Caltrop - Caltrop

I'm very happy that I came across this while uploading the previous post. This 4 track EP completely blew my balls, and it's hard to believe it's just a demo. A little Sabbath, a little Part Chimp, and alotta Boris. With the recording and mixing help of Brian Paulson (Jesus Lizard, Slint, Royal Trux, Dinosaur Jr, Beck, Wilco), their debut LP should be coming out soon. I hope. This band is pretty much garaunteed to make an incredible debut and will be swiped up by a solid label pretty soon I'm sure. Download and keep an eye out.

- Dan

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Zs - Arms

This album isn't exactly difficult to come across in blogland, but it still deserves some attention on a blog like this. Zs sounds like a project that would be backed by Zach Hill or Tatsuya Yoshida. It's progressive free jazz math rock that demonstrates the possibilities of rhythm. Relentless improperly fractioned time signatures using percussion, brass, and clucking tongues. Sometimes the progressions don't go as far as I would like or hope, but I'm certain this album is a good enough release to make a strong run for my end of year list. Track 3 is an awesome track.

- Dan

Download Arms

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 - I Hope It Lands

I have no memory of how I came across this band a while ago, and I don't listen to them very often, but this is some rock solid mid 90s indie rock akin to the sounds of Modest Mouse, only slighty more experimental. I Hope It Lands was released in 1996 and is a very consistant album. The band never achieved commercial success, especially after being booed repeatedly during their brief tour with the alternative rock shit of a band LIVE, but supposedly have a track that is used in the background during NPR service announcements. If I was them, I'd let that shit go to my head. Anyways, track 2 is a must hear.

- Dan

Download I Hope It Lands

Blood on the Wall - Liferz

(LINK REMOVED 1/23/08)

Ok, so this band obviously likes The Pixies a lot. I mean, who doesn't, but these guys really like The Pixies. Honestly, I'm completely fine with Blood on the Wall wearing their influences on their sleeves. Frank Black is too busy looking like Uncle Fester and making piles of money doing reunion shows to give us a proper new Pixies release anyway, so I'll settle for the next best thing. Liferz is significantly better than Blood on the Wall's 2005 release Awesomer, one of my favorite albums from that year. Very few weak tracks on this one, I highly recommend checking it out.

- Steve

Teeth Mountain - Various Songs

I haven't been posting here lately because a few weeks ago I had a hard drive burn out on me and lost roughly 20,000 Mp3 files. I've been working hard to recover the lost music, and thankfully I still have some stuff elsewhere on my computer. In between running data recovery software and cowering in the corner sucking my thumb in the fetal position (seriously, losing all of my music is right on the same level as being diagnosed with AIDS or having a family member die), I figured I could take some spare time to upload one of the few records I have left. The problem is, Teeth Mountain hasn't actually released a record yet, so really this is just a collection of the random tracks they have floating around on the internet at the moment. Normally I'd use this part of the post to tell you what Teeth Mountain sounds like so that you'll have a better idea of what you're downloading. This is the next problem I ran into; I cannot for the life of me think of a description that will accurately describe what this band sounds like. I think these pictures will do the band more justice than I ever could with words:

So this is Teeth Mountain






...and really all that I can say is that if you joined a cult, these guys would be the house band playing at every meeting. If you're looking for something new and different, and are a fan of percussion heavy avant-garde music, check this band out.

- Steve

Download Teeth Mountain

Afrirampo - Suuto Breakor

It's about time. I've been waiting for this album to download on Soulseek for a few weeks now, and woke up to a completed download. Although Afrirampo has decided to drop their rock the fuck out antics for their last two releases, I really enjoy what they have done with their sound, and their tribal adventures for 2006s Baka Ga Kita have made a lasting impression on the way they approach recording an album. Much of this album is floating call and response both vocally and instrumentally (with a great variety of instruments used), but with attention to progression. The album is technically one long song divided into 7 parts, each of which is not held back by one continious rhythm. It gives, it takes, and it makes you want to strip down to nothing but a loincloth. Certainly ongaku baka.

