto, Joshua Fit For Battle, Welcome The Plague Year and others from that era should definitely check this out. Enjoy.

Two Songs (2022)

1. Apex Homunculus

2. Burial Gift

Ennui/Apostles Of Eris (2022)

1. Ennui - Beside The Door Of Becoming

2. Ennui - Burning Astronaut

3. Ennui - Rude Goldberg

4. Apostles Of Eris - Anxieties From The Material Realm

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Worriers

Worriers are a four-piece punk band from Brooklyn, New York that formed in 2011. They were formed by singer/guitarist Lauren Denitzio following the breakup of their former band The Measure. They are the primary member and songwriter of Worriers, with a number of others coming in and out to round up the line-up, including Mikey Erg. They've put out three full-lengths and a handful of EP's thus far, primarily through Don Giovanni Records and 6131. I'm ashamed to admit that I have been sleeping on this band for years, as the name came up a lot but I never bothered to properly check them out, and I have been sorely missing out. They've got a great energy to them, penning catchy songs with personal lyrics. Really recommended for fans of Against Me!, RVIVR, Iron Chic and the like, this is absolutely a band I'll be revisiting a lot in the future and do not recommend missing out on them like I've been. Enjoy.

Past Lives (2011)

1. Past Lives

2. Promise Me (You'll Never Say That In Front Of My Friends)

3. Deconstruction Site

4. Made To Mend

Cruel Optimist (2013)

1. Cruel Optimist

2. Precarity Rules

3. Passion

4. Best Case Scenario

5. Never Were

6. The Only Claude That Matters

7. Killjoy

8. Why We Try

Sinead O'Rebellion (2013)

1. Sinead O'Rebellion

2. Get Bored

3. Happy Here

Imaginary Life (2015)

1. Jinx

2. Plans

3. Glutton For Distance

4. Parts

5. Unwritten

6. Life During Peacetime

7. Good Luck

8. Yes All Cops

9. They / Them / Theirs

10. Advance Notice

11. Most Space

12. Chasing

Survival Pop (2017)

1. My 85th Rodeo

2. Not Your Type

3. The Possibility

4. Gaslighter

5. What We're Up Against

6. Future Me

7. Self Esteemed

8. No Thanks

9. Glutton (Reprise)

10. WTF Is Sleep?

11. Best Fear / Worst Fantasy

12. Open Heart

13. Future Me

Devinyl Splits Vol. 2 (2019)

3. No More Bad News

You or Someone You Know (2020)

1. End Of The World

2. PWR CPLE

3. Big Feelings

4. Terrible Boyfriend

5. Chicago Style Pizza Is Terrible

6. Curious

7. What Comes Next?

8. Enough

9. Relentless Noise

10. Grand Closing

The Old Friends EP (2021)

1. Rollercoaster (Bleachers cover)

2. Letter From An Occupant (The New Pornographers cover)

3. Keeping Me Alive (Tom Petty cover)

4. Old Friend (Rancid cover)

5. That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate (Mission of Burma cover)

Warm Blanket (2023)

1. Doom Scrolling

2. Prepared To Forget

3. Warm Blanket

4. Power Pop Mixtape

5. Creep

6. Pollen In The Air

7. Murder Ballad

8. Never Quite Kicks In

9. Provisional Hope

10. You Don't Need Me

Trust Your Gut (2023)

1. Hold My Breath

2. Trust Your Gut

3. I'm Not Mad

4. Waste Of Space

5. Back Yard Garden

6. Cloudy And 55

7. Anything Else

8. Losing The Thread

9. Charming

10. Math

11. Top 5

12. Friends Or Something

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Magrudergrind

Magrudergrind are a three-piece grindcore/powerviolence band from Washington, DC that formed in 2002, and later relocated to Brooklyn, New York. They've been a staple extreme music for two decades now, with a plethora of fast-paced, pummelling and intensive material to their name. Think early Napalm Death meets Discharge, for a very brief and surface level reference point. They probably don't need much introduction, as most people familiar with grind have most likely heard this band. If not, you're in for one hell of a ride here. 

From 2003 to 2005 they released a ton of material, which was compiled on Sixty Two Trax of Thrash. I included the individual releases to satisfy the completist in me, but you really only need the compilation. It's solid stuff, though their best material came after it. In particular, their self-titled full-length and II (both produced by Kurt Ballou) are essential. Enjoy.

Don't Support Humanitary Aid Lead By The Church (2003)

1. Gangrene On Your Feet

2. Agnostic Technology

3. Army Of None

4. Hitler Only Had One Testicle Pt 1

5. Humanitary Aid

6. Kill To Trash

7. Song Seven

8. Suburban Bloodshed

9. Elitists In Hardcore

10. Hitler Only Had One Testicle Pt 2

11. Ballad Of Christ

12. The Prick Has Made Its Name

13. America On Alert

14. Grind/Jazz Fusion

15. 3:28AM

16. Fuck Your Protein Source

17. Blood Covered Hands

18. Housewife Plague

Religious Baffle (2003)

