Meet Me In St. Louis

Meet Me In St. Louis were a five-piece post-hardcore/emo/math rock band from Guildford, Surrey that were active from 2005 to 2009 before reuniting for a tour in 2023. If you're interested in doing a deep dive on the band's history, they conducted a retrospective interview you can read here. In terms of sound, imagine trebly guitars, syncopated rhythms, odd time signatures, robust bass lines, and impassioned vocals that create this cacophony of sound that's as beautiful as it is blistering, just as melodic as it is technical. Their sole LP Variations On Swing is incredible, but if you're looking for just one release a compilation of all their recorded material was put out by Big Scary Monsters, so that's probably your best bet to start with. Enjoy.

Promise me that we'll never be like them. I don't want to wind up like that. Relax, baby. We're going to wind up like us. (2005)

1. I am Champagne and You are Shit

2. Why Thank You, Suzie

3. Corey Feldman

...And With The Right Kind OF Eyes You Can Almost See The High Water Mark That Place Where The Wave Finally Broke And Rolled Back (2006)

1. We Need To Act Like We Don't Need This Shit, Then you Give Us Shit For Free

2. The Kid Who Had His Ear Slapped By The Druggiest

3. Why Thank You, Suzie

4. What Happened To You Dylan? You Used To Be Someone I Could Trust

5. You Said Your Finger Was A Gun

Variations On Swing (2007)

1. The Torso Was Severed In Mid Thorax

2. Well You Damn Well Should

3. Right This Way, You Maverick Renegade

4. I Am Champagne, You Are Shit

5. I Beat Up The Bathroom, I'm Sorry

6. Ein Zwei Drei Hasslehoff

7. All We Need Is A Little Energon, And A Lot Of Luck

8. Come To New York, There Were Fewer Murders Last Year

9. I've Got Knives In My Eyes I'm Going Home Sick

10. You're Doomed

MMVI - MMIX (2015)

1. The Torso Was Severed In Mid Thorax

2. Well You Damn Well Should

3. Right This Way, You Maverick Renegade

4. I Am Champagne, You Are Shit

5. I Beat Up The Bathroom, I'm Sorry

6. Ein Zwei Drei Hasslehoff

7. All We Need Is A Little Energon, And A Lot Of Luck

8. Come To New York, There Were Fewer Murders Last Year

9. I've Got Knives In My Eyes I'm Going Home Sick

10. You're Doomed

11. I am Champagne and You are Shit

12. Why Thank You, Suzie

13. Corey Feldman

14. 1. We Need To Act Like We Don't Need This Shit, Then you Give Us Shit For Free

15. The Kid Who Had His Ear Slapped By The Druggiest

16. Why Thank You, Suzie

17. What Happened To You Dylan? You Used To Be Someone I Could Trust

18. You Said Your Finger Was A Gun

Note: Compilation including their LP and both EP's

Spotify

Apple Music

To The North

To The North Brisbane are a four-piece math rock/post-hardcore band from Brisbane, Australia that formed around 2007. They released a handful of EP's and one LP between 2007 and 2015. Members also play in Apparitions, though To The North is still technically active, continuing to play the occasional shows including a festival appearance this month with Blind Girls. Sonically, this band plays noodling, mathy, and angular riffs with clean (or semi-clean guitars) with midwest emo inflections in the vein of Braid or Minus The Bear, with an intense spoken-shouted vocal delivery that recalls Bear vs Shark. If you're new to this band, I'd suggest either Landscapes for something more emo-y or their full-length Lustre for something a little more unique and tightly refined, but ultimately everything here is solid. Enjoy.

