Saturday, May 31, 2014

Songs by Piglet

Songs | Piglet
1. Moon Bounce
2. Bicycle Tour America
3. Mad Science
4. Elephant Stomp
5. Tsi Tsi Ki
6. Solo Electric

Instrumental math rock/twinkle chicago band Piglet show off a very well recorded live 6 song release in Songs. This is a really really really good release and I don't really know how to stress that. I'm a fan of instrumental music, but some people may not be into it at all. But Piglet  is that tr0 twinkle/math rock shit so you need to listen to it because it'll make you feel a lot of different feelings. 


(this isn't really a review more along the lines of a hey go listen to piglet. Sorry i've had reviewer's block lately)

MISSOURI ACOUSTIC ACTS BEAU DIAMOND AND D.C.F.U. ANNOUNCE TOUR

Beau Diamond and Death Cab For Ukulele announce tour
June 23rd - Kansas City @ Art Closet Studios
June 24th -Des Moines @ Witmer Park
June 26th- Springfield @ Nathan P. Murphy's
June 27th - Witchita @ The Donut Whole

Missouri acoustic acts Beau Diamond and Death Cab For Ukulele are heading out on the road for their second tour this summer, and one of the stops is going to be in good ole' Springfield Missouri. Actually my own band, Kaptain Krunch Cidz is going to play the springfield date so that'll be awesome. I met these two when Beau came and played at the OBEC a while ago, and I really digged his acoustic folk jams. He's coming out with a new release soon and I put on an interview with Joshua Milligan, (Death Cab For Ukelele), owner of Waybridge Records, to which both artists are signed. 
Here comes my super professional interview that I did:

This is your second tour? what do you have to offer differently from your first?
Beau has a new album coming up, and I've also been planning my ep (possibly) and a lot of new Waybridge releases

Are you going to be selling other releases from waybridge on the tour?
Yeah dude for sure. Going to just try and spread the Waybridge name / see kick ass people we miss that are in Springfield. (Also we got kick ass stickers)

What stop are you most excited for?
We are definitely pumped about our Springfield date. We have a lot of solid locals on that bill. Kaptain Krunch Cidz was a fun as hell band I did a review for and Charlie was life changing good. But all the dates are going to be rad as hell. The Des Moines show we have Lesbian Poetry playing with us, who is a stud. Along with seeing a shit ton of new land

Is Death Cab Going as just you or are you bringing Kaitlin Rose Evans with you?
Unfortunately it will only be me for right now, and I'll be doing shorter sets still. Kaitlin is the true beauty and talent of DCFU, so hopefully I'll be able to steal her away for our July tour in Illinois.

Oh and Beau is bringing along part of Space Wolf Infinity, CJ Wagner who is an insane percussionist, and just an all around great person. We're really excited to spend five days altogether because he's been working his tail off in the studio and at a new side job he got to help support him/ the band. 
We're really excited for the dynamics a three piece drumset adds as opposed to just beau on the guitar. They actually have a new project called The Collective Dream Band, which once they get a bassist will sound really awesome
Who would win in a fight between you and Beau?
I've got squirrel-like instincts, but Beau has an obscene amount of finger strength. Any other opponent I would demolish, but I'll give it to beau, he'd win

Final Question: If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be?
I would just want anything that could help change the music industry That's what Waybridge is about honestly.  Like every release I've ever done, I'm a lucky enough guy to get to say "this person is a FRIEND of mine. Not just another product" most of these labels now are like a McDonalds worker with just a "hey, it's just another order up" kind of mentality. I want every release to be a great tune from a great dude (or dudette) that brings something new or cool.  So I guess, wealth? Is that a superpower? Hahah

Well I mean that's batman's superpower, but hey, that's an awesome response. Can't wait to play with you guys again, and to just see you two, You're both great guys!

