Posts Tagged ‘Lemuria’


02.03.2010

Media: Museum Mouth

posted by Will

in Media


(Click on album cover to download)

Who? Museum Mouth

What? I Am The Idiot Of The Jungle EP

Where are they from? Southport, NC

What do they sound like? If you dig that thin line where indie rock and pop/punk meet you might really fall for Museum Mouth. Dual male/female vocals might echo pop/punk of the past but the band sets itself apart by incorporating more noisy tendencies. The raw recording adds to the separation but is still completely flattering to the band’s sound. Museum Mouth make a noisy beautiful mess of these four songs that clock in under an all-too-brief 8 minutes. For fans of early material from Superchunk and Lemuria you should really love this.

Where can I buy: You can pick up a physical copy of the EP and other swag here.

Museum Mouth “Worry Wart”

11.01.2010

Band Spotlight: Weed Hounds

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Weed Hounds

Where are they from? New York

What do they sound like? Like a more indie-Lemuria? Definitely more instrumentally ambitious with shoegazing tendencies mixed in. Perhaps a less polished Pains of Being Pure At Heart? Thanks to the year end lists for making me check this out. I had heard of the band but I guess the name kind of turned me off…how shallow of me. That was my bad cause this is one of the best demos of 2009. The band has an upcoming split 7″ with the equally awesome Dude Japan on Rok Lok/Strictly No Capital Letters.

You can download all the bands songs on their Last.fm page.

Weed Hounds “Best Friends”

16.01.2009

Tigers Jaw: Self-Titled

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews

[Best New Music]

Late last year Scranton, PA’s Tigers Jaw dropped an amazing album that easily made my 2008 year end list. The band plays a unique but catchy brand of pop punk with a definite indie rock sensibility. Upon my first few listens I struggled to find some valid comparisons for the band. Tigers Jaw have that endearing familiar charm while retaining a uniqueness all their own. After many listens some bands that finally came to mind were Superchunk, The Jazz June and Meneguar. Add to that the slacker-ish vocal style of Rivers Cuomo of Weezer or Alex Kerns from Lemuria and you have a recipe for an extremely addicting album. Similar in the way Meneguar is able to pull fans from genres that span many spectrums, Tigers Jaw possess that same ability as well. The melodies and harmonies are top notch here. The music is driving and powerful with washes of keyboard mixed in to accent everything just perfectly. This is an incredible debut that stands strongly on its own merits. But with closer inspection, this album really should speak towards the band’s promising future more than anything else.

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: Indie Rock/Pop Punk

RIYL: The Jazz June, Meneguar, Superchunk

Label: Prison Jazz

Between Your Band And The Other Band

Tigers%20Jaw%20-%20Between%20Your%20Band%20And%20The%20Other%20Band.mp3

I Was Never Your Boyfriend

Tigers%20Jaw%20-%20I%20Was%20Never%20Your%20Boyfriend.mp3

www.myspace.com/tigersjaw

23.12.2008

Top 20 Albums of 2008 (11-20)

posted by Will

in Year End Lists

Click on album artwork for more.

#20 - Brass “Set & Drift” (Self-Released)

- If Brass were around ten years ago they would have been on Desoto Records and J. Robbins would have produced this record.

#19 – Good Luck “Into Lake Griffy” (Self-Released)

- Into Lake Griffy is a damn pop/punk opera!

#18 – Slingshot Dakota “Their Dreams Are Dead, But Ours Is The Golden Ghost” (Self-Released)

- Uplifting and heartfelt tales of the road and life in general. This album gives me a warm fuzzy feeling!

#17 – Lynus “Nice Outside” (Royal Blue Collective)

- The second coming of No Knife!? Angular pop hooks galore!

#16 – Off With Their Heads “From The Bottom” (No Idea)

- Desperation and hope twisted together beautifully with raging, melodic pop punk.

#15 – City And Colour “Bring Me Your Love” (Vagrant)

- Singer/songwriter material from Dallas Green of Alexisonfire. Don’t let that scare you away though. This is gorgeous stuff.

#14 – In The Red “Volume I” (Kiss Of Death/Rat Patrol)

- Mike Hale from Gunmoll’s awesome new band! Hale and Leatherface’s Frankie Stubbs should have a contest to see who has the gruffest vocals.

