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Archive for the ‘Vinyl Corner’ Category


22.10.2009

Vinyl Corner: Wormburner

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
2 Comments

Self-Titled Black 7″

wormburner7

Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wormburner (wārm·bō’ner?) features members of North Lincoln and Traffic & Weather amongst others. Those bands provide a pretty good starting point for what to expect from Wormburner. I guessed gruff pop/punk and for the most part that is what you get on the band’s debut release. That’s not to downplay the band because they play this style of rough and rustic pop/punk really well. It instantly brings to mind the sadly defunct Get Bent. Lyrically, the themes are very reminiscent of Latterman, another sadly defunct band. It is all about accepting change, making sense of your life and pushing through the negativity to see things in a more positive light. The songs, while solid, take a few listens to make their mark. The hooks are subtle but the more spins you give this piece of wax the more you will appreciate it. The band is currently writing for a LP release and I am eager to hear what they do next.

Label: Salinas

Wormburner “If Life Is A Highway, I’m Totally Fucked”

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07.07.2009

Vinyl Corner: Golden City

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
1 Comment

[Best New Music]

Self-Titled 10″ / Cavalry + Brighten 7″


Short Review: Golden City is led by Eric Richter, formerly of Christie Front Drive. Golden City sounds like Static Prevails-era Jimmy Eat World which was basically trying to sound like Christie Front Drive. If you like Christie Front Drive or Jimmy Eat World you will love Golden City.

Long Review: There are certain vocalists/songwriters that you find yourself following throughout their lengthy musical careers. Eric Richter is one of those musicians that I have always kept up with. Through his different band/projects and my own personal music taste deviations I have always tagged along for the ride. Richter of course fronted the seminal emo band Christie Front Drive which should be noted as a defining influence of Jimmy Eat World and countless others. After CFD, Richter moved on to the eclectic Antarctica before disappearing for a few years. Richter unearthed back into guitar rock realms with The 101. Richter’s vocals were refreshing to hear and the band was enjoyable but there was something missing. Whatever that was, Richter has found it with Golden City. The band takes the straight-ahead pop chops of The 101 and marries it to the emotional backbone of Christie Front Drive for a truly infectious sound. The songs are huge without ever feeling like that’s what their intent was. And that mirrors the band’s humble beginnings. Originally conceived as a casual affair of writing and recording music with friends, Golden City’s songs were just too good to ignore. The world just had to hear these pop nuggets. I just hope Richter stays in one place for a bit longer than usual. I hear Golden City is a nice place to take up residence.

Label: Magic Bullet 10″/ Sound Fiction 7″

Cars In Space
Golden%20City_S-T_03_Cars%20in%20Space.mp3

Stars
Golden%20City_S-T_07_Stars.mp3

www.myspace.com/therealgoldencity

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02.07.2009

Vinyl Corner: Teenage Cool Kids

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
3 Comments

Speaking In Tongues 7″

There’s been a lot of drama in the Teenage Cool Kids camp since the release of their fine debut, Queer Salutations. They recorded this fine piece of wax, a brand new LP and oh, they were sued by that shitty rap band, Cool Kids for name/copyright issues. Oh, the glamorous life of a DIY indie band! After months of legal wrangling the band is finally free and clear. The Speaking In Tongues 7″ seven inch vinyl is a teaser to the band’s Foreign Lands LP which was finally released this month (my copy actually showed up in the mail today after months of hold up from the lawsuit). The A-side, “Speaking In Tongues” appears on Foreign Lands as well and is one of the band’s best songs. It shows TCK’s evolving songwriting and sounds like some gloriously wired mixture of The Shins and Built To Spill. The exclusive B-side “Crucial Talk” echoes the band’s first album in a messy lo-fi haze. If these two songs are any indication, my anticipation for Foreign Lands just shot off the radar!

Label: Copper Lung

Speaking In Tongues
06-teenage_cool_kids-speaking_in_tongues.mp3

www.myspace.com/teenagecoolkids

29.06.2009

Vinyl Corner: Little Lungs

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
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Hoist Me Up! 7″

[Best New Music]

(I reviewed the band’s Demo CD-R back in October of 08. Salinas was kind enough to still send me the vinyl release recently so I thought I would re-post my review. The release was in my Top Ten EPs of 2008.)

