NFT's Favorite Songs of 2014!

Room for one more?

101. Enabler - New Life
100. Riff Raff - Aquaberry Dolphin (feat. Mac Miller)
99. Locktender - The Piazza
98. Homeboy Sandman - Fat Belly
97. Criminal Instinct - Fever
96. Bad History Month - Staring at My Hands
95. Father - Look at Wrist (feat. I LOVE MAKONNEN & Key)
94. Bastions - Empty Vessel
93. Vulture Shit - I Love My Job
92. Kite Party - Halflife
91. Cara Neir - To Sprout from Decay
90. Dungeon Kids - Wife Out
89. Single Mothers - Marbles
88. Chance the Rapper - Wonderful Everyday (Arthur's Theme cover) [ft. The Social Experiment]
87. You Blew It! - Award of the Year Award
86. Baths - Ocean Death
85. RATKING - So Sick Stories (feat. King Krule)
84. Krieg - Circling the Drain 
83. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - High (feat. Danny Brown)
82. Adebisi Shank - Chaos Emeralds
81. Cold World - Hell's Direction (feat. Kool G Rap)
80. RVIVR - Goodbyes
79.  Solids - Over the Sirens 
78. The Body - Manic Fire
77. Attic Abasement - Talk
76. Ab-Soul - God's Reign (feat. SZA)
75. Cunninlynguists - Strange Universe (feat. Del the Funk Homosapien)
74. Kal Marks - It Was a Very Hard Year
73. Roomrunner - Slow
72. Sun Club - Cheeba Swiftkick
71. Idylls - Lied To
70. Go Yama - Kiki's Delivery Bump Truck
69. Never Relaxed - Safety Net
68. My Fictions - Wake Anxious
67. Grass is Green - Vacation 2.0
66. Lil B - Fuck KD (Kevin Durant Diss)
65. La Dispute - Woman (Reading)
64. Dog - Living stone on the cave of the vapor
63. Big Ups - Rash
62. Totorro - Chevalier Bulltoe
61. Radiator Hospital - Cut Your Bangs
60. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting For You) [BADBADNOTGOOD Reinterpretation]
59. Tombs - Severed Lives
58. Zammuto - Hegemony
57. Cruel Hand - Monument Square People 
56. Speedy Ortiz - Everything's Bigger
55. Psymun - Blind (feat. Spooky Black & Bobby Raps)
54. Thou - Into the Marshlands
53. Hive Bent - Fedora
52. Saintseneca - Happy Alone (bonus: Fed Up With Hunger)
51. Tobacco - Eruption (Gonna Get My Hair Cut at the End of the Summer)
50. Special Explosion - Clotheslined
49. Kool & Kass - C.R.E.A.M.
48. Rosetta - Soot
47. Jerkagram - Olee-Wah
46. Earth - Torn by the Fox of the Crescent Moon
45. Ted Nguyent - My Body is the Temple of Doom
44. Helms Alee - Dangling Modifiers 
43. Falls of Rauros - Spectral Eyes
42. Buck 65 - Love Will Fuck You Up
41. Krill - Peanut Butter
40. Goat - The Light Within
39. Kool A.D. - Hickory (feat. Talib Kweli & Boots Riley)
38. Demonbrother - Journey to the End of the Night
37. Salem's Pot - Dr. Death
36. Hail Mary Mallon - 4AM
35. UltraMantis Black - Biomonster DNA
34. At the Gates - At War With Reality
33. The Caution Children - Psalms
32. Baptists - Dissembler 
31. Code Orange - Slowburn
30. Lovechild - Perfectionist (Perfectionism)
29. Angel Du$t - Let it Rot
28. Owls - The Lion...
27. SZA - Childs Play (feat. Chance the Rapper)
26. Open Mike Eagle - Doug Stamper (feat. Hannibal Buress)  (bonus: Informations)
25. Wreck and Reference - Stranger, Fill This Hole in Me
24. Run the Jewels - Blockbuster Night Part 1
23. 100 Onces - Boreder Patrol
22. Serengeti - No Beginner
21. Trace Mountains - Buttery Sprouts
20. Eyehategod - Parish Motel Sickness
19. Busdriver - Ego Death (ft. Aesop Rock & Danny Brown) (bonus: Eat Rich)
18. Soft Power - LVL UP
17. Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!
16. Mayor Creep - Bike Lane
15. Bearcubbin' - High School Field Trip to Murder Island
14. Flying Lotus - Dead Man's Tetris (feat. Captain Murphy & Snoop Dogg)
13. Tigers Jaw - Slow Come On
12. Sangharsha - Dharaap
11. Mantar - The Berserker's Path
10. Shellac - Riding Bikes
9. Butcher Boy - New Home
8. SLOTHS - Breadcrumb Trail (Slint cover)
7. ScHoolBoy Q - Man of the Year
6. Milo - You Are Go(o)d to Me
5. Swans - Bring the Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture
4. Have a Nice Life - Cropsey
3. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - What We Loved Was Not Enough
2. Yautja - Faith Resigned
1. Spooky Black - Without U

