A buddy of mine is a good writer. His name is Derek Bartlett and if you're so interested you can check out his blog at Dark Alley Writings. There's not much there right now but I know the man is capable, he's already one post apocalyptic novel with lots of gore, killing and solid female characters. If you like Lovecraft or pulpy fiction or just rants about society at large check him out.
Foxmoulder are a four piece band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They play a dark, churning brand of screamo. Lethe is their third ep and the sound they have developed has lead them into a claustrophobic world where it sounds like everything is collapsing around you. The main problem I have with this EP is how short it, and Foxmoulder's other releases are. These songs are driven and focused while injecting just a hint of chaos which is one of the thing's that really draws me in. These songs barely reach 2 minutes which seems to be the perfect length for them, I would be very interested in hearing what they would do with a full length
My only other problem is that the vocals are mixed a little too low. Yes it fits with the whole sound and atmosphere musically but I prefer to be able to hear what the singer is screaming about rather than just the sound of the scream. All in all this is a really solid EP, four dark, paranoid and seething songs that come barrelling right at you.
Balance And Composure are a 5 piece band from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Braid are a 4 piece from Champaign, Illinois. This split is Balance And Composure's 6th album and Braid's 13th.
Balance And Composure are a punk rock band with emo and indie and even some post-hardcore influences. Some people are head over heals for this band, and while the flip hasn't been completely turned on yet, these two songs are solid punk rock songs. They have enough energy to keep everything moving forward but are melancholy enough to have their own sound.
Braid are a seminal punk rock band from the mid 90's. One of the better bands that inhabited the melodic side of the punk emo space. They split up in 1999, reunited for a some tours in 2004 and became active again in 2011. Braid's dominates this split and their songs do not disappoint in any capacity.
Regents are a punk rock band from "DC / Philly and Alabama." The band is a supergroup, past members having played in such seminal bands as Maximillian Colby, Sleepytime Trio, Frodus, Men’s Recovery Project, Battery, Thursday and Combat Wounded Veteran. Antietam After Party is their debut LP on Lovitt Records, though given the past history of the bands membership this should hardly be considered a debut anything.
At it's best this LP hit's all the high marks of that 90's emo sound we know and love and keeping in that punk rock spirit but not being afraid to try something a little bit different and daring. This album doesn't reinvent the wheel by any stretch of the imagination and that's quite the pedigree and back story to live up to which this album does without even trying that hard. When everything is hitting on all cylinders the songs are fired with a necessary punk rock attitude.
One of the things that makes this record so vital is the diversity in sounds Regents produces. My favourite tracks include Cron Job, Night Soil, Bowfingers and Start To Beginning and aside from a common punk rock starting place none of these songs sound like each other. This may not be the most consistent album ever but with such different sounds there's bound to be at least something for everyone.
Secret Smoker is a punk rock band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They are a three piece and Terminal Archictecture is their debut LP. It is chock-full of angry, precise punk rock songs aimed directly at you. These songs are intricate, each one has a message and it is delivered as clearly as possible while still maintaining a poetic license. Also, the drummer made his own drums.
Mark and Billy started the hungry ghost collective back in 2007 with a bunch of other bands. Terminal Architecture is I believe Secret Smoker's debut LP, their sophomore album after a split with Nothing!Nothing!Nothing!
Below is one of my favourite songs of theirs. On their bandcamp page Billy explains this song is about watching people in airports, and also about our culture of fascination with death that we don't like to talk about.
Most of these dudes where in other bands before this. Bands they were in included jenaset, girlscout heroin, sad idea, whimee(why me), the human record, four square, pistols at dawn/code duello, brown leaf vertigo, we are the living and billy the living.
This album is one I keep coming back to. There are really great songs, Volume Diss-Course, Sight In Sound and the title track are quite excellent and the album as whole is very cohesive. Secret Smoker have their own very angular and accurate punk rock sound which works just as well in individual songs as it does making a longer statement.
