Beautiful 2 fold (Lync & Moonraker)

As you can probably tell this is a double post. The reason? Honestly, because I need all the street cred I can get after my last two posts. As of recent I’ve been getting real into 90’s emo and indie rock. These are two of the bands that stand out in my mind when I think of that time; I was born in ‘92 so I never got to hear any of this when it was new, and Louisiana’s local scene was lacking back then, so as a kid the only all ages show I ever got to see was zydeco music. Although I know I should be proud that you could just about only hear zydeco in Louisiana I could never get interested in it.

At any rate other states where churning out stuff like this. Lync, in my opinion, is the quintessential 90’s indie rock band. They have the best of everything. The music is a beautiful, distorted, mess that is somewhat like an abstract painting. Some people will love it, and others will just write it off as a waste. The lyrics have a somewhat childish seriousness, and it seems like every song was written by a couple of bored kids that just wanted to make a band. I think that’s what makes Lync so great. The music sounds so effortless and simple, the lyrics are simple yet out there, and everything just clicks. The singer has a great voice, and it’s defiantly something you don’t hear too often anymore, but back in the 90’s everyone kinda just sounded like that.


8/10Lync - These are not fall colors





Now on to Moonraker. You haven’t heard a beautiful song until you’ve heard Friendly Fire. The guys voice is a bit odd, but the subtle underlying poetry of the song sets it off, and not to mention the feeling he puts into every word. You know how sometimes you can hear a song and it seem lifeless like the person never did what they talk about in the song, and it feels like it has no heart? Well that’s not this track. I could write another whole paragraph about how much I love that song, but it’s not the only good song by them. Every song has the same feel, with slow openings; fast paced hard-hitting choruses, than back to peaceful verses. Not all the songs follow this formula so it switches up and keeps it from getting predictable.

Really the only downside to Moonraker is how bad the recordings are. I mean its weird how the three live tracks have less distortion. Accident Prone is great and on the live version you can hear it a lot more clearly and it has a kind of My Favorite Citizen feel. Microgroove and Chicago Train are great live tracks, but in comparison every track is just filler before and after Friendly Fire. (Had to say something more about it.) I mean, don’t get me wrong all these songs are amazing, but FF just gets to me in a way that the others don’t.


9/10Moonraker - Discog

Nostalgia Part 2

I guess it was around ’05, which would have been the year after I decided TBS wasn’t godawful, that I found a little band called Bayside. At the Warped Tour they basically “throw” samplers and cheap compilations at you so you’ll know what music wont suck next year. I’ve kept everyone that I have ever gotten even if some of them had music that I just couldn’t get into. One of the many labels throwing CDs was Victory Records. I’m sure everyone knows about Victory so I’ll ignore some details and just lunge in.

I left with at least 8 different sampler CDs. Having quite a ride back from Houston me and my dad--I know he didn’t like the music but I really respect him for at least trying to bond with me—listened to all of them. One compilation was Black By Popular Demand, which is in my opinion pure genius. I mean how clever is that? (Not very? I agree.) This was definitely the best one I had and I’ll have to upload it, one was from some punk label, another was a promotional for Clit 45, and all the rest were VR summer samplers.

After listening to about half of them I popped one in that had a song called “Existing in a crisis (Evelyn)”. I instantly loved it. I checked who the band was, then as soon as I got home went to the local Best Buy and picked up Sirens and Condolences and the self-titled Bayside.





The basic feeling of their debut is cynicism. It starts off about how his friends don't live right, then how things are hard, he is alone, maybe there isn't a God after all, then it goes to "just let me be alone for a while", then its on to life sucks I hate it and I hate you so I'll smash this car into a guardrail.





Number two is slightly more positive. Life is still rough and things are no less fucked up but theres a spark, and a light at the end of the tunnel, so maybe I'll keep walking instead of sitting down and dying. Friends are users, the past is rough, the future will be rough, but I can blame it all on bad luck.





A couple of years back Bayside hit the road with Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, and Aiden for a tour. From what I know the shows sold well and a lot of people turned out but, unfortunatly one night roads where icy and Bayside's van got in wreck. Sadly their drummer died.

I had figured that the self-titled would be the last I would hear from Bayside. Then this acoustic CD turned up. Dedicated to the memory of the drummer, "Beatz", it has a trubute song (that in my opinion is the best song they have ever written.), a live track, two new songs, and of course acoustic covers of their old stuff. Great album, and my favorite of the three.

(Now They have a forth album that as of I yet I do not own. I heard it went gold, so congrats to them.)

So Bayside may not always have the deepest pool of inspirations, or the best sounding singer, the most energy, or the fastest guitar players, but they captured the feelings I had at that time in my life. To me that’s what really makes a good album. I don’t give a fuck if everyone says this band has no talent, or that band is cliché, or this sounds like whomever. If it talks to you, it talks to you. If people cannot respect that then forget ‘em.

Sirens and Condolences
Bayside
Acoustic

Support.

