the Four Tops

I'm sure everyone's heard the Four Tops even if they don't realize it. The Four Tops are, of course, classic Motown. They are one of the lable's best recognized acts and helped to define its sound during its early days. I found this collection on vinyl in Rochester when miischa was on tour this summer. To be honest, when I first picked it up I only recognized a couple songs, but it was in the 4 for $1 discount bin so fuck it right? Well, once I started listening to it I realized I knew almost every song on it. My point is- you probably know and love these songs already and you don't know it. If you like oldies like I do then you'll love this album. Features notable tracks such as: I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) and Baby I Need Your Loving.

The Four Tops- Greatest Hits (1967)

Empire! Empire! (i was a lonely estate)

Empire! Empire! (i was a lonely estate) is Fenton, MI's contribution to modern emo. Clean, pretty melodic, and often down tempo. The vocals are sort of high but it works. To be honest, I've never been a HUGE Empire Empire fan. They've always been good but its not something that ever really stuck with me. Well, my band played with them this summer and it was really cool and I picked up their summer tour EP. I hadnt really listened to it until last night but I finally did and I really got into it, maybe you will too.

Myspace

Summer Tour EP '09

Further Seems Forever

Excuse the lack of posts, again. I had the flu last week and didn't do much of anything. I want to say this is sort of a novelty post, but I kinda feel guilty saying that as I shamelessly enjoy this album and feel that sort of demeans it. whatever. Anyhow, I always forget about this album but the other day Justin mentioned it and I thought why not share it. So this is FSF's 2001 debut album, with original singer CHRIS CARRABBA lol. Seriously though, don't let that throw you off. This was what he was doing before he left to start Dashboard and its way better. I guess you'd call this indie/emo. Whatever, just give it a listen and don't be afraid to like it, it's a classic.

The Moon Is Down

Des Ark

Des Ark is from Durham, NC. They were originally a two peice fronted by singer/guitarist Aimee Argote. This is their first album Loose Lips Sink Ships. They have a lot of other sort of different stuff, Aimee does alot of solo acoutic songs but this album is my favorite. Im not exactly sure how to describe this album's sound but here's an attempt- gritty, heavy, emotional, darkly melodic southern blues influenced garage punk. Well anyways, you need this shit so here it is.

Myspace

Loose Lips Sink Ships

мища

This is my band мища (say mee-sha, like mischa barton). We're a 3 piece (guitar, drums, vocals) from Hagerstown, MD and we play emoviolence/screamo. In the interest of not describing my own band I asked our good friend and official merch man, the one and only Cheese to do so.

It seems to me like there has been an outburst of twinkley post-rock skramz coming from our neighbors in the Chesapeake state recently in these past few years, great bands like Pianos Become the Teeth, Age Sixteen, Pansori... but the difference between the aforementioned bands and Miischa is very evident. Miischa doesn't rely on any elaborate means of conveying emotion to the audience, they put everything they have on the table for you to judge. Pure and simple. Take it or leave it. Each song carries a completely unique portrayal to each individual. This is what makes Miischa such a great band in my opinion. I remember being on tour and talking about starting a "mosh pit" to get people into their set a little more, but to my surprise, every time they begun to play I ended up being held captive by the raw amount of passion which inevitably left me motionless.
Check out this band is you havn't already.

Its ya boii, Cheese


this is a review of our 3" mini disc (Not For Ears) by Eyes and Ears Fanzine from Sweden (which Jon was kind enough to translate for us personally)

Emo / screamo / Skram. The guitars are drifting, with the frantic scream and mad drumming. MNWA has its own charm, with a scream that is very similar to get to the age when one's voice changes , but it does nothing wrong, It builds up the music more, you hear exactly how he takes to the last breathe, and the brilliant guitars of the well-placed Drums. MNWA S / T feels like it is reliable disc, you know almost what you get, but it is still POPS in some accident that this trio makes this real, usually it's two guitarists and a bassist, but they do so strongly and has a sense of this! which is nice, they have little Cowboys Became Folk Heroes sound over the whole thing and it's a nice sound. and well played! My favorite track is Landlocked (part 1 and 2)