Healing Powers are a three piece band from Durham, UK. Healing Powers play an emotional brand of hardcore that everyone needs to get familiar with. This three song EP, Listing Your Problems, With No Intent To Solve Them, comes roaring out of the gate and doesn't let up at all. I enjoy every part of this album. The singer has a great rough shout, the guitar transitions nicely between more solid, thick riffs to some noodly lead riffs dancing around the aforementioned gruff shout. The middle track I'm No Fun is my favourite, the singer's voice is still gruff but drifts away a little bit which plays with the meloncholy guitar riffs while still having enough energy to keep everything moving forward. Easily one of my favourite EP's of the year thus far. I really can't wait to hear more from this band, they've started on a solid base, hopefully they build on this solid foundation.
Cloud Nothings are an indie rock band from Cleveland Ohio. Their latest album Attack On Memory is their third LP.This is the kind of guitar driven, moody, indie rock that I like. Cloud Nothings borrow heavily from garage, noise and punk wells which produce a boozy, hazy but still driven album. While it is front loaded the whole album comes together nicely so long as you have an appetite for noise and garage rock.
My three favourite songs, Wasted Days, Fall In and Stay Useless are the only parts of this album I keep coming back to. Those three songs, aside from the noise interlude in Wasted Days, are all excellent songs that bear up to repeating. Seperation, which comes immediately after the previously mentioned tracks, is an excellent instrumental but lacks some of the visceral hooks of it's predecessors.
My main problem with this album are the slow burn and noise elements. Sometimes I like noise, I have a soft spot for A Place To Bury Strangers, but especially when paired with indie rock that is aiming at something retro it just grates on my ears. There's nothing particularly wrong with the second half of this album but after the instrumental things just fail to click as they did with most of the first half.
For all my frustrations with some of these songs in comparison to their brethren there are some truly excellent songs on this album. Which only serves to highlight the noisey, slow burning parts that burden this LP.
Antpile are a four piece screamo band from Georgia and Black Smith are a five piece from Florida. This split EP released by Passenger Seat Records is quite good even though it is a tad lopsided. Antpile play rather straight ahead screamo that owes quite a debt to more traditional hardcore, lots of little melodic guitar lines going every which way while the singer does his rough shout. While I quite enjoy a couple of these songs, Jeremia and I Said being my favourites, most of them just kinda sit there, not kicking up the kind of noisy storm that I prefer with screamo.
Black Smith's side of the album improves things significantly. Black Smith play a brand of 90s emo that I can rarely get enough of when done well. On their facebook page they point to Jimmy Eat World, Mineral and Texas As The Reason as their influences. Almost all these songs are great and I don't even mind the somewhat obvious punk pop influences. The singer has a beautifully melodic voice that just tends towards sadness,the guitars reach for the stars with an epic sound and the backing vocals tie everything together with their gruffness. While I like the first side with Antpile, it's the second side with Black Smith that I keep coming back to.
Continents is a 5 piece band from Dresden, Saxony, Germany. On their sophomore EP ...And Silence Anchored Our Feet In Granite Continents plays a straight ahead brand of post-hardcore and screamo, only slightly slowing down for some spoken word. Continents is made up of Simon, Dominic, Flo, Tobi and Kris. Together on their sophomore EP, they meld together post-hardcore and screamo influences, and manage to do some spoken word without having to dip into post-rock territory.
The album starts off innocuously enough with the instrumental Adrift, immediately followed by the To You, A Thought which has the longest spoken word piece on the whole EP. I am glad that they stay out of the post-rock territory behind the spoken word parts, makes the whole song more interesting. The vocalist has multiple styles, going from spoken word, to an impassioned yet sad shout all the way up to a higher pitch shout to accent forward motion. The guitars transition nicely between kicking up distortion and noise and actually providing some moments of melody. It's all over too quickly, Continents makes a clear statement, one that I want to hear more of. It has been released on 10" transparent vinyl by Pike Records and Flood.
Mahria are a four piece band from Edmonton, Calgary, Alberta. They play an awesome straight ahead brand of screamo. Lots of emotive screams from frontwoman Colby Burnett and a noisy yet melodic double guitar attack courtesy of Lealand and Mike and the solid rhythm section blasts everything into place. There is quite a scene going in Edmonton and Calgary right now, Todos Caeran, Book Of Caverns, Coalspur, Brain Fever and Gnats are the ones I know of.
