that's punk » progressive/epic http://thatspunk.net/blog scene love & unity forever! Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:17:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 [the] slowest runner [in all the world] – we, burning giraffes http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/07/the-slowest-runner-in-all-the-world-we-burning-giraffes-2/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/07/the-slowest-runner-in-all-the-world-we-burning-giraffes-2/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:00:19 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=2594 yesterday you got to know [the] slowest runner [in all the world], and their 2009 début. and let me just put it like it is, straight away, if you liked the flophouse sessions, you will *love* we, burning giraffes. if their début was gorgeous, this is ravishing. while the début lingered, as if at the edge of a cliff, and explored its reactions and feelings, this record *jumps*. don’t get me wrong, there’s a ton of atmospheric and absolutely beautiful lingering. but instead of merely creating a mood and exploring it, every now and then giving away to the occasional venting spark, their newest endeavour goes off like fireworks. and it does this frequently and successfully. it does so splendidly. consequently making slowest runner one of the best ambient rock bands. consequently making slowest runner that one band that has a one hour album, with three of the songs well over ten minutes long, where no songs are so daunting that you end up listening to that one good track instead. slowest runner has made a thoroughly interesting album. a consistent effort that is perhaps best compared to Yndi Halda at their finest – or a more vivid and poignant Godspeed You! Black Emperor. while applying monumentally opposing amounts of pressure, there’s always a balance to this record, as well as a sense that everything fits. there’s sort of a sense of predictability in action. but it does not make it boring or bad. because you grow fond of this music, and knowing where it goes makes you feel like you know it. you want it to carry you away. and it does this frequently and successfully. it does so splendidly.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/07/the-slowest-runner-in-all-the-world-we-burning-giraffes-2/feed/ 0 [the] slowest runner [in all the world] – the flophouse session http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/07/the-slowest-runner-in-all-the-world-the-flophouse-session/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/07/the-slowest-runner-in-all-the-world-the-flophouse-session/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:00:01 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=2590 as you may be aware of, I’m not the biggest fan of the “post rock” tag. it doesn’t make sense to me. interpreting “rock” as a verb, “to excel” or as “to shake your body”, makes “post rock” “to suck” or “to stand still”. or are we talking about shaking a pole? because “post” as in Latin for “taking place afterwards” certainly doesn’t make sense to me, because rock isn’t done yet. so the very phrase by itself makes no sense to me. couple it with the common descriptions, and I’m even more lost. I’m told “post rock” is supposedly “bands with rock instruments that do not play rock”. what is a rock instrument? and why are all the most popular “post rock” bands (Sigur Rós, Explosions in the Sky, etc) rock bands? why are random emo bands like Slint and Moss Icon post-rock? argh! but seeing as this is a music blog, not a rant blog, I’m going to move on from my inability to understand the phrase or trend that is “post rock” now. so here is a band that is commonly referred to as a post rock (ugh) band. they have that long weird name, long progressive and instrumental rock songs that is apparently “typical” for post rock, despite that bands such as Sigur Rós do not have a long name and aren’t instrument… sorry. where was I? oh yes. [the] slowest runner [in all the world] isn’t one of those formulaic crescendo bands. (not that there’s anything wrong with those bands!) they are instead one of those who search for a mood, find it, and linger there, until they’ve explored all it has to offer. the tools of their trade are strings, piano, guitars, drums, extremely sparse and seldom vocal harmonies and occasional electronic noises. this was all recorded live in a living room, which is something I appreciate. “live recordings” is one of my favourite oxymoron, because it gives the whole thing an organic and warm sound, and often leaves room for the occasional spark. the only complaint I have about this album is that the piano at the beginning of “This Is Water” sounds annoyingly much like the first track on Sigur Rós’s (), and, if I’m completely honest, this isn’t () by a mile, so it just irks me that I pick that up. I am looking forward to this band in the future, because this, while no (), is absolutely gorgeous. it’s just a beautifully accomplished record. it catches my attention with its graceful beauty and warm energy. so do yourself a favour and check this band out, because they are truly promising to the n-th degree.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/07/the-slowest-runner-in-all-the-world-the-flophouse-session/feed/ 0 rest of my life – what we lack in size, we make up for in devotion http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/02/rest-of-my-life-what-we-lack-in-size-we-make-up-for-in-devotion/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/02/rest-of-my-life-what-we-lack-in-size-we-make-up-for-in-devotion/#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:21:56 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=2409 after a shake-up in staff and a change in label (to RhinoProd), rest of my life is back. imagine The Appleseed Cast mixed with Explosions in the Sky, with a hint of The Shyness Clinic. now eliminate any dead space in the tracks, make the highlights endlessly more gigantic – and you might have the faintest idea what this record sounds like. this is the closest I have ever gotten to A Bunny’s Caravan’s Draining Puddles, Retrieving Treasures. rest of my life have created a genuinely compelling album that is intriguing from start to finish. it floods you with emotion and overwhelms you with its intellectuality. rest of my life truly prove to be equal amounts heart and brain, with songs that are so precise and delicate one would think they were carefully plotted by maths geniuses – except that they are at all times just about ready to burst with emotion, often lead by the cascading climaxes of washing guitars. all instruments are in perfect harmony, and the mix does extraordinary at making this devastatingly clear to the listener. the washing guitars wrap in a drummer’s dexterous and forceful command, and everything is emphasized by the imaginative and pleasantly soft yet appropriately present bass lines. this delightful mix go on to crescendo into the most heart-warming heartbreaks as often as they fall to their knees, hinting modesty and humbleness in between all their ambition and taste for glory. as a consequence of the exploring and unafraid nature of rest of my life, they have forged an album that becomes properly well-rounded and thus an exciting listen from start to finish. overall, this is something as rare as a perfect record. it’s marvellously intelligent – and let me tell you, it is well refreshing for an album to be genuinely intelligent, as opposed to just quirky – and emotionally charged to the brims. lyrically the album parallels itself musically. the lyrics are questioning, seeking and critical, «gaining brains [while] maintaining heart», further enhancing the well-roundedness of the album. it would seem like rest of my life have been heading in this direction; carefully working their way towards this album. if this is their climax, I can’t do anything but applaud them. if there is more to come, I hope my heart can take it. you can buy this from http://www.cdon.eu if you like it, and I would strongly suggest getting the CD. it has a lovely cover that goes well with the feel of the album itself. p.s. this album features a new version of the glorious Manual Circuit song “Bohemen”!

