Posts Tagged ‘Suburban Home’


11.03.2010

Musings: Ninja Gun

posted by Will

in Music Musings

I had the pleasure of seeing Valdosta, GA’s Ninja Gun last week when they opened up for Tim Barry. I was already a huge fan of the band’s Restless Rubes (Suburban Home) album and the live show did nothing to deter me. The band that I’m constantly reminded of when listening to Ninja Gun are Old 97’s. Both bands have a way of melding alt-country/power pop to perfection. On Restless Rubes you can hear The Shins, Drive-By Truckers and just about everything in between. Ninja Gun’s live performance was surprisingly tight and the band definitely has a certain southern charm to say the least. I can’t help but humorously wonder how the band is perceived outside the south though. Regardless, more people should be listening to Ninji Gun as I like to call them! The band has a new EP coming out on Sabot this Summer.

Ninja Gun “Red State Blues”

Ninga Gun “Eight Miles Out”

08.03.2010

Review: Yesterday’s Ring/The Takers

posted by Will

in Music Reviews

Dear Suburban Home,

I’m writing to you today to ask you a favor. Will you please stop putting out these folk/country/Americana albums!? I mean, Yesterday’s Ring aren’t that bad but The Takers, well, I just don’t know. This stuff is getting kind of redundant. Maybe you can go back to putting out pop/punk again? At least for a little while perhaps? That would be killer! Or at least more bands like Look Mexico might do the trick. Thanks!

Still your friend,

Will.

P.S. Tim Barry is acceptable.

Yesterday’s Ring “Moving Out (To Florida)”

The Takers “Taker Easy”

16.02.2010

Cory Branan & Jon Snodgrass: Split

posted by Ian

in Music Reviews

First off, ridiculous cover. I wish more people had a sense of humor. These guys obviously do. For this split, Jon Snodgrass and Cory Branan split tunes with Jon getting one extra track but it’s a brief one. There is really only one drawback here and that’s the first tune. “Exciteable” is just pedestrian and does nothing to show off Snodgrass’s excellent arranging skills. After this awkward first step, though, it’s all uphill.

Branan’s lead contribution, “Corner,” walks a delicate line between Tom Waits’ balladry and Conor Oberst’s emotional warble, making for a beautiful song. Snodgrass follows with “Solo in Soho” bleeding right into “Wild One”, the soft, moody atmosphere of the first playing directly against the anthemic catchiness of the latter. The highlight of the record arrives in “Walkaround,” a crazy, careening track that bounces along with no discernable time signature or even direction aside from Branan’s well-told story. The EP wraps up with “Born Apart” and “Yeah, So What,” both of which really serve to exemplify the different styles between these two great songwriters. The former shows off Snodgrass’s ability to layer instruments and atmosphere incredibly well while the latter features more of Branan messing with form and some of the stuffy singer-songwriter conventions. Seriously, this is great stuff aside from one song and well worth the price of admission.

Label: Suburban Home

12.02.2010

Look Mexico “You Stay. I Go. No Following.” Video

posted by Will

in Music Video

Look Mexico “You Stay. I Go. No Following.” from Look Mexico HD on Vimeo.

This song is from Look Mexico’s recent 7″ release as well as their upcoming Suburban Home album, To Bed To Battle, which is set for a March release. I will be very interested to see what people have to say about this record as the band is definitely moving in a different direction.

09.02.2010

Stereotyperider: Songs In The Key Of F And U

posted by Will

in Music Reviews

It’s hard to believe Stereotyperider have been around for ten+ years now. The band is made up of ex-members of Man Dingo, a band I really loved back in the day. Man Dingo were a great mathy pop/punk band that could run circles around your typical three chord pop/punk band. Outside of the vocal similarities Stereotyperider don’t really have much in common with Man Dingo though. This band is much meatier and more in line with post-hardcore acts like Small Brown Bike perhaps. I remember not ever being able to get into Stereotyperider’s earlier albums but Songs In The Key Of F And U is much better than I was expecting. The album is fairly impressive even if it does run a bit long. But if you’re looking for a post-hardcore fix you could do a lot worse than Stereotyperider. It looks as though the band has called it a day after this release but they have definitely gone out on a high note. How about a Man Dingo reunion now? What, too soon?

Label:  Suburban Home

Stereotyperider “Twon Song”

08.02.2010

Band You Should Have Known: Rhythm Collision

posted by Will

in BYSHK

When I was going through the web pages of Suburban Home’s recent vinyl clearance sale I saw Rhythm Collision’s classic (at least to me) album Clobberer! on sale for $1.49. I’ve got most of my Dr. Strange pop/punk records on vinyl but for whatever reason that was one I was missing so I jumped on it. What a great record this is! The band released a bunch of stuff but 1995’s Clobberer! was the record that defined Rhythm Collision…it was the band at their ultimate best. For fans of snotty pop-PUNK this is a lost gem. I remember driving to Augusta, GA to see this band with (and I think I am remembering this correctly) Horace Pinker, MU 330 and Agent Orange. And I can remember writing to the band and getting an awesome full page letter back from the lead singer, Harlan Margolis…man, those were the days. Good times, good memories and a great band!

