Get Bent - Demo 2008

Hey, just here for another quick post for 5 songs really worth listening to!

Not going into full album critique mode, I'll keep it short and just say that Get Bent gets a lot of things right that other modern-era punk bands miss on occasion. The pace is just right, the shout-a-long lyrics are fun, and the passion is definitely present. The biggest tragedy here is that Get Bent are only planning to produce one more 7" EP, slated to come out some time in 2009. I, for one, will definitely be picking it up.

Sorry for not having time to stick this album on mediafire, but it's actually a blessing in disguise! The site I will be linking to, ifyoumakeit.com, is a GREAT resource for lesser-known punk bands looking for some fans!

Here is the link: http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/album/get-bent/demo/

To get your download, click above, and on the righthand side, there will be an orange "download" square. Clickity click.

Enjoy! And while you're on ifyoumakeit.com, my suggestions would be Iron Chic's demo, Thousandaire's self-titled EP, and "Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit", by Snowing. Enjoy!

Kixpo 2009

Hey internet,

Not really a review, and not really an article. Just sharing a link to a groovy mixtape from a thing called Kixpo. It happened in 2009. Alright, so useless information aside, here's the tape. You can play it right from the browser, or download the whole thing as mp3 files.

Link!
http://kixpo2009.bandcamp.com/album/kixpo-2009



Notables: The group Maxx Moon is one half Astronautalis, the indie-rap fellow who's album The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters we reviewed last month.

Hometowns - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Hey, blogosphere! I missed you! Likewise, I am sure. I spent the last week or so in a variety of places, most notably rural Ohio. Needless to say, not so fun. Some Guy and I have finally overcome the kind of apathy that is just potent enough to stop a guy from posting anything on his little corner of the internet for a whole week! We're here to make that right as rain.

To do this, I am bringing you a little slice of the Canadian woods with the Rural Alberta Advantage, or, RAA as they sometime call themselves. Some of you know I like indie rock, and some of you know I like folk punk. What RAA does, much to my delight, is find a happy medium between the two. The bands (for all intents and purposes) debut album, Hometowns is a sonic pizza. The doughy crust is baked from the persistent, yet never overpowering drum beats. The sweet, tomatoey sauce is the mashed up pulp of guitar hooks cleverly woven under delicious and melty lyrical cheese.

Silly analogies aside, I really enjoyed Hometowns. For me, the biggest success on the album was "Don't Haunt This Place", a track featuring expertly done male/female vocal harmonies (this may or may not be a recurring theme, recently. Deal with it.), a classical string section, and some of the craziest drumming you'll hear this side of "Stomp!"

Though I feel like a shit for having to identify it, the low point of Hometowns has got to be "Sleep All Day". Though only featuring drums, a tambourine and a synthesized piano, Sleep All Day is clearly the least... involved track on the album. This is actually saying a lot. It's by no means an awful track, worthy of skipping every time through. I just think it could have used... something. Anything! I'm certainly no expert, as always.

Basically, RAA takes great things from indie rock and folk punk, and sticks them into a pizza, I guess. So if you like your pizza cooked this way, or any way close to this, go for it! I doubt you'll be disappointed. If you are, I am truly sorry, it was never my intention! This album download link comes very, very, VERY highly recommended from me.

We got asked to take down the link by the bands record company, Saddle Records. They were neat enough to provide us with some free tracks to share, though, so here are "Don't Haunt This Place" and "Frank, AB". Being completely honest, this record is worth the 9 or so dollars it'll cost you on iTunes or whatever, or even a hard copy from the record company, itself, found here. Thanks for understanding, loyal listeners!



P.S., I think I'll be starting a twitter thingy for the blog, since the people who follow me get pissed when I self promote new posts. Traffic is traffic, though!

Awesome Band You Should Probably Listen To: I Would Set Myself on Fire For You

I’m sure you’re all well aware that I’ve been quite lazy with this blog again. I’m sure this makes all of you clench your fists with rage. I’m sure that the only reason you come to this blog is because you love me. Or just to mooch our download links, one of the two. Probably the latter or a combination of both, but that’s not very important. What is important is that I, the magnificent Some Guy, have something for you.

To make up for how our last Awesome Band You Should Probably Listen To’s download link was asked to be taken down (Although that slick Alan worked out a spiffy deal with the publicity people, so that seems to have worked out quite well actually), I’ve got another one for you today. I don’t think there is a chance of such things happening again. Oh no, I’m quite sure that this band isn’t together anymore and therefore does not have a PR group that will make us remove download links. That would be like a zombie hiring a lawyer. Wow, that was a brilliant analogy; I deserve a pat on the back for that one.

Now that I’ve got my two paragraphs of stupid out of the way, we can actually begin to discuss why I’m making this blog post in the first place. I Would Set Myself On Fire For You is a screamo band from Atlanta, Georgia. Yes, they are a screamo band with a silly name, but that doesn't mean they aren’t amazing. I wouldn’t be telling you how amazing they are if they weren’t amazing now would I? What separates this from complete shit like the similarly named I Set My Friends on Fire or Alesana? Well, first of all it sounds absolutely nothing like them. They are completely different in just about every way, except for the genre name.

