Wingnut Dishwashers Union

Wingnut Dishwashers Union was a folk-punk project started by Pat The Bunny in 2007 and disbanded in 2009. Pat The Bunny is a Brattleboro, Vermont-based (later on Tucson, Arizona) musician who known for his numerous projects, most notably Johnny Hobo & The Freight Trains, Ramshackle Glory, some solo stuff, and of course, Wingnut Dishwashers Union, among other projects he's been involved in but not the central member of.

This band in particular was formed just after his first major (and arguably most well-known) project Johnny Hobo & The Freight Trains. Though his first project featured numerous collaborators, Wingnut Dishwashers Union was a mostly solo effort, with occasional collaborations. Thus, most songs are just Pat's voice and acoustic guitar, or in other words, shouted words and slammed strings. His songs pretty much all revolve around being a burned out, strung out anarchist, but somehow still manage to be personable and relatable. Simply put, this is one of Pat's best projects, and the one that introduced me to him. I've meaning to upload some of his stuff for years at this point, so I'll make an effort to add more soon. Enjoy.

Towards A World Without Dishwashers! (2007)

1. Picking Sides

2. No Future

3. Stop Being So Cool And Get Silly

4. Jesus Does The Dishes

5. For A Girl I Met in Rhinelander, WI

6. Love Song

7. Sellout Song

8. Come On, Feel The Noise!

9. Ain't Nobody's Business (But My Own)

10. Smoke Bongs/Sing Songs, Lost At Sea!

Live In Plattsburgh, NY (2007)

1. Picking Sides

2. Reason To Breathe

3. Free And Alone

4. Jesus Does The Dishes

5. For A Girl In Rhinelander, WI

6. Pop Jam

7. Stop Being So Cool

8. Ain't Nobodies Business (But My Own)

Wingnut Dishwashers Union/James K. Polk And The Family Of Friends (2008)

1. Wingnut Dishwashers Union - Reason To Breathe

2. Wingnut Dishwashers Union - Free And Alone

3. Wingnut Dishwashers Union - Fuck Shit Up (Wa-na-na)

4. James K. Polk And The Family Of Friends - Pumble Bears Cloud Maker

5. James K. Polk And The Family Of Friends - Rusty Nave Blankly

Kalamazoo, MI 4/6/08 (2008)

1. Picking Sides

2. Reason To Breathe

3. Free And Alone

4. Jesus Does The Dishes

5. For A Girl In Rhinelander, WI

6. FM Bands

7. Just Because I Don't Say Anything (Doesn't Mean I Got Nothing to Say)

8. Ain't Nobodies Business (But My Own)

Never Trust A Man Who Plays Guitar! (2008)

1. Never Trust A Man (Who Plays Guitar)

2. Free And Alone

3. Fuck Shit Up! (Whananana)

4. Reason To Breathe

5. Do You Wanna Go To Party Town?

6. Alley Cat

7. Trash Rules Everything

8. Picking Sides

9. Love Song

10. Jesus Does The Dishes

11. No Future (Road Song)

12. For A Girl In Rhinelander, WI

13. Stop Being So Cool

14. Ain't Nobody's Business

15. Lost At Sea (Live w/ Saw)

Burn the Earth! Leave It Behind! (2009)

1. Proudhon In Manhattan

2. Never Trust A Man (Who Plays Guitar)

3. Fuck Shit Up! (Whanananananana)

4. Fuck Every Cop (Who Ever Did His Job)

5. Urine Speaks Louder Than Words

6. Picking Sides

7. Jesus Does the Dishes

8. Just Because I Don't Say Anything (Doesn't Mean I Got Nothing to Say)

9. For a Girl in Rhinelander, WI

10. My Idea of Fun

LSD And The Search For God

Like Pinkshinyultrablast last month, here's another band who disappeared for a few years and then suddenly re-emerged with a new album. There's just a much bigger gap this time, and their first EP is easily one of the most renowned in the past decade of its genre.