Last.fm
Myspace
Noise Park Activities (distro/label)
Unity Through Harmony (distro)
Eyes and Ears Fanzine

Collection of Internet Songs

Basement Demos

Lady Sang The Blues EP

Not For Ears tour cd

Live from Krasner's Basement (7/11/09)

this next one's the unmastered version of our side of a split with Bears to be released on Bear Records in 2010

7" split with Bears

the Chariot

All you pretentious, elite fucks will scoff at this one but damned if i care. This is a classic hardcore album, very guitar driven, in fact the guitar-work really makes the album. Lots of messy feedback, the trademark of old Chariot. Anyways, Taco quit after this alubm and thats when the Chariot started sucking, they rerecorded a few of these songs with new members and released it as the Unsung EP. The only real differnece was a lack of feedback making the overall sound less raucous i.e. less heavy i.e. suckfest. In a nut shell- this is the only Chariot record worth listening to. Regardless, this album is worth a listen. I liked it when I was 15 and I still like it today, even if marginally less.

Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead, Nothing Is Bleeding

One last important note- I was going to post the Goldman Demo with this but it seems to have been lost in the annals of my /c/ drive. If you have it PLEASE send! and ps, dont give me that bullshit version thats floating around. I want the real one with Look What You Made Me Do and the piano on the tracks.

Billie Holiday- Love Songs

To make up for my lack of posts in the past week, I offer you another compilation. True romance music, this is a selection soft sweet jazz/vocal love songs from the one and only Lady Day. This compilation is hardly all encompassing but has some real classics nontheless.


Billie Holiday- Love Songs

Reefer Madness Compilation

First off, my laptop crashed last week so most of my planned posts have to be postponed. That being said I'm going to do my best to keep posting regularly from the old desktop.

SO, here we have the Reefer Madness Compilation, Vintage Drug Songs 1927-1945. Classic diddies touting the wonders and perils of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Featuring such notable acts as Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Leadbelly, and Cab Calloway. My favorite tracks are: Here Comes the Man with the Jive, The Reefer Song, and Reefer Man.

Reefer Madness Compilation

June Paik

June Paik is dark, heavy screamo/hardcore from Donauwörth/München, Germany. Lots of epic build ups and spacey interludes. One of the best Euro skram bands out there. For fans of One Eyed God Prophecy. My favorite releases are the LP and the split with Titan.

Myspace

7" (2004)

LP (2006)

Split with Titan (2007)

10" (2008)

Notorious BIG vs. Frank Sinatra

Yo this shit is the fucking jam for real. I love Biggie and I love Sinatra so this is about as good as mash-ups get. Honestly, I like most of these versions better than the original BIG tracks because the beats are so sick. While Ten Crack Commandments can't quite measure up to the original, tracks like Dead Wrong and Everyday Struggle become more sinister than ever before. This one's a must have.


Blue Eyes Meets Bed-Stuy

Stop It!!

Stop It!! was from Richmond, VA. They played weird progressive screamo/post hardcore comparable to Off Minor, City of Caterpillar, and according to Carlo "As Cities Burn if they were good". Here's their demo and full length.

Unofficial Myspace

Demo

Self Made Maps

Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith's 1994 debut album, Roman Candle. My favorite of his works. A bit less depressing that his later stuff. Infectious as well.

Roman Candle

Lost In Bazaar

Lost In Bazaar is a 3 piece from Istanbul, Turkey playing melodic screamo much in the vein of Suis La Lune.

Myspace

Lost In Bazaar (2008)

Here We Are Dropping Our Anchors In Fertile Ground (2009)

Auto-Tune the News

lolololololol

D'amore

D'amore is from Philly. They play political emoviolence/screamo and feature members of Algernon and Towers among others.

Split 10" with Adonis Battlefield

Tour CD

the White Stripes

Here's another one of my favorite bands ever. the White Stripes are a garage rock/minimalist/blues faux brother-sister duo originally from Detroit, if you somehow didn't already know. Anyhow, this is their B-Sides Collection. Lots of great stuff on here- assorted rarities, live recordings, vinyl b-sides, even some Captain Beefheart and Loretta Lynn covers. Enjoy.


