Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead

Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead are a three-piece screamo/emoviolence band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 2022. Following up their demo last year, their debut "full-length" (clocking in at an exquiste 18 minutes) came out earlier this month, and it hits hard. Its blend of noisy dissonance, breakneck rhythms, octave chord shredding, and occasional exercise in control makes for a chaotically pulverizing but impressively executed listen. If you're into bands like One Eyed God Prophecy, Union Of Uranus, Jeromes Dream, Orchid, and Ostraca, this is not to be missed. Enjoy.

Demo (2023)

1. Marionette

2. Propitation

3. When What Once Worked Suddenly Breaks

4. Aspected Of Dust

Tragedy As Catharsis (2024)

1. Spirit Incantation

2. Glimmer Fate

3. Etchings

4. PErish Song

5. A Deeper Shade Of Night

6. Spiteful Enemy

7. Suzerain

8. Malediction

9. Ritual Symmetry

10. Blood Astronomy

11. Arrangement

12. Meadow Rue

13. Baleful Solitude

Bandcamp

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Japandroids

Post #1200 in our 12th year. I was admittedly dragging my feet trying to figure out what band to use to mark this milestone, because I didn't another gargantuan undertaking like The Replacements and Jimmy Eat World were. Down the line both bands I was considering will still get that treatment (Sleater-Kinney and the Descendents, for the two of you wondering), but as soon as this band popped into my head, I knew I had found the perfect gateway back to posting. Like I said earlier, this blog has been running for 12 years, which coincides with the same number of summers Celebration Rock has been the soundtrack to. With the May 24 weekend upon us (hola Canada), Japandroids season is in session.

Japandroids are two-piece rock/alternative/punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 2006. Since their inception, their sole two members have been guitarist/vocalist Brian King and drummer/vocalist David Prowse. They self-released two EP's in their earlier years (which were later compiled as No Singles) before self-producing their debut full-length, Post-Nothing. The band almost called it quits, but thanks to the online traction that their debut picked up, they ended up embarking on a world tour following its release. It's unsurprising that their sound caught on so quickly, as their energy is positively infectious. In brief summary, they lay a base of noisy garage rock with pounding drums and huge, Hüsker Dü-esque guitars that shimmer with reverb and high-end melodies, while droning open strings to fill in the bass end. While that covers their exterior, these songs at their core take influence from the blue-collar, bleeding heart, youthful exuberance, and personal storytelling of someone like Bruce Springsteen, which is what elevates these songs to become anthems of fist-pumping hot summer nights.

While I do love their debut (try listening to "Wet Hair" without smiling), it was their sophomore release that put them in the stratosphere. The aptly titled Celebration Rock is 8 cuts of giddy euphoria, from the crackle of fireworks and anything-is-possible introduction of "The Nights Of Wine And Roses" to the hesitantly assured closer of "Continuous Thunder", I've always thought that this thing takes place over the span of that one night everyone wants to re-live forever. I'm not going into it too much, but if you're unfamiliar with this band, please start with this.

Following another huge tour in the wake of their massively successful sophomore album, the band were quiet for a few years until their date (and final to date) album, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life. This one features a lot more studio and production tinkering than anything they had done before, resulting in a cleaner sound compared to their off-the-floor-style recordings of their early years. I prefer the first two albums personally, though still think this is a solid addition to expand the Japandroids canon. During the tour for this album, they recorded their show at Toronto's Massey Hall, which was released back in 2020 as a live album, and unfortunately that's the last we've heard from them. As a quick note to go complete the discography breakdown, they recently a series of singles throughout their tenure, most being album tracks on the A-side and covers on the B-side, which choices shows their wide array of influence. The only non-album single cuts are "Heavenward Grand Prix" and "Art Czars", if you're just looking for their originals. In closing, this is music meant for blaring out the car speakers, windows down on a sunny day. Nothing but an open highway around you, and all the time in the world ahead of you. Enjoy.