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/02/rest-of-my-life-what-we-lack-in-size-we-make-up-for-in-devotion/feed/ 8 You And I – The Curtain Falls http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/01/you-and-i-the-curtain-falls/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/01/you-and-i-the-curtain-falls/#comments Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:00:43 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=2277 The Curtain Falls was You And I’s last release. it’s 22:02, a fairly perfect amount of time to blow everyone away. this is perhaps their least popular release. even band members reject it as shoddy, unrehearsed and badly produced.. all of which are fuel for my love for it. I am really fond of their “old stuff”, i.e. the previous post, as well, but The Curtain Falls is definitely my favourite by this band. although the old tracks had a consistent sound, and many interesting hooks, it lacked the great amount of direction and ambition presented on The Curtain Falls. it also – and this might be a bit contradicting – feels more improvised. it feels like it’s capturing a magic moment in place and time. like it doesn’t care. The Curtain Falls is a mess, so you don’t really hear layers. instead, you get what is in my opinion a perfect fusion of elements. each and every instrument are interacting with each other very closely, and very skilfully. the songs are more progressive, with focus on explosions and climaxes as opposed to the overwhelming and brutal approach found on the self titled compilation. on this album, You And I are still comparable to Indian Summer (the jazz samples no doubt help fuse this comparison), but they are in many ways very dissimilar in both sound and approach. You And I have a much more blatant screamo sound on this album. then comes the occasional stunningly infectious guitar line, that will just blow your mind. if you found anything remotely enjoyable about the previous post, this album is definitely for you. if you didn’t get it, this is probably just as well a place to get introduced to You And I, because this is You And I at their very finest. this is amazing.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2011/01/you-and-i-the-curtain-falls/feed/ 0 Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson – lost songs http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/12/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-lost-songs/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/12/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-lost-songs/#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:00:27 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=2365 the guys in Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson found an old pc with some old songs on. what better way to end the year, than with a post with this. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson came into my life several years ago and blew my mind. and though they never disappeared from my life, new recordings didn’t surface. this made me a little sad. then earlier this year came their gloriously triumphant second album. I never imagined they could follow up their début with an album that was equally as amazing. my mind was blown all over again. and though equally amazing as the début, it was wonderfully refreshing and new. the two albums have the same qualities, but different sounds. so while I was overjoyed to hear the new album, at the same time I was a bit saddened that they had buried their old sound. but that’s only natural. they couldn’t make another album like the first. it would be really boring. and you can’t put a leash on creative minds anyway. so what I got was what I got. a wonderful *new* album. it pleases me, then, to no end to present to you these lost songs. they are in that wonderful “How Is Annie” sound I fell in love with. bands like Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson themselves, A Bunny’s Caravan, that second rest of my life record, Manual Circuit, Twist About Fireplace, Monzano, and Build Nest, Sleep. they all had something magical in common. something “How Is Annie”. since then, both How Is Annie and Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson have grown. I do not in any way resent this. I applaud it. diversity makes it that much more interesting. and I would still say that How Is Annie has a special sound to it, albeit not as obvious as it were. but this is the sound I initially fell in love with. this is what grabbed me and refused to let go. this is sentimentally valuable to me. it takes me back to when I was first exploring all of these bands. these lost songs are the sound of nostalgia to me. to you, they might be the sound of something else entirely. nonetheless, this is how I choose to conclude the year. and it’s most satisfying.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/12/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-lost-songs/feed/ 0 As We Draw – Lines Breaking Circles http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/11/as-we-draw-lines-breaking-circles/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/11/as-we-draw-lines-breaking-circles/#comments Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:00:12 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=2309 people are absolutely in love with “post rock” and “post metal” these days. the first term means “rock instrumentation used for non-rock”, and gets thrown at absolutely every band ever that has crescendos or layers and prefers twinkles over riffs. (ironically enough these are all *rock* bands…) whilst the latter gets thrown at every band that sounds even remotely like Isis or Cult of Luna. As We Draw sound probably more than “even remotely like” those two bands, so I guess they are a “post metal” band. what that actually means, I’m uncertain of. what I do know is that As we Draw are a French band that make great music. their sound is above genre limitations, but they are perhaps best placed in the sludge category, with some accompanying screamo influence. sort of like Kollwitz, but brighter and more positive-sounding. that’s one of the differences that set As We Draw apart from other bands. their sound ultimately yields a positive energy. if this was not their intention, then I’m sorry, lads. but this album makes me happy. the uplifting and levitating flow of the album is really well executed. there are some dark moments in there – some Cult of Luna – where the guitar tone changes, the tempo slows down and the sound gets thicker. but the main portion of this is fairly bright and mid-tempo, a bit comparable to newer Envy. at times I’m even compelled to make At the Drive-In comparisons, given the good amount of dexterous and inventive things As We Draw manage to pull off. anyway, this is mostly mid-tempo and bright. but it’s not immediate for that reason. this is still patient and progressive metal. even the shorter two-minute songs are quite demanding. Lines Breaking Circles will need your full attention, in order for you to harvest a full appreciation of what goes on in here. so when you have a forty minute time period, spend it on As We Draw’s epic first album. the link also has links to purchase the album on LP and CD. that way you can enjoy it on your turntable instead, if that is desirable. no matter what format you decide to get – just get it!

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/11/as-we-draw-lines-breaking-circles/feed/ 0 Et Tu Brute – Demo http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/08/et-tu-brute-demo/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/08/et-tu-brute-demo/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:08:26 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=1527 continuing our grave robbery series, here’s a band that existed c.a. 2004-2006. in 2004 they put out this demo, showcasing a by all means highly promising screamo band. the recording quality is supreme (especially for a demo). this Massachusetts mammoth band frequently border on the ridiculously epic; the ridiculously well pulled off epic. the only slightly dissonant and very melodic and pretty ethereal guitars are directed by the focused and firm drums that carry the songs, not just a little inspired by the heavy layered progressive rock sound portrayed by bands such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mono, both of which are admitted influences on the band. they do no shame to the progressive screamo sound, most famously carried out by City of Caterpillar. and Et Tu Brute are not the kind of band that plays long arse boring build-ups, only to display thirty seconds of glimmering brilliance, and call it “crescendos”. their build-ups are longing and beautiful, and they aren’t completely crescendo-reliant, more than once favouring sudden explosions, taking the listener by surprise. I only wish this demo exceeded its four tracks by several more, equally well-crafted tracks. unfortunately this is all that’s left from one of the definite highlights of this sound. you really don’t want to miss this. download it at once!

