I suspect some – if not most of the trusty readers of that’s punk are familiar with Dahlia Seed. but I suspect that not that many are as familiar as I aim to make you with them! yes, that’s right. Dahlia Seed marathon! and the obvious place to start is with their very first demo. Dahlia Seed started the summer of 1992, in the northern New Jersey suburbs. although probably mostly known as a four-piece or a five-piece, they actually started out as a three-piece. and this is that three-piece’s 4-track demo. it’s rough in both recording and musical style. somewhat comparable to their contemporary Empty Set (which would later go on to be named Chewbacca Kaboom, and later still Sunny Day Real Estate). recording quality-wise, this sounds as good as a 4-track from the early ’90s can sound. musical quality-wise, this is really good, albeit not the quintessential Dahlia Seed recording by any means. if you have no idea what Dahlia Seed sounds like, they play a rather pretty style of emo that in addition is really aggressive and simply charged with emotion. this is a nice place to start with the band, if you can handle the sound quality, which as an emo fan… chances are you do. check this out!
archive for the ‘hardcore emo’ category
Dahlia Seed – 1st Demo
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011syn*error – verlustgeschäft
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011you all know syn*error. if you don’t, you really should. there’s a bunch of stuff by them down there somewhere. a split with What Price, Wonderland? among other treats. this is their newest experiment, and the term experiment is key. from the very first track you know this is going to be different than previous instalments of syn*error. their self-titled 7″ was primarily made up of really loud emo/screamo with some intricate less loud parts, thus resulting in a somewhat eclectic but determined sound. five years ago syn*error were a explosive emo/screamo band with quiet-loud dynamics, soaring guitars, distorted octave chords, screaming, etc. but for 2011′s verlustgeschäft, they’ve shook things up. this time they have obvious influences from ’80s harDCore. where syn*error previously dabbled with the ’90s emo sound, they have now seemingly moved a century back. this does however not mean that syn*error have taken a step back or stagnated. on the contrary. they’ve evolved their sound into something completely new. if I were to compare it to modern bands, then it sort of sounds like a mix between End of A Year and Adorno. however this album has just too much bloody uniqueness to it. you can’t just say “if you like blah and blah you’ll like this”. this album has several funk/hip-hop songs that sort of sound like Incubus’ glorious “Magic Medicine” – that’s not normal for an emo album, is it? furthermore, this album has truly epic emo tracks that may or may not have ’70s punk rock/’80s alternative bridges with almost BritPop guitars, before going to what to me sounds like Norwegian emo (the birds are spies – they report to the trees, rest of my life, etc), before suddenly going into trance-inducing blues-y or funk-y guitar solos to bring the tune to sometimes a sudden halt, and sometimes fading away elegantly. this album just takes a pile of influences from all sorts of music from the ’80s and ’90s and shape it into some sort of emo rocker with funky “Magic Medicine” interludes. syn*error have seriously changed their sound up. and it fucking works. it fucking works. download this at once. it can be bought from http://www.kids-in-misery.net/pages/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=301 or here http://bisaufsmesser.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16229&zenid=4d988b78f10127f2845a0ff70671ac0c – so do that too if you have the cash.
Lumber Lung – Demo 2010
Sunday, February 27th, 2011this band blew me away. instantly. this demo is five songs that together are sixteen minutes long. in those sixteen minutes, Lumber Lung manages to establish themselves as one of the most interesting emo bands since… well, since the ’90s really. and “the ’90s” is exactly how this sounds. it sounds a bit like Lumber, Don Quichote, Symptom of Isaac, and Dahlia Seed – but mostly it just sounds like Lumber Lung. it’s heavily influenced by the directness of ’90s emo. and by that, I mean that Lumber Lung waste no time. they are to the point and acute. but like the bands I mentioned, they are also inherently melodic. this is aggressive music; jangly and noisy. however, it’s also beautiful. and one of the most successful and authentic takes on ’90s emo I’ve ever heard by a modern band. they’re putting out an LP later this year, and you need to save up for that – because this band is just… wow. just download this.
