Monday XI

Sorry for the lack of posts last week. Vacation laziness creeped up on me and the projects I was working on didn't work out. I did make this however:

I got bored.

Anyways, I hope you still like music... Because I got some:


Coke Weed - Volume One (2011)

I accidentally downloaded this the first time I say their name. I thought it was a link to their website. Oh well. At least it wasn't some kind of druggy trap government virus or something. Keywords my friends.

These guys from Bar Harbor (a nice little tourist trap town in Maine) play some kind of pub-ready lo-fi rock from the past to now. They are not a cover or jam band however (even though they probably love to jam) but more of a garage band that appeals to the kids and adults in all of us.

Also, The same day I read about these guys on Hilly Town (Maine music blog by a guy who doesn't live in Maine anymore), Coke Weed was playing a show just over the bridge. My ass was at it's peak of laziness. They'll be playing locally again though. I'm not worried. I'm just lazy.

Get Volume One for free here. It won't start downloading on you, I promise.



Rooftops - A Forest Of Polarity (2010)

Fun loving meth rock from Washington. I do not know if they still play together. That's for them to decide.

Very catchy and "twinkly". They remind me of This Town Needs Guns if TTNG didn't sing and were American. Nothing against TTNG, I just hear a lot of that laid back American Football type math rock that may or may not be watered down my the vocals that may or may not water down the raw instrumentation. If that makes any sense whatsoever. Rooftops do sing sometimes too but it doesn't dominate every song. 

By the way, every track title on A Forest Of Polarity uses the letters from the first song "Fiery Atlas". I'm not sure what the significance of this is or what that type of word play is called at the moment but check it out!

Last.fm 

Toasted Plastic - Ares Vallis (2011)

Toasted Plastic came out with their 6 song album a couple weeks ago. The drums sound a lot better (recording wise) than From The Balloon To The Moon and it's three dollars more. Its still got that "math punk" sound to it, none the less. 

Nothing else to say about that so I'm just going to write this so it looks like there's a lot more that needs to be said so it'll look better from a far but really there's nothing that needs to be read. Blah Blah Blah. Get out of me Satan. Proof readings for dweebs. I can write whatever I want... Awesome punk math noise New Jersey dinocore from outer space. The New Jersey on Uranus. 

Last.fm

Liars - Drum's Are Dead (2006)

The other day I went to see the film 50/50. In it they featured "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack"  from Drum's Are Dead in one of thee saddest scenes I've seen in a movie since The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. I had no idea the song was by Liars at the time and once I found out, I was completely surprised. I was no stranger to Liars before this movie came out but I had honestly overlooked this album as just carefully designed noise, that is until I heard the last song on a Seth Rogen film and had to rethink that statement. There's nothing wrong with carefully designed noise anyways. (It's better than plain old carefully designed noise)

Hollywood brainwashed me again!

Last.fm

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from your pal, New Keith.

Paul Baribeau Part 2

Some more Paul Baribeau for the hopeless romantic in all of us.

Grand Ledge (2007)

Grand Ledge goes hand and hand with his s/t. It's raw, emotional and honest. It also features the track Ten Things which is an amazing song to keep with you and sing for the rest of you life! I mean it! Learn the lyrics to Ten Things (It's not hard) and sing it with your friends or to your dog or to your kid or your kid sister or your grandparents or your girlfriend or that homeless guy down the street with the rusty little pot and cardboard sign. Anyone! Just remember this song for the rest of your life. If not all of them!

The song Christmas Lights also touches my heart with little feeling fingers. It reminds me of that time when my friend's family kept their christmas lights up all year long and the line: "I'm learning how to be alone without being lonely". Spot on Paul.

Hell, I probably have a little remembrance to go with all the songs on Grand Ledge.

Unbearable (2010)

Unbearable is Paul Baribeau's most refined work. It's the most polished down album he has in his catalog and whether or not you like the sound of that, it is still Pauly B. One track even features electric instrumentation (The Wall). Oh no! Sell out!

You can grab this album for free (legally) on If You Make It, right here. While there, be sure to read their  little write up they have on this guy. Oh yeah, and check out the rest of the site too if you've never been because it's a pretty cool site filled with sweet live performances, the Pink Coach sessions and more free stuff.