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/08/et-tu-brute-demo/feed/ 0 damezumari – 2004-2007 http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/damezumari-2004-2007/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/damezumari-2004-2007/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:03:46 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=1408 damezumari 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.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/damezumari-2004-2007/feed/ 0 June Paik – Discography http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/june-paik-discography/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/june-paik-discography/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:34:25 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=1406 the 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.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/june-paik-discography/feed/ 1 It’s Just Vanity – Here’s What You Remember from A Coma http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/its-just-vanity-heres-what-you-remember-from-a-coma/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/its-just-vanity-heres-what-you-remember-from-a-coma/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:00:26 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=1371 earlier on I posted It’s Just Vanity’s first record, The Strangers EP. if you would recall, I bragged about that record so much, one would think It’s Just Vanity had hired me as their PR person. they hadn’t. and I am infinitely pleased to inform you that starting today, It’s Just Vanity are giving away their new record for free. but only for a week though, so act fast. time is of the essence in this dire matter. and believe you me, it is dire. It’s Just Vanity plays the dreamy, angst-y and melancholic sort of emo perhaps best compared to The Shyness Clinic. and like Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson and Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate), It’s Just Vanity are master conveyors of emotion. their new record is completely stunning and utterly amazing. mixing the emotionally charged ’90s Midwest emo sound with nothing short of explosive progressive rock crescendos into full blown brilliance, this band is simply outstandingly good at what they do. Here’s What You Remember from A Coma is glorious and gracious beyond compare. one of the tracks are appropriately titled “Forgive Me, I’m Blowing Your Mind”, and It’s Just Vanity: let me – on behalf of every emo fan ever – forgive you for blowing all of our minds with this mind blast of a record. whilst many albums have certain phases and/or elements that are highly enjoyable, this album is just fifty minutes (and some more) of highlights. a thoroughly accomplished record from start to finish. it grabs your attention from the first tone, and then refuses to ever let it go, even holding it for hours, days if not weeks after you’ve first listened to it. it’s impossible to shake the feeling It’s Just Vanity’s second release gives. this delivers one of the most emotional experiences any music has ever done. download this album, then buy it. please. P.S. this album is up for free forever, apparently. good on them! round of applause for the boys, please.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/07/its-just-vanity-heres-what-you-remember-from-a-coma/feed/ 1 Tim, Face Berlin – Youth http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/05/tim-face-berlin-youth/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/05/tim-face-berlin-youth/#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 09:12:12 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=1163 I’m assuming you all remember Tim, Face Berlin? if you don’t, I posted their début some posts down from this one. you should definitely get it, because it’s really good. this is their sequel, Youth. because in my opinion, this album is even better. it’s everything the first one was, only better. the climaxes are louder, and the calm parts are calmer. Youth is an accomplishment in terms of dynamics and a titillation of the soul. it hits nerves I didn’t even know I had. this band has grown and matured. while their sound certainly isn’t being redefined on Youth, it definitely is being refined. Tim, Face Berlin’s greatest weakness is still the predictability and their failure to create something unheard of. however, this might just be their *only* weakness. so they are doing pretty much everything right, they’re just in danger of drowning in a sea of all too similar bands. honestly, the only thing preventing this is the sheer quality present in Tim, Face Berlin’s songs. because while they are still not the most original band in the world, they are undeniably highly gifted performers. their compositions do not surprise me in the slightest – but they do touch me and move me in a way few others do. I for one value their soaring emotional intensity and beautiful flowing sensibility much more than I would or could value their creativity and originality if they lacked these qualities. this is an album that everyone should definitely check out and give a chance, if you are into extremely appealing, albeit generic instrumental layered progressive rock.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/05/tim-face-berlin-youth/feed/ 0 Tim, Face Berlin – We Could Wait Forever http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/04/tim-face-berlin-we-could-wait-forever/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/04/tim-face-berlin-we-could-wait-forever/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:32:27 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=1136 I visited Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson’s Facebook page today, like I do almost every day. their latest post was a recommendation of the Swedish band Tim, Face Berlin. “and the rest is history”. this is the band’s first release, from May 2009. they proudly present themselves as fans of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky on their MySpace, but they didn’t really have to write that. yes, it’s that obvious. like most bands in the progressive rock genre that omit vocals from their sound, they simply can’t avoid being compared to the two mammoths that are Mogwai and EitS. they borrow quite a bit of their backbone from them. they probably owe their entire existence to them, to be quite honest. but it’s okay. it doesn’t matter. it’s not a negative thing at all. it’s in fact completely irrelevant! because what matters is how Tim, Face Berlin pulls off their sound, not where they got it from. sure, their sound is essentially created by someone else, and they do come off as slightly generic on this, their début release – but that’s not the core of the matter. the core of the matter is how this music reaches out and touches the listener, and how they successfully create a sentimental and simply gorgeous atmosphere. We Could Wait Forever’s biggest flaw is undoubtedly the lack of innovation presented in the compositions, when put in a jar with all of the compositions of Tim, Face Berlin’s peers. there are a lot of bands with this sound that fail to stand out appropriately in the composition department. but Tim, Face Berlin stands out in a totally different, but incredibly more important department. and this is after all their first release – so maybe the innovation and originality will follow on their newer attempts? who knows. I really don’t care as much about it as I know others will. as long as they still manage to convey the huge amount of emotion with their music, as the achievement that is We Could Wait Forever does – I’m okay.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/04/tim-face-berlin-we-could-wait-forever/feed/ 1 Celeste – Morte(s) Nee(s) http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/04/celeste-mortes-nees/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/04/celeste-mortes-nees/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:21:38 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=1105 “WOW” is the first thing that comes to mind when I press play on the new Celeste album. the line between screamo and black metal isn’t there any more. this is furious modern black metal of the absolute highest quality. but then enter the vocals, the sound alters slightly, and we’re back in that ever so lucent screamo/black metal border territory. while Celeste certainly are comparable to their countrymen Daïtro and Amanda Woodward, there’s something entirely different about them. if you take screamo and black metal – two already ugly as fuck genres – and fuse them together, you get the raw, dissonant and filthy mess of insanity that is Celeste. away with the typical dynamics of modern screamo, welcome loud and suffocating monotony, and an end result that is thicker than doom metal and more atonal than sludge. a depressing 41 minutes of nihilistic and misanthropic melancholy that will blow you away if you haven’t heard this band before (in which case I’d recommend you download the rest of their discography as well, available further down). on the other hand, if you have heard them before – you probably know what to expect. this album isn’t a giant leap in terms of musical style, by any means. it’s rather yet another step towards perfection. and let me assure you – Celeste are getting so close, it’s scary. scary, like the enraged wrath that unfolds onto the listener through this hateful album. it shows no mercy, whatsoever. you need to get this. and like the like the rest of their stuff, you can order it at their record label Denovali.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/04/celeste-mortes-nees/feed/ 0 Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson – Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/02/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/02/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:13:38 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=935 in 2005 the world was exposed to one of the most exciting début albums ever, not to say one of the most exciting albums ever period. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson hit the ground running, and impressed many people in doing so. the album had one foot in the emo genre with their delightful ’90s emo picked guitars and the occasional screamed vocals drew comparisons to acts such as City of Caterpillar on one hand, but then The Gloria Record on another level. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson’s other foot stood balanced and firm in the progressive rock genre with their progressive and clever compositions. patient like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and climactic like Sigur Rós. in addition to these foots, Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson naturally had arms. one of which was a bit longer than the other, the dreamy ambient one. the other somewhat shorter arm was just as important though, the electronica arm. together, these four limbs crafted a somewhat introverted and philosophic kid who wore his feelings on the outside of his skin for everyone to see. and now Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson are back. with what is easily one of the most anticipating albums of the year, they face a great challenge in following their majestic début album (which also is up for download here somewhere down the list, by the way). what better way to take on the challenge then, but to produce one of the most ambitious releases of all time? none. released as a 32-paged book that comes with multiple colour variations of the cover and with a written text inside that varies from version to version, as well as many pretty pictures and beautiful colours, and on two CDs – this is definitely something more than just a second album. check out the cover. that picture as well as two more are included in the download. and here is two random pages in the book as well. and two more for good measure. and finally – a picture of the CD. and while they look lovely like that, I cannot stress how much you should definitely invest money in this album if you can afford to, because it’s rather cheap for a 32-paged book – and it’s so definitely worth it. you should probably buy it even if you don’t like the music – because it really is that good. and it feels nice to know they’ve put so much effort into this magnificent packaging. it just goes to prove that this band is interested in offering something different, something consistent and thorough. this will be a long post, demonstrating what a fatal flaw the design choice of one paragraph per post… but there are two discs, so I arrogantly divide this into two paragraphs to make it at least slightly easier to read.

