Stick it in yer ear...

A few bands that I've been hardcore on lately:

The Distortions: Like the mellower, dreamy side of Jesus and Mary Chain and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

The Violets: Angular, post punk with a female vocalist. Kind of like early Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs if they covered Siouxsie and the Banshees early stuff.

The Domino State: Melodic, moody post punk. Like Coldplay with a lot more balls or The Glam.

More to follow...

Jesus, I am getting tired of these new noisepop bands that think recording your vocals on a Fisher Price tape recorder while your girlfriend beats on a guitar with a wooden spoon makes you the next Jesus and Mary Chain...

Yes, I'm talking to you Vivian Girls and Best Coast...

RAISED BY SWANS

If you turn on the radio, it would seem that the state of the music world is continuing it's rapid, but evergoing nosedive into preteen drivel and washed up watered down grunge rehash. MTV and VH1 are a vast sea of moronic "reality" shows where any douchebag with enough lack of self esteem can become a "star". Log online, however and there is a world of blogs and websites proving that this may actually be one of the best times for music ever.

As a music fanatic and occasional snob, it's truly astounding to me, how much fucking brilliant music I discover nearly every week. I've blogged about the great scene coming out of Eastern Europe and Russia, especially in regard to post rock and shoegazer. A little closer to home, however, is the staggeringly perfect band, RAISED BY SWANS from Ontario, Canada. I'm actually at kind of a loss at finding bands to compare them to. I hear hints of the Swedish band Kent and Death Cab For Cutie combined with a bit of shoegaze and post rock. Awash in a sea of melody, mood, and dreamy dynamics, this is solitary, late Saturday afternoon with a small buzz going, I want to get lost in my music listening. Not depressing by any means, but definitely music to let completely wash over you.

DISCOGRAPHY:

CODES AND SECRET LONGING 2005
NO GHOSTLESS PLACE 2009

When was the last time an album grabbed you by your guts?

If you love music...truly love music...you should download this EP. The band released it for a free download, so don't feel bad about being a thieving shitheel. This is probably my favorite album of the last couple of years. At least since AMANDA PALMER released WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER. This is absolutely stunning music. An intense, dreamy, beautiful, hypnotic wall of sound from Slovakia. I cannot stop listening to this album. I've raved about it on Facebook, but I just think something this amazing should not be overlooked.

http://www.exitmusic.org/label/theills/

Sleepwalking through fog...

Just a music post. Nothing much else that I'm quite ready to babble about at the moment.


It seems like Russia is becoming my newest source of quality music. With a big influx of atmospheric minded bands, you don't have to be Sarah Palin to see that the mother country is churning out some truly innovative and amazing artists. Case in point, my soundtrack for this afternoon, EVERYTHING IS MADE IN CHINA's album AUTOMATIC MOVEMENTS. Blending post rock, alternative, a bit of shoegazer, and some ethereal electronic, they somehow manage to combine the best bits of EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, SIGUR ROS, RADIOHEAD, MOGWAI, M83, AND THE ILLS while still sounding original and diverse. While there is a commonality of moodiness and harmony, not one track on the album sounds exactly like the last. If you're looking for fun, bouncy, pop, I'd recommend going elsewhere, but if you are of the mind that an album should be listened to from beginning to end, absorbed, and completely lost in, I highly recommend this beautiful, intense, hypnotic record.

http://www.last.fm/music/Everything+is+made+in+China