Cementing The Seams

 

 

Fine Lines were a DC post-hardcore band that weren't around for very long.  Their only releases were this demo and split cassette with Maryland emo revivalists Boost, who are pretty damn good as well.  They don't really typify what you'd expect a DC band found on this blog to sound like, but they do claim to sound like "if Rites of Spring wore mittens while playing their songs" which seems pretty fair.  Though technically I suppose they are on par with Rites of Spring from a musicianship standpoint.  They do showcase some seriously awesome angular guitar noise with an ear for that melodious middle-ground that a lot of bands fall just short of.  It's a real shame that this band didn't go places because everything the recorded is way good.  So check them out.  You can also follow a link on their myspace page to download their split cassette with Boost.  I recommend it (and Boost too).

For fans of:  Drive Like Jehu, Ampere, Challenger

Fine Lines on Myspace

Get it.

Earlier today I was reading some months-old missive about the band The Shins breaking up and thought two things.  1) I actually like The Shins, but wasn't at all upset about their breaking up.  I suppose I just have no desire to hear a new Shins album. 2) Maybe now Scared Of Chaka will get back together.  This of course will never happen, but it lead me to a third thought: HOLY CRAP I haven't thought about or listened to Scared Of Chaka in way too long.  The reason I was reminded of Scared Of Chaka is that they are sort of tangentially connected to The Shins, in that they share the same guitarist/bassist.  He was also in band with The Shins' singer (called Flake Music) who released a split 7" with SoC.  Other than that they are in no way similar, so this whole Shins introduction is pretty useless and going nowhere.

I first encountered Scared Of Chaka on a sampler cd sent to the record store I worked at. I don't actually remember how I got it, it may have came in the mail, or I could have dug it out of a box (I should edit this out, but I'm not going to  Sorry you had to read it. And this.).  Anyway, the cd was some sort of not-for-profit promotion released by Sub City Records (a division of Hopeless Records) that had something to do with blindness prevention (it's only now occuring to me that this could be metaphor) and featured bands like Fifteen, Dillinger Four and Kid Dynamite.  In contrast to the absolute garbage that this label puts out today, this compilation was exactly what 14 year old me was into and Scared of Chaka stood out on a roster of pretty fucking amazing bands.  So I immediately ordered their most recent LP ("Tired Of You"), and played it constantly.  Now it's one of my all time favorite punk albums.

For fans of:  Dillinger Four, Deadly Snakes, Hot Snakes...  Regular Snakes

Scared of Chaka on myspace

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I have to post this.  There isn't any way around it.  Canadian Rifle are my favorite punk band and this 7" (their first) is perfect.  I first discovered this band because I read that it featured members of Hellbender and Challenger (which I took to mean Al Burian) and I grabbed it immediately.  Later I would learn that the artwork and layout were done by Al Burian, but he wasn't actually in the band.  It didn't matter though because even Al Burian couldn't make this band (and especially this release) any better.  It has gone through a few different pressings on various colored vinyl/sleeves, and one day, out of pure love, I'll own them all.  Right now I'm good with one, until it stops playing.  A few distros still carry the represses of this I think.  So pick it up.

For fans of:  Jawbreaker, Leatherface, Youth Brigade

Canadian Rifle on Myspace

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This is fantastic.  Somebody recommended this record to me the other day and the way they described it was irresistable (more on this later).  So I did some looking around and found a copy to listen to.  This is totally the type of thing I hope for when somebody recommends me an album.  Future Adventures are a short lived side project of members of UK emo band Spy vs. Spy.  I was told that they sounded like "Kidcrash meeting Traindodge" and that description needs no refining.  It has the thumping bass and power of midwestern math-rock (you know, Traindodge) and the flowing guitar work of modern emo (a la Kidcrash), all worked into long, multi-structural songs.  They also occasionally bust in to some excellent atonal post-hardcore stuff reminiscent of At The Drive-In and Kerosene 454.  I think all the name dropping here suffices for a review right?

The person who recommended this runs a blog here.  I can't read Danish, but it doesn't really matter because the music posted is all great.  Check it out!

For fans of: Kidcrash, Traindodge, At The Drive-In, Bear Vs. Shark

Get it.

