while I could probably go on to write an entire essay about the story behind this one man band, I’ll just say that it’s another project by Ethan from The Sky Looks Pissed. these songs are sparse acoustic melodies. broken hearted love songs in the vein of S. this is almost like painful lo-fi acoustic emo. somewhere in between country, folk punk and emo. download it and give it a go. it’s simply outstanding music. emotionally challenging and incredibly fascinating. get it!
August 27th, 2009
125, Rue Montmartre- songs from Maggat Split
125, Rue Montmartre did a split with Maggat. the two songs in this post is the result. and if you like the other posts, you will like this. if you didn’t, you won’t. it’s more of the same “reserved yet intense” emo that kind of sounds like Mineral’s Rubber Legs, except from the vocals who share virtually no traits at all. 125RM’s vocalist is a woman for one, and she sings in German for two. she does not sing in a way anyway resembling Chris Simpson’s vocal style. she has her own style, that definitely fits this music though. so check this out, yo.
August 27th, 2009
125, Rue Montmartre- song from a compilation
this is a very nice song called 8x lied by 125, Rue Montmartre, that appeared on some compilation. it’s upbeat and dreamy sound with talked vocals is somewhere between earlier JimmyEatWorld and the calmer parts of newer Envy. some people say that this band makes German sound beautiful, and I can see what they’re getting at. the vocal style is very fitting. it further enhances the dreamy feel of the track. the song is like a constant build up. it gets better and better, more and more intense, all the time. so if you like twinkly and mellow emo you should definitely try this on for size.
August 27th, 2009
125, Rue Montmartre- 125, Rue Montmartre
German emo is pretty awesome. this is definitely evidence of that. sounding like they belong somewhere between the raw Republic of Freedom Fighters and the beautiful Mineral, 125RM are a fresh sounding emo band with female vocals, raw and twinkly guitars, upbeat and dreamy drumming and melodic and soft bass lines. easily compared to Cerulean/Pilots in Paris for their sensitivity combined with rawness style.
August 21st, 2009
Sun Zoo – can’t see the forest
Sun Zoo is rapping about people who can’t see the forest because of all the smoke, about getting doped on Playstation and Prozac. this record is comfortably resided on the border between pessimistic in the east and realistic in the west. this is contemporary and mature hip-hop. most of the time with cool beats and DJing with flare, but sometimes with just the piano, baring itself. but regardless of how the music presents itself, it shines of honesty as well as modesty, without being shy or anonymous. this is just a super hip-hop album. check it.
August 21st, 2009
Sun Zoo – Hope Flies
a deep bass, scratching, soul choirs and catchy synths. this is deep and at times philosophical hip-hop about life and the stuff that happens to you in life. ordinary things. the negative effect alcoholism and drug-addiction can have on you, poverty’s cage, hypocrisy… then on the other side how awesome music is and how cool it is to touch people via it, loving yourself. and no matter what subject the lyrics touches upon it does so with panache and style and dope rhymes. the music also follows the mood of the lyrics very elegantly, always reflecting the words, creating a superb atmosphere, consequently resulting in a very thorough sound. if you’re into any kind of hip-hop, you should basically get this because it is the epitome of good hip-hop.
August 21st, 2009
Munn Til Munn Metoden – Remix EP
two boys with their laptop making upbeat and catchy electronica. it feels like summer listening to this outstanding blip blop pop. you can’t not like music that’s this happy and simply full of positive energy. while all the songs apart from the intro and outro are remixes, don’t let that get in your way of downloading this. they definitely put their own Munn Til Munn Metoden stamp on it. and if you dig the tunes, you could always consider hitting up the bands they’ve remixed – that way you can potentially discover five awesome bands here, instead of “just” one! you cannot lose!
August 21st, 2009
xThrivex – xThrivex
xThrivex are a straight edge punk band. and like with vegan bands, I can’t promise to spread their ideology. but their music on the other hand – is something I am very into. heavy punk rock with clear hardcore and metalcore influences. most of the time it sounds like a slow motion Modern Life Is War. plenty of breakdowns. it’s pretty cool. the lyrics are mostly about taking a stand, breaking out of the chains of apathy. it’s all sung in a pretty standard hardcore shouting style, with the occasional group shouts. while it is a somewhat stereotypical hardcore band (what hardcore band isn’t though), it’s still a great listen, and very much worthy of a download if you’re into hardcore or just punk rock.
