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:

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.

Butcher Boy - Rhubarb

Butcher Boy - Rhubarb (2014)

If there's one band this year that deserves your attention it's Portland, Maine's own Butcher Boy. No strangers to this site, Butcher Boy are Maine's leading brand for music groups with no easy label. If there's one tag that can be at least included with a bunch of other sub-genre words like post, freak, or doom - it's folk. But of course Butcher Boy are all of those things and none of those things at the same time.

It's been a little while since Butcher Boy has released anything physically, but their constant appearances at shows and festivals these past two years have made it incredibly easy for anyone to hear what they are up to. From Shoreless Sea released in 2012 to last year's small Rhubarb single, Butcher Boy have found the mystical gel through the power of repetition and are using it to their advantage like no other. They might play pretty much the same songs they did a year ago i.e. Cousin, Empty Ocean, and New Home, but they have mutated them into incredible masterpieces the more and more they are played.

It feels like I saw Butcher Boy 20 times in 2014, but every time, whether it was at the Space Gallery, on an island, at a farm, or in the park I was left out of breathe and completely inspired. That being said, the best advise Bassist Travis Mencher could give to an audience is to make your own creative music. Not only because Butcher Boy never has a song left for encore but also because that's what music should do to you and what Maine needs - more creative music.


I highly recommend picking this up if you get the chance because it rules (of course) and it supposedly glows in the dark! I didn't get a chance to grab a copy yet but I will as soon as they get back from their small tour. 

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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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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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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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Stone Titan - Scratch 'N Sniff

Stone Titan - Scratch 'N Sniff (2013)

Stone Titan is some pretty nasty doom metal. Almost every riff is drenched in greasy filth that intoxicates the air. From just listening to Stone Titan's summer of 2013 release, Scratch 'N Sniff, I can smell the all too familiar small of musty basements, sweaty punks, cheap-ass beer, and skunk weed, lots and lots of skunk weed. This album brings me back to some of the coolest times I've ever had without exactly being there and interacting with people. It's like one of those candles you smell at the mall that have all those different scents but what you really end up smelling is your friend's house from 2nd grade that you don't talk to anymore... except, you know, it's music. Dirty sludgy doom metal music.

Highlights: "I Wish I Was Fucking Dead", "Alaskan Thunderfuck", "Faul", Can 'O Worms", and "A Brief History of Overweight Men"


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Ignominy - Come Abuse

Ignominy - Come Abuse (2013)

Ignominy are a band from Sweden that used to play hardcore but now make sludgy blackened post metal. Through the beating drums and sludgy distortion comes spiraling guitar work; a sound that will quickly get your attention. From the very beginning, Ignominy introduce you to the wonders that their instruments can make when they guide you into a storm of electronic swells. Eventually you find yourself in a dark place with no direction and things are getting intense, then you let the storm take over you. Now you're in the eye of the storm, but it's not so bad, it's actually kind of peaceful in a dark, melancholy kind of way. You sit back as the water consumes your vessel and you become completely submerged. You didn't even bother to put your gumby suit on. You are just sinking as chaos and panic ensues around you.

Once you get to the second song though, you realize you still can't breath underwater and you want to live. So comes this intense burst of emotion as water starts to build up in your lungs and you are fighting to get to the surface. Luckily, by the power of music, you are sky-rocketed (err, sea-rocketed) up to the surface and spat out of the ocean's mouth. After that it's really up to you; a choose your own adventure of heavy and doom-y proportions.

Sounds pretty cool, right?

Come Abuse is Ignominy's newest release and is free for everyone on the internet to listen to and own. So grab this album from the link above and enjoy the shameless trip.

Highlights: listen to this album from beginning to end. Twice.


Constantly.

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Carl Sagan Presents: The Body in the Kelp

The Body in the Kelp - The Body in the Kelp (2013)

The Body in the Kelp were born in 48 hours. These songs, they were born in 48 hours. Everything about this album, 48 hours.

Well sort of. The Body in the Kelp is a band made up of four musicians who, before participating in the 5th annual Portland Space Gallery 48 Hour Music Festival, had never played music together. See, the 48 Hour Music Festival is simple, you put a bunch of musicians together randomly and make them come up with a 20 minute set and a band name in 48 hours. Then they play said songs for a sold out crowd at the Space Gallery. The Body in the Kelp and this EP are just that; the 20 minute set the four musicians came up within 48 hours and played at the show. It's a bit more polished and re-recorded now, but the premise its still there: this is 48 hour music.

This EP opens with an amazing sample choice of Bert and I, a Maine humor classic, and then an ambient bassline leads in to rhythm guitars and drums before the vocals pierce through. From there we get more samples including a Martin Luther King speech along with more riffs, sliding guitar, doomy textures, and dirty rock 'n' roll vocals. Need I say more?



48 hours this stuff was thought up. Four amazingly original songs. Wickedly good stuff. Get it.

