The Get Up Kids – Something to Write Home About + Demos

‘Something to Write Home About’ + recording session demos

Something to Write Home About

Something to Write Home About Session Demos

On Sunday, November 8th, I will see the Get Up Kids in Columbus, Ohio. It will fulfill my youth. In all honesty, the Get Up Kids were one of the first, if not THE first band that I really loved. I can remember getting Something to Write Home About for Christmas one year from my parents and listening to it almost every morning on the bus ride to school. The young kid in me liked it just because it was fun music, while the actual album has definitely grown on me over the years. It’s definitely, on the surface, a pop album, full of radio-friendly hooks and catchy lyrics. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I’ve found a lot of meaning in the actual songwriting, as cheesy as that sounds. This album definitely got me through some middle school-grade “hard times” and has remained a part of my library ever since. If you’ve seriously never given this album a listen, you should definitely check it out. It’s one of the best pop-punk albums I’ve ever heard. If anyone hears you listening to it and laughs at you, remember, they’re just jealous. One thing is sure though, I’m definitely going to be front and center at this show tomorrow, dancing my heart out in whatever kind of pop-punk pit pops up.

The demo recordings are seven tracks obtained via download from Vagrant with the purchase of the 10th Anniversary Edition of Something to Write Home About, along with a DVD showcasing the band in concert along with a documentary about the band.

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-McKenna

Letting Up Despite Great Faults – Self-Titled

I only found this album a few days ago, but it’s already starting to grow on me. Letting Up Despite Great Faults plays shoegaze-influenced dreamy electronic pop music in the vein of most of (probably) your favorite bands. I’m not too heavily entrenched into this style, so maybe I’m just being a n00b, but this band actually plays their music very capably and does their style proud. Far from relying on one hook repeated over and over, LUDGF (best abbreviation ever!) throws tons of catchy gems into this album without ruining the vibes, making it an enjoyable listen for anyone. Be sure to keep an eye on these guys, judging from their catchiness and the amount of hype they’ve already received, we’re likely to be seeing this band get pretty big pretty soon.

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-McKenna

No Anchor – Steam

Yesterday, I received an email from Ian, one of the two members of No Anchor, asking me to give their album a listen. This time I was more excited than usual, as he noted that they were a bass and drums doom metal/sludge band from Australia. I’ve been wanting to post more albums of this variety, yet I’ve been a little stuck. Fortunately for all involved parties, No Anchor’s Steam is great. Drawing influence from The Melvins, Boris, Nirvana, Sunn O))) and Black Sabbath, No Anchor are reminiscent of OM for their bass-heavy grooves and growing, epic anthems as well as Electric Wizard for their crunchy, balls-to-the-wall, loud-as-fuck sonic assault. Another thing to be noted are the vocals, which really won me over. Too often, music of this variety has awful vocals and none of it seems to replicate the distorted howls of Electric Wizard, but these guys manage to come very close. I’m glad my room was empty when I was able to listen to this: any witnesses to the full-volume rocking out would have been terrified. If you were a fan of the OM album I posted a few months ago, this is right up your alley!

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-Max

Terakaft – Akh Issudar

I downloaded this album a few days ago from one of our favorite blogs on the web, WE FUCKING LOVE MUSIC, but figured I would pass on this slab of excellence. For those of you who enjoyed the Nigeria Special compilation, here is some more African music, though this pretty far removed from the funkiness of those afrobeat jams. Terkaft play a style of African music known as “desert blues” and feature some founding members of Tinariwen, one of the greatest African desert blues bands ever. Here you will find snaky, weaving guitars, tribal drums and African chant-like vocals which come together to form a hypnotizing mix of blues, psychedelic rock and world music.

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-Max

Piebald – We Are the Only Friends We Have

It might be midterms, it might be college finally catching up to me, but I feel like I’ve been in a slump lately. I was feeling really burned-out last night, and the fact that I got to deal with cleaning up burned chili at my house for my dish day last night didn’t make it much better. What did make it better, however, was this album.