You And I – You And I
Monday, January 3rd, 2011if you have not heard You And I before, you are indeed in for a treat. they were an emo band, active in the late nineties. they employed rather unusual song structures, and surprisingly melodic and tuneful hooks. they basically put layers of pretty twinkly guitars and clean vocals alongside or on top of an almost metallic rhythm section, churning out heavy as fuck hardcore riffs and crushing drum patterns. on this album (which came out in 2003, and collects all of their releases sans the last one), the boldness of the riffs makes it almost difficult to distinguish the tracks, because they all have these heavy hardcore riffs. this is where the layers of melodic intricacies become helpful. they are what essentially distinguish the tracks, whilst the insanely heavy drive that surrounds it is what provides consistency. the mix of these two extremes are what constitutes You And I’s unique blend of the different elements of emo/hardcore, and their intense energy. sometimes it sounds like a screamo version of Indian Summer. other times it sounds like Sons of Abraham. with a reasonable amount of feedback, You And I’s guitarists plough their way through droning doom riffs, gentle and catchy punk rock riffs, clever noise parts, blistering – almost grindcore – thrashing, and more “typical” screamo riffs. over this you have screaming bloody murder, and the occasional clean singing. the drums somehow actually manage to keep up with all the crazy stuff the riffs manage to do, and also dictates the tempo beautifully, almost single-handedly (well, I guess double-handedly and double-footedly?) making the breakdowns. what separates You And I’s quiet parts from Indian Summer’s are that they usually have sort of upbeat drums during them. they are subdued and calmer, but not downbeat or lacking altogether, like they so often are in Indian Summer’s quietest riffs. this maybe makes You And I slightly less in touch with the polar extremes, but they still manage to create fantastic dynamics. their sound is altogether very unique, and if you add the unorthodox sound structures to the consideration, You And I are an immensely impressive as well as interesting band. so check this out! this compilation album also contains five live tracks at the end, and clocks in at ~78 minutes, so it might me a little overwhelming at first – even if it is instantly enjoyable. you should give it a few spins to digest it properly. it’s really worth it, because this band rules.
Indian Summer – Hidden Arithmetic
Saturday, December 25th, 2010even though I open my presents on Christmas Eve, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about those of you who open them on the morning of Christmas Day. this post is for you. and hey, I eat my father’s accomplished turkey on Christmas Day – so it’s a special day for me too. today’s present is Indian Summer’s Hidden Arithmetic. it’s a live album that exists in multiple editions. some have two concerts, and some have just one. this is the latter edition, which has Indian Summer Live in the Blue Universe. (the one with two concerts also has Live at Pitzer College.) it’s released on both LP and CD. said LP is the definite emo record. the defining emo record. digital copies are the second best thing, so I highly recommend you purchase an LP via the download link, if you can afford it. this is the centrepiece of any emo collection ever. this is emo incarnate. GET THIS.
Indian Summer – Science
Friday, December 24th, 2010in Norway we open presents on Christmas Eve. this is your present from that’s punk. if you have heard Indian Summer before, chances are they are at the very least *among* your favourite bands of all time. if you have just barely heard a song or two, and didn’t *really* listen – or, if you haven’t heard them at all – consider this your initiation. Indian Summer existed between 1993 and 1994 in Oakland, California. they mastered the dark and brooding atmospheric elements Slint employed, and built up their songs into a massive and intense explosion, sort of reminiscent of Rites of Spring, but less acute and more explosive. they sound like an overwhelming mix of the beforehand mentioned bands, Codeine, Native Nod, Still Life, Moss Icon and Seam. Science is their discography. it collects all of their studio recorded songs. nine of them in total. it passes the half hour mark, with songs lasting from anything from one and a half minute to well over seven minutes. one of the things that will make you want to listen to this album over and over is that Indian Summer were true masters of dynamics. the most tranquil parts have calmly picked guitars and soft whispering. as a total contrast, the louder parts are come crashing down on the world, with out of control screaming, guitars being trashed, drums being battered to death and so forth. all of the parts were connected though. each and every up and down was connected. and all of it was intense, nervous and emotional. this band didn’t just contribute to emo, or breathe life into it. Indian Summer are the band that shaped and perfected emo with the pure skill that went into these compositions. a skill that thankfully only gets rivalled and beaten by the sheer intensity and rawness. Indian Summer are emo in its truest form. download this. and have a great Christmas Eve! the compilation has been pressed on numerous occasions, and one of the pressings can be bought via links inside the download site.