From the ashes of Each Other’s Mothers and Tin Kitchen, rise Little Lungs. As much as I was stoked on the initial EPs from EOM and TK, Little Lungs’ Hoist Me Up! sees my enthusiasm at an all-time high! The band barrels through 7 songs in less than 15 minutes (six songs on the 7″) and it is a breath of fresh, rejuvenating air. Imagine if Sleater-Kinney went pop-punk but kept their angular approach. Little Lungs can play their instruments with the best of them and they show it off to a certain extent. But the band also keeps the noodling to a minimum and the pedal to the metal! “Atlantic Bridge” and “White & Green” are awesome, sounding like the discordant driving pop-punk of the great Discount. And I’m a sucker for anything resembling that band. “Dreary” should be a show stopper with its fist-pumping chorus. Hoist Me Up! is full steam ahead and it is an absolute blast because of the band’s energetic approach! Unbridled enthusiasm can only carry a band so far though. You got to have the songs to back it up. But no doubt about it, Little Lungs got the juice! EOM and TK bit the dust after debut EPs that truly teased the ears. Let’s just hope Little Lungs don’t suffer the same fate.

Label: Salinas

Atlantic Bridge
02%20Atlantic%20Bridge.mp3

Dreary:
03%20Dreary.mp3

www.myspace.com/littlelungsnynj

04.05.2009

Arms Aloft: Comfort At Any Cost 7″

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
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If you are a fan of melodic hardcore and all its sub-genres, than you need to hear Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s Arms Aloft. How this band has flown under the radar is beyond me. These four songs conjure up so many touchstones and a few of those are openly listed in the band’s influences…Hot Water Music, Kid Dynamite and Dillinger Four to name a few. Arms Aloft flex an undeniable midwestern take on Americana tinged punk rock. I am reminded most specifically of a band that I love that a lot of people might not know about, Boston’s underrated (and sadly defunct) Lock And Key. But to list all these bands that Arms Aloft remind me of seems to sell them entirely too short. These guys aren’t ripping anybody off, in fact their hammering out this style better than 99% of the bands before them. Arms Aloft are so good at what they do it is almost unfair to their peers. The band bottles up so much angst and aggression in their songs and then unleash it with such poise and precision. Arms Aloft know how to write big, catchy and powerful punk rock tunes that leave the listener begging for more. Let’s hope these boys are hatching big plans for the future cause I am ready for more.

Label: Dead Format

Dreams Are Dogs That Die In Their Kennels

02-arms_aloft-dreams_are_dogs_that_die_in_their_kennels.mp3

www.myspace.com/armsaloftforever

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14.04.2009

Witches: Self-Titled 7″

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
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[BEST NEW MUSIC]

Witches is the new rock band from singer/songwriter Cara Beth Satalino. Satlino’s earthy vocals have always brought to mind female artists like PJ Harvey or even Chan Marshall but with Witches they are giving a setting that accentuates her pipes even more. Here Satilino’s stunning vocals and powerful songwriting collide with walls of cascading guitar rock. It is a striking combination to behold. The hyper guitars wail behind Satalino as the bass and drums keep up at a steady pace. Mining indie rock circa the mid-nineties, Witches won’t grab you with immediate hooks but they make up for it in the long run with superb songwriting that beckons you to listen closer. What starts out as something ordinary soon turns into an amazing and beautiful display. Oh, and those lyrics…

“When the final stone is cast, we’re gonna end up undefeated – all humming to the car alarm. I guess its never easy. We all are underpaid. Oh, but we love it anyway. I’m looking forward to it.”

I can not wait to hear what Witches do with a full album’s worth of material. Until then these three songs will do just fine.

