2/14/18

Yes I'm Leaving - Mission Bulb

Genre: Noise Rock

Release Date: May 22, 2013

For Fans Of: Cherubs, Les Savy Fav

Price: 5.00 AUD ($3.94)

Mission Bulb is a very solid package of raw, noisy rock tracks with songwriting the lends itself towards 90s hardcore and some faint pop sensibilities. The main attraction here is the group's vocalist, who's flat speaking style and distorted yells elevate the the rest of the band perfectly.

Check it out!

Others By No One - Book 1: Dr. Breacher

Genre: Progressive Metal

Release Date: June 11, 2017

For Fans Of: Native Construct

Price: $9.99

Dr. Breacher is an over the top, unapologetic progressive metal album that doesn't shy away from trying to drag in as many influences as possible. Structured like a rock opera, you can expect quite an over abundance of cheesy thematics, instrumental styling, and vocal presentation. None of this comes as a detriment to the album, however, as this record is a pretty excellent approach to over the top songwriting that doesn't get lost in the desire to flex how "technical" the guitar work can get. If you don't have any biases towards metal being "fun", I don't doubt you will find something to enjoy out of this record.

Check it out!

Standing on the Corner - Red Burns

Genre: Plunderphonics, RnB, Experimental Hip Hop

Release Date: September 11, 2018

For Fans of: Vintage hardware and obscure 90s mixtapes

Price: Name Your Price

Red Burns is a vaguely conceptually driven double sided tape that amazes with the surreal oddity that it is. Jazzy ballads hidden under layers of compressed vocal modulation, noisy glitchy interludes, poetic spoken word passages, and an abundance of sound effects give this record the strange, vaguely nostalgic feeling of walking down the streets of NYC in a snapshot. This album is a lovely soundtrack to a series of loosely connected memories and I won't be shocked if it gains a cult following in the following years. 

Check it out!

Drab Majesty - The Demonstration

Genre: Synthpop, Post Punk

Release Date: January 20, 2017

For Fans of: Depeche Mode, HEALTH, The Cure

Price: $9.99

Some vague synthwave stylings rear their head on this 80s inspired synthpop record regarding cults and your place in the world, though for the most part what you have here is a throwback pop record that doesn't sound overdone or redundant despite its clear influences. Composition is mostly guitar driven with the electronics influence pertaining to bouncy bass lines and very, very crisp drums that tie everything together. If you like weird synthpop then you will love this. 

Check it out!

Emanuel and the Fear - Listen

Genre: Chamber Pop, Indie Rock

Release Date: March 9, 2010

For Fans of: Silverchair

Price: $5.00

A mixture of dramatic rock jams and smooth, cozy lounge ballads Listen is a beautifully composed rock album. Through its hour+ run time the band finds plenty of ways to invoke interesting ideas with orchestral arrangements, electronic beeps, and electric guitars. The heavy pop influence is what enables this record to use the most out of a 10+ member arrangement, emphasizing light utilization of a large instrument palette to build beefy compositions. You will find yourself clinging onto many of the melodies this album throws at you long before a song reaches a chorus, which is without a doubt an achievement. 

Check it out!

09/07/16

NOTICE: UPDATES WILL COME WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT

Bo En - Pale Machine

Release Date: September 6th, 2013

Genre: Glitch Pop/Future Bass

Price: FREE

For Fans Of: Savant, The Unicorns, Porter Robinson

Recommended Tracks: Miss You, Be Okay, Friend, Winter Valentine, Pale Machine, My Time

Pale Machine is an odd release by an even weirder artist. Eccentric composition that blends styles and genres of various flavors, vocals that shift languages whenever it feels like it, and incredibly morbid lyrics dressed up as cute. This is all done with the utmost skill and fun, however. Bo En's production is quick and well punctuated with smooth percussion work and cute music box inspired keys, slick saw synths, elements of breakcore, and finally some very tasetful strings. Its all over the place sound wise, but the design is solid and concise enough to make it work out in Bo En's favor. Well worth the browse. 

