Edaline

Edaline were a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Santa Rosa, California that were around from 1996 to 1999. They released an EP, an LP, and a live album. Sonically, they incorporate dynamic vocals, cathartic climaxes, octave chords/mathy noodling guitars, prominent bass lines, and surprisingly technical drum work. It is what you'd expect out of a vastly underrated 90's emo band, but the tight musicianship and incorporation of almost jazzy elements and varied instrumentation (acoustic guitars, pianos, saxophones) do make them stand out. I hadn't heard of them until recently and they struck me as noteworthy, so give them a try if you've never heard of 'em. Their debut EP is probably your best bet as a starting point, but it's not like there's a ton of material here to work through. Enjoy.

Old City Scenes (1997)

1. Comastar

2. Elevator

3. This Ride

4. Vintage Postcards

5. Spring

6. Broken Ferris Wheel

I Wrote The Last Chapter For You (1999)

1. Andrea Gail

2. Crisis In Silence

3. Stranded

4. This Fabricated Town

5. Southern Pacific

6. Drain It (The End Result)

7. Crescent Moon Eyes

8. Thinking Of View

Live At The Bottom Of The Hill (1999)

1. Elevator

2. Southern Pacific

3. Andrea Gail

4. Stranded

5. Comastar

6. This Fabricated Town

7. Drain It (The End Result)

8. Broken Ferris Wheel

9. Comastar

10. Elevator

11. Spring

12. Vintage Postcards

13. Broken Ferris Wheel

14. The Fly Song

Note: Tracks 1-8 live songs, 9-14 are the Old City Scenes EP

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Apple Music

Benton Falls

Benton Falls were a three-piece (originally four-piece) emo/indie band from Santa Rosa, California that formed in 2000 and broke up in 2010. They released two incredible full-length records, as well as a compilation of previously unreleased material, all on Deep Elm Records. Sonically, Benton Falls took their cues from the great emo bands of the decade that preceded them, such as Sunny Day Real Estate and Braid. They utilized quiet, twisting, clean arpeggios, moody, melodic vocals, and explosive build-ups of furious, distorted octave chords and screamed vocals. Their songwriting is top-notch, and they really hit the melancholic note that the genre is renowned for. This band is highly, highly recommended for any fan of that classic emo sound that obviously influenced its current revival. Quick side note, guitarist/vocalist Michael Richardson was a member of The Jealous Sound during their last few years of existence. Enjoy.

Fighting Starlight (2001)

1. All These Things

2. Swimming With You

3. Fighting Starlight

4. Sad Like Winter Leaves

5. Always Behind A Smile

6. June Port Bridge

7. No Hero

8. Coastal

9. Back To Nothing

10. Eudora

Guilt Beats Hate (2003)

1. The Housecall Could Kill

2. The Race To Die

3. Bitter By Choice

4. Trial And Terror

5. Angel On Hiatus

6. Like Portraits On Walls

7. There's No "F" In Team

8. Defining The Warm-Up

9. Beneath The Ashes And Lies

10. Broken Frame

Ashes And Lies (2010)

1. Occupied For Now

2. Hold Out

3. Tell Him

4. These Lies

5. Zinfandel Dream

6. Angel On Hiatus (feat. Clair De Lune)

7. Untitled Demo 1

8. Untitled Demo 2

9. Untitled Demo 3

10. Untitled Demo 4

11. Untitled Demo 5

12. Untitled Demo 6

Deep Elm Records

Slow Bloom - Self-Titled

I know I don't normally do posts on individual albums like this, but I just had to make an exception for the phenomenal new Slow Bloom album. For one, the band has been a friend of the blog's for a while now. I reviewed their debut EP a few years back, which you can check out here, and was completely blown away by this band back then. Fast forward to the present day, and they're back and even better than before. They've gone through a few line-up changes, re-recorded the three songs on their EP, and wrote another three entirely new songs to create this new self-titled album we've got here.

In 20 minutes, Slow Bloom brings a refreshing energy to a familiar sound. Fans of the classics At The Drive-In and Nirvana will find a pleasant surprise here, mixed in with the noisy, raw, and visceral post-punk of modern bands such as Self Defense Family and Creative Adult. Slow Bloom blast through six songs of shouted vocals and twisting, distorted guitars that give these songs such a fury rarely heard on an actual studio recording. The production is phenomenal, it's got the raw energy of a live recording with the polished mix of a studio recording. If you can't already tell, what's so compelling about this band is that word that keeps coming up, ENERGY. It's pulsating, it's exciting, and it's intense. It's everything a punk/hardcore band should be, tied in with some amazing musicianship and very distinct and memorable songs to boot. From the manic chorus of "Teeth Marks" to the "Drain You"-esque noise bridge of "Vermiforms" to the wah-laden guitar solo of "Obscura Vision", Slow Bloom are an incredible band that I cannot recommend enough. This EP is one of the best you'll hear all year, so don't sleep on it.

Check it out on their Spotify or their Bandcamp (link is below). Enjoy.