like this… so now – to the music. because that is what truly matters. to me at least. while the book and the pictures inside of it gets me excited in its very inviting presentation, it is essentially worthless to me without the music to back it up. don’t get me wrong, I like pretty pictures – and if you are into that stuff you should as mentioned pick up the book even if you’re not into the music – but my relationship with pictures is mostly «hmm… that’s pretty… hmm… that’s also nice…» – it rarely goes way past that level of enthusiasm. so to me, the book is a compliment to the music – not a necessity. but it adds another level of ambition, and it’s so awesome that they are so dedicated to delivering a product that is flawless in each and every way, that you should really stop reading this and head over to http://www.howisannierecords.com and pick up your very own copy of this. actually I’m willing to bet that if you have heard this band before, you have probably already ordered a copy purely based on the début. if you however are in some kind of doubt – click the download button, and continue to read on. this album is a perfect album. or should I say these albums? because it’s divided up into two albums, “Puzzle” and “The Detective”. actually I’m not even sure I want to call it albums either. yerp. it’s official! we need a new term to do these glorious objects d’art proper justice. anyway – to compare this object d’art to the début is sort of hard, I guess. the reason being simply that both of the releases’ songs are so closely knitted together. the songs on the first release belong there, and putting them on this one would be wrong. and so, even comparing them gets a bit weird to me. but what I can say right of the bat is the obvious lack of electronic elements, the complete lack of programming, which might perhaps lend this album a more organic and timeless quality to it. there are also more vocals evident on this, something that sets them effectively apart from most of the ambient progressive rock bands who tend to be nearly or completely instrumental. Gjermund, the main vocalist, has a very mellow voice that blends in with the soft pieces of the compositions effortlessly and elegantly. and occasionally Torbjørn, the second to main vocalist, gets the opportunity to scream until his lungs give out here, just like he did on the début. these two vocalists are distinctly different from each other, and serve distinctly different yet equally important purposes. what great fortune this band has struck upon with two so gifted though different vocalists! or rather, what great fortune we – the fans – have struck upon, finding this band. this is generally the feeling that rushes through my body whilst listening to this. what great fortune! whenever the guitars twinkle and twinkle into a shining climax that is utterly useless to even try to compare to anything else ever, it’s another reason for me to rejoice. whenever the cello graces the soundscape by taking control, as if it’s running off a cliff, forming wings just before the take-off, it’s another reason to rejoice. the band describes the songs as sorrowful hymns somewhere inside the 32-paged book, but to me this album is joy embodied in the form of music. it’s essentially happiness inside of a book. with seven members, Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson creates a lot of happiness, and a lot of noise. several layers of noise even. some mellow noise, some crisp noise and some harsh noise – all pretty noise. with twinkling minor chords, sparkling major chords and extremely intense drumming not contrasted but complimented by soft and harmonic bass lines and cello – this band creates an angst-ridden playground, in which they bend and break the nerves with every opportunity that are presented for them. claustrophobic build-ups that lead into open and wide but focused and aimed climaxes. this object d’art is what you get if someone dumps every potential human emotion in an ocean of emotionally charged, dynamic and beautiful noise. take the picture now, because it doesn’t get more perfect than this exact moment. download. buy. http://www.howisannierecords.com

click here to download ]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/02/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson/feed/ 0 Castevet – Summer Fences http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/02/castevet-summer-fences/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/02/castevet-summer-fences/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:13:21 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=908 if you managed to catch the Castevet upload some posts down from this, you are already familiar with this band and so you have already clicked on the download link without even bothering to consult my write up as to what they sound like. and that’s a good move, because if you liked the original post, you’ll like this as well. all three songs from the demo are on this album – and so are five other magnificent tracks. but for those of you not yet acquainted with Castevet, the reason you should bother with this album is the freshness and intensity it offers. in the previous post I compared them to American Football and The Appleseed Cast’s skill but with Cap’n Jazz and Small Brown Bike’s raw energy, and some little hints of each of the soft, intricate and mesmerising ’90s emo bands. this band essentially sounds like it’s aiming at representing a perfect blend of everything that was good about emo in ’90s. that is a highly ambitious task, though one which they fortunately largely succeed in. lyrically, this band is sparse though clever, singing about inadequacy, apathy and the feeling of everything being in vain. the well beyond dreamy melodies fit these often melancholic lyrics perfectly. downhearted lyrics followed by downbeat build-ups, interludes or conclusions is an ingenious formula. and whenever Castevet seizes the opportunity to break out of this pattern, in favour of blistering melodies and optimistic lyrics about breaking out of the pattern ones life is about to become, all of which characterized by a sugar rush influenced approach to harmonies – it’s even more brilliant. they even sound quite the bit like Age Sixteen at these particular moments – and it’s amazing. this album is amazing. download it! and buy it from http://www.cylsrecords.com – where it to my knowledge is priced at $10, which is well worth it. even the cover of this album is great (it has a deer on it!), so there are as far as I’m concerned no excuses. you need to own this.

