Silver Jews - American Water

Silver Jews - American Water (1998)

Silver Jews were an explorational early 90s to late 2000s indie rock group that thrived mostly on the creative songwriting juices of David Berman. The original line-up of Silver Jews consisted of Berman and Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich - who left after their debut full-length, Starlite Walker but returned for their 2005 album, Tanglewood Numbers.

To many, American Water is the essential Silver Jews album. It encompasses the perfect amount of somber Berman singing with the right amount of story-telling and the right amount of Stephen Malkmus.

Highlights: "Random Rules", "People", "Honky If Your Lonely", "Blue Arrangement", "Smith & Jones Forever"

While this album will never be the Silver Jews album that got me into Berman's stuff, that would be their last album from 2008, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, it does feature my favorite Silver Jews song: "Smith & Jones Forever". "Smith & Jones Forever" was the last song that the Silver Jews ever played live - a fact I hope never changes if they ever decide to go on a reunion tour and play something else:

Similar acts/sounds: Pavement, Smog, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Rites of Spring, Bonny "Prince" Billy, Songs: Ohia, Miighty Flashlight, The Modern Lovers, Calvin Johnson, Guided By Voices, and other 90's indie rock music.

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xScourx

Scour - Scour (2012)

Scour is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist, Felix Skinner. Skinner also plays in the synth doom/black noise California outfit, Wreck and Reference - which can be heard very clearly through his music as Scour if you are familiar with W&R's stuff.

This self-titled album features 26 songs that start with the letter x. I haven't done much research on the matter, but I'm certain that Scour has more songs starting with the letter x than any other musician/band out there today.


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Monday LXXVII

Yep.

Ginger Alford - Into the Void (2013)

Ginger Alford (Good Luck/Traveling/One Reason) recently went on tour in Europe. She brought these tracks with her:



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Feuding Fathers - Trust Me I'm a Father (2012)

Dizzy math rock featuring the bassist of Boyfrndz along with members of We the Granada (guitar) and Daytes (drums).



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Cayetana - Demo (2012)

Grrrl punx from Philly. Seems like any new music I find is from the Philadelphia/Pennsylvania area these days.



I'm not complaining.

DL it for free via If You Make It, a great site for finding new things from Philly.

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NFT's April Mix

NFT April Mx:

Enjoy! 

Monday LXXVI

La Luna - La Luna (2013)

La Luna are a female fronted hardcore band from Calgary with a burst of violence and despair in every bite.

La Luna are also the band formerly known as Brain Fever, one of the first bands that I ever posted on a Monday post. This self titled album is actually a remixed and remastered version of said band's release from 2012.

Now they have the same name as an Indonesian easy-listening retro pop band.



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Snail Party - Toppled Propane Glory (2013)

Snail Party is the full band of Mogli and friends from Halifax. They play all those really fun folk instruments like banjos and saws...



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1994! - FUCK IT (2013)

1994!'s new album, FUCK IT is the nosiest noise post hardcore and math rock clusterfest ever to be recorded on an iPhone using a shitty microphone.

Despite being recorded on shit equipment in such low quality as it is, their bandcamp recommends that you not listen to the album using your crappy Macbook speakers...



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Secret Plot to Destroy the Universe - I Only Miss You When I Want To

Secret Plot to Destroy the Universe - I Only Miss You When I Want To (2012)

Man, this is just the album that I needed right now.

Emotional, gripping, aggressive yet somber, and all around riddled with sadness.

Secret Plot to Destroy the Universe is a post hardcore outfit residing in Pennsylvania. This is their release from 2012. I've already listened to it two times in the passed hour or so and have been listening to the title track, "I Only Miss You When I Want To" nonstop since I discovered it from The BIG Comp.

Track 4, "Aimless" features an amazing speech from the Charlie Chaplin talkie film, The Great Dictator (1940). This is the scene:

Other highlights: pretty much all the other songs not mentioned.



sad bastard

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Boyfrndz

Boyfrndz - All Day Pass (2012)

Boyfrndz are a shoegaze-y meets math rock act reminiscent of Caddywhompus, Pterodactyl, and modern day Tera Melos. They are not Japanese.

They are also a three piece from Austin, Texas that mixes a nice layer of noise on top of their pounding drums and distorted chords. The result isn't explosive or ridiculously noisy, but rather a nice thick sounding mixture that would go great on a cake or some sort of juicy pasta.

That's right, I said it; it would go great with cake or pasta.

This is Boyfrndz most recent album entitled, All Day Pass released last September.

Highlights: "All Day Pass", "Not That Sensitive", "Moses Jones", "Surfs Up", and "Closer".



Band members of Boyfrndz are also in these bands: East Cameron Folkcore, Tornahdo, Feuding Fathers, Bridge Farmers, and We The Granada.

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