Since day one I've been intending to post this album, because it's one of my all time favorites.  Smart Went Crazy are from D.C. and share obvious connections with other Dischord bands like Jawbox, The Most Secret Method, and the like.  Members of SWC went on to play in bands like Faraquet and The Beauty Pill.  I hear them referred to a lot as "art-rock", a distinction I can't really peg to any other bands, maybe people think Smart Went Crazy are too self-aware.  I think they get the tag because of a certain level of weirdness, both lyrical and instrumental, that the band exudes, but I suppose it works (although more-so with The Beauty Pill, who seem to have taken "art-rock" to heart and upped the weirdness quotient exponentially).  Anyway, this album is killer all over and is absolutely essential for fans of the ilk of post-hardcore you'd find on this blog.  I'm not going to think about it at length, but I'm going to jump the gun and say that "Con Art" probably has the best b-side of any record I own.  It is, however, sort of a grower, so stick with it.  Try not to get discouraged by the artsyness of it all.

For fans of: Jawbox, The Most Secret Method, Shudder To Think

Smart Went Crazy on Last.fm

Get it.

That isn't a typo, the name of this album is "The Delicious The Delicious" (self-titled² ?) and it's totally out of place here.  So why am I posting it?  I don't really know.  I suppose because it's awesome, and because I don't really understand why this band isn't gigantic.  The Delicious are an indie-pop group from Bloomington, Indiana who have a totally unboring sound and a singer with a ridiculous moustache.  I'm not really in to kitschy indie-pop, but this is just so unrelenting.  The Delicious are either 100% sincere in their swashy rubbernecking (this means nothing but it seems only nonsense can accurately describe them) or absolutely faking it.  It can't be anywhere in between.  Either way though, they make intoxicating and catchy pop music that employs a lot of really interesting elements.  I'm still trying to figure out why Vampire Weekend exploded and these guys didn't.  Anyway, this record actually starts a little slow but once it picks up it doesn't let down.  In 2008 they released an equally solid EP called "Postcard To My Sewing Circle", did a Daytrotter session and toured, rereleasing this album in 2009.  I don't know if they plan to release anything in the future, but they have a pretty awesome unreleased track on their myspace.

For fans of:  The Unicorns, Vampire Weekend, Dismemberment Plan

The Delicious on Myspace

Get it.

I said I'd post this so here it is.  Another entry in the "1998 was the best year ever" campaign.  Anyway, I've been really into this band lately (and actually the reason I started spinning that Sense Field record is because Compound Red's first LP reminded me to) and this release is a pretty essential part of my music collection.  It sounds more polished than the rest of their releases.  If you listened to that 7" I posted a while back you'll definitely see what I mean.  The guitars are a little less crunchy and the vocals come through a lot better.  Whether or not that is a good thing remains to be said.  Still, "Always A Pleasure" has some of the best fucking emo/math-rock riffery ever (see "Return", "Cancel The Sound").  All in all Compound Red's swan song is the cherry on top of an excellent discography and an underexposed career.  If you're a fan of emo, you must hear this.

For fans of: Vitreous Humor, Castor, The Promise Ring

Compound Red on Myspace

Get it.

Sense Field were formed in 1991 after the split of 80's hardcore punk (y'know, the zine-making kind) band Reason To Believe.  "Killed For Less" is their second album and was released by Revelation Records (who released a zillion amazing hardcore records and were wont to trade discography items for Star Wars merchandise).  They were one of those bands bands that pretty much cemented the 90's post-hardcore sound along with Jawbox, Sunny Day Real Estate and others.  Also like those groups, later on in their career they brushed shoulders with major labels and found a small amount of commercial success.  Probably their most well-recieved record, "Building", came out just after "Killed For Less", so you might check that out as well.  But I have a special place for this record.  I think I bought the LP for $4.

For fans of: Jawbox, Sunny Day Real Estate, Texas Is The Reason, Castor 

Sense Field on Myspace

Get it. **now in better quality**

So, as you may know, Cease Upon The Capitol are one of my all time favorite bands, and are almost certainly the one I'm the most obsessed with.  I ran across this archive of songs a while back but hadn't really listened to it because it seemed like just a compilation of songs on other records. This is basically true, but after I finally gave it a thorough listen I noticed a few things.  First I'll post the tracklist, then go on rambling about some shit you're sure not to care about.


