Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie (1989)

Camper Van Beethoven, a California group active mainly throughout the '80s, were one of the lesser-known forerunners of the alternative rock movement, playing a brew of punk, folk, country, world music, jangle pop, ska, psychedelia, and pretty much whatever else you can think of; this band experimented almost non-stop with their sound, and ended up far-removed from even the 'typical' alt rock sound of the period, which is what makes them so important, and also what makes them so criminally overlooked; this album was the last released on their original run (they've since reunited), and it was their most financially - if not critically - successful album, and therefore their most recognizable and a great place to start; whatever your musical tastes, this is a band you need to know

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Over Stars and Gutters - Consider This Your Curse (2009)

Here's the debut full-length album by Norman, Oklahoma (woo, locals!) group Over Stars and Gutters, who play gruff-as-fuck melodic punk rock that likes to walk the line between hardcore and pop-punk; think Jawbreaker, Dillinger Four, Alkaline Trio, and all that fun stuff

They self-released this album earlier in the year, and it's getting a re-release next year, so for that they've got it up on bandcamp with a name-your-price deal set up, so go check it out and help out some great up-and-comers

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Feeding Lies - Demo 09 (2009)

Got tipped off about this new band from St. Louis, they've been sending this 6-song demo around and it's been getting attention; they play fairly straightforward '00s hardcore punk, and while you never feel like you're hearing something new in these songs, you're never bored, either, because they're damn good at what they do; this is a band to watch

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Stationary Odyssey - Johnfriend (2009)

"Post-rock-punk-ambient-prog-grind-rockers Stationary Odyssey have released a FREE digital EP titled "Johnfriend". The "Mud Center" Indiana-based duo of Aaron Tanner and Brett Siler released their previous full-length “Head! Foot! And The Pink Axe” on Joyful Noise back in 2006. One split with Child Bite later, they have resurfaced with the more polarized "Sons Of Boy". Featuring a host of guest musicians such as Chris Schlarb (Asthmatic Kitty, I Heart Lung), Shawn Knight (Child Bite), and Aaron Tanner’s seven-year-old son - the Stationary Odyssey boys have created an 8-track mini-opus of face-melting moments alongside crystalline spasms of beauty.

With the Johnfriend EP we get a glimpse into the new Odyssey album wrapped in feedback-laden amusement. The EP contains a new track from the album, a feedback-laden cover of T-Rex's "Children of the Revolution", a remix, and an A Capella demo."

This is quite an interesting little release, and hard to describe, hence my usage of their description instead of my own; keep an eye out for their full length to appear here soon

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The World/Inferno Friendship Society - Red-Eyed Soul (2006)

This Brooklyn band plays something called cabaret punk, which sounds odd, and it is; they've got the typical setup of a rock band, but in addition to that they have horns and xylophones and accordions and all sorts of other goodies; upbeat and energetic and, well, punky, it's hard to really describe their sound with words, and they aren't everyone's cup of tea, but those of us who like them love them

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Tiger Army - Music from Regions Beyond (2007)

This is the most recent album from Berkeley psychobilly group Tiger Army; if you're wondering 'what the fuck is psychobilly?', it means that they play a combination of punk and rockabilly, which is pretty awesome if you ask me, but they aren't as bound to that sound as most bands in this scene; the song "As the Cold Rain Falls" sounds like something straight out of the world of '80s synth-rock

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Have Heart - Songs to Scream at the Sun (2008)

Second and final album from this Massachusetts edge group is my last post for edge day; they're playing their last ever show TODAY, and chances are you're like me, stuck a bazillion miles away from it, so make do with spinning this motherfucker a few times as loud as you possibly can; it's only 20 minutes long, but you'll be listening to it much longer than that; also, please don't ever use the term posi-core

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Bane - Give Blood (2001)

Bane is one of the most well-known modern straight edge bands, and everyone who knows anything about edge has heard this album already; however, for the uninitiated, this is 25 minutes of anger and aggression; I mean, come on, this album opens with a shout of "FUCK YEAH / I AM STILL HOLDING ON", so you know right away what you're getting into

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Minor Threat - Complete Discography (1989)

It's motherfuckin' edge day, bitches, so put down the joint long enough to turn this shit on and crank it the fuck up; I've got a few albums coming your way today, and first up is the one that started it all; fast and pissed off and violent, Minor Threat was essentially a band full of teenagers who fought their way to the top of the hardcore punk world; we have them to thank for the straight edge movement, all ages venues, and thousands of stupid tattoos

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Edna's Goldfish - Before You Knew Better (1998)

Catchy as fuck ska punk from the '90s; honestly, what else is there to know? Pick it up (some pun intended)

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Fucked Up - Hidden World (2006)

Debut full-length from this Toronto-born 6-piece who have been turning punk music on its head for the better part of a decade; clocking in at over 70 minutes, this not your typical hardcore release, but that's not a bad thing; it swings wildly between bitter anger and upbeat positivity, and always has a sense of tongue-in-cheek humor lurking beneath the surface; this is just an album you need to experience to understand

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P.S. Eliot - Introverted Romance in Our Troubled Minds (2009)

Upbeat lo-fi twee pop punkish stuff (sounds original, doesn't it? It's good though)...think Vivian Girls but with less fuzz and much better lyrics; this is a quick listen but I find myself listening two or three times in a sitting

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Look Mexico - This is Animal Music (2007)

Sorry about the infrequency of the posts lately; life's been unusually stressful lately, and especially so during the last couple of days. I'm gonna try to get back into the swing of things and return to making daily posts, so keep your fingers crossed.