Of note should be the fact that when skimming Dr. Strange’s site recently they have the Clobberer! LP on sale for $1.00!

Rhythm Collision “Bombs For You”

Rhythm Collision “Freak”

23.12.2009

Look Mexico’s Best of 2009

posted by Will

in Year End Lists

Look for Look Mexico’s new album, To Bed To Battle, early next year on Suburban Home. It’s already on my Best of 2010 list.

Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Dave Bazan – Curse Your Branches
mewithoutYou – It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright!
Various Artists – Dark Was the Night
Fake Problems – It’s Great to be Alive
Michael Jackson – This Is It
Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing
Built to Spill – There is No Enemy
Frank Turner – Poetry of the Deed
Wilco – S/T

14.09.2009

Useless ID: The Lost Broken Bones

posted by Will

in Music Reviews

uselessidThe fact that Israeli band Useless ID is still kicking it around in 2009 brings a smile to my face but also makes me feel a bit old. I can remember when the band was putting out albums on Kung Fu Records WAY back in the day. Kudos to Suburban Home for stepping up and putting this out in the US cause I can’t imagine these guys are selling a ton of records. Useless ID are certainly not doing anything new by any means but what they do (melodic poppy hardcore), they do really well. Perhaps a bit too polished for some (including myself), The Lost Broken Bones goes by in a dizzy haze that recalls Fat Wreck bands like No Use For A Name. Although album closer “One Way Down” recalls Alkaline Trio and perhaps signals a shift in the band’s future trajectory. Overall, The Lost Broken Bones is a nostalgic listen to a style that I grew up on. Unlike many, I can still appreciate this stuff and quite frankly, Useless ID play it rather flawlessly!

Label: Suburban Home

Blood Pressure
05%20Blood%20Pressure.mp3

www.myspace.com/uselessid

22.06.2009

Jon Snodgrass: Visitor’s Band

posted by Ian

in Music Reviews

You are gonna know right away if you like this. Fan of the Drive-By Truckers? How about the more country twinged Replacements stuff? Dig scruffy-voiced dudes singing about the day-in, day-out trials of love? Yeah, me too. Will asks us to suggest a track, so I’m going to recommend a shit-kicker (there are two types of songs on this album, “shit-kickers” and “slow-talkers”): “Fast in Last”. This will give you a good idea of what you’re in for with Jon Snodgrass’ first solo effort; a perfectly paced slab of punk infused Americana.

One of the great things about Visitor’s Band is how versatile Jon’s voice sounds, which is funny, because his inflection really doesn’t change all that much; whether he’s beltin’ out a chorus, or whispering a revelation, the graveled delivery really just changes volume, not intensity. Now, I also like Drag the River, Jon’s other project, but Visitor’s Band lets him focus on himself while also gathering a bunch of great musicians to help back him up, from Two Cow Garage to Chad Rex, who played in Armchair Martian.

One more thing to note – and maybe this is the reason why I’m liking Visitor’s Band so much – is that this is another release that reminds me of my grandfather; he loved Johnny Cash and a lot of older, traditional country, so it makes sense. It seems that recently, there have been a ton of folk and country efforts from the punk community that the two of us would have been able to enjoy together, which makes all of this great output from the likes of Suburban Home and No Idea a bit bittersweet for me; I’ll always wish I had the opportunity to take Gramp to one of “my” shows. It would have finally made sense to him because good music makes sense. Whether it’s with car windows rolled down or whiskey in your glass, a release like this just sounds timeless, which is a beautiful thing.

Label: Suburban Home

Fast In Last

06%20Fast%20In%20Last.mp3

Song For Jake Nichols To Sing

04%20Song%20For%20Jake%20Nichols%20To%20Sing.mp3

www.myspace.com/jonsnodgrass

16.06.2009

Mike Hale: Lives Like Mine

posted by Ian

in Music Reviews

Yawn. God, I really wanted to like this record. And I thought I did at first! But, no. While Lives Like Mine is a beautifully recorded album, it suffers from being monotonous and ultimately boring. I hate criticizing independent rock royalty and Mike Hale certainly falls into that category. He’s been an integral part of the Gainesville scene for a long time and has worked and rubbed elbows with some of the best “punk” acts of the last ten years. But when it comes to creating music, Hale is just mediocre.