click here to download

]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/02/castevet-summer-fences/feed/ 0 Quiritatio – As The Dead March, Birds Will Fall From Heaven http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/01/quiritatio-as-the-dead-march-birds-will-fall-from-heaven/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/01/quiritatio-as-the-dead-march-birds-will-fall-from-heaven/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:49:50 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=786 if you downloaded the first Quiritatio album I posted somewhere below, you will remember this band as a fusion of gloomy metal, intricate mathcore and screamotive hardcore. this was some of the darkest and most depressing and angry screamo ever heard. only people from the north of Norway can play screamo like this. only someone who go through periods of the year without any light whatsoever can ever make music this authentically unhappy. the only thing that could be compared to this sadness, are the sad, sad news that were to be found on my MySpace some time ago. Quiritatio had broken up! I guess it was somewhat unsurprising due to the vocalist quitting some time ago, but still… it made me downhearted. but thankfully at least one good (great) thing came out of this – their new album is finally available to the public. not as a CD or on a vinyl, unfortunately, but via blogs like this one. so I am proud to present you As The Dead March, Birds Will Fall From Heaven! I’m a huge fan of Quiritatio’s first album, so I was really hoping this didn’t let me down. I had very high hopes for this. so I put it on… and OMG IT’S FUCKING AMAZING WTF THIS IS AMAZING OMG OMG OMG. if this isn’t one of the best and most creative bands in screamo history, I don’t know shit about shit. out of all the technical and atmospheric arpeggio-characterized modern screamo, this is a milestone with no parallel whatsoever. I have goosebumps. I feel like I’m being blown away. like literally. BY A FUCKING EXPLOSION. this album destroys everything that has ever existed ever. download this album. there are no excuses. DOWNLOAD THIS ALBUM.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2010/01/quiritatio-as-the-dead-march-birds-will-fall-from-heaven/feed/ 0 I Create – Make the Years http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/i-create-make-the-years/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/i-create-make-the-years/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:21:21 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=749 starting out with well executed gang shouts, passing into a familiar ’90s/’00s style of hardcore in between Tragedy, Unbroken and Modern Life Is War, to take three well known examples. but it quickly enough breaks down to allow some twinkly guitars and soft bits that eventually climax in a loud and precise technical phase with distorted though melodic and twinkling guitars reigning together with complex drumming and emotive screaming that’s sort of reminiscent of I.Witness, though more screamo than crust, but definitely still dark and very much serious. I Create creates (GET IT? omg that was good) captivating dynamics comparable to what some of the instrumental ambient rock bands do. they don’t rely on it though, like, say, 1099 does. but there are however still a focused crescendo-oriented greatness to these songs. they are not humble in any way. they sound really ambitious, to be honest. and they earn the right to be ambitious through their excellent craftsmanship! the astounding dynamics throughout this record are only rivalled by the way the songs ooze of unity and solidarity. these songs sound like they come from the heart, and that’s where music should stem from. so take the time to listen to this album, because I Create have earned the right to it. you are in a constant state of debt to them, until you find the time to give these great songs a chance. I promise it won’t be a waste of time. in fact, they will make time stand still.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/i-create-make-the-years/feed/ 0 1099 – Any Day Now http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/1099-any-day-now/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/1099-any-day-now/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:51:12 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=713 I spent four minutes listening to tschsthschsthtscshcshtshchtshctsh before trying to open these files in VideoLan Client where I was greeted with far softer music. not that I don’t enjoy tschsthschsthtscshcshtshchtshctsh. I actually thought it was kind of cool. but four minutes with the exact same pattern was a bit boring, so I was quite disappointed with the opening track of this new record by 1099… that is until I opened it in VideoLan Client and got the proper song. so Amarok users out there, beware! the FLAC copies of this album don’t function too well. at least not for me. (MP3 versions are fine though.) anyway, let’s get back to it. on Any Day Now 1099 plays the same calm and hopeful progressive instrumental rock they did on their previous effort. the record reaches both highs and lows in terms of tension. their previous effort Machine! Fire! Ghost! was relatively popular on the blog back when I posted it, so to you hopeful fans out there anticipating another 1099 record, this is what you’ve been waiting for. this should quench your thirst for epic rock. though this effort might not be anything revolutionary sound-wise for 1099, it needn’t be either. their début was about half an hour long, and this is just over twenty minutes. the reason I am pointing out this is because this band is still early in its release catalog, so expecting them to completely change their sound would be silly. and when you listen to the majestic climax of “Up! Up! Up!”, you quickly realise that it’s a good thing that 1099 still play on the same strings. there are *some* changes though. there’s maybe a little bigger hint of Sigur Rós to be detected in here, compared to M!F!G!, and the heavy parts are noticeably heavier than on the début, something that’s demonstrated extremely well in the climax of “Up! Up! Up!” as well as the opening of “Beauty of the Night”, which later passes onto an Explosions in the Sky-like part. 1099 employ just about everything that the more popular bands in the technical ambient rock scene (Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion are worth mentioning in addition to Sigur Rós and Explosions in the Sky that’s already named). this is very powerful ambient progressive rock with melodies wider than the entire earth, and unmatchable dynamics. an extremely well executed album by a immensely talented Norwegian rock band that deserves all the attention that their music requires to fully appreciate.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/1099-any-day-now/feed/ 0 Quiritatio – Forgive and Forget http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/quiritatio-forgive-and-forget/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/quiritatio-forgive-and-forget/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:12:50 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=691 Quiritatio are situated deeply in the Norwegian hardcore scene – which is easy to tell. at least sometimes… because despite the undoubtedly typically depressing Norwegian core Quiritatio manage to stand out by being a thoroughly unique band that add lots of twist to the perfected formula of Orchid-like vocals, flying guitars and technical rhythm section. their misanthropic Cult of Luna-esque gloomy (yet hopeful – in the end) tales (whose influence can be spotted on the newest Dominic album posted beneath this post) are epic journeys throughout many a musical influence, most importantly various metal influences. the metal influence is highly noticeable, to put it kindly. not only in the immediate obvious, such as the low growling guitars as well as some guttural vocals, but also in the long, progressive and highly technical melodic structures. all of this diversity leads to a comparison to The Spectacle being somewhat necessary. but it doesn’t really matter matter who Quiritatio gets compared to. all you need to know is that they are great and you need to listen to them.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/11/quiritatio-forgive-and-forget/feed/ 0 Stella Dawes – Contrasts http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/10/stella-dawes-contrasts/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/10/stella-dawes-contrasts/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:39:42 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=415 these guys sent me their album ages ago. but due to moving the blog and so on, it never got posted… till now that is! and I must admit I was quite curious to hear what this album was like, due to seeing them name dropped on quite some forums, as well as getting *very* glowing revies. well boys… here’s another one to add to the collection. the intro is a brooding and atmospheric droning glimpse of doom. suddenly it gets abruptly ended in favour of havoc and destruction, and the meaning of the album title gets all too obvious. after raping your ears for some few minutes, Stella Dawes proceed into more ambient drone territory, just to make sure you are in fact going insane, before launching another full scale attack. you know The Battle for Helms Deep in the movie adaption of The Lord of the Rings? it’s kind of like that. only in between these grandiose events, there’s bits of harmonic and genuinely catchy soft alternative bits, offering a healing moment to your ears. Stella Dawes does an excellent job at executing this, which is something that might have been out of place if not done properly. fortunately though, this band proves to be capable of taking many elements which might not look compatible on paper, and putting them together into gigantic master pieces. the progressive and diverse nature of this band makes it somewhat appropriate to draw comparison to another band on that’s punk – The Pax Cecilia. both bands play a screamo-tinged variant of progressive metalcore. the biggest difference might be that where The Pax Cecilia has piano-driven harmonies, Stella Dawes have droning intervals of noise rock that strive to create harmonies and melodic structures underneath all the terror – and succeeds at that, I might add. just like they succeed at pretty much everything they attempt at this album. whether it be brutal metalcore or the sweetest acoustic-driven interludes climaxing in a mix of screams and loud and heavily distorted yet soft on the ears guitars, they simply succeed. this is a bombastic début album full of brave compositions and intricate arrangements that require the utmost skill and devotion to pull of. they pull it off. download this album, then order it from their MySpace. do it now.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/10/stella-dawes-contrasts/feed/ 0 Mihai Edrisch – Un jour sans lendemain http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/mihai-edrisch-un-jour-sans-lendemain/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/mihai-edrisch-un-jour-sans-lendemain/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:58:40 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=255 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.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/mihai-edrisch-un-jour-sans-lendemain/feed/ 0 Mihai Edrisch – L’un sans l’autre http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/mihai-edrisch-lun-sans-lautre/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/mihai-edrisch-lun-sans-lautre/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:42:49 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=266 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.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/mihai-edrisch-lun-sans-lautre/feed/ 0 Celeste – Misantrophe(s) http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/celeste-misantrophes/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/celeste-misantrophes/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:47:50 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=267 if you are like me and prefer early Isis over newer Isis – this album should tickle your fancy. if you don’t give a fuck about Isis (you should, btw), you should listen to this album because it is awesome. epic and grandiose progressive screamo mixed with powerful and hard-hitting black metal. what more can one ask of a band? it’s Euro-style breakdowns and interludes galore, black metal guitars and screamed vocals. screamed like Manhattan Skyline, Orchid and Quiritatio’s screams – not like Honeywell, Reach Out and mamma, jeg blör… but the main ingredient in Celeste’s music is how epic they sound, and the sheer progressiveness they display. so get on it. download!

