previously this blog has had the pleasure of sharing both of The Tie That Binds’ magnificent albums. now I present the killer tracks you’re missing, the Adding Machine 7″ and a few compilation tracks. it’s seven tracks, and twenty-eight minutes long. this is the The Tie That Binds we all know and love. upbeat and melodic ’90s emo influenced by Jawbreaker and Samiam. there are no frills to The Tie That Binds’ music. just intricate melancholic and melodic guitars building up suspense, getting joined by precise upbeat drumming and wailing vocals. despite being very simplistic and direct in their approach, The Tie That Binds convey a surprising amount emotional distress. this is emo that tears your heart apart. get this.
archive for July, 2010
The Tie That Binds – Slowly Sinking Heroes
Saturday, July 31st, 2010Seasons’s First Rain – Season’s First Rain
Friday, July 30th, 2010initially noticeable obvious changes from the Spray Paint the Sun split to this self titled album include the higher bitrate, but the arrangements are still minimalistic, relying just as much on atmosphere as melody. the stabbing jagged edge of the guitar carries the melody, but doesn’t mind dropping it every now and then – hard to the floor. the curious drums keeps the momentum thriving forward, and put together with the guitar it makes this sound sort of like deathrock without the prominent bass guitar – at least at times. while I personally preferred the sound induced by the lower bitrate on the split, this has its advantages as well, perhaps best illustrated by the playful guitar interlude on “Потоп”, and how it wraps the drums in for the rest of the song. Season’s First Rain also show a new side of themselves, with a little happy, upbeat rhythm on “Во имя прогресса”, where the mix works great. “Малое завещание” is the track that’s most akin to what they put on the Spray Paint the Sun split. a driving force, carried forward by the harsh screams. in any event, check this psychedelic screamo band out! because they are really original and interesting. at least to my ears.
Season’s First Rain & Spray Paint the Sun split
Thursday, July 29th, 2010I’m sure you all remember Spray Paint the Sun very fondly. so I’m sure you won’t mind getting studio recordings of four of the tracks from the live album posted earlier on that’s punk – including my favourite track “Больше чем шум”? of course you don’t mind. it’s so good! for those of you who don’t remember them, Spray Paint the Sun are a Russian emo band that cites influences such as Policy of 3 and Indian Summer, but also newer bands such as Sailboats and June Paik. Spray Paint the Sun are noisy as all hell breaking loose at the same time, but periodically they calm down, and the guitars masterfully interact with each other, almost sounding as if they are trying to find a way to outsmart one another. in the background, the spastic drums make sure the music is perceived as vivid and flowing. the bass gives a softer sound, and adds another dimension to the songs. the Indian Summer influences are clear when listening to the rhythm guitar and the bass guitar, carefully making their way forward. the lead guitar on the other hand is far more aggressive and impatient, rushing from note to note at all times. but I guess I’m going sort of in the opposite direction of what I’m supposed to, because Season’s First Rain are in fact the band that appears first on the split, with five great tracks. their recordings are significantly more lo-fi (Spray Paint the Sun tracks being >1500kbps, compared to Season’s First Rain’s ~900kbps half), but undeniably glorious – with its Evergreen-like qualities. the bitrate suits the songs very well, adding more reverb and ensuring seamless transitions – as well as a complete blending of the instruments, making it sound like one holy entity. with a distinctly sad and depressing sound, Season’s First Rain remind me somewhat of Saetia, but they are much more sparse in their arrangements. sparse though noisy, with the clashing cymbals, rambling guitar and loud high-pitched screams. a band with their own sound, well worth checking out. they create their own unique atmosphere with their original approach to screamo, and their side goes very well with the quite different Spray Paint the Sun side of the split. while similarities no doubt exist, these two bands are completely different – but equally awesome. get this!
I.Witness – Secret Handshakes
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010this is the 2010 summer demo collection of I.Witness. it’s six songs and nigh twenty minutes. like the other I.Witness demo on that’s punk, the quality is surprisingly adequate. with songs ranging from 0:43 to 6:01 in length, I.Witness display both the traditional hardcore style adopted on All Roads Lead Southeast as well as the more brooding screamo style. thus this taster should satisfy fans of both the older material in addition to fans of the All Roads Lead Southeast. on Secret Handshakes, I.Witness bridges the gap between the two sounds, and further develop them into something new entirely. this is their most diverse collection of songs yet, as well as the perhaps best. “Непринятые Звонки”, “Маяки”, and “В Круге Первом” being my personal favourites of this band thus far, with lead riffs akin to Optimus Prime’s, a marvellous energy and emotionality comparable to Rites of Spring and One Last Wish, and sensational song structures à la Slint and Moss Icon. with this release, I.Witness feel like natural successors to the revolution summer bands. the guitars are heavy as shit in massive quantities. get this. now.
