Friday, January 2, 2009

Off With Their Heads


Although I'm not particularly fond of the band name, this is a great release.

If we're not counting the singles/rarities/whatever collection All Things Move Toward Their End, From The Bottom is the first true full-length from OWTH and it's a strong and focused collection of gruff, melodic, Midwestern punk that one would come to expect from this band. Much of OWTH's sound is reliant on catchy melodies, huge choruses (though I use the term loosely) that were seemingly written specifically for a bunch of beer-and-sweat-soaked, bearded dudes to scream along to, and Ryan Young's gravelly vocals. It's pretty incredible how a band this gruff can lay down songs with guitar parts and vocal harmonies that stick in one's head for days, a fact made more amazing by how seamlessly these parts fit into the entire scope of a song. The lead guitar parts in both "Wrong" and "Until The Day...", as well as the bounciness of "1612 Havenhurst" and "For The Four" are Pop-Punk 101 for example, but there's nothing here that sounds contrived, fake or thank god, mainstream.

There are some unique moments on From The Bottom that find the band branching out to the nether regions of their sound. "Go On Git Now" is a mid-tempo tune built around a minimal refrain that features clean singing over a guitar part that twinkles without sounding too crisp. The crunch behind "Fuck This, I'm Out" is almost Weezer-esque (when they were good) and the drum-heavy intro of closer "I Hope You Know" does a nice job of building anticipation for when the song really kicks into gear, and the payoff once it does is satisfying.

Young's lyrical path of self-loathing and hopelessness continues here, such as in "I Am You" (originally found on the band's split with Practice, re-recorded here) where Young sings, 'I'll tell you why I hate my fucking life and I'll tell you why I can't seem to get it right / I'll tell you why I entertain the thought of dying all the time." and "1612 Havenhurst" (originally found on the band's split with Blotto, also re-recorded here) showcases similar feelings: "Just when I think it might not be so bad, it always kicks back and tells me where I stand." And the main line in "Until The Day..." that's sure to elicit many sloppy sing-alongs in the future is "Until the day I die I fucking swear I'm gonna make your life as miserable as mine."

However, much of the second half of From The Bottom show Young's less sardonic, more apologetic and regretful side. In "Self Check Out" he sings "It's killing me, because I think you're there for me / When I realize you're not, it's back to despair," and the lyrics in "Ten Years Trouble" Young portrays himself as being particularly vulnerable: "Please don't slam the door. I never meant to hurt you / I've gotten in a lot of trouble in the last ten years / I'm always in pain and almost always in tears."

One of this biggest gripes about this record I've read from fans is how 'clean' it sounds. And while From The Bottom undoubtedly has a far superior-sounding recording compared to anything else in the band's catalogue, I wouldn't necessarily refer to it as clean or slick.

If OWTH aren't cut out for working, I can't say it's a bad thing when the by-product of that is something as awesome as this record. Highly recommended.

MYSPACE

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Los Crudos - Discography

I had the pleasure of seeing this band for the first time sometime in 1993 at some festival in Dayton, Ohio. I originally went to see Fifteen and Propagandhi and ended up seeing this band. They fucking slayed me. I don't think i was ever the same after watching this bands set. The raw emotion from the music and lyrics (even though they were sung in Spanish), sent chills down my spine.

I later saw them at Speak In Tongues here in Cleveland, Ohio at another small fest. and eventually caught them for the last time at More Than Music Fest in Columbus, Ohio in 1995. This is one band that gets me pumped up no matter what.



Tracklisting:

01 Tiempos De La Miseria
02 Me Robarron
03 Crudo Soy
04 La Madres Lloran
05 Eliminacion
06 Desde Afuera
07 Asesinos
08 Se Ve En Tu Cara
09 Cipayos, Traidores Y Vendidos
10 Sin Caras
11 No Estoy Convencido
12 Curiosidad
13 Porque
14 Tu Lo Ensenaste
15 Lucha Para Que Te Escuchen
16 Corrido Jodido
17 Escaleras
18 Llegan Empujando
19 Nada Cambia
20 Achicados
21 En Mi Opinion
22 No Te Debo Nada
23 Levantate
24 La Caida De Latino America
25 Nos Quieren Como Siempre
26 No Me Vendan A Salvar
27 Dejanos En Paz
28 Tierra De Libertad
29 Victorias Y Ganancias
30 Unidad Prohibida
31 That's Right We're That Spic Band
32 Poco A Poco
33 Sueltalo
34 Migra Violencia
35 Viejos Pateticos
36 Del Pasado A El Presente
37 Esto No Trae Precio
38 A Los Inseguros
39 Tomando Los Golpes
40 No Existen Palomas Blancas En Mi Barrio
41 No Va Haber Revolucion
42 Quien Es El Pendejo Mas Grande
43 Que Paso Con La Paz
44 Metiendo Sal En La Llaga
45 Vas A Regresar?
46 HardcorEgoismo
47 Naciste Con Voz
48 Ilegal Y Que
49 Identidad Perdida
50 Vendedores De Dolor
51 500 Anos
52 Ahora Quien Se Queja?
53 Lengua Armada
54 Que Paso Con La Paz (Different Version)
55 Peleamos
56 Escupiendo Tu Propia Cara
57 Que Te Conviene
58 Me Lo Paso Por El Culo
59 Cobardes
60 Desde El Barrio (Unreleased)
61 Sin Titulo
62 Somos Peligrosos
63 Poem/Crudo Soy (Live Studio Session)
64 Se Ve En Tu Cara (Live Studio Session)
65 Cipayos, Traidores Y Vendidos (Live Studio Session)
66 Sin Caras (Live Studio Session)
67 Peleamos (Live Studio Session)
68 La Madres Lloran (Live Studio Session)
69 Asesinos (Live Studio Session)
70 Ilegal Y Que (Live Studio Session)
71 Vendredores De Dolor (Live Studio Session)
72 Eliminacion (Live Studio Session)
73 Me Robarron (Live Studio Session)
74 500 Anos (Live Studio Session)

http://www.mediafire.com/?zngcnexzvmz


HEY DUDES!

MERRY NEW BEERS!
Leave us comments! we like them!

Matt Skiba & Kevin Seconds split























1. Matt Skiba - Good Fucking Bye
2. Matt Skiba - The City That Day
3. Matt Skiba - Next To You
4. Matt Skiba - In Your Wake
5. Matt Skiba - Soul To Keep (For Phyllis)
6. Kevin Seconds - Extra Something
7. Kevin Seconds - Ugly Mouth
8. Kevin Seconds - 1981
9. Kevin Seconds - Yesteryear
10. Kevin Seconds - Motherfuckers

http://www.mediafire.com/?zmg343lyzio

SLINT - Spiderland






















This is probably my favorite "Indie Rock" record of all time. Spiderland is Slint's 2nd release and first release on TOUCH AND GO RECORDS. You'd be a fool for not owning this on vinyl.

The music of Spiderland is noted for its angular guitar rhythms, dramatically alternating dynamic shifts, and irregular time signatures. McMahan's singing style interchanges between mumbling spoken word and strained shouting. The lyrics of Spiderland are often written in a narrative style. Influences on the record included Gang of Four, Black Sabbath, and Sonic Youth.

track listing:
  1. "Breadcrumb Trail" – 5:55
  2. "Nosferatu Man" – 5:35
  3. "Don, Aman" – 6:28
  4. "Washer" – 8:50
  5. "For Dinner..." – 5:05
  6. "Good Morning, Captain" – 7:38
http://www.mediafire.com/?3mgvzmnwwiu

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Cave-In (Michigan Fest 2000)

this is possibly one of my favorite Cave-In songs.
i took this video at Michigan Fest in 2000. Enjoy.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Victory At Sea "Carousel"

Here's a fun fact regarding this band but really doesn't have much to do with this band: I met Rye via the totally sweet makeoutclub website nearly a decade ago over our common love for this band. Internet indie rock geeks unite? Shut up.

I used to work with their bass player Mel. He was awesome.

This may be the most depressing record I own next to GY!BE records. This was originally put out on the Dischord imprint label Slowdime, but re-pressed by Kimchee Records shortly after Slowdime had folded. Listen to "The Blizzard of '78". My favorite track on the album. This is recommended listening for somber rainy/snowy days for sure. I used to ride the trains in Boston during snow storms listening to this record. Way awesome.

P.S. This was put on megaupload instead of mediafire because I'm not giving mediafire one red cent of my money and it was too big to host there on their free plan.

Danny Lilker.