STREAM HERE - Don't forget to support Bo En by throwing a few coins his way!

Chris Farren - Can't Die

Release Date: September 2nd, 2016

Genre: Alternative Rock/Dream Pop

Price: $9.99

For Fans Of: Jeff Rosenstock, Asobi Seksu, Antarctigo Vespucci

Recommended Tracks: Human Being, Say U Want me, Still Beating, Flowers, Everything's My Fault, Until I Can See The Light

Chris Farren's debut album marks the official first chapter in his solo career. Can't Die is an excellent pop rock record that encapsulates elements of dreamy beach vibes, and slick electric guitar work, that much like his work on Antarctigo Vespucci, is choked full of clever and intriguing sound design quirks that make it worth a dedicated listen. Whilst maintaining a sense of a connected, linear sound, this album finds solace in exploring many different styles, which helps give it a nice fluidity that tightly snaps onto the various plethora of vocal effects that Chris holds in reserve. A fun listen, this is a debut worth the price of admission. 

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Noname - Telefone

Release Date: July 31st, 2016

Genre: Hip Hop
Price: FREE

For Fans Of: Little Simz

Recommended Tracks: Yesterday, Sunny Duet, All I Need, Freedom, Bye Bye Baby

FULL REVIEW HERE

Structured as a "conversation", Telefone perfectly captures the elegance of youth, naivety, and romance that has long since been absent from the 2016 hip hop line up. Telefone is a record that carries romance and positivity with a grounded and down to earth look through the eyes of an open ended conversation. Never going too far to break believability and betraying the concept, nor being too elementary to be boring; Noname finds a perfect balance that undoubtedly makes her work and the individual she presents as attention grabbers worth every second of conversation.

STREAM HERE - Don't forget to support Noname by throwing a few coins her way!

Chinese Football - Chinese Football

Release Date: September 12th, 2015

Genre: Indie Rock/Math Rock

Price: $10.00

For Fans Of: This Town Needs Guns, Chon, Local Natives

Recommended Tracks: Hah, these are all Chinese, no thanks formatting errors.

Recently, Mike Kinsella has announced that a new American Football record is slated for release later this year. To celebrate, here is Chinese Football. Chinese Football is such a pretty and delicate record. It flows with such an extreme level of care, as if each tone was delicately handcrafted. Vocals soothe the soul and move like butter, and performance is absolutely stellar, always managing to avoid falling into cliche with a consistent tone of zen. And avoiding the pitfall of devolving into pure guitar wankery, too. Even if the language barrier here is strong, what rings even stronger is a master craft worth your every second. 

STREAM HERE

Hangman's Chair - Hope///Dope///Rope

Release Date: July 25th, 2012

Genre: Stoner/Doom Metal

Price: €6.99 ($7.86)

For Fans Of: Alice in Chains, Anthemea, Sleep

Recommended Tracks: The Saddest Call, Open Veins, December, Alley's End, HOPE//DOPE//ROPE

The crown jewel of Hangman's Chair is without a doubt their vocalist. With a voice that can flow as smooth as butter, but carry a very impactful growl, it complements the heavy, crunchy, and melodic instrumental work for a truly perfect metal record of an unmatched caliber. Doubly interesting for the record is the narrative, which blends in themes of social downfall and religion, further cementing the incredible impact of this record. As vague as description may be, DO NOT miss out on this one. 

STREAM HERE

Week 011 - 9/04/2016

Week 011 (sure) - Trying a ten a week format, because I've found it hard to write two separate entries a week either because of outside forces or lacking motivation. Yeah. 