Label: Salinas/Mandible

Big Rivers

01%20Big%20Rivers.mp3

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10.02.2009

…Who Calls So Loud: Self-Titled 2×10″

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
2 Comments

…Who Calls So Loud rise from the ashes of two bands I am relatively familiar with, Funeral Diner and Portraits Of Past. …Who Calls So Loud mix the darker sounds of those bands with more intricate post rock tendencies. Perhaps somewhat similar in style to Japanese stalwarts Envy. While not quite as heavy, the emotion is certainly there to be felt. …Who Calls So Loud have seemingly combined their past with their influences into a completely different beast on their self-titled debut. In the span of eight songs that encompass nearly 50 minutes of music, the band ebbs and flows between the speak/scream vocal style and moving instrumental interludes. When the band truly lets loose it is an incredibly powerful statement. …Who Calls So Loud just put out a brand new four song EP and if these eight songs are any indication I will be picking that up ASAP. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the packaging and vinyl on this sucker. Absolutely beautiful! Take a sneak peak here.

Genre: Emo/Hardcore

RIYL: Funeral Diner, Envy, Off Minor

Label: Sorry/Adagio 830

Any Color I Want

06%20Any%20Color%20I%20Want.mp3

www.myspace.com/whocallssoloud

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04.02.2009

Ghostlimb: Bearing & Distance LP

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
1 Comment

After my initial listen, I judged Ghostlimb’s Bearing & Distance as something that I probably would not end up writing about on SAL. However, when rad German labels like Adagio 830 take the time and spend the money to send me vinyl to review I feel a bit more compelled to revisit albums.

Ghostlimb. 15 songs. 18 minutes. That overview gives you a fair idea of what to expect from Bearing & Distance. This is pissed off hardcore thrash that might be easy to dismiss up front. It’s loud, fast and short. With that combination it’s tough to make much of a first impression. But with repeated listens I was taken aback with how the melodicism of some of these tracks really began to shine through. I was also left with the observation that Ghostlimb sound completely and triumphantly modern. For a “hardcore” band that speaks volumes considering the genre is perhaps the most recycled of them all.

In the end there is enough here to bring me back to the table numerous times and I don’t even consider myself a fan of the genre. The anger of “Seven”, the poppy guitars of “Bridge Above Water” and the raw emotion of album closer “Loxodrome” (the only track that reaches above the two minute mark) are prime examples of Bearing & Distance’s versatility. Let’s see where they go from here. My interest is peaked.

Genre: Hardcore/Punk/Thrash

RIYL: Graf Orlock, Thrash

Label: Adagio 830/Level Plane

Document

4.)%20Document.mp3

Bridge Above The Water

12.)%20Bridge%20Above%20The%20Water.mp3

www.myspace.com/ghostlimb

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28.01.2009

O Pioneers!!!/The Anchor: Split 7″

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
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O Pioneers!!! just keep soldiering on with new release after new release. Here the Houston band teams up with fellow Texans, The Anchor for a nice little slab of split vinyl. I am going to start on the B side just cause I can. The Anchor  hail from Austin, TX and play gruff but melodic punk rock. There is a definite Hot Water Music slant to the band’s music. The Anchor’s two songs, “This is For My Friends” and “Truant Tensions”, show a great deal of promise. While certainly not the most memorable or original, I am interested to hear the band’s next steps.

Now to the winning A Side. Fast out of the gates is the one O Pioneers!!! track, “Summers In Necro Norway With Ryan”. O Pioneers!!! are never short on passion and this song is certainly no different. It is flat out raging and the lyrics are as biting as ever. The song is about who we are and how we spend our lives talking and idolizing others instead of taking the necessary steps in our own lives. Yet another winner of a song from a band that just keeps getting better and better. All in all, a solid split worthy of your time.

Genre: Punk Rock

RIYL: Hot Water Music, Against Me!, Latterman

Label: Triumph Of Life

www.myspace.com/opioneers

www.myspace.com/theanchor

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27.01.2009

Memorial: The Creative Process/Berlin LP

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
1 Comment

Memorial are a band I have been keeping my eye on closely. The group began when Renee Heartfelt, a band I really enjoyed, sadly disbanded. Other than the name change though, the sound has virtually stayed the same. Memorial employ the same post-hardcore dynamics practiced by Renee Heartfelt. Which basically means if bands like Quicksand, Texas Is The Reason or Samiam make you swoon then you will probably dig what Memorial got going on. The band’s debut was originally supposed to be two seperate 7-inches with Revelation Records. Which considering the band’s sound would seem like a perfect fit but for whatever reason that never materialized. Here we finally have the band’s first eight songs compiled onto one sweet looking LP, The Creative Process/Berlin. The emotionally charged vocals of Peter Appleby are the focal point for Memorial just as they were for Renee Heartfelt. But while Renee Heartfelt seemed to be distancing themselves from their roots/influences, Memorial seem quite delighted to indulge themselves. The band takes a more natural approach with their songs and there is a definite nod towards their past as Memorial retain a harder edged exterior. The Creative Process/Berlin LP is a treat for fans of this style. There were only 500 copies of this record pressed (100 black, 300 white, 100 yellow), so I suggest you get to stepping!