Slow Bloom (2016)

1. Teeth Marks

2. Final Heaven

3. Vermiforms

4. Phantom Tantrum

5. Obscura Vision

6. Deep Space

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No Sir

No Sir are a five-piece hardcore/punk band from Santa Rosa, California that formed in 2011. They share members with a ton of bands, including Creative Adult, and have played shows with all the Bay Area hardcore greats, such as Dangers, Graf Orlock, Punch, Comadre, etc. With those to namedrop alone, you know this band has got something good going on. They play a really sludgy brand of hardcore, with a tone that walks the line between Flipper's abrasiveness and Black Sabbath's dark riffs. Throw in the anger and pace of Cursed, and voila, you've got No Sir. They've got a great atmospheric going on, with some really harsh vocals that really stand out, and an instrumental background that proves to be both dysphoric and energetic. Anyway, here's their fantastic debut EP and sole LP. Enjoy.

Holy Land (2011)

1. Welcome To The Holy Land

2. WRSHP

3. The Kingston Beat

4. Pharmacy City

5. Rat Boots

The Future Is Bright (2013)

1. The Future Is Bright

2. The Crowd

3. C.A.L.I.F.O.R.N.I.A.

4. Anxiety Consumption

5. I Doubt I'll Ever Swim Again

6. Wet Worlds

7. I Pushed Back

8. Interlude

9. The Baseline Percentage

10. Bad Vibes

11. Mommy I'm A Good Boy

Slow Bloom

Slow Bloom are a four-piece punk/post-hardcore band from Santa Rosa, California. They just released their debut self-titled EP, which is a seminal piece of work. Slow Bloom have garnered a lot of immediate attention since most of their members also play in State Faults (who you should also definitely check out if you haven't already). However, the minute you hear Slow Bloom, that relationship can easily be forgotten, since they immediately stand out as their own entity. For one, Slow Bloom have got ENERGY. The first track, "Teeth Marks" features a blistering riff, with vocals being shouted with such punk grit, but somehow come off as catchy. The band makes full use of dissonant chords as well, harkening back to post-hardcore greats At The Drive-In. The next two songs continue to punch out this formula, without getting repetitive. The band also incorporates tonalities from atmospheric/gothic post-punk, making them sound like a cross between Self Defense Family and Creative Adult, while still retaining an unmistakable originality. Overall, Slow Bloom manage to knock out three absolutely stellar tracks, which make me look forward to what they have to do next. This is a great punk EP, which is such a simple thing to say, but also a massive compliment, since too many bands settle on being derivative instead of trailblazing down their own path, which is exactly what Slow Bloom does here. Enjoy.

Slow Bloom (2014)

1. Teeth Marks

2. Heaven

3. Deep Space

Slow Bloom (2016)

1. Teeth Marks

2. Final Heaven

3. Vermiforms

4. Phantom Tantrum

5. Obscura Vision

6. Deep Space

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Bandcamp

State Faults

State Faults (formerly known as Brother Bear) are a four-piece post-hardcore/screamo/post-rock band from Santa Rosa, California that formed in 2010. Along with numerous contemporaries, such as Pianos Become The Teeth, Xerxes, Caravels,  Native, We Were Skeletons, etc., they are a part of a new wave of music that blends the aforementioned genres together. Their sound is modern, but their raw passion is equal to the many bands that came before them. They are currently signed to No Sleep, though they worked with Tiny Engines before. If you like the bands previously mentioned, definitely make a note to check out State Faults, since you will surely not be disappointed. Enjoy.

Head In The Clouds (2010)

1. Dreamcatcher

2. Last Breath

3. Tigerlily

4. Nothing Stays

5. Quiet Steps

Desolate Peaks (2012)

1. Sleepwalker

2. Cities

3. Arrowhead

4. Shiver

5. Faultlines

6. Wayfarer

7. Teeth And Bones

8. Sleeptalker

9. Hallways

10. Vespers

11. Skeletons

Vespers [Acoustic] (2012)

1. Vespers (acoustic)

Ugly (2012)

1. Ugly

Resonate/Desperate (2013)

1. Meteor

2. Wildfires

3. Ultima

4. Stalagmites

5. Diamond Dust

6. Disintegration

7. Spectral

8. Incantations

9. Luminaria

10. Amalgamation

11. Old Wounds

No Sleep till the Holidays 2 (2013)

6. Mookie's Last Christmas

Clairvoyant (2019)

1. Dreamcatcher, Pt. II

2. Planetary

3. Moon Sign Gemini

4. Sacrament

5. Olive Tree

6. Sleeplessness

7. Clairvoyant

8. Baptism

9. Funeral Teeth

10. Contaminature

11. Cemetery Lights

Moon Sign Gemini (2020)

1. Moon Sign Gemini

2. Funeral Teeth

3. Despera

4. Dead Teeth

Children Of The Moon (2024)

1. Fragile Light

2. Blood Moon

3. Palo Santo

4. Leviathan

5. Heat Death

6. Looming

7. No Gospel

8. Transfiguration

9. Divination

10. Distant Omen

11. Nazar

12. Palm Reader

13. Wind Song

14. Bodega Head

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No Sleep Records