click here to download

]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/celeste-misantrophes/feed/ 0 Celeste – Nihiliste(s) http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/celeste-nihilistes/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/celeste-nihilistes/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:03:51 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=268 with their second release, Celeste moves into black metal territory. fusing two genres that are thought to be almost polar opposites: screamo and black metal. (okay, there are screamo/metal bands out there. there are even punk/black metal bands. but this is *screamo/black metal*. that’s not like, the most common fusing ever.) but after listening to this album, you will most certainly not view the genres as opposites. not at all. they go hand in hand, forging a union of might and power. every bit as mesmerizing as the previous release, «this music is too dreamy». and the black metal influences will have you bobbing your head even harder this time around. almost… *yikes* – headbanging. like a proper metalhead. so if you’re really into punk but hate metal (for some obscure reason), this might be your gateway into the grandiose metal genre. if you’re into metal – consider this your entry to the rawness of punk rock. if you’re into both… well then you obviously put this on repeat. also be sure to check out Uranus, Iskra, One Eyed God Prophecy, The Spectacle, Manhattan Skyline and other punk bands with metal influences. but first: download this album. it’s a heavy mother fucker of an album. it rips. get it.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/08/celeste-nihilistes/feed/ 0 Mesa Verde – The Old Road http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/mesa-verde-the-old-road/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/mesa-verde-the-old-road/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:39:23 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=519 a dreamy intro with epic overtones makes the listener wonder – did I just put on a skram band, or some Sigur Rós? the song’s name “A Deep Sleep Without Dreams” fails to describe the song accurately, because it feels like you’re having five hundred dreams all at once, all of which tell epic tales from the days of yore. it all climaxes in what can only be the final battle of good of evil. truly epic, truly glorious. to victory we ride! and to follow this epic intro track, there’s highly technical as well as highly awesome screamo, filled with intensity and dynamics. there are no slow or high-paced tracks per se. the album is just really stuffed with diversity. you’re going to hear quick bursts of high paced screamo breaking down into guitars playing simple hooks, with screaming on top of it – building up to crash-heavy drumming… and so on. it’s constantly moving, and well worth of a listen. your listen! download it. then go get it from blind records . http://www.artforblind.com/

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/mesa-verde-the-old-road/feed/ 0 Sed Non Satiata – Le Ciel De Notre Enfance http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/sed-non-satiata-le-ciel-de-notre-enfance/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/sed-non-satiata-le-ciel-de-notre-enfance/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:39:22 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=520 from the calm and marvellous minute of soothing guitars into the intense though just as marvellous next three minutes of engaging guitars, passionate screams and well-flowing progressive screamo – the opening track “sets the standard”, one could say. and that standard is met throughout the whole album. especially due to the grand climaxes. this band has Dominic-like riffing that every now and then climaxes into this (newer) Envy epicness – all with a big French screamo touch. having such lengthy songs as Sed Non Satiata have, they need to somehow grab the attention and then proceed to keep it for several minutes. fortunately, they beyond accomplish this at all times with this thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly well-performed album.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/sed-non-satiata-le-ciel-de-notre-enfance/feed/ 0 Mesa Verde – In This Silence We Will Slow Dance http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/mesa-verde-in-this-silence-we-will-slow-dance/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/mesa-verde-in-this-silence-we-will-slow-dance/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:33:12 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=388 Mesa Verde are a band that are full of great screamo guitar passages reminiscent of City of Caterpillar and even the Norwegian skram Dominic. the screaming is also very alike the screaming of CoC and Dominic. loud, heartfelt and distorted. the pronounciation is less clear (perhaps due to an excessive amount of distortion) though, so bring out your lyrics sheets ( http://www.mesaverde.co.uk/releases/in-this-silence-we-will-slow-dance/ ). the music is highly dynamic, and in constant movement. always either slowing down or speeding up it seems. if not, it’s taking you by surprise outbursts of screamotional hardcore. this band is epic. though not epic in the way that Envy and The Spectacle are, but in a more toned down manner. not as grand sounding, but just as passionate and intense. you owe it to yourself to listen to this album. start doing it right now. good luck soldier.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/06/mesa-verde-in-this-silence-we-will-slow-dance/feed/ 0 Soup – Acoustic http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/05/soup-acoustic/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/05/soup-acoustic/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 14:18:25 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=349 for those of you who really liked the Soup album, here is a special treat for you – an acoustic version of My Justine! you will be sure to like this. if you on the other hand didn’t catch the Soup album when I uploaded it, download this anyway! give it a go! you might just like it. it’s a powerful track with dreamy lyrics and vocals. the flowing chord progression mesmerizes the listener, whilst the nice strings in the background makes sure that it is forced to place all its attention on the track. and the peculiar lyrics and wonderful vocals makes it want to be in the track. it’s just such a well done version of the song, it’s mind blowing. you need this. download it!

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/05/soup-acoustic/feed/ 0 Kazan & After Taste Split http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/05/kazan-after-taste-split/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/05/kazan-after-taste-split/#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 14:18:25 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=346 we all love French skram. so this is a split between no less than two(!) French skram bands. and from the crushing intro by After Taste to Kazan’s equally crushing outro, this is a real treat. and this is two rather different bands as well. After Taste are a highly atmospheric and progressive band with epic overtones. they create this tense and melancholic mood, yet they sound very big and pounding. lots of cymbals, heh. at times you feel like you are listening to a Bal-Sagoth of screamo or something. they even crash into full-blown metal parts. weeeee. I really like this band. they are incredibly diverse. one minute it’s acoustic, one minute it’s loud screamo with medieval undertones and then one minute it’s just crushing epic prog with heavy use of cymba. a pretty amazing band, to do the exact opposite of exaggerate. downbeat, upbeat, all-over-the-place-beat – whatever. this band masters it all. and it’s a privelige to be able to listen to this fantastic work. so you should DEFINITELY listen to it. a fucking perfect band. but this split does not consist of only two bands. there are two bands. two rather different bands as well. Kazan might sound similar at first. the first minute of their first track is pretty hands on French screamo. and though After Taste are an incredibly diverse band, you can always tell that it’s French screamo. and Kazan has that recognizable sound as well… for the first minute. then they go into a beautiful and soft folky part, that eventually progress into a metalcore-esque bit that could just as well had palm muting (it already has double bass pedals so), that climaxes into an epic screamo part, before it goes into the metalcore-esque part again, with some medieval undertones – like After Taste occasionaly has. it makes me want to play Warcraft II. simply amazing stuff. if only two bands in the world should have done a split, these two bands might very well be those two bands. whilst being different, they are both equally diverse and original. two such atmospheric bands are hard to come across. especially on the same record – making this a must have!