I.Witness – All Roads Lead Southeast
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010on previous efforts I.Witness have constantly moved between crust, metalcore, screamo, and traditional hardcore. on this new record, they have adopted a much more straightforward hardcore approach. while still not afraid to introduce octaves and intricate harmonies to their heavy music, the majority of this album is noticeably more traditional hardcore-sounding. with a less muddy production, each instrument’s contribution becomes clearer. furthermore, the technical ability of the members really shines through. the sick riffs, odd breakdowns and wacky time signatures are a great match for the elegant rawness and despair inherent in hardcore punk. this is an immediate, accomplished and crisp record. both in terms of musicianship, as well as in production – both of which perfectly capturing the insane amounts of energy put into these recordings. these immense vocals and blistering rhythms will blow you away. download this.
damezumari – 2004-2007
Thursday, July 15th, 2010damezumari is a phrase from the board game “Go”. it essentially means “you are fucked”, i.e. you’re in a situation that’s extremely difficult to get out of. damezumari are naturally a screamo band. I don’t know the exact date I found this band, but someone put up a “bands that sound like I Hate Myself” compilation. obviously, I checked it out. I wasn’t disappointed. you won’t be either, if you download this 2:22 collection of songs. like I Hate Myself, damezumari has a sound that is impossible to pigeon hole. reminiscent of ’90s emo like Still Life, 1.6 Band and Indian Summer, but modernised and comparable to their contemporary bands, e.g. the birds are spies, they report to the trees and Sinaloa. the hoarse yells over frantic melodies comes off as a very sincere and searching. the latter feeling further enhanced by the questioning lyrics, delivered by the quirky vocals. the main theme in damezumari’s songs is doubt. the songs are fragile and shivering with angst and helplessness, struggling not to cave in to depression; struggling to survive. at no point does damezumari’s music become annoyingly whiny or self-indulgent. it always maintains an aura of believability and honesty. the music is warm like rest of my life, spastic like the birds are spies, they report to the trees and wondering like Indian Summer. though the guitars are at times heavily distorted, and the lyrics are at times highly vague – there is nothing unclear about the beauty inherent in damezumari’s songs. there is obvious a lot of effort put into the song writing. and if we assume that «without effort there is no meaning» from “gravity is a choice” to ring true, rules of logic would indicate that with effort comes meaning. you need to hear this band. this is vulnerability in the form of music. check it out. and buy merchandise from http://damezumari.com/ – which also includes links to some of the people carrying their records.
June Paik – Discography
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010the German four piece June Paik play music firmly rooted in the intense and aggressive screamo sound, but stray from “the basic formula”. when at their very loudest, June Paik are comparable to their countrymen Louise Cyphre, as well as the legendary American band Jeromes Dream. the band themselves put Canadian screamo forward as their main influences, and the brooding heavy Union of Uranus do indeed come to mind when listening to June Paik. the thick guitar tone and the dark qualities are ever present in June Paik’s often lengthy songs. but what really separates June Paik from other bands in the genre, are that they are far more dynamic as well as richly layered than most of the other bands. – and this despite only consisting of four members. beautiful Indian Summer octaves hinting at something glorious and sentimental in the background of an ugly droning monotonous passage, that eventually exits into what can only be described as musical Armageddon. June Paik’s crushing climaxes sound like the destruction of all that is beautiful – and nothing is as beautiful this. it doesn’t take many minutes of this discography to figure out why June Paik are frequently referred to as “apocalyptic screamo”. June Paik are emotional apocalypse. sounding more desperate, lost, anxious and dejected with every tone. June Paik are the sound of heartstrings being pulled (bear with me, for sake of symbolism). for a good portion of their discography they masterfully build up suspension, release it all in an intense crash, and then pick up all of the shattered fragments that are left, and rebuild the suspension – aiming for the skies, once again. most bands that attempt this go in the exact same trap. they are predictable, repetitive, boring and unoriginal. June Paik are the opposite of all of this. their compositions never cease to amaze, nor surprise. the inherent predictability of crescendo-based progressive music is completely eliminated by the subtle changes of mood, the seamless transitions between emotions, and the indescribably clever atmosphere. there are also a fair share of these totally unexpected abrupt and angst-ridden explosions, as well as equally unexpected murky sudden halts, that leave only a depressing and endless feeling of loneliness and darkness. June Paik are an amazing band that deserves all of your attention. download this. and buy most of it from http://www.reactwithprotest.org – their label’s site.