August 20th, 2009
Mihai Edrisch – Un jour sans lendemain
on their second effort, Mihai Edrisch comes across as more mature. the song writing is more structured. it sounds more disciplined. I’ll leave it up to you to find out whether that’s a good thing or not. what it ultimately results in is a more consistent album. everything belongs together. there’s an intro, an interlude and an outro in the same dreamy style. every song title is one word. the songs are more alike, thus perhaps fitting more appropriately together. on the other hand, the first one was more diverse. but still, both of the albums are great for different reasons. they are both awesome screamo albums with multiple highlights. all the songs have those European flying screamo guitars and complex rhythm section, with the French screamo vocal style. it’s simply awesome, so check it out. especially the end track (not the outro but the track before it). a brilliant track. probably this band’s finest.
August 20th, 2009
Mihai Edrisch – L’un sans l’autre
Mihai Edrisch are another French screamo band for you to download. they provide you with further evidence why France is one of the leading screamo countries in the 2000s. highly creative, technical and explosive screamo. the guitars interchange between twinkling beautifully and thrashing it completely. the vocals are compromised of passionate screams. the drums and bass glues everything together, whilst not being afraid of shining through at times; stealing the focus. all in all Mihai Edrisch are the kind of band that people who use terms such as “post rock” will love. they have nice build ups and several climaxes. European screamo the way it should be.
August 20th, 2009
Celeste – Pessimiste(s)
if you like the crusty tech bands on this blog, like Manhattan Skyline, you’ll definitely want to download Celeste (which consists of ex-Mihai Edrisch members, among others). this is the kind of band that you imagine yourself in complete trance, moving nothing but your head, which is bobbing to the inviting sounds of melancholy and utter despair, if you ever get a chance to see them live. their mesmerizing beyond compare. epic like City of Caterpillar, hard like Orchid and tech like Manhattan Skyline. a simply amazing band that deserves your download. you will probably want to buy their albums as well, because this is just too good not to.
August 19th, 2009
Gone With the Pain – from a split with Reaction and Under the Waves
this is a song by Gone With the Pain that appeared on a split with two other bands. the song is a 1:34 mammoth thrasher. fast and chaotic screamo similar to Don’t Fuck With Columbus, but with The Spirit of Versailles vocals. if you haven’t bothered getting anything from this band before and want a little teaser, get this. if you have the rest of the releases posted on that’s punk… well then you are currently listening to the song instead of reading this.
August 19th, 2009
Gone With the Pain – La Ideología Del Vacío
if you downloaded Gone With the Pain’s s/t and thought that it was awesome but wish all the songs were too long or wish they’d be even faster and even louder… well then this is the download for you. if you didn’t download their s/t – download this. then download the s/t. because you need to give this band a go. what’s different from the s/t album? well for starters, every song on here is less than two minutes long. there’s a little more clear production, and the guitars are slightly cleaner. the screaming (almost shrieking) is even more intense. it’s more explosive. they hardly ever (only once) go into twinkly little interludes… but that’s only so they can explode and hit you harder than ever. they basically stop at nothing. it’s like a constant beating. it never ends! so download it and put it on repeat… until next that’s punk post, naturally.
August 19th, 2009
Gone With the Pain & Optimus Prime split
this is a split between two pretty different, yet similar bands. the first half is by Optimus Prime, a Russian band. with an awesome lead guitar that plays what sometimes almost sound like classic rock solos, a viola, screamed vocals, upbeat drumming and just an overall tight sound. the lead guitar is especially worth noticing. it gives this band a unique sound. it’s a bit like One Last Wish. (listen to My Better Half.) oh and just because it has a viola, it doesn’t mean that they sound anything like I Would Set Myself on Fire for You. because they don’t. at all. this is way more intense. while they may have some of the experimental features of IWASMOFFY, they are not nearly as jazzy. most of the time they are also faster and more to the point. the guitars are also several miles away from IWASMOFFY. but in terms of quality – it’s just as good. a freaking awesome band that needs your attention. and so does the band behind the second half of the split. Gone With the Pain are intense, fast, loud, hard, screamo. in Spanish. their half of the split is actually their s/t album from 2006 in its entirety! and it’s great. I don’t really know what to compare this band with. it’s a bit like Don’t Fuck With Columbus, only it’s pretty much nonstop kicking you square in the nuts. there are few occasions where this band slows things down – but when they do, they do so to incorporate more experimental elements in the songs, as well as allowing the guitars to take a more “pretty” approach, twinkling and what not. it’s just as awesome as the noisy bits, if not more. at times they remind me a lot of The Spirit of Versailles – and in the noisier parts, the vocals are fairly comparable to BJ Anderson’s vocals. so if you’re into The Spirit of Versailles and other a bit chaotic and intense bands, this is the band for you.