Piebald is a band that defies easy categorization, with their albums ranging from hardcore to power pop. This album is definitely power pop based, however, coming with an influx of handclaps, hooks, and wit. Piebald was one of the first bands that I really got into, and they’ve kept a smile on my face every time I’ve listened to them since. I might even go so far as to consider this as one of my favorite albums ever, with standout songs like “Long Nights”, “Fear and Loathing on Cape Cod”, and “Look, I Just Don’t Like You” really showcasing the hook-based writing style that made Piebald famous. Masterfully arranged horn sections also make an appearance on this album, combining well with the awesome energy the band puts out. Like I said before, this album is hook-based power pop, but that doesn’t mean you should think it immature. Again, this album does make me smile every time I listen to it, so if you’re feeling blue, throw away all your convictions about power pop and give this album a listen.

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-McKenna

Nadja/A Storm of Light – Primitive North

This has been out for a while now, and knowing the blogosphere’s obsission (with good cause) with Nadja, you’ve probably seen it around a fair amount of times. If you don’t have it yet, I highly recommend you pick it up now. For a while, Nadja have been power hitters in the world of drone and sludge, and A Storm of Light have been up-and-comers in the scene, riding on the support of groups such as Battle of Mice, Red Sparowes, and Neurosis. Creepy cult drone/doom combine to form one of the most beautiful and powerful releases of 2009. Plus, the packing on this release is absolutely gorgeous. I urge you to drop the $20, especially because Robotic Empire is one of the best/my favorite labels out there.

Nadja’s MySpace

A Storm of Light’s MySpace

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-McKenna

Lymbyc Systym – Shutter Release

Lymbyc Systym are back with a new full length being released by Mush Records on November 3rd. Brothers Jared and Michael Bell have been fuzing post rock and electronic music since 2005 and show absolutely no signs of slowing down, but don’t tale my word for it. Just listen to this sprawling 10 track album with grandeur aspirations for the future of music.

This album is scheduled to be released on November 3rd by Mush Records.

Myspace

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- James

Sub Verso – Within The Hour EP

I was recently emailed by the drummer of Sub Verso who conjssider themselves a post punk band, though I wouldn’t really pigeon hole them into any single genre. It’s a pleasant mix of synths in the background, shimmering guitars, and smooth vocals that somehow remind me of Native. The band recorded this debut EP with Ryan Stack who has worked with The Effort, Watchfire, The Nasty, Late Nite Wars, and My Heart To Joy. This release is being put out as a 10″ for only $6 and though it is set to be released on New Year’s Day, the guys seem to be sending these out ASAP.

Myspace

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- James

Nigeria Disco Funk Special Compilation

I love African music. Way more than any posts here would show and way more than my last.fm charts can show. I’d rank Fela Kuti in my top 3 favorite musicians ever. Anyway, last weekend I ventured to Other Music, one of the best record stores I’ve ever been to, where I intended to buy some Flying Lotus’ Los Angeles or J Dilla vinyl.  Instead, I left with Andrew Hill’s Grass Roots, Flying Lotus’ Shhh! and this album. This 2xLP is yet another slab of delicious, funky afrobeat tunes, easily the greatest of 3 great purchases that day. Plenty of wah-wah guitars, tribal drumming and hip-shaking grooves make this a great introduction to the genre as well as a great asset to any fan of the genre.

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-Max

My Heart To Joy – ‘Seasons in Verse’ + ‘Heavenly Bodies’

Two albums from My Heart To Joy, previously known as My Heart To Joy At The Same Tone.