Landscapes (2007)

1. Intro

2. Matinees And Make Believe

3. Nights Like These

4. Behind The Paranoia

5. Drift Away

6. Trapdoors

Ohana/To The North (2008)

1. Ohana - Bleed Ideals

2. To The North - Harms Way

Note: To The North track only

To Work And Not Feed (2009)

1. We Are Not Ashamed

2. Cells

3. If Knowledge Was A Rite Of Passage You Would Be A Fucking Genius

4. Pistol Kids

Indiscretion (2010)

1. Indiscretion

2. No Alibi

3. Lustre

4. This City

5. Pistol Kids (live)

Lustre (2011)

1. Release The Brakes

2. No Alibi

3. Doubt The Shadow, Not The Sun

4. Clear Signal

5. Soft Light Through Plain Glass

6. Rescue And Return

7. Indiscretion

8. Progress Broke The Saddle

9. To Question The Moment

Departure (2015)

1. Departure

2. Escape Artist

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Facebook

Hum

Hum are a four-piece shoegaze/alternative rock band from Champaign, Illinois that formed in 1989 and disbanded in 2000. Since then, they've reunited sporadically for short tours and festival appearances, first in 2003, then 2011, and 2015, with a surprise new album dropping 2020. Their long-time drummer Bryan St. Pere unfortunately passed away in 2021, and they've been inactive until recently, with a new festival appearance slated for 2026 (Slide Away Festival with Nothing and Chapterhouse). 

The band blends heavy, noisy riffs with spacier, dronier tones and dynamic vocals that move between melodic singing and throatier shouting with cosmic lyricism. Imagine the layered, textured effects-laden atmosphere of shoegaze with the off-kilter, energetic propulsion post-hardcore. Their general gist is basically Dinosaur Jr., Quicksand, The Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine, and Slint all thrown in a blender, merging these seemingly disparate, contrasting sources to form their own distinctly idiosyncratic wall of sound that never sacrifices breathable clarity. Besides a minor hit with "Stars" off their major-label debut and quintessential release You'd Prefer An Astronaut (as part of the post-Nevermind alt rock boom of the 90's), they've never quite gotten the recognition they deserve, especially considering how influential they turned out to be in the years since their initial tenure. Deftones have namedropped them explicitly as a major source of inspiration, and their DNA can be heard across a vast array of other bands, including Cloakroom, Narrow Head, Nothing, Superheaven, Cave In, Glassjaw, Deafheaven, and Title Fight.

As previously mentioned, You'd Prefer An Astronaut is generally regarded as their best and most popular effort, so if you're looking for a starting point that's it. Downward Is Heaven is the natural next step as its direct follow-up. I would then go to their reunion album Inlet, which is a very commendable, massive-sounding effort that I made the mistake of sleeping on the year it was released, though Electra 2000 is a nice, rawer, and grungier counterpart to it. Hum are one of those bands I've been meaning to get to forever, so despite this year being a record-low for inactivity, saying we closed it out by crossing this monumental group of the list is an accomplishment in and of itself. Enjoy.

Kissing Me Is Like Kissing An Angel (She Said) (1990)
1. Time Is Melting

2. Kissing Me

3. Jesus Wants You

4. Diamonds

5. Will

Fillet Show (1991)

1. Space Fuck

2. Formaldehyde

3. Detassler

4. Staring At The Sun

5. Hortense

6. Kind Of Night

7. Lip Saga

8. I Like It

9. Pocket

Hello Kitty (1992)

1. Hello Kitty

2. Roar, I'm A Tiger

Sundress (1992)

1. Sundress

2. Time Is Melting

Electra 2000 (1993)

1. Iron Clad Lou

2. Pinch & Roll

3. Shovel

4. Pewter

5. Scraper

6. Firehead

7. Sundress

8. Double Dip

9. Winder

10. Untitled

You'd Prefer An Astronaut (1995)

1. Little Dipper

2. The Pod

3. Stars

4. Suicide Machine

5. The Very Old Man

6. Why I Like The Robins

7. I'd Like Your Hair Long

8. I Hate It Too

9. Songs Of Farewell And Departure

Stars (1995)

1. Stars (Album Version)

2. Boy With Stick

3. Baby, Baby

4. Stars (Edit)

Comin' Home b/w Puppets (1997)

1. Comin' Home

2. Puppets

Downward Is Heavenward (1998)

1. Isle Of The Cheetah

2. Comin' Home

3. If You Are To Bloom

4. Ms. Lazarus

5. Afternoon With The Axolotls

6. Green To Me

7. Dreamboat

8. The Inuit Promise

9. Apollo

10. The Scientists

Inlet (2020)