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Phantom Glue - A War Of Light Comes

Phantom Glue - A War Of Light Comes (2013)

Here's some new-ish music from the Boston doomed sludge brigade, Phantom Glue.

I saw these guys a couple years back when there was a good number of metal shows at the Space Gallery in Portland. It was a hell of a show and these guys really bring the noise in the essence of powerful Neurosis-like sludge metal. Phantom Glue might not be playing in my neck of the woods anytime soon, at least not that I know of, but they are currently playing shows around New England and elsewhere with some very cool bands such as KYOTY, Pelican, Wreck & Reference, and Sannhet. So yeah, that's still pretty sweet.

I've been on a huge metal/heavy/intense music kick lately, especially doom-y sludgy sloppy stuff, and Phantom Glue provides me with all those wonderful things. This album is an incredible 7 track banger that I would easily put on my best of 2013 metal list if I had one, which I don't. Not yet, at least...

Highlights: All of it! Probably digging "Bow in the Dust" the most right now though.


Similar acts/sounds: Ramming Speed, Razormaze, Sylvia, WARANIMAL, Kowloon Walled City, Pyres, Neurosis, Black Tusk, Raise The Red Lantern, and other cool bands that don't sound like Phantom Glue.

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Monday LXXXVII

Yandom.

True Neutral Crew - #MONSANTO (2013)

True Neutral Crew is an experimental krautrock-meets-hip-hop-of-some-kind project by members of Foot Village, Clipping, I.E.



Released just in time to celebrate Monsanto's executive receiving the noble prize of food AKA the World Food Prize for the development of genetically modified organisms or GMOs.

True Neutral Crew also have a remix kit for #MONSANTO that comes with a remix of "Monsanto" by Viper Venom and the ingredients to remix the rest of this mixtape (not including the bonus track).

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Pat "the bunny" Schneeweis - The Mark Inside (2013)

Pat "the bunny" is currently the frontman for Ramshackle Glory, an anarcho folk punk outfit from Tuscon, Arizona. You may also know Pat from the passionately honest and rebellious folk punk bands Wingnut Dishwasher Union or Johnny Hobo & The Freight Trains.

The Mark Inside is a bit different from most of Pat's projects in that it's not about him or his friends. No, it's actually about characters and stories that are mostly fictional and made up by Pat, but are just as emotional and feel-y as true stories would be.



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Iron Sword - Loose Leaf (2013)

Iron Sword are a doomed stoner/sludge metal from Vermont.


The cover art to their new demo entitled, Loose Leaf was provided by Maine's finest party thrash metal legends, WARANIMAL and their bearer of the party axe, Nick Reddy. Both bands love to rip it up...

... more ways than one!

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Monday LXXXVI

Damnyo.

La Casa Fantom - Feed My Silence (2012)

Doomy noisecore from "the forest of Norway". Been rip-roaring since 2000.



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Crywank - Tour Demos (2013)

At the beginning of the year, James "Crywank" Clayton released these demos for his January tour. The tour may be over but the demos are still really nice, including some solid rerecordings, and all the cash brought in from the demo goes to more touring and more music recording. Also, this demo features the new member providing percussion to the Crywank sound, Dan "The Snail" Watson.

If anything, you should at least listen to this.



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Wiltz - Sea Dog (2013)

Irish instrumental math rock outfit, Wiltz have recently decided to call it quits. It's always a shame to check up on a band you haven't heard in a while and discover they are done making music together.

At least they left us with good music.


You can pick up Wiltz's last album, entitled, Sea Dog over on their bandcamp or from Little League Records - who have been releasing all sorts of unique music from bands left and right as of late.

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Monday LXXVIII

Three Man Cannon - Nelson (2010)

Some gnarly pop punk/indie rock right here. From Philly no less.

Really digging the track, "One Word Mary" - especially the part where the lead singer starts singing in French.



The other tracks are good, too.

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The Jezebel Spirit - I Hate it Here (2011)

Almost sort of like Duck. Little Brother, Duck! without vocals but not really.


That being said, half of The Jezebel Spirit (Jon & Phil) are now in Duck. Little Brother, Duck!

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Wreck and Reference - No Content (2013)

New 2 song 7incher by the doomed noise metal onslaught, Wreck and Reference. These 2 songs, titled No Content or Content, is a bit more black metal than their previous releases in my opinion... I'm not complaining though. Good stuff all around.



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NFT's Got You Covered - RSO tackles Flippers' Generic Album!

RSO - Generic (2013)

Filthy blues crust, RSO takes on Flipper's punk rock essential, Album - Generic Flipper or just Generic.

I had the interesting pleasure of seeing RSO play a show in a dirty warehouse behind the train station about a half a year back and was very surprised to find that "RSO" was just one guy who stands on a platform, wails on his guitar, shouts bloody none sense, and stomps all the while wearing a tuxedo. I'm not sure if this is always RSO or the rest of the band just couldn't find the warehouse's coordinates but I thoroughly enjoyed his performance none the less... my girlfriend on the other hand, not so much.