Emptyself - Emptyself

Release Date: May 27th, 2005
Genre: Downtempo/Acoustic
Price: $7.00
For Fans Of: A Perfect Circle
Recommended Tracks: None Except You, Open Landscape, Doll Faced Vulture, Forget Me Please,  24 Waves
Emptyself's debut record is somewhere between the standard for electroacoustic records and heavy leaning inspiration from the works of Maynard in both presentation and vocal delivery. The result is an incredibly solid effort with soft, comforting vocals moving cautiously through cold, sparse production that has an overly mechanical feel to reflect the thematics of 'emptiness' the record conveys. An excellent listen with comforting ballads and beautiful interludes, this is one of the many you won't want to miss.
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Le Matos - Join Us

Release Date: May 16th, 2013
Genre: Synthwave/Techno
Price: $10.00
For Fans Of: Carpenter Brut
Recommended Tracks: King's Filth, Interceptor, Montrose, Molly, The Stuff, Sarah
Le Matos' Join Us LP is a little different from many records that fall under the 'synthwave' tag. Here, the duo don't play the synthwave genre to its typical formality and find ground between genre fusion with the mixture of club-heavy techno production serving as a base for the synthwave elements to have a more progressive nature to their sound. This surprisingly results in a refreshing sound for the genre that knows how to reserve both elements to create groove-heavy, atmosphere thick, and straight up entertaining compositions.
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Yugen Blakrok - Return of the Astro​-​Goth

Release Date: October 21st, 2013
Genre: Rap
Price: $9.00
For Fans Of: Kool Keith, Nas
Recommended Tracks: Beastleague, House of Ravens, Secrets of the Path, Neo.Vader, LeftRightHand, Constellations
Yugen Blakrok's Return of the Astro-Goth is an excellent record that finds roots in underground hip hop scene of the 90s and early 2000s while maintaining a sense of modern footing. Production is absolute bliss with a mixture of organic instrumentals backing a reserved lounge-y feel that serves as a great backdrop for Yugen's performance, who's deep vocals and larger-than-earth lyricism gives her an authoritative, strong aura that further cements the quality of this album as a real diamond in the rough.
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Runaway Brother - Mother

Realease Date: March 32st, 2015
Genre: Indie Rock
Price: $5.00
For Fans Of: Brand New, The Hotelier, The Front Bottoms
Recommended Tracks: Moth, Hummingbird, Catch, 
Mother is one of those indie rock, emo-y records that are so vibrant and lively with shout vocals and bouncy guitar lines that you can't help but wonder if anyone is actually happy or horribly depressed because the lyricism completely suggests otherwise. But I guess thats a lesser concern, as this is another finely tuned slice of shout-along emo music that you're having too much fun with the remember that life is terrible.
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No Sir - The Future Is Bright

Release Date: August 13th, 2013
Genre: Hardcore
Price: FREE
For Fans Of: N/A
Recommended Tracks: The Future is Bright, The Crowd, CALIFORNIA, I Doubt You'll Ever Swing Again, I Pushed Back Violently, Bad Vibes, Momma I'm A Good Boy
Yeah this record is pretty pumping. Hardcore/punk that uses vocal distortion and loud mixing to further pump out that anti-authority "set stuff on fire" attitude and it works pretty darn well for this record. Compsoition is heavy and fun and despite the loud mixing every instrument is still distinct enough to have a stake in the overall forray which only further shows that this album is far more competent than contemporaries. If you're angry and pissed off, then let this album be the soundtrack to the destruction of your room.
Stream Here - Don't forget to support No Sir by throwing a few coins their way or sharing with friends!