25 (2006)

25 more tracks by Paul. Includes original versions of Brown Brown Brown, When You go Back to College, a song about Barbarella and Ghost Mice, and a cover of The Boss's Thunder Road with Ginger from Good Luck/Traveling. The rest of the album is all pretty much Paul Baribeau and friends messing around and being silly. Baribeau's funest album you could call it.. I guess.

Last.fm
Bandcamp

Monday 10X

Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday.

shoe - Orphans EP (2009)

Shoe is Sean Gibat. He's from Morgantown, West Virginia. He plays laid back musix. This is his short little EP, Orphans.

The way he sings reminds me a lot of Microphones/Mount Eerie with a more pop/electronic influence.  I'd check out the track "The Clock" for a good example of this. It doesn't necessarily sound like Phil though.

Last.fm

Kim Janssen - The Truth is, I am Always Responsible (2009)

I dare you to listen to this album and not be even a little sad. Do it. You won't.

Kim Janssen comes to us from indie band, The Black Atlantic, hailing from The Netherlands. His soft Dutch voice is very light and wispy yet it still has the ability to catch your attention (something not all singer-songwriters can do these days... at least for me). You may disagree.

This guy sure knows how to put a damper on things.

Last.fm

The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die - Formlessness (2010)

Don't let the name fool ya, this is legit shit.

Emotional indie rock with little bits of happiness here and there.

They are from Connecticut. This is their first EP.

Let's travel up the the floorboards.

Let's sing to the curtains.

 Last.fm

Lizards Have Personalities - In All Honesty (2010)

It took me awhile to give these guys a proper listen.

Intense angsty skramz for the little punk in you. Stick it to the man, man!

Last.fm

Mouse On The Keys

mouse on the keys are making jazz cool again.

Japan's premium jazz post rock extraordinaires perform a balancing trapeze act of can't be stopped piano with unstoppable drumming. 

The band consists of three main musicians,  Akira Kawasaki and Atsushi Kiyota on piano/keyboard and Daisuke Niitome on drums. The two on keys are formerly of Japanese rock band, Nine Days Wonder. Niitome plays a much more heavy and hip hop back beat type of drumming than a traditional light swing feel. Along with piano and drums there is also fits of trumpet and saxophone that are evident in both the EP, sezessions and the full album, an anxious object. It's all really fun. 

sezession (2007)

Favorite track: toccatina 

an anxious object (2009)

Favorite track: seiren 

Last.fm

Official site

Relationship Of Command

At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command (2000)

I once read something. It said that you can't have a music blog without posting Relationship Of Command. Here it is.

At The Drive-In is that band that came before the Grammy Award winning band The Mars Volta and the not Grammy Award winning band Sparta. ATDI was formed my Jim Ward and Cedric Bixler-Zavala. It also featured Omar Rodriguez-Lopez who went on to The Mars Volta and a load of other projects with his name in the title, Paul Hinojos-Gonzalez (AKA Pablo) who along with Jim Ward went on to form Sparta and then went on to play in The Mars Volta before leaving and going on his own projects, and Tony Hajjar who was the only member to not adapt a two part last name went on to hit stuff in Sparta.

At The Drive-In is very well known for having a much heavier sound than that of TMV. Their incorporation of driving aggression, rich vocabulary, and influence on the new breeds of post hardcore after the 90s is well known as well.

I also just found out from reading the Relationship Of Command Wikipedia that Iggy Pop not only did back-up vocals for the song "Rolodex Propaganda" but also the voice of the kidnapper on "Enfilade". I always wondered where that little intro came from...

Omar still might not be able to listen to this album but I sure can.


Last.fm
In the company of wolves
was a stretcher made of
cubblestone curfews

Monday IX

Damn, Monday again.

Dirty Dishes - Dirty Dishes (AKA In The Clouds) (2009)

Massachusetts' indie rock/shoegaze Dirty Dishes. Not a huge fan of "shoegaze" or the term but I do like what I'm hearing from these folks right here. This band has a good use of not too much dizzy guitar work and plenty of intoxicating female vocals.

They tour with Grass is Green sometimes which is chill.

I do enjoy the term "melongaze" however.

Last.fm

Enemies - Alpha Waves (2008)

Irish math/post rock. This is their EP Alpha Waves. No brainer.

Last.fm
Bandcamp

Leech - The Stolen View (2007)

Really chill and textural post rock. There's so many bands in the post rock game right now that it gets tough deciding which are being under appreciated and which are generic. Leech seems to be the former.

Thought I was going to say that they suck?

Because leeches suck...

Last.fm