Mahria is no exception in this list of awesome screamo bands. They play a hard hitting, noisy, somewhat abrasive but not chaotic brand of screamo. Their debut was a split EP with Todos Caeran and while the songs are good the production value is not the greatest. The best place to start with is their debut self-titled LP. The whole album is really solid and the production problems from their first release have been completely fixed. Standout tracks include Ghost Limb, Instrumental and Lights, a video for which appears above.
Their most current release is a split EP with Watcher, a screamo band from Victoria, British Colombia Canada. It is being released by Clue #2 records, the same label is putting out Book Of Caverns new LP Homes as well. It basically continues the sound Mahria has laid over their past releases, melodic guitars slice through noise and Colby screams her head off, even through a rare moment of calm, while Watcher's songs are much more obviously hardcore influenced, they have a more churning, powerful bottom end and their singer has a deeper shout. You can purchase it here
Araby is a two piece band Grimbsy & Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Araby play a very noisy brand of screamo. With just the two piece they manage to make quite the noise. On their debut LP alone. they come blasting out of the gate and never let up. The singer has a nice high shriek that he usese's liberally, and I quite enjoy how full a sound they get as just the two pieces
.
The drums have a hard hitting quality, churning up the ground beneath you as the music slows down or falls apart. The guitars on this album walk a line between sweet riffs and moments of noise and chaos. The album is definitely more front loaded with a more introspective second half but it ends on a rather strong note.
SMAWJ is a singer/songwriter from Peterborough Ontario. SMAWJ is me, Scott McKee Arncliffe Wannan-Johnston. I have been writing songs and playing guitar for coming up on 6 years now. I write and play on a yamaha acoustic guitar, occupying a weird space. The songs I write are too angry and fast to be purely folk music but also too sad and acoustic to be truly punk, it's a weird border to be on. This year I released two EP's, The Substandard Wish Club and Time Is Stuck, both available for free.
Both these albums are and will always be available online for free but if you are interested in purchasing either of these albums on cassette tapes, you can do that now!
You can check out my merch page here http://smawj.bandcamp.com/merch. Or just download the music for free and make your own physical copies.
Alexander Korda was a four piece band from Arizona. They played a noisy version of screamo, the whole aesthetic is decidedly lo-fi. Raw screams, waves of distortion and occasionally an eruption of violence that aims it right at you and doesn't let go short of complete chaos which serve to accent the few moments of calm and perhaps even a a melody. On their facebook page they cite Saetia and Orchid as their influences so you might have an idea as to where this band seems to coming from artistically.
T\his kind of screamo is very adept at conjuring a world view that is a particularly melancholy, desperate, lonely world. That sound is obvious and perhaps easy to obtain, it can be difficult to see intention clearly. And by the time that thought has worked itself out in my brain the ep has ended and it's time to hit repeat.
Members of Alexander Korda have played in or currently play in: Violet Eyes, I Hate My 7th Grade Self, Juliet and Graveflowers. Eli who played bass and Frank who screamed are now in Violet Eyesand Keegan who played guitar is I Hate My 7th Grade Self . And before AK, Eli and Keegan were in the band Juliet
The Reptilian are a three piece band from Kalamazoo Michigan. They play a really awesome brand of indie rock that borrows liberally from the emo side of things. Lots of finger tapping, lots of emotional shouting and bucket loads of melody. They play with the likes of Innards, Jowls, Annabel, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate/ & Joie De Vivre.
This ep is old, I think it's their second release after a four way split with Lautrec, Boy Problems & Osceola. They had four members at that time so they don't play these songs live any more but three of these songs are among my favourites.
The Truth About Dreaming is a one piece screamo band from Lansing, Michigan, USA. It's the same guy that did Flowers In Gun Barrels as well as iwontstopwonderinguntilyoustopbreathing. FLIGB was solo project and IWSWUYSB started as full band but ended up as a solo project. Truth About Dreaming is his new main project and it's just as awesome has ever.
