Saturday, 16 December 2023

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.

1. Tunnel Vision
2. Surface
3. Castle

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

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

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

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

Sunday, 10 December 2023

Hot Rod Circuit


Hot Rod Circuit are a four-piece emo/indie band from Auburn, Alabama that formed in 1997. They initially went by the name Antidote and released one album before changing the name and becoming the iteration of the band we know today. They quickly released two full-lengths in 1999 and 2000 respectively, both via Triple Crown Records. They switched to Vagrant Records for their following full-length, Sorry About Tomorrow. This included some of their most well-known tracks, particularly its opener "The Pharmacist". After another two albusm, the band broke up in 2007 after a solid ten years of activity. They weren't gone for long, as they reformed briefly in 2011, and then came back in semi-full force in 2014. Since then, they have played shows sporadically, with a few coming in January 2024.

I'll fully admit that this is one band I have not given nearly enough time to. They've been requested for years, and sit comfortably amongst the likes of Piebald, Braid, The Anniversary, The Get Up Kids, and Jimmy Eat World. I really haven't delved any deeper than cursory listens beyond If I Knew Now What I Knew Then and Sorry About Tomorrow. Both of those are solid, though didn't quite click the same way some of the aforementioned bands did. I still like and have an immense respect for them, and consider them one of the handful of major emo acts I have yet to cover here. So here they are, in all their glory. Enjoy!

1. Very Best Friend
2. Slacker
3. Blurry 17
4. Hi-Tech Lipgloss
5. Richard Simmons

1. Weak Warm
2. Irish Car Bomb
3. Slacker
4. Remover
5. Chemistry
6. Medicated Lungs
7. Achy Breaky Hockey Hair
8. Good Intentions
9. Chinese Cuts
10. Low

1. Radio Song
2. Supersad
3. Two Hand Touch
4. The Power Of The Vitamins
5. Cool With Me
6. Versatility
7. This Is Not The Time Or Place
8. Smithsonian Lover
9. Flight 89 (North American)
10. You Kill Me
11. What's Left Standing

1. The Anniversary - To Never Die Young
2. Hot Rod Circuit - This One's For Randy

1. The Pharmacist
2. At Natures Mercy
3. Radiation Suit
4. Safely
5. Now Or Never
6. Cool For One Night
7. Knees
8. Let's Go Home
9. Consumed By Laziness
10. Get What You Get
11. The Night They Blew Up The Moon 

1. Very Best Friend
2. Slacker
3. Blurry 17
4. Hi-Tech Lipgloss
5. Richard Simmons
6. Sadie Hawkins
7. Understood
8. Grocery Store
9. The Greatest Disappointment
10. Master Control Program
11. Power Of Vitamins (Live)
12. This One's For Randy (Live)
13. Hi-Tech Lip Gloss (Live)
14. Patty Hearst Machine Gun (Fudge cover)
15. Sin City (AC/DC cover)

1. Inhabit
2. Save You
3. Fear The Sound
4. Cheap Trick
5. Failure
6. Tell The Truth
7. Unfaithful
8. The Best You Ever Knew
9. Crossbow
10. Riding The Low
11. Moonlight Sunlight

9. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John Lennon cover)

1. Stateside
2. Vampire
3. Battleship
4. What We Believe In
5. 45's
6. Holding On To Nothing
7. US Royalty
8. Ventricle
9. Spit You Out
10. Cali
11. 6-8

1. 45's
2. Battleship
3. Camo
4. Stateside
5. U.S. Royalty

13. Gin & Juice (Snoop Dogg cover)

1. Forgive Me
2. Into The Sun
3. Sucked Out

1. Default Setting

The Loved Ones

The Loved Ones are a five-piece punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 2003. The band was started by vocalist/guitarist Dave Hause, who was still a member of hardcore band Paint It Black at the time. He was joined by members of Kid Dyanmite and Trial By Fire. Unsurprisingly, they hit the ground running with a solid debut EP and fantastic LP via Fat Wreck Chords just a few years later. Keep Your Heart is an album I don't return to nearly as much as I should, as it's an incredibly solid collection of songs with pounding instrumentals and heartland lyricism. If you're into bands like The Bouncing Souls, Hot Water Music, or The Lawrence Arms, this will be right up your alley if you're already familiar with them. They dropped a second full-length and EP in the late 2000's, and have been relatively inactive since then. They still play sporadic shows, though its members have moved on to other projects. Hause in particular has been very active as a solo artist, alongside being a member of The All Brights and The Falcon in recent years. Enjoy.

