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!

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.

Why? - Eskimo Snow

Some Guy again with more music! And it’s an actual review of a new album rather than a recommendation. I’ve been kinda lazy lately but no more! I’m going to try to contribute more often here, although it’s quite likely that I’m just going to continue to be lazy and write something like once a week. Hopefully not. But knowing me it’s a serious possibility.

I’ll skip the stupid crap (And by skip I mean save it for later) and get straight to the review! Recently one of my bros from the internet informed me that the new Why? album, Eskimo Snow, was leaked. My face changed from one of passive disinterest to ZOMGZ NEW WHY OMGZ OMG LINK LINK LINK. There was also some drooling in anticipation on my keyboard when I waited for the download from Rapidshit to finish. In case you all don’t know Alopecia is one of my favorite albums ever. The unique blend of hip hop and indie rock is something that my ears would love many times over and over again.

Sadly this new album goes in a bit of a different direction. I guess I kinda wanted another album like Alopecia, but different. This is waay different. While Alopecia mixed hip hop and indie rock amazingly, this one has little to no hip hop elements at all. At least the lyrics are just as creative as ever. There’s no line that strikes me as being completely and totally amazing however (Such as Alopecia’s “In Berlin I saw two men fuck in the dark corner of a basketball court.”).

There are a few standout tracks here. For example, the 3rd song on the album, Against Me, is quite awesome. Towards the end it is very hip hoppy, and then we have my favorite song on the album, Into the Shadows of My Embrace. It has a cool song title and somehow manages to not sound all pretentious and douchey. It’s probably my favorite because it sounds quite Alopeciaish. And there I go again making up adjectives. I need to stop that, unless they are positive adjectives.

The music is still pretty good for what it is. I’ve never been a huge indie rock fan (Most of the genre doesn’t do much for me at all, actually), but this album is still enjoyable. I’m sure those who really like the genre will like it even more than me. I’m also sure that people who adored Alopecia will also be a bit disappointed by this abrupt change, but eh what the hell. It’s still not horrible. It also shows yet again that the band is capable of changing their style without totally screwing up unlike some. So I guess this is pretty good compared to what it could have been. It’s also worth note that this album was written roughly around the same time Alopecia was. I wonder what their next album will sound like?

I give Eskimo Snow a 7.8 out of 10 for being a creative diversion from what I’m used to and having a few amazing songs but not being another Alopecia.

Now I know what you’re thinking, where’s the download link? Well that’s the thing. I can’t find one on the internet. I’m not going to upload my own because this album isn’t out yet and I am paranoid about the FBI raiding my home finding the 81 GB of mostly illegally acquired music on my hard drive and then taking it away from me. I would cry so you are going to have to locate the download link elsewhere. However I will check back every so often to find a download link and when I do find one you know where to find it.

OK I found one, but I can’t guarantee it will exist for very long.

Download link: http://depositfiles.com/en/files/i8x4cvi66

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Some Guy OUT!

No Go Know - Time Has Nothing to Do With It

Great news, intrawebs! By some bizarre stroke of luck, or perhaps simple pity by the kind folks over at XO Publicty, we are now on their press release list! This means we get to sample albums by some amazing bands who you may be hearing for the first time! For a full list of their clients, head here.

To the matter at hand, then. No Go Know, a Portland, Oregon based rock trio consisting of Scott Taylor (lead guitar, vocals), Mark Mcintire (bass guitar, back up vocals), and Sam Smith (drums), have put out their third full length release, Time Has Nothing to Do With It. One of XO's bands, I was a little skeptical when I got the email, as I was told to "think Built to Spill, Fugazi, Pink Floyd"; that's quite a lot to live up to.

Tall order aside, I really got into Time Has Nothing to Do With It. It's a loooooong record; two discs, each with 9 tracks, totaling just under 90 minutes of playtime. While there is still a lot I don't know about No Go Know and this record, the 5 or so times I have listened to it straight through in the past two and a half days is testament to its ability to keep a listener entertained.