His sound hasn't changed at all, if you like high pitched screams and melodic guitars that quickly transition into distorted insanity then this will right up your alley. I have no idea what he's screaming about but it sounds really awesome. Truth About Dreaming is signed to Plastic Smile Records, I've bought 9 cassettes tapes from and they are all awesome. If your looking for some awesome screamo cassette tapes look no further
Afterlife Kids are a four piece hardcore/screamo band from Berlin, Germany. They play brand of screamo heavily indebted to hardcore, there is lots of moshing in this music. The basis is hardcore punk, riff after riff pound your skull into the pavement with only a few melodic guitar lines while the screamed vocals and some of the interludes push the music towards screamo. This isn't something that I particularly like, I don't like so much hardcore and moshing in my screamo but this definitely has it's moments.
Adventures are an emo band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, America. The band features members of Code Orange Kids and play music that has nothing to do with that band. Adventures is signed to No Sleep Records and play a straight ahead brand of punky emo. Think Algernon Cadwallader but less noodly, rock solid punk rock with an emotional punch and an awesome female vocalist. Three of the songs are very very good, and even the one I don't like isn't bad.
Adelleda is a 5 piece punk band from Hamilton Ontario Canada. They play very melodic brand of street punk with just a hint of politics thrown into the mix. High energy, melodic punk rock is always welcome coming out of my speakers. Their first release was last years LP Herkimer Street. They followed it up this year with an EP, Let's Talk Bout Adelleda.
Adelleda have a nice variety in their music. Like on their debut LP, instead of sticking squarely in one area of punk Let's Talk Bout Adellada moves around a little bit. There is always a ton of energy blasting you in the face but there is a shift from more straight forward punk, that is lots of melody in the singing and clear guitar solo sounds with just a hint of shouted background vocals to dirty stuff up, to closing the album out with an almost straight up hardcore track. Less diversity than on their full length debut but this EP is a solid followup.
Adaje where a screamo 3 piece from Memphis. They were active from 2006 to late 2012. They have released splits with bands like Close To Me, Shark Bait and Lizards Have Personalities. Yore Veils is their second LP and their final release. If you like screamo this should be right up your ally. Their first LP was a little too frantic for me, the transitions between the chords and the rapid pickings felt forced to for me but this LP, Yore Veils, is quite good.
The songs on Yore Veils are all fully formed and unique, Adaje has found their niche combing solid screamo with some progressive aspects that really allow the songs to breath. My favourite tracks are An Avalanche Of Broncos; Pending; To Become Corroded, Guided By The Light (great song and song titled) as well as Harrowing Sounds From The Ravine. Purchase the album on cassette from Broken World Media
Brightside is an punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They feature ex-members of Code Orange Kids and the Edukators. They play a brand of emo that I quite enjoy. It's as close to pop punk as you can get without being incredibly poppy, while still having a base in actual punk music. The vocals are all clean and desperate and there's as real melodic sense above the anger and churn of the rhythm section. They pour an incredible amount of energy and emotion into their music which translates to pure energy. You can buy their LP Good Enough on cassette tape from Driftwood Records .
∞ (or 8) is a four piece screamo band from Jyväskylä, Finland. They released their second album Näyt Kauas in September 2012. They play a brand of screamo with some post rock and post metal influences. As such there aren't really any songs that I like all the way through, I like half to 3/4s of all the songs but the post metal/rock influences start to get to me. When the guitar gets focused on repeating a picking section, or everything gets drony, they start to lose me. Thankfully the balance is such that the boring post rock/metal bits are more than balanced out by the angry, punky screamo parts/
If you're into the modern screamo scene at all you've probably come across IWontStopWonderingUntilYoustopBreathing before. Started as a three piece and is now a one piece, it's the same guy that did Flowers In Gun Barrels and is now doing The Truth About Dreaming, both awesome projects.
He just released two new tracks for his latest album Heal. He's not reinventing the wheel here, it's the same style of screamo as he's done previously. Awesomely high pitched screamed vocals, guitars that constantly smack you in the face and a solid rhythm section bringing everything together.
