Two Knights - A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened, But We're Still Here

Two Knights - A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened, but We're Still Here (2013)

Two Knights are just two dude from Texas. Two dudes twinkling like no one's business. Two dudes who are just two knights.

I guess I should say more though...

A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened, but We're Still Here is the name of their new 10" released this summer via County Your Lucky Stars. It's a 7 track open diary about being alone, alive, loved, young, and afraid. Or maybe it's about nothing at all, I don't know. Either way, A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened... provides a good dosage of noodly music that all the kids are craving for these days, myself included. Get it now and start tapping those toes!

Two Knights also have an amazingly unique vocal arsenal that ranges from emotionally distressed to passionately stressed.

Highlights: Every song! The song "D4: What the Puck? (Like if They Made Another Mighty Ducks Movie Except This Time They're Pissed)" probably takes the cake as one of the best song titles I've seen this year - if not ever. Also, the song "I'm Your Dad and You're My Dad" (another great song title) features one of the best samples in the history of samples (and is placed nicely between the instrumentation rather than coming in before the music). That sample is of the greatest American Gladiator of all time, Malibu being interviewed by one of the worst/greatest announcers of all time, Mike Adamle. Here is the sample in its original form:

A sample also used by the greatest Maine metal band of all time, WarAnimal!

Tracks:

Similar acts/sounds: Brave Bird, The Reptilian, Cage Match, Snowing, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Warren Franklin, Dads, Merchant Ships, Midwest Pen Pals, I'm Ok, Dikembe, and more "twinkle daddies".

Bonus:

Two Knights, along with releasing this most excellent 10", also have a live recording/video/interview session with Denton, Texas's own, Violitionist Sessions. The interview is cool if you like to find out more about a band but not too much at the same time. I for one, enjoy said interviews. Check it out and grab the music at Violitionist Sessions' webpage or bandcamp!

Or right here:

But be sure to watch the videos, too!

Count Your Lucky Stars
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Monday XXXXVII

It's a Christmas miracle!


Adult Braces - Demo (2012)

Adult Braces is Pat Graham from the Blink 182 for white people pop punk outfit, Spraynard. Adult Braces is also essentially Spray (that's short for Spraynard) all stripped down and personal-like, which is super cool as I've become quite a fan of Graham's band lately and hearing this 'acoustic spin on things' is really nice. There's also a shout out to The Adventures of Pete & Pete in the second track, "Younger Games" which is really really nice (out of context, of course - listen and you'll know what I mean).

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innards/two knights - Split (2011)

Usually I like to save any good splits I find, which is not often enough these days, and place them in a big split post were they can sit next to a bunch of other splits and look pretty. Well, to be honest, I have this terrible feeling that I'm going to leave this one out. So I've decided to put it here instead as it is on my mind and won't go unnoticed.

These two bands, despite sharing the same record, are quite different I might add. While innards take on  the screamo and noise sound of things, Two Knights tackle the twinkly, obscure vocals side, and damn do they do a good job of it. Two Knights are just one of those bands that make sounding absolutely annoying and inaudible, well... super audible and catchy as shit. A very nice example of a two different tastes yet totally works kind of split we have right here.

It looks like this split might also be called, 'No Scum Allowed' from what I make out on the album art right there, but I'm not sure. Just thought I'd point that out... Not to insult your intelligence or eyesight or anything.

Last.fm (innards)
Last.fm (Two Knights)

And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs (2011)

I can't remember if I just put this album off by the Irish experimental post rock/math rockers, And So I Watch You From Afar last year or slept on it, and yes, I literally mean I slept through it. Not because it is boring or anything, it is far from it, it is just that most post rock albums I put on, I put on right as I'm going to bed. If I had slept through the album rather than listening to it a year later, I pretty much screwed myself over. The Irish know how to make some pretty interesting and technical instrumental music (e.g. Enemies, Adebisi Shank, Wiltz) and native's ASIWYFA gave it their all last year to prove they are one of the top players. The results came in and they ended up  creating a very exciting, original sounding record that is much more math rock than it is sleeper post rock. So yeah, don't sleep on this album.

