Mutating Meltdown- Fantasy 7" and some other stuff

I had a fun little break in Los Angeles. Luckily, I also got to go to the slumberland records 20th anniversary show. Very cool.

I really like mutating meltdown. They're a fairly new and still way underground band, however their last release came out late last year. I thought I had posted their 7", fantasy, already. Apparently not.

They're from Austin, and are very similar to Erase Errata and Finally Punk. Imagine Pere Ubu mixed with some riot grrrl, and add a dash of organ/synth. Mostly, it's beautiful post-punk. So take it or leave it.

I am looking forward to more music in the future, and I know they won't disappoint. Now to get them to come out to California...

Fantasy 7" and assorted other songs at 256 here.

Check out their myspace and support them here.

Tsunami Bomb-The Invasion From Within

Pop-Punk from petaluma (reppin' the bay what what) with female vocals ala the soviettes and The Eyeliners.

Goin' to L.A., on a vacation, you can say.

Gonna see the slumberland 20th anniversary show in hollywood. Yeah.

Here's their 2003 album, the invasion from within.

Bangs- Associated Works

I'm a huge fan of the 90's portland band bangs. It's like pop-punk/alternative riot grrrl stuff. Or perhaps the ramones version of riot grrrl. It's excellent no matter what you call it.

Similar to alot of riot grrrl/queercore stuff. Possibly because one of the members, Maggie Vail's sister is Tobi Vail...

The closest stuff would be team dresch, the runaways, the go-go's, the bangles.

Enjoy their two records, sweet revenge and call and response at 320 here

Alarmist

Long time no post. The break was nice.

Today I have for you a portland band similar to sonic youth, scratch acid, 80's punk/alternative noise rock stuff, known as alarmist. They existed in the early to mid part of the last decade and have a number of releases, mostly cd-r's. Probably most known for having as a member Eva, who went on to do things in a solo manner in a rather opposite direction with Inca Ore.

Sonically, very confrontational, dirty, all over the place, dark, noisy, shifting time signatures, or simply amazing. It features guy/girl vocals back and forth, sometimes at the same time, sometimes just one or another.

Here's there most official, biggest release, Evil Works: Get Rich or Try Dying: Evil Works in 320 kb.

I have more, if you're interested let me know. Also, the files are listed incorrectly as "the alarmists" and it should be alarmist.

Hefty Thigh Fem Fest

Last friday, the 12th, I went to a very good show, the hefty thigh fem fest. They somehow managed to have it in the art annex at U.C. Davis- which is a minor feat in and of itself, but it was a great venue.


Only artists with women vocalists played, so the show was ripe for awesomeness. Unfortunately, dadfag cancelled at the last moment, so I didn't get to see them play.

Mama Buries opened, which is a local Davis act. She's a wierd expiremental artist, not particularly my cup of tea.

Poppet was next to play, and boy was I in for a suprise- she normally does indie pop/a capella with loop pedals, but this time it was almost like indie rap or what I imagine indie pop mixed with rap music would sound like. She even stripped off her clothes down to a sports bra at one point, very interesting. Seeing her live is always a treat, let me tell you. I hope she keeps doing some of this new angle on some of her upcoming recordings, it's very unique. The only complaint- her set was very short! Only three songs!?!

Next up was Psychic Reality, whose split with L.A. Vampires I've really been enjoying. Her work is best described as dub drone/crimson wave expiremental stuff. The music was much more danceable than it sounds on the record, and I wish that she could've translated it better- it was kicking! Trust me, I was right in front of the speaker! It was fun to see her wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt, because the music seemed very much like a creepy 1984 version of some of his work.

Finally, Inca Ore played. She's similar to Psychic Reality (except Inca Ore's been around alot longer) but much less dancier. The set was much more psychadelic and expiremental than Psychic Reality, but at certain points got into a nice groove that in a certain way I prefer (because it wasn't so stated that it was dancy).

Last but not least, it really got packed when A Sunny Day In Glasgow played. You could tell that's who most people where there for. That's always too bad when people just show up for one band, it always seems disrespectful to me. Anyways, they were excellent, and started out with a cover of Fleetwood Mac (awesome) that was pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. After listening to their record, however, I was suprised at how loud, rocky, and well how not dream popish they sounded live. I wish they had worked the sound a little better, the mix was just not that good in my opinion. The harmonies between the singers was excellent (when I could hear it). On the positive side, they played quite a few songs.