NFT's Got You Covered - Favorite Covers of 2014!

Some covers from 2014!

Invalids - Lemmings from I Guess this is Growing Up (Volume 1)



Every wondered what it would be like if Blink 182 jumped into the twinkle daddy game in 2014? Well, Pete Davis AKA Invalids has the answer in his virtuoso-has-nothing-on-me cover of "Lemmings" from Cheshire Cat (1996).

Pharmakon - Bang Bang from Bestial Burden (bonus track)



I first heard Nancy Sinatra's original after witnessing it in Kill Bill Vol. 1 when I was too young to really appreciate either. This version by Sacred Bones noisemaker Margaret Chardiet definitely would have fit right in with Tarantino's revengesploitation fetish.

You Blew It! - Surf Wax America from You Blue It!



Not as different as the Blink 182 cover above, but this Blue Album Weezer cover is a very fun rework of a song that gets barely any recognition. Props to You Blew It! for making a song that could easily fit in a future Tony Hawk game (I can wish) as well.

The Body & Thou - Terrible Lie (live from Gilead Fest)

While I will never actually know what this song sounded like (recordings were destroyed by the sheer power and heaviness of this performance and only a Youtube video surfaced), I'm gonna have to go with this video over the original by Nine Inch Nails.


These Arms Are Snakes - Energy Drink And The Long Walk Home from Sex Beat



The original is actually less synth-y than this final recording ever made by post hardcore legends, These Arms Are Snakes. This track was originally going to be released on a Split with another band that came about after Botch's breakup, Minus the Bear, but it never saw the light of day. The aforementioned original is by Lost Sounds, a band featuring Alicja Trout and Jay Reatard.

Black Math Horseman - All Apologies from In Utero: In Tribute



This Record Store Day Nirvana tribute was another release that took years to finally materialize. While it also includes a never-before-released track by These Arms Are Snakes (covering "Heart-Shaped Box"), I have to give praise to the now-defunct Black Math Horseman for their re-imaged apocalyptic doom cover of "All Apologies". I also have a very soft spot for dueling female/male vocals.

Chance the Rapper - Wonderful Everyday (Arthur Theme) [ft. The Social Experiment]



This is not your everyday cover of Arthur's Theme song by Ziggy Marley. I might elaborate on this more later when I talk about my favorite albums of the year but something about listening to a lot of reggae music including the original Arthur's Theme went from being a playful joke to really getting me through some bummer summer moments. This song might not be reggae or even a straight-forward cover, but it still has that uber-positive message to it. Plus, it's sung by Chance the Rapper, someone who is never always positive-sounding (see his next single: "No Better Blues").

Graves at Sea - Orchid/Lord of this World from This Place is Poison



There's people that say they like metal and don't listen to Black Sabbath in 2014. I Know, I've read it online. Luckily for you, I got the memo and wanted to remind you that it's still cool to listen to Black Sabbath - including their 1971 release Master of Reality. Once you are done listening to Master of Reality check out this incredible two-part sludge cover of "Orchid" and "Lord of this World" by Graves at Sea.

SLOTHS - Breadcrumb Trail from Casa de Diversion Covers Vol. 3



Portland, Oregon's SLOTHS could not have released this Slint cover at a better time. Along with Slint's documentary entitled Breadcrumb Trail released this year, the grown-up kids from Kentucky decided to get back together and have a real reunion tour. I can't say I have been to too many reunion shows in my day, but I wasn't gonna miss this one. SLOTHS incredible rendition of "Breadcrumb Trail" will forever remind me of finishing a day of finals in Northern Maine to my lone trek through Boston traffic for the perfect parking spot. The Show? Well, Slint will remind me of that...

Bonus:

Have you heard Primus's re-imagination of the Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory soundtrack? I had not until I watched this fan-made sync-up of the classic 1971 movie with Primus and the Fungi Ensemble's Willy Wonka renditions:

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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Nine of Swords

Nine of Swords - I Can't Stand My Own Face (2014)

New York's Nine of Swords are the opposite of quiet. Noise rock? Screamo? Who knows. Either way Nine of Swords don't hold back on their sophomore release, I Can't Stand My Own Face featuring six distorted and loud under-four-minute punk rock surges.

Check it out:




Be sure to also check out their new single, "Violence" if you are digging what you are hearing... and everything else by them, of course.

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100 Onces - S/T

100 Onces - 100 Onces (2014)

100 Onces new self-titled debut will shred your face right off. This is math rock riding a skateboard into a bowl full of cancer-free cigarettes. A bit more punk than their last release, 100 Ounces, but that's fine by me.

Highlights: "Shredders of the Universe", "Never Change", "Etch-a-Sketch Orchestra", "Boreder Patrol", "Sr. Kate", and the rest of the album.



For fans of math rock, Tera Melos, Bygones, Los Angeles, shredding, and high energy extreme sports.

Bandcamp
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CUT THE SHIT VOL 3

Various Maine Artists - Cut the Shit Vol. 3(2014)

This is volume three of Mike Cunnane's super cool and completely DIY recordings of Maine bands. Some of these bands I got to see tear it up (musicly speaking, of course) at Portland music fests and special outings this summer i.e. Hopeless Losers, Babe, and TG9; some I have known for some time i.e. if and it, Mr. NEET, Great Western Plains, SS Cretins, and others i.e. Phallus Uber Alles, The English Muffins, and Fadeaway Jumpers are bands I'm listening to for the first time via this rad comp.

All the bands, as always, are completely different, so don't skip a beat if you wanna find something new to listen to. Bands like TG9 (members of Perfect Hair and An Anderson) and SS Cretins (psych throwbackers and good friends of mine) should especially be bands you'll be seeing/hearing again on this site so don't sleep on those folks.

Enough yapping from me... just check this out:


Be sure to check out the other volumes as well if you like what you hear ;)

Bandcamp

NFT's October Mix (warning: spooky)

Nothing says Spooktober like watching cheesy B slashers, Nicolas Cage's Wicker Man, listening to lots of horror-influenced metal music, and trying to figure out what you do for Halloween as an adult.

I tried making last month's mix sound kind of like all those things above sans Nic Cage. There's also some modern flair that went in to this mix and some stuff that obviously was just what I happened to listen to in October. Listen and enjoy (alone and with the lights off):

Also, if you're interested in all the spooky/thrilling/suspenseful/Halloween-y stuff I watched this October, I decided to share my Spooktober views over at IMDB.  

Goblin - Suspiria

Goblin - Suspiria OST (1977)

It's the spookiest time of the year again, so listen to spooky music!

Goblin were an electronic prog rock band from Italy. Originally known as Cherry Five, the band was commissioned by director and spook-master, Dario Argento to help finish compose the music for his 1975 horror masterpiece, Profondo Rosso AKA Deep Red. With the goal of creating such a beautifully goosebumped-out soundtrack, the band needed a much cooler and darker name, apparently, so they trashed the Genesis-inspired Cherry Five name and were re-born as Goblin. After Profondo Rosso, the band were then assigned to compose all of Argento's next film, a sort of ballet of horror, Suspiria!

Suspiria is both suspenseful and beautiful - a combination of traits that also appears in the soundtrack by Goblin. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you if you haven't seen it; I'm just going to say you will be in for quite a treat this Halloween season if you do see it! It's a classic and don't let the whole ballet thing fool you. A good movie can make anything watchable (plus there's really not much ballet anyways).

Here's a taste of Goblin's "Suspiria" if you haven't already familiarized yourself with this incredible track (or the rest of the soundtrack):

Get spooked!

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MANTAR - Death by Burning

Mantar - Death by Burning (2014)

While I've been listening to plenty of hardcore lately, I really needed something metal to listen to. I'm talking dark, black, burnt metal. Luckily, I found just what I've been looking for - MANTAR!

Mantar, who might sound like ten warlocks conjuring up dark souls while riding headless horses at first, are actually a two piece straight from Hamburg, German conjuring up dark souls while riding nearly headless horses. The two pieces used in Mantar's music are the traditional weapons of choice: drums and guitars (with lots of spells cast on it). No bass, no worries; these two gents from Germany know how to keep things dark and heavy just with their essential tools of destruction.

Along with dark and heavy, Mantar also summon the spirits of gloom and doom. The doom elements plus Mantar's use of witch, Norse, and demon-themed songwriting is a perfect mix with your pumpkin spice whatever this October/Halloween season. Be warned though, Mantar's Death by Burning is also the kind of album that could lead you to raise a demon seed inside reproductive organs you didn't even know you had.

Highlights: There's really no dull moment for this 10 song epic but "Astral Kannibal", "White Nights", and "The Berserker's Path" are definitely the record's top bangers.


Similar acts/sounds: metal. Good blackened doom metal.

Side note: Ain't nothing wrong with sludge metal but these guys also don't want to be called sludge metal. I'm just tagging them as such so I remember not to call the sludge.

Bandcamp (Free "White Nights" download)
Cassette (only 4 bones!)
A Pic of Mantaur
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NFT September Mix

The mix is back. Featuring David Lynch stuff, lots of Hellfyre Clubers, hardcore rap, and some spooky stuff. Check it out:

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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Bushido Dragons

Bushido Dragons - Bushido Dragons (1999)

Before Paul Baribeau was touring the underground punk rock scene with his simple yet additive acoustic music, the Grand Ledge, Michigan native played in a little band called Bushido Dragons. Bushido Dragons played a popular type of music for the locals at Grand Ledge High at the time... that type of music being surf rock.

The Bushido Dragons may have grown tired of playing surf rock, but the outcome of high schoolers recording their own DIY surf music turned into a super cool lo-fi sound that could have easily caught on today in this "everything is a throwback" society. Bushido Dragons' first self-titled record was by far the best example of this lo-fi surf rock style, while their follow-up release, Grand Haven, is much more of full-band version of Paul Baribeau's solo career. Grand Haven is no doubt a prequel to Baribeau's Grand Ledge released in '07. Hell, Grand Haven even includes the original version of "Blue Eyes" later on Baribeau's first self-titled release.

Check out all of the music Bushido Dragons ever recorded including their surf opera self-title at CometKaze.com. If you are a Paul Baribeau fan or just wanna hear some rare lo-fi music, you can dig deeper down into the Baribeau rabbit-hole with his even earlier band, Birthday Cakes also available on the site. If that's too rough for you, the recordings I mean, maybe stick with the live recordings of Bushido Dragons which include very early versions of Paul Baribeau singing Bruce Springsteen tracks.

Paul Baribeau's tumblr
CometKaze.com
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AWAAS - It's Great Dying.

Awaas - It's Great Dying. (2014)

From the ashes of local legends, Conifer and Ocean came a new experiment to enter the dark dimensions of the musical subconscious. The year was 2011, and new bands from Maine were popping up left and right, including aformentioned louder-than-hell brigade, Awaas. Now it's 2014, and Awaas, like any cool local band should, are calling it quits.

Almost two Sundays ago, Awaas took there music, set it on fire, and rode off into the sunset, (almost) literally. Awaas's final performance was a viking funeral through Casco Bay. While there may or may not have actually been fire aboard the Casablanca booze cruise, from the sound of things it was quite the burial at sea. As a fan of both music and boating, that is probably the most badass way to go out.

Along with the Casablanca Cruise being the final show for Awaas in Portland, it was also the birth of their cleverly titled new album, It's Great Dying. Whether or not the 'waas team knew they would be releasing the damn thing on their death bed, It's Great Dying is certainly their swan song.

Riddled with the instrument of choice circa 1983, the synthesizer, Awaas goes completely in direction not yet heard on It's Great Dying. It seems a bit risky at first, mixing their minimal approach heard on the 2011 self-titled EP with a much more prominent gothic to industrial pop feel. Still, even with the fond interest in the synth, Awaas retained that heaviness that I remember quite well last time I saw them (opening for Thee Silver Mt. Zion in Portland).

It's Great Dying is not like a lot of music being released these days. Coming from Awaas, this is no surprise to me. Awaas is not music you can easily define other than throwing out a few meaningless phrases like krautrock, electro, industrial, or drone with names like Swans, Lungfish, Bauhaus, and The Birthday Party. At the end of the day, Awaas is just Awaas - as cheesy as that may sound - you can't put a finger on something that doesn't have any guidelines or rules other being completely DIY and has the need for really loud synth.

Highlights: "A Simple Horror",  "Big Fun", "Tiny Monsters", "Magnetic P.I.", "Cauterize", and the rest of the album.


Also, feel free to read more about Awaas and their final show via Post Mortem, here.

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Monday 104

Back to school math edition.

 Unicorn Harvest - Alan's Tutorials (2013)

Some math math from New York, New York. Check out there music video for "Alex & Tiffany" featuring the illustrious Sin Cara mask:

...and the rest of Alan's Tutorials:



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Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - Despondent (2013)

Some solid solo math stuff from Nnamdi Ogbonnaya of Illinois. When Ogbonnaya is not doing solo stuff or swag/meme-rapping he has been known to drum, do vocals or even play bass for The Para-Medics, Water Houses, Pisces at The Animal Fair, Nervous Passenger. He's even been in My Dads, Itto, and was the mastermind behind Richard Def & the Mos Pryors.

This dude's everywhere.



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Lucas Brode - prixvyou (2014)

Lucas Brode is a guitarist/composer from New York who has also played bass and many other instruments for cool New York bands such as Jerkagram and Hannibal Montana. Brode's completely solo release, prixvyou is filled with amazing guitar work ranging from math rock to jazz and worldly music. Very minimal but still quite interesting to listen to not only as a student of music.


Lucas Brode also makes meditation music which can be found on his bandcamp as well as prixvyou above.

Official site

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NFT's Got You Covered - Casa de Diversion Covers Vol. 3

Various Artists - Casa de Diversion Covers Vol. 3 (2014)

Here's a cool cover compilation put together by the hardcore/punk/metal loving blog, Toxicbreed's Funhouse. It features 24 up-and-coming  loud-mouths playing their favorite songs by bands ranging from The Misfits to Slowdive to Le Tigre to GG Allin to Mazzy Star . My personal favorite has to be Sloths's rendition of Slint's Breadcrumb Trails - putting the hardcore back into Slint's post hardcore masterpiece.


Go check these crushers out right now:


Toxicbreed's Funhouse
Bandcamp

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:



Double Double Whammy
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NFT July Mix

July was cool, I guess.

Feel free to follow me @newkeith69 (that's Twitter) for music/humor/wrestling related news and updates.

UltraMantis Black!

UltraMantis Black - UltraMantis Black (2014)

Part insect, Part superhero, all chaos - his is UltraMantis Black's long awaited gospel.

Indy pro wrestler and leader of the Spectral Envoy of the Final Judgment has teamed up with the noisy crew of Pissed Jeans to unleash an ultra slick yet ultimately brutal Extended Play of hardcore scriptures. The hasty, out of control soundscape over UMB's piercing vocals heavily echo late 90's-early 00's noisecore and hardcore acts such as Deadguy, The Locust, Daughters, and Gaza. Plus, you have the wrestling influence that not only comes from the Chikara Pro Wrestling alum himself but from Pissed Jeans who, before getting into noise rock, where playing wrestling-inspired powerviolence in a band known as The Ultimate Warriors. The Ultimate Warriors were smart fans or "smart marks" as the internet would call it as they not only watched good ol' WWE (or WWF at the time) but also Japanese wrestling (puroresu) companies like Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and Big Japan Pro Wreslting as well as American Independent promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling. That being said, it's really no surprise that the first song off this album is titled after a villainous creature from FMW, Biomonster DNA.

Being a fan of both wrestling and hardcore music, UltraMantis Black as a whole is a super gratifying experience. This release definitely blows that other wrestler with a band's new album out of the water *cough* Chris Jericho *cough*.

Highlights: "Biomonster DNA", "Prescription Culture", "Oil and Gas", Stockpiling Graves", and "West Serbian Plain".



Similar acts/sounds: The Ultimate Warriors, Pissed Jeans, Antiseen, Deadguy, Daughters, The Locust, Gaza, Yautja, Weekend Nachos, Cult Leader, Mutoid Man, and other noisy hardcore that probably don't have a masked frontman.

Relapse Records
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Toasted Plastic - TP/ST

Toasted Plastic - TP/ST (2014)

New Jersey math punkers, Toasted Plastic are back and have four new tracks for you to listen to. TP/ST is very much an extension of where 2013's June Highs left off, which I have no complaints about as June Highs was one of the coolest releases I heard last year. Don't take my hype-induced blabber for it though, listen to this yourself and see what you think. TP first-timer or not. Do it.


Toast your brain.

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Monday 103

Local edition!

Sweet Teeth - Demo (2014)

Sweet Teeth are a riot grrrrrrrrl punk rock outfit out of Portland, Maine. They recently played with my buds in the psychedelic throwback, S.S. Cretins at The Oak & The Axe in Biddeford as well as starting the night off right at the Ramshackle Glory show a few weeks back.



Bandcamp

Buddusky - Two of Something (2014)

Buddusky are from a part of Maine I don't hear much about. That part being Mexico, Maine. Still, Buddusky are making the once home of bingo caller/carnival barker, Ed McMahon very proud by providing simple yet cool guitar and drum music to the state.



Bandcamp
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Holyfilth - Feast On Fire (2014)

Thrash.

Fucking Bangor(e), Maine thrash.


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NFT's June 2014 mix

Not sure what happened to my March mix but here's a perfect summer mix for your Spotify machine I made to usher in July.

Features songs about basketball, Hannibal Buress, lots of math, summer witches, and the My Mother The Car theme song.

Enjoy and have a summah!

DEMONBROTHER

Demonbrother - Beyond the Veil (2014)

Slow violence? You be the judge.



Similar acts/sounds: Ampere, Failures, Vaccine, Iron Lung, Extortion, Charles Manson, Ignominy, Loma Prieta, and other powerviolence acts at half-speed.

Bandcamp (free track)
Iron Lung Records
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Monday 102

MXNDXY XXXXXXXXXXII

Free To Think - Demo (2014)

Free To Think are a hardcore band from my third home, Bangor, Maine. Much like my buds Never Relaxed, they are keeping this whole hardcore scene in Maine alive and well. They also happen to be wrestling fans like myself, so I can't not talk about them. This here is their '014 demo which includes a real American outro that can't be missed:


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Margy Pepper - Deep Water Dark Water (2013)

Dark and dreary pop punk rock from Olympia. A three piece possibly possessed by ghosts or some sort of modern-day witch (if that's PC). Margy Pepper are very reminiscent of another band from Olympia that I have talked about before and that band would be RAGANA. This is no coincidence either as they are best buds and do tour together.


Margy Pepper did happen to make it to Mayo Street in Portland a few months sans RAGANA.

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Windmill of Corpses - Thin Walls (2014)

Windmill of Corpses are a three-piece crust metal band out of Arizona. With punchy drums and demonic howls, these guys are a guaranteed slap right smack in your little baby face. Get on this if you want to live with your beautiful baby face no more.


Great live!

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Hive Bent - Dyaltov

Hive Bent - Dyaltov (2014)

Hive Bent are two individuals making noisey post hardcore punk stuff from Baltimore. Their new album, Dyatlov is an excellent source of your daily recommended noise with a touch of angst for added healing power. Plus, it's completely organic with none of the filler so its gotta be good, right?

But in all seriousness, this is some damn good noise rock. Maybe this duo will stop by sometime to play with the noisey punks that are all about sticking it to the man in the 207 area. Until then, here's Dyatlov:




Similar acts/sounds: Speedy Ortiz, Ovlov, Roomrunner, Pile, Vulture Shit, Margy Pepper, Multicult, Screaming Females, etc.

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Tuesday

Like Monday... but on Tuesday.

Ittō - Ittō (2012)

Ittō play real basement hardcore, you know, as opposed to that fake stuff. This is their first album. Get to know this album and then check these spazzers out on the new 4-way dance coming out entitled The Sound of Young America. The split will include three other bands that aren't tied down to just being another "contemporary" hardcore or screamo band - Capacities, Innards, and Calculator.

 
Pre-order that thing I said you should check out above
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Dore Mear Beon - An Ode to the Sacrificial Pigeons of the Holmdel Horn Antenna (2014)

Bird-influenced math rock from Ontario. An Ode to... is a follow-up to Dore Mear Beon's 2012 self-titled EP which included a very cool song that sampled the Richard Linklater film, Waking Life. Dore Mear Beon is definitely for fans of Time Columns, Enemies, Zefs Chasing Cara, The Bulletproof Tiger, as well as other one-person math rock acts.



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Jerkagram - Tired Old Horseshit (2014)

This is Jerkagram's follow-up EP to their debut LP, Let's Talk About Us. If you like music, you'll really enjoy these three songs. Trust me.


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Ted Nguyent - Don't Vote

Ted Nguyent - Don't Vote (2014)

Philly punks, Ted Nguyent got this whole punk rock thing figured out.

From their pizza-themed magnum opus, Pizza & Regret, Ted Nguyent have know moved on to much more thought-provoking themes such as biology, stalking, why Dave (Grohl?) killed Kurt Cobain, the Philadelphia Parking Authority, and, of course, the Temple of Doom and what it would feel like if it was their body.

Get With it.

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Never Relaxed

Never Relaxed - Demo (2014)

Never Relaxed are some Portland dudes playing music and getting mad about some stuff.

This is a demo I was really looking forward to listening to for some time now, and have been for the past few months. It's the debut for the four-man hardcore punk outfit out of Portland and it's certainly true to the growing hardcore scene in Maine.

The unique vocals of lead-yeller, Zech is fueled by new and old school hardcore acts from Bad Brains to Bane to Portland's Cruel Hand. Then there's the other guys who, in such a serious genre, are never taking themselves too seriously. Mix it all together and you have a very fresh hardcore band that fits not just in legion halls and VFW posts but also in punk houses and underground jam spots.

Check it out:



Recorded by Leveret's Jesse Gertz.

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