Rocketship - A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness

(this is like the only picture of this band and it looks like a VHS screen grab)

Sometimes, I'll find a band I like and then check out the label they're on's past releases and see if I can find anything I like. This is how I find a lot of great stuff from the past that I probably never would have heard of otherwise. This is how I found out about Rocketship. Slumberland Records is the label that put this debut LP out in 1996, and it's fantastic. It's easily comparable to Isn't Anything era My Bloody Valentine and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart who have cited them as a huge influence. It's upbeat and has a super prominent organ. I fell in love with this album on the first listen and I recommend it highly. This is the only full length release that wasn't a solo project by the front man, so I'm not sure what the later LPs sound like, but definitely give this a listen.

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i don't know if I speak for everyone, but it's the end of the semester for me and I'm fucking swamped. i'll continue posting regularly when this shit is over and done with.

Sleepyhead- Never Trust A Label

Sleepyhead is a punk band from Minneapolis/St Paul. Their sound combines the Americana-punk of RVIVR with a twinge of melancholy only possible in the midwest.  Never Trust a Label is four songs of beer swilling, anthemic pop punk. Overvalued carries a dark kind of subtle energy. It's all highly reminsicent of How Do We Jump This High? or Get Bent. I was immediately hooked listening to this, and would recommend this to anyone into pop punk at all.

bandcamp

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Infinity Girl - Just Like Lovers

When my band was booking our first tour, we needed to find support for our first date in Lowell. I explored the Boston tag on bandcamp and in the process found a band called Infinity Girl. Though they couldn't play the show, I fell in love with their sound. Shoegaze is making somewhat of a resurgence and I think Infinity Girl does the sound so well. The vocals are dreamy/heavily 'verbed and the guitar leads are catchy and prominent. I don't really have any bands to compare this to that I think would make it clear what this sounds like. Think of a mixture of 80's jangly pop, modern shoegaze, and loud indie rock and I think you'll get the idea. I look forward to what they do next.

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Bandcamp

Iron Chic- Spooky Action

Iron Chic has done it again. The Long Island group's discography has been really solid thus far, even with relatively little change.  Just good reliable pop punk.

Spooky Action is almost a more compressed version of 2010's "Not Like This." The opener "Spooky Action at a Distance," starts with a wayward guitar intro, transitioning into a driving drumbeat, reminiscent of songs from their LP. I'd criticize this for being formulaic, but the formula works so well. "Less Rest for the Restless" is another driving pop punk anthem about not sleeping and thinking about death and general good stuff to yell about.  The only outlier here is their cover of Butthole Surfer's "Goofy's Concern" with a guitar intro that I can only call spooky. The rest of the song isn't too far removed from the band's sound. Overall, solid EP. And at only 3 songs, its the perfect length for listening to between classes, on the bus, on the toilet, etc. Pay this band money.

-Daniel

Bandcamp

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Yusuke- Demo 2013

Yusuke is a three piece screamo band from the Bloomington-Normal area of Illinois. They're composed of members of Short Stories About Their Distance, Kaworu, and Mammoths. They play fast, shriek-y screamo/emo violence along the lines of Tristan Tzara, Louis Cyphre, Jerome's Dream, and мища.

The drummer Ryan sent me the link a couple days ago and asked me to play bass. It immediately clicked with me. Yusuke is very much "true screamo" and carries on the gauntlet of the chaotic '90's bands that are so revered within the scene. I definitely enjoy it and anyone into screamo (or "skramz" if you want to be a nerd) should download it for free.

Bandcamp

Burglary Years- Demo 2012

Burglary Years is a shoegaze/dream pop band from Boston. They share members with Cerce, I Kill Giants, Native Wildlife, and probably some other bands. They have something like 7 members live, I think, but no more than 3 people on any of the demo songs. They have a demo on bandcamp for free (or donation) and they're in the process of mixing a LP and a split with Procession.

They sound like a perfect mixture of The Smiths and dream pop and it's incredible. I think that this band is absolutely incredible and has the potential to blow up once they release more material. The singer's voice is gorgeous and Zach Weeks is unfairly good at music. Plus, they covered Bruce Springsteen. I cannot recommend this highly enough, especially if you like shoegaze, dream pop, The Smiths, or "indie" (whatever that means to you).

Bandcamp

Hate Vacation - Vol. 1

For the most part, bands that have formed in the ashes of Snowing sound nothing like the emo band that broke up two years ago. Hate Vacation is no exception. Also containing members of Storm The Bastille and Cassilis, the debut from Hate Vacation is 6 mostly brief, always heavy as fuck, hardcore songs. This release is coming out on vinyl and I can assure you I'll be first in line to purchase because this absolutely rips. Don't sleep on this release, very good sludgy hardcore.

	1.	Family Pet 01:51
	2.	Exhaust 00:39
	3.	American Sulfur 01:27
	4.	Morphine Baby 01:57
	5.	Men With Cat Heads 01:46
	6.	Of Mice 03:01

Bandcamp 

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NAH- DIFFICULT

NAH dropped a new album the other day. For those that aren't familiar, NAH is the experimental, instrumental, hip-hop project from the drummer of 1994! It's noisey with lots of drumming and weird shit going on. Highly recommended. I don't listen to much electronic music or hip-hop, but this dude fucking rips. There really isn't anything else that sounds like this (at least, that I've heard) so just go check it out and download it for free. Word.