1. Waves

2. In The Den

3. Desert Rambler

4. Step Into You

5. The Summoning

6. Cloud City

7. Folding

8. Shapeshifter

Website

Spotify

Apple Music

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State Route 522

State Route 522 were a five-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Seattle, Washington that were active from 1995 to 1997. They released two EP's, a split, and appeared on a handful of compilations during that time, and are notable for being Jake Snider's first band, who later went on to form Sharks Keep Moving and Minus The Bear. Sonically, this scratches a few itches, as they bridge the gap between the tremolo-picked octaves and dynamic angularity of post-hardcore a la Lync or Fugazi with the melodic, noodley arpeggios that would come to define midwest emo, making them also reminiscent of early pioneers like Gauge, Dahlia Seed, and Braid. They've kind of flown under the radar, but this is some really solid stuff that is absolutely worth your time to check out.

This is one of those instances where your best bet is to just get the anthology release (Retrospective), as that contains all their recorded material with better audio quality than the individual releases (which are only useful if you want smaller doses or completionism). Everything below is included on it with the exception of the four tracks on the Forecast compilation. I'm also missing another compilation-exclusive song "Worse For The Wear" and a demo they apparently recorded in 1995, so if anyone has those let me know! Enjoy.

State Route 552 (1995)

1. Find

2. Ten Years

3. Waste Of Skin

4. Hit

State Route 552/Lying On Loot (1996)

1. State Route 552 - Toy Cow

2. Lying On Loot - Skies Of Stars

3. Lying On Loot - Defeatist

Forecast (1996)

9. Standards

10. Sorry

11. Sunday

12. Away Game

Note: Compilation release, State Route 522 tracks only

Samson Is Apollo (1997)

1. I.V.

2. 1910

3. Solid State

4. Avenue Of Giants

All About Friends (1997)

10. Jumpin' Someone Else's Train

Note: Compilation release, State Route 522 track only

Retrospective (2001)

1. I.V.

2. 1910

3. Solid State

4. Avenue Of The Giants

5. Jumping Someone Else's Train (The Cure cover)

6. Toy Cow

7. Find

8. 10 Years

9. Waste Of Skin

10. Unlisted

Beefeater

Beefeater were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that were active between 1984 and 1986. As such, they were a vital part of the "Revolution Summer" movement that saw DC punk bands move into more innovative and melodic territory, with an emphasis on pointedly political and introspective lyricism. As such, it (unintentionally) became the birthplace of "emo" with bands like Rites Of Spring and Embrace. I don't think Beefeater are quite in the same sonic category as them, but this boundary-pushing ideology is certainly shared, as they injected a variety of genre influences from funk, dub, and jazz into the raw attack of a hardcore band heavily inspired by Bad Brains and Minutemen. Their riffs are windingly discordant, their rhythms frenetically off-kilter, and Squip's vocal delivery is as manically dynamic as they come. They released one EP and two albums, with the two LP's both put out by Dischord and later compiled onto one release (along with bonus compilation songs). I say this a lot but it is astounding that I missed putting here until now; they're one of the most under-appreciated and radical bands to come out of the 80's DC scene, and returning to them now after so many years has been joyous to say the least. Enjoy.

Plays For Lovers (1985)

1. Trash Funk

2. Reagonomix

3. Song For Lucky

4. 4 3 2 1

5. Mr. Silverbird

6. Manic D.

7. Mourning

8. Satyagraha

9. A Dog Day

10. Red Carpet

11. Assholes Among Us

12. Beefeater

13. Fred's Song (Slam Dancing)

14. I Miss You

15. Out Of The Woods

Need A Job (1986)

1. In America

2. Need A Job

3. Laurel Grove

4. Apartheid

5. Gov't Worker

6. Better'n Me

House Burning Down (1987)

1. Introlude

2. Just Things

3. Bedlam Rainforest

4. Interlude

5. Move Me Strong

6. Interlude

7. One Soul Down

8. Ain't Got No Time (Kenny's Piece)

9. Interlude

10. Sinking Me

11. Dover Beach (Tomas' Piece)

12. Insurrection Chant

13. 40 Sonnets On Plants (Dug's Piece)

