Falling Forward

Falling Forward were a five-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Louisville, Kentucky that were active from 1991 to 1995. They put out 3 EPs and one split, all of which were compiled and remastered last year, released as the anthology available below. This band is best known for basically being proto-Elliott, with three of their members going on to form that band when Falling Forward disbanded. There is a bit of a sonic throughline, though this is a lot punchier and scrappier than the more matured, airy sound of their later band. The melodic vocals are choruses are there, but with heavier, more hardcore-leaning guitars and pounding drums. Enjoy.

Let These Days Pass: The Complete Anthology 1991-1995 (2023)

1. Drought

2. Sire

3. Third Cross Salute

4. Character

5. Days On File

6. Lane

7. Intonation

8. Sigh

9. Silhouette

10. Natal

11. Wrap Around Suit

12. The Great Union Divide

13. Christensen Spring

14. Twenty-Nine Sixteen Magazine

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Endpoint

Endpoint were a five-piece hardcore/emo band from Louisville, Kentucky that formed in 1987 and broke up in 1994, with reunion shows occurring in 2010. They were pretty prolific, releasing four full-lengths and a handful of other releases. Throughout their tenure, they clearly evolved, going from a fairly straight-forward hardcore punk to adopting melodic elements, angular rhythms, and slower tempos, which is why they're often cited as a precursor to midwest emo. There's a great article here that dives into their history more if you're interested. If you're new to this band, Catharsis is probably their best release, and a good starting point as it's a nice blend of their early and later sound. Enjoy.

If The Spirits Are Willing (1989)

1. Thought You Were

2. Mirrored Image

3. Dignity

4. Ignorance Downfall

5. Label Me

6. Wool

7. Final Stand

8. Way Back

9. Axis Crew

10. Face

11. Wrong

12. Stick Around

13. Wopner

14. Shattered Justice

15. Rungless Ladder

16. Religion Crisis

17. Exit

18. Blank

19. Promise

20. Priorities

21. Endpoint Outro

22. Stick Around

23. Ignorant Downfall

24. Invent A Law

25. Label Me

26. Death Watch

Note: CD reissue version from 1994, includes Sunspring split and early demo from 1988

In A Time Of Hate (1990)

1. Endpoint

2. Model

3. Face

4. Valerie

5. Fairweather

6. Rebirth

7. Final Stand

8. Way Back

9. Black Skies

Endpoint/Sunspring (1991)

1. Endpoint - Promise

2. Endpoint - Priorities

3. Sunspring - Don't Just Stand There

4. Sunspring - Silver Spring

5. Sunspring - Kendall

EP2 (1992)

1. Iceberg

2. Stone

3. Guilty By Association

Catharsis (1992)

1. Caste

2. Remember

3. Iceberg

4. Promise

5. Inside

6. Stone

7. Days After

8. Guilty By Association

9. Maturity

10. Last Song

Idiots (1992)

1. Building (Embrace cover)

2. Attitude (Misfits cover)

3. Circus Of Pain (Malignant Growth cover)

4. Persistent Vision (Rites of Spring cover)

Circumvent / 26 Seconds (1993)

1. Circumvent

2. 26 Seconds

After Taste (1993)

1. Force Fed

2. Circumvent

3. Decision Maker

4. Keating

5. Beggar Song

6. Lowland

7. Passive

8. Witness

9. Dirge

10. Myth

11. After Taste

12. Survival Song

The Last Record (1995)

1. Chalk

2. Pencil Break

3. Strings

4. Mather's Point

5. Brown County

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Squirrel Bait

Squirrel Bait were a punk/post-hardcore band from Louisville, Kentucky that were around from 1982 to 1987. They began as a three-piece, with founding member David Grubbs as their guitarist and vocalist. With this line-up they recorded their first demo, when they were all still in high school and going by the name Squirrelbait Youth. Following that, they changed their name and drummer. They added Peter Searcy as the primary vocalist, which is when their sound really began to evolve from the scrappy punk of the band's earliest work. Following the inclusion of Brian McMahon as a second guitarist, they put out their most ground-breaking material, which was their self-titled EP and only full-length, Skag Heaven. Both were reissued in 1997, which is why sometimes the release year is listed as such on those two albums. There's a great write-up on the history of the band here if you're interested in learning more.