1. 100K
2. Chicken
3. Massive
4. Drastic
5. Candy Cane

1. Suture Self
2. Breathe In
3. Jane
4. Over 50 Club
5. Please Be Here
6. Hurry Up & Wait
7. Sickening
8. Living Will (Get You Dead)
9. The Odds
10. Benson & Hedges
11. Arsenic
12. 110k
13. Player Hater Anthem

1. Pretty Good Year
2. The Inquirer
3. The Bridge
4. Sarah's Game
5. Brittle Heart
6. Selfish Masquerade
7. 3rd Shift
8. Louisana
9. Dead Laura
10. I Swear

1. Chuck Ragan - Pretty Good Year
2. The Loved Ones - For Broken Ears

1. Distracted
2. Last Call
3. Spy Diddley
4. Johnny 99
5. Lovers Town Revisited
6. Coma Girl

Dystopia

Dystopia were a three-piece crust punk/sludge metal band from Orange County, California that were active from 1991 to 2008. They released three full-lengths, a demo, an EP, and a handful of splits, most of which came out in the 90's. Their first (and in my opinion most essential) album is the aptly titled Human = Garbage. It's as wonderfully misanthropic as you'd expect, with lyrics illustrating a decaying world as a result of humanity's hand. It's a series of tense, heavy riffs, noisy interludes, and sample exercepts, all with some insanely tortured vocals at the forefront. If you're looking for sludgy hardcore, this is it. Its follow-up, The Aftermath was originally released as a one-sided 12" LP consisting of four tracks. The CD version also includes the tracks from Backstabber and the Skaven and Suffering Luna splits. Since those releases are included separately here, The Aftermath version here is the vinyl-only tracks. They were mostly inactive following its release, until they dropped their final (also excellent) full-length in 2008 before calling it quits. Enjoy.

1. The Beginning
2. Slave Chains
3. Green Destroyed
4. Broken Shell
5. Sleep
6. Ruptured Silence
7. Lovehate

1. Grief - Lifeless
2. Grief - Fucked Upstairs
3. Dystopia - Sleep

1. Embittered - There's People Talkin'
2.  Embittered - Two Manipulated Bodies
3.  Embittered - New Breed
4.  Embittered - Crush (Their Fucking Power)
5.  Embittered - Embittered
6. Dystopia - The Beginning
7. Dystopia - Slave Chains
8. Dystopia - Ruptured Silence
9. Dystopia - Green Destroyed
10. Dystopia - Weed Of Wisdom

1. Stress Builds Character
2. Hands That Mold
3. Sanctity
4. Ignorance Of Pride
5. Love//Hate

1. Dystopia - Diary Of A Battered Child
2. Suffering Luna - La Reina Del Rosario

1. Dystopia - Anger Brought By Disease
2. Dystopia - Jarhead Fertilizer
3. Dystopia - Taste Your Own Medicine
4. Dystopia - Untitled
5.Skaven - Reflective Skin
6. Skaven - Plague Wind
7. Skaven - Abscess
8. Skaven - Fleshy Curse
9. Skaven - Like The Worms That Crawl The Earth

1. Socialized Death Sentence
2. Backstabber
3. They Live

1. Population Birth Control
2. Fathers Gun
3. Self Defeating Prophecy
4. Sleep

1. Now And Forever
2. Control All Delete
3. Leaning With Intent To Fall
4. The Growing Minority
5. Illusion Of Love
6. Number One Hypocrite
7. My Meds Aren't Working

Saturday, 9 December 2023

Deathcrash

deathcrash are a four-piece slowcore/post-rock band from London, England that formed in 2018. They debuted with a series of self-recordings featuring relatively, reverb-heavy lo-fi arpeggios and meandering, drawl-like vocals. Along with the occasional distorted, dissonant climaxes, you get a sound that sits at the intersection between Codeine, Mogwai, and Slint. They quickly progressed and refined that foundational sound over an EP and debut LP, which saw them craft these sprawling songs with cleaner production. They also come more into their own sonically, moving away from the obvious influence that permeated their earliest material.