Post-Nothing (2009)

1. The Boys Are Leaving Town

2. Young Hearts Spark Fire

3. Wet Hair

4. Rockers East Vancouver

5. Heart Sweats

6. Crazy/Forever

7. Sovereignty

8. I Quit Girls

Art Czars (2010)

1. Art Czars

2. Racer-X (Big Black cover)

No Singles (2010)

1. Darkness On The Edge of Gastown

2. No Allegiance To The Queen

3. Sexual Aerosol

4. Lovers/Strangers

5. Lucifer's Symphony

6. Couture Suicide

7. Avant Sleepwalk

8. Coma Complacency

9. To Hell With Good Intentions (Mclusky cover)

10. Press Corps

Younger Us (2010)

1. Younger Us

2. Sex And Dying In High Society (X cover)

Heavenward Grand Prix (2010)

1. Heavenward Grand Prix

2. Shame (PJ Harvey cover)

The House That Heaven Built (2012)

1. The House That Heaven Built

2. Jack The Ripper (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cover)

Celebration Rock (2012)

1. The Nights Of Wine And Roses

2. Fire's Highway

3. Evil's Sway

4. For The Love Of Ivy

5. Adrenaline Nightshift

6. Younger Us

7. The House That Heaven Built

8. Continuous Thunder

Near To The Wild Heart Of Life (2017)

1. Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

2. North East South West

3. True Love And A Free Life Of Free Will

4. I'm Sorry (For Not Finding You Sooner)

5. Arc Of Bar

6. Midnight To Morning

7. No Known Drink Or Drug

8. In A Body Like A Grave

Near To The Wild Heart Of Life 7" (2017)

1. Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

2. Love --> Building On Fire (Talking Heads cover)

North East South West (2017)

1. North East South West

2. Fire In The Western World (Dead Moon cover)

Massey Fucking Hall (2020)
1. Intro: Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

2. Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

3. Fire's Highway

4. Heart Sweats

5. Arc Of Bar

6. Intro: Younger Us

7. Younger Us

8. North East South West

9. The Nights OF Wine And Roses

10. Intro: No Known Drink or Drug

11. No Known Drink or Drug

12. Continuous Thunder

13. Young Hearts Spark Fire

14. Sovereignty

15. Intro: The House That Heaven Built

16. The House That Heaven Built

Fate & Alcohol (2024)

1. Eye Contact High

2. D&T

3. Alice

4. Chicago

5. Upon Sober Reflection

6. Fugitive Summer

7. A Gaslight Anthem

8. Positively 34th Street

9. One Without The Other

10. All Bets Are Off

Bandcamp

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By A Thread

By A Thread are a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 1996 by former members of the hardcore band Strain. Their debut EP came out in 1998, which was followed by a full-length in 1999. Last Of The Daydreams came out via Revelation Records, and is probably their definitive release. It captures the band's sound best, which was a balance between the thick, heavy and angular guitars of Quicksand mixed with the melodic vocals and personal lyrics of something like Sunny Day Real Estate. It's a solid if not mind-blowing sound, and worth checking out as it's kind of been unfortunately forgotten in recent years. 

Following two splits in the early 2000's, the broke up in 2007. Some years later they reunited and released a second album in 2011. It's a worthy follow-up with plenty of solid earworms, though it does make some perplexing use of electronics at points. They've been semi-active since, though nothing has manifested of note for the better part of the past decade. Regardless, check them out, I think Last Of The Daydreams would appeal to a lot more people given the chance to actually hear it. Enjoy.

Kimball (1998)

1. Tunnel Vision

2. Surface

3. Castle

Last Of The Daydreams (1999)

1. Surface

2. Castle

3. Fade

4. A Stale Goodbye

5. Skin Deep

6. )

7. Walkway

8. The World To Me

9. Crushed Beneath

10. January 25

11. Phaedra

Waterdown/By A Thread (2002)

1. By A Thread - Seven Shades Of Grey

2. By A Thread - Tomorrow's Gone

3. By A Thread - Tainted

4. Waterdown - Nails Are Broken Short

5. Waterdown - We're Still Here

6. Waterdown - Tales From The Lawnside

By A Thread/Still Life Projector (2004)

1. Still Life Projector - Never Look Back

2. Still Life Projector - Wearing Me Out

3. Still Life Projector - Object Of Affection

4. Still Life Projector - Cut You Off Where You Stand

5. Still Life Projector - Wait For Me 

6. Still Life Projector - Tragedy Hero

7. By A Thread - Dive In

8. By A Thread - Line Ups

9. By A Thread - Haro

10. By A Thread - Bloodshed

11. By A Thread - Requiem

By A Thread (2011)