I hope this festival becomes annual. Definately one of the better shows I've been to.


Below, in two parts, are some of the artists' newest works.

Part one here contains the L.A. Vampires/Psychic Reality Split LP and Inca Ore's Birthday of Bless You

Part two here contains Poppet's Birds the Word EP and Ashes Grammar by A Sunny Day In Glasgow.

Enjoy!

(click on the pictures and they enlarge)

Third Sex- Card Carryin'

A treat for 90's northwest girl band lovers- The Third Sex's 1st album, Card Carryin'.

Think Sleater-Kinney, Team Dresch, things like that. In other words, awesome.

I will do that megapost I promised soon. Finals, sigh.

Here's what I wrote from the blog I did for their second album:

Oddly, not many people seem to remember The Third Sex. They were an all girl band on the chainsaw label in the mid-late 90's. They released two albums, Card Carryin' and Back To Go. Perhaps of their similarity to the infamous Sleater-Kinney, they got forgotten in the shuffle. (actually, this is one of the few bands that actually sounds like Sleater-Kinney, at least to me)

Musically, it's more of a poppier dig me out or hot rock era Sleater-Kinney, with a little more jangle than riff. The vocals are little scratchier and a lot less powerful than Corin Tucker's. But, taken on it's own, it's pretty good indie rock.

Ripped at 320 for your sonic pleasure here

Weathered Pines

I was asked to take down the link for the weathered pines; stay tuned for a song from the album.

In further news, I'll be doing a megablog about a show I went to last friday, probably on tuesday. Come back for that, it'll be awesome!

Weathered Pines- Sky Between the Buildings

Now that I switched my "who i'm in love with" band (the first one was the sandwitches, check out my post), I figured it was time to share the old one with you all. Here's the old band, Weathered Pines.

Weathered Pines are from Vancouver, and it's a mix of country, rock, and folk. Not something you come across alot, especially with female vocals. It still has a very indie sound, however.

For the most part, it's remorseful, reminiscent music, great for that time a couple weeks after you've broken up- you've moved past the anger but are still a little sad, lonely, and confused.

The Sky Between the Buildings is their debut LP, and it comes with my highest recommendation. It's seen no blogging or love, no hype or buzz. Which in a way think is all for the better, for it really lets the music talk for itself. I look forward to what comes next.

Check out their myspace and keep the music alive

Click here for two songs from the album, ballad of the boozehound and six feet down

Tender Trap-Film Molecules

Finals are upon me, so short and sweet.

Here's a favorite of mine, tender trap. She's on K records, so automatic love. Her stuff goes from indie pop to indie rock to almost electronic. It all stays pretty cute though, so I guess the best tag is indie pop.

A fun record, definitely recommended.

Here at 320.

3 Teens Kill 4

Before I start, I felt it was time to update "who i'm in love with" section on the right. If you're a fan of dreamy/dark/psych folk with a hint of the cranes, by all means check Sarah June out, i'll blog about her soon too.

I love post-punk.

You should too.

I love 3 Teens Kill 4.

You should too.

Download this if you like:
y pants, a certain ratio, bush tetras, au pairs, pylon, pink industry, aka funky/dancy with a cold, synthy/slight industrial edge, and/or post punk with male/female vocals. It's also kind-of no-wavy too, mostly because they were from New York, not Britain.

Do Not Download if:
You don't like music that reeks like 1983 and is amazing and female funky post-punk.

Complain if:
You want more; by all means, I've got A LOT of this type of stuff. Or if you hated it (but I won't listen, just be forewarned).

I know, still haven't gotten my comments fixed but feel free to talk to me on the chat box to the right.

256 kb here

Partyline

I'm getting all my shit together for my radio show on wensday morning, and I think i'm going to play alot of pop-punk, and so it made me think of female pop-punk bands. That's when I thought of Partyline.

It's odd, since the vocalist is Allison Wolfe (yeah, from bratmobile) so you think everyone would already know and love them. The world isn't a fair place unfortunately.