Burn Down Your Neighborhood by Alpha New Release


Cool band that I and another writer on here are in, we have our release out. We've been told we sound thousandfold better live, so I'd take these demo recordings with a grain of salt, but they are good to base what we sound like off of.
Check em out
HERE


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

enJoyd by enJoyed

enJoyed|enJoyed
1. Sunrise on io
2. a ghost in a carcass
3. at peace with war
4. loss and why I belong here
5. as small as the universe is large
6. at war with peace
7. the thoughts of the evolved are conditional
8. Persistent bodies
9. the entheogenic element
10. the cheylabinsk meteor
11. (drifting, forever)
12. just outside the limitless expanse
13. the birth of the universe. 
14. faint whispers of another dimension
15. makers of the planetary evolution


New 417 band (ayy that's where I live), enJoyed is an experimental rock noise band, the kind that you get put in a trance listening to. First off, this is a lo-fi release. I'm thinking Shane (Vocals/guitar) recorded it with his phone. But even so, you can still dig what's going on here. Pretty sure enJoyed is a two piece, which I love, and I feel that they pull it off really well. Vocals are minimalistic, and when they do come in, they're just screeches and yelling in the background. Very lo-fi, very cool. Pretty much this entire release is noise, I don't know how else to put it. It's really ambient, the kind of stuff you put on and just listen to and take a nap and have a weird dream. I'm a big fan of this type of music, but i feel like if you don't enjoy experimental music, you probably won't love it. Cool thing about enJoyed, they seem to have no idea what they are doing at some points, but then they come together and it all sounds awesome. If you can get through the lo-fi, check it out.

favorite track: as small as the universe is large (cool vox)

Bandcamp

Lucy by On The Waterfront

Lucy|On The Waterfront
1. Too Many Cookies
2. Polar Bear Tears
Hey d00ds r u ready 2 get down to some easycore music? Yeah I bet. Easycore confuses me, it's got the upbeat-happiness of pop punk but then the anger of hardcore-esq breakdowns. I wouldn't even call them hardcore breakdowns to be honest. How many hardcore band's do you see go half time while the drummer rides a china at quarter notes? Not many, trust me. Anyway, On The Waterfront is an easycore band, along the lines of For the Win, and this two song demo release helps show off what they can do. I would have enjoyed it a little bit if the singer wasn't so obviously autotuned. Production is really good, and everything's got a niceish feel for easycore I guess, but then on the second song, during this slow part, the vocals are just so obviously autotuned. If it turns out they aren't autotuned then I deeply apologize but i mean come on no one sings like that. Of the two songs, the one that's slightly enjoyable is "Too Many Cookies". Anyway, if you're a fan of easycore, (which I'm not), I feel like you would probably enjoy this release. I'm not so clouded by my not love of the genre that I can't see that this is a decent release. Check it out. 

better track of the two: Too Many Cookies.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Light & Sound|||American Merlin

American Merlin| Light&Sound

trackz:
Let The Wind Blow
Don't Forget To Be Patient
Black Sand
Magic (Science)
Aye
You Had It All Planned Out
Light
The Volume and Tone On That One Tom is Driving Me Crazy
Sound
This Does Not Exist
Light (flood-d remix)

Light & Sound is American Merlin's new release (Waybridge Records). I didn't listen to the other one Adrian reviewed (2303 is what I think it's called) but listening to this gives off that hypnotic vibe as the repetitive electronic beats and lazy vocal melodies. This album doesn't ever climax, but it's cool because it's just chill and sounds like something I'd listen to in my car on a rainy summer morning as I fantasize about drowning my car in the river. 

That being said, Let The Wind Blow has this almost modern-tribal vibe to that beat, it's pretty sweet and I thought I'd say something about it. I like the contrast of styles in each song but how it maintains the same vibes throughout. Like Don't Forget To Be Patient is a nice piano ballad and Black Sand switches to this nice ukulele (I think) tune that reminds me of sitting on a beach in the winter while the snow falls. Magic(Science) comes around with a Postal Service-vibe and I dig it. Aye is a little weird because it just goes into this 8-bit/hiphop groove and it kind of takes away from the total experience. I liked the concept behind "The Volume And Tone Of That One Tom Is Driving Me Crazy" and I also relate to the title because I have one tom on my set that sounds like lasagna being thrown at a wall and I haven't got it replaced yet. All n all, this album is just kind of a relaxer, almost in the drug sense, but minus the drugs. 