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Monday XXXI

Happy Emancipation Day, Washington, D.C.

How about some music..

Two Knights - Quilt Chamberlain (2011)

Two Knights are a twinkly math rock two piecer from Texas. Along with their super addictive tapping and fun for everyone drumming, the singer/guitarist has some splendid singing chops that I personally think are begging to be heard. You might disagree, I don't know. Whatever, it's what makes them stand out amongst the rest of the emo/twinkle toes playing around these days.

The members of Two Knights are also in a screamo band with a member of Innards. They are called Father Figure and are pretty swell as well.

Bandcamp
Last.fm

Crywank - Narcissist On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (2012)

James Clayton himself tipped me off to his new album the other day and I couldn't have been more interested in hearing it (and more from him all together), especially since his last album was called, 'James Is Going To Die Soon'. Narcissist On The Verge OF A Nervous Breakdown is the name of the new release by James's moniker, Crywank and is very much a vehicle of coping with his sadness, hence the name - a play on the words of the expression 'tearjerker'. I'm not sure if I could ever say this release tops his last but that may in part be due to the number of short songs it holds. I have no problem with simple little songs, I just wish I could hear more out of them.

Soon after learning about Narcissist On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, I found out about a little gem that James and his friend(s) recorded that not only features some early takes of tracks on Narcissist like "Thomas Saunders Lloyd Webber" and "Little Creepy" but also some silly covers and a goofy rendition of "Welcome To Castle Irwell" which is probably my favorite song by 'wank. The recordings I'm talking about are called, 'I Daren't Call This Stoner' and the genre of music is called "Gettin' blazed in Ric's Room". I can't say I condone such actions here but the results are pretty entertaining. It'll probably make its way on to NFT's Got You Covered some day. If I ever get my act together and stop forgetting to put up those posts.

Anyways, if you liked what you heard from Crywank last time I posted his work or even a little interested in this depressed singer-songwriter: download this one and give it a listen. It won't hurt and that's all he really wants anyways.

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Isaïah - Ils Consomment, tuent et prient, mais ne pensent pas (2009)

A couple weeks back I posted about a band called Terraformer who where from Belgium, played math rock instrumental music and featured members from the screamo band, Isaïah. Well, this is Isaïah. They rock hard and are pretty brutal. They're also pretty epic. There's some epic bits here and there on this release that lead to spoken word. Presumably french spoken word. It's pretty, well... pretty. Fucking intense pretty.

Though Isaïah is from Belgium, they do speak French (or at least write their stuff with French) and therefore I would still consider them 'French screamo'.  I guess you could still call it Belgian screamo but who are we kidding... call it what it is: heavy-ass emotionally violent music!

From Belgium.

In French.

Bandcamp (free but probably not for long)
Last.fm

Rosetta - The Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift (2007)

I stumbled across this EP today while looking for things to post and remembered that I had forgotten about it. I forgot to remember that this was Rosetta's four track ambient noise piece that was released around the time of Wake/Lift. According to Wikipedia it is not meant to be synced up with its companion album despite what I have heard in the past. Either way though, Cleansing Undertones is still a really interesting listen and not just good for putting on right before bed to help you fall asleep. No, it actually has enough substance in it that you can actually sit down for a listen and it'll tell a story. What that story is... is up to you the listener.

Twelve minutes in we hear a male voice that comes in and out of the static that dares you to keep listening. Soon you start to wonder what will happen and where the music will take you. You try to hold on to the sound or that voice but it eventually dies out and all you are left with is a feeling of contentment and pressure. Once all noise has dissipated, the pressure is lifted. You are free.

You can also listen to The Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift in its interiority here on the youtubes.

I'm glad I remembered this one finally.

Enjoy.

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