LSD And The Search For God are a seven-piece shoegaze/dream pop band from San Francisco, California that formed in 2005. After some extensive touring, they released a five-song self-titled EP in 2007, which quickly developed a reputation over the following years. It's dreamy atmosphere is the closest thing to euphoria that doesn't involve a pill or an orgasm. The tones and textures of the guitars ebb and flow like paint on a palate, and add a unique blend of colour to the male-female vocal harmonies that float through each of these songs. The obvious namedrop comparisons are there (see: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, etc.), though LSD And The Search For God really managed to craft an EP that featured influence, but not derivation. Thus why it's held in such high regard, because it managed to define a genre that all too often falls into the death trap of carbon copy sound alikes.

After some rigid touring and numerous "will they won't they" moments, LSD finally released their follow-up EP, Heaven Is a Place in January of this year, nine years after their debut. The band essentially picks up where they left off, with some slicker production and some poppier elements. Though perhaps not as monumental as their debut, LSD certainly delivers a respectable follow-up album. Overall, LSD And The Search For God are a solid band for anyone looking for shoegaze music that is not straight out of the Creation Records roster, or just looking for a more modern take on the genre. Either way, that first EP is a must, and the second a solid response of fresh songs. Enjoy.

LSD And The Search For God (2007)

1. This Time

2. I Don't Care

3. Backwards

4. Starting Over

5. Starshine

Heaven Is a Place (2016)

1. Heaven

2. (I Don't Think That We Should) Take It Slow

3. Outer Space (Long Way Home)

4. Elizabeth

5. Without You

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Gaza

Gaza were a five-piece (and eventually four-piece) hardcore/metalcore band from Salt Lake City, Utah that started in 2004 and ended in 2013. In their nine years as a band, they released three full-length albums, and one EP, East. All their albums are absolute forces on their own. They take influence from all the greats who came just before them, such as Botch, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Fuck The Facts, and push the aggression and technical prowess a notch forward. Gaza's deep, guttural vocals are the loudspeaker in which to convey their very political agenda, and the sludgy, heavy, chaotic, and punishing riffs are the orchestra to accompany their mission statements.

There's really not much else to say, all three albums are essential recommendations for anyone looking for the dark, heavy, and chaotic side of hardcore. Three of the band's members also now play in Cult Leader, who put out a phenomenal record last year. That's definitely also recommended, and already on here, so get on that if you haven't yet. Enjoy.

East (2004)

1. Kasam Rocket

2. Femur

3. East

4. Hospital

5. Cattle

6. Gristle

I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die (2006)

1. Calf

2. I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die

3. Hospital Fat Bags

4. Gristle

5. Sire

6. Slutmaker

7. Hell Crown

8. Moth

9. Cult

10. Pork Finder

11. Untitled Track

He Is Never Coming Back (2009)

1. How It Is. How It's Going To Be.

2. The Kicking Legs

3. Bishop

4. The Biologist

5. Windowless House

6. He Is Never Coming Back

7. Canine Disposal Unit

8. The Anthropologist

9. The Meat Of A Leg Joint

10. The Astronomer

11. Tombless

12. The Historian

13. Carnivore

No Absolutes In Human Suffering (2012)

1. Mostly Hair And Bones Now

2. This We Celebrate

3. The Truth Weighs Nothing

4. Not With All The Hope In The World

5. The Vipers

6. No Absolutes In Human Suffering

7. The Crown

8. When They Beg

9. Winter In Her Blood

10. Skull Trophy

11. Routine And Then Death

Death Index

Death Index are a two-piece post-punk band that were formed in 2015 by Carson Cox, who is best known as being a member of Tampa band Merchandise. Death Index take a much more noisy and abrasive approach compared to Cox's main project, though some of Merchandise's earliest work does have some sonic similarities. Death Index just put out their debut full-length on Deathwish, and it's definitely a worthy addition to an already amazing roster. The LP is defined by a dark atmosphere with some sharp guitar tones and drums covered in so much reverb that they almost sound tribal. They knock out 10 great songs in under 25 minutes, so it's definitely a fast-paced listen that's certainly worth your time. Enjoy.

