My last week

Former Ghosts- New Song from Family Time on Vimeo.

Norse Horse - Shooodikids from Family Time on Vimeo.

Twin Lion- New Song 2 from Family Time on Vimeo.

Twin Lion-New Song 1 from Family Time on Vimeo.

Strange Dream

i had a lot of dreams last night, but the last one was most notable.

It began with me my friend Rogers, his father and another guy standing outside of a beat up house, Rogers' father goes inside the house and Rogers tells me that he forgot the code his dad would use if he was in trouble. I don't know how but there was an understanding that his dad was going inside of the house to buy drugs.

The dream fractures and begins again with me sitting inside a room of that house doing cocaine with some dude. We begin to fight and we both are covered in cocaine. His eyes are bleeding and he continues to fight with his eyes closed while letting out screams of horror. I defeat the dude and begin to escape out the window crashing through the glass onto the grass outside.

I am back in the room again fighting with the dude again and i win once again and begin to escape, this time out his bedroom door, to a hallway that leads to another door to another hallway and then back out side where rogers is standing. This scenario of me fighting the guy and escapeing happens one more time and i wake up.

I don't know where to begin in analyzing this but the imagery of the man's eyes bleeding and having to escape through 3 doors is very interesting to me.

Vimeo Addiction

so as you might have noticed i prefer vimeo to youtube any day, while on a video binge today i stumbleda across some really amazing videos made by im assuming a new yorker by the name of Ray Concepcion. He has some really good footage mostly taken one unending recording.

Check it out it is so pretty

Abe Vigoda // Live-Long from Ray Concepcioñ on Vimeo.

Real Estate // Fake Blues from Ray Concepcioñ on Vimeo.

Ray's Vimeo Account

IDEA

Gaga is the new Klaus Nomi?

Ganglians

My mind has changed about this band heavily within the last few months, first time i heard this band i played with them on there way back from south by southwest. Their sound was dry and tired, nothing to compare to all the internet talk that i had heard from months before. Last august while on tour in Sacramento almost all of the members were there. Our keyboardist was hanging out alot with one of them and he seemed like a pretty sweet dude, only a couple minutes into the night did i find that one of the members had an AFI tattoo for totalimortal, which is pretty sick. He seemed kind of embarrassed about it when i brought it up but I quickly let him know it was very alright. Anyways, i got back from my trip heavily inclined to give this band a second chance and im glad i did. This bands output/quality ratio is one to be admired.

They had something come out within one of the last batches from Indie label juggernaut captured tracks, it is probably worth buying

Ganglians Live at Morin Studios from TERROREYES.TV on Vimeo.

i love vimeo

i have been getting way into recording shows on cassette(which i will post soon), but i love how my digital camera records video. i just got some good net access and uploaded some videos that i have had check them out

Rapid Youth - Triumph from Family Time on Vimeo.

Meth Teeth - Failures selected by god from Family Time on Vimeo.

Rapid Youth - Foxtails from Family Time on Vimeo.

Foot Villiage / 60 Watt Kid

Buy it.

Soooooooo good.

the 60 Watt Kid side is immaculate. The Foot Village side is great too and has some very creative use of crutches. This record is a gem. Buy it. Dont be dumb.

I was going to give it a real review, but that would be overkill because it speaks for itself. everyone should just trust and go for it.

buy it here.

Summer Bummer Compilation

This year has been a pretty big year for me and a lot of people around me, with that said i think it would be best to say goodbye in pieces. I know the year is not over yet but for me summer is the time of year when i feel most productive. With that said i say goodbye to summer with Bathetic and their monster of a summer compilation. 20 tracks in all, with exclusive songs from Deep Sht and Norse horse, and the demo version of Best Coast's hit "sun was high(so was she)" song. A springsteen cover by the Mississippi monster Flight. Also this is one of two compilations that you can get a strange frames song on, the other being the family time 12" comp.