 Protocol For The Left
 Body By Design
 King Of The World
 Turn Offs Include 
 Scaleback The Dosage
 Lullabies And Bad Dreams
 More Red Lines
 Bombs Away

So, to begin with, the first four songs listed were all released on their 7" in the Ape Must Not Kill Ape/From A Strangers Hand single series.  However, the versions here are mastered differently.  In the 7" versions, the bass is turned up really high and its all twangy and overpowering.  The mastering here tones that down and makes the songs much better.  "Scaleback The Dosage" and "Lullabies & Bad Dreams" both appear on the split 3" CD with Silbato, but this version of "Scaleback" is significantly longer with a different beginning and end.  "Lullabies" is pretty consistent with the Split version (it also appears on the first LP).  "More Red Lines" is an alternate version of "The End Of History" from the 7" of the same name which is different from both that version and the one on their demo CD.  "Bombs Away" appears to be unreleased elsewhere.  It's possible that this is a rip of their European Tour CD-R, which (from my futile research) is limited to 39 copies.  But I just don't know (if this is the case, the songs are now horribly out of order.)

For fans of:  Dolcim, Loma Prieta, The Third Memory


CUTC on Myspace

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The more I think about it, the more it becomes apparent that 1998 was the best year for music ever.  I haven't listened to this album in probably 5 years (this was one of the old cds from my collection I was referring to), and right now it's blowing my mind all over again.  I don't use the term "chill" very often but I like it here.  Karate are probably one of the better indie-rock bands I can think of, and "The Bed Is In The Ocean" is likely their best album, but it's been a long time since I've listened to this band.  Perhaps my opinion may have changed.  Nevertheless, it's probably their most important.  There are so many bands that ape the sound of this record it's overwhelming.  Maybe it's a coincidence, but I doubt it.  This record is incredible, so if you're in the mood to relax or, well, "chill", put this on.  Every time.

For fans of:  Minus The Bear, Constantines, Pedro The Lion

Karate on Myspace

Get it.

Of all DeSoto's releases, this 7" and subsequent LP by Compound Red were definitely the closest to emo that the label ever got.  Compound Red are an emo/math-rock band from Milwaukee, WI, and existed in relative obscurity for nearly a decade.  Why they never achieved a higher level of notoriety (especially being from Milwaukee) I'll never know, because they were one of the most distinctive emo bands I can think of.  To quote a friend (who was talking about this band):  "There is so much good shit out there that nobody cares about".  And that's what Compound Red feels like.  It's criminal they aren't a bigger deal honestly.

Anyway, this 7" is kindof weird because both of the songs appear on "Always A Pleasure" their second and final full length released by DeSoto.  Only, when the songs made the jump, the names, lyrics and vocal themes on both tracks were changed.  It's really fascinating actually, how unique the two versions of each are, even though they have nearly identical music.

I'll probably post "Always A Pleasure" sometime soon.

For fans of: Vitreous Humor, Castor, The Promise Ring

Compound Red on Myspace

Get it.

Essential listening for anyone who professes to be remotely interested in hardcore.

 Get it.


P.S. there is still more '09 review in the works.  When I find more time for interwebbing...

I've been listening to this album non-stop this week.  Slowride first came to my attention when I discovered that they released a split CD ep with their mostly under-rated Deep Elm label-mates Red Animal War.  This was in 2004 (the split came out in 2002), and they had subsequently released two full-lengths by that time.  I listened to their debut LP "As I Survive The Suicide Bombing" which was pretty standard indie/punk.  The sort of thing I had come to expect from Deep Elm.  Anyway, it was pretty unremarkable as I recall and I completely forgot about Slowride (and Red Animal War, who have one stellar album called "The Phantom Crusade").  Fast forward to 2009 and I randomly decide to use Pandora Radio, which, if you are unfamiliar with is pretty neat and you can learn all sorts of fascinating things about your musical idiosyncrasies (for instance, I am evidently a huge fan of "exstensive vamping"). Long story short, I hear a Slowride song that sounds fantastic, but recall not really being into them.

On "C/S" (I have no idea what this stands for) Slowride's sound has changed pretty significantly.  They've tuned their guitars down and taken a more alt-rock and (dare I say?) "mainstream" approach.  Either way it payed off because this record was memorable right away.  There, an entire review and I've said nothing useful. 

