Frodus (Conglomorate International) A.K.A. F.C.I. were an amazing post-hardcore band from D.C. in the nineties. They toured with Refused in 1998, and are often compared with them even though they have very disparate sounds. Thrice covered their song "The Earth Isn't Humming" on their Alchemy Index release. You could basically call them mathcore. Their songs build on themselves, becoming very spacey and dynamic and they create such a unique sound that I imagine must've been far ahead of their time. I wasn't there. I don't know. Regardless, this is a perfect album in my opinion. It was their last, being released by Fueled By Ramen in 2001, and is without a doubt their best material. Especially as a whole; this album is best listened to from start to finish rather than just hearing individual songs. I think it's supposed to repressed on vinyl sometime this year by Lovitt Records. They reunited for SXSW 2009, playing at the Lovitt area, and I think they may have actually recorded a 7" last year... Not too sure about all the details, but it sounds like they're working on things again.
"The machines never died! We will be vindicated!"
1. Red Bull Of Juarez 2. The Earth Isn't Humming 3. There Will Be No More Scum 4. Out-Circuit The Ending 5. Chiriaco Summit 6. Belgian Congo 7. The Awesome Machine 8. 6/99 9. Hull Crush Depth 10. Year Of The Hex 11. And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea
This is L.A./Inglewood, California letlive.'s first release, circa 2003. Far different, and noticeably 'earlier-sounding' than their later releases, Speak Like You Talk, and Fake History, Exhaustion... has a bit more of a screamo tinge, while still sounding like an underproduced Glassjaw (that sounds great to me - don't know about you). Every letlive. release has been very different, and this as well as Speak Like You Talk aren't even really acknowledged by the band these days, but I have a very hard time picking a favorite between their three releases. Neither of the first two albums are very easy to find, so downloading is the way to go if you want to hear them (and I recommend all of letlive.'s music). I wanted the lyrics to these songs so bad, but they weren't in the insert, nor on the Internet, and it was bugging me but I finally figured out that the lyrics are on the CD itself. In case you were interested, I copied and pasted the lyrics into notepad and saved them in the folder. They're pretty cheesy, but I love it.
Currently, letlive. is finally getting some recognition and going places. They recently signed to Epitaph, who will be re-releasing Fake History with three extra tracks, and I'm beyond excited for them. Read about that and check out the video for their song "The Sick, Sick 6.8 Billion" on Epitaph's site.
"The day I decided to live with my heart on my sleeve I came home shirtless, bareback, and wondering why it's so cold in here..."
1. Adjectives Might Work 2. With A Mouth Sewn Shut (You're Pretty Well Spoken) 3. Comprehension Is Overrated 4. Showcase Heart 5. Heroic Suicide 6. Nightmare For Care 7. Cigarette 8. October 30th Syndrome
La Dispute was one of those bands who I never really imagined myself getting into, but every time I heard them, I got into it. So far, I like everything they've written and think they're an extremely creative band. They're my current obsession, and I'd recommend not only listening to this short release, but all of their stuff. It's superb... superb. Both of these songs have plenty of the elements they're known for, namely the energetic and smooth melodies that are just too catchy for words if you ask me. Listen for yourself.
Awesome screamo band with dual vocals, abrasive yelling over high screams. I think they do a great justice to their genre. Listen to "With Horses In Her Eyes, She Spat Like A Wildcat" (in the video below) and tell me that isn't a perfect screamo song. I feel like the opening track, "We Only Fuck To Black Sabbath Vol. 4" sounds a little too rock sometimes, but don't let that get you down if you don't like it. Things only get better. Also, I like their song titles... "Get going cowboy... to those horses you think so much of."
1. We Only Fuck To Black Sabbath Vol. 4 2. Tips For Avoiding The Clap. 1. I Wouldn't Piss On A Scorpion If It Was On Fire 3. Das Plague (French For Germans) 4. With Horses In Her Eyes, She Spat Like A Wildcat 5. Hunger Like Numb Toes On An Oslo Sidewalk 6. The Tropics Of Cancer, Capricorn, And A Smashed Face 7. I May Have Cried A River For Him, But He's No Depardieu 8. This Charade Has Lasted Well Past The Curtain's Fall 9. We've Built Our Tombs And Now We're Sleeping In Them 10. The Graduate Walks With A Distance Gait
I saw this band at one of my earlier hardcore shows, at a house, when they were on a winter tour with Restrained. So-Cal powerviolence with a very metal vibe. I was really impressed with their set, so I bought this tape. Unfortunately, they didn't play the seven-minute jam song from the end of the 7-inch / tape at that house show, but a friend of mine saw them at Sound & Fury a few years back and said at the end of their set the vocalist just walked off stage while they played that song. I tend to think of this album in two parts, the short powerviolence songs at the start and the super metal jam at the end, and both parts are superb! I'm not a die hard fan of either genre really, but I love these recordings.