If you'd be my chloe, then I'd be your Jacob Sewell. (Kane Hodder)

The first time I heard these kids must have been in like '05 which was'nt that long ago but looking back feels like it was more like 13 than 3 years. At any rate the second I read the name I laughed, (For the oblivious Kane Hodder is the actor that played Jason Voorhees in most of the Friday the 13th movies.) and then I listened to a song... "Attack on lepper colony" or sometime of that nature it used to be on their purvolume page. At any rate I liked what I heard. 3 years later I bought "The Pleasure To Remain So Heartless"

First let me say my tastes have changed quite a bit; and second let me say I dont know who Chloe or Jacob Sewell are, but its on the track "I think Patrick Swayze is sexy" so I figured "Why the hell not?"

To address the first, don't get me wrong these guys are good but if you've heard any kind of scene band that tries to be "HxC" then you may have already heard this. Sometimes screaming, sometimes singing with a high-ish pitched voice. I also think that the singer may want to be on the cover of sassy magazine. They play somewhat-let me stress that, SOMEWHAT, not exactaly-like Alexisonfire mixed with Billy Talent if you can imagine that. The lyrics are kind of...silly?... lots of talk about blood and love, and death, and other things that are now cliche. Not every song is like "Oh my god I'll fucking die for your love!!!" but some kinda are...



And the second; I looked up these ppl and aparrently they were two actors that played in the movie "Gummo" but I did'nt find any other relationship between them. Maybe they get together in the movie but I never saw it.




7/10
Kane Hodder - The Pleasure To Remain So Heartless.

Support.

I Hate Myself minus the bass. (Die Hoffnung)

When I heard "Jon and Jim Marburger of I Hate Myself infamy," (Thats the jist of what the sticker on the front says) were coming out with something new, which was 2 years ago, I wanted it. Two years later I bought it. Now a few years ago I used to frequent the myspace.com emo forums, mainly because after school I had nothing to do, but also because they had an upload thread. A Die Hoffnung demo was present and being advertised as "Basically I Hate Myself without a bassist."

And...

Thats honestly how this was sold to me. "I Hate Myself minus their bass player." Come to find out that was a lie, even though technically it's true--you got the two brothers on drums and guitar, only lacking bass--but it bears hardly a resemblance to the I Hate Myself sound. On No Idea's website this is pretty much hailed as IHM back from the dead. Why lie to the consumer? (Note: They do'nt actually hail this band as the living dead corpse of I Hate Myself, but they do a job close enough for government work.)

So now that you know that this is not IHM reincarnate let me tell you what it is... Well it's music... fast-ish, loud,... Yeah, basically its alt rock with some screaming. Its good stuff but the lyrics are not what they used to be. They still have musical talent, but without the slow, quiet, sludge, of IHM it does'nt shine as bright.

At any rate its good. The music it catchy, and some songs have pretty good lyrics. The cover art is people in wierd circular fishing boats; the flipside is a close up of a bunch of bats; the back of the cover is some slimy dead fish, and hiding behind the CD,(which is the default silver with a yellow flower sprouting from the hole in the center)is a scene of blood red water, a dead shark?, some fishermen and a little kid just chillin in a boat.

I think Die Hoffnung is German for "the hope."

7/10 (Not all I was hoping for, but I guess my hopes were too high.)
Die Hoffnung - Love Songs

Support.

Now you are begining to seperate the dark from the dark... (An Arrow In Flight)

"an arrow in flight was born in june of 2001 and played its first show in november that year. it was started with jeremy and josh and mike. there have been lots of lineup changes. aaif made their own cd in 2002 and gave it away for free. in 2004, they recorded a new CD (on coldbringer recordings) and booked a tour. however, their greasel van (www.greasel.com) had starter problems, so the tour was cancelled. yep. then matt was too busy. then dan didn't want to play anymore. then tara didn't want to play without dan. then josh came back and con came on board. then they played some shows. then the band died. aaif, june 21, 2001 - june 17, 2005. the band is survived by business lady, last priest, end on end, and the plot to blow up the eiffel tower (bands containing former members of aaif)."

Chaotic, poetic, hardcore punk. Great music with beautiful guitar work, nice drums, some samples, (Including Bill O'Reilly making an ass of himself on the various movements and methods album,)and of course amazing lyrics.


19/20 (My only complaint is that there is just not enough music. I love these guys, and it is a real disappointment that they broke up.)
Filling the sky
Various movements and methods

Strike first. Strike hard. NO MERCY. (Cobra Kai)

To be honest with you all that I know about this band is that they are amazing.
This is what hardcore/"screamo" should sound like.

Great back and forth vocals, crazy melodies, and dice lyrics. These kids knew what they were doing. Everything comes together really well. Mainly hardcore, but they toss in a little electro, and a lot of chaotic sounds; every track has its own unique feel and sound, and a good majority of them are infectious. I can’t tell you how many times I caught my self singing, “You’ll never see me pull another stunt like this again. This is not me. This box of rocks settles to the bottom of the sea,” or “How hard can it be to host a rivalry? And how hard can it be to remain stationary?” This stuff gets stuck in your head and will not get out.(Not that you would want it to.)