1. Fashion

2. Line Up

3. Dive In

4. Tomorrow's Gone

5. Reign

6. Between The Takes

7. Bloodshed

8. Haro

9. Storm

10. Up All Day

11. Frame

12. Eight Track Mind

13. Breathless

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Apple Music

Bandcamp

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Go It Alone

Go It Alone were a five-piece hardcore band from Vancouver, British Columbia that were around from 2002 to 2007. They put out two full-lengths, a handful of EP's and a split in that time. Sonically, they took influence from the era of youth crew bands before them, with breakneck drum beats, melodic guitars, self-reflective lyrics and tons of gang vocals. They brought a vulnerable and desperate energy to their aggression, with songs meant to be screamed in unison. It's no surprise they are often regarded as one of the finest melodic hardcore bands of the 2000's, and one that fans of bands such as Life Long Tragedy, Down To Nothing, and Sinking Ships will undoubtedly love if they're new to you. Their debut album, The Only Blood Between Us is probably where you want to start, as it's the highlight of their discography (in my opinion, at least) though Histories shouldn't be missed either. Enjoy.

Hollywood North (2002)

1. Picking Up The Pieces

2. Close At Hand

3. Reflection

4. Turn It Off

5. Water Finds It's Own Level

6. Go It Alone

Vancouver Gold (2003)

1. Statement

2. Our Mistakes

3. Silence

4. The Best Of You

5. Turn It Off

6. Picking Up The Pieces

Seven Inch Single (2005)

1. Evelyn

2. Nightwatch

3. Ten Percent

The Only Blood Between Us (2005)

1. Cold Winter

2. A Constant Refrain

3. Evelyn

4. The Only Blood Between Us

5. Nothing Gold

6. Flatline

7. Water Finds Its Own Level

8. Shallow Breathing

9. Faith And Fiction

10. Nightwatch

11. Inheritance

12. Nobody But You

Go It Alone/Blue Monday (2006)

1. Go It Alone - Ovaltine

2. Go It Alone - West Boulevard

3. Go It Alone - Daylight

4. Blue Monday - Maplewood

5. Blue Monday - Cathedral Square

6. Blue Monday - Rum Trum Trigger

Histories (2007)

1. Love

2. Histories

3. Beacon

Histories (2007)

1. Relics

2. Rapture

3. Deserter

4. Observer

5. Weight I

6. Love

7. Hate

8. Monastery

9. Grey

10. Weight II

11. Left Of Me

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Breakwater

Breakwater were a four-piece hardcore/emo band from Vancouver, British Columbia that were around from 1994 to 1996. They utilized the loud/soft melodic/chaotic dynamic in the vein of Indian Summer (and originated with Slint), to give you an idea of the post-rock/hardcore blend they were working with. As expected, their discography is incredibly limited but overall very solid, with "Five" being a definite highlight. Enjoy.

Demo (1995)

1. Two

2. Four

3. One

4. Five

5. Seven

Five (1995)

1. Five

2. Seven

Closure/Breakwater (1996)

1. Closure - Servant To Silence

2. Closure - The Children's Crusade

3. Breakwater - Eleven

Compilation Songs

One

Twelve

Terrifying Girls' High School - 2-Song Premiere

Vancouver's very own Terrifying Girls' High School are back, with the much-anticipated release of their debut full-length, Spooky Girls' Gymnasium, which is out April 19th on Emocat Records. Following up their 2016 debut EP, the band carry on their spazzy-screamy sound, taking heavy influence from the Three One G roster and the Blood Brothers in particular. Today I'm happy to share an exclusive stream of the final two tracks from their LP, "Keira Hagai, I'll Be Your Boyfriend" and "Death and Softbois". You can check out those tracks here, as well as the full album at the sources below.