"Earth shall burn. Everything gone..."
1. Devoid Of Reality 2. Interlude 3. Investment In Knowledge 4. Ascension 5. Besiege 6. Earth's Charred Corpse 7. Banish The Cross 8. The 9th Circle 9. Untitled
I don't know quite where to place this guy's music. Everyone else says "obvious Smiths tribute" but I don't really see it. I mean, I see where they're coming from, but I'm sure there are better, more accurate comparisons (though, in the song "Sacred Heart" that comparison is quite accurate). Nonetheless, it's some sort of pop. When I put on Cass McCombs radio on Pandora, the only band I recognized was The Jesus And Mary Chain... I heard of Cass McCombs first when watching the Enjoi skate video, Bag Of Suck, where that song I mentioned, "Sacred Heart" was one of Jerry Hsu's songs along with Sonic Youth's Carpenters cover. I thought it was a good song so I got the album and wasn't as impressed with the rest, but after listening to it more, it grew on me. I feel like other people could appreciate this more at first impression than I did. I'm considering editing the last song on my iTunes though because the last seven minutes are a car alarm going off, so I want to cut that out. One time I left this on while I was sleeping, and that part woke me up the same way an alarm clock would!
"For all my alases, I cannot mend this massive slashing..."
1. Equinox 2. Subtraction 3. Multiple Suns 4. Tourist Woman 5. Sacred Heart 6. She's Still Suffering 7. Cuckoo 8. Bury Mary 9. City Of Brotherly Love 10. All Your Dreams May Come True
Check out "Sacred Heart" on Jerry Hsu's skate part from Bag Of Suck (such a great part).
The name of the album, a reference to the assassination of Malcolm X is very fitting, considering the content of the record is focused on politics, and specifically civil rights. There are even clips of Malcolm X's speech, "The Ballot Or The Bullet" during the title track of this album, as well as other clips on the subject of minority empowerment. I love the sound clip at the beginning of the whole thing. It's so energetic in a way I'm not used to. This is a great album that steps over the boundaries between punk, hardcore, and screamo so easily. Musically, it sounds a bit like Das Oath, while politically it gives me a Yaphet Kotto feel (it's an Ebullition release). This was world-famous DJ Steve Aoki's hardcore band and he was so frantic and energetic as a vocalist that it makes me want to describe them as sassy and out of control.
"Go eat some words and I'll bury in the sand."
1. Cracking The Mask 2. Bending The Erotic 3. Giving Testimony 4. Our Histories Have Burned Holes In Your Flag 5. Running With All These Names 6. Breakdown 7. Hearts And Minds 8. Death In The Audobon Ballroom 9. And The Weight Of That Silence Alone Will Choke Us
Great screamo album by one of the most well-known European screamo bands, Raein (pronounced like rain, a combination of both the words rain and rein) hailing from Forlì, Italy. If you're a fan of any form of emo (or punk in general even), and haven't heard this record yet, I suggest you get on that.
"This is my tigersuit!"
1. The Tree 2. The King Is Dead 3. From 3 To 1 In 2 And 4 4. Il N'y A Pas De Orchestre 5. Tetradycal Fluctuating Faster Than The Speed Of Light 6. Artmachine Observation Tower 7. Miss Kelly Dathe 8. Tigersuit 9. She Wears My Blood 10. I Was Fine Before You Came
This is my favorite Promise Ring material along with The Horse Latitudes. As you'd expect from their first records, it's a lot more gritty than stuff like Nothing Feels Good or Very Emergency; far less poppy, their early emo stylings are apparent, et cetera. This is exactly my style, but I think most people opt for Nothing Feels Good (which is great too!). Anyways, this is an impressive demo in my opinion. I hope you love it.
So, yet again it's been a while since I've posted anything, and I'm going to stop saying that I'm gonna try to post more often, because that's probably not gonna happen. Not even gonna play...
This album is sweet. I feel like if you like The Smiths you can't dislike this, but that theory's already been disproven. Whatever. 80's "sophistapop" from Hull, England that I think is extremely catchy, and I'm probably going to end up overplaying it very soon. I was originally attracted to this band solely by their name, because it sounded like a name I might come up with, and luckily, upon buying this album, I liked it! Don't be stupid. Give it a shot.
"Did you come here to shoot me down, bury me in my own home ground?"
1. When All's Well 2. Ugly Little Dreams 3. Shoot Me Down 4. Are You Trying To Be Funny? 5. Sean 6. Ballad Of The Times 7. Anytown 8. This Love (Not For Sale) 9. Trouble And Strife 10. Angel
