skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I know it's been ages since I've posted on here. I'm not really sure what my plans are for the blog at this point. In the meantime, here's something that's been floating around on the one decent radio station we have around here in Cincinnati. That's right. Shoutout to WLHS 89.9 Lakota Radio. If only my high school had a radio station like you...
I have no idea who Elk City are, and I don't know what kind of band they are. But I do know that I just might like their cover even more than the original. This track is good. Really good. It's so refreshing to hear a great cover of Close To Me after it was bastardized by Lady Sovereign a while ago.
MP3
Elk City - Close To Me
Well... I thought I was done with the whole blog thing. Then this came in the mail a few days ago.
Pomegranates' second full-length is definitely an improvement from its predecessor. When Two Eyes hit back in 2007, I was very impressed. A year later, they released their first full-length. I heard a few songs here and there, and ultimately just kind of lost interest. It's not that I actually disliked Everything Is Alive, I just never gave it a chance because it never hooked me in.
Multiple listens of this new record have caused me to give the first album another spin, and let me tell you. This one's a total improvement in many ways. Creatively, the lyrics are just more focused and interesting to pay attention to than anything they've ever done before. Everybody, Come Outside! is actually a conceptual album of sorts, telling the tale of a man who leaves home, only to be lost in time as he is abducted by a time traveler.
Many new elements have now become a part of the signature Pomegranates sound. An arsenal of new guitar effects have been added, as well as some interesting vocal effects showcased in the track Svaatzi Uutsi. I can't tell if we've got some kind of vocoder action going on here, or if someone else is simply singing. Also noteworthy is the disparity they've added to the structure of their songs. Jerusalem Had A Bad Day is definitely not something I expected from this band. The 7 minute long epic is full of a whirlwind of choppy guitar riffs and foot-stomping rhythms that never seem to settle on a definite chorus. I'm really looking forward to hearing this one live.
Pomegranates haven't drastically changed their sound by any means. Instead, they've just built upon what they know works so well and added some well needed atmosphere. You really get the feeling that this record means something, rather than just possessing a collection of catchy riffs and hooks.
8.5/10
MP3
Pomegranates - Corriander
Everybody, Come Outside! hits stores worldwide April 14th on Lujo Records. And if you live in or near their hometown of Cincinnati, you may want to check out the album release party next week at The Southgate House.
With just a week before the physical release of Bloc's latest, we're seeing a few bonus tracks popping up here and there. Below you'll find the most recent two. Keep in mind that these are rips from the internet, so they're not the best of quality. Honestly though, don't worry about it. This is just more throwaway material from Bloc Party. I actually like the weird little atmospheric guitar sounds in Letter To My Son, but Kele Okereke's new voice just kills it. I'm really getting tired of this pseudo-pop with vocals that have been through all sorts of auto-tune gizmos. Kele... Please stop ruining my favorite band.
Sigh... Here they are anyway. Enjoy them if you can.
MP3s
Bloc Party - Letter To My Son
Bloc Party - Your Visits Are Getting Shorter
Oh, and somehow every single music file I had uploaded since post one has been deleted. So if you see something on here that's been deleted, I'm sorry but I don't have the time to re-up everything. Hopefully this won't happen again because I originally planned to keep every file up permanently.
Today is a good day. My relentless quest for any material from Japanese pop-rock band The Chewinggum Weekend has finally come to an end. I managed to nab both of their studio lengths, and two singles. Japanese pop-rock. It's good stuff. Seriously.
A Japanese Weezer, this is not. In fact, I think they might be better. The rhythms are faster. The guitar lines more intricate. The melodies... Possibly even catchier. It's a shame they disbanded in 1999. But if you like what you hear, go check out The Pillows, who picked up Jun Suzuki (The Chewinggum Weekend bassist) the year they disbanded.
If you can put up with the Japanese vocals, check this stuff out. It's infectious.
MP3s
The Chewinggum Weekend - Ice
The Chewinggum Weekend - Eleking
The Chewinggum Weekend - Parallel
The Chewinggum Weekend - Fine
The Pillows - Ride On A Shooting Star
The Pillows - Ladybird Girl
I never thought I'd have any praise for anything Flux related (Other than the GoodBooks Magnetism Remix, which I find to be better than the original song) but Bloc Party mixed things up back in August, and I've just come across the MP3. I wouldn't exactly call it a mashup, but Kele starts off Flux with a pretty straightforward cover of Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" before segueing into Flux around the 1:30 mark. A while ago I would have found it to be an odd occurrence, but these days I don't really know what to expect from Bloc Party anymore.
MP3
Bloc Party - I Would Die 4 U - Flux (Reading 2008)
I'm back! So much has happened since I last posted on here. Bloc Party released a surprisingly decent 3rd album over the internet, TV On The Radio got funky on our asses, Noel Gallagher was assaulted mid-song, the entire planet wasn't actually sucked into a black hole due to the Large Hadron Collider... But you already know all this, so I'll just get back to the usual routine.
Here's an obscure song I'm posting on impulse. Some of you will know where I found this. (Hai guise.) I've no idea where this song originated from, but I'm pretty sure it's some new anime. I won't even get into how much I despise anime. Regardless, the song is pretty bad-ass, even if there's not much to it.
Barren Saturdie - Row Row (Fight The Power)
PS
Bands! Start sending me your stuff again. I miss you...
Obviously I haven't made a post on here in a long time. I've got really limited access to a computer at the moment (And probably for most of the summer.) I'm definitely not quitting for good, it's just that it's pretty hard to keep this thing going at the moment. I'll be back with constant posts in a few months. Sorry to all the bands who sent me their stuff. I honestly love hearing from you, I just don't have the time right now.
- Tim
