Auto?Automatic?? - Live @ Crowbar 3/12/10

A time ago I posted Auto?Automatic?? and praised them as a good example of the math rock I enjoy. This remains the case, and to my surprise the band is appreciative of my passing out their album for the readers of this blog and sent me a live recording for everyone to listen to. Recorded at a bar in Tampa it is a remarkably clear set of excellent instrumental numbers. Now, I'm not a musician, but these guys sound like the really know what they're doing as they plow through these longish songs. I must say a big thank you to them for sharing it with me for I've been listening to it as I am stuck inside writing papers, and nothing because instrumental music for writing. So say thank you to Auto?Automatic?? and maybe go see them if they come by your town.

To be had here:
Auto?Automatic?? - Live @ Crowbar 3/12/10 [192 kbps]

Blessure Grave - Learn To Love The Rope (2009)

Blessure Grave are a guy-and-girl duo from San Diego who make some wonderfully haunting music. This was another favorite of 2009 for me. The male and female vocals work great together, the guitars are perfectly dissonant in parts and then quite melodic in others, check the almost synthesizer like guitar on "Stop Breathing". This EP also features a cover of "City Lights" by the experimental folk band The Shadow Ring. This is "goth" the way it should be. If you like your post-punk a little on the darker side, then this would be a fine addition to your collection. Incidentally, the label this record was released on (Captured Tracks) is a veritable gold mine of great music and is also worth a look.

Check it out:
Blessure Grave - Learn To Love The Rope (2009)

Maserati - Passages (2009)

Somehow I missed this right away, but I haven't been on top of a bunch of shit lately. Hoping to fix that up sooner or later. However, I did post two of this band' previous albums on the blog a few years back, but this is the newest. The music on this sounds like the same band as the last album for sure, but parts seem more electronically focused, of course the opening track is an exception to this. Second half of the album is a remixes which normally aren't my favorite but this time it might be otherwise as I really like Justin Van Der Volgen's remix of the fantastic track "Inventions" from the previous release. The other two remixes are pretty good as well, likely Maserati's style of music lends itself well to the art of remixing. However, hope you like it and sorry I can't seem to post shit that is cutting edge.

To be had here:
Maserati - Passages [192 VBR kbps]

P.S. - There is a anther new poster on the blog, my pal Sean. He's got some great taste in music and is far more in touch with many scenes than I could pretend to be. Additionally, the man is a musician himself, another thing I won't ever be able to claim. Hopefully you'll like what he throws up on here and if you do you should say so. Maybe he'll be nice enough to share some of his own stuff at some point for I can attest that it is pretty awesome.

Mayyors - Deads (2009)

This is my first post here so I guess I'll start out with one of my favorite records of the past year. Mayyors hail from Sacramento, California and besides this four song EP, have a couple of equally excellent seven inches as well. Their music is brutal, fast, noisy, and will make you feel as if the speakers you are listening to them on are about to blow out any minute regardless of whether it is in your car, on a stereo, or on a laptop. That being said, the car is the best place to crank this. Makes driving through rush hour traffic a bit more fun to say the least. One of my favorite aspects of this band besides the production, is the wild use of effects on the guitar. I've obsessively watched every live video I could find of them to see if I could figure out what sort of pedals their guitarist is using to no avail. Gotta love the cover art too, 'cause it's just mud. I guess the band personally smeared every copy with mud so each one is uniquely filthy. Recommended if you like it loud, angry, and unrelenting.

Check it out:
Mayyors - Deads (2009)

Hafdis Huld - Synchronised Swimmers (2010)

Switching gears, this is a totally different sort of album than the last posts. As her name suggests, she is Icelandic and belongs to the strong indie pop scene that has blown up there. For sometime I couldn't place what the appeal was of this sort of thing, but I have recently thought that perhaps it is that Icelandic pop is the closest thing to the 60s French pop I love so much that is being produced today. Of course, this music is much more a product of musicianship on the part of singer/songwriters like Hafdis Huld than the many French chanteuses who often were relying on Serge Gainsbourg or whomever to write songs. A good comparison for what Ms. Huld's music is like would be Hello Saferide. This album is exceedingly pleasant and damnably cheerful. This contrasts with the first thing I though about when seeing the name Hafdis, as I knew the name from an Icelandic short story that is rather tragic. If you like other Icelandic or Scandinavian pop like Benni Hemm Hemm and Seabear, you'll be fond of this.