With mostly acoustic music, it always comes down to the voice and the lyrics. Hale could have the voice if he pushed a bit, but the lyrics are just so…dull. I mean, when he sings “I won’t be fine, honestly. You can tell. I’ve longed so endlessly; hope is my cell,” I simply don’t believe it. Now, when Chuck Ragan sings keeping his eyes closed and ears open for the boat, nothing in me doubts the man. And this is where great acoustic-punk is separated into the cherished releases worthy of repeated listens and those better suited for maybe passing off to a friend.

When I hear this album now, all I can think of is Elvis Costello’s North. A mostly piano driven release, I was stoked to see what the indie stalwart could do when stripped of his comfort zone…turned out it wasn’t much. The music was incredibly slow and lacked the type of confidence that showed through on most of his other records. The lyrics were also devoid of his wit and sense of wordplay. Hale has suffered the same fate with Lives Like Mine. I appreciate the man and the beauty of the music, and maybe it’s meant for people without the type of expectations I have, but I just can’t shake myself of the notion that this just isn’t that good, regardless of the name on the cover.

Label: Suburban Home

Lives Like Mine

01%20Lives%20Like%20Mine.mp3

www.myspace.com/mikehalemusic

27.05.2009

In The Red: Volume 2

posted by Will

in Music Reviews

RIYL: Hot Water Music (duh), Nirvana (interesting), Leatherface (obviously), Stone Temple Pilots (uh-oh). Yup that was the reaction upon my first glance at the press sheet. Unfortunately listening to In The Red’s Volume 2 did nothing to quell my hesitance. First, let me say that I have loved everything Mike Hale has done. Gunmoll, Volume 1 by In The Red and his solo work are all top notch in my estimation. And don’t get me wrong, I can dig on some STP however that is not really what I’m looking for when I pop in a Mike Hale affiliated record. But Volume 2, aside from the amazing artwork just lacks that intangible quality that Hale is known for. The is bland radio (grunge) rock about as safe as your local Nickelback cover band. Ok, so maybe that is a bit harsh but this is more than just a puzzling turn from a band who released such an amazing record last year. I can certainly appreciate a change in direction for a band even if I I might not agree with the direction they choose. But Volume 2 lacks any aggression, passion or emotion which just about lines it up with anything you might hear on the radio. Just like your typical modern rock record, Volume 2 feels contrived from the very beginning. In setting out to make a “rock” record, In The Red lost what made the band so special in the first place. Here is hoping they can find it again on Volume 3 no matter what musical direction they choose to take. Oh, and “Green Eyes” sounds like a Christian Rock song…yup, maybe this album is THAT bad.

Label: Suburban Home

Unlaced

01%20Unlaced.mp3

www.myspace.com/intheredrock

22.04.2009

Joey Cape: Bridge

posted by Will

in Music Reviews

The hardest thing about listening to Bridge, Joey Cape’s first full-length solo album, is trying to check my preconceived notions at the door. I have been listening to Joey Cape sing for 15 years now. I believe Lagwagon’s 1994 album, Trashed, was my first experience with Mr. Cape and I’ve followed along closely ever since. Through some amazing moments in Bad Astronaut and the awesome Playing Favorites record that came out recently, Cape has been a beacon of quality for such a varied songwriter.

Bridge is so much different than anything we have ever received from Joey Cape so it is difficult to quantify the album. Much of the album remains uniform in its quiet and reserved approach. In fact the instruments don’t really plug in til the final minute of “Home”, the album’s last song. There are a few other noticeable songs that stand out on Bridge. The playful innocence of “Canoe” is simple and touching. “Who We’ve Become” sounds like the best love song Neil Diamond never wrote. One can only hope Cape takes “The Ramones Are Dead” to one of his bands and lets the rock fly. Overall, Bridge is heartfelt and sincere and provides a portrait into the world of a wonderful and adventurous songwriter being stripped down outside of his real element. Cape has already proven his worth many times over and Bridge is yet one more small feather in his cap.

Label: Suburban Home

Canoe

03%20Canoe.mp3

The Ramones Are Dead

07%20The%20Ramones%20Are%20Dead.mp3

www.myspace.com/joeycape

19.12.2008

Andy’s Top Ten

posted by Will

in Year End Lists

Andy Thomas – Only Thunder / Label Manager for Suburban Home Records/Vinyl Collective – Denver, CO

* Ten Bad Ass Albums of ‘08 in no particular order

Torche – Meanderthal
Russian Circles – Station
Tim Barry – Manchester
The Gaslight Anthem – ‘59 Sound
Bridge and Tunnel  – East/West
Jessica Lea Mayfield – With Blasphemy So Heartfelt
Dillinger Four – CIVIL WAR
Cheap Girls – Find Me a Drink Home
Man Man – Rabbit Habits
Olehole – Holemole

07.11.2008

Look Mexico – Pre-order New 7-inch

posted by Will

in Music News

Hey everybody, Tiny Engines is finally born! The record label that I have started with some friends (Chuck Daley from Beartrap PR and Jeff Meyer from Jena Berlin) is finally upon us. Check out the press release below and definitely check out the music. I think this is Look Mexico’s best stuff yet. And buy a 7″ so I can at least break even cause I am broke! Thanks!