Young Fathers - Dead

Release Date: February 14th, 2014
Genre: Soul/Hip-Hop
Price: $10.00
For Fans Of: Massive Attack
Recommended Tracks: Now Way, Low, War, Get Up, Dip, Hangman, I've Arrived
Young Fathers are awesome. A combination of soul, hip-hop, and heavy electronic elements all three come together for an absolutely beautiful and tense record that hits with a reserved sophistication that saves its massive punches for just a few rare tracks, but absolutely devastate when all hands are on deck. Such as closing track I've Arrived that pounds with a blaring alarm synth and loud bangs of the drum to the tune of baritone rapping and luscious "soul" vocals. Other tracks experiment dance-y style beats and pleasing soul/rap hybrid presentation that makes this record absolutely incredible.
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yourboyfriendsucks! - Episode 01

Release Date: May 6th, 2016
Genre: Dream Pop
Price: $6.00
For Fans Of: The Cranberries, Asobi Seksu, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Hop Along
Recommended Tracks: Just Like Honey, DIU x3, Stay/Stayaway, 波兰首都是上海, All Your Secrets
Rude band name aside, as I bet many of your boyfriends are great people, Episode 01 is an absolutely outstanding debut that has unfortunately found itself falling under the radar this year. This record is an up-beat dream pop release (that still lends itself to slower, sad songs mind you) that has some consistently great composition. Its songwriting blends slow interludes with warm, comforting fuzzy leads and an absolutely groovy bassline through each track. Meanwhile the group's vocalist has absolutely beautiful vocals that find footing on the softer crooning of The Cranberries. Don't miss out on this one, its absolutely killer.
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Hop Along - Get Disowned

Release Date: May 5th, 2012
Genre: Alternative
Price: $10.00
For Fans Of: The Cranberries
Recommended Tracks: Some Grace, Tibetan Pop Stars, Diamond Mine, No Good Al Joad, Laments, Trouble Found Me, Young and Happy!, Get Disowned
Hop Along have always been a favorite of mine. My biggest draw to them being vocalist Frances Quinlan, who's rough and gruff vocal approach lends to some absolutely stunning performances in their work. And you see this no better than on debut record Get Disowned, one that I'm sure many are familiar with, but is one that demands recognition regardless. With a soundscape that jumps between alternative rock, indie pop, very minor infractions of dream pop, and acoustic jamming; the band balances all of these elements and strike gold with an absolutely powerful and emotive record that gets a blend of fun composition and powerful, introspective lyrics that stick long after the album's runtime fades out. If for whatever reason you haven't heard this yet, then drop what you're doing and get on it as soon as possible.
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Marietta - Summer Death

Release Date: October 21st, 2013
Genre: Emo (of the Midwest variety)
Price: FREE
For Fans Of: Hightide Hotel
Recommended Tracks: ...So They left Me at a Gas Station, Cinco De Mayo Shit Show, Deck Wine, Ever Is A Long Time, Datoonie Is Big
Many say that this record is the best of the midwest emo scene of the broader umbrella that is 'emo revival'. And are those people correct? I don't know. I don't really listen to much music in the emo revival scene. Is this a pretty good record though? Yeah, it IS pretty great. What makes this record stand out are the majority instrumental leads that make up most of the albums run time. While nothing complex, they're always nice and warm, bringing comfort as an appetizer before delivering the "meat" of the record that would be the sadder, "yelling" delivery of the vocal tracks and lyrics. The overall tone of this record makes it a perfect one for late night browsing.
Stream Here - Don't forget to support Marietta by throwing a few coins their way or sharing with friends!

Week 010 - 7/26/2016

Tiny Moving Parts - Celebrate

Release Date: May 20th, 2016
Genre: Pop Punk/Emo
Price: £6 ($7.90)
For Fans Of: Snowing, Brave, Dads
Recommended Tracks: Common Cold, Stay Warm, Breathe Deep, Minnesota
Tiny Moving Parts are that one 'emo' band that blends technicality and pop into some odd homunculus of 'shout along' tracks that stay in the membrane for days on end. Even when exploring depression and anxiety and all the like-wise thematics, you can't really help but tap a foot and shout a few lines alongside the quick moving instruments and energetic production. As odd as that may be. Arguably the most fun 'depression' record of the year.
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Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster

Release Date: October 13th, 2009
Genre: Alternative/Indie Pop
Price: $7.00
For Fans Of: Laura Stevenson, The Dodos, Andrew Bird, Of Montreal
Recommended Tracks: Cool Yourself, When We Swarm, Good Bye Good Luck, Oh No, Burn You Up, Easy
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down have explored many different styles since their formation a decade ago. On this particular record, they've taken the fun indie pop path and the result is a well played record that puts complexity in the backseat for soft, layered pop music that excites and emphasizes quality over quantity.
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FLANCH - FLANCH

Release Date: Feburary 9th, 2016
Genre: Experimental Hip Hop
Price: $3.00
For Fans Of: Arca, Clarence Clarity, Young Fathers
Recommended Tracks: Graace, Pretty Girl, Ble$$ings, Purgatory4u, Hal0, Gloat
Without a doubt the weirdest record I've heard all year. Take the production of pre-2012 Arca and throw it through a hip-hop filter sprinkled with semi-subtle lyricism of vacant faith. The result is FLANCH. Glitchy production and vocals that find itself thrown through vocoders and pitch shifting filters, the production here is surprisingly on point. Finding room for variety and cohesion from the seemingly random, and chaotic soundscape. However, its fitting, finding room to encapsulate the feelings of having a large aspect of your life, that being the religious upbringing, suddenly become absent from your mindset. And just like FLANCH say, "For the rest of you, just known FLANCH is putting out some hot tracks."
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Super BorgBoy - Kill Alpha Male

Release Date: June 17th, 2016
Genre: Electronic/Synthwave
Price: $6.00
For Fans Of: Perturbator
Recommended Tracks: M-City Morning Star, Conflict At Cafe Do Rei, Gatekeeper's Network, Two Codes Combine, Escape From Western Tower
Sent in by the man behind Super BorgBoy himself, this little collection of lightly synthwave flavored electronica is an excellent, relaxing electronic record that emphasizes warm melodies and pleasing samples to paint a futuristic city landscape. This record utilizes the best suited synthwork to be extremely pleasing and exciting and there really isn't much more to ask for. Enjoy it!
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elephantelephone - Sam's Bedroom

Release Date: December 3rd, 2010
Genre: Folk/Singer-Songwriter Stuff
Price: FREE
For Fans Of: Jeff Rosenstock
Recommended Tracks: Going Home, I Should Have Known, On The Radio, Stephanie, She Said She Fell
Quirky folksy pop music that carries a lot of charm with the mostly straight-forward nature of a guy playing a guitar. The soundscape is accompanied with the reserved inclusion of harmonicas, piano, and saxophones that give the tracks of this record some well included life and fun. Add that with some incredibly catchy hooks and morbid lyrics and you get an aptly hilarious, heartfelt, and downright exciting record from a sadly obscure act.
Stream Here 

Week 009 - 07/20/2016

Week 009 - Sure its still week nine. I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates, computer issues generally bogged down my ability to continue this blog. But for the most part that hurdle is out of the way so updates should return to a consistent Monday/Friday schedule. Enjoy this selection, some of my favorites are on here. 

Jack O' the Clock - All My Friends

Release Date: March 15th, 2013

Genre: Avant Folk/Prog Folk

Price: $9.00

For Fans Of: Gentle Giant, Peter Gabriel

Recommended Tracks: All My Friends Are Dead, A Lot Of People Are Dead Wrong, The Pilot, Disaster, Old Friends In A Hole, All My Friends Are In My Head

I relate to the title track of this record, as all my friends ARE dead. Life is lonely. All My Friends is a modern folk record mixed with various 70s prog rock bands. The end product is an interesting concept album that is chocked full of a full string assemble that mix classical elements and contemporary southern influence with the technical work of the aforementioned 70s prog rock bands. An incredibly compelling record, this one is easily worth the price of admission and a quick browse from anyone remotely interested in the progressive rock genre. 

