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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Monday XXXXXXXI

RIP Jason Molina

Black Mask. - Black Mask. (2012)

Finger licking good hardcore that falls right off the bones! From Pennsylvania.

At first I though this was another Black "something" band but then I saw the period.



Get mad.

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Scavenger - Cynical (2013)

Scavenger are a hardcore troupe from northern Maine that are quite reminiscent of early hardcore punk that requires a cassette player and big giant 80's speakers. Not bad, not bad.



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Songs: Ohia - The Lioness (2000)

While clearly not as recognized as Magnolia Electric Co. or as truthfully and down right sad as Axxess & Ace (one of my favorite albums to play when I'm sad), The Lioness definitely has its moments of both sadness and glory that makes it stand out in my top three Jason Molina albums list.

Highlights include: "Lioness", "Being in Love", "Coxcomb Red", and "Nervous Bride"

Bonus:

Joe Beats's remix of "Coxcomb Red":

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By Surprise's New 7'', Criteria OUT NOW!

By Surprise - Criteria (2013)

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! After about a month (maybe more) of teasing us with the "Criteria" stream, By Surprise finally released their two other gems (about wearing crowns and being tall) that make up this new 7incher.

YEAH, it's only three songs... but come on, at least this means By Surprise have new music and aren't dead like Spraynard or Algernon Cadwallader are now. Which is a shame.

ALSO, for all you magical cable box watchers out there, I believe I heard that "Criteria" is a listenable song on Music Choice University - a new Music Choice Channel for hip stuff apparently.



YEAH!

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NFT's Got You Covered! With Carissa's Wierd

Carissa's Wierd - Scrapbook (2003)

While not completely a cover album, Carissa's Weird's, Scrapbook is a nice little look at some of CW's unreleased/demo/remixes/covers recorded between 1996 and 2003. The covers include (in order by appearance), "Asleep" by The Smiths (track 5), "Chelsea Hotel" by Leonard Cohen (track 6), "Gauze" by Red Red Meat (track 8), "Isolation" by Joy Division (track 9), and "Curtains" by John Frusciante (track 10).

Carissa's Wierd show off their deadly sadcore/slowcore style with the covers they picked on Scrapbook. To be straight, the album's not as good as I remembered it when I first discovered it but that's partly due to my lose of interest in the Mat Brooke (pre Band of Horses/Grand Archives) and Jenn Ghetto (pre S) starting point that is Carissa's Wierd. I still recommend these guys and their covers on Scrapbook even if you are not a fan of Band of Horses, Grand Archives or Carissa's Wierd (which is much different than those other too...) for that matter. This release is the reason "Asleep" is one of my favorite Smiths track (not to be confused with Fugazi's "I'm So Tired"), the reason I know about Red Red Meat and the reason Chelsea Hotel is one of my favorite songs to be covered and to hear covered.

Scrapbook also features the teary eyed wonder "Sympathy Bush" as well as a remix of said track along with three other unreleased tracks, a demo called "Ugly Valentine" which maybe the blueprint to "All Apologies and Smiles, Yours Truly, Ugly Valentine"from You Should Be At Home Here (2001) and a remix of Heather Rhodes from I Before E (2004).

My interst in Carissa's Wierd may be pretty low right now but I have a feeling that that might change and it'll bounce back up. When it does I'll be sure to post some of their other stuff. I will also explain this whole sadcore/slowcore business...

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