Their sonic trajectory can be loosely compared to bands such as The Replacements or Hüsker Dü, who took their energetic punk origins and blended it with catchy songwriting and big, melodic, distorted and reverberated guitars. Squirrel Bait's influence was immediately felt, especially in the emerging grunge and emo scenes at the time. One listen through of their EP will reveal just how foundational they are, as it predates the sounds that would define a decade years before that decade even began. It's no surprise that the likes of Bob Mould and Dave Grohl have been known to sing their praises. Members of this band went on to a ton of other amazing projects. Most notably, guitarist Brian McMahon and drummer Britt Walford formed Slint, another genre-defying and hugely influential project. Walford was also a member of The Breeders, and played on Pod. David Grubbs went on to play in Bastro and Bitch Magnet. Enjoy.

Squirrelbait Youth (1982)

1. Tylenol Scare

2. Busy Signal

3. Ghetto Blaster

4. The Darker Side Of Youth

5. The Pit

6. You Can Forget It

7. Penelope

8. That Badge

9. Desert Wasteland

10. Insurrection

Note: Tracks 8 and 9 only, the rest of this demo has yet to surface online

First Demo (1983)

1. Silence Is Golden

2. Occupant

3. New Direction

4. Pepsi Generation

5. Doubting Thomas

6. Blockhead

7. Operation Eagle

8. Fashionable

9. Just Kidding

10. Average Rebel

Second Demo (1984)

1. Tense / Earth Shattering

2. Insult To Injury

3. Black Light Poster Child

4. The Nearest Door

5. Rage For Life

6. Disguise

7. Occupant

8. Notice When

9. When I Fall

Squirrel Bait (1985)

1. Hammering So Hard

2. Thursday

3. Sun God

4. When I Fall

5. The Final Chapter

6. Mixed Blessing

7. Disguise

8. Perfect

Kid Dynamite (1986)

1. Kid Dynamite

2. Slake Train Coming

Skag Heaven (1986)

1. Kid Dynamite

2. Virgil's Return

3. Black Light Poster Child

4. Choose Yr Poison

5. Short Straw Wins

6. Kick The Kat

7. Too Close To The Fire

8. Slake Train Coming

9. Rose Island Road

10. Tape From California (Phil Ochs cover)

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Coliseum

On a quick note before the post, it has been exactly 9 years today that this blog got started. I will not stop expressing my bewilderment that this thing is still going, and coming up on the 1000 post landmark very soon. As I've said before, I never thought it'd carry on this long, but am glad it has, and wanted to mark this occasion with a band that has been sorely lacking from here for the past 9 years.

Coliseum were a three-piece hardcore band from Louisville, Kentucky that began in 2003 and broke up in 2015. They remained very prolific in that time, with five full-lengths and a slew of other releases. Sonically, they were incredibly progressive and thus hard to pin down. Their origins are rooted in hardcore and punk, delivering heavy riffs and aggressive vocals on early releases like their self-titled debut and the essential EP Goddamage. They carried on with the riff-heavy sound like a hardcore-oriented Torche, while beginning to branch out into more melodic off-shoots of punk. There's a notable post-hardcore sound in their later years, with influence clearly stemming from bands like Jawbox and Quicksand. The vocals became capable of sing-alongs, while the riffs/instrumentals brought in more space and groove. There's a lot to dive into here, but I'd suggest starting with the five studio albums, with Coliseum if you're looking for a slightly more traditional punk take, or Anxiety's Kiss if you're looking a unique, indie hardcore sound. Then just work your way back or forward depending on where you started. Enjoy.

4 Songs (2004)

1. Detached

2. This Mind Locked Inside This Body

3. In Time

4. Pretty Situation

Lords/Coliseum (2004)

1. Lords - Talking Whip

2. Lords - Impeach Pit

3. Lords - The Beautiful People

4. Coliseum - No Salvation

5. Coliseum - Born To Hang

6. Coliseum - I Don't Care About You

Coliseum (2004)

1. Detached

2. Children Of Our Own Creation

3. Hostage Of Privilege

4. Burn Out Bright

5. F.F.P.

6. In Time

7. This Mind Locked Inside This Body

8. Mire

9. Claim Control

10. Give Up And Drive

11. Pretty Situation

12. Simple Answer Is...

Not Of This World (2005)

1. Coliseum - Am I Demon (Danzig cover)

2. Coliseum - American Machine

3. Coliseum - Ride On Death Riders

4. Doomriders - Hell Roaring

5. Doomriders - Possession (Danzig cover)

Goddamage (2005)

1. Year Of The Pig

2. Theme

3. Miracle Cure

4. Dehumanize

5. Turn To Dust

6. Reborn To Hang

7. Head Down & Burn

8. Set It Straight

Coliseum/Young Widows (2006)

1. Coliseum - Skyline Fucker

2. Coliseum - White Religion

3. Young Widows - Future Plans

4. Young Widows - Baritone #3

High On Fire/Coliseum/Baroness (2007)