With only three musicians, No Go Know is able to create a complex and unique sound that's as versatile as it is enjoyable. There is something for everyone on the album. Similar to the weather in New England, wait five minutes and it will change. Borderline pop-track "Thicket of Thieves" leads straight into a guitar driven rock song, "Love is War". Just three songs later, "Our Bodies Will Float" gives listeners a melodic ballad, sung sincerely and wonderfully by Taylor.

This album really is an adventure, and while the constant sonic shifting may have some would be listeners off balance, anyone who enjoys a good jam should pick up this album. I think it's a testament to the skill of all three musicians that 90 minutes of music is collected and released like this, and nearly all of it is the quality you'd expect out of a big name band like Built to Spill. Of course, like every album, it's got it's weak points, but they don't detract so much from the overall of the album enough to tarnish it's enjoyability. Yea, I think that's a perfect word for this album; enjoyability.

With that in mind, and seeing as how XO Publicity has been cool enough to let us provide a single for you all (We can't give away any of their clients for free, as that would CERTAINLY be bad for business! Sorry, mates.), you'll get a "purchase" link straight from No Go Know's record label, The Union Records. The free single is on the page I will link you to, as well.

For scoring purposes, I give Time Has Nothing to Do With It by No Go Know a solid...

8.5


http://theunionrecords.net/index.php/Band-Gear.html (Purchase Time Has Nothing to Do With It, along with all of No Go Know's other work-- hard copy or electronic download-- here)

And, before, I lied. The single can be found HERE, assuming they don't change their front page before you click this link.

Modest Mouse- No One's First And You're Next (Exclusive Pre-release Review!)

Special treat today, kiddies.

I've got my dirty little hands on the (as of press time) unreleased Modest Mouse album, No One's First, And You're Next (to be abbreviated as "NOFAYN" from here on out)! This album is set to come out on August 4th, 2009, so you can imagine how stoked I was to get my hands on some new tunes by the whole Modest Mouse gang, including frontman Isaac Brock, and Guitarist Johnny Marr. (Two of my biggest icons, by the way.)


Following the (in my opinion) disaster that was Modest Mouse's last album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, I had huge hopes for NOFAYN. I was really, really, REALLY looking for a good album to sink my teeth into; I expected a return to the great sounds of The Fruit That Ate Itself and Building Nothing Out of Something. What I got, was an EP (albeit a long one-- 8 tracks totalling just under thirty three and a half minutes) which was a sort of hodgepodge of the two sides of Modest Mouse.

Say what you will about Isaac Brock, but he's no fool. We've seen him glimpse true success with songs like "Float On" and "Dashboard", which were two very pop oriented tracks. The return of the "old" style on this album (Plunky bass, darker mood, almost angry vocals, et cetra. A great track to hear what I'm refering to is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAJ4rtCSFMg&feature=related) is noted, but it's not entirely enough. There are still elements of the failed twangy-pop sound which, along with an overpowering horn section, featured prominantly on We Were Dead. This is most obvious on the track, "Perpetual Motion Machine", my least favorite on the album.

Alright, I've gotten most of my complaints out of the way, and this album really does feature some great tracks that feel like they were written and preformed at the level that we all know Modest Mouse is capable of being at, given their niche. Songs like "King Rat", "Guilty Cocker Spaniel", and "Whale Song" are both reminiscent of earlier works by the band, and infused with fresh style, making them new and exciting to long time fans. King Rat, in fact, has a big-name music video coming out sometime in the future, directed by the late Heath Ledger, and animated by the legendary Terry Gilliam. I honestly cannot wait.