Full Disclosure: This band’s press is handled by Beartrap PR. I work with Beartrap PR but I do not represent this band. These are my honest opinions. No shit, I swear!

Genre: Post Hardcore

RIYL: Quicksand, Texas Is The Reason, Samiam

Label: Flight Plan

Sideways

Memorial_The%20Creative%20Process_berlin_02_Sideways.mp3

www.myspace.com/memorialband

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20.01.2009

Brainworms/Tubers: Split 7″

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
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Brainworms seem to be the kings of split 7 inches as this is the band’s third in the span of a year now. This time the Richmond band teams up with St, Augustine, Florida’s Tubers. Brainworms let loose two tracks here. “Jays Big Date” is trademark Brainworms and sees the debut of Josh Small on guitar with the band. Probably best known as Tim Barry’s touring guitarist, Small’s inventive playing can only enhance Brainworms’ crazed punk rock nuggets. The second track is a surprisingly straight-ahead live cover of Rites of Spring’s “For Want Of” which of course is a classic. For a live recording it sounds pretty amazing.

Next up we have Tubers who are able to fit in four short ditties on their side. Members of Tubers have done time in notable Florida bands like Twelve Hour Turn (an amazing band!), Solid Pony, and Environmental Youth Crunch. While not as spastic as some of their past bands, Tubers still find aggression in a more straight forward approach. But, screamy vocals still appear and add a cool dimension to the band’s solid backbone. This is my first real introduction to the band and I am impressed. Tubers finish it off with a great old school Lemonheads cover of “Glad I Don’t Know” from the band’s album, Lick.

And the Brainworms awesome split seven inch streak continues.

Genre: Punk Rock

RIYL: Punk Rock

Label: Rorschach/Bakery Outlet

www.myspace.com/brainwormsrva

www.myspace.com/tubers

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13.01.2009

My Heart To Joy At The Same Tone: Virgin Sails 7″

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
7 Comments

[Best New Music]

Virgin Sails 7″ boasts three powerful and moving songs from Connecticut’s My Heart To Joy At The Same Tone. This is pretty awesome stuff that has left me quite impressed (and kicking myself that it’s basically been sitting on my floor for a few months.) I think a lazy comparison (and the band seems to think so too) would be to Hot Water Music. But really, My Heart To Joy At The Same Tone sound even thicker than HWM which might sound impossible but whatever. Perhaps a better comparison would be early Small Brown Bike which had a pretty dark atmosphere much like the first two songs here possess. My Heart To Joy, which they seem to be calling themselves now, are driving in their approach and pack these songs with subtle melodies, anger and emotion that simply boils over at the seams. The third track, “All Of Life Is Coming” has an almost Latterman-ish feel to it as it dips into quieter parts before exploding with a rapturous sing along ending. Familiar yet completely refreshing at the same time, My Heart To Joy At The Same Tone are on to something special here. The band just finished recording an LP for spring 2009. I’m pumped!

Genre: Punk Rock

RIYL: Hot Water Music, Small Brown Bike, Latterman

Label: Triumph Of Life

Virgin Sails

02VirginSails.mp3

www.myspace.com/myhearttojoyatthesametone

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12.01.2009

Monument: A 3 Song 7″

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
8 Comments

[Best New Music]

And so we have the first great piece of wax for 2009. Monument has made a giant leap forward from their earlier demos which were pretty dang good themselves. From the beginning “umph” of the rocking “Busy Being Bees”, the overwhelming energy of the band is astounding and completely infectious. Much like Cap’n Jazz always seemed to be one false move from going off the rails into complete chaos, Monument bottle that momentum and let loose with a mass of unbridled enthusiasm. The shouted vocals of “yeah” over the top of “Memory And Location” and “It’s Clear, Tension” bring to mind Braid’s catchy approach at times. The production is raw but still so warm and inviting. Equally spastic and tuneful, Monument is quite adept at swaying back and forth with tempos. The band does just that too measuring their rocking moments with quieter introspection as well. These three songs run the gamut of emotions and the listener is just left to be amazed. After a ton of listens, WOW is all I have left to say. With this impressive three song 7-inch the band has jumped into Algernon-like stratospheres for hyped up (and for good reason of course) emo. Get rad indeed boys!