Loud? are a 3 piece emo band from Woodbridge Virginia. They just released their 4th album, an EP called Connections. They mine a melodic, Midwestern emo vein. I'm rather behind on school work right now so I'm going to forgo an in depth discussion of their sound, just know that if you like emo you'll probably like this.
The Concrete Summer are a 5 piece emo band from Erie Pennsylvania. They have released one EP called Glass Bones, Paper Skin and it is one of the best albums I've heard an awhile. The music tends toward the sadder, more melodic and epic side of emo as opposed to more chaotic, hardcore focused variants. There are multiple vocalists and they are all awesome, but the one thing that really drew me in and hooked me is Julia's beautiful voice. She can be quiet, contemplative and sad before transitioning into a beautifully soaring melodic arc then transitioning back into a more quiet contemplative mode. My two favourite songs, Revvis and The Little Prince both work that formula to great reward. Some songs have tapping, some have a more raucous guitar tone, some have soaring vocals while some have gruffer vocals and shouts while all the songs are awesome. You can listen for free below and bug the people at Driftwood Records to repress their EP.
Fire Academy are a five piece band from Iowa. If you like screamo you'll like this. First song slays, the second song is more slowburning and the third song adds in just a touch of melody and quiet to accent the desperate screams. Can't wait to hear more from these dudes. You can purchase a tape from Driftwood Records here
Indra Zenn Versus The World is the side project of the singer for a band called The Kreutzer Sonata. This album is an acoustic folk punk album. Think a more lofi early Against Me! and you're in the ballpark. You can stream below and download for free on the Driftwood Records bandcamp page as well as purchase a tape from Driftwood Records here
Animal Faces are a three piece screamo band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They released their first EP Analytical Dreaming in 2010. It's screamo in the vien of The Reptilian. This is the best melding of math rock into screamo that I've heard and Ryan has an awesome desperate shout. Dude signed my album when I saw them in Toronto with Xerxes and Pianos Become The Teeth.
Animal Faces released their second EP this year Anomie and it's every bit as good. The songwriting has improved but the basic sound of the band hasn't changed. It's everything I liked about the first album, the guitars that come and go out of nowhere, the rolling drums and that same desperate shout.
Nai Harvest are a two piece emo band from Sheffield, Uk. They play a very energetic punk flavour of emo with lots of melodic lead guitar riffs flying everywhere and emotional screams that propel everything forward. Feeling Better is their fourth EP, released by Pinky Swear, A Mountain Far and Struggletown and it's every bit as good as their first ep Ceiling Summer. They've lost a bassist but the sound doesn't suffer at all, I'm more of a fan of this thinner, more energetic sound than a lot of the thicker punk I hear. If there was less energy or desperately shouted vocals this could very well pass for indie rock but it's the jump straight in the air energy that really keeps everything going.
Death Grips are a rap group from Sacramento, California. I'm way late on this but this is awesome underground, experimental hip hop. The album starts off not the greatest but quickly becomes non stop monster tracks. Awesome production that brings in sounds from everywhere and flows that are never less than entertaining. How did I sleep on this so long?
Suis La Lune are a screamo band from Stockholm & Gothenburg, Sweden. They are nothing short of awesome. This is their first album for Topshelf Records, a label that has been doing some really great things lately. Haven't listened to this yet but I'm assuming it's great cause Suis La Lune is, generaly speaking, amazing.
Wild Moth are punk band from San Francisco, California, USA. There are a bunch of elements being jammed together, all wrapped up a very noisy, distorted package. Think shoegaze that manages to get some head banging rock and roll on and enough post punk to de-construct the sound and allow the noise influences to really run rampant. A more guitar oriented, garage rock version of A Place To Bury Strangers perhaps.
Omegas are a punk rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They play an awesome old school style punk. Think 80's hardcore punk that likes to play fast and knows how to do it well. I like this kind of hardcore punk, it's heavy, it's pissed off, they throw in weird little bits and they go for the kill with speed any time they please .