So, do I recomend this album? That depends. I feel silly, making the distinction, but it's pretty necessary. For estbalished fans of Modest Mouse who are familiar with the band's unique style, absolutely! It's a great addition to any collection. To someone, (not unlike my blogbuddy, Some Guy) who either is less than enthused about hearing another shitty replay of "Dashboard" on the radio, or doesn't know the first thing about Modest Mouse? I would say hold off. Not that it's a bad album as a standalone, or anything, it's primarily that its success is in the fact that it really combines several different facets of the "Modest Mouse Experience". It's a listening challenge, especially if you want to hear everything that's going on at any one time in a given track. To a lot of people, it'll simply sound "cluttered".

So, final verdict time. I give Modest Mouse's new EP, No One's First, And You're Next a...

8/10

One final note: There will not be a download link until the official album release date of August 4th, 2009. If you are intensely curious about the album, and just HAVE to have it, please contact me, and I will arrange it somehow.

Awesome Albums You Should Probably Listen To: Deadboy & The Elephantmen - We Are Night Sky

Some Guy here with his first Awesome Album You Should Probably Listen to on KBFWWSS! An AAYSPLT on KBFWWSS? That just sounds ridiculous. AAYSPLT on 2BGRM also sounded ridiculous but that didn’t stop me from doing so. I’ve noticed that Alan’s reviews are infinitely better than mine and are considerably lengthier. I don’t know how to feel about this, perhaps I should try to one up him? Nah, I’m going to keep doing what I do, write mediocre reviews of stuff on the internet.

I know Alan is supposed to be in charge of the indie rock stuff but I just couldn’t resist this one. Today we have Deadboy & the Elephantmen’s album We Are Night Sky. How is that for a band name? I actually think it’s kind of lame. And that ampersand? No, you just don’t do that. Ampersands in band names make things more confusing than they should be. Anyways I’m sure you are sick of my mindless rambling and would like to know something about what the band sounds like / is.

Deadboy & the Elephantmen is another project of Dax Riggs, formerly of sludge band Acid Bath and the bluesy Agents of Oblivion (And technically this band because they’re no longer together, now he just does solo stuff.). Dax plays the guitar and sings in that amazing baritone of his, while the incredibly hot Tessie Brunet handles drums and backup vocals. I could probably go on for a long time about how hot she is, but I’m not going to. Instead I’m going to comment about just how great this album is. It’s kinda hard to describe really. Dax’s (Hmmm that looks kind of stupid. How do you make something possessive if it ends with an x? Daxes? Dax’? I’m confused) guitar is tuned waaaaay down compared to that of the average indie rock band, creating a sort of stoner rock sound. Drumming is simple and won’t impress you, but Tessie is just so hot you won’t care. Lyrics are anything but typical for the genre; most of them are somehow related to death. Several tracks are a bit on the heavy side, a nod to Dax’s roots in extreme metal most likely.

Overall it’s just an interesting album / band. As with every other band Dax has been in, they only made two albums. His solo stuff is good but damn, it’s just not as good as this band (Or Agents of Oblivion or Acid Bath for that matter). He really needs to stop this whole “Let’s make an awesome band then only make an album or two!” thing.

You’ll love it. And if not well it’s not like you actually paid for it so just delete it from your hard drive and pretend like it never happened.

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?njdjjxjujjt

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Some Guy OUT

Wilco (The Band) makes Wilco (The Album).

I'm going to try something a little different here. I'm going to be reviewing Alt-Country / Indie-Rock band Wilco's new album, Wilco (The Album). What's going to be different, is I'm going to talk less about the album as a whole, and focus on three individual songs: "Wilco the Song", "You Never Know", and "I'll Fight".

First up, we have "Wilco the Song", a rock-based tribute to the band. This sounds like the earlier style of Wilco, on albums such as A.M. Rhythmic guitar and steady drums follow front man Jeff Tweedy's chorus of "Wilco, I love you baby". Apart from sounding arrogant to the point of ridiculousness, this guitar driven track seems to exist only to answer the question "What should the first song be?" It's boring, and repetive almost to annoyance; with two guitars, one is just relegated to wailing in the background, one or two chords throughout the entire song. Even the bridge with the church-like bells and dissonant feedback can't save this song from being just slightly above-average. The best word to describe it is simply "ordinary", and that's unfortunate.