1. The Plastic Cancer

2. Served Chunky Blood Instead Of Marinara Sauce

3. Slave Labor In A Cup

4. My LeftHand (Japanese)

5. Spitting Up Sin

6. Stop Then Sweatshop

7. Religious Baffle

8. The Fast One

9. Vomit Soup

10. My LeftHand (English)

11. War For Oil, Spill More Blood For Soil

12. Untitled

Not A Happy Meal For A 13 Year Old Girl Who Found Razor Blades In Her French Fries / Live? (2004)

1. Magrudergrind - Not A Happy Meal For A 13 Year Old Girl Who Found Razor Blades In Her French Fries

2. Magurdergrind - Trophy Cases Full Of Decapitated Human Corpses Won At Last Years YMCA Youth Dismemberment/Suicide Day Event

3. Magrudergrind - TPDG

4. Magrudergrind - Reveresal AM Funeral

5. Magrudergrind - Pieces Of Glass Stuck In Your Severed Knuckles

6. Vomit Spawn - Cumdumpster

7. Vomit Spawn - Vegetarian Straight-Edge Dick

8. Vomit Spawn - Vomitorium

9. Vomit Spawn - Bar-B-Queer

10. Vomit Spawn - Inactivist

11. Vomit Spawn - Asshole

Culture Of Violence/Inherent Death (2004)

1. Magrudergrind - 211

2. Magrudergrind - The Stench Of My Cat's Shit Is Equivalent To Your $50 Perfume

3. Magrudergrind - Culture of Violence

4. Magrudergrind - Blood Not Milk

5. Magrudergrind - In My Quest For The Forsaken Necro Remote, I Stumbled Across Your Mothers Lifeless Corpse Eating A Shit Burrito

6. Magrudergrind - Inhalation White Powder Substance Self-Extermination

7. Akkolyte - Looming Danger

8. Akkolyte - Ode To Alyssa Katron

9. Akkolyte - Inquiring Mind

10. Akkolyte - Inherent Death

11. Akkolyte - Latter Fire

12. Akkolyte - Killing An Arab (The Cure cover)

Owned!! (2004)

1. Circle Pit Casserole

2. May Lai Massacre

3. Letter Bomb To Real Estate Company Is Less Sign Distribution, But More Economic Value For Me

4. The Symptom Undiagnosed

5. Terror Through Exile

6. Power Client Power Washing

7. Workers Pride To Die

Magrudergrind/A Warm Gun (2005)

1. Magrudergrind - Anti Scenester Motivation

2. Magrudergrind - Spock Cut Depletion

3. Magrudergrind - Esteem On The Floor

4. Magrudergrind - Inventory Of Flesh

5. Magrudergrind - Thresh Strike On #63

6. A Warm Gun - Dying In The Streets

7. A Warm Gun - End Of A Noose

8. A Warm Gun - Un Nueva Dia (Rise Up Resist)

A Killer Combo (2005)

1. Godstomper - Combo #1: Family Crisis

2. Godstomper - Combo #2: French Fry

3. Godstomper - Combo #3: Negative Impact

4. Magrudergrind - Combo #1: End Of Season Sale At The Cerebral Department

5. Magrudergrind - Combo #2: I'd Like A Refund Or Expect Arson Against Your Place Of Business

6. Magrudergrind - Combo #3: Mr. Arnold Palmer? Nice Meal For Jeffrey Dahmer

7. Magrudergrind - Combo #4: My Inner Self Is Telling Me That Something In This Room Is At It's Unintelligent High Point

8. Magrudergrind - Combo #5: Spicy Delight

Humanity In Decline (2005)

1. Sanity's Dawn - Kill You

2. Sanity's Dawn - Suicide

3. Sanity's Dawn - Hate

4. Magrudergrind - A Reaction With A Steak Knife

5. Magrudergrind - Casa Blanca Detonation

5. Magrudergrind - The 2nd Wave

6. Magrudergrind - Fascist Found Hung

Sixty Two Trax Of Thrash (2005)