Let me list the reasons a little better
1.Deep sht and Norse Horse put EXCLUSIVE TRACKS ON THIS SHIT
2.THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY WAY BESIDES THE FAMILY TIME COMP TO GET ANY RELEASE WITH A STRANGE FRAMES SONG
3.THE ART IS PRO-PRINTED AND IT LOOKS DOPE AS FUCK
4.CUZ STONE COLD SAID SO

ORDER THAT SHIT HERE

New Blood: Secret Tones

As of January I didn't really know of anything from San Luis Obispo besides it's mission. That is until i stumbled upon Secret Tones, Secret Tones are a gothic sort of post punk band that Thee Outernet describes as "Cure at their best, (and) Bauhaus at their most intense". Amidst San Luis' clean coastal air and beautiful clear skies Secret Tones have gradually got on their feet playing live aswell as recording and releasing their debut tape "Morning Never Comes". The second week of October finds them embarking on their first mini tour of Southern California and Arizona with dates with Trudgers Blessure Grave and No Paws. Also it will mark their Debut on Family time with a 6 song Cassette and Cdr still untitled.

This is the song "Soft Pulse" off of their self released tape.



Secret Tones Mini Tour Dates
Thursday Oct 8th Back to the Grind-Riverside W/No Paws and Trudgers
Friday Oct 9th TBA Pheonix or Tempe House Show W/Blessure Grave and Trudgers
Saturday Oct 10th Soda Bar -San Diego W/ Blessure Grave No Paws and Trudgers

All of these are going to be Trudgers first shows with its current line-up and with his debut release "Stag at the Social" on Hi Shadow!!

ALSO! Blessure Grave is playing on the 12th of October at the Part Time Punks Fest in Los Angeles!

New Blood: Tan Dollar

I saw this band awhile back when Kevin Greenspon dragged me to the Echo Curio after seeing some friends play at The Smell. I was kind of tired, and bummed that I was going to a show so late as I would probably miss a lot of bands. I missed Hell Kite, which was shitty, but I am sure she will come back soon enough. Anyways, I went to this show with little to no hopes or expectations only to be pleasantly surprised by the closing act. Tan Dollar was the only band that I caught at the E.C. that night, but they absolutely justified my having gone.

Synth rock for days, I became instantly nostalgic of when No Paws wrote pop songs and had Jillian singing. The synth is robust, and creates a sort of dynamic energy that makes you shake at the songs crest, and smile at the sweet release. The drums are on point, but subtle as fuck. I feel like if they had a crazy stupid drummer, then they would sound like Religious Girls or any other exp. band trying to be punk. Luckily, they don’t. The vocals are often nonexistent, but when the singers do chime in, it is as complimentary as the drums. This band seems to exemplify the meaning of balance.



I went home and added them on myspace, and after a few short months they threw up two different EPs for free download. BLISS. The first one I got was “Pink Sky,” and that one was and still is my jam. Less vocals, but excellent sound craftsmanship throughout and a surprisingly good recording quality. The other EP available is untitled, with more pointillist synth rhythms and much more vocals. It is also a good listen.

This band is solid. Download their shit, and go see them play at Ports O Call on Dec. 9th with Baby birds don’t drink milk, Kevin Greenspon, and Nicole Kidman.
DOWNLOAD
MYSPACE

New Blood: Former Ghosts

This is an interview with Freddy Ruppert about Former Ghosts.

Family Time: From This Song is a Mess but so Am I to Former Ghosts you have changed your sound completely, but still most of your songs that I have heard stress sorrow and longing. Do you feel that the sadness has spilled over from your personal life, like in This Song is a Mess? Or do you find it most natural to create in that way?

Freddy Ruppert: It is kind of weird, but it seems that the only time I am actually able to create music is from an emotional place of sorrow. Anytime I am happy and I try and create something it just doesn't seem to work. Maybe someday, I hope that it will come naturally at some point in my life. I think I would like that a lot actually. It seems like for now though, I tend to use music as an outlet to express things that I have no other means to express. It seems when I'm really happy I over express that to people in many ways other than music. I would hate for people to get the idea that I'm a crazy depressed jerk because of my music; there is a lot more to my life than just these songs. A lot of my part within Former Ghosts comes from feelings of longing, love, and desperation. The biggest influence for me on the upcoming record is love at all of its most extreme points with a particular person.