This is the debut album from Tallahassee-based indie/math rock/emo group Look Mexico; they're a great band, and this is an incredible album; if I were to compare them to something posted previously on the blog, it would probably be My Heart to Joy, Hightide Hotel, etc (and Algernon Cadwallader, but I don't think I've posted any of their stuff); basically what I'm getting at, if you couldn't tell (which you can if you know any of the artists I just named), is that these guys are fucking awesome and you shouldn't miss out on this emotional rollercoaster of an album

Also, they're currently working away on their second release, due out sometime this year; keep up with their progress on their blog

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The Matches - the Matches album 4, unreleased; graphics? title? or not needed? (2009)

Rush-released as a response to the pleas of their fans after announcing their indefinite hiatus, this album is a collection of eight songs from their unfinished album, and two acoustic songs that had very very limited releases as bonus tracks in the past. Considering that, this sounds incredibly coherent and, on top of that, really fucking good. This release has the singalong choruses of E. Von Dahl, the white knuckle, crooked smile, freewheeling insanity of Decomposer, the pop catchiness of A Band in Hope, and a bluesy, jammy grooviness that if anything resembles their earliest work as the Locals. But make no mistake; this is not rehash. This is the Matches doing what they always do, which is making a huge stylistic shift while still being identifiable as who they are.

I wrestled a bit with the question of whether or not to post this album here. As stated earlier on the blog, the Matches are my favorite band, and it's now become clear they are under a considerable amount of debt based on poor album sales (I've seen a figure of $60,000 being tossed around). However, as much as it feels like something of a betrayal, not even my favorite band breaking up because of people failing to buy their music is going to change my opinion that there should be no moral obligation to spend money on art (an opinion that the Matches seem to have somewhat agreed with in the past, and that I suspect they still do).

With that in mind, I IMPLORE you all, if you enjoy this album or any of their others, to purchase it at bandcamp. They're only asking 10 dollars (although you can pay more than that if you wish), which is next to nothing. This band doesn't deserve to be in debt, and they don't deserve to have to break up because of it. Buy this album. Also, if you can, go to their last two shows on the 22nd and 23rd, in West Hollywood and San Fransisco respectively.

Also, I'll use this post to introduce you to the new projects members of the Matches are embarking on, for those of you who are unaware.

Maniac: Features Matches lead vocalist/guitarist Shawn Harris, as well as Jake Grigg of Something with Numbers. Their debut album is slated for 2010, and in the meantime they're occupying themselves with covering the #1 songs on the Billboard charts (and then posting them for free on their blog).
Bird by Bird: Features Matches lead guitarist/vocalist Jon Devoto, as well as Matches drummer Matt Whalen. Their debut show is happening in San Fransisco on the 21st, and Jon's doing an in-store performance at a Gap on the 20th, so if you're in the area, check them out! They've got a few songs streaming on their myspace.

Anyway, as you can tell, I've returned home, and regular posting will now resume on the blog.

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Previous Posts:
E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals
Decompser
A Band in Hope
Demos and Misc

Afraid! - Megaloklift (2009)

Italian post-hardcore/screamo band, with heavy influence of post-punk and psychedelia, this is a quick listen but it's really great, I find myself listening to it three or four times in a sitting because it's so addicting

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Snowing - Tour Tape (2009)

Two-song tape that these guys would have sold on their tour, had their van not broken down; this is more of the great emo/post-hardcore stuff that we've already come to expect from this band, and the track "So I Shotgunned a Beer and Went to Bed" in particular is fucking GREAT; I'd tell you to go buy a copy of this, but there were only 50 and they already sold out (I got one woooo), so instead go pre-order a copy of their soon-to-be-released 7" from Square of Opposition Records

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Previous Posts:
Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit

Piebald - We Are the Only Friends We Have (2002)

Despite the 2008 breakup of this Massachusetts-born band, the debate rages on as to what exactly they should be referred to as; indie rock? pop-punk? emo? alt rock? powerpop? I would say all of these apply in some way, but it doesn't really matter what you call them, because Piebald are one of the best bands I've ever heard; everyone should listen to them, and this album is as good a place as any to start

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Lemuria - The First Collection (2007) and Demo (2004)

More from this awesome pop-punk/power-pop trio; The First Collection gathers together their early material on splits and EPs and such, and I've also uploaded their 2004 demo CD

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Previous Posts:
Get Better

By Surprise - Four on Seven in Eight (2008)

EP from these Jersey-based punk/emo/'indie rock' dudes, really good stuff; as the title implies, this release is only eight minutes long, so you've got no excuse for not checking this out

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Previous Posts:
Split w/ Hightide Hotel

Andrew Jackson Jihad - Can't Maintain (2009)

So, these Phoenix-born folk-punkers have just released their best album to date, filled with the same frantic acoustic guitar strumming we've all come to love, along with - get this - a KAZOO

Oh...and they have a pillowcase for sale

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