August 19th, 2009
syn*error – songs from a split tape with Jet Pilot
these are the songs from syn*error’s bit of their split with Jet Pilot. one of the tracks evident on this post have appeared earlier (the s*e/WPW? split), but the other four are new additions, which I hope you like. if you have downloaded the other syn*error posts – you know what you’re in for. if not… well then this is as good a place to start as any other. this is the type of band that probably would be tagged with “real emo” or “real screamo” on last.fm if they were popular. drawing influence from Still Life, Portraits of the Past, The Saddest Landscape and all that jazz, syn*error are definitely a “real” emo/screamo band. a solid and semi-experimental rhythm section that allows two sharp guitars to constantly try to create interesting patterns, experimenting with dynamics and contrasts. on top of all of this are the screamo vocals, perhaps a little less in focus than they tend to be in other screamo bands. the mix comes out awesome, and is definitely something everyone will have to make time to listen to. out of all the syn*error posts on that’s punk, it may also be worth mentioning that this is the most European-sounding one. so if you’re really into that stuff – get this. if you like all types of emo – get this. if you like *good music* – get this.
August 19th, 2009
Rudi Simmons – Palpitations
Rudi Simmons is back with dirty lyrics and catchy melodies. and this time it’s even more folky. the sound is more sparse, focusing on a cracked voice, an acoustic guitar, drums and the occasional twinkle. but most of the record revolve around the narrative, clever lyrics. this does however not equal shit music! the music is definitely not elevator muzak. it’s mainly focused and concise folk rock with harmonic and concentrated chord progressions. there are deviations though, most notably the bluesy fifth track that’s way more wild than the rest of the record.
August 3rd, 2009
syn*error – syn*error
hailing from Berlin, syn*error are a modern band that plays 90s emo. but not like Mineral and Christie Front Drive. more like Bubblejug, Still Life and Portraits of Past. it’s chaotic, dynamic and semi-experimental. but it’s still 90s emo, so some twinkling is still present. particurarly in the intros. it quickly builds up to a far more aggressive sound though. screaming, borderline jazzy drumming and screamo guitars. and lots of start-stop dynamics. mostly fast paced, but willing to slow down and be gentle at times. it’s in these calm bridges or whatever the melodies are perhaps at their most atmospheric. very much enjoyable. syn*error also employ somewhat unorthodox (especially to mainstream music, which they obviously don’t play) patterns, without having clear distinctions between them. they are not going A-B-A-B-C-B-B. every song is like a journey. they explore as much as possible. and they do so with considerably style, ending up somewhere between the twinkly almost poppy Cap’n Jazz influenced midwest emo and the chaotic and dynamic San Diego influenced emo/screamo. while they probably belong more in the latter, there definitely are traces of the first mentioned to be found. and that’s simply awesome, because this fusion works out better than anyone could ever hope for. absolutely beautiful music that I recommend everyone to check out. also note that one of the tracks on this album appear on the WPW? split posted earlier.
August 3rd, 2009
What Price, Wonderland?/syn*error tour split
are you looking for more English emo? you have found the right blog then. what’s that you say, you’ve been meaning to check out some German emo lately? you have, once again, come to the right blog. so why not grab a chair, sit down and enjoy your stay. I guarantee you’ll find your residence very pleasant. this is a split between English hardcore/emo favourites What Price, Wonderland?, and the more screamo oriented syn*error from Germany. if anyone has their doubts about how these two bands could make a split that makes sense – shame on you! if you download it, you’ll find that everything makes perfect sense. while WPW borrows more from Cap’n Jazz than it does from Still Life, Don Martin 3 and Admiral, s*e are pretty much the opposite. this makes the bands slightly reminiscent, yet completely different, consequently making the split sound pretty awesome. the two bands are only similar in those little twinkles the guitars make, some of the rhythms and the passion. and that’s more than enough. it makes the similarity intricate instead of completely obvious. it’s the greatest strenght of the split. so grab this. enjoy WPW’s seven minute epic and their two other Cap’n Jazz-esque songs. enjoy s*e’s Drive Like Jehu style over the course of four songs. there’s plenty of twinkly guitars and complex climaxes to be found here. this is emo the way emo should be. and if you are a WPW fan who haven’t heard this, you need to hear it! this is WPW leaving the screaming and thrashing behind, in substitution for even more twinkling than usual. this sounds like what Manrae might’d sound like if they were on Jade Tree instead of Ebullition.