10/10
Cobra Kai - Complete Recordings


I was recently checking out damn those bloodsuckers and found that the guy running that "show" had upped this. He also has some more info, a pic of the band, and the real album cover. (I like this cover more though ;) That sutff can be found near the end of the page.)

Nostalgia part 1

This is a little thing that I hate. I don’t know why, but ever since I was real little, to be honest as far back as I can remember, I hated getting older. I have no idea why but when some kids were afraid of the dark, I was afraid of getting old. So with that comes a real hate of looking back.

I don’t keep pictures. Never have and doubt I ever will. All they can do is help you remember. Remembrance for me is far more bitter than sweet. I could try to be poetic, but it basically comes down to this: When I think of the good old days, I feel like shit.

For no reason at all when I think of old friends, songs that I used to love, or games I used to play, I start to feel down.

Anyway, I’ll try to keep this segment going just to share the things that I used to, and still do love. And the first thing that I would like to share is an album by Taking Back Sunday.

It all started in about 2004. TBS had been around for a few years, but I found them to be whiney, dull, and girly. Their videos would come on Fuse (which I thought was the best music channel ever, but needless to say the feeling is no longer the same.) and BAM, channel changed. That summer was the one that my parents split up. I was down, but the realization of how fucked up things were wouldn’t hit me for a few more years.

The band that I though was the shit happened to be Story of the Year, and they happened to be playing at the warped tour. My dad, in an effort to bond or something took me to Florida to see them, and a bunch of other bands. One of the headlining bands just happened to be Taking Back Sunday. I wanted to ignore them but they were ‘underground heroes’ at the time and everyone, and I mean everyone, was at their stage so I figured why not give them a chance.

They played set phasers to stun, your so last summer, and a few other songs. Kids were moshing, which was not appropriate (believe me) but I found that the songs were catchy. It was something different to me, I mean I was all about what ever was on the radio and they just were not it.

As soon as I could I went out and bought Tell All Your Friends, and fell in love with it. In my opinion there is no comparison to any other album out there. It’s poppy, poetic, intense, and all around great.

That year brought changes like a new school, new friends, a new house, but through it Tell All Your Friends was there. I’m not trying to be melodramatic and make my life look like it was so hard, but I don't know how else to put it.

Not three days after my parents split my mom was dating some guy that I knew I would hate(She had been talking to him for only a few weeks. She met him when she and a few friends went to Florida for a convention or something.) Three months later he was living with us, and I knew that I hated him. Not to go into great detail, he is an ass.

Anyway, TBS made me smile in the fall, and gave me something to sing along to in the winter. I would take long walks and just listen to it over and over again. It changed my outlook on music and led me to better music, and better bands, but it will always be my favorite album.



Nowadays, they are not as… well let’s say good. Now it’s more for the money and airtime on the radio. The lyrics are nonsense, and they have a more generic sound. Maybe you could say it’s because of the ‘emo kids’, possibly you like them more than ever, you may never had heard of them, or you could blame so many bands for copying them, or possibly like one of my friends you blame the ‘Thursday curse.’ (A dumb conspiracy theory that every good band that tours with Thursday will split up, or turn to shit.) Whatever you do, remember them. Hate ‘em or love ‘em, Tell All Your Friends will always be classic.

Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends

Planes Mistaken For Stars - Self-titled

Good stuff. They say that they are emo, but to me they sound like an indie rock band with a frontman that smoked a few too many ciggerets. But the smoking things prbbly wrong since they're only kids. They've put out a coupla more albums, but I think this is the best. Angsty, tough, youthful, and awesome. (FYI they are known as a stoner band nowadays, but I've heard the latest album goes back to their roots)

8/10(The singer's voice takes me out of it)
Planes Mistaken For Stars - Planes Mistaken For Stars

Selma Lawd -LAWD- Selma! (This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb)

Let it be know that I dont like this band.

Now let it be know that because I dont like them doesnt mean I cannot recognize that they are pretty good. Some stuff is infectiously catchy, annoyingly so, and well thought out. I dont like how they talk about the Vietnam war, I mean c'mon! They were'nt even alive then, or how they sound just a little too much like Ghost Mice. If this whole folk rock stuff is your bag then check these guys out. You might be like me and find them to be good, but hate them, or you may be like some people and love 'em. I'll leave the choice up to you. At any rate, if you like it, delete it and order the album off of this amazing intraweb.

So to summerize:
Stupid name
Annoyingly catchy songs
Folk you!
I think Bob Dylan would be proud, but I never met the guy...

7/10(I dont like them...)
this bike is a pipe bomb - front seat solidarity

The Red Nation OF EROGJORJ!!! (Russian Circles)

This is possibly the only post-rock band that doesnt bore me. (These guys and Your Dad Vs. My Dad) Their stuff is kinda like death cab minus lyrics, plus some melodic metal stuff. It rises and falls, builds and collapses, and it keeps you wanting. Fun to listen to while reading, writting (if your into that), ridding in a car, or just something to brush your teeth to and wake up with. This 7" only has 2 tracks, but you find yourself listening to them over and over again.

BTW, if you've got anything else by this band plz upload it.

10/10(Post-rock that doesnt make me sleepy or bored.)
Russian Circles - Upper Ninety