Musically, imagine bratmobile but they knew how to play the instruments and played pop-punk. Now, don't freak out, it's still very openly political and riot-grrrl-esque.

Anyways, a favorite of mine.

Enjoy their two releases, Girls With Glasses and Zombie Terrorist, at 192 here.

Check out their website too.

Spent-A Seat Beneath The Chairs

Been busy and finals are around the corner, so here's a classic and a fave- 90's indie rock with a female vocalist. Whoever wrote this on their last.fm page is in the know-how for sure.

Years from now, when all the rage is the “Jersey City Sound” (and Chapel Hill and Seattle are long forgotten), we will remember the catalyst, Spent, the band that started it all by being proud of their Jersey City habitat. It seems that in New York City outrageous things must be done in order to get noticed. In nearby Jersey City it’s easier to be honest, unpretentious and, in essence, real. For those not familiar with this hip new sound…read on.

Spent have created a new breed of tunes that are catchy in spite of their ever-changing textures, tempos, themes and keys. Within seconds, Spent songs can make an effortless transition from slow, beautiful melodies with subtle male/female harmonies to near “pit” - inducing tempos with dissonance and a touch of distorted guitar thrown in to barely mask the singer’s slightly frustrated vocalization of cryptic lyrics. Just when a chorus becomes familiar enough to sing along to, a song will shift into a new focus, which soon becomes just as catchy as the first. Versatile, observant, clever, restless, energetic, determined, empathetic and diverse is the sound of Spent.

Joe, Annie, John and Ed (Spent, natch) were busy following the release of 95’s Songs of Drinking and Rebellion touring across the States with hardly a minute to rest and relax in their lovely habitat, Jersey City. They did, however, have time to write some great new songs, firstly the EP ” Umbrella Wars.” From the relaxed, maraca-driven catchy beat of “Umbrella Wars” to the gentle acoustic feel of “Angeleva,” Spent had diversified their instrumentation as well as their sound, but the end result still being the same as Spent of Yore: a passionate and earnest sound that simply rocks.

June ‘96 saw the band at Rare Book Room, Brooklyn, NY, with wonderkid Nicolas Vernhes at the helm, recording their second full-length album, A Seat Beneath the Chairs. This new release catapults the Spent sound into bold new sonic territory. While remaining loyal to layered guitar interplay, varied male-female vocalizing and instantly hummmable songcraft, Spent had created a noticeably subdued, cohesive collection, worthy of repeated listening in order to fully take in all of its subtleties. From the gnarled wisfulness of “Stumble Up the Stairs” to the stark majesty of “Until We Have Enough”; from the unapologetic pop “Under False Eyelids” to the first rate instrumental “No Sign of the Ponies,” Spent continue to recreate and reveal themselves in a variety of melodic guises. Piano and clarinet (“The Quarter Conspiracy”), keyboards and Moog (“The Pilot’s Lament,” “He’s Into Lonely”) and trumpet (on the title track)also enlisted to flavor the album’s already expansive musical palette. The band Toured with other keystone MERGE artists like Superchunk and Seam for much of the 90’s.

They disbanded in 1997.

Here's their album, A Seat Beneath The Chairs, in 320.

http://www.mediafire.com/?tfcmwhyykjz

My Estrogeneration LP

Normally, experimental music isn't really my thing. However, this super cool trend known as crimison wave, which is kind of like super lo-fi shoegaze post-punk with a little folk, is really sweet. To be considered crimson wave, you have to be female, so it perked my ears right away.

I think this is the riot grrrl of the 1990's, basically women telling men that women can make expiremental music just as good as anyone. (Personally, I think it's better than almost all other experimental shit I've heard, and the only male-based expiremental that I like sounds similar to crimson wave). I think i'm drawn to it, because it draws alot from psychadelic folk, or freak folk, which I really enjoy.

My Estrogeneration is a compilation of the who's who in the "crimson wave scene", and it's excellent- bodering on spectacular. Like a compilation that we'll look back in 2025 and go, "shit, dude".

Also check out Not Not Fun records, which put out the compilation. They've been doing alot of cool shit lately.

Download here

Check out Not Not Fun here