Fav track: Black Sand or Let The Wind Blow



Friday, May 9, 2014

2303 by American Merlin

2303|American Merlin
1. The Introduction
2. Ajewstic
3. I can't Believe you actually died
4. The Woods
5. Night Light
6. Jazz Bears
7. Upstate
8. Read Eat Sleep
9. Thoth
10. My Throat Hurts
11. Holy Sung
12. The Exit
Newest release off of WayBridge Records, American Merlin is a far reaching lo-fi full length that is so full of genre's and different types of music it left me a little confused as to what was trying to be told by this album. The beginning track starts off with a great little piano instrumental song that sets the mood perfectly, creating some sick imagery. The first half of this release is really lo-fi and acoustic/alternative. Production gets gradually better as the songs progress, but seeing as how the last few songs are electronic ambient songs, they're going to be good production and stuff. Everything about this release is a gradual change into kind of like futuristic music, adding more and more electronic items and stuff, and as I listen to it more and more I realize just how good it all is. With a finishing touch to the release, "The Exit" tops everything off with a similar lo-fi piano outro to the beginning, helping solidify that this release is one that should definitely be checked out. 

favorite track: The Woods


Ps. Fuck, listen to this entire thing more than once, it gets better and better each time. 


Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Lavender Town by Free Throw

Lavender Town| Free Throw
1. Slam With The Best Or Jam Like The Rest
2. Now Kith
3. Lavender Town
4. Pennsylvania Dutch


What do you get if you combine Twinkle and Pop-y punk-y stuff? I dunno probably shit but in other news Lavender Town by Free Throw combines twinkle guitar with emo vocals and almost a pop punk catchiness to it. The four song release has audio clips thrown in between the songs, developing the story of what the band is trying to get along. I'm pretty sure these guys weren't trying to be too serious with the audio but they are still a little serious so i dunno. I thought it was cool. Anyway, between the pokemon reference in the name, and the super catchy songs and great production, I'd say this release is hella nice. FFO: Crying at night, being sad, post-breakup sadness, cute mainstream emo bands, twinkle guitar, really cool drums.
I don't rank things because I think that takes away from the review but since this review is one of the shittiest I've done, I'll rank this with a 13700 on a scale of 1-14501, with 1 being horrible, and 14501 being the equivalent of a 5 on a more reasonable scale.

Favorite Song: Lavender Town

Bandcamp

Demo 2013 by No Thanks

Demo 2013 | No Thanks


1. intro 
2. Here For the Show 
3. No Thanks 
4. Not Alone 
5. My Mistakes 
6. A New Chapter


"So I try to do the best I can
Every single day"

Really really really really really really really cool straight edge youth crew band from Oklahoma, No Thanks plays some super positive music. This six song demo says a lot in 8 minutes, and the energy lasts throughout. I will say something about youth crew bands. While these guys have a really cool message (at least to me), if you aren't into the youth crew scene, you might not be able to enjoy this. Good music still at least. Vocals are remenicint of a deeper Minor Threat, or on more local level, Free at Last. What I like about these kinds of bands most of all has got to be the fact that they seem to carry on the "True hardcore" aspect of the music. 80's and shit I don't know I'm only 17 I don't know what I'm talking about. Anyway the track that the band loan's it's name to is the longest, and that's cause it's got a long two-steppy part. Production for a demo is really good, and I'm feeling like this should have instead been called an EP but I mean yo. I first heard about these guys when their bassist, Hal Crossno sold me like six tapes from his label for five dollars. I hadn't heard about them and I didn't know he was their bassist, but I gave them a listen. I don't regret it. Check these posi bois out.

Favorite track for lyrics and stuff: My Mistakes

Favorite track overall because it's a good song: No Thanks


Monday, May 5, 2014

Under Darkness and Prayer by Vulgar Display

Under Darkness and Prayer  | Vulgar Display
1. Final Taste
2. No God Here
3. Voices Unknown
4. Architects of Corruption
5. Guilty Spared
6. One Eye Open

"Alright guys r u ready 2 2 step till u heart explodes?"