FT: With that said, what is your favorite "sad"(for lack of a better word) record?

FR: I think my favorite "sad" record of all time is probably It'll End In Tears by This Mortal Coil. It's just brutal. Completely brutal.

FT: This Song is a Mess... albums were pretty lengthy, not in a bad way, but I have been finding more and more artists are doing shorter albums that consist of 9 or 10 tracks. On "Fleurs" how did you realize that this album was complete? This is a strange question; but I’m just curious as to how "Fleurs" was completed considering it is a debut.
FR: It is a little hard to explain because it has more to do with a personal feeling. I guess for me, when I set to work on a release it's about capturing a snapshot or making a photo album about a time in my life. "Fleurs" mainly deals with love and and longing and events with a particular person in my life. Originally, I would just record a version of the song and post it on my personal blog for her to see them and then I would take them down. But for whatever reason, it seemed to be an effective way for us to communicate. The theme of "Fleurs" isn't love in general and I think I just knew that my part of the album was done after I felt like it captured those feelings for me at that time? All of my lyrics on the album are really simple and straightforward. I can't speak for the songs that Jamie and Nika sing because they wrote their own lyrics.

FT: Because "Fleurs" is a snapshot of your personal life, with its completion has your outlook changed of it? I know that sometimes people can feel differently about something with time and adjusted perspective.

FR: This would happen a lot with the This Song Is A Mess But So Am I releases. It just captures a part of my life and then it kind of gets let go. It becomes a part of the past. When I look back on it, it just becomes this sort of thing where it's like "ok this is what I was feeling at the time so I put this out there" and whether that's for better or worse, or the motives behind it, or whatever, people will always have their opinions some of them mean spirited, some of them nice. It doesn't matter. It's just what I do. It's too early for me to say anything about Fleurs. With the This Song Is A Mess But So Am I stuff, I wrote most of it after the event, after the fact, looking back at it in a way, as a way to deal with the passing of my mom. With Fleurs, it is kind of different because everything was written simultaneous, as it happened. So I don't know. I'm sure my perspective of it will change as time goes by, what that perspective will actually be yet, I can't say.

FT: "Fleurs" isn't out yet but I feel it’s safe to assume you have been working on more music, what is next on your release schedule?

FR: I'm not sure yet because it seems to be shifting for me. I originally had a lot of split 7"s, and split EP's, and vinyl lined up for Former Ghosts stuff but I'm currently writing a lot of stuff that seems to be fitting together so I think I'm just working on the follow up to Fleurs? I don't know at the moment, but yeah I've been working on a handful of things post Fleurs and I'm really interested in working on more things for Nika to sing and to work more directly with Jamie on the song writing.

FT: What was the scenario that Nika from Zola Jesus came to sing in former ghosts?
FR: Well, I'm a huge fan of Zola Jesus. Everything she has done is completely incredible and I love her voice. I asked Nika if she would sing on a song on the album called "This Is My Last Goodbye" and when she sent it back I was completely blown away and I knew I had to keep working with her. It is an honor to have her be a part of Former Ghosts.

FT: I haven't had the chance to see you yet, but besides playing in the bay a month or so ago, not many people outside of LA have. What is your live set up like right now, and what will it be like for your tour in October?
FR: When I play solo the set up consists of just a laptop, a synth/midi controller, and me. For the upcoming tour in October the set up will consist of me and Jamie, a laptop, two synths, and probably a snare drum and cymbal.

FT: I noticed that Jamie is going to be with you for the tour but what about the tracks that Nika is the main vocalist?

FR: As far as this tour goes, unfortunately we won't be able to play the songs live that Nika is the main vocalist. Nika is extremely busy with school at the moment and it would be impossible for her to do the upcoming tour. But hopefully soon!