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/05/kazan-after-taste-split/feed/ 0 Safehouses on Fire – So We Fell in Love With All of Our Pro-longed Goodbyes http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/safehouses-on-fire-so-we-fell-in-love-with-all-of-our-pro-longed-goodbyes/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/safehouses-on-fire-so-we-fell-in-love-with-all-of-our-pro-longed-goodbyes/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:34:12 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=476 anyone familiar with Fighterpilot or Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson should understand me when I say that this is progressive rock with a touch of ambient from How Is Annie Records. but Safethouses on Fire are not as ambient as Fighterpilot, nor as emo as YP. it has its own, very atmospheric style. the songs flow beautifully, and really dig into your brain, refusing to let go of it. you might be puzzled by this wonderful journey. and you will certainly have to listen to it several times to really fathom all its complex layers, due to the sheer amount of layers. this is deep and wild music. get into it. if you really like it, you can buy it from http://www.howisannierecords.com – which I highly recommend you to. if this is a dream, don’t let it end.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/safehouses-on-fire-so-we-fell-in-love-with-all-of-our-pro-longed-goodbyes/feed/ 0 sleepmakeswaves – in today already walks tomorrow http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/sleepmakeswaves-in-today-already-walks-tomorrow/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/sleepmakeswaves-in-today-already-walks-tomorrow/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:16:02 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=189 sleepmakeswaves are punking it up. while the demo (see post #90) is mostly slowly creating this soft atmospheric music, or droning the shit out of the listener with distorted guitars and cymbal-heavy drumming, this release starts of with a mostly very upbeat piece with rocking harmonic guitars. of course the band can’t help but fill the mid-part with some progressive goodiness that builds up with a faster and faster hitten snare, melodic guitars and mellow bass – all of which eventually climaxes in an explosion of powerful melody alike to Mogwai on their finest. this really sounds like City of Caterpillar sans the screaming, only more patient and with more instruments. kind of like Envy. it’s big and it’s good. and everybody should download it.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/sleepmakeswaves-in-today-already-walks-tomorrow/feed/ 0 sleepmakeswaves – sleepmakeswaves http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/sleepmakeswaves-sleepmakeswaves/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/sleepmakeswaves-sleepmakeswaves/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:18:01 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=188 sleepmakesnowaves have no vocals, but that doesn’t mean they have no voice. they are in fact highly vocal, despite lacking a vocalist. they are an instrumental rock band that play a great deal on ambience. it sounds like they are trying to capture Mogwai’s magic ambient twinkling, and then completely destroy it with distorted drone guitars in the vein of Isis every now and then. they succeed at this. very much. this demo sounds very dark and meek, yet there is this optimism and power inherent in the music. especially the parts with distorted guitars and an overall loudness. the twinkly ambient bits come off as sort of passages into these great climaxes of honest, humble and very *awesome* music.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/sleepmakeswaves-sleepmakeswaves/feed/ 0 1099 – Machine! Fire! Ghosts! http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/1099-machine-fire-ghosts/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/1099-machine-fire-ghosts/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:11:08 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=472 1099 are a band that plays very atmospheric music. the guitars are twinkling nicely, whilst the strings are ensuring the music is constantly flowing like a waterfall. the drummer makes use of the entire kit, at the right times. cymbals galore to create intense moments, snare to create suspension and a nice utilization of toms to make sure the music doesn’t run away. where Yndi Halda’s songs are so different that they could just as well been split up into several tracks, 1099′s tracks are definitely single pieces that are so sewn together, you wouldn’t dream of replacing – let alone removing – a single bit of them. where Explosions in the Sky generally tend to have long intros that lead into this one climax – 1099 are a constant flow of climaxes, making the tracks less tiring than Explosions in the Sky’s. the songs go from downbeat moments with toms and the infamous Indian Summer guitars, onto the same Indian Summer guitars only with snare instead of toms. then the strings come. then the cymbals come, increasingly louder and louder and louder. the snare is hit faster and louder as well. the guitars go higher and higher. the strings are constrasting slower and slower. everything breaks. the twinkly Indian Summer guitars are alone. then comes the upbeat drumming, the distorted guitars, the everything. there’s climaxes all over the place. everything is alive with beauty, power and passion. this ep is awesome, and you should get it. I’m not generally into bands without vocals, but this is simply awesome.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/03/1099-machine-fire-ghosts/feed/ 0 The Spectacle – I, Fail http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-i-fail/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-i-fail/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:13:01 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=103 on I, Fail, The Spectacle takes things to the next level. they use much of the heavy and gritty crust sound of previous releases, but favour far more experimental compositions that incorporates eastern influences as well as a much wider utilization of their core instruments. they have the more modern chord progressions of screamo bands such as City of Caterpillar and Circle Takes the Square. but amidst all of the screamo-like guitars and snare-focused upbeat drumming is a spiritual or magical presence. this is devastating sludge. when they break away from the crust chains and play the mesmerising acoustic guitars and hypnotising battle drums, you feel like you are in the middle of an epic middle-age tale. and perhaps you indeed are? this album is timeless and beautiful like no other album ever made. if you are a fan of epic rock/metal bands, then you will absolutely absorb this album, and refuse to listen to anything else than this for the next few days (or weeks). because this is a monster of an album that deserves the attention of everyone. listen to this!

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-i-fail/feed/ 0 The Spectacle 10″ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-10/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-10/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:09:29 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=127 if you like what is often refered to as “post-rock” (ugh), you might like this. if you like extreme metal, you might like this. it’s diverse and epic progressive crust-tinged metal. enough said. get it. the album is magnificent. it will change you. and you’ll be better off for it.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-10/feed/ 0 The Spectacle 7″ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-7/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-7/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:08:58 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=100 you probably shouldn’t get this if you are bipolar, because it might fuck you up a bit. this is some of the most depressing and heavy crust you’ll hear, but also some of the most uplifting epic progressive hardcore you’ll ever hear. this is only two tracks, “Beats” and “Terms”. and you need to listen to them asap.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-7/feed/ 0 The Spectacle – Lakonia Demo http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-lakonia-demo/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-lakonia-demo/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:05:57 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=98 is extremely powerful and intense crust your thing? get this. the screamo and hardcore influences are evident, but the sound is heavy and dark crust, that incorporates epic hardcore that sounds like Godspeed You! Black Emperor jumping between grind and progressive, and epic emo like Envy displays on latter albums. the vocals have a clearly evident passion to them. the vocals vary between screams and dark growling. the guitars play an epic progressive chord progression with punk rock undertones and sceamo overtones. the band basically blends what must be a thousand genres in this. and they do it very well. in short: don’t miss out on this. it’s just one song, but what a song!