Jowls are a three piece post-hardcore/screamo band from Grand Rapids, MI. The band is made up of Ryan Martin on guitar and vocals, Jeff Kraus on drums and vocals and John Harmon on bass. The band is made up of former members of both Victor Fix the Sun! and Cloudmouth. Started as a two piece and added the bassist from Cloudmouth for their new LP. It's called Cursed and will be released May 22 2012 by Doghouse Records. You can stream the entire album on Absolute Punk right here. One of my favourite bands currently, their debut up came out of nowhere and punched me in the face repeatedly and while their split with The Reptilian went in a little straighter post-hardcore direction it's still really great.
Tell-Tale Hearts are a screamo band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They play a fairly straight ahead version of screamo that can get chaotic at times and has some tapping and twinkles thrown in for flavouring. Dude's got an awesome scream that sounds like it's being ripped from his guts. The production is not great as it is their demo but it's really cool to hear more bands like this from Toronto. Features members of Marla Singer, Ramon Gris and Delo Truda
Think Big! are a punk pop band from Pocono Summit Pennsylvania. I usually have a problem with pop punk but this band is really good. I quite enjoy the gruff vocals. Reminds me of Stay Ahead of The Weather but with gruffer vocals and a faster sound that leans towards hardcore end of the spectrum than it does the poppier end of the spectrum. The first song is the best and it goes downhill a little bit from there but it's still a solid ep. Free download courtesy of Death To False Hope Records http://deathtofalsehoperecords.com/downloads/dtfh123.html
a really great ambient song that also works as non ambient music. I'm studying for my exam tomorrow and listening to the three albums Brian Eno made with Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius of Harmonia. Really really good stuff
Mount Carmel are a three piece band stoner blues band from Columbus, Ohio. The base of the music is obviously blues but the guitar tone and the playing style add in some really nice elements of stoner metal. Thicker and heavier, almost sludgy at times but still keeping that blues bass to it so it hits two things I really like, stoner metal and blues. Huge sound for a three piece.
Great song, epic length for them as its pretty much double the length of their longest song. Kinda surprised at how terrible their stage presence is, would have expected them to be more active
Indian Taker are a 5 piece screamo band from Modesto California. Formed in October 2011 this past February saw the release of their debut EP Tule Fog. They're all still in high school. The music goes back and forth between punked up emo and more obviously screamo instrumentally while the main vocalist has a nicely ragged voice.
People seem to be comparing them to Touché Amoré but I don't hear it, nowhere near as hardcore, more of a focus on the melodic punkier aspects of screamo.
This is screamo but it's pretty punky while still having lots of melody. They are planning an acoustic split with The Winter Passing online and on tape through Guys With Beards Records.
Park Jefferson is a 4 piece emo band from Indiana, Michigan. Formed by Nick Stutsman who used to be in both Pen Pals and Merchant Ships. This ep takes songs from their ep Weekdays and does them all acoustic. It's awesome.
Storm The Bastille are a three piece screamo band from Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Really heavy ass and pissed off it comes roaring out at you at full tilt. The combination of shouted and very low screamed vocals make for an awesome combination. There's more than a hint of metal in this which is one of the reason's I like it so much, maybe it's just me but I don't know a ton of bands that sound like this.
Wind Wind Win is a one man band from Greece. A singer songwriter that plays acoustic guitar and screams his lungs out. All the stuff I've heard from him is quite awesome. There's not much more to be said other than this band is highly recommended.
Tröpical ice land are a screamo band from Torelló Spain. The singer has a really great high pitched desperate shout, the music is powerful and slamming but there is still melody laced into it. I don't really have much to say because most of it is rather standard awesome screamo, the bits that do try and expand the pallet a bit like the middle song Monserrat and the closer Triceraptor don't do much for me.
