THE PINE
JUNE 7TH
BAKERSFIELD
MUNOZ GYM
REUNION SHOW!
April 27th, 2012Bear McGruff – Demo Tape
April 21st, 2012this is another band with Ethan. geez. he’s in half the bands on this blog now. anyway, this is some truly righteous emo (or ethancore, as it now known). it’s kind of a more screamo version of the previous post on this blog. I’m not going to pretend that this, or 99% of other emo, in any way redefines music as we know it. it doesn’t bloody need to though. it just needs honesty, passion and sincerity. Bear McGruff has that. and a bad name to top it off. check it out.
The Whoopass Girls – All for Nothing
April 19th, 2012this is essentially a few rejected songs by The Whoopass Girls. they were supposed to go on an album, but they didn’t. this isn’t an album. or something. I don’t quite follow it myself. in any event this sounds a bit like I Hate Myself mixed with Snowing. some screaming, some singing, some feedback, some thrashing. it’s just really good. the first four songs are fantastic. for those of you who know their previous release, this one has a re-recording of “Scout’s Honor” that’s at least as good as the original – maybe even better. if you don’t know their previous release, what have you been doing with your life? go download it. it’s available on the bandcamp linked. get this and get that. get it.
Pretty The Quick Black Eyes – Pretty The Quick Black Eyes
April 2nd, 2012one of my absolute favourite bands of all times are called Mineral. they were known for their brooding song structures, crying guitars and off-key vocals. that per se doesn’t sound very original nor special – and in many ways Mineral were neither. but nonetheless, they created some truly spectacular moments with their songs. to this day, I can put on *any* Mineral song, and it’s like musical magic to me. they were four boys. neither of which were probably overwhelmingly talented or lucky. but together, they created something incredible. they created Mineral. though primarily inspired by bands such as Catherine Wheel, Sugar and The Smashing Pumpkins, the end result sounded just as much as being inspired by Moss Icon, Indian Summer and Christie Front Drive. they ended up being immensely influential post-breakup, and post-breakup is where Pretty The Quick Black Eyes come into the picture. there are a slew of post-Mineral bands, all of which amazing, that I won’t go into here. here I’ll talk about just one of them – Pretty The Quick Black Eyes with Scott McGarver from Mineral on vocals and guitars. Scott is easily the centre of attention, with wailing guitars and introspective vocals, but that’s not to say that the rest of the band is left completely in the shadow. the tone-setting keyboards, momentous drums and melodic bass all contribute to create a very unique sound, perhaps best described as The Cure’s Disintegration meets Mineral’s EndSerenading. but having it described, however skilfully, isn’t anywhere near experiencing it for yourself. you need to experience Pretty The Quick Black Eyes, who by the way unfortunately only put out this EP. imagine seeing them with The Gloria Record in 2002. wow. anyway, as I was saying, GET THIS.
Henry Bemis is a Superhero – Henry Bemis is a Superhero
March 31st, 2012these write-ups to the Henry Bemis is a Superhero albums are just redundant. you all know what you are in for. this is his last album thus far. let’s hope for more, because his is also his best album.
Henry Bemis is a Superhero – Going for the Gold
March 29th, 2012I found a little spare time. I should probably spend it on something else than this, but that’s punk needs updates. people are even nagging me! thanks guys. it means a lot. anyway here’s more Henry Bemis is a Superhero. I still realise that this is old, but he’s still a superhero. well… actually he really isn’t. he’s still a boy with girl problems. I guess it’s pathetic, but we’re all pathetic sometimes, and we all like the fact that we’re not alone in that. so listening to a boy and a guitar that just sings his heart out is very refreshing.
Everyone Asked About You – Let’s Be Enemies
February 18th, 2012OK, so I’m supposed to be posting more HBiaS right now… but this is BREAKING NEWS, and I’m sure Ethan won’t mind. for those of you who don’t know Everyone Asked About You, they were a freaking fantastic emo band from Arkansas. they put out a split with another quintessential emo band called The Shyness Clinic, and two 7″s of their own. they also wrote an LP that never released. well, now it’s on-line., and there’s *no* excuse to not get it. this is emo history.
Henry Bemis is a Superhero – The Tori Tape
February 16th, 2012more of the same, really. just more songs in the exact same style. you either like it or you don’t. it’s tragic and it’s captivating. this has less screaming than the previous posts. but it’s not really screamo anyway and screamo is a joke genre anyway. this music is not a joke though. but Ethan is a joker. all the sad boys are jokers. it hides their insecurities.
Henry Bemis is a Superhero – I Am White Noise
February 9th, 2012this is pretty old by now, but I’m pretty old and slow. some of you might remember that I posted Henry Bemis is a Superhero a long time ago. go download those albums if you haven’t already. HBiaS is Ethan, who’s also a bunch of other people. he’s a cool kid. this is some sort of country with some acoustic screamo. I know, I know… just listen already. it’s honest and simple. as the title gives away, this sounds a bit like Daniel Johnston; which is OK if you like Daniel Johnston and not OK if you dislike Daniel Johnston. I like Daniel Johnston, and I like HBiaS.
Like Spinning – EP
January 31st, 2012it’s been well over half a year since Kari sent me Like Spinning’s lovely EP. but as you all know, I’ve been busy. really busy. but better late than never. here is Like Spinning’s EP. and it’s mellow and warm and cosy and melancholic and dark and a lot of things actually. where a lot of cuddly rock gets one dimensional, this EP is refreshingly deep. it sinks further and further in, under your skin, and raises it. Like Spinning make intelligent and heartfelt music.