Truthfully, this guy in the tuxedo and the uncontrollable erg to play blues and stomp as hard as he can is actually Ryan Owens, formerly of New Jersey but now residing in good ol' Maine.

RSO (I'm guessing those are his initials?)'s money rendition of Generic also comes with a double take of "Living For The Depression" and a few live renditions as well.



My only question now: where is "Sex Bomb"?

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Bonus:

Correspondences - Christmas // Devil Town (2012)

Correspondences of Portland, Maine released this 7 1/2" at their farewell show back in November... Without me knowing, of course.

It's got two tracks, an original number called, "Christmas (Baby, Please Don't Go)" and "Devil Town" - a doom rendition of Daniel Johnston's haunting a capella about the struggles of living in a devil town with vampires as friends that you didn't know were vampires.




So yeah, it's pretty great!

I'm guessing this album is labeled Lee as in the drummer, Lee King. I'm almost positive it's all Correspondences, though.

Anyways, enjoy!

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Monday XXXXXXVI

More boring and less hyped than MBV and the Super Bowl commercials combined, It's Monday #66!

RAGANA - Unbecoming (2013)

RAGANA is a witchy guitar/drums post black metal/doom band from Olympia, Washington.

These ladies should come play a show with Correspondences, Portland's residential all-female cello-driven doom act. 

That'd be fun.

Oh wait, too bad Correspondences broke up...

Anyways, this is RAGANA's new release, Unbecoming. It is followed by another nice album, All's Lost - released last June.

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Mumblr - White Jesus EP (2012)

I'm having a hard time defining what Mumblr from Philly sound like other than funky, fun indie rock.

That sounds totally lame, I know, but it's all I think of when I listen to them and their release from last October, entitled, White Jesus.



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An Anderson - 2 Song Sampler (2013)

Out of the ashes of Red Medicine (super gnarly Portland/Farmington math-y post punk whatever) comes an all new and totally too-good-for-their-own-good band called, An Anderson (Featuring Red Med's Dan Smith) - not to be confused with Arn Anderson, the Four Horseman enforcer who always had the back of Ric Flair and was one hell of a tag team competitor.

I'm not sure where the name of origin An Anderson comes from really but maybe one of the members: Ron Harrity, Dan Smith, Stefan Hanson, or Elijah True can.

It feels just like yesterday Red Medicine called it quits and played their super good last show with CUSS and Captain Hollow. Now all of the sudden Dan Smith's new band, this one right here, is already recording stuff. Granted, it's just a demo, but it's a pretty impressive demo, no doubt. Despite being called a "2 Song Sampler", this sampler actually has 3 tracks. And despite it being called a "rough demo", this demo is actually not that rough. It's good enough for me!



I can't wait to hear more from An Anderson in the future, though.

Stay tuned in for more on these guys right here for sure!

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Monday XXXXXXIV

All this talk of MLK is making me thirsty...

SRVVLST - I Would But I'm Baroque (2012)

SRVVLST (yes, as in 'Survivalist') is a post-whatever - or as Last.fm puts it - a post-everything four piece from Ohio. 

They twinkle, they noodle, they shout, they get intimate, and they survive. 

In my book, that's about all a band needs to do to count as post-everything anyways. 

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Sinforiano Diaz - The Moosup Seassions (2012)

Sinforiano Diaz is the solo moniker of This World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die's Tom Diaz. It also features Axel Diaz on guitar and John Bowles guitaring and singing some back up vox. 

Tom Diaz replaces the electric twinkly feels with acoustic, sometimes uke-driven, but still twinkly feels here on this little four song release entitled, 'The Mossup Sessions' after the session of which he recorded this, in Mossup, Connecticut. 

Fans of Crywank, Waxahatchee, Warren Franklin, John Galm, and other solo acoustic singer-songwriter acts will most likely dig this gravely.

PS: It has just come to my attention that Tom Diaz may not be playing in TWIABP anymore... which is lame. 

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Iron Sword - Demo (2012)

Iron Sword is a super intense and sloppy stoner metal band from Burlington. 

They're going to be playing a neck-breakingly good show (from the looks of it) with hometown sweeties, WARANIMAL (if you live in Maine and like metal and haven't seen WARANIMAL play, I feel bad for you son!) along with The Proselyte (MA), Eastern Spell (ME), and Lunglust (MA) on the 25th!

I don't know if I'll be able to swing down to see this mega stacked line-up in Portland on Friday (that's when it's happening of course. Put it on your shredule if you haven't already), but Iron Sword is also playing a show the next night (Saturday) at Orono which looks to be a real rager as well and is much closer to my current location. ;)

Hell, maybe I'll just go to both!

Hopefully dese boys bring there samples with them from this demo - including the Dazed and Confused Matthew Mcconaughey sample at the beginning of "Stairway to Hell"! Check it out:

Here's the poster for the show Friday night for your viewing Lord of the Rings pleasure as well:

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