Genre: Indie/Emo

RIYL: Braid, Cap’n Jazz, American Football

Label: Self-Released

Busy Beeing Bees

monument%20-%20busyBeingBees.mp3

www.myspace.com/monumentisaband

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17.10.2008

The State Lottery: Cities We’re Not From LP

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
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[Best New Music]

Cities We’re Not From is the debut album from The State Lottery. The band is based out of Detroit and Queens with members of The Gibbons, Dynamite Arrows and Get Bent. As the opening chords of the title track ring out to start the record, you can feel something special in the air. Cities We’re Not From has a lot to do with growing up, growing older, moving around and subsequently moving on.

The title track explores moving from city to city only to realize we can not run from what inherently makes us unhappy. We live in cities we’re not from/Make our beds in neighborhoods that we barely belong/Searching for some sort of community/And it seems alright, but I can’t deny that I’m still so lonely. “Kindgarten Class” is simple in its outright questioning of America’s pursuit of war: We’ve declared endless war armed with the infantile concept of good vs. bad. “Night Of The Johnstown Flood” is straightforward and biting in its lyrical approach. And the America enshrined in my parents’ hearts and minds is a language I don’t speak, no it means nothing to me. It is an unfortunate sentiment of many in our generation whether we want to admit it or not. Cities We’re Not From explores so much of the (American) human condition but at its heart, the album is a restless search and desperate hope to find and build a community for survival.

Cities We’re Not From sounds like such a natural progression from guys who have spent their lives in punk bands. This is punk rock but done so with sense of maturity and humility for all who have passed before. Cities We’re Not From is angry and political, yet eternally hopeful; powerful and aggressive, yet keenly melodic. The instrumental additions of keys, horns and harmonica add a fresh dynamic to the traditional punk band setting. With Cities We’re Not From, The State Lottery have delivered one of best albums of the year. These eight songs are a moving testament to the heart and soul of punk rock. Sing these tired songs. You’re gonna miss ‘em when they’re gone. Indeed.

Buy the vinyl from Salinas! You can download the record for free here.

Genre: Punk/Rock

RIYL: The Lawrence Arms, Constantines, American Steel

Label: Salinas

Cities We’re Not From

01%20Cities%20We%27re%20Not%20From.mp3

Kindergarten Class

04%20Kindergarten%20Class.mp3

www.myspace.com/statelottery

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17.08.2008

Red And Blue/Traffic & Weather: Split LP

posted by Will

in Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner
1 Comment

Ah, the many shades of pop/punk. This split between NY’s Red And Blue and MIchigan’s Traffic & Weather is a perfect example of the broad brush of this genre.

Red And Blue are up first. These six songs were recorded by the illustrious Phil Douglas of Latterman. Red And Blue are occupying the more geeky side of pop/punk. Lyrically, the boys are singing about the day to day monotony of life and the restlessness that comes along with that feeling. Red And Blue are sloppy, pop punk fun…nothing more, nothing less.

From the ashes of The Gibbons comes Traffic & Weather. The Gibbons were an absolutely fantastic punk band much in the mold of Jawbreaker and The Lawrence Arms. Traffic & Weather, while perhaps being a bit more dynamic than The Gibbons, are still occupying the same sonic territory. This is pissed off melodic pop-punk with razor sharp lyrics and vocals.

Like a tour through the unending reaches of pop/punk, this split showcases two bands playing a well worn style with power, affection and their own signature. Well done on both sides.

Genre: Pop/Punk

RIYL: The Gibbons, The Lawrence Arms, Halo Fauna

Label: Los Diaper Records/Mandible Records

www.myspace.com/imfromkingston

www.myspace.com/trafficandweather

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