Death Index (2016)

1. Fast Money Kill

2. Dream Machine

3. The Meal

4. Fuori Controllo

5. Fup

6. Little 'N' Pretty

7. Lost Bodies

8. We've Got A Number

9. JFK

10. Patto Con Dio

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Mohinder

Mohinder were a post-hardcore band that from Cupertino, California that formed in 1993 and broke up in 1994. They came, they went, they conquered, like many of their Californian contemporaries Antioch Arrow, Indian Summer, Heroin, Portraits Of Past, the list goes on. In a very brief amount of time, the band released a handful of EP's that would be compiled later on years after they had called it quits on the aptly titled Everything. Mohinder worked with Gravity Records, like the aforementioned Antioch Arrow and Heroin. This should give you an idea of both how good they are and how influential they've been. They were an incredibly intense act, playing manic bursts of dissonant aggression that can end as quickly as they begin. Their discography consists of 18 frenzied tracks that are an assault on the ears in the best way possible. Mohinder are easily one of the most highly recommend bands I could name for anyone remotely interested in their little niche, so do enjoy.

Everything (2001)

1. To Satisfy

2. Run

3. Give

4. Inhuman Nature

5. Numb

6. Of Sound Mind

7. 101

8. Number One

9. Imbalance

10. Itch

11. Expiration

12. Beautiful

13. The Static Cult

14. Mission

15. Acceptance

16. Division

17. One Warrior

18. Alien

Lifetime

Lifetime are a five-piece melodic hardcore/pop punk/emo band from New Jersey that formed in 1990 and broke up in 1997. They played a few reunion shows in 2005 and ended up staying together and putting out a new album in 2007. Since then, they've still been fairly active with sporadic shows an such. They were signed to Jade Tree Records and then Decaydance when they reformed. Their guitarist Dan Yemin was also in Kid Dynamite and sang for Paint It Black. Hopefully this band doesn't really need much more of an introduction, since they are absolutely quintessential for any fan of pop punk or the less intense side of hardcore. Lifetime basically mastered the two-minute catchy d-beat rhythm sound, and thus have ended up being enormously influential. Jersey's Best Dancers is an absolute classic, as well as its predecessor Hello Bastards. There's really no need to rant on about how good they are, it's essentially a redundant statement of fact at this point, so enjoy.

Dwell (1991)

1. Dwell

2. Find

3. Souvenir

4. Gone

Background (1993)

1. You

2. Pieces

3. Myself

4. Thanks

5. Up

6. Bedtime

7. Old Friend

8. Ghost

9. Alive

10. Background

Tinnitus (1994)

1. Isae Aldy Beausoleil

2. Ferret

3. Star Sixty-Nine

4. Ampersand

Hello Bastards (1995)

1. Daneurysm

2. Rodeo Clown

3. Anchor

4. I'm Not Calling You

5. Bobby Truck Tricks

6. (The Gym Is) Neutral Territory

7. I Like You Ok

8. It's Not Funny Anymore (Husker Du cover)

9. Irony Is For Suckers

10. What She Said

11. Knives, Bats, New Tats

12. Ostrichsized

The Boy's No Good (1996)

1. The Boy's No Good

2. Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey

Jersey's Best Dancers (1997)

1. Turnpike Gates

2. Young, Loud And Scotty

3. Francie Nolan

4. 25 Cent Giraffes

5. Hey Catrine

6. Bringin' It Backwards

7. How We Are

8. Theme Song For A New Brunswick Basement Show

9. Cut The Tension

10. The Truth About Lars

11. The Boy's No Good

12. The Verona Kings

Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey (2006)

Disc 1

1. Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey

2. Isae Aldy Beausoleil

3. Ferret

4. Starsixtynine

5. Ampersand

6. Secede

7. Young, Loud And Scotty

8. Bringin' It Backwards

9. Theme Song For A New Brunswick Basement Show

10. New England (Billy Bragg cover)

11. Money (Embrace cover)

12. You

13. Pieces

14. Myself

15. Thanks

16. Up

17. Bedtime

18. Old Friend

19. Ghost

20. Alive

21. Background

22. Dwell

23. Find

24. Souvenir

25. Gone

26. Tradition

Disc 2

1. You

2. Pieces

3. Myself

4. Thanks

5. Up

6. Bedtime

7. Old Friend

8. Ghost

9. Alive

10. Background

11. You (Live)

12. Ghost (Live)

Note: Missing the last few songs, all live tracks

Two Songs (2006)