Marathon are a punk rock band from Minks. That's pretty much all I know about them as all I can find is a bandcamp that doesn't link to anything else. The tags on the bandcamp would suggest that they play a punky 90s version of emo but I don't hear that at all. The base of the music, as far as I can hear, is melodic hardcore though there are definitely some emo aspects to it. This EP is quite good even though melodic hardcore isn't really my thing
Xerxes are a 5 piece screamo band from Louisville, Kentucky. Formed in 2009 they play a brand of screamo they describe as being influence as You and I, Saetia, Trash Talk and Ampere, I would throw Touché Amoré in there as well. They are on of my favourite bands. I do have a slight problem when listening to them because I'm never sure if I should weep uncontrollably or smash everything around me in a hardcore rage
Their first EP Twins was released May 2010. It's 7 songs in just over 10 minutes which constantly pummels you with emotional hardcore, barely giving you room to relax and breath before smashing you in the face once again. There may be one or two weak songs on the EP but even the ones I'm not so fond of are still great. This is my favourite album of theirs besides the new LP, probably simply because there are more songs that I instantly latched onto
Their second EP was a two track album called Homeward Carries No Direction and it's every bit as great as the first one. Freefall starts off more melodic but then the rest of the band comes in and it slams every bit as hard as it should but retains an larger, almost epic feel thanks to the melody coming from one of the guitars. The second track Runaways wastes no time getting down to the business of ripping through another emotionally heavy track that pulls no punches
Their next album was another EP this time a split with a band called Midnight Souls. To be honest I'm so into Xerxes I don't even listen to the Midnight Souls side as I just want to keep listening to Xerxes. These two songs are much the same awesomeness as they have produced before, no real new ground broken but they're certainly not spinning their wheels as these songs are also great. These songs might have a few more softer melodic bits in between the emotionally devastating hardcore bits but it doesn't stick out, just feels like a natural progression
This year they signed to No Sleep Records and released their debut LP Our Home Is A Deathbed. They will be on tour for the rest of 2012 promoting the album. I got to see them when they came to Toronto with Pianos Become The Teeth and they were absolutely amazing. The LP is a major step forward because of what you can do with the time of an LP. First of all the album is front to back incredible, there isn't a bad song and there isn't a dull moment. The sequencing is also great as the first side seems to just build and build and build into the second side which just explodes at you without letting up. If they're coming anywhere near you you have to go see them as they put on a great show.
Marietta are a four piece emo band from Philadelphia. But this ain't no whiny, soft emo, this is raggedy punk rock emo that threatens to fall apart at the seems at any moment. Reminds of Algernon Cadwallader but not as forceful and with more twinkle. The production ain't great which only serves to accent the emotion in these songs. Can't wait to hear more as these three songs are really good
Corrosion Of Conformity are currently a three piece from Raleigh, North Carolina. They started in 1982 playing a rather straight ahead form of American Hardcore Punk that was awesome. Somewhere along the line they transitioned into a more straight ahead southern heavy metal style. This is their first album in 7 years since In The Arms Of God. It has much more of a blues feel to it than I remember them having as well as the heavy metal I've come to expect and even some stuff hinting back to their old hardcore days. There are some weak spots but overall it's a really solid album that combines some supposedly disparate influences into a brew that only Corrosion Of Conformity could create.
Calvaiire are a band from Lavalle France. They play dark chaotic hardcore. Features members of As We Draw, Birds In Row, Hourvari, Pigeon & Puzzle. Nuff said.
Coalspur are a three piece screamo band from Edmontom Alberta. There must be something in the water, Edmonton keeps producing these awesome bands like Book Of Caverns, Todos Caeran & Mahria. The singer in this band reminds me of a more hoarse version of the dude from The Saddest Landscape though the music is a more tappy, almost noodly kind of screamo. My only complaint is that four tracks is not enough.