The Pine – The Pine
Sunday, October 31st, 2010October is still going, and so is that’s punk. so here is another The Pine post. unfortunately this post marks the end of The Pine month. but what a way to go out! the recordings on this album date as far back as 1999 – one tiny year after their inception. it contains five songs that would eventually be remixed/remastered for the self titled LP, and three completely unreleased songs. three completely amazing songs that makes this just as much a “must have” as the rest of their discography, in my opinion. I’ve done fifty CD-Rs with a special white surface in hand-folded origami covers – that come with four different design colours – that are printed in a modern printing office onto high quality 120g paper, that I give away for £4 for new ears to get a chance to witness this magnificent album. your eyes should be pleased as well, because it’s fairly nice packaging. so get that if you are into it. if not, you should still definitely download this. and if you can’t afford to spend £4 on the nice packaging, the download link includes the cover art so you can print and fold it yourself.
The Pine – Acoustic
Friday, October 22nd, 2010if you thought we were done with The Pine… you were wrong! [pause to make a sigh of relief now] there’s thankfully more. this is an acoustic set released on a CD-R in 2005. they play songs from their first 7″, their first 12″, Homeless Life and Lead Blocks for Feet, as well as a Three Shades of Dirty cover. ten songs in total. it’s well over forty minutes long, and lets us experience The Pine in a completely different setting than we are used to. they essentially prove that their music would probably work in any setting ever (paging The String Quartet?). the intimacy suits the songs great. even clap-alongs work! so enjoy this curiosity.
The Pine – Don’t Need Regret
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010Don’t Need Regret is The Pine’s last album, and I don’t think you should expect to see any more. it continues the jangly and noisy Dinosaur Jr.-esque sound of Days Slipping By. on their most noisy and feedback-heavy they even sort of sound like Build Nest, Sleep, which is always a great thing. while the Dinosaur Jr. comparison is done the most justice on the heavy hitting “No You”. the songs are extremely tight, and Don’t Need Regret as an album works extremely well. one feels that the songs are in the perfect order, and that The Pine have carefully chosen when to pick up the pace, when to break it down… it feels like every bit of feedback, every hit on the snare… it feels like absolutely each and every little detail is carefully planned out and perfectly executed. this is probably The Pine at their very best, to be completely honest. their last album in many ways sound like what they have been working towards all their career. this is just one of those albums that are perfect in every way. “Dead Boat” has got to be the most perfect way to go out as well, with all its longing, desperation and sadness it’s the epitome of depression; the very idea of depression manifested in a song. the whole album is utterly emotionally devastating. the album has a wholeness – a sense of being complete, incomparable to any other album I have ever heard. “Dead Boat” ends exactly like the first track “Don’t Need Regret” begins, ensuring that not only does the album come off as incredible consistent – you can actually put this on repeat indefinitely and it will always feel consistent. the album never ends. the feeling never ends. this album is perfect.
The Pine – Splits and Compilation tracks
Friday, October 15th, 2010I’m assuming you’ve listened so much to Days Slipping By that you know it by heart by now. so I will grace you with the next The Pine download. this is a collection of all their tracks from splits and compilations. it starts out with their contribution to Wayfarers All, and follows with the two songs from their split with The Saddest Landscape. those three tracks are from 2004. then there is their song from the This Is Your Life compilation, and then finally their track from their split with La Quiete. those are from 2005. so that’s five songs in just over fifteen minutes, collecting all of their splits and compilation tracks. we’re back to the treble-heavy sound, with recording quality that is pretty equal on all tracks, though perhaps slightly lower on the last track. the sound levels were all over the place, so I’ve edited the files a little bit. “Desperate and Lonely” is a little louder (it’s also the track in the highest bitrate) than the rest, and there are some minor differences. but believe me, it’s a lot more pleasant to listen to now than before I made the changes. between “Desperate and Lonely” and tracks from the split with The Saddest Landscape, it would drop like seven dB. so enjoy this collection! it’s five classic The Pine tracks. by letting the guitars really ring out, they form a wall of sound that tucks in the jangly drums and the ever-present bass. and it’s simply brilliant. in the middle of everything is of course the absolutely perfect vocals. and when you’re listening to the 5:20 long piece of perfection that is the last track, it’s obvious that if the world were falling apart, The Pine would be playing in the background. get this