14. With You Always

15. Fredittude (Fred's Piece)

16. Live The Life

Plays For Lovers & House Burning Down (1992)

1. Trash Funk

2. Reagonomix

3. Song For Lucky

4. 4 3 2 1

5. Mr. Silverbird

6. Manic D.

7. Mourning

8. Satyagraha

9. A Dog Day

10. Red Carpet

11. Assholes Among Us

12. Beefeater

13. Fred's Song (Slam Dancing)

14. I Miss You

15. Out Of The Woods

16. Wars In Space

17. Just Things

18. Bedlam Rainforest

19. Move Me Strong

20. One Soul Down

21. Ain't Got No Time

22. Sinking Me

23. Dover Beach

24. Insurrection Chant

25. 40 Sonnets On Plants

26. With You Always

27. Freditude

28. Live The Life

29. Blind Leads Blind

Note: Compilation including both LPs and compilation tracks "Wars In Space" and "Blind Leads Blind"

Dischord Records

Bandcamp

Spotify

Burned Out Bright

Burned Out Bright were a three-piece hardcore/emo band from Houston, Texas that were active approximately from 2000 to 2003. They harnessed a handful of styles in their short tenure together, mixing the skippy, noodly elements of emo with the rise-and-fall and syncopated dynamics of post-hardcore, all conveyed through the passionate, raw delivery of screamo with interspersed sung/screamed vocals. Their output was minimal but certainly impactful, with a split, a posthumous EP, their final live set, and a demo. Members of this band went on to form Fire Team Charlie (highly recommended) and The Walls You've Built. Enjoy.

Demo (2003)

1. The Coin Lied

2. In Memory

3. Rise Over Run

4. We Awake Disheartened

Die, Emperor! Die!/Burned Out Bright (2003)

1. Die, Emperor! Die! - Six Feet Beneath My Heart

2. Burned Out Bright - Gold Metal For Charlie

10+25+03 The End. (2003)

1. Rise Over Run

2. Gold Medal For Charlie

3. Untitled

4. The Coin Lied

5. In Memory

6. This Isn't The Tenka-Ichi-Budokai (I Hate Myself cover)

7. We Awake Disheartened

Burned Out Bright (2004)

1. Crossing The Fine Line

2. Unit: 01

3. Finally At Ease

4. Sunrise, And The Day To Come

5. House Of Dust

Stop It!!

Stop It!! were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Richmond, Virginia that were around from 2001 to 2003 (approximately), putting out one demo and one LP (via Robotic Empire) and included former members of City of Caterpillar and Municipal Waste. The band played winding, discordant rhythms with angular lead melodies and shouted vocals, dynamically shifting not unlike City of Caterpillar with influence from the likes of Shotmaker, Twelve Hour Turn, Navio Forge, Sleepytime Trio, and Jawbox. Their sole full-length is worth your time, as is virtually anything Robotic Empire was putting out around this time, the consistency and creativity was absolutely insane. Enjoy.

Demo (2002)

1. When Doves Cry

2. My Prerogative

3. Theme Song To Beverly Hills, 90210

4. When A Man Loves A Woman

5. Paradise City

6. Exile On Main St.

7. Mr. Roboto

Self Made Maps (2003)

1. Maybe She's Born With It

2. Name And Number

3. Amen And Boys

4. A Clever Play On Words

5. Remove Your Teeth

6. S.S. Betrayal

7. Captain Roboto

8. Here's To New Shortcuts

9. Beethoven's Funeral

Wayfarers All (2004)

11. Not Mentioned On Maps

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Shots Fired

Shots Fired were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Kansas City, Missouri that existed sometime between 2003 and 2007 (who knows with half these bands) self-releasing one album in that time. But what a solid album it is, melding melodic half-shouted vocals with heavy riffs and layered, noodly, angular lead melodies with a robust, energetic rhythm section. If you're into At Tbe Drive-In, Bear vs. Shark, Cursive, or The Casket Lottery, this will likely be up your alley. Enjoy.