1. High On Fire - Rumors Of War

2. Coliseum - Fate Of Men

3. Baroness - O'Appalchia

No Salvation (2007)

1. No Benefit

2. Defeater

3. The Fate Of Men

4. Seven Cities

5. Profetas

6. Shake It Off

7. Skyline Fucker

8. Funeral Line

9. White Religion

10. Interceptor

11. Fall Of The Pigs

12. Believer

13. The Burden

True Quiet / Last Wave (2009)

1. True Quiet

2. Last Wave

House With A Curse (2010)

1. Introduction

2. Blind In One Eye

3. Everything To Everyone

4. Crime And The City

5. Cloaked In Red

6. Perimeter Man

7. Skeleton Smile

8. Isela Vega

9. Lost In Groningen

10. Statuary

11. Man Was Never Meant To Fly

12. Punk/Money

Live At The Atlantic: Volume Four (2011)

1. Coliseum - Skeleton Smile

2. Coliseum - Cloaked In Red

3. Coliseum - Perimeter Man

4. Coliseum - Lost In Groningen

5. Coliseum - Punk/Money

6. Coliseum - Year Of The Pig

7. Coliseum - Defeater

8. Burning Love - Momento Mori

9. Burning Love - Gain

10. Burning Love - Curse Breaker

11. Burning Love - Miserable Sound

12. Burning Love - Mess

13. Burning Love - Alien Vs Creditor

14. Burning Love - Money Shots

Superchunk/Coliseum (2011)

1. Superchunk - Horror Business (Misfits cover)

2. Coliseum - Bullet (Misfits cover)

Parasites (2011)

1. One Last Night

2. Waiting (Too Late)

3. The Fiery Eye

4. Ghost Of God

5. The Big Baby

6. Gone With The Pope

7. Blood Of The Beasts

8. Give Up And Drive

Sister Faith (2013)
1. Disappear From Sight

2. Last/Lost

3. Doing Time

4. Love Under Will

5. Under The Blood Moon

6. Used Blood

7. Late Night Trains

8. Everything In Glass

9. Black Magic Punks

10. Save Everything

11. Bad Will

12. Sister Faith

13. Fuzzbang

Sister Chance (2013)

1. They Call Her One Eye

2. Not Listening

3. Final Solution

Faith And Curses: Live (2014)

1. One Last Night

2. Black Magic Punks

3. Lost In Groningen

4. Cloaked In Red

5. Blind In One Eye

6. Love Under Will

7. Late Night Trains

8. Fuzzbang

Black Magic Punks (2014)

1. Black Magic Punks (Album Version)

2. Heavy Magic Punks: Aniki Mix (Atsuo)

3. Black Magic Punks (Cold Cave)

4. Glass I: Everything in Dub (J. Robbins)

5. Blkmgc Punks (Justin Foley)

6. White Magic Punks: Sorcerer Mix (Justin K. Broadrick)

7. Cat Magic Punks: Black Ice Mix (R Pattern)

8. (Above) The Blood Of The Moon: Underneath Mix (R Pattern)

9. Black Magic Hunks (xo Madisyn)

10. Black Magic Punks (Demo)

Anxiety's Kiss (2015)

1. We Are The Water

2. Course Correction

3. Wrong / Goodbye

4. Drums & Amplifiers

5. Dark Light Of Seduction

6. Sharp Fangs, Pale Flesh

7. Comedown

8. Sunlight In A Snowstorm

9. Driver At Dusk

10. Escape Yr Skull

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Elliott

Elliott were a four-piece indie/emo/post-hardcore band from Louisville, Kentucky that were around from 1995 to 2003. They put out three full-lengths, all of which continued to progress their sound. Their debut U.S. Songs is probably their most hard-hitting, where each song just brims with energy, the guitars are distorted and the vocals are loud and soaring. Fans of bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Sense Field and The Get Up Kids will definitely dig this band, as they're very emo-centric, but also sit comfortably in alternative rock. Their sophomore release False Cathedrals slightly toned down the energy of their debut in favour of more clean, arpeggiated guitars and occasional piano flourishes. Having said that, some of their most energetic and anthemic songs also appear on here, in the form of tracks such as "Calm Americans" and "Lie Close".

Their final album, Song In The Air is aptly titled, as the band took a big turn with this sweet, dreamy sound, incorporating soft vocals, pianos, atmospheric interludes, and even some strings. This album clearly took influences from the more serene side of post-rock. If you're new to this band, it's best to start from the beginning and work your way forward. If They Do includes tracks from their earlier singles and EP's. Songs In A Transit Wind was released years later with a similar tracklist (with the exception of one track) and a few more songs added. Photorecording is a compilation that contains a live set in the first half and a collection of demos and alternate versions of songs on the back end. Enjoy.