1. Haircuts And T-Shirts

2. All Night Long

Lifetime (2007)

1. Northbound Breakdown

2. Airport Monday Morning

3. Just A Quiet Evening

4. Haircuts And T-Shirts

5. Can't Think About It Now

6. Spiders In The Garden

7. Yeems Song For Nothing

8. Try And Stay Awake

9. Song For Mel

10. All Night Long

11. Records At Nite

Junior Battles

Junior Battles are a four-piece pop punk band from Toronto, Ontario, that formed in 2007. They can finally be taken out of the "long overdue post" pile, since this one has been a long time coming. Junior Battles are an incredible band that are equal parts catchy and energetic. I saw them a few times a few years ago and every time they were phenomenal, and that definitely translates on to their recorded material.

They're the kind of band for people in the 20's who secretly still yearn for the "golden age" of their teen years, but are simultaneously kind of tongue-in-cheek about it. Their lyrics are definitely a big part of what makes them so good, since they're able to tell some very relatable stories in a fun, not-so-serious ways. They have two vocalists, which makes for some great harmonies that double the awesome of their already-catchy melodies. As far as sound goes, they keep it very varied, with each song standing out for a particular melody, riff, tone, or something very definitive that separates it from the rest. The Alkaline Trio influence is clearly prominent, though fans of bands like The Lawrence Arms or The Flatliners could also get on board with Junior Battles. They're upbeat, they're nostalgic, and a straight-up fun band to listen to. Enjoy.

Hotel Bibles (2009)

1. We're Not Coming Down

2. Will & Words

3. Hotel Bibles

4. Rip It Up

5. Decades

6. Boats

Junior Battles (2010)

1. Basements

2. Major Label Bidding War

3. Update Your Resume

4. Roads? Where We're Going, We Definitely Need Roads.

Other Stuff! (2010)

1. F.O.D. (Green Day)

2. Ghostin' (Con El Lobo Adolescente)

Junior Battles/O Pioneers!!! (2011)

1. Passing Out

Idle Ages (2011)

1. Seventeen

2. Twenty Five

3. Nostalgic At 23

4. "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"

5. Birthdayparties vs. Punkroutine

6. Alternate 1985

7. Send The Pilots Away

8. Architecture

9. With Honours

10. Living On The Future Of Feelings / No Plan

11. Passing Out

12. Radio

Rally (2014)

1. (You Will Score The Winning) Goal

2. Rafts

3. Three Whole Years

4. Bunk

5. Believe It Or Not, George Isn't Home

6. Every Town

7. TPS Reports

8. Assholes On Rollerblades

9. 27th Floor!

10. Architecture II - Future Music For The Children Of The Future

11. (You Are Very Good At) Sports

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On The Might Of Princes

On The Might Of Princes were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Long Island, New York that formed in 1998 and broke up in 2004. They've done a handful of reunion shows since then, but officially called it quits in 2013, the same year guitarist/vocalist Jason Rosenthal (also a member of The Brass) died. They released three albums in their time together, in addition to a demo cassette. The first of their two albums were re-released in 2007, which contained a handful of bonus tracks that I included below.

If On The Might Of Princes had to be described in one word, it would be dynamic. Quiet, whispered sections could build up into crushing climaxes of distorion and melody, heavy riffs could appear in the same song as gentle arpeggios, and screamed, sung, or whatever in between vocals top off the instrumentals. OTMOP were masters of odd time signatures, off-kilter chord shapes, low-end bass lines, and a definite tightness in their sound, even when each instrument seems to be a separate head on the same body. Long story short, they're a solid band that brought post-hardcore to popularity around the turn of the century, though were never quite as big as a band like At The Drive-In. Where You Are And Where You Want To Be is generally regarded as On The Might Of Princes' magnum opus, so that's where I'd suggest to start, though their other two albums are solid as well. Enjoy.