Shots Fired (2004)

1. Cocaine

2. Celebration

3. Squires At Bristol

4. Ragdoll

5. Rob McFiver

6. My Friend

7. Ludo Calls The Rock

8. Lapinaphobic

9. Anakin

The Cable Car Theory

The Cable Car Theory were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo/screamo band from Staten Island, New York that were active from 1997 to 2003. They only released one album, 2001's The Deconstruction, but recorded a good chunk of material that appeared across an array of splits, EP's, and compilations. Most of their material was compiled in 2020, but it is missing a few things (most notably a track from The Deconstruction and Something New respectively), but it's also the best entry way to get into them as it covers the full length of their tenure and evolution. Sonically, they encompass all the great hardcore offshoots you'd expect to find on this blog really; the winding and syncopated rhythms of post-hardcore, melodic, arpeggiated melancholy of emo, with driving energy and throttling vocals. They're versatile, vitalized, and will appeal to fans of bands as disparate as Hot Water Music, Split Lip, Avail, Gray Matter, Falling Forward, By A Thread, or Twelve Hour Turn. Definitely give them a listen if you haven't, they will more than likely be up your alley. Enjoy.

 

Something New (1999)

1. Something New

2. 700

3. Mediocre

4. A Song For Alexie

Whispers In The Wind (2000)

1. Tears For Broken Toys

2. 2000 Years

3. Fire Away/If You Only Knew

4. Something New

5. 22 (feat. Matt "Baby Jesus" Grande)

6. Thought, Feeling, Action

7. Whispers

8. Fingerpaint

Note: Previously unreleased material recorded between 1997-1999

Realign/The Cable Car Theory (2000)

1. Second Guessing

2. Analysis

3. Fatal Flaw

Note: Cable Car Theory tracks only

The Cable Car Theory/I, Robot (2001)

1. I, Robot - The Answer

2. I, Robot - Call Me "Killer"

3. The Cable Car Theory - Touch The Sky

4. The Cable Car Theory - Without Armor

The Deconstruction (2001)

1. Nakama

2. I Left My Heart In New Brunswick

3. Redress of Grievances

4. Analysis (feat. Nick Gambacorta)

5. Caffeine Battle Cry

6. Spit Happens

7. Fix The Pipe Or Hide The Puddle (feat. Todd Currier)

8. Without Armor

9. Munchausen's Syndrome By Proxy

10. 10 Minute Wrinkle Release Program (feat. Bricks Avalon

11. Eyes Of The Ibad

12. Whispers (feat. Christian Lopez)

13.  Tears For Broken Toys (feat. Tommy Schlatter)

Fables And Fictions Of The Human Condition (2003)

1. Green Eyed Aphrodite

2. The Mahdi And The Masses

3. Threads (feat. Cynthia Acerra)

4. The Litany

5. How To Break Orbit And Thwart A Muse

6. The Sayyadina

An Incomplete Retrospective (2020)

1. Green Eyed Aphrodite

2. The Mahdi and the Masses

3. Threads (feat. Cynthia Acerra)

4. The Litany

5. How To Break Orbit And Thwart A Muse

6. The Sayyadina

7. Nakama

8. I Left My Heart In New Brunswick

9. Redress Of Grievance

10. Analysis (feat. Nick Gambacorta)

11. Caffeine Battle Cry

12. Spit Happens

13. Fix The Pipe Or Hide The Puddle (feat. Todd Currier)

14. Without Armor

15. Munchausen's Syndrome By Proxy

16. 10 Minute Wrinkle Release Program (feat. Bricks Avalon)

17. Whispers (feat. Christian Lopez)

18. Tears For Broken Toys (feat. Tommy Schlatter

19. Tears For Broken Toys (Demo)

20. 2000 Years

21. Fire Away/If You Only Knew

22. Something New

23. 22 (feat. Matt "Baby Jesus" Grande)

24. Thought, Feeling, Action

25. Whispers

26. Fingerpaint

27. 700

28. Mediocre

29. A Song For Alexis (feat. Frank Stapes)

30. Touch The Sky

31. Without Armor (Demo)

32. Second Guessing

33. Analysis

34. A Fatal Flaw

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