FT: I saw pictures of your show at the El Rey and it seemed like there were a lot of people there, how do you feel about bringing Former Ghosts to fresh ears?

FR: This show was pretty amazing. Playing with Los Campesinos was unbelievable. I think they are one of the best bands in the world right now. It was a weird show, I haven't really played places that big before and I usually don't like playing up on a high stage so I tried to ask if I could play on the floor but the venue denied me. The support from people regarding Former Ghosts so far has been pretty overwhelming. It's always a weird feeling; I'm really flattered and it makes me blush when someone else relates to it.

FT: I know you have ties with PPM and the smell scene that has gained popularity within the last few years, what are your thoughts on that community 3 years ago in comparison to now?

FR: It's really crazy. I've been going to the Smell probably since I was 16 and I'm 26 now. It was an amazing place then and is still an amazing place now. It is really crazy to see how much it has changed. When I first started going to it the stage was basically a one-foot tall plywood box! But Jim who runs the place is incredible and it is really awesome to have an all ages space in Los Angeles where people will now go to shows just because it's at the Smell. It is really important to have a place like that in the music community. A place where the person running the venue actually cares about the bands and the people involved in the bands and the people making the music care about him and the venue. Any time I ever needed to set up a benefit show or anything Jim has never hesitated or thought twice about doing it. On the very last This Song Is A Mess But So Am I tour I played a show in North Carolina and someone was asking me about The Smell. It is really crazy and inspiring to see what it has grown into.

FT: Since you post so many pieces of art on your blog, can you list some artists right now that you are really excited about?

FR:Felt Drawings, Noveller, Zola Jesus, White Leopards, Railcars, Silk Flowers and Elvis Presley.

FT: Who did the art for the cover?
FR: The artwork layout was done by Paul Jackson of Othila who is really, really, amazing and who has done the layout for a ton of Current 93 records. I nearly wet my pants when I found that out. The actual cover photo is of two people in love.

FT: With the understanding of how big some LA bands have gotten within the last few years how would feel about Former Ghosts being that big? Do you ever plan for Former Ghosts to be your "bread and butter"?

FR: I have no intentions for music to ever be my bread and butter. It's not what I want to do with my life.

"Fleurs" is coming out on Upset the Rhythm October 20th. But I'm pretty sure you will be able to get copies from them when they begin their US tour at the beginning of October.

10-02 Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
10-03 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
10-05 Austin, TX - Mohawk Inside
10-06 Houston, TX - Orange Show
10-07 Mobile, AL - Alabama Music Box
10-08 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
10-09 Durham, NC - Duke Coffeehouse
10-10 Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong
10-11 Wilkes Barre, PA - Cafe Metropolis
10-12 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church Chapel
10-13 New York, NY - Monkey Town
10-14 Boston, MA - Middle East Upstairs
10-15 Montreal, Quebec - Il Motore
10-16 Toronto, Ontario - Whippersnapper
10-17 Chicago, IL - Chopin Theatre
10-21 Vancouver, British Columbia - Media Club
10-22 Spokane, WA - Empryean Coffee House
10-23 Seattle, WA - Vera Project
10-24 Portland, OR - Lewis and Clark
10-27 Merced, CA - The Partisan
10-28 San Francisco, CA - Hemlock
10-29 San Jose, CA - Works Gallery
10-30 San Luis Obispo, CA - Arts Center
10-31 Los Angeles, CA - Synchronicity Space

Former Ghosts - Hold On


Thanks Freddy!

Should stay home

i stumbled onto a really dope documentary about Manchester music centered around New Order, Buzzcocks and others check it out. John Peel helped make it

Rock Family Tree

Watch all the parts it is really well done!