For fans of:  Riddle of Steel, Cake, Foo Fighters

Slowride on Myspace

Get it.

There was a brief time where The New Pornographers were easily my favorite band.  I'm not sure what changed really, maybe it was a phase, maybe I outgrew it, or, most likely, just needed something else.  I've been looking back on those days as of late though and recalled just how good this band really is.  Now when you look at The New Pornographers you find a power-pop super-group that is much more it's own entity than a hodge-podge of its now-famous singular members (new hyphen record!). Carl "AC" Newman released one stellar solo record (and one that was merely good).  Dan Bejar is, in his spare time, otherwise known as Destroyer and has released somewhere in the vacinity of 40 albums, and sultry singer Neko Case has a pretty high-profile career as a solo country crooner.  Of course, when The New Pornographers formed, the individual parts weren't so prolific (unless you consider being in bands in Vancouver, BC "prolific") and they are really only a "super-group" in hindsight.

"The Electric Version" isn't the best New Pornographers album.  In fact, it's probably the least acclaimed of their four studio releases.  It may not even be my favorite of their LPs, but that's the beauty. This bands "worst" album is better than roughly 96% of music in existence.  "The Electric Version" is their sophomore effort and is, well... sophomoric I suppose.  Not as solid on the whole as their debut "Mass Romantic" or it's follow up album "Twin Cinema", but "The Electric Version" showcases, in my opinion, some of the Pornographers more transcendent moments.  There may be a few duds on this record, but it's highlights outshine a majority of their catalogue.  So, if you dig this, you'll love the rest of their stuff.

For fans of: The Gifted Children, Ted Leo, Lemuria

The New Pornographers on Myspace

Get it.

Sorry about the brief hiatus.  I don't have an excuse, but here's a new post!

Everyone's favorite DC indie/math/art rockers made their debut with a joint release on DeSoto and Dischord.  This EP features alternate recordings of two songs ("And The Washington Monument Blinks Goodnight" and "Kiss Distinctly American") on their much-praised debut full-length "No Kill No Beep Beep" and a song ("Busy Lights, Busy Carpet") that didn't make it onto the LP, but really should have.  An extremely strong debut from one of the most hailed bands on the Dischord roster.  And thanks to an apparent excess of picture sleeves (and an interest in re-releasing their back-catalogue) Dischord recently repressed this slab of gold (on clear gold vinyl, which makes that previous statement a pun.  Get it?)

For fans of: Faraquet, Les Savy Fav, Wicked Farleys

Q And Not U on Myspace

Get it.

This release from Trusty has the honor of being part two of the (semi-retarded) DeSoto Singles Club!  Trusty is a Little Rock, Arkansas punk band that relocated to Washington D.C. in the early 90's in a sort of suspect couldn't-be-coincidental style parallel with former president Bill Clinton (this is, of course, only speculation).  Anyway, to be honest I'm not very well acquainted (shamefully) with the rest of Trusty's discography, but this 7" is a serious slab of gold.  I suppose I would say that Trusty plays (on this release anyway) a version of power punk/pop that is reminiscient of the genre in the era but not at all derivative.  Think, the poppier progeny of 7 Seconds or The Adolescents or some other excellent hardcore/edge band from that side of the country.

For Fans of:  7 Seconds, Adolescents, The Marshes, Canadian Rifle

Trusty on Myspace

Get it.

Everybody is aware of Shiner right?  I feel like I've been over it, and if I haven't I suppose they don't really need an introduction.  In my quest to track down every release on the low-profile but extremely high-quality label DeSoto Records, I came across this gem.  Now the title track Semper Fi appeared on Shiner's LP "Starless" (curiously their only full-length release NOT on DeSoto) but the version on the 7" is actually a lot better.  The b-side "Sailor's Fate" didn't make it onto the record but it should have because it's at least as good as the majority of the album (which is saying a lot).  This is midwest shoegazy math-rock at its very finest.  If you're one of those people that ignores 7"s and singles, suck it up and don't let this get by you. 

Expect to see more DeSoto singles in the near future.

For fans of:  The Life And Times, Hum, Ethel Meserve, Chavez

Shiner on Myspace

Get it.