Vulgar Display, Dallas Texas Hardcore, is one of those hardcore bands everyone talked about but I never listened to, so I decided to check them out. I'll tell you what, these guys are a jam to listen to. They've got all the skanky palm muted parts you could ever want, and I bet the pits at these guys shows are crazy. 
Now in retrospect however, I've heard better hardcore bands that aren't as big. However, for how big these guys are, they've probably got something up their sleeve to deserve it. Probably a killer live performance. It's not like this isn't a good release, it's actually really really good. I'm probably just listening to too much music. 
Anyway, these guys take a metallic spin on what they do, which I always find cool (Think ALIENATE YOU) and such, but these guys are the most hardcore metallic hardcore band I've seen in a while. Vulgar Display is hard hitting and the kind of hardcore that is simple, mindless, but what you want to hear. 
Production on this release is really well done, and it's not that long. Although however relatively speaking, it's a pretty long hardcore release. 
I'll be putting these guys in my tr00 hxc playlist and I'll be waiting for more music. They're coming to the good ol' 417 soon so that'll be cool.
Check em' out if you haven't (You probably have)

favorite track: voices unknown

bandcamp

Temple blues by DOG BRAIN

Temple Blues| DOG BRAIN
1. Tonite
2. Sing a stupid Song
3. American Castle
4. Tinfoil Hat
5. King Cold
6. The Water Song

ROSES ARE RED 
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
DOG BRAIN IS DOG BRAIN 
AND DOG BRAIN LOVES YOU

Chicago Illinois band DOG BRAIN  is an experimental art rock-ish band that reminds me a lot of small time experimental band from Glasgow, Herbert Powell, but a little more well put together. The recordings are a little bit lo-fi and such, but it's good because it works. Behind the almost stupid songs and the giant covering of art rocky things, you've got some really catch stuff. A fellow band mate of mine recommended DOG(e) BRAIN after he got the CD from the guy that runs the record label these guys are signed to at a show we played at. One thing I appreciate is the guitar on these tracks, it's simple rock guitar, but it's done right. These guys do experimental music right. The tracks aren't too long, which is what many experimental bands always have trouble with, and these songs can get stuck in your head and you'll catch yourself humming the melody and such. 
So this is me selling this experimental band: "Hi I'm Adrian and I think you should listen to this band."
There ya go, get it.

favorite track: Tinfoil hat



Friday, May 2, 2014

IOWACORE COMPILATION VOLUME TRIPLE I

Iowacore Volume 3
91 tracks that I refuse to list



ARE YOU READY TO GET U MOSH(e) ON?
If you weren't before, after, and only after you listen to all five hours of breakdowns and other things that don't 100% match up, you'll want to hate mosh you're grandmother. I'm guessing these must all be bands from Iowa? If so, what the hell Iowa are you guys holding out on us bring some mosh over to Missouri. So me being not the BIGGEST fan of Metalcore, but still kinda able to get into it, kinda enjoyed this giant thingy. But then again I'm a little confused because not all of these bands are "core" bands. You'll find bands like Goods (emo/emo throwback) and then there is an acoustic song like four songs in. So this isn't all metalcore, but the first few million hours is. It's not bad though, all of these songs are really good, and there are quite a few gems in here.  All of these are good bands and it's cool to see a compilation of this size. Props to the Black Hand Promotions and the Iowacore guys and gals. It's cool because if you're like me you can't just sit and listen to this entire thing straight, I mean come on it's hella long. But you can always come back and just chose a part and go. You find so many different things that it's crazy cool. Pop Punk, Metalcore, Acoustic, Hardcore, Emo, Djent, everything. Iowa has a nice looking scene. Download this. It only takes a LONG time but it's worth it.

favorite track: f-dat I can't choose.

get it here 

(Shout out to Kegan of Corkscrew/goods for sending me this shit)
(all these bands may not be from iowa idk I'm stupid)

Closure-Single by Hometown Heroes

Closure|Hometown Heroes
Single

Hometown Heroes is a pop punk progressive band from Illinois. My band's have played with these guys the two times they've come through Springfield, and they are one of the best Poop Punk Band$ out thar. They just released this cool new single called "Closure." It sounds like they're taking a step away from the melodic pop punk coolio stuff that is seen in Stories and are going towards a more Fall Out Boy-esq kinda vibe, but from Infinity on High and stuff. Anyway, check them out, because they're like amazing and stuff. 

favorite track on this release: Closure