I Hate Myself – Discography
Saturday, July 10th, 2010I don’t know how I am even supposed to begin writing this block of text. is it even necessary? does I Hate Myself need an introduction? definitely not. they do deserve one though, although I hardly think anything I could ever write would do them one tenth of justice. DILEMMA! gah. I Hate Myself were an emo band from Gainesville in Florida. they were active in 1996 to 1998, but one of their LPs were recorded and released several years post this. they recorded a bunch of stuff in their active period, all of which is included in this discography. most of their stuff can be bought from http://www.noidearecords.com/bands/ihatemyself.php – so do that as well. I Hate Myself are known, remembered and loved for a number of things. for being the wimpy boys that were playing shows tough guy bands, and their tough guy crowds, in which they’d speak their mind out against their macho bullshit community… for their ironic band name and satirical song titles… but most of all, I Hate Myself will forever be known, remembered and loved for one single reason: their sincere music. their recordings – particularly the early ones – are considered highly original and innovative in the screamo genre. but I Hate Myself did not play typical screamo. they are nothing like Honeywell, and nothing like Orchid. thus the “screamo” tag might be unfitting at best, or at worst: completely wrong. because I Hate Myself actually play creeping, quiet and soft music, most of the time. the guitars twinkle in a sparse manner, sounding like sad stars falling in slow motion. the drums follow discretely. the soft bass further enhances the mood. and the vocals weep along. the intricate nature of the music, and attention to detail makes them sound far more like Moss Icon, Still Life and Fugazi, than “screamo”. but then all of a sudden, they cut through with loud and angry bursts. dissonant riffs, crashing drums and piercing screams. and suddenly the screamo tag is fitting after all – if only for a short while. the clever lyrics and dark music both encompass frustration, hopelessness, helplessness, sadness, etc. overall, I Hate Myself are probably one of the most miserable bands to ever record music along with Codeine. but – like Codeine – they are also one of the most talented. the lyrics are brilliant. the constructions, allegories and twists… this band is proficient well past most others. not only do they have some of the most emotive, intense and sad music, but their lyrics reflect it and enhances it ten thousand notches. some times it paints depressing pictures of broken lives, filled with allegories and metaphors – sometimes it’s just so simplistic and straightforward that it gets fragile and sad beyond compare. (“The Lightning Says” being the ultimate example.) the end result is the culmination of every downhearted feeling that ever existed. this culmination naturally affects the listener in some way. the music reaches out and touches people. and it never leaves the system. once you’ve been exposed to I Hate Myself, you will never forget the experience. the feeling of being rendered void on the inside. they are just so skilled and talented, that it’s almost unbelievable. fantastic composers through and through. if you don’t believe me, then listen to this thirty song/two hour discography, which includes two short but sweet live sets. clever satire and raw honesty join hands, and we get one of the most interesting as well as talented bands of all time. imagine the powerlessness of Codeine coupled with a cathartic release of hate and despair. download this!
Crywank – Demo 2010
Friday, July 9th, 2010Crywank was started after a horrible breakup. one would think that’s a good foundation for a good folk record, right? it is. and with influences such as that’s punk favourites Andrew Jackson Jihad and Paul Baribeau, we are certain this is a winner. English-based James Clayton is influenced by a wide variety of anti-folk, outsider and punk music. the end result is fragile, highly self-critical and honest folk rock that one would think serves as a great outlet for all the pains of breaking up. James says they put him in a good mood, and hope that it serves the same purpose for someone else. now I’m not going through a breakup – thankfully… hell, I’m not even in a bad mood at all. I feel pretty good, actually. but James little record here no doubt put me in an even better mood. whether you are going through a bitter breakup or not, you should be able to find this enjoyable, if you like folk. check it out.
TUMBLEWEAVE – ♪♫♪♫♫♫♪♪♫♪
Thursday, July 8th, 2010TUMBLEWEAVE describes themselves as “cartoon noise rock”. not bad, eh? it’s essentially mysterious and densely layered noises. the songs consist of extremely many details, and a seemingly endless number of elements. this is reflected in the 1700+ bitrate of the FLACs, actually the highest of any albums in my current music library. their music would serve well as the background score for a curious and dark 16-bit game, if not for the fact that I’d probably be pausing the entire time, listening to the music instead of playing the game. this record is only just three minutes long, and is pretty much impossible to process on just one listen. TUMBLEWEAVE have created a mammoth, capable as serving both as ambient noise music as well as upbeat and catchy blip blop pop – at the very same time. this is an extraordinary intriguing piece of work that deserves a listen and then some more listens. GET THIS!