- Dan

Download Suuto Breakor

Kiiiiiii - Kiiiiiii

It's pretty difficult to find any information on this duo that isn't in Japanese, but I believe that this is their 2005 debut (although that is not the cover art above, that is just a drawing from their website). I've been searching for their 2007 release Al&Bum, which contains some of the same songs as this release, with no luck. Kiiiiiii (that's seven i's) is a duo very similar to Afrirampo. Cute and equally insane Japanese ladies who enjoy stealing english words and syllables, and making them more fun than they are meant to be. Strange references to the Imperial March of Star Wars, Hugh Grant, and Casablanca make this a pretty infectious album. It's simple but addicting. "On a horriday, on a horriday" or "I'm pregnant, Hugh Grant", it'll surely get stuck in your head. Now watch the videos below...

- Dan

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This Heat - This Heat

Due to the technical difficulties Steve is experiencing at the moment, I'll be flying solo with the blog for a short while. I hadn't listened to this album for a long time for whatever reason, and had forgotten just how incredible this album was for its time. Originally released in 1978, This Heat created one of the more influential records to a number of other bands I listen to. Whether its the Shellac-ish chuggalug of the track "Horizontal Hold", the Liars-esque churning of the track "The Fall of Saigon", or the experimental noise which occupies about half of the record, their impact on more modern genres is apparent.

- Dan

Download This Heat

Rovo - Flage

Rovo is the project started in 1996 by former Boredoms guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto. Flage was released in 2002 and is by far my favorite release by the band. Only the trained ear and loyal Boredoms fan would be able to distinguish the sound of Rovo from Boredoms releases such as Vision Creation Newsun or Super Roots 9. Their progressive and heaven-sent instrumental genius has been blowing my mind for quite few years now.

- Dan

Download Flage

Howlin Rain - Howlin Rain

I haven't been listening to very much new music lately other than the Black Mountain and Dead Meadow records, but I saw that Howlin' Rain was touring with Black Mountain, who have decided to avoid Michigan for their massive tour, so I'm sure there will be some listeners on the lookout for this album before or after catching their live show on the west coast. I've been really enjoying this record for the last year or so. Ethan Miller, lead singer and guitarist of Comets on Fire, decided to stop rocking balls momentarily to make this more old-fashioned, unrestrained, and folk influenced rock and roll album. With the help of John Moloney of Sunburned Hand of the Man, Howlin' Rain has successfully created an album that won't blow your tits the way a Comets on Fire album might, but have made a virtually perfect album for taking a summer roadtrip, or for getting completely blown out and doing absolutely nothing. Either way, this has got plenty of soul.

- Dan

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Dead Meadow - Old Growth

I really suck at skiing. I figured this out today when a few friends of mine convinced me to tag along with them on one of their various winter outings. I actually fell so many times that I'm almost positive that my tail bone snapped off and is currently floating around somewhere inside my ass. So after I got home I realized that this new Dead Meadow record is great to put on if you're lying in bed unable to move, self-medicating the best that you can. If you're not familiar with Dead Meadow, they're from D.C. and have been making some fairly solid psychedelic throwback rock and roll for the past decade. Sure they're not re-inventing the wheel, and the band's love of Black Sabbath and Led Zep may shine through just a little too much at times. With Dead Meadow though, the good usually outweighs the bad. This is some of the band's most interesting material to date, and definitely something worth checking out.

- Steve

Download Old Growth

Blue Screen of Death Records Artist Compilation

This is the debut artist compilation from Chicago's newly formed Blue Screen of Death Records, which two friends of mine have created (both of which are featured on the comp under their respective monikers BeastWhatSqueeks and Wrong Hand Picasso). BSOD Records showcases some of the most creative electronic artists in the Chicago scene by not only releasing material as a label, but through hosting live music showcases. The tracks on this compilation vary from glitched face-melting computer-sludged poopskeet to ridiculously catchy scrotum-shriveling electronic wonders. I recommend checking out this compilation as well as their live showcase January 13th @ the Empty Bottle in Chicago (flyer poster below). www.bsodrecords.com for more information.

- Dan

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Doormouse - I Heart Country

I bought this EP a few days back at a not-so-local local record shop. Released in 2004, this was the first of the I Heart Music series from Doormouse, which also includes releases dedicated to rap, polka, metal, and kraftwerk. His remixes of "Fulsom Prison Blues" and "Shotgun Willie" are the stand out tracks in my opinion, but all four tracks are rock solid. Every entry into his I Heart Music series has convinced me that virtually every song from any genre should have a fuzzed out and drugged out breakbeat underneath it all. It's a quick download and surely worth the listen.

- Dan

Download I Heart Country