Tracks 1 and 2 - Emocat Records

Tracks 3, 4 and 5 - Open Mind / Saturated Brain

Pre-Order Cassette

Record release show - Vancouver, BC @ The Avant-Garden, Friday, April 19th 

Emocat Records

Dad Thighs

Dad Thighs are a five-piece emo/screamo band from Vancouver, British Columbia who have been around since 2013. Earlier this year they put out an incredible album, The Ghosts That I Fear, which is a highlight emo release this year. Dad Thighs incorporate sing-spoken vocals, noodly guitar work and screamo-tinged sad jams to construct some breath-of-fresh-air emo. This is highly, highly recommended, especially for fans of a lot of other shit that's been posted on this blog. Enjoy.

Acoustic Demo (2013)

1. Mount Pleasant Dream

2. Living Stone

3. Vindicated (Dashboard Confessional Cover)

Karate Kids/Dad Thighs (2016)

1. Karate Kids - Sel d'Apprêt

2. Karate Kids - N3O

3. Karate Kids - Nice Cancer

4. Karate Kids - Linda II

5. Dad Thighs - Mount Pleasant Dream

6. Dad Thighs - Weekday Girl

7. Dad Thighs - Left My Heart In Langley

8. Dad Thighs - Livingstone

Live At Twin Hollies (2016)

1. I'm Not Playing Until Seth Leaves

2. Going To The Dump To Watch The Bears Parts 1 And 2

3. The Rain It Raineth

4. Mountain Dew

5. Of Summer

6. My Favourite Valentine/Sometimes

7. The Middle (Jimmy Eat World Cover)

8. Left My Heart In Langley

The Ghosts That I Fear (2017)

1. Going To The Dump To Watch The Bears part one

2. Going To The Dump To Watch The Bears part two

3. Regarding The Walmart Parking Lot on 88th Street

4. The Rain It Raineth

5. Every Day

6. Of Summer

7. My Favourite Valentine

8. The Shadow That Desires Is Left With Nothing But A Relic Of Someone Else's Dreams

9. Sometimes

Easy Listening (2018)

1. graveyards

2. mutually exclusive

3. stimulus progression

4. sometimes underwater

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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

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White Lung

White Lung are a four-piece punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that formed in 2006. They've slowly built up a solid reputation through some phenomenal albums and a stellar live show. A lot of discussion surrounding this band involves their similarities to riot grrrl bands such as Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Babes In Toyland. Though the influence is definitely there, the only prominent comparison would be the vocals, since White Lung are a female-fronted band, as well as most of the band's members being female (though they don't seem to have an overtly feminist agenda). The guitar work is very angular, and usually eschews the typical power-chord sound of punk in favour more post-punk influence, often employing sharp, bright, trebly, octave riffs. They play hard and fast, and waste no time getting to the point in each song. White Lung are probably one of the best and most notable "punk" bands around today, and definitely a personal favourite of mine. Every album they've put out is worth a listen, and each one is better than the last. Enjoy.

Local Garbage (2007)

1. Local Garbage

2. Breaking Boxes

3. Amy White Out

Magazines (2008)

1. Magazines

2. Therapy (Song For Chad)

3. Backhouse

Atlanta (2010)

1. Atlanta

2. 80,000 Times

3. D.O.I.

It's The Evil (2010)

1. Viva La Rat

2. Atlanta

3. Sleep Creep

4. Two Seen

5. Elf/546 Kids

6. Psychoholic

7. Shoot

8. Loose Heels

9. Like Dad

10. Tale

11. Wild Failure

White Lung/Nu Sensae (2011)

1. White Lung - Aristocrat

Note: White Lung side only

Sorry (2012)

1. Take The Mirror

2. St. Dad

3. Thick Lip

4. Bag

5. Bunny

6. I Rot

7. Glue

8. Those Girls

9. The Bad Way

10. Deadbeat

White Lung (2012)

1. Hunting Holiday

2. Two Of You

Songs Of The South (2013)

1. Blow It South

2. Down With You

Deep Fantasy (2014)

1. Drown With The Monster

2. Down It Goes

3. Snake Jaw

4. Face Down

5. I Believe You

6. Wrong Star

7. Just For You

8. Sycophant

9. Lucky One

10. In Your Home

Paradise (2016)

1. Dead Weight

2. Narcoleptic

3. Below

4. Kiss Me When I Bleed

5. Demented

6. Sister

7. Hungry

8. I Beg You

9. Vegas

10. Paradise

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