White Stripes website

Myspace

the White Stripes- B-Sides Collection

Kidcrash

Kidcrash is originally from New Mexico, but now resides in Portland, OR. This is one of my favorite bands of all time. Kidcrash plays progressive screamo/post-hardcore and they fucking rip. This is their latest release Snacks. For me, this was their next logical step. This album finds their sound more technical and refined, with the focus shifted to slow build-ups and guitar driven melodies in stark contrast to the raucous cacophony of their previous album, Jokes.


Myspace

Kidcrash- Snacks


If you want to hear more Kidcrash you can download all of their previous releases here-Denovali

Dark Dark Dark

Dark Dark Dark is beautiful crusty gypsy folk from everywhere and nowhere. A group of travelers weaving haunting tales with accordion, banjo, cello, and upright bass. Here is their first and as of yet only full length album.

their website

Dark Dark Dark- The Snow Magic

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is dark, heavy screamo from Carrboro, NC. I first heard this band when a friend who knew them convinced me to go see them on tour in Baltimore. The best way I know to describe this band is to say they sound the way you wish Circle Takes the Square sounded.
The lead guitarist of Chiaroscuro/kiˌɑrəˈskyʊəroʊ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation is classically trained in traditional Persian music, the bassist sounds like a growling bear, and I don't think the drummer ever plays the same thing twice. This is one of the best, most original bands on the East Coast at the moment. This is their first release- The Desert.

from the liner notes: "The Desert is written to be recieved as one movement broken into five parts. Please email for more explanations about the imagery or themes that surface in the music, art, and lyrics at chiaroscuro@riseup.net or call 704-650-8741 Thanks for caring"

edit: these guys now go by Systems.
Myspace

/kiˌɑrəˈskyʊəroʊ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation Chiaroscuro- The Desert

Louise Cyphre

Louise Cyphre- Germany's emo-violence heroes. Blistering, frantic, angry punk rock. Here's their discography. I prefer the second half of this cd (16-35) which is their newer stuff.

Myspace

Louise Cyphre Discography

Age Sixteen

Age Sixteen is melodic screamo from Baltimore, MD. This is their latest release.


Myspace

Summer Demo '09

Train 45 Compilation

This ones for Alex. Train 45 Compilation- Railroad Songs of the Early 1900's.


Train 45 Compilation

Grown Ups

Grown Ups are from Michigan City, Indiana. They play uplifting, bittersweet, noodley emo jams. This is their demo and it's going to be stuck in your head all day.

Myspace

Grown Ups

Toru Okada

Toru Okada was an emo/screamo band from Austin, Texas which existed from 2003-2006. Their name comes from a Japanese novel called The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Toru Okada played highly emotive, passionate screamo heavily influenced by mid to late 90's emo. Their sound is characterized by competing vocal melodies, a mix of clean, screamed and spoken word vocals, as well as abrupt crescendos. Here is 8 songs (their only full length), and their 7" split with Olive Tree. (if anyone has their split with Die, Emporer, Die please share)

Myspace

8 Songs

7" Split w/Olive Tree

Yakuza Heart Attack

Yakuza Heart Attack is an instrumental quartet from Dayton, Ohio. They make swirling, synth driven prog-rock/8bit-pop soundscapes. This is their 2007 debut album, released on Dayton-based label Squid's Eye Records, and it sounds like the soundtrack to the best acid trip you've ever had.


Myspace

Squid's Eye Records

Yakuza Heart Attack- Yakuza Heart Attack

Soledad Brothers

Soledad Brothers are a garage rock/blues duo from Maumee/Toledo,OH.
This is their first LP . Soledad Brothers play a unique brand of gritty electric blues rooted in punk. Meg White plays backing percussion on this record and is listed as the "3rd Soledad Brother" in the album's liner notes. Recorded on 4-track by Jack White.

This is the way the blues is supposed to sound

Myspace

Estrus Records Mailorder

Soledad Brothers- Soledad Brothers