1. A Reaction With A Steak Knife

2. Casa Blanca Detonation

3. The 2nd Wave

4. Fascist Found Hung

5. End Of Season Sale At The Cerebral Department

6. I'd Like A Refund Or Expect Arson Against Your Place Of Business

7. Mr. Arnold Palmer? Nice Meal For Jeffrey Dahmer

8. My Inner Self Is Telling Me That Something In This Room Is At It's Unintelligent High Point

9. Spicy Delight

10. Anti Scenester Motivation

11.  Spock Cut Depletion

12. Esteem On The Floor

13. Inventory Of Flesh

14. Thresh Strike On #63

15. Circle Pit Casserole

16. May Lai Massacre

17. Letter Bomb To Real Estate Company Is Less Sign Distribution, But More Economic Value For Me

18. The Symptom Undiagnosed

19. Terror Through Exile

20. Power Client Power Washing

21. Workers Pride To Die

22. Thrash Unit Three Five Five

23. 211

24. The Stench Of My Cat's Shit Is Equivalent To Your $50 Perfume

25. Culture of Violence

26. Blood Not Milk

27. In My Quest For The Forsaken Necro Remote, I Stumbled Across Your Mothers Lifeless Corpse Eating A Shit Burrito

28. Inhalation White Powder Substance Self-Extermination

29. Not A Happy Meal For A 13 Year Old Girl Who Found Razor Blades In Her French Fries

30. Trophy Cases Full Of Decapitated Human Corpses Won At Last Years YMCA Youth Dismemberment/Suicide Day Event

31. TPDG

32. Reversal AM Funeral

33.Pieces Of Glass Stuck In Your Severed Knuckles 

34. The Plastic Cancer

35. Served Chunky Blood Instead Of Marinara Sauce

36. Slave Labor In A Cup

37. My LeftHand (Japanese)

38. Spitting Up Sin

39. Stop Then Sweatshop

40. Religious Baffle

41. The Fast One

42. Vomit Soup

43. My LeftHand (English)

44. War For Oil, Spill More Blood For Soil

45. Gangrene On Your Feet

46. Agnostic Technology

47. Army Of None

48. Hitler Only Had One Testicle Pt 1

49. Humanitary Aid

50. Kill To Trash

51. Song Seven

52. Suburban Bloodshed

53. Elitists In Hardcore

54. Hitler Only Had One Testicle Pt 2

55. Ballad Of Christ

56. The Prick Has Made Its Name

57. America On Alert

58. Grind/Jazz Fusion

59. 3:28AM

60. Fuck Your Protein Source 

61. Blood Covered Hands

62. Housewife Plague

Magrudergrind/Sylvester Staline (2006)

1. Magrudergrind - Employer Execution

2. Magrudergrind - Lung Drenched Gasoline, Syphon Inhale Apprehended Wrong

3. Magrudergrind - Violent Poser Assault

4. Magrudergrind - Power Violence Not Sex And Violence (The Exploited cover)

5. Sylvester Staline - N.Y.D.M. Can't Give You The Right To Free Public Transport

6. Sylvester Staline - Pornouhkia

7. Sylvester Staline - Your Emo Girlfriend Is Our Stupid Bitch

8. Sylvester Staline - Bulletproof Bikini

9. Sylvester Staline - Revolution 4 Everyone

10. Sylvester Staline - Put Ya Feet Up In The Air

11. Sylvester Staline - Let's Going Fuck! (Spazz cover)

Magrudergrind/Shitstorm (2006)

1. Magrudergrind - Intro

2. Magrudergrind - Siphon The Slit

3. Magrudergrind - I Saw Jahova Sipping A 40 At The Corner Of Georgia Ave

4. Magrudergrind - Smash Micros Like Its 1999

5. Magrudergrind - Organized Cell Death

6. Magrudergrind - Complete Deprivation

7. Magrudergrind - Emo Holocaust

8. Magrudergrind - Dahmered Again

9. Magrudergrind - Scholastic Burnout

10. Magrudergrind - Escalvo De Salario

11. Shitstorm - Desensitized

12. Shitstorm - Getting Heated

13. Shitstorm - Closed Mind

14. Shitstorm - Destroy Them All

15. Shitstorm - World Of Shit

16. Shitstorm - Rent A Cop

17. Shitstorm - Hurley Punks

18. Shitstorm - Crack Lady

19. Shitstorm - No Freedom

20. Shitstorm - Ignorant Extermination

21. Shitstorm - Hide Behind The Screen

22. Shitstorm - Ego Trip

23. Shitstorm - Anxiety

24. Shitstorm - Religious War

Rehashed (2007)

1. Closed Off

2. Kept Laughing

3. I'm Fucking Done

4. The Final Pollution

5. JC And AA

6. Deceiver

7. Financial Downpour On Tight Ties

8. Putting Anthrax In The Beer Tape On Britpop Saturdays

9. Rehashed

10. The Fast End Theory

11. No God Rhetoric [Served Here]

12. Layer Of Waste

13. Zero Substance

14. Trustfund Whitey

15. Too Good For Good

16. Karma Smacks You In Your Face

17. Trend Bender

18. Drifting Away

This Comp Kills Fascists Vol 1 (2008)

39. Inevitable Progression

40. Heavy Bombing

41. Burden

Magrudergrind (2009)

1. The Protocols Of Anti-Sound

2. Pulverizing Hate Mongers

3. Rejecting The Militant Promise

4. Assimilated Pollutants

5. Abuse Of Philanthropic Self Gain

6. Fools of Contradiction

7. Heretics

8. Bridge Burner

9. Cranial Media Parasite

10. Excommunicated

11. The Price Of Living By Delinquent Ideals

12. Built To Blast

13. Lyrical Ammunition For Scene Warfare

14. Rise And Fall Of Empires Past

15. Heavier Bombing

16. Martys Of The Shoah

17. Untitled

Crusher (2010)

1. Leech

2. Conditioned Minds

3. Incapacity Reigns

4. Stagnant

5. Heaviest Bombing

6. Cognition

II (2016)

1. Imperium In Imperio

2. Divine Dictation

3. The Opportunist

4. Relentless Hatred

5. Sacrificial Hire

6. War For Resources

7. Black Banner

8. Hara-Kiri

9. Stale Affairs

10. Regressive Agenda

11. Incarceration State

12. Unit 731

13. Icaro

14. Husayni / Handschar

15. Pharmacide

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