"You Never Know" is a decent song that sounds like the first really original work on the album. The vocals are simple, yet distinct, and the track is led with a strong, but not overpowering piano part. I really wish they skipped the chorus, though. Tweedy's poor execution on the held notes just highlights how little is really going on in the song. Some parts feel like they just don't belong, like the whacky synth overlay about three minutes into the song. It's not a bad effort, and it has some strong points, but as a listener, I spend the entire chorus waiting for it to be over.

Finally, "I'll Fight" is a song that I feel belongs next to some of Wilco's most praised work. A predominately vocally driven track, "I'll Fight" features some really interesting synth organ bits in the back ground instead of a normal rhythm guitar. I really like that, as it goes really well with the sort of ethereal violin bits that are scattered throughout the track. In a way, this song feels like the spiritual successsor to "Jesus, Etc.", a track off of Wilco's critically acclaimed 2004 album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". The vocals sort of float back and forth between a states of certainty, ("I'll Kill, I'll Kill, I'll Kill, I'll Kill for you, I will") and uncertainty ("I'll die alone on some forgotten hill / abandoned by the mill"). It really is a song that highlights what Wilco is really good at, which is taking country elements, and mixing them with traditional indie rock style.

So, on the whole... yeah, it's not a bad album. It's certainly not a great album, either. It has songs that could one day appear on a "Wilco: Best Of" record, and songs that we'd all like to forget, including Jeff Tweedy and his band of Guitar toting Merry Men. It's worth picking up, if nothing else, just to have.

I'll give Wilco (The Album) a:

6.8/10

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?umj2izvmynm
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Astronautalis -- The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters

Alright, first off, let me start by saying that I like music too. A lot of it is not the same music that Some Guy likes. Metal? Prog-Rock? Go to Some Guy. Indie Rock? Hip Hop? Folk, Punk, or Folk-Punk? I might just be your man.

Keeping that in mind, I bring you a very unique album today. Astronautalis, the stage name of Andy Bothwell out of Seattle, Washington, released "The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters", in 2006. As a second album, "The Mighty Ocean" is a very mature effort from the aspiring hip-hop lyricist. It features, most notably, deep lyrics, and great orchestration. Pieces on the violin, harmonica, piano, even xylophones give more than enough depth to the tracks to make them worthwhile as purely instrumental tracks.

Which brings me to my favorite part of this album: the lyrics. Astronautalis is a brilliant lyricist, and I don't use that word lightly. While the tracks meander from orchestral indie-rock to beat-driven hip-hop, Astronautalis effortlessly piles lyric on top of lyric. It ties the entire album together perfectly, and is above and beyond what you'd expect from any established hip-hop artist.

So, yes, I know this album is nearing 3 years of age, but the fact that it is not platinum by now is reason enough for me to plug it here

Enjoy!

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zxymtmkmgty

Awesome Albums You Should Probably Listen To: Why? - Alopecia

Some Guy is here with the first in his series of “Awesome Albums You Should Probably Listen To!” I feel the need to highlight certain albums that I for whatever reason think you should listen to and deserve more than just a little spot on the musical recommendation thing I posted awhile ago. I’ll get to the point here.

The first of the Amazing Albums You Should Probably Listen To is Why? – Alopecia. This album was recommended to me by a guy on last.fm and for this I am eternally grateful. This is the most magical thing I’ve ever heard of. Normally I’d have thought that a combination of hip hop and indie rock would be the most awful idea imaginable. However, here it’s so good it hurts. The lyrics are probably the most interesting aspect. How can you not love a band that works in lyrics like “In Berlin I saw two men fuck in the dark corner of a basketball court.” That’s amazing on every level! Download this shit right now.

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?aw1yrmytkq1

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Some Guy OUT