NFT's Got You Covered 2018

2018 has been a rollercoaster if rollercoasters had more trials and tribulations than thrills and excitement. I had high hopes of bringing Nostalgia For Tomorrow circa 2010 back to reality, but again the rollercoaster of life had an open seat for me in the front row. Despite all that, I won't apologize. Instead, I'll write about some things that make me happy. So, here is a list of my favorite cover songs from the year 2018. For listening and enjoyment purposes only.

Always Crush Me - Wreck and Reference



Wreck and Reference take Guided By Voices' lo-fi recording and all its roughness, amplify it by 100, and project it into twisted industrial metal. The monotonous guitar strumming is traded in with synths and slacker vocals become panic-induced yelling. "Always Crush Me" is the perfect little cover for a perfect little song in Guided By Voices' giant-ass catalog.


Agony - Beach Fossils

Yung Lean's under the influence love song from last year gets an upbeat treatment thanks to New York rockers, Beach Fossils. "Agony" is an ice cold number about tripping balls that seems indulgent at first, but give it a few listens and you will discover a haunting song that boarders on claustrophobic. With Beach Fossils' addition of light guitar and a steady bass, the walls seem to move even closer in on you. BF's version might be a bit more upbeat than the original, but it's far from the most rock n' roll rendition of a Sadboy-type song; that award goes to a similarly named band, Beach Goons, who covered Spooky Black's "Without U" back in 2015.


I Started a Joke - Marissa Nadler



A number of songs from Marissa Nadler's second cover album could have been posted here. There's one of my favorite Leonard Cohen tracks ("Avalanche"), a heartbreaking Daniel Johnston track ("True Love Will Find You in the End"), and a somber Danzig deep-cut ("Blood and Tears"). I have to give the spotlight to Nadler's rendition of "I Started a Joke" by Bee Gees though, since the original turned 50 years old this year. Plus, it's really good.


Bark at the Moon - Integrity



Integrity haven't slowed down a bit since releasing their barn burner, Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume last year. This year, the metal/hardcore crossover vets released a split with American black metal outfit, Krieg, and for Halloween released a cover of an Ozzy Osbourne classic. Despite the essential choice, Integrity's deliver is anything but tongue-in-cheek. Yes, it's still clearly an Ozzy track, but Integrity's signature sound breaths new life into the old beast. Take a listen above and go off the rails of the crazy... err, bark at the moon.


The Book of Love - bedbug



A few years back, a work friend invited me to his wedding and mentioned that the wedding song would be "The Book of Love". He asked me if I had ever heard of the song in hopes that I would guess The Monotones' song by the same name. Instead, I did my best Magnetic Fields impression without drawing too much attention to myself. He was impressed but also a little confused. I never ended up attending the wedding, but I did learn that "The Book of Love" is a very popular wedding song. The twist, of course, is "The Book of Love" by The Magnetic Fields on the album, 69 Love Songs was later covered by the more-known-by-co-workers, Peter Gabriel. Flash forward to this past Halloween, I'm attending one of the 8 Halloween cover shows the Boston-area had to offer, and bedbug was performing as the Scrubs Soundtrack, a medley of songs from the hit show. One of the songs bedbug played happened to be "The Book of Love", which appears in the season 8 finale a la the Peter Gabriel version. I joked about whether bedbug covered The Magnetic Fields version or Peter Gabriel to myself. Flash forward to a few days ago, when a 69 Love Songs tribute album was released by Living Statue Records. There, waiting for me among the 69 songs, was bedbug's "The Book of Love". This recorded version might be missing the Scrubs samples that were weaved into the rest of bedbugs' Halloween set, but it's still really awesome to see my pointless anecdote about "The Book of Love" grow each year.


By My Side - Ben Walsh



Ben Walsh of Tigers Jaw's cover on Don't Stop Now II: A Collection of Covers is a perfect example of a gateway song to the original. Without clicking on Ben's cover, I would have never given much of a thought to the new Porches album. Now "By My Side" is among one of my favorite songs of 2018. As for the compilation itself, if you got the cash I highly recommend grabbing all 33 covers which benefits RAICES (Refugees and Immigrants Center for Education & Legal Services). RAICES seems like a great place to throw your money at; throw your money at anything and everything that is not a giant fear-mongering wall.