To be had here:
Hafdis Huld - Synchronised Swimmers [192 kbps]

The Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded (2008)

I know these aren't cutting edge new releases I've got up here, but that isn't what I wanted to heard in my recuperation. The Dirtbombs were a staple of my youth, something I enjoyed before the White Stripes really blew the fuck up and made Detroit seem like the certain of the musical world for about 25 minutes. Mick Collins, as mentioned in the previous post, is a veteran of the Detroit scene. A pivotal player since his involvement in The Gories back in the 80s, he has still been making music in several outfits and the Dirtbombs are merely his most famous. This is the latest, albeit not brand new, release they've done and is some excellent rock and roll for sure. Mr. Collins prefers that his music be called simply rock and roll, as he recalls a different meaning of garage rock, but to the layman this can certainly be understood as garage. Lastly, the album art on this is reminds me of sitting in the public library and sifting through hundreds of CDs and always able to tell what was garage immediately by albums art of this kind.

To be had here:
The Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded [192 VBR kbps]

The Hunches - Exit Dreams (2009)

I have been lax in posting for twofold reasons, midterms and illness. Not that you much care, you just want the free music to begin flowing from this spout again. This album is something I downloaded and skipped for some time as I was waiting for my tastes to cycle back to garage rock before having a listen. As that time as come, thanks to listening to an interview of Mick Collins (of Gories/Dirtbombs fame). A label-mate of Collins, The Hunches have been making albums for most of this last decade and as is usual for In The Red Records it is garage rock/punk music. The reason I liked this album enough to share it is because of the way it seems to blend disparate influences on the style so well. They certainly are garage punk in the sense of Oblivians and New Bomb Turks, but they also incorporate noise to a degree that they remind me Le Shok and Ex Models at other moments. Of particular interest is the song "Carnival Debris" where a channeling of Lou Reed can be easily observed. Enjoyable if you're a fan of any other garage rock or even if you tend to like noise rock. Hopefully I'll get several more albums of different genres up in short order too.

To be had here:
The Hunches - Exit Dreams [192 VBR kbps]

RxRy - RxRy (2010)

Hey guys. I really apologize for the lull in posting. This past week has been among the busiest of my life with midterm projects for school, playing shows and getting a vicious stomach flu that decimated whatever energy I had left after all these activities. So for now I leave you with an album I've had on heavy rotation that's been helping me to relax and feel better; an electronic / ambient album by a mysterious solo musician who calls himself RxRy (pronounced rexray). Think Four Tet + Selected Ambient Works by Aphex Twin. A full list of his influences can be found on his MySpace page. Highly recommended.

DOWNLOAD: RxRy - RxRy

Ty Segall - Lemons (2009)

I said I'd share this once I got an adequate bit rate. That was done quickly and then I got behind in everything. So I am gonna keep this really brief for all I can think of is Israeli archaeology in politics and how beer might have provoke the domestication of cereals. Did I ever tell you that I have archaeology and that I wish I was studying anthropology in the UK or continental Europe where it isn't the same discipline? Anyway, fuck anything to do with digging and when enraged a good place to go is music. Ty Segall has become a staple in my rotation of albums, but I must say this album is considerably more restrained in some parts that the self-titled album I earlier shared. This is not to say it isn't as good though.

To be had here:
Ty Segall - Lemons [192 kbps]

Entrance

Forgive the lack of posts. I think I am saying that more often than not, but posting while in school is sort of a fever pitch followed by silence. At least this is very much the case for me, as I find it hard to listen to new music while in the midst of writing papers, which is all I've been doing as of late. However, I have been listening to something familiar just to block out distractions. Entrance is one of the few musicians I liked enough that in my high school years I actually asked for the CDs after failing to find them online (times where different then and I was far less savvy). Those two releases are still my among my favorites, Honey Moan EP and Wandering Stranger. Entrance is basically Guy Blakeslee and those albums are largely covers or reinterpretations, whatever you'd like to call them, of blues songs. This is why I find them the prefect writing music as it is familiar yet fresh. The newer Prayer of Death departs from this departs from this formula to a degree but it still rather good. I expect this should not be a completely new artist to many, but like I said tow the line and I'll spout off some good new shit out soon. Also, I know he's got a band these days with an album out but I haven't listened to it yet, but I plan to.

To be had here:




The Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm (2002) [192 kbps]









Honey Moan EP (2003) [160 bkps]











Wandering Stranger (2004) [160 kbps]









Prayer of Death (2006) [192 VBR kbps]