Demo (1998)

1. A Fond Farewell

2. Astoria

3. Anywhere in Europe

4. Drunk & Missing Vital Parts

5. A Shadow Taller Than You

6. An Allusion To Italy

7. Waterwings

The Making Of A Conversation (1999)

1. Astoria

2. At Half Mast

3. Juliana/Taking The Long Way Home

4. The Snow Watchers

5. Anywhere In Europe

6. The Absentee Ballot

7. Waterwings

8. A Fond Farewell

9. A Shadow Taller Than You

10. A Thousand Words

11. Caboose

12. Drunk And Missing Vital Parts (Bonus Track)

13. An Allusion To Italy (Version) (Bonus Track)

14. Poison Of Youth (Bonus Track)

Where You Are And Where You Want To Be (2001)

1. The Water Vs. The Anchor

2. And The Hat Stays On

3. If I Knew Numbers (The Stalemate)

4. Caboose

5. Old Wives Tale

6. An Allusion To Italy

7. As Long As She Doesn't Smoke

8. 13 Cheers For Beers And Bullshit

9. You Can Only Be So Careful

10. For Meg

11. Hell Or High Water (Bonus Track)

12. And The Hat Stays On (Version) (Bonus Track)

13. The Water Vs. The Anchor (Live) (Bonus Track)

Sirens (2003)

1. No Sign Of The Messiah (Part II)

2. Go Fuck Yrself

3. The Swell And The Breaking

4. You Whistle, I'll Shoot

5. Here Come The Sirens

6. My Hands: Landmines, Landfills

7. They Made Me Do it

8. Spit Survival

9. Carry Go, Bring Come

10. Cloak & Dagger

11. They Have Teeth

12. OTMOP 10-tet (Hidden Track)

Hotel Books

Hotel Books is a spoken-word project started by Cam Smith in Porterville, California in 2011. Their music is based on Smith's poetry, which is read over some ambient/indie instrumentals, which usually consists of some clean, noodly guitar sounds that are pretty commonplace for emo/math rock-esque bands. Hotel Books are definitely comparable to Listener, since they share the same basic concept of spoken word being accompanied by gentle instrumentals. Cam Smith's vocal delivery is also pretty similar to Dan Smith's. In all honesty, I'm not really into this band. Not that there's anything really wrong with them, I could just cannot get into them. However, they are by far one of the most requested bands I get, and their discography is small, so I see no reason not to share them with those of you looking for them. Enjoy.

Everything We Could Have Done Differently (2013)

1. Sometimes I Feel Like Nothing

2. Nothing Ever Changes

3. Changes Consume Me

4. I Always Thought I Would Be Okay

5. I Never Thought I Would Be Okay

6. Ghosts Can't Love (Part I)

7. MM/DD/YYYY (Part II)

8. Beliefs [Upon Contact]

9. Books [Anti- What Have You]

10. Car Crash

11. Boundless [MMXII Minus Two]

12. All My Friends Are Trees (Part III)

13. Faithless [Am I]

14. Hollow Light / Hollow Lover

15. Empty Courage / Empty Heart

I'm Almost Happy Here, But I Never Feel At Home (2014)

1. Lose One Friend

2. Lose All Friends

3. Lose Yourself

4. Constant Collapse

5. Dreaming or Sinking

6. Two Eight One

7. America's Next Top Model

8. Cult Leader

9. Nicole

10. Lungs

11. Car Crash

Run Wild, Young Beauty (2015)

1. Run Wild, Young Beauty

2. Constant Conclusions

3. July (Part One)

4. I Died With You

5. Nothing Was Different

6. Love Life, Let Go (feat. JT Woodruff)

7. 813 Maryland St.

8. Wooden Floorboards

9. Two Steps Back

10. Nothing Was The Same

11. August (Part Two)

12. Ten Steps Forward

Run Wild, Stay Alive (2016)

1. Every Day, The Same

2. I Think You See Where This Is Headed

3. Where We Sleep Is Where We Dream

4. Constant Conflicts

5. Saltwater For Blood

6. Lesser

7. Friendly Crossfire

8. Can You Do Me A Kindness?

9. Alcoholocaust

10. Broke Love

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