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Son Lux - Stranger Forms

Release Date: June 17th, 2016
Genre: Electronic/Folk
Price: $7.00
For Fans Of: Sufjan Stevens
Recommended Tracks: You Don't Own Me, Redone, We Are The One, Breathe
Son Lux' newest release is a collection or re-recordings of his previous LP, Bones. Each of the tracks featured here have been completely reconstructed with a massive overhaul in lyrics, sound design, and instrumentals. What you get is an excellent record that has enough dynamics to stand out as an individual release as opposed to a novel extension of it's predecessor. All I can say is that "You Don't Own Me" is a jam and a half with the sexy trumpet assemble added into the mix. Give it a look if you're unfamiliar with Son Lux' work.
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verydeadly - Courteous Spector

Release Date: July 1st, 2016

Genre: Art Pop

Price: $6.66

For Fans Of: Thom Yorke, Peter Silberman, Sufjan Stevens

Recommended Tracks: Patchwork, Courteous Spector, To Those Little Eyes, The Lucky, Back Again?, To Death, Wink Blink Flutter Bat

verydeadly's latest release is a dreamy, heavenly pop record that shares an incredibly disturbing resemblance to Thom Yorke's vocal work. On this record, guitars and "sparkly" keys litter the soundscape with a intricate mannerism and elegancy that suits the softly sung, heavily drawn out vocal work of the project's vocalist. Incredibly pleasing and beautiful for the ears, this record is a piece of ear candy everyone should check out. 

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Igorrr - Hallelujah

Release Date: December 21st, 2012
Genre: Breakcore/Metal
Price: €9 ($9.91 USD)
For Fans Of: Ruby My Dear
Recommended Tracks: Tout Petit Moineau, Absolute Psalm, Lullaby For a Fat Jellyfish, Corpus Tristis, Infinite Loops
Oh Igorrr, how does one describe thee? Insane? Chaotic? Nonsensical cob salad of every genre and sound you can think of? I don't know if anyone calls this record a "cob salad" per se, but it's an apt description of what Hallelujah is. An insane, absolute "anything-goes" project that blends passages of opera with percussion heavy breakcore and metal. Though to further extend the insanity, screams, devastating drum blasts, and... chicken noises... are thrown in the mix to let everyone know that Igorrr isn't playing around. This record is such a beautiful storm of chaos that you can't keep your eyes away from the scatterbrained display Igorrr puts on, and with a keen knack for masterful production, it makes this record an absolute must.
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Corey Palmer - Love Trade

Release Date: Janurary 27th, 2015
Genre: Indie Pop
Price: FREE
For Fans Of: Broken Bells
Recommended Tracks: Records, Slow Reactor, It's All You Know, All the Signs, Get Real
Corey Palmer's debut EP is an interesting collection of tracks with an even more interesting sound design. An indie pop record with heavy electronica elements, this EP offers quite an interesting variety sonically with percussion, pianos, and synths being textured in such a heavenly matter. Corey Palmer's soft vocals also provide an equally interesting addition to the albums overall sound. Hard to adequately describe, but give "Records" a quick listen and see what I mean. This is without doubt a promising project.
Stream Here - Don't forget to support Corey Palmer by throwing a few coins his way or sharing with friends! A little free music keeps the world spinning. <3