BANDCAMP

Caddywhompus-EPs

I first got into New Orleans' Caddywhompus when they played at the Firehouse in Birmingham. I had some high school test the next day and Jonathan Crain told me to see them since I like cap'N jazz.  The guitarist played through basically a pile of amps, mostly practice amps fuzzed the fuck out. I bought EPs on cassette and that, along with 36 Chambers and For Cameron, was a fixture in my car's tape deck.

EPs is a collection of songs recorded whenever with titles referencing weed, sex, acid, and liquor.  Songwise, they sound almost like Cap'n Jazz with chiptunes. "Treats" starts off with an 8 bit-like intro and goes into what must be the band's manifesto, "Caddywhompus! We play for keeps." I can't help but yell that in my dorm room as I type it. "...But Not Before a Show"'s intro is truly a head-bobbing banger. Soundtrack of my summer last year. Soundtrack of your's this year. Do some research and see if they're coming to your town.
-Daniel

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Owen- Discography

Last week, Mike Kinsella (Owen) released a new song from his upcoming LP, "L'Ami du Peuple", "Bad Blood". To me, this song seems to have a more "full band" feel than some of his previous efforts, with less of a focus on acoustic guitar. I've heard him play another new song live a couple times and if that, and Bad Blood are indicative of the new album, it's going to be just as good, if not better, as the rest of his catalog.

The new album drops July 2nd on Polyvinyl.

Here's the rest of his discography (non-chronologically)-

(the ep), At Home With Owen, and the Daytrotter Session- http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/64154597/file.html

Ghost Town, Daytrotter Session II, and I Do Perceive- http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/55493334/file.html

New Leaves, No Good For No One Now, O'Evelyn 7", and misc. tracks- http://www39.zippyshare.com/v/40007209/file.html

Owen, split with The Rutabega, The Seaside EP- 

http://www39.zippyshare.com/v/70226767/file.html

Bandcamp

Records

The Cabs - Regenerative Landscape

The Cabs broke up two days after the first time I heard them. It's hard to not think life is a scam with a coincidence like that, considering The Cabs' 2013 release, Regenerative Landscape is a fantastic release. The Cabs were a Japanese math/emo band that had a sound similar to the emo sound coming out of England (i.e. Tubelord, This Town Needs Guns, Tangled Hair). It doesn't take long to be pulled in by Yoshikatsu Shutou's beautiful vocals despite the language barrier and the instrumentation and structures are never predictable, quite often frantic, and always awesome. Sometimes it's hard to tell that this music is only produced by a three-piece. This comes highly recommended from me, definitely check it out. Total bummer this is the first and last full length they'll ever release.

Bandcamp

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Nai Harvest - Whatever

I know tons of other blogs are posting about this, but i couldn't resist. This is already my favorite release of the year.

Nai Harvest is a two piece emo band from Sheffield, UK (that's probably not how you indicate locations). I haven't found a band that's seriously just this exciting since Spraynard (RIP). They have a couple ep releases and a split with Papayer.

Whatever is absolutely what the full length from a band with this much energy needed to be. The songs are incredibly catchy, the guitar hooks noodle around beautifully, and the rough vocals only enhance the music. The title track "Whatever" is probably the highlight of the album, with blazing guitars right off the bat. The lyrics come at a perfect time of year, so you can sing "being busy doesn't keep me happy, it keeps me sane," in your buddy's car. Songs like "Floor" sound like an adhd version of Pavement, with still just as much groove.
-Daniel

 BANDCAMP

VINYL

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Merchant Ships - Discography

The chances are that you've heard Merchant Ships. In their short time as a band they released some awesome noodly-screamo, culminating with their stellar final release that came out on Count Your Lucky Stars, For Cameron. Despite how short lived they were, they are quite popular and well regarded and basically every band members have been in since (Midwest Pen Pals, William Bonney, Park Jefferson) has been equally awesome.


                            
                                                      LOLcats Demo (2008)

1. I Won That Jousting Match Because Of My Iron Horse

2. Drinkin' Music Is Better Than Sober Music

3. Long Term Relationships Were Only Cool When Divorce Wasn't

4. Hidden Track

      

                                                                                    

I Want To Forget Everything Bad That Ever Happened (2009)

1. My Journey To The Weed Den

2. We Don't Need Luck To Make It

3. The First Time I Got Fucked Up Was To The Party Song By Blink-182

4. Coffee, Hot Showers, And Hangover Jams

5. Long Term Relationships Were Only Cool When Divorce Wasn't

                                                                                      

Bummer Times Demo (2009)

1. Birthday!

2. Let's Exchange Word Vomit

3. Emo Songs

                      

        Shipsography (2010) 
(only included are the songs not already above)
6. Old Grey

10.  Something Paul Revere

11. Dying

         

         For Cameron (2010)        
1. Things Left In Last Year

2. Dying

3. Sentinel

4. Sleep Patterns

5. Good Weekend

6. Something That Matters

         
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