——————————————————-
LOOK MEXICOGASP ASP vinyl now available for pre-order!
——————————————————-

* Pre-order 7-inch now from new label Tiny Engines (cause we’ll be out of business in six months)
* Vinyl available in three colors – ships on November 25th
* Digital version from Lujo Records available now

——————————————————-

GASP ASP, the newest 7-inch from Tallahassee, Florida’s LOOK MEXICO, is available now for pre-order from fledgling, destined-to-fail label, Tiny Engines.

Go here to grab a copy of this tasty slab of plastic. Orders will ship on November 25th and will include an mp3 download code for the songs.

Undoubtedly Look Mexico’s best work to date, Gasp Asp builds on the foundation of their brief-but-impressive catalog – the dynamic instrumental interplay, undeniably catchy melodies and a knack for keeping things unpredictable. Still, these three tracks inject a welcomed sense of maturity and craftsmanship, and Look Mexico sound more assured of their songwriting abilities than ever before. The band has truly discovered its own unique voice in indie rock.

On the other hand, Tiny Engines hasn’t done a single noteworthy thing, save for this 7-inch…which isn’t even out yet. Having said that, we’re fairly confident that we put together a really sweet first release. There are 1000 copies of the vinyl being pressed in three colors: light blue (200), white (200) and green (600). We also printed jackets (art by the band’s Josh Mikel / layout by JLP) featuring matte-finish and two foil-stamping variations. Of course, it’s easy to put together an awesome package when you’re working around three amazing songs.

Listen to “You’re Not Afraid Of The Dark, Are You?” (mp3)

You%27re%20Not%20Afraid%20of%20the%20Dark%20Are%20You_.mp3

Speaking of mp3s, in September Lujo Records released a four-song digital EP version of Gasp Asp. If vinyl doesn’t get you all hot and bothered, the EP is available from iTunes now. And don’t forget to check out other Look Mexico albums from Lujo, including The Crucial Collection and their awesome debut full-length, This Is Animal Music

It’s also worthwhile to note that Suburban Home is taking pre-orders for a split 7-inch between Look Mexico and pals Fake Problems. The vinyl is the first volume in Suburban Home / Vinyl Collective’s Under The Influence Series.

- Gasp Asp makes an ambitious statement through an extended sonic palette.Delusions of Adequacy
- Gasp, Asp is both lyrically and sonically superior to any of the band’s past material.Captain Obvious
- Their musicianship is beyond reproach, and I swear they didn’t bribe me with pizza to say that.Buzzgrinder
- Armed with a new found bite, Gasp Asp is Look Mexico’s most cohesive release to date.Consequence of Sound
- Gasp Asp provides listeners with some quality content that points to Look Mexico’s continued evolution.Pastepunk.com
- The ambitious multi-instrumental sonics of Gasp Asp should leave former associations in the past where they belong.REAX

23.10.2008

Lagrecia: On Parallels

posted by Will

in Music Reviews

Lagrecia is the latest band from Jason Shevchuck of Kid Dynamite and None More Black fame. As long as you don’t compare this to the mastery of Kid Dynamite, the band’s debut, On Parallels, is an enjoyable romp. Lagrecia shares a lot of similarities with Shevchuck’s last band, None More Black. Both bands move towards more rock tendencies rather than Kid Dynamite’s hectic brand of pop tinged hardcore. The disappointment I had in None More Black still stings but perhaps that is why Lagrecia goes down a bit smoother. My expectations for On Parallels were very tempered.

Shevchuk is one of the scene’s great vocalists and he continues to shine here. His gravelly pipes are easily distinguishable and certainly all his own. Many of these songs showcase his vocals and lyrical vitriol quite nicely. LIke I said before, fans of None More Black’s more rock-oriented mid-tempo songs should find some enjoyable aspects to Lagrecia rollicking tunes. Overall though, Shevchuk’s vocals fail to carry a number of these songs to a truly memorable place. With time, the band might have put forth a tighter and more focused collection of songs but it seems as though Shevchuk can’t stay still long enough to do that. Lagrecia broke up earlier this year before the band’s debut was even released. It is a shame cause the talent was here for something much more than what On Parallels only half-heartedly delivers.

Genre: Punk/Rock

RIYL: None More Black, The Loved Ones, Kid Dynamite

Label: Suburban Home

In The Grass

06%20In%20the%20Grass.mp3

The Montage

11%20The%20Montage.mp3

www.myspace.com/lagreciamusic