Week 009 - 06/28/16

Unexpect - Fables of the Sleepless Empire

Release Date: May 31st, 2011
Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal Fusion
Price: $8.99 CAD ($6.99)
For Fans Of: Haken, Diabolical Masquerade, Sigh, Mr. Bungle, Stolen Babies, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Nightwish
Recommended Tracks: Unsolved Ideas of a Distorted Guest, Words, Orange Vigilantes, Mechanical Phoenix, Unfed Pendulum, Silence this Parasite, When The Joyful Dead Are Dancing
HOT. DAMN. This record is such a beast that I'm surprised that this band isn't bigger in the metal community than it already is. With influences and genres that are nigh impossible to place (that recommended artist tab is all over the place) and a soundscape that does just about whatever the hell it wants, one has to ask "how can it balance so many different things at once?" The answer? Doing whatever the hell it wants and being bad ass at it, thats how. Two vocalists, a female vocalist with a very sophisticated operatic edge and quite the hard hitting scream and a backing vocalist is just the first on the plate. From there you have a groove bass that carries quite a catch thanks to a dominate place in the mix, violinists who give the album a dramatic flair of tension, keyboards, spoken word passages, jazz, swing, metal, hardcore, progressive rock, just... man. Give the first track a listen and if it doesn't blow your mind then you get your money back guaranteed.
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Low Low Low La La La Love Love Lova - last

Release Date: February 16th, 2015
Genre: Noise Pop/Indie Rock/Lo-Fi
Price: £5 ($6.68)
For Fans Of: Sparklehorse, Simon and Garfunkel, Of Montreal, My Bloody Valentine
Recommended Tracks: Goodbyes, Burrow, Harvesting, A World in Ruin, A Shadow of a Doubt, What You Wanted Most, Bedroom Window, last
The final record from Low La Love carries that dreadful sense of melancholy knowing your adventure is at its end. Unlike most farewell albums, that focus time and energy by shoving how sad it is that your favorite band is breaking up or reflecting on "the good times we've had" this band expresses such feelings in a far more refined output through song. The harsh noise that layers instrumental backing stabs like a stubborn child refusing to let go and the overall tone of the album, while sounding like it leans towards a more... up-beat pop record, it instead rings with a very slow, depressed feel. It articulates complex feelings of "letting go" in a way that simply can't be captured in words. It makes for a soundscape that is interesting and beautiful, an ooze of passion that feels like this band is utterly destroyed by having to say goodbye. And even if you haven't heard of them until just now, it makes you feel a bit sad too.
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Direct Hit! - Wasted Mine

Release Date: June 24th, 2016

Genre: Pop Punk/Hardcore

Price: $10.00

For Fans Of: Bomb The Music Industry!, Blink 182, Masked Intruder

Recommended Tracks: Artificial Confidence, Paid in Brains, Promised Land, Was It The Acid?, Another Dimension, Villain Alcoholic, Do the Sick
Direct Hit's latest LP is one half easy-going summer fun and one half hard hitting satire on drug culture and even the pop punk genre in of itself. With the album lending itself to elements of hardcore through very tasteful sections of harsh vocals and instrumentation that finds room to fill in the blanks atmospherically with horns and organs for an extra slice of energy. Lyrically the album holds no qualms with getting in the nitty-gritty of drug abuse and its relation to the music culture, which makes it an interesting album for anyone looking for something more beyond competent production. 

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Shahmen - Enter the Circle (Deluxe)

Release Date: May 31st, 2015
Genre: Rap/Horrorcore
Price: €15 ($16.61)
For Fans Of: Billy Woods
Recommended Tracks: Dirt, No Slippin', Mice, Luck, Story, Whales, Strangers
Shahmen's flavor of "horrocore" is unlike any other artist in that particular neck of the woods. Here, Shahmen incoporate organic, tribal instrumentation and choir vocals to create an air of sinister unnerving that goes hand in hand with the authorative, overpowering vocals that tinge the soundscape with an evil energy. It all comes together to make an outstanding, creepy album.
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Instead of Flowers - Their Loss is Something to Remember

Release Date: August 21st, 2015
Genre: Alternative Rock/Punk
Price: FREE
For Fans Of: A Perfect Circle
Recommended Tracks: Stained Palm, The Light Inside, Childhood Games, Romance is Dead, I Believe You, God Frowns
Instead of Flowers' debut record is a curious mixture of alt rock and various shades of hardcore punk that does far more than what either of those genre descriptors could give credit for. Atmosphere is where this record excels at, with the combination of thick, fuzzy atmosphere and a vocal effect that has a hollow ring to it; the both combine for a dark and mysterious tone that lends its self towards an excellent mixture of dreamy and melodic sections and harder hitting sorta-punk/sorta-not leads that are all the more intriguing when they come out of the shell as some kind of weird, twisted cry of a man lost deep in the unknown... intentional or not. A great record all around, and a rather under-appreciated one at that, Their Loss is Something to Remember is a promising debut well worth keeping an eye on.
Stream Here - Don't forget to support Instead of Flowers by throwing a few coins their way or sharing with friends!