Havana - Superorganism

Superorganism's intoxicating rendition of "Havana" feels like it manifested via a long night of partying at a local karaoke bar. Something that could not have been duplicated at the karaoke bar, however, is their candy-coated production that has been ever-so-carefully melted into digital goodness for the ears. There might not be as much going on as there is in every other facet of Superorganism's recordings, performances, and wild Spotify music videos, there's still no mistaking the dedication to their commitment to ultra quirkiness.


I Wanna Be Adored - King Woman



A major appeal to the Stone Roses' hit number, "I Wanna Be Adored" is the misheard chorus which I always sing as "I Wanna Be A Door", while others mishear it as "I Wanna be a Dog" or, similarly, "I Wanna be Your Dog". King Woman's version adds a new layer to the already misunderstood lyrics by draping the song in doom-y drone atmosphere. "I Wanna Be Adored" seems unrecognizable at first, until Kristina Esfandiari AKA Miserable's wispy vocals come in. Eventually the song picks up and echoes the aforementioned line that sounds especially like "I Wanna Be A Door" until coming to an untimely end. It might not go down as smooth as the original, but give it a few listens and let it grow on you like a small rash or black mold.


Infinity Guitars - Sunflower Bean

What better way to celebrate a record label's 10 year anniversary than taking a swing at a song that is surprisingly almost 10 years old. Sunflower Bean manage to shed some of the over-amplified guitar work without losing any of the energy that rarely is heard from Sleigh Bells these days. The result almost sounds like "Pepper" by Butthole Surfers, but maybe that's just me wanting something to sound like "Pepper" by Butthole Surfers. Either way, I highly recommend playing this cover full-blast in a beat-up 90's Volvo just as the original was meant to be played.


Moon River - Frank Ocean

Despite being a day late, Frank Ocean's "Moon River" is this years' Valentine cover song. Channelling his inner Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffanys, Ocean delivers a poignant rendition of a timeless classic only the way he could. "Moon River" is just a reminder how incredible Frank Ocean is even if this wasn't his best take.


People / Halfsleeper - CJ Boyds



CJ Boyds has been traveling all over the country for 10 years playing with all sorts of wonderful talent. Boyds' cover album in honor of 10 years on the road might not be the biggest, but it's definitely the most ambitious cover album on this list. Not only are Boyds' covers carefully picked to reflect the bands and musicians he has shared stages and spaces with, all the covers are by musicians he has played with covering all 50 states plus Washington, DC and an unknown bonus track for US territories. Along with that, Boyds recorded each song in the respected state as to which the song is associated with. Currently, only "People / Halfsleeper" is available for listening, but judging by this drone-y Dilute meets Chelsea Wolfe combo-cover recorded in California, Boyds ode to the US is going to be mighty impressive.


Pontiac 87 - Preoccupations



A few bands seem to loose some steam when they change their name. Preoccupations, formerly Viet Cong, however are keeping the hype train going. This year they released an album called New Material (Which might be there new name next year) and a split with top-tier post-punkers of the '10s, Protomartyr. Preoccupations prove they are here to stay with their spaced-out rendition of "Pontiac 87". The cover might not be the most challenging, especially since both bands are so similar, but maybe not appropriating someone else is a good thing for Preoccupations right now.


Same Drugs - Free Throw



With a band tackling Chance the Rapper's "Same Drugs", one might think that Free Throw are putting a special spin on a hometown favorite. However, Free Throw are not a Chicago emo band. Hell, they're not even an East Coast emo band. Free Throw from Nashville, Tennessee already take on the task of being a long shot, a surprisingly not "southern" emo band. Free Throw aren't defined by where they reside, but rather by how moving their music can be. It's a surprise to most, and a cover of Chance seems like the biggest surprise Free Throw could have come up with, yet here we are. "Same Drugs" comes as a surprise at the end of Missing Pieces, a small compilation of re-imagined songs from their 2017 album, Bear Your Mind.


Playlist w/bonus covers:

Buddusky - Some Quills Caught

Buddusky - Some Quills Caught (2018)

Anxiety-riddled ditties about hunting Coyot, 12 point bucks, riding dirt bikes, drinking 'Gansett? That's the messy juxtaposition to be expected from Peru, Maine's Buddusky, guy.

Buddusky's Some Quills Caught brings me back to my time living in Downeast, Maine. Particularly going to school in a town locked in by trees, a small bay, and only one road in or out. No where to run or hide, I took a short story writing class and remember reading a lot of stories about first time hunting trips, working on dad's F150, and learning to drive a tractor at age 10. These stories were sloppy and brief but they were also brutally honest and confessional. One kid got teary-eyed when he had to read to the class that Pa finally accepted him after shooting his first deer. It was no 12 pointer, but it would do.

Growing up in and around the more rural parts of Maine, you hear the hunting stories or the dirt bike stories time after time. Yet, there's something about hearing these stories without the puffed out chests, or the macho prowess. Instead, the stories are told through the truthfulness of a frightened kid again. That's what Some Quills Caught is all about; the feeling of being a kid again, lost in the woods behind your grans' house, being scared to death and begging to go home. We all eventually grow up - but we never forget our childhood fears.



Associated acts/sounds: Mouth Washington, Greasy Grass, Captain Hollow, Fon Fon Ru, Lunch Cult

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NFT's Got You Covered - Favorite Covers of 2015!

Back from hiatus because I love lists and I can't resist talking about my favorite things of the year. So, to get the boulder that is list season rolling, here are some of my favorite cover songs of 2015!

Hot Chip - Dancing in the Dark from Dancing in the Dark EP

If you are like me, then you probably only know Hot Chip from the wacky music video for their 2010 single, "I Feel Better". Well, now I also know that they also do a pretty nerdy synthed-up version of "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen. This cover of one of my favorite Boss jams includes an Everything is Terrible-esque music video and a sprinkling of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" towards the end. A lot of this cover plus the music video seems overplayed at times but I still enjoy it for what it is; tacky.

Tigers Jaw - In Between Days/Kevin Devine - Lovesong from Devinyl Splits No. 3


Two sincere Cure covers.

Girlpool - Cut Your Bangs from Chinatown

This cover of Radiator Hospital's "Cut Your Bangs" from last year frequently came on while I rode to work on my new bike this summer. Every time I was completely floored by how genuine it was. I personally like both tracks equally but I can't help but think that this version here is a bit more accessible to folks who can't stomach Radiator Hospital's unique vocals. Hell, I'm already seeing videos of people covering this version titled "Me covering Girpool's cover of Radiator Hospital". 

Somebody Kill Me Please - LVL UP from Faux Real II



Faux Real is a compilation of cover songs curated by Father/Daughter Records. The covers are that of fictional bands and singers from TV/films such as The Rutles, Sadgasm from the Simpsons, and The Blowholes from The Adventures of Pete and Pete. My favorite one of the batch this year comes from LVL UP and their rendition of "Somebody Kill Me" via the Wedding Singer. The original sung by Adam Sandler's character had been listening to a lot of The Cure at the time.

Tiny Rick (Let Me Out) - Sorority Noise from Tiny Rick (Rick and Morty Cover)



Another cover from pop culture. Didn't listen to a lot of Sorority Noise this year and I wished I watched more Rick and Morty. Smash this link to listen to the original.

Thou - Even in His Youth from Whatever Nevermind



Another year, another Nirvana tribute album. Out of this year's covers of Nevermind curated by Robotic Empire, I had to narrow it down to the bonus tracks by Thou, especially "Even in His Youth", as my favorites of the pack.

Went with because even with Thou's own signature mutilation, there is still some poppiness that bleeds out from time to time. Well, maybe not "pop" per se, but it does have a little groove to it for a Thou track.

Spazzin' to the Oldies - A Tribute to Spazz 



Probably my favorite tribute album this year, Spazzin' to the Oldies is a 26 song nail gun full of grindcore nails to the face. This is a tribute album for the one and only Spazz. Spazzin' to the Oldies features some damn good grindcore/powerviolence/spastic metal acts from today such as Purge, Godhole, God's America, Brainshit, Chinsniffer and OSK (to name a few that I recognize). If I had to pick a favorite here, I would have to go with OSK's cover of "Spazz vs. Mother Nature" because it includes the banjo outre (no mouth harp, though, but I'll still give credit where it's due).

Old Witch - Gallows from Keeper Split



Old Witch's interpretation of CocoRosie's macabre tale, "Gallows" is definitely my favorite kind of cover song. While there were plenty of true-to-the-original covers I heard this year on and off the internet, I always love a good rework of a song from a different genre or a song given new life. Isn't the whole point of a cover putting your own spin on someone else's work? Isn't playing a song exactly the way it was intended Karaoke?

I'm starting to digress here for a sec but I honestly wish I could list Weekend Nacho's cover of "Tired of Sex" by Weezer. Yes, Weekend Nachos covered Weezer this year. No, it was not the most violent retelling of Pinkerton's #1 hit known to mankind. Instead it was strictly "Tired of Sex" performed as Weekend Nachos playing Weezer. Well hey, there's also "In the Garage", maybe they were just joking around and this is the Weekend Nachos cover I was expecting. Nope. Whistling and all, it's a great cover, but it's no Weekend Nachos cover. Then again, maybe my opinion will change once I get a grip. Maybe I'm just mad they didn't cover "El Scorcho".

Honorary Mentions:

Screaming Females covering T. Swift's "Shake it Off" for the AV Club
Ironlung with Wizard of Ozz covering B. Sabbath's "Electric Funeral"
Leftover Crack covering B. Raum's "Left Legs"
Corrective Measure covering A. Front's "Discriminate Me" (gotta rep Maine Hardcore)
Holy Filth covering M. Otorhead's "Iron Fist" (gotta rep Maine Metal)
And a thanks to any bands that I saw this year cover stuff... a heard a lot of it and it was pretty good most of the time.


Also, I'm sure I missed something very dope.

Soda Bomb - Wanna Jam?

Soda Bomb - Wanna Jam? (2015)

From signing a lease on a house to signing up for classes for my senior year of college, this week was a crazy venture in the art of growing up. Luckily, Soda Bomb's Wanna Jam? was also released this week and right when I needed a bit of a throwback. While I've only been listening to this young (but still probably older than me) four-piece from New York for a year or two, their sound is very much a sound I was looking for when I was still in high school. That's not a knock on them or anything... Wanna Jam? just really brings me back.

Soda Bomb's bumping angsty punk sound done right will definitely be on heavy rotation as I continue to grow the fuck up.



Similar acts/sounds: Mumblr, Chalk Talk, FIDLAR, Free Throw, By Surprise, Sirs, and Soda Bomb.

PS "Nobody Likes My Band" and "Damn, Dude" are less-fuzzy reworks from Soda Bomb's 2012 EP, Hooligan.

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Leveret - Action At A Distance

Leveret - Action At A Distance (2015)

What once was a bedroom project for a young Mainer has once again evolved into something extraordinary. With the first official show down and Action At A Distance recordings finally at my ears I never thought I would be trading my Leveret dancing shoes in for Leveret neckbraces, but with the new jam-heavy initiative apparent on this new record, things are really starting to heat up!

Action At A Distance is a 10 track mix bag of electronic and sensual pop/rock party music. With the addition of Penn and Cormac on this release, experimentation is a bit more prominent than the last album, Infinity which was played out like Jesse Gertz's early works of a one-man electronic act's swan song. Now with the full-band in full-force, there are a lot more to be done and heard. The electronic and seductive feel is still there as always but there are a lot of new sounds that I have never heard from Leveret before thanks to four more hands holding more guitars and effects. There are also a lot more influences that shine through that previously could not be accomplished by Jesse alone.

With the addition of a full band listeners' are always bound to come across things they wish sounded a bit more stripped down or less polished. With Action At A Distance though, the use of rock and roll instrumentation as opposed to the keyboard and bass of the past makes these songs feel a lot fuller. A recommendation I always gave Leveret was to play louder! Now with the extensive use of electric guitar I think they have found just the right volume for their party-pleasing jams.

The album does a really good job of displaying the talents of all its musicians. With "Grandfathers Axe" we hear more of what Cormac can bring to the table (and pedal board) not just by his use of the guitar but also with his vocals - something previously never showcased before other than for backing vocals during live performances. Cormac can bust out some very sleek and seductive vocals that are perfect for the more intimate moments of the Leveret experience. At A Distance also does a great job of showcasing Jesse Gertz's vocals on "Oscillator" and and the electronic epic closer "Ghost". Jesse's vocals are clear yet laid-back, something I think Jesse has improved incredibly on and I think his vocal performances here are some of his best yet.

The only negative comment I have with At A Distance is also one of the best things about the album and that's that there is too much going on. During Leveret's record release show at the Space Gallery in Portland I was hearing a lot of comparisons being thrown around as to what the new album sounds like; I heard Party music, I heard electronic, I heard indie pop, I even heard Queens of the Stone Age-core. While there's nothing wrong with comparisons or sounding like all sorts of different things, I think that by delivering so many different sounds track after track, listeners are left really not knowing exactly what it is the band is going for.

Then again, all the sounds Leveret are delivering here on At A Distance are really well done and at least are not anything generic. It probably doesn't help matters much either now that there is also another band going by Leveret that play folk music from the UK... but this right here is the only Leveret worth figuring out!


Highlights: "Oscillator", "Unclothing", "Swallow", "Little Drum Song", and "Ghost"



Now check it out for yourself!

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NFT's Most Interesting Releases of 2014

A little late but 2015 can wait! Here's some stuff from last year you may not have heard.

Idylls - Prayer For Terrene

Prayer For Terrene is an off the walls and almost John Zorn-esque hardcore album from Australia's Idylls. The album includes two tracks that were rerecorded from Idylls' 2013 release Indian Circle, but it's hard to notice them without looking at the titles as the tracks have been polished up and sound much fuller. After all, this album did take Kurt Ballou and a whole engineering team to get the noise that is Prayer For Terrene just right. All in all, this album is sure to open your eyes as much as it does pry open your ears. It's certainly not for everyone but if you are a fan of overly aggressive and noisy hardcore this is a trip worth taking.

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Dog / Big Neck Police - Split

From my notes it looks like New York for one reason or another was putting out bands that were catching my attention the most in 2014. While I had heard about Big Neck Police through blogs like Gimme Tinnitus, I actually heard the other half of this album, Dog, through word of mouth. When I went looking for a band with such a simple name, I came up empty-handed. Luckily, I just checked back in with Big Neck Police in November and found this incredibly interesting split with both cats... err, I mean dogs. These two bands almost sound more like they belong in the Washington, DC Dischord days with the way they use their guitars like little knives guarding obscure vocals.

Big Neck Police's side:
Dog's side:

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Family Planning - John Wayne Frankenstein

Some more obscure music... this time from my home state of Maine. Family Planning is Billy Carr's full band now featuring Jesse Heasly on bass and Peter McLaughlin on every inch of the drum kit he could find. What makes John Wayne Frankenstein so interesting to me is how eerily addictive I find Carr's vocals. Reminding me of the mysteries that were my cousin's house or how to eat with my mouth closed, this album brings me back memories I haven't thought up in years.


John Wayne Frankenstein was one of a few albums from Portland that was released on Peter McLaughlin's very cool new record label, Pretty Purgatory. Check out that label and the "pledge" system that goes along with it!

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Salem's Pot - ..Lurar ut dig på prärien

While Salem's Pot wasn't the only Sabbath worshiping band to release lengthy epics this year - I'm looking at a you, Pallbearer - Salem's Pot are, as you can probably guess from the name, a bit more on the psychedelic side. With that advantage and the obvious influence of early doom music, Salem Pot probably make the most interesting Sabbath-inspired music today.



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Jizue - Shiori

If you were like me this year the most Jazz you listened to was that jazz-drum-solo Birdman soundtrack. I did however listen to Jizue of Japan's new release Shiori, which might not have been straight jazz, but included everything from jazzy math rock to coffee house pop to math rap. Some of what Jizue might sound like Mouse on the Keys at first as it's heavily piano-driven math rock, but where Mouse on the Keys tends to be a bit stomp-y, Jizue is much more light on their feet (ex. "Wind"). Still, Jizue are not playing around, this is not feathery or lightweight music by any stretch of the imagination.

Shiori features Shing02 (who rapped on the Samurai Champloo intro by Nujabes) and Ikkyu Nakajima (from Tricot).

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Honorly Mentions

As I begin to make my year-end lists (a favorite pass-time of mine), I always end up finding a lot of cool stuff that I either forgot about throughout the year or just completely missed my chance to post them. So, instead of just forgetting about them again, I call them honorly mentions (a play on yearly and honorable I guess) and share 'em like this:

Pink Richard - Volume 1 (2014)

Pink Richard is the side project of Jesse Gertz of the Portland electronic (now three-piece) band, Leveret. It's not too much of a stray away from the indie pop gems on Infinity released in 2012, but these stripped down acoustic visions are definitely a separate entity. A little folky, a little poppy, a little singer songwriter-y - a little Pink Richard.

There's a neat drum solo somewhere in there, too:



P.S. If you buy this (very snazzy looking) tape you get 7 separate mp3's rather than the streamable one track deal above.

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Rosetta - Flies to Flame (2014)

After hearing Rosetta's 2013 release, The Anaesthete, I thought we would be getting a lot more hardcore and even less atmosphere on their next effort. Then Rosetta released Flies to Flame  last month and my predictions were all off. No, they didn't go full post rock or anything, but they brought back the atmospheric undertones that was the hooked that fished me in several years ago. Plus, this release still has the intensity that The Anaesthete was bursting at the seams with, but it's spread out again and takes its time getting there. It's vintage Rosetta.

 I'm not saying I didn't like The Anaesthete, it was one of my top albums of last year for sure, but it's almost non-canon Rosetta once you start to listen to this EP.





It's all apples and oranges in the end, and it's all good.

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Bearmace - Aim Low (2014)

Bearmace are a noisy almost violent punk rock band from Montreal. The lo-fi recordings of Aim Low, released at the very beginning of 2014, really echoes the recordings of early hardcore and powerviolence. Don't let Bearmace's retro approach fool you though, this is apparently meant to be played on vinyl.






Maybe I'm just out of touch, but this sure sounds like something I would find on cassette in my friend's cooler-older-brother's room when I was 13. Too bad that scenario never existed...

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Thou - Heathen (2014)

Thou play thick doomed-out metal that demands attention. Heathen is no different. Not only is this 10 track banger a major pain on my neck, it also demands me to sit down and listen to it over and over again or else I have not listened correctly. With that being said, I think Thou's Heathen has incredible listening mileage and will be an album I try to listen to a lot in 2015. It's certainly not a one listen and it's in the bag kind of album, especially not with an incredibly brutal 14 minute opener begging to be familiarized. This kicks my ass the more and more I listen to it.

  \m/ A punch in the face never felt so good \m/

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Monday 105

All aboard.

SLOTHS - Twenty Years (2014)

Along with recording probably my favorite cover song of this year (Slint's Breadcrumb Trail), SLOTHS have a super emotional and intense release out right now called Twenty Years. It may only be three songs, but in that 12 minutes you will definitely feel the passion that these guys possess. Yeah, the name of this Portland, Oregon band is SLOTHS, but this is not a meme; this is genuine music.



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Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - Bootie Noir (2013)

Nnamdi's sooper dooper secret side project. Bootie Noir includes a number of incredibly well crafted and sometimes bizarre pop songs feature all sorts of great musicians including Alicia Waters  (Oshwa) on track 4, Nate Kinsella (the Kinsella cousin from Birthmark and Make Believe) on track 11, Dave Davison (Maps & Atlases) on track 17, Bobby Burg (Make Believe/Joan of Arc), Peter Helmis (Algernon Cadwallader) on track 18, just to name a few. Check out all the guest stars here and sample Bootie Noir down here:

 

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Lovechild - Migraine Music (2014)

Picking right up where In Heaven left off, Lovechild's Migraine Music sounds like the final boss of all circle pit battles. From modern hardcore to old school in-your-face punk rock n roll, this is some refreshing punk music you do not want to be sleeping on if you wanna stage dive at a Joyce Manor concert.



Have a lovechild with lovechild.

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100 Onces - 100 One Says

100 Onces - 100 One Says (2013)

100 Onces are a two dude math rock a la pre-vocals Tera Melos, Piglet, Giraffes? Giraffes!, and other rad mostly instrumental math rock superstars that we've come to love. With that being said, you should already love 100 Onces.

I was looking through the archives and noticed that I haven't talked about these folks on here yet. I also noticed that this blog is like three years old now. That's pretty nuts!

Get acquainted with 100 Onces and celebrate the three year existence of being nostalgic for things that haven't happened, right now!



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Trace Mountains - Buttery Sprouts

Trace Mountains - Buttery Sprouts (2014)

Trace Mountains is one of a few side projects going from the folks in Spook Houses. Buttery Sprouts is a mix of previously unheard songs and three that I have previously talked about on here; "Salty/Sweet", "Everything Around Me", and Bey's "Halo". Bey as in Beyonce, of course.

Riddled with the monotone sadness that one may come to except from a Spook Houses project, Trace Mountains is an exploration of simple, yet melancholy, bedroom music. Buttery Sprouts features drum machines, singing saw, songs about Silver Jews, mix-masterer Mike Ditrio, and Elaiza Santos of Crying.

Check it out:



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NFT's Got You Covered - Blink 182

Various Artists - I Guess This Is Growing Up (Volume 1) (2014)

I Guess This Is Growing Up is only part 1 of a 3-part project dedicated to bands covering the most pop punk bands of ever, Blink 182. The project includes some familiar names like Slingshot Dakota, Invalids, and Dads as well as some unfamiliar names in Tir Asleen, Lions, and We'll Die Smiling. Wanna know the covers?

Well here they are: "Man Overboard", "Lemming", "Wendy Clear", "Adam's Song", "Stay Together For The Kids", and "Dammit".

Wanna know who covers which? Here's one:



Who will be on the next one? Will all the covers be Blink 182 songs? Will someone cover my favorite Blink 182 song? Will Spraynard have a song?

Stay tuned!

Props to Enjoyment Records for putting this out.

Friday Streamin'

Here's some stuff you should buy with the government's money... and by government money, I mean your money.

Solids - Blame Confusion (2014)

Solids from Montreal, Canada are just two dudes playing fuzzy music. It's a cross between emo fuzz and grungy garage rock fuzz. Like the kind of fuzz that you'd find being crafted in the basement at your local punk house. It's not too complicated to understand or get into either, it's just guitar and drums, a guy singing stuff you don't understand but you know it's in English, and it makes you wish you had a beer in your hand.


Poor-one-out-for-your-lost-homies rock.

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Krill - Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts into Tears (2014)

Krill is a band that actually did come to my local punk house. I didn't know it at the time, but once and a while these cool Boston bands I always rave about come up and play. Anyways though, if you like Modest Mouse, oddball vocals, or just some fun indie rock, Krill is a band you should check out.


The title to this EP, to the best of my knowledge, is a nod to another great Boston local band, Pile. Those guys also have a really cool 7incher you listen to on their Bandcamp.

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Piglet - Early Songs (2013)

In  2005, a little band called Piglet released one of the greatest math rock gems of all-time, entitled, Lava Land. The album is a must-have if you are a fan of math rock with only gripe about it: we never got to hear more by them due to their break up. But here we are in 2014, where not only do we now have the live EP that has circled around the internet on Bandcamp, but we also have this little gem featuring 4 previously unreleased tracks.


With the likelihood of this band never getting back together, this is definitely the next best thing.

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Monday XCVII (NSFW)

To put some life back into this blog, I've decided to not only make this post this week, but one for every day this week. Godspeed.

Dungeon Kids - Jzanthypus and Friends (2014)

A little something-something from the indie pop dudes in the Baltimore area. This 3 song EP of sorts features two B-sides along with Dung Kid's single, "Grenville, Pt. 1" from their first release, Oh How it Hurts; a song that easily made my top 10 songs list last year.



Wet your whistle.

Last.fm

Big Ups - Wake Up (2011)

If you haven't already heard about these guys, you are hearing them right now. Literally, listen to these guys right now!

Big Ups from New York are blowing up with their new album, Eighteen Hours of Static and for good reason (listen). Before they were killing it with a Fugazi meets Melvins post punk sound, they were baby punk rockers in a big city. Some people might just wanna skip to their new stuff and call it good, but I like their old stuff, too. I don't know, maybe you'll like it as well.


SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

Bandcamp
Last.fm

Where's My Friends - Where's My Friends (2014)

Where's My Friends are a Portland, Maine brewed instrumental three piece featuring members of the late math rock band, The Waldos, and the always impressive, Butcher Boy. While Where's My Friends are not as heavy as The Waldos stuff (not that The Waldos were off the walls), it's still moving, a bit free flowing, but moving nevertheless.




Poland Street dreams.

Fackbook.com

Monday XCV

Learned how Roman Numerals work again. Personally, I prefer all the X's.

Delos / Yusuke - Split (2013)

This is a sweet screamo/hardcore/emo violence split I've been holding on to featuring Delos from Bremen, Germany and Yusuke from Illinois, Untied States. Very scream-y, very messy.

Yusuke's side:


Delos's side:

It appears that both bands are either really into Louise Cyphre (Yusuke) or used to be Louise Cyphre (Delos).

Last.fm (Yusuke)
Last.fm (Delos)

Princess Reason - Princess Reason (2013)

Princess Reason is a lo-fi indie pop group from Echo Park, California. They sound like stuff you should play on cassette while you are in your room alone and not acting tough listening to tough people music. It's a real treat really. Fans of Coma Cinema, Spook Houses, Julia Brown, Pill Friends, and quite lo-fi will definitely get a kick out of this stuff if they aren't already.


Last.fm

Soda Bomb - The Future is Gonna Suck (2013)

Before 2013 ended, all I knew about Soda Bomb was that they have a cover of the King of the Hill theme song. Now it's 2014 and I still don't know much about these guys other than I went the whole year without checking to see if they had released anything new.. and they did. Good thing Broken World Media let me know, seeing as they released these guys mid-2013 release, The Future is Gonna Suck last October.


Soda Bomb play fuzzy garage punk rock. Bring back the Attitude Era thumbs up if you agree.

Last.fm

NFT's Interesting Albums of 2013

Some things sound the same... these aren't those things.

Clipping - Midcity (2013)

Clipping is hip-hop laced in harsh noise featuring members from True Neutral Crew. I thought I would like Midcity a lot more than a I did; not because I don't like the noise/anti-beats - that's actually what kept me listening - I just can't get passed the stereotypical rap lyrics. Still, it's a very interesting listen:

Last.fm

Hill/Cameron/Weiss - Drumgasm (2013)

Simply put, Drumgasm  is a 39 minute drum solo by Janet Weiss (Quasi, Wild Flag, Sleater-Kinney), Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam), and Zach Hall (a thousand other things). It's not an album for everyone, especially for anyone who doesn't like drumming, but it certainly deserves a spot on my most interesting albums of 2013 list. Drumgasm is also now a nice treat for myself since Zach Hill is so busy with Death Grips that he is not appearing in all sorts of supergroups and experimental tag team projects that he used to. Plus, this album is only drumming... so, we the listeners get to hear Hill's gloriously spastic drumming in full color.

Matt Cameron and Janet Weiss are great drummers in their own right, but let's be honest: if Zach Hill wasn't on this drum expose, there probably wouldn't be much to talk about.

Last.fm

Jungbluth - Part Ache (2013)

Politically fueled by the ghost of German communist and antifascist, Karl Jungbluth, this post-hiatus Alpinist side project is a crusty hardcore battle cry. I'm not a big follower of politics by any sense but I have noticed how powerful of a tool it can be when it comes to making art and music... and noise. 

All proceeds to Part Ache go to Anarchist Black Cross: Belarus - a group that supports anarchists and antiauthoritorian people (and other words I remember hearing in Amnesty club) that are imprisoned for their political beliefs and public activities.  

Last.fm

Kal Marks - Life Is Murder (2013)

Boston freak indie rock fueled by the ghost of Karl Marx.

Seriously though, Kal Marks is a classic last minute find from the always impressive record label, Exploding in Sound. No time like the present to get addicted to this stuff:



Did I mention the vocals are hauntingly freaky?

Last.fm

Botanist - IV: Mandragora (2013)

Probably my most interesting find this year has to be Botanist.

Botanist is plant-inspired black metal using only drums and a dulcimer. It's a one person effort by a man named Otrebor who plays this green metal of sorts from the perspective of The Botanist. The Botanist's mission in life is to return Earth back to its natural form before humanity moved in and destroyed everything. At first it sounds like a guy with an electrical voice box banging on metal and a marching snare drum, but it gets enjoyable in a weird way once you listen to it a few more times.

It's definitely something.

Last.fm

Monday LXXXXIII

Busted eardrums will thank you.

Special Explosion - Special Explosion (2013)

Special Explosion are the newest members of the Topshelf Records family. This release is a combination of  pretty much all the material that Special Explosion have released in the past all rolled up into one great little record debut of sorts.



Nice indie rock/pop punk.

Last.fm

Cara Neir - Portals to a Better, Dead World (2013)

Want to bring a little darkness to your holidays? How about some crusty two-piece blackened metal?

Cara Neir's got you covered.


I was pretty surprised to see these guys make Spin's 20 Best Metal Albums as well as Stereogum's however many albums they want to put below Sunbather metal list this year. Hell, Cara Neir even made it onto a College Humor list and labeled as "...great for everyone who would prefer to be dead". I would not go as far as to say that this album would make you want to off yourself, but Portals to a Better, Dead World would definitely make it into my favorite metal things list this year if I had one (even though I wouldn't consider them straight-up metal).

Last.fm

Captain Hollow - Mares Got Strangled (2013)

From what it seems, Mares Got Strangled might be Captain Hollow's "final transmission for a while". As someone who has been following this Bangor/Portland band for a bit now, I'm surprised they haven't broken up yet. Then again, I probably say that every time they return to make one last album.



Mares Got Strangled is without question Captain Hollow's most experimental release. If you get passed the fact that this album is not serious at all, you can really start to enjoy its all-over-the-place-ness.

I also really appreciate the Pooty Tang reference (track 5). The world needs more Pooty Tang references.

Last.fm