Seasons in Verse

Heavenly Bodies

My Heart To Joy started out as a rough-around-the-edges punk band that reminded me of a less spastic Transistor Transistor. Upon the release of Seasons in Verse, however, My Heart To Joy evolved into a much cleaner band similar to Snowing, Castevet, or Street Smart Cyclist. Math-tinged punk rock played in a style similar to Braid has given these guys a surprising amount of fame which definitely allowed them to pick up label support and release a very-professionally done album. So far, Seasons in Verse has picked up a large amount of internet hype. This makes me really happy after getting Heavenly Bodies very soon after it came out and seeing how criminally unrecognized this band was at the time. I can only hope that their next album takes the band in an even more promising direction and they can tour around the Ohio region at some point soon.

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-McKenna

Nahvalr – Nahvalr

Going in a totally different direction than pretty much everything I’ve posted as of yet, Nahvalr is described as “the world’s first open-sourced black metal project” and fronted by members of Have A Nice Life. While no two bands on Nahvalr’s label, Enemies List Home Recordings, sound similar, one trait they all share is lo-fi, independent sensibilities paired with masterful execution. Nahvalr is no exception. The creation of a  drone/black metal album created almost entirely out of samples sent to the band and mixed together sounded like an absolutely absurd idea to me when I first heard it, and to be honest, if I didn’t have my heart set on being an Enemies List completest, I probably wouldn’t have bought it.

In all honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of drone/black metal, but I feel like this album is a must-have for any serious fan. The album itself opens with one of the more terrifying samples in music, and listening to it in the dark with headphones on for the first time scarred me for life. Most of the rest of the album is under a thick layer of fuzz that obscures any clear definitions of song structure and places most of the emphasis on the repetition that highlights the drone aspects of the album. Basically, this album is blackened black metal covered under a thick layer of black icing/fuzz that creates a black cake of everything I’ve ever expected from a black metal album.

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-McKenna

Mux Mool – Just Saying Is All

More instrumental hip-hop/electronica coming at you folks. This 40 minute EP is full of funky, electro beats perfect for both dancing and head nodding. Based in Brookyln, Mux Mool has been releasing all kinds of 12″s and compilation tracks since 2006. One of his songs was featured on an Adult Swim compilation/animation, which we all know is a sign of quality, given their love for Dangerdoom and Stones Throw Records.

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-Max

Animal Collective – Peacebone EP

I just got home from Bent Crayon with a copy of Animal Collective’s 10″ single for Peacebone. Having never heard the b-side, Safer, I was desperate to flip the record and let the needle drop. My immediate reaction was one of intense amazement and regret for not finding this sooner. I think I have found my new favorite Animal Collective song. Remember back in 2007 when Avey Tare screamed with an unparalleled sense of urgency? If you haven’t heard Safer, you couldn’t comprehend what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the gut-wrenching sound of despair disappearing into the soothing sounds of exuberance. In one of their most personal songs Avey struggles to find his center. It’s a 9 minute epic of monumental proportions. I’ve uploaded the 4 song cd version of the single that includes remixes of the title track by Black Dice and Pantha Du Prince.

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- James

Onra – Chinoiseries

Lately I’ve been really into instrumental hip-hop, whether it’s traditional J Dilla and Madlib stuff or more electronic stuff like Flying Lotus and Hudson Mohawke. Fans of both camps will love this, as it drops heavy beats amid that haziness I’ve come to love from Flying Lotus. This is definitely quite the achievement, as French producer Onra built this album based around samples of old Chinese and Vietnamese music, giving it a prominent Far East sound. One of the guys in our last.fm group asked for more instrumental hip-hop and this is some top-notch stuff!

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-Max

Buddy Wakefield – Live At The Typer Cannon Grand

A few weeks back, a bunch of my friends went to see a bunch of slam poets (the show was put on by a club I’m a part of, yet I had no clue. FML) and absolutely raved about it. They were especially crazy about this guy, Buddy Wakefield, so I had to listen for myself. Doing spoken word/slam poetry, Buddy Wakefield reminds me a lot of Sage Francis and Slug from Atmosphere, as well as most white rappers. If you’re into poetry and spoken word, I’m sure you’re familiar with him already, but if you’re new, this is a good starting point.

MySpace

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-Max