Earlier this year, their sophomore album Less was released. This is a much more subdued, almost sparse affair. There's a tinge of midwest emo influence, along with these whisper-thin, quivering vocals. This is a somber, reflective and melancholic listen, with each note seeming to ring out and linger. The build-ups are layered but still sound spacious, with some potent highs being hit, particularly on "Empty Heavy" and "Dead, Crashed", which incorporate these layered, almost screamed vocals. It's a stark contrast to the record's predominantly slow pace, which makes it sound that much more immense. Anyway, this is one of the year's finest albums in my opinion, so if it sounds like it's up your alley, do yourself a favour and give it a listen if you haven't already. Enjoy!


1. Slumber
2. Bones

1. Don't Shoot!
2. Slowed
3. Sclarb
4. Hydraulic Jump
5. Speed

1. People thought my windows were stars
2. Bind
3. songs m i-iv

1. Sundown
2. Unwind
3. Horses
4. American Metal
5. Matt's Song
6. Wrestle With Jimmy
7. Metro I
8. Slowday
9. Was Living
10. What To Do
11. Doomcrash
12. The Low Anthem

1. Pirouette
2. Empty Heavy
3. Duffy's
4. And Now I Am Lit
5. Distance Song
6. Turn
7. Dead, Crashed

Captain Jazz

Captain Jazz are a screamo/emo band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that have been active since late 2022 (as far as I can tell, at least). This year alone they've put out two albums, the latest one of which is particularly attention-grabbing due to the band name and artwork (scroll down, you'll see what I mean). It immediately peaked my curiosity when I came across it, and was pleasantly surprised to find a genuinely solid lo-fi screamo album with enough quirks to really set this record apart. For one, perhaps unsurprisingly the lyrics are incredibly meta, being very self-referential alongside pop culture nods and a borderline emo band roll call with the amount of nods and mentions on here. There is a slight chronically online sensibility to it (if that's even the right way to describe it). I understand that may not appeal to everyone, but I find the music itself to be earnest enough that it balances out. They're also not afraid to pull something completely different from the expected (though excellent) chaotic catharsis out, including ambient song closers, field recordings, and a straight-up rap complete with electronic beats. It's an interesting record to say the least, and one hell of a way to close out the year. I'm personally really into it, so I do suggest checking out. Enjoy.

1. Oh Boy, We're Opening For Michael Cera Palin!
2. Captain Jazz Captain Jazz Captain Jazz Captain Jazz Captain Jazz
3. Revive Zordon
4. All Women Go To Heaven
5. This Track Contains An Unlicensed Sample From An EMI Artist/Proeprty
6. Pwen
7. Why Wonder Years Never Got Cancelld
8. 10000000000000 Angels
9. Frightened Of Me The First Time

1. Hard To Shake The Feeling
2. Hard To Shake The Feeling (Remix)

1. The Simpsons 2
2. 445 Words
3. Oh Sussy Life
4. Forevers A Cool Word
5. There's No Gold, Is There?
6. 0X
7. Minecraft Creeper Tutorial
8. Microphones In 3030
9. The World Is A Marketable Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Sell
10. UUTT
11. Trace The Line
12. nickeLback pHOTOgrapH

Tuesday, 5 December 2023

2023 in Review...

You know the drill by now. This is a compilation of all the links for 2023 releases posted on here. If there's anything you missed, now's the time to catch up before the years wrap up. I'm sure I'm missing a few things, so if you notice anything missing please let me know! I've got a few more new regular posts in the works, and the top 50 list coming later in the month. Thank you as always to anyone still coming back here, it's still a fun thing for more to do, even after almost 12 years running. Enjoy!

ALBUMS


EP'S/DEMOS/SPLITS/SINGLES/COMPILATIONS/ETC.