Cathedraal are a screamo band from Paris France which is all I needed to be interested. Really really good in some places and a little boring in others but generally quite good. Reminds of Sed Non Satiata at times. Apparently features the singer of Madame De Montespan. Free download here
Aussitot Mort are a four piece from Caen, France formed in early 2005. There is a good dose of post rock in the screamo which makes the songs longer. Also means that I almost never like an entire song but there are always lots of parts that I like. This album has three new songs as well as their side of their split with Heaven In Her Arms from last year. Darker than I remember them
Animal Faces are a three piece from Toronto. They played second at the Xerxes/PBTT show. I usually don't like this much math in my screamo but this ep is great. I picked up a copy of the ep at the show. Check the stream below and purchase the ep on cd or vinyl here or free download here
Exalt are a hardcore band from Kitchener Waterloo. They opened the Xerxes/PBTT show with their brand of hardcore, the singer was like a caged animal. Good hardcore that stays out the tropes and stereotypes that ruins so much of modern hardcore for me
Forget Me is a five piece screamo band from Asheville, North Carolina. The band is made up of Marcos, Sergio, Andrew, Adam, Britt. Reminds me a lot of Touché Amoré and that's never a bad thing. This album is all too short and will be done before you know it. My brain seems to be full of fuck right now so forgive the shitty description
Figure/Ground are a four piece from Huntingtown, MD. They play a version of emo that verges into screamo territory. The band is made up of Liam Fletcher, Matt Laher, Randy Hall and Jesse Buff. Acoustic guitars and desperate vocals that are heading towards screaming. Formed from the ashes of Lonely Vibraphone. Really good
The Saddest Landscape are a four piece screamo band from Boston. The band is made up of
Aaron, Andy, Mike and Eric. They are a rather unique band, taking elements of emo and grafting them onto the more explosive, chaotic elements of screamo. The singer is awesome, his shout sounds like he's going to burst into tears at any time. It is a bit of an acquired taste but once your hooked its nothing less than awesome.
Their new album is being released by Topshelf Records and is really awesome. It continues the path they were on during You Will Not Survive and is every bit as awesome. I believe there are still some copies available so you can should check em out here: http://www.topshelfrecords.bigcartel.com/artist/the-saddest-landscape
Bear McGruff are a three piece from Missoula Montana. The band is made up of Ethan, Chris, Evan who have played or been involved with Cloony, The Whoopass Girls, Cat Heaven, King Elephant, Brad's Ex Girlfriends, Henry Bemis Is A Superhero, The Sky Looks Pissed and Out Of Character. The band existed when Ethan was in Missoula. Bear McGruff remind me a lot of Ethan's current project the Whoopass Girls but with a focus more on emo than on punk rock. Which I quite enjoy. The tape is going to be pressed by Carucage records apparently which is awesome.
If they run out of free downloads here the mediafire link they provided
Box Social are an internet two piece who just released their debut EP Unwound. The band consists of two people, Justice Claggett, responsible for vocals & lyrics as well as Casey VanAntwerp, responsible for everything else. They are from Jackson, MI & Nampa, ID and play a twinkly kind of emo with mostly yearning vocals though there are some awesome screams towards the end. There's nothing groundbreaking but if you enjoy twinkly emo this will be right up your alley. Justice also does vocals in Enchiridion whom I haven't heard yet but I assume are awesome.
Swollen Members are a great rap group from Victoria Canada. Mad Child and Prevail ran Battleaxe Records for damn near a decade before signing with a major label a little while ago. At the biggest the group consists of the two awesome aforementioned MC's as well as Moka Only, Rob The Viking making beats as part of the crew and guest verses from MC's like Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Buc Fifty & Evidence of Dilated Peoples.
They had their own brand of witches and demons, dungeons & dragons style rap. There was still a lot of violence but there was a lot of more discussion of werewolves and vampires and occult magic. Kinda like Jedi Mind Tricks but not as violent and less hardcore.
Also Prevail is one of the most underrated MC's out there, not only his is flow liquid fast but to decipher his references require at least a trip to the encyclopedia if not to the used book store to find the obscure literary reference. And he will tear you apart in a battle. Speaking of battling, Mad Child's no slouch. He was inducted into the Rock Steady Crew making Swollen Members one of three rap groups associated with the crew.
They released three awesome albums that carved out their space before completely selling out and writing mainstream hip hop songs. They went from this
to this
I stopped paying attention for a little while. They made their money as mainstream stars but things didn't go so hot. Turns out Mad Child had an OxyContinaddiction that cost him millions.
They've apparently made a come back though. They released Dagger Mouth last year which has it's problems but is really a return to form. There is not as much Balance to their music now as there is way more Mad Child on the album than there is Prevail. And for my money I would take Prevail over Mad Child but would take Swollen Members before either of them solo. Still there is a lot of Mad Child's murderous, anguished battle raps on this album and he has brought back the occult references and more distinct drug references than I remember before.