#13 – Lemuria “Get Better” (Asian Man)

- Mature power pop rock with dual male/female vocals. A distinct but successful leap from the band’s earlier releases. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

#12 – Able Baker Fox “Voices” (Second Nature)

- Able Baker Fox was a wet dream come true for old school Small Brown Bike and Casket Lottery fans like myself.

#11 – Tim Barry “Manchester” (Suburban Home)

- If I had more time with it no doubt Manchester would have made my top ten. Barry is about as real as it gets for a singer/songwriter.

09.12.2008

Ian’s Top Ten

posted by Will

in Year End Lists

Ian Graham – Cheap Girls – Lansing, Michigan

1. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – “Real Emotional Trash”
2. Constantines – “Kensington Heights”
3. Able Baker Fox – “Voices”
4. Dead Meadow – “Old Growth”
5. The Hold Steady – “Stay Positive”
6. Ninja Gun – “Restless Rubes”
7. Old 97s – “Blame It On Gravity”
8. Lemuria – “Get Better”
9. Good Luck – “Into Lake Griffy”
10. Oasis – “Dig Out Your Soul”

02.12.2008

Dave’s Top Ten

posted by Will

in Year End Lists

Dave Garwacke – If You Make It/Halo Fauna – Brooklyn, NY

Maps & Atlases – You and Me and the Mountain
Bridge & Tunnel – East/West
Get Bent – Demo
Good Luck – Into Lake Griffy
Little Lungs – Hoist Me Up
Iron Chic – Demo
The State Lottery – Cities We’re Not From
Lemuria – Get Better
Eric Ayotte – Remnants of Story Town
Tin Armor – EP

10.06.2008

Tin Armor: Self-Titled 7″

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews, Vinyl Corner

As we impatiently wait for that new Smoking Popes album ( will it ever see the light of day?), it is comforting to know that Tin Armor have our back. I recently covered Tin Armor in the Band You Should Know category. Their 2007 album, A Better Place Than I Have Been was a brilliant starting point and this seven-inch keeps the band’s momentum going in the right direction. I am a sucker for bands in this mold and Tin Armor have the ingredients down to a tee. Clever, morose lyrics are twirled around melodic instrumentation and vocal harmonies so warm and cuddly you could lay with them for days. And frankly, that’s exactly what I did. With four songs clocking in at an all too brief ten minutes, this record begs to be flipped over and over again and again. The band brings to mind a wide range of artists/bands. From the jangle of Ted Leo (and his old band, Chisel) or the Dan Adriano-penned Alkaline Trio songs (or Adriano’s old emo/pop band, Tuesday), Tin Armor are riding a charming pop wave to perfection. Songs of doomed relationships never sounded so sweet.

Genre: Indie/Rock/Pop

RIYL: Smoking Popes, Lemuria, Little Brazil

Label: Whoa Oh

Problems, Formerly Pleasures

04 Problems Formerly Pleasures.mp3

www.myspace.com/tinarmor

01.05.2008

Lemuria: Get Better

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews

You know, the pop/punk gods can be a cruel bunch at times. But they make it up to me every now and then. Lemuria are certainly one of those godsends. The Buffalo, NY band finally graces us with a proper full-length release and it is a charming listen. Perhaps not as immediate as the songs from the band’s split with Kind Of Like Spitting, Get Better is a bit of grower.

The dynamic between co-vocalists Sheena Ozzella (guitar) and Alex Kerns (drums) is still the most compelling part of Lemuria. Granted, Ozzella is carrying the majority of the vocal load here but Kern’s contributions add a great deal of weight and tension to the band’s compositions. There is a subtleness expressed throughout Get Better. Lemuria’s songs are indeed melodic but never seem to be looking for a cheap hook. For the most part, the tempos are slower throughout Get Better as well. The arrangements show off a weathered maturity and tend to be looking outside the framework of the narrow pop/punk field.

Now, I love well played pop/punk, especially the female-fronted kind. However, the bands that excite me the most in the genre are the ones that are willing to move beyond all the normal constrictions. Lemuria answer the bell with Get Better and prove they a much more than just another pop/punk band. Taking the road less trampled upon, Lemuria make a compelling case for an even brighter future.

Genre: Indie/Pop/Punk

RIYL: Discount, The Ackleys, Superchunk

Label: Asian Man

Lipstick

03Lipstick.mp3

Yesterday’s Lunch

02YesterdaysLunch.mp3

www.myspace.com/lemuria