U.S. Songs (1998)

1. Miracle

2. Intro

3. The Conversation

4. Dionysus Burning

5. The Watermark High

6. Every Train That Passes

7. Suitcase And Atoms

8. Second Story Skyscraper

9. Alchemy As A Rhythm

10. Ten Cent Inquiry

11. Safety Pin Explanation

If They Do (1999)

1. Waiting While Under Paralysis

2. As Arson

3. The Watermark High

4. Halfway Pretty

5. Lost Instrumental

6. Halfway Pretty Acoustic

False Cathedrals (2000)

1. Voices

2. Calm Americans

3. Blessed By Your Own Ghost

4. Drive On To Me

5. Calvary Song

6. Lipstick Stigmata

7. Dying Midwestern

8. Shallow Like Your Breath

9. Superstitions In Travel

10. Carving Oswego

11. Lie Close

12. Speed Of Film

Song In The Air (2003)

1. Land And Water

2. Carry On

3. Believe

4. Beijing (Too Many People)

5. Drag Like Pull

6. Bleed In Breathe Out

7. Song In The Air

8. Away We Drift

9. Blue Storm

10. Genea

Photorecording (2005)

1. Away We Drift [Live]

2. Drive Onto Me [Live]

3. Dionysus Burning [Live]

4. Blessed By Your Own Ghost [Live]

5. Calm Americans [Live]

6. Shallow Like Your Breath [Live]

7. Drag Like Pull [Live]

8. Bleed In Breathe Out

9. Drive

10. Believe

11. Carry On

12. This Program Is Not Responding

13. Leona

14. Intro To False Cathedrals

Songs In A Transit Wind (2013)

1. Waiting While Under Paralysis

2. As Arson

3. The Watermark High

4. Halfway Pretty

5. Calvary Song

6. The Fan And The Bellows (Chameleons cover)

7. Orphalese

8. Lost Instrumental

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June of 44

June of 44 were a four-piece post-hardcore/math rock band from Louisville, Kentucky that began in 1994 and disbanded in 1999. They played a few reunion shows earlier this year (2018). They came together as a supergroup of sorts, since every band member has been active with other notable projects. Guitarist/vocalist Sean Meadows was a member of Lungfish, The Sonora Pine, and HiM (not the one you're thinking of). Guitarist/vocalist Jeff Mueller was in Rodan and Shipping News, while bassist Fred Erskine came from the DC scene, and played in The Crownhate Ruin and Hoover. Drummer Doug Scharin played in Codeine, Rex, and HiM as well.

June of 44 are often compared to Slint, with the winding, dissonant arpeggios, narrative-style spoken vocals, and unorthodox rhythms. When they hit their peaks though, they really hit a high-point, letting out the uninhibited ferocity of a band like Big Black with the instrumentally interlocked mastery of Fugazi. With each new album the band evolved and matured, growing into a more experimental act by incorporating dub and post-rock (especially on the latter halves of their last two albums, which was probably a result of their side project HiM), as well as jazz and emphasized percussive elements. Enjoy.

Engine Takes To The Water (1995)

1. Have A Safe Trip, Dear

2. June Miller

4. Pale Horse Sailor

5. Mindel

6. I Get My Kicks For You

7. Take It With A Grain of Salt

8. Sink Is Busted

Tropics And Meridians (1996)

1. Anisette

2. Lusitania

3. Lawn Bowler

4. June Leaf

5. Arms Over Arteries

6. Sanctioned In A Birdcage

The Anatomy Of Sharks (1997)

1. Sharks & Sailors

2. Boom

3. Seemingly Endless Summer

Four Great Points (1998)

1. Of Information & Belief

2. The Dexterity Of Luck

3. Cut Your Face

4. Doomsday

5. Does Your Heart Beat Slower

6. Lifted Bells

7. Shadow Pugilist

8. Air #17

In the Fishtank 6 (1999)

1. Pregenerate

2. Generate

3. Henry's Revenge

4. Modern Hereditary Dance Steps

5. Every Free Day For A Good Day

6. Degenerate

Southeast Of Boston / Dexterity Of Luck (1999)

1. Southeast Of Boston

2. Dexterity Of Luck

Anahata (1999)

1. Wear Two Eyes (Boom)

2. Escape Of The Levitational Trapeze Artist

3. Cardiac Atlas

4. Equators To Bi-Polar

5. Recorded Syntax

6. Southeast of Boston

7. Five Bucks In My Pocket

8. Peel Away Velleity