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-spectacle-lakonia-demo/feed/ 0 Hit Factory – Party Animals http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/hit-factory-party-animals/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/hit-factory-party-animals/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:01:06 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=83 this is basically pop rock. but it’s pretty fucking epic anyway. the sound is huge. and it’s definitely album rock, because these songs all sound like they belong together. it’s tightly produced, and despite basically being a pop album, it has a lot of different sounds to it. noise, alternative rock and ambient are all present. it sounds a bit BritPop influenced, like Radiohead. but at the same time there’s so much folk stuff. and it’s too darn happy to be Radiohead. gotta love this album. upbeat and definitely happy pop music for the masses (that means you!). get it. :D

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/hit-factory-party-animals/feed/ 0 Score One For Safety – Castles [EP] + Bonus http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/score-one-for-safety-castles-ep-bonus/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/score-one-for-safety-castles-ep-bonus/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:00:42 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=431 eerie and epic. with some skram vocals still reminiscent of The Spirit of Versailles, and some gang chants or whatever. the music is progressive, and it progresses from moody ambient to screamo chaos. and it’s all very welcome. give it a go if you are into those long tracks with climaxes and stuff. give it a go if you wish Sinking Steps…Rising Eyes were still together, and had even longer songs.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/score-one-for-safety-castles-ep-bonus/feed/ 0 The Pax Cecilia – Blessed Are the Bonds http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-pax-cecilia-blessed-are-the-bonds/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-pax-cecilia-blessed-are-the-bonds/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:19:31 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=420 The Pax Cecilia make very progressive metal stuff with the occasional skram guitars/vocals. and they do it well. there’s also a decent amount of instrumental stuff appearing on this album. Blessed Are the Bonds is simply filled with atmospheric piano-driven music as well as heavy metal guitars, progressive skram music and whatever. it’s all good, and well worth downloading. a highly diverse and consistent effort that just delivers so much, all the way through.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/the-pax-cecilia-blessed-are-the-bonds/feed/ 0 Score One For Safety – Like A Rice Filled Bird, You Explode [EP] http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/score-one-for-safety-like-a-rice-filled-bird-you-explode-ep/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/score-one-for-safety-like-a-rice-filled-bird-you-explode-ep/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:16:41 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=430 Score One For Safety are a band with epic soundscapes and big skram. the vocals are a bit like The Spirit of Versailles, though not as fucked up. and the music is a bit like Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson meets Suffocate For Fuck Sake. the definitely most obvious comparison to make is to Sinking Steps…Rising Eyes. good tunes. atmospheric and pwitty with great vocals and a very dynamic sound that picks up when it should, but also takes it down when it should. if you like what some people call “post-rock” (ugh), you’ll like this probably. get it.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/score-one-for-safety-like-a-rice-filled-bird-you-explode-ep/feed/ 0 Fighterpilot – Between Homes and Travels http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/fighterpilot-between-homes-and-travels/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/fighterpilot-between-homes-and-travels/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:11:05 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=47 Fighterpilot are an emo-influenced ambient/electronic/progressive rock band. if Soup is the semi artsy-fartsy band, Fighterpilot are *the* artsy-fartsy band that everyone just loves. well, maybe not everyone. because it is not for everyone. it’s for people who enjoy great music. with instruments ranging from computers to drums to guitars to vacuum cleaners to whatever else was near the studio – this is awesome. a journey you couldn’t picture in your wildest dreams. dreamy, moody and atmospheric. buy from http://www.howisannierecords.com – it’s worth it.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/fighterpilot-between-homes-and-travels/feed/ 0 Soup – Come on Pioneers http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/soup-come-on-pioneers/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/soup-come-on-pioneers/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:08:25 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=542 Soup are a semi artsy-fartsy band. at least sometimes. Soup are from Norway, and they play progressive and atmospheric music with great dynamics, and loads of marvellous atmospheres. there are awesome ambient pieces, but also melodic synth-driven rock with a very mellow bass and fantastic pop hooks. and it’s awesome. and very comfortable to listen to. are you uncomfortable? listen here to this. and get comfy. buy from http://www.howisannierecords.com at once! there’s a reason this is considered one of the finest albums by every publication lucky enough to have heard of it.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/soup-come-on-pioneers/feed/ 0 A Bunny’s Caravan – Draining Puddles, Retrieving Treasures http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/a-bunnys-caravan-draining-puddles-retrieving-treasures/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/a-bunnys-caravan-draining-puddles-retrieving-treasures/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:05:02 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=43 to put my feelings into words is a near impossible task when it comes to this album. I will somehow try to make an effort though. A Bunny’s Caravan are a progressive emo band like e.g. rest of my life, Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson and The Appleseed Cast. they also owes a great deal to emo-influenced alternative bands like Jimmy Eat World and Sensefield. but those bands become nothing but pale and shallow in comparison to A Bunny’s Caravan. and like Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson, A Bunny’s Caravan make use of eerie vocals and dreamy atmospheres with crescendos and amazing build-ups leading into ecstatic climaxes – and in terms of music quality, this entire album is just one big climax. this album is my favourite album of all time. download it. buy it from http://www.howisannierecords.com even. you should buy it twice. it’s that good.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/a-bunnys-caravan-draining-puddles-retrieving-treasures/feed/ 0 Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson – Unnoticeable in A Tiny Town, Invisible in the City http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-unnoticeable-in-a-tiny-town-invisible-in-the-city/ http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-unnoticeable-in-a-tiny-town-invisible-in-the-city/#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:57:13 +0000 indietrash http://thatspunk.net/blog/?p=425 some say it’s the album of the year, if not the decade. some say it’s the best album ever. in whatever degree people think this rules, they all think it rules. and that’s understandable. this is highly dynamic emo with very progressive and intricate ambient rock elements, and subtle electronic blip blops enhancing the sound picture. it also has parts with those clean 00s screamo guitars that are kept company by screaming and a dreamy atmosphere. what makes this album so beyond memorable is how it always finds a way of renewing itself. in the middle of a song, the track might just rejuvenate itself with great passion and energy. it’s mellow, then noisy, then ambient, then mellow, then it crescendos into one more noisy bit… and so on. it just never stays still. and it is all times beautiful, heart-warming and intense. you *really* don’t want to miss out on this legendary album. buy the album before it sells out at http://www.howisannierecords.com – if you like it, which I think you will. this version of the album has some extra tracks by the way.

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]]> http://thatspunk.net/blog/2009/02/youth-pictures-of-florence-henderson-unnoticeable-in-a-tiny-town-invisible-in-the-city/feed/ 0