The Tallest Man On Earth – Shallow Grave

The Tallest Man on Earth was spun constantly while I was on tour because it’s just that kind of record.  It makes you want to travel and meet new people.  To tell you the truth, Shallow Grave reminded me of the way I felt the first time I listened to Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and that’s a pretty big compliment.  Beautifully intricate guitar lines coupled with poetically nonsensical lyrics and a great folksy voice made this record stand out.

Snatch it HERE.

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

For Emma, Forever Ago is a more delicate record than Shallow Grave.  FE,FA relies on sparse guitar licks and the falsetto singing voice of Justin Vernon to differentiate it from other singer/songwriter types.  I’ve written about Bon Iver several times on this blog and don’t want to over do my praise, so just to reiterate my feelings, go buy this record, it’s fantastic, you will not be disappointed.

Snatch it HERE.

…Who Calls So Loud – S/T + EP

…Who Calls So Loud’s S/T and EP are both excellent albums.  Both the drummer and guitarist are ex-members of Funeral Diner and it’s made evident by their meandering (in a good way) song structures and thoughtful musicianship.  Intense brooding buildups give way to emotional climaxes and the song simmers for a while before doing it all over again.  This is great music and I can’t wait to hear what this band does in ’09.

Snatch it HERE.

Algernon Cadwallader – Some Kind of Cadwallader

Holy shit, did Cap’ n Jazz reunite?  This is pretty much all I thought when I first listened to this band.  Is it wrong of me to say that this band creates that fun exciting feeling that dozens of pop-punk bands tried, and failed, to create?

You’ll be hard pressed to find a happier sounding “punk” album in ’08.

Snatch it HERE.

The Caution Children – Vacations

Vacations is the type of album you need to listen to before you close your eyes to go to sleep.  Grab a nice set of headphones, dim the lights, get comfortable in your bed, and throw on Vacations. You’ll probably be reminded of bands like Envy and Raein which is a very good thing.

“Stylistically their music straddles the line between post rock and screamo – the vocals are artsy (which I really love) and never feel dishonest or over dramatic.  Ian’s guitars are heavily saturated with delay and reverb making volume swells and buildups, two techniques this band is really good at, feel monumental.”  via my earlier review HERE.

Myspace HERE.

2) Honorable Mentions/Stuff I’ve Been Listening to that Wasn’t Released in ’08

Ruiner – Prepare to be Let Down

Good hardcore.  I really love the lyrics, which are totally personal but easy to relate to.  I’m also really digging the thick bass tone on this record.  Myspace HERE.

Sinaloa – Oceans of Islands

Artsy post punk.  Q and not U + Daniel Striped Tiger?  Love this guys singing style, which comes close to being a shout but not really a yell.  Myspace HERE.

Quebec – Together We Have Grown, Together We Shall Bloom

The closest band I can think of to compare these guys to is Circle Takes the Square.  Expansive songs  full of chaotic riffs with just enough structure to not turn the casual listener away.  Myspace HERE.

Coffin Dancer – Pax Romana Ep

Just brutal.

“Coffin Dancer reminds me of a more psychedelic sounding Funeral Diner ( guitars soaked with reverb, delay, and tremolo) with vocals that sound like they’re being yelled from the depths of hell.  Extremely sludgy and atmospheric hardcore.”  via my earlier review HERE.

Hop Along, Queen Ansleis - Freshman Year

An album that’s really hard to pigeonhole.  It’s definitely folk.  It’s really poppy.  Francis has an incredible voice.  Highly enjoyable.  An IfYouMakeIt.com video of her HERE.

Kind of Like Spitting – The Thrill of the Hunt

I can’t seem to get away from this album.  Honest “folkish” music from a great songwriter.  An earlier review/download HERE.

Ampere – All Our Tomorrows End Today

Raw, intense, intellectual hardcore.  Full Review HERE.

Radiohead – In Rainbows

You already know who they are and how much they rule.

Yes, This EP is finally being released (and… it got leaked).

Bon Iver’s 2007 release For Emma, Forever Ago was an album that I had a hard time putting down, and from what I’ve heard of Blood Bank I think these 4 songs will not disappoint. The tracks continue the isolationist vibe found on FEFA while also providing listeners with a more polished and refined Bon Iver recording. My favorite track so far is Beach Baby.

I wrote about Bon Iver a while ago HERE.

Snatch the Blood Bank EP HERE.

Preorder the vinyl HERE.

PS. I’m going to be moving towards a new format where I only post 1 or 2 items a day. This way I’ll be able to update on a more consistent basis.

Maybe it’s because Fall is near and Winter seems right around the corner to me but I’ve been getting really into singer songwriter stuff as of late.  It’s weird how a style of music seems to fit with certain seasons.

I recently discovered the music of Kinsey Matthews, a song writer that plays under the name of Us and Us Only.  I’m pretty positive he used to play guitar for Another Reason to Hate Machines, a hardcore band from MD.  He writes very honest and simple acoustic songs that seem to center around a bad breakup.  Aside from being really catchy, I think the simple production on the songs makes me really enjoy them.  It sounds like he set up a single microphone in his bedroom, played each song a few times, and kept the best performances.  More artists should follow this approach.  I want to hear stools squeaking and fingers dragging across the strings.

All of his albums are up for download on his myspace.

Check it HERE.

2)  The Gathering of the Juggalos – Vice article

My friend Big Chris went to Illinois this year for the annual Gathering of the Juggalos.  He said dealers would wear cardboard signs signifying what type of drugs they were selling and all you had to do was call out a drug and they would come rushing to you.  Apparently 3 people died this year.  A girl was trampled to death and 2 dudes overdosed.  Andrew W.K. played and had so much trash thrown at him that security had to remove him from the stage.  He continued to ask the crowd to throw stuff at him while he stood still and headbanged.  Excellent.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Insane Clown Posse, their fans are known as Juggalos.  A Juggalo is a male or female (known as Juggalettes) who are involved with the ICP rap subculture.  That wasn’t a very good explanation so to get a better grasp on these fans I suggest you watch this video:

“What is a juggalo?

Let me think for a second
Oh, he gets butt-naked
And then he walks through the streets
Winking at the freaks
With a two-liter stuck in his butt-cheeks

What is a juggalo?
He just don’t care
He might try to put a weave
In his nut hair
Cuz he could give a fuck less
What a bitch thinks
He tell her that her butt stinks
And all that ”

Now that you know what a Juggalo is, go read this excellent Vice article.  HERE.

3)  Bon Iver on Conan

Just in case you missed it.

Needless to say, once I got home from tour I immediately acquired the cd.  However, it turns out Bon Iver isn’t a large black man, but a skinny white guy with a knack for writing catchy laidback folk songs.  Apparently all of the material on For Emma was written while living alone in the wilderness of Wisconsin In a cabin his father built.  I think that location has alot to do with song writing and you can feel the isolation on this record.

Click here to view the embedded video.