Week 008 - 6/20/16

The Antlers - In The Attic of the Universe

Release Date: March 31st, 2007

Genre: Folk

Price: $6.99

For Fans Of: Bon Iver

Recommended Tracks: In The Attic, On The Roof, Shh, The Universe Is Going to Catch You, In The Snow, Stairs To The Attic

Peter Silberman's sophomore effort (before The Antlers became a band) is an empty, atmospheric record that mills with a childlike curiosity. Sparse instrumentation and spacey synths mixed in with slight flavoring of field recordings give a tight feeling of isolation while Silberman give a haunting performance with his hard hitting vocals and lyrics centering around themes of loneliness. A great record for a late night browse.

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The Life and Times - Tragic Boogie

Release Date: April 14th, 2009

Genre: Space Rock/Alt Rock

Price: $10.00

For Fans Of: Shiner, Failure, Swervedriver, Hum

Recommended Tracks: Que Sera Sera, Let It Eat, Old Souls, Dull Knives, Pain Don't Hurt, Tragic Boogie, The Politics of Driving, Catching Crumbs

A slept on record if there has ever been one. The Life and Times are a band that are hard to place sonically. They have a mixture of grunge, space rock, alt rock, amongst other genres that are very well interlaced with one another for a rather unique sound. Their music also moves so beautifully smooth that it doesn't take long to get lost in the night-filled landscape of their sound. Don't miss out on these guys, they're incredible. 

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Funeral Advantage - Body Is Dead

Release Date: August 28th, 2015

Genre: Dream pop

Price: $8.00

For Fans Of: LSD and the Search for God

Recommended Tracks: Equine, Sisters, Back to Sleep, That's That, Cemetery Kiss, You Sat Alone, Body Is Dead

Male/Female shoegaze-y dream pop fun times. Though I guess fun isn't a good descriptor, because on the contrary this is quite a sad album. "Emo" music that blends in the shoegaze/dream pop elements for an odd caricature of lifeless energy. However that may work. Its an endearing record with some incredibly attention to composition to make even the tiniest of changes in the overall sound come across all the mightier.

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SirensCeol - The Method to the Madness

Release Date: March 27th, 2014

Genre: Electro

Price: $10.00

For Fans Of: Au5

Recommended Tracks: The Glitch Waltz, Adventure Time, Feel Alright, The Devil's Swing, Russian Roulette, Slippin, My Story, All You Are, Memories, Starlight Lullaby, A Heart Without A Home

My goodness the texturing on this album is incredible. High energy electronic dance music that has some of the most satisfying and crunchy sounding synths of any electronic album I heard. Burke's dynamic sound work and ability to cross genres makes for an excellent collection of bangers and slower songs for those needing more "emotional" moments.

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Agate Tunnel - And Yet...

Release Date: August 26th, 2015

Genre: Acoustic

Price: FREE

For Fans Of: Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes

Recommended Tracks: Tremuous, Oregon, I stare At Walls, Oceantype

And Yet... is a curious little EP, mostly because I can't recall where I found it. What you expect to be your typical stab at bedroom folk sad times instead is an endearing, well produced EP that takes the emotional aspect of it's music quite seriously for an excellently tasteful EP with amazing male/female vocal chemistry. Not to mention when songs such as Mothing explode with large, fuzzy instrumental crescendos. 

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