There is all kinds of great things about this band. Elements of post rock are very noticeable at times. Screamo, mixed with post rock? Yes, it’s right here. In that download link below. The music ranges from chaotic and wild to calm and atmospheric. Adding further depth to the band, they have 3 vocalists. Several times these vocalists sing together. One of these vocalists is a pretty girl who plays the viola. Violas are quite awesome, much like violins and cellos. Adding one to a band makes it insta-awesome, but there are some exceptions to this. Everything about this band is perfect. The lyrics are great as well. I don’t know what else you could ask for in a band. Even their name, although silly, is awesome.

The positives go on and on, and yet, there are no negatives besides they only have two albums out, and the fact that the female vocalist will probably not want to hook up with me IRL. Although the last one may not be true, I don’t think it’s classy to stalk girls from bands and ask them out. Anyways, here’s those download links I’m sure you all wanted.

In this download link you get:

(There doesn't seem to be cover art for this one for whatever reason)

I Would Set Myself On Fire For You - I Would Set Myself On Fire For You

I Would Set Myself On Fire For You - Believes in Patterns

And a sexy little TXT file promoting our blog, which I’m sure will be your favorite part.

No password as usual.

Download link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V6SG9BDV

Some Guy OUT

All The Damn Kids - Another Story to Tell

Today, I'm taking a swing at All The Damn Kids' new EP, Another Story to Tell. All The Damn Kids (Henceforth ATDK) are a 5 piece group from Sheffield, UK. Upbeat and electric, ATDK have found a mix of a lot of different elements, and it suits the songs they write. Dance, pop, indie, and traditional rock all have their place on this three track EP, blending to create a fun, involved album.

Throughout the album, ATDK provide a sort of power-pop that is not over done, as is so often the case. Due respect is given to the "traditional" instruments, as drums, bass and guitar aren't simply playing second fiddle (Hah, music pun) to overly-synthed keyboard riffs. This is what really won me over on this album; it's not so caught up in trying to be "modern" and "experimental" that they forget that people, above all, want to hear music that they enjoy listening to.

This is especially obvious on "Indie Is A Dirty Word", the second track on this three song EP. Everything meshes incredibly well, and once the individual parts blend together, all that's left is a fun listen which is only accentuated by the vocals, lead and secondary. Three of ADTK's five members are given vocal parts, according to their band page, providing a lot of fun three part harmonies.

While I know it's just three tracks, I see big things for ATDK. Another Story to Tell is proof that they are certainly capable of writing and playing great songs. Apart from a UK tour, All The Damn Kids are planning on producing and electronically distributing a new single, followed by a four song EP. I really cannot wait to see what these guys do, as they still have plenty to prove to listeners around the world, as well as record execs (can you believe they're unsigned?).

So, yea, I recommend this album, though I'd prefer to think of it as the pre-dinner cocktail that precedes the feast that All the Damn Kids is sure to be over the next few years.



To get your hands on a copy, send an email to allthedamnkids@hotmail.com though if you absolutely cannot wait, head over to their myspace page and give 'em a listen in the little music window thing. I've never been a really big myspace guy.

Jonesin' -- Hi, We're Jonesin'

Knowing where to start with Jonesin's album, Hi, We're Jonesin' is a little bit difficult. It's a lot of things: electronic, synthetic, groovy, trippy, deep, cute, but most of all, it's fun.

Jonesin' is Matt and Jenny Jones, who are (I assume) in some way related. (I don't know how, exactly, as I can't seem to find out for certain. My top guesses are Brother/Sister, or Married. Anyone who knows, correct me!)

The majority of Hi, We're Jonesin is a crazy blend of synthesizer melodies and dizzy drum beats. Both Matt and Jenny feature on vocals, creating a interesting contrast between a somewhat traditional male voice, and a hypercute, high pitch female part. There are songs, especially Ice Cream where the cuteness is so strong, it might actually cause facial injury due to smiling. Some people might actually slip in to happiness comas. Such is the energy on this record.

Jonesin' is a different musical venture for Matt Jones, a member of Master Slash Slave (Also referred to as Master/Slave, not sure which is proper.) The two bands, when listened to together is an experience, as described by Jones, "kind of like having a shot of good whiskey followed by a smooth beer."

In addition to being a smooth beer, Hi, We're Jonesin' is also a fun listen for a PLETHORA of reasons! The almost ethereal quality of songs like "Hey Aliens!" is incredibly captivating and intriguing, while tracks like "Bummer Summer" make you want to dance your way around the room, and end with the splits and jazz hands. Between extraterrestrials and dance numbers, Jonesin' manages to ask the big questions in "What If?", an almost conversational song which is all metaphysical and shit. I've been throwing the word "versatility" around so much lately I feel like I've got an 80 dollar suit and a budget meeting to get to, but that doesn't make it any less true; Hey, We're Jonesin' is versatile.

To sum up, I like this band, and I love this album. It's an enjoyable 38 minutes (ten tracks). I'm not gonna give it a rating (I'm going to try and move away from that whole system for a while, see if it works out), but I will absolutely recommend it to those who enjoy some crazy music, or awesome music, or crazy awesome music.



Once again, I can't provide a download link, since Jonesin's people were awesome enough to send us this album for free, but here is a list of resources for those interested in the band!

"Rollerskates" Video
Master Slash Slave's website
Jonesin's MySpace (A lot of free tracks can be found here on the little myspace player thing)

P.S., Matt Jones mustache rules. Is that how you spell it? Or Moustache?