Posts Tagged ‘Street Smart Cyclist’


30.04.2009

Band Spotlight: Snowing

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Snowing

Where are they from? Lehigh Valley, PA

What do they sound like? Members of Street Smart Cyclist and Boy Problems come together to form something that sounds pretty close to something you would expect. And I say that in the most positive sense. This is loud, aggressive emo/hardcore that shows off some mathy instrumental interplay. The vocals are great and can go to incredibly harsh at the flip of a coin. Frankly it adds something to the band that distinguishes them from the hordes that seem to be flocking to this style over the last few years. Very promising stuff. Check it out for yourself…go download the four song demo at If You Make It.

Important Things (Specter Magic)

02%20Important%20Things%20(Specter%20Magic).mp3

07.04.2009

Band Spotlight: Grown Ups

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Grown Ups

Where are they from? Michigan City, Indiana

What do they sound like? Imagine a rougher, more noodly Lifetime and you have got Grown Ups. Residing somewhere between emo and pop punk, Grown Ups offer up one of the best things I have heard in 09. Forming from members of Lions Of The North, Grown Ups bring to minds bands like Braid, Latterman and a lot of Street Smart Cyclist. There is an energy that emanates from the band’s songs that is infectious to say the least. Raw, yet ridiculously catchy, Grown Ups are absolutely perfect for the incoming warmer weather.

You can order these fine looking suckers from Kid Sister which has a lot of sweet, handmade stuff from a bunch of rad bands.

Surprise Party

01%20Surprise%20Party.mp3

23.03.2009

Band You Should Have Known: Boy Problems

posted by Bradley

in BYSHK

Boy Problems was an all too brief but memorable addition to the ever expanding catalog of amazing bands spawning from the Pennsylvania hardcore/emo scene.  Featuring former members of other bands you should have known — Harrison Bergeron, Make Me, and the much loved Street Smart Cyclist — Boy Problems played a uniquely potent blend of clean hooks and dual screamed vocals that was nothing short of jaw dropping.   They toured around with fellow Philadelphians and perennial SAL favorite Algernon Cadwallader in the summer of 2008, released a subsequent 5 song tour “demo”, and contributed 2 songs to a Boy Problems/Osceola/The Reptilian/Lautrec 4-way split effort.  Prolific: far from it.  Preeminent: bet your ass on it!

The guys from Boy Problems were recently nice enough to share their collective efforts, so you needn’t bother scrounging around.  The summer tour songs can be found here and their 2 songs off of the split with Osceola/The Reptilian/Lautrec (all of whom are bands you should know) are up for grabs here.  Sound wise, think along the lines of a more aggressive Algernon Cadwallader, or if you’re familiar, a softer side of Make Me.

If you care to follow, ex-Boy Problems members are now playing in Snowing, Storm The Bastille, Cassillis, and Book of Flags.

I Don’t Know What I’m Saying

03.%20I%20Don%27t%20Know%20What%20I%27m%20Saying.mp3

05.02.2008

Jacob And I : Shadout Mapes

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews

Jacob And I hail from Columbia and Charleston, SC respectively. The band is not your typical instrumental outfit. Jacob And I’s debut EP, Shadout Mapes, shows off a remarkable maturity as well as a unique approach to instrumental music. The songs are tense, yet playful enough to draw any instrumental or math rock fan in. The band adds a jazzy element into the mix as well. Besides the obvious talent, what stands out about Jacob And I is the band’s setup. Two bassists and a drummer combine to form a rich, creative backbone. The four songs here beckon the listener back time and time again as they reveal more with each listen. Even though no song crosses over the three minute mark there is an undeniable epic quality to the band’s songs. Jacob And I pack more into 3 minutes than your normal instrumental group does across an entire album. Jacob And I are the post-rock band for the ADD inflicted. Shadout Mapes is ambient, jazzy post-math rock instrumental bliss! Yeah, I think that about sums it up.

(You can download Jacob And I’s debut EP, Shadout Mapes, here.)

Genre: Instrumental/Rock

RIYL: Algernon Cadwallader, Pele, Street Smart Cyclist

Label: Self-Released

Twelve

JacobandiJacobAndITwelve.mp3

www.myspace.com/jacobandi

25.04.2007

Algernon Cadwallader: Demo

posted by Will

in Best New Music, Music Reviews

It is quite a feat that I get two amazing demos in the span of a few weeks time. But, that is exactly what has happened with Street Smart Cyclist and Algernon Cadwallader. What’s even more amazing is the bands’ sounds have an awful lot in common as well. But, where Street Smart Cyclist sit on the more punk rock side of the fence, Algernon Cadwallader occupy the more emo confines. The odd-named band plays incredibly memorable and intricate emo. It is certainly in the vein of bands like American Football, Cap n’ Jazz and Braid. The nasally vocals and screams that burst up from under the band’s creative accompanyment touch on the unbridled passion of Tim Kinsella (Cap n’ Jazz, Joan Of Arc, Make Believe) in his early years. These four songs speak quite simply to the raw talent of the band. This is a style that has certainly been done many times over. Yet, Algernon Cadwallader sound incredibly refreshing and unique at every twist and turn. Street Smart Cyclist and Algernon Cadwallader both echo genre greats and that simply can not be ingored nor argued. You get the undeniable sense that the bands are playing the music they love and admire simply for the sake of doing just that. These bands just make you feel like you are experiencing something real. And in the end, isn’t that what it is all supposed to be about?

Genre: Indie/Emo

RIYL: American Football, Cap n’ Jazz, Braid

Label: Self-Released

www.myspace.com/algernoncadwallader