VIOLENS : AMORAL (2010) & V

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genre: hype immediately!

I have a new band crush. Their name is Violens and they're 4 New Yorkers from Miami. I would describe them myself, but their last.fm info does the job perfectly already:

"Their music imagines a place where The Zombies & The Byrds meet Wire & The Violent Femmes, and Crass meets Angelo Badalamenti & Prefab Sprout."

So much genre melding going on with Amoral - from poppy to psychy to some fast shoegazing on Another Strike Restrained and a little post-rocking on Generational Loss - I'm melting I'm melting! Also, I think there's a didgeridoo playing for a few seconds at the beginning of "Could You Stand To Know." They're so cool (I assume... not like we're close personal friends) and such a great change of pace from all the shit I've been listening to lately.

That's right. Officially dropped off the chillwave and ditched my chillboard, at least for the time being. One second my friend and I were driving around and he was telling me how much he loves Tame Impala, and the next second their music was blasting and I just had this thought:

This shit is kinda boring/repetitive and I've had enough!!!(?)

An inexplicable sorrowful rage filled my body. I asked him to change the music, and when he didn't I seriously considered cashing his face via my fist, but then I remembered that I weigh about 100 lbs, so instead I went home and listened to Violens.

Hope you liked hearing my life story and hope you like their music!

MIMICKING BIRDS : S/T (2010)

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genre: folk, singer-songwriter

Mimicking Birds began as the solo bedroom recordings of Oregon native Nate Lacy and eventually expanded to include close personal friends Aaron Hanson (drum) and Tim Skellenger (guitar). The music itself is very minimalist with simple rhythms and sparse arrangements, but what really sets it apart is Lacy's delicate vocal delivery.

I have a natural bias against most singer-songwriters. In my experience, they tend to lean on power chords, sing in cliches, and have massive egos. This is not the case with Lacy. You can hear a certain hesitancy and shyness in his voice as he fingerpicks through cyclical melodies. He's not a rockstar, he's just charming and talented. Plus, his voice reminds me of a less whiny hybrid of Okay and Electric President's vocalists (don't kill me for picking that adjective, I love both those bands).

Although most reviewers seem to favor the song "Loops," my personal favorites are "Burning Star," which is easily the most confident and structured song on the album, and "Cabin Fever."

P.S. sorry for getting this to you so late :c

BEAST : BEAST (2008)

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genre: hip-hop/trip-hop, electronic

at some point, i downloaded the song "devil" by beasts and then proceeded to never actually listen to it. today it came up on my shuffle and i was floored. i immediately looked up the rest of the album and was similarly impressed. combining elements of dark cabaret, trip-hop, and funk, Beast melds both the electronic and the acoustic to create a unique musical experience that is equal parts Grace Jones and Anticon darling, topping the entire affair with alluring French-Canadian accents.

CLOUD NOTHINGS : TURNING ON (2010)

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genre: lo-fi, noise pop

Don't be fooled by the minimalist album art, there is a lot of mysterious hot fuzz going on in this album. I could (and have) listen(ed) to Hey Cool Kid all the livelong day. What are the lyrics??? What are they SAY-ing?? No one knows! But it sounds super rad, so who really cares anyway.

RAINDEER : EP (2010)

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genre: lo-fi, prog-pop, post-chill

I have to admit I was unsure about these guys pending my first listen. The playfully misspelled name, the bedroom-recording vibe, the boy/girl duo tag... it seemed a little much. Fortunately, I got over myself and gave it a chance, and it's really grown on me. They're quirky, they're a tiny bit sugary, they're like/loveable. I dig after all.

PET MILK : DEMO (2010)

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genre: noise-pop, shoegaze

Pet Milk features members of a few beloved Philly acts, namely Pink Coffins, Brown Recluse, and Paint it Black. Beyond the fantastically hazy first track (my personal favorite), the rest of the demo puts me strongly in mind of the early K records lineup. This is the first decent demo I've heard in a minute.

SPARKLEHORSE TRIBUTE ALBUM

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omigawd omigawd

high five france, you have made an awesome cover album.

in fact, this may be the first and/or only time i've ever liked a cover album.

shame on me for not getting this to you sooner.

track listing:

sunshine by band of ghost //
heart of darkness by recorded home //
weird sisters by david fakenahm //
piano fire by mechanism for people //
sick of goodbyes by laudanum //
sea of teeth by centenaire //
dog door by tycho brahé & polder //
eye pennies by jullian angel //
hammering the cramps by sunday sunday //
more yellow birds by tis// sea of teeth by pumuckl//
gold day by b r oad way //
it's a wonderfull life by hopen // all night home by pokett //
almost lost my mind by montgomery //
king of nails by cyrod //
saturday by angil //
someday i will treat you good by we only said //
homecoming queen by fi_cel (featuring elfya) //
artwork by sebba//

FIDEL CATASTROPHE : AND THE BLEAK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH (2010)

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genre: experimental, pop, hip-hop

Fidel Catastrophe is headed by the Original bassist of the Pomegranates (they're on their 3rd bassist right now), who is clearly a force to be reckoned with. They've been giving away songs on Band Camp, a website for unsigned bands I'm growing more and more enamored of, though I'm surprised that anticon didn't swipe these guys first. They put me in mind of a poppy, concise version of Thee More Shallows combined with a less nasally and less rap-prone Yoni Wolf.

They also only have 3 songs available for download right now, and I've had them on repeat all day. I'm in band-love, guys. Deep, deep band-love. As far as I can tell, they're pressing vinyl right now, so there aren't any tracks on what.cd or waffles.fm. I want an album! The suspense is killing me!

FELIX AND VOLCANO! : GROW RICH EP (2010)

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genre: shimmy&shake

...i mean just look at that album art. you're already falling in love.

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edit: fixed the link

HERE WE GO MAGIC : PIGEONS (2010)

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genre: psych-pop, indie

HIS CLANCYNESS : HISSOMETER CASSETTE (2010)

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genre: dream-pop

His Clancyness is the product of one man, ottawa native Jonathan Clancy.

This adorable 8-track EP is packed with all the fuzzy guitars, exotic instrumentation, warm vocals and sporadic pop outbursts that you could possibly want for a lazy summer day.

OCTAVES : GREENER PASTURES (2010)

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genre: post-hardcore

guess what? i paid mediacom this month! free music for all!

I stumbled upon these guys the other day and was instantly charmed by their list of influences, which included such greats as my dearly beloved Pg. 99. The music didn't fail to deliver. Though obviously influenced by such bands as Dillinger, La Dispute, and The Chariot, Octaves still has their own sound, and it's a fantastic sound devoid of pussy singing and tacky sweeps. From what I can tell, Octaves seems to be yet another tragically unrecognized band.

WHEN THE CLOUDS : THE LONGED FOR SEASON (2010)

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pretty post-rock to soothe aching post-final heads

ACTIVE CHILD

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This band is a one-man show, and that man is named Pat Grossi.

The music he makes is pretty excellent - soaring vocals offset by ethereal synth and honeyed harp melodies. Unfortunately, no leaks yet... he has an EP out, but it's only two songs. However! I have painstakingly tracked down the tracks (PUN) from his upcoming album. Check it out.

HAVE A NICE LIFE : VOIDS (2009)

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DUH OF COURSE YOU WANT THIS YOU SHITGAZING PIECES OF SHOE

A WEATHER : EVERYDAY BALLOONS

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i've been waiting so long for this.

sweet and dreamy. sounds like laying in your bed on a pile of pillows wide awake on a rainy day.

Myspace // Last.fm

TOTALLY NEBULAR : BOAT BOAT (2010)

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genre: electronic, experimental

awesome/fun/floridian.

THE KNIFE DOES SCIENCE

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As some of you may already know, The Knife and Mt. Sims were commissioned over a year ago by some Danes to write an opera about Charles Darwin.

About a week ago, it seemed like a couple versions of the soundtrack/album were surfacing, but these were all bunk (not surprising since their studio version isn't slated to arrive until March). Talk about disappointment. However, I have an 11-minute taste tester for you guys.

I love The Knife dearly and sincerely, but i've also seen a lot of operas, so I was a little skeptical about how this beast would turn out. However, I feel pretty confident saying... this is rad.

LA DISPUTE : SOMEWHERE AT THE BOTTOM (2008)

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genre: post-hardcore

i'm back at it.

listen to this singer and just TRY to tell me he doesn't sound exactly like tom green.