Ugh...

I did a really shitty job of posting on this thing in May. Lame. self-recrimination

White Moth- White Moth (2010)

Posted per Jake's request. R. Loren from Sailors With Wax Wings newest project. What the fuck is this? Shoegaze? Black metal? Electronica? Wait, Shelby Cinca (Frodus) is on this album? And Dälek? And Colin Marston (Krallice/Behold...The Arctopus/Gorguts/Dysrhythmia)? And John Gossard (Weakling/Asunder)?

More when I get closer to figuring out exactly what the hell it is I'm listening to right now (or never if I can't).

White Moth on last.fm



Get it here.

The Sea and Cake- Car Alarm (2008)

Car Alarm was my favorite album of 2008 and since then I don't think I've gone a month without listening to it. The Sea and Cake began as an indie rock band with jazz, calypso and post-rock influences and while keeping those influences to a certain extent, have morphed into a group that writes some of the most breezy, mellow indie-pop songs I've ever heard. Car Alarm, in my opinion, is the culmination of what The Sea and Cake have been doing for the past several albums. Their music is deceptively simple. Give it less than full attention and you'll note Sam Prekop's breathy vocals, bright and delicate sounding guitar, a rhythm section that keeps your head bobbing and occasional synth and steel drum accompaniment. Listen closer and you'll notice the interplay between the two guitarists, frequently dueling acoustically and electrically, subtle synth and electronic bits and the restraint with which rhythm section plays. With so much going on both above and below the surface I'm always amazed that Car Alarm is a brilliantly executed indie-pop album and not absolute cacophony. Highly recommended, especially if you're a fan of Maritime.

I also just found out they released a new album this month. Sweet!

The Sea and Cake on last.fm


Get it here.
Gems: It's a 10/10, so, all of them.

Cave In- White Silence (2011)

Just gave this a first listen, so I'll be brief. If you're like me and felt that Perfect Pitch Black was rather inconsistent, the first half feeling like Cave In and the second more like Steven Brodsky solo work, well, prepare to feel the sameish. The first 6 tracks of White Silence are Cave In and holymutherfuckingshit are they heavy. The last 3 tracks seem to be Brodsky driven vehicles. But, yeah, Cave In are a nearly straight up metal band again people.




Get it here.

I told Adam I'd post Jupiter, so here it is. If you don't have this yet, get it. Right. Fucking. Now.
Cave In- Jupiter

Miasmal- Miasmal (2011) METAL ALERT

Got this a few weeks ago and have been listening to it a ton. For a band comprised of a bunch of crust punks (including a member of Martyrdöd), Miasmal play some totally awesome, old-school death metal. Guitar tone-wise, Miasmal has the classic buzzsaw sound of the early-90's Swedish bands like Entombed, Dismember and Grave. Riff-wise it's classic Swedish death metal for the most part, oscillating between fast, grinding, chainsaw riffs and slower groove heavy passages. Though, occasionally Miasmal remember their roots a slip a rather punkish riff or two into the mix. The drumming is rather simplistic and reminds me a lot of the galloping style used by some classic death metal bands, but more frequently by D-beat groups.

If you're not into the whole throwback metal thing, this probably isn't for you. If, on the other hand, you're like me and a sucker for new old-school sounding death metal (particularly of the Swedish variety) then check this out. It's not groundbreaking in any way, but it's extremely well executed and Miasmal are certainly among the cream of the crop of the "old is new" metal bands. Tracks 9-14 are bonus tracks from their first few EPs.

Miasmal on last.fm



Get it here.

Gems: Mesmerized, Equinox 432, We Will Live Forever, Toxic Breed, Death Mask.

Hot Snakes- Suicide Invoice (2002)

Hot Snakes was a post-hardcore band from San Diego, CA. They featured members of Drive Like Jehu and Rocket From The Crypt and sound quite a bit like the former. I've seen Hot Snakes described as "hardcore garage punk," which is just about as accurate a description as possible. Suicide Invoice is without question my favorite of the three Hot Snakes' full lengths. Like the other albums, Suicide Invoice features some fast, galloping garage rock riffs, a thundering rhythm section and Rick Froberg's snotty vocals. However, throughout the album there are more mid-paced tracks and sections that sound like a nastier Fugazi. Who doesn't like galloping, guitar-driven, garage punk? Thats' right, nobody.



Get it here.
Gems: I Hate The Kids, Gar Forgets His Insulin, Suicide Invoice, Paid In Cigarettes, LAX, Why Does It Hurt, Unlisted.

Moccasin- Last Leaf (2006)

Sorry, busy (I mean lazy) week this week.

Moccasin was (is?) a shoegaze/space rock/psychedelic rock band from Denver. I happened upon this back in 2007 or so and it hasn't left my heavy rotation as of yet. Their music features most of the hallmarks of shoegaze, pedal driven guitars, a dense, lush wall of sound and subdued, dreamy vocals, but Moccasin does so without sounding derivative. The rhythm section adds a certain heaviness to their sound and a times there's a moody, dark quality to the tracks on Last Leaf. But, playing yin to Moccasin's moody yang, there are plenty of hooks, riffs and catchy sing-along choruses. For me, much of the appeal of this album is the number of different ways you can listen to it, depending on your mood. You can strap on headphones and focus on the guitar textures (like I'm doing right now), put it on while cooking and groove along to the rhythm section or even sing along while driving around with your windows down.

As you probably surmised based on the first sentence, Moccasin's current status is uncertain. Back in 2009 they posted a few tracks on their myspace from an upcoming album and that was the last they were heard from. I'm still holding out hope, because if said album is anywhere near as good as Last Leaf it's sure to find a spot among my all time favorites. If you're a fan of early 90's shoegaze, newer shoegaze bands like The Helio Sequence, psychedelic rock or even the space rock stylings of Cave In on Jupiter you'll likely dig this. So, yeah, just listen to it.

Moccasin on last.fm



Get it here. Guess what Blaine? It's a .zip!

Gems: All of them. This album is a 10 in my book, no weak links.