I saw Blink-182 yesterday

Blink-182 - "down" off of their S/T record

The drops of rain they fall all over
This awkward silence makes me crazy
The glow inside burns light upon her
I'll try to kiss you if you let me
(this can't be the end)

Tidal waves they rip right through me
Tears from eyes worn cold and sad
Pick me up now, I need you so bad

Your vows of silence fall all over
The look in your eyes makes me crazy
I feel the darkness break upon her
I'll take you over if you let me
(You did this)

Fuck Hippies/Woodstock?

i have been saying it for a long time, but i feel that lately with the anniversary and that movie woodstock movie coming out i feel really sure about it. That is before i was just being a jerk!

i feel like woodstock was a huge example of how contradictory that "generation" was when thinking of the idiotic nature of the people attending, the rampant drug use, and the massive amount of garbage left on this giant field.

Reissue Madness

Is it just me or does it seem like everything has been getting reissued within the last couple of years? Im not against it, im just wondering if this is a way major labels are trying to make more money?

Memory Lane: Geisha Girls

I just started using my ipod again after a long long time and i started listening to Geisha Girls again. A perfect three piece from Costa Mesa CA. The singer sounds like he has a heavy infatuation with Robert Smith and at times their delivery may give people thoughts of Gang Of Four or Warsaw. They also did a cover of "Ceremony" that i have yet to hear. They were only around for a year or two, but in that time period i think they put out some really good stuff.

With a debut 12", 2 7"s, a full length album, a couple west coast tours, and short stint playing early Bad Brains material for HR solo, they called it quits. I don't really know why, but i ran into the drummer after Fuck Yeah Fest a couple of years back and he said that the singer became a Buddhist and moved far away, whether or not that is true i don't know.

Though their existence now is little, they left behind some good records worth listening too. I have both of their 7"s and their album. The 12" debut is most praised but i have yet to get it besides a couple songs here and there. The full length doesn't seem to go anywhere, not to say that it has nothing good on it, i feel they had nowhere else to go. That may also be the reason that they broke up?

Here is a little portion of their history that was never released. It is a live set on KUCI that i recorded a couple years ago and cut it up.
Geisha Girls-Live on ZM RADIO

Geisha Girls "Buckingham" from their 7" on Backflip Records

Feelings

Right now i wish all of my friends could take all their
beef and put it into a big meat grinder, then i would make a bunch
of burgers out of it to be consumed together then following consumption,
after our beef is gone, we would realize that we have some really amazing
people to be around.


i miss you rhys and dani, this blog has nothing to do with you but i miss you dudes, i just found this picture in my computer. i doubt you guys read this or know that i have a blog but whatever, i miss you guys.

Rebirth

okay I'm back, i had a good break to get shit together and shape up for my upcoming quarter at college.

with that said I'm back and again i attempt write about stuff...

This is me on the edge at Patrick's Point in some part of Northern California.

going back to 8th grade

so lately a lot of kool kieth has been coming into my life. i've been hearing him when i've gone places i've been seeing him some of his videos on skate channels( hahah i kind of started trying to skate again) anyway he was all i listened to 8th grade along with wu tang and blink 182 , the dudes put out a lot of stuff from 1996 to now he's also got some of the coolest anf funniest album art work for an underground rapper anyway here's some jams of his i'm feeling

You're an idiot

Pixies big ass box set

this isn't a review cause i don't have it. it costs $175 and if you are a super fan the special edition costs $500. in today's economic climate don't people think that people aren't going to pay that much for something like this? just thinking about this is frustrating to me, not to mention thinking about the yuppy jerks who are actually going to buy this.

in other news check out this new sonic youth video, i need to get this new album

for sam.

what ive been into lately.

Stuff that I have been listening to enthusiastically.
A frames (same sentiments as rogers)
Spirit Duplicator (brian m. gave me this, its rad. check out the song)
Vaginals
Xbxrx (new)
Al qaeda (touring and putting out a 7" collab with mike watt and gabe serbian on scotch tapes)

In the Car – npnl, mitb, bjk, dna, cadillac party, (what is currently on my dashboard)

Stoned – burial

Spirit Duplicator - listening to aphrodite's child's 666 in the parking lot of the tigard babies r us at night

Sleepers Master

You need a vacation, at least that's what you may think of when you listen to southern California's own Norse Horse. Norse Horse's debut, on yours truly, will consist of 8 songs that move your mind cautiously over streams of reverb to a sea of change and innocence that give you little choice but forget yourself for a little while. On the song Swamp Trotter Norse Horse does just that in a little over 7 minutes.

take some time, do it for yourself

"Swamp Trotter" by Norse Horse-Secret Geographies cs

current obsessions

hey everyone , here's a few things new and old that i'm obsessed with at the moment

A Frames - Black Forrest ( so good how come i didn't hear this when i was younger?? )
Gary War - Opens cs ( still way into this gary war playing live on wfmu really good BUY IT! )
Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange ( five really relaxed and energetic songs check it out )
Gay Beast - Second Wave ( i heard of this band a long time ago and we were supposed to play with them on tour anyway this album is a lot of fun fast paced weird sounds and rad vocals )


get excited
<3

SO BUSY

i have been doing a lot this week as far as school gos and finishing up painting the deep sht cdr covers. they are looking soooooo good i feel like i will have the rest of them done on sunday.

since i am so busy i will keep thinks short and sweet with a quick list of things i have been into

1. some good bands that i have been digging way hard this week
secret tones
gape attack
virgin tongues (guilty pleasure)
2. SLEEP AT ATP
3. terminal boardumb i haven't been on message boards since i was in high school i don't know how long i will post on this haha
4. new cold cave 12" that is supposed to go up for order at Whats your Rupture? site soon???
5. strange frames video YES!

I'm In My Own Private World

Dirt Dress "Perdido En La Suciedad 1 of 3" TAPE PAPERMADE RECS
i love this band to death, rogers and myself have set up about three different shows for these dudes in Riverside and at all of them, they ruled. not to mention that they are the nicest dudes ever. radness aside these guys make great rock n' roll music, no comparisons, just that, perfect rock n' roll. there is a modesty to this album that i think is to be honored. i can't say enough about this band. perdido en la suciedad 1 of 3 is their latest release on papermade. it is a tape release only but if you want it they have linked on their myspace page a site where you can download it all.
i have linked it here -------->Perdido En La Suciedad

UPTAPE

okay so much has been happening in the land of family time within the last couple weeks that i don't know where to start...
NEW JAMS

paradise vendors 004
rapid youth/graffiti island/male bonding/old blood split 7" yesterday and i can't begin to explain how pumped i am. rapid youth make their debut with probably one of mine and rogers favorite songs that they have ever done, forever losing. i have seen this band grow so much within the past couple of years that it shocks me how they never cease to be better with every song. i am going to go out on a limb but i have said it before, rapid youth is the best band in southern California. i quickly put that on first last night to check that out, i haven't had a chance to listen to the rest.

you should get this 7" no joke you will be missing out if you don't

http://paradisevendorsinc.bigcartel.com/


woodsist 025 "songs of sham"
yeah it is as good as i thought it would be, and then some. has more tracks than the tour tape, and one really long/really rad jam that has the best guitar leads in a pop album in a while. the album closer "where and what you are" is becoming one of my most favorite songs ever!!!

also got
crystal stilts "alight of night"- i like it, i put it on while i wash dishes. this is helping me to accept simplicity when song writing.
cat power "moon pix"- i don't really need to say anything about this album, it speaks for itself and puts most contemporary singer songwriters to shame. i have been wanting it on LP for a while now.
deep sht "weird you"- i have been jamming this release since he sent it my way, the vocals are lazy but concentrated, i can't wait for this to be done

My brother listens to really cool hip hop

So my little brother is one of the coolest guys i know. like strait up cool. and i recently started to notice how cool the hip hop he listens to is.

here's a few jams and picture of my brother.

Sicilian Breeze by The Jaka



The Only Thing That Matters by Curren$y Ft. Street Wiz




Bloodline by Lil Wayne



my brother




<3

BEST BLOG SINCE PUKEKOS

http://nonotfunnotno.blogspot.com/


if you haven't seen this yet thank me later

sam

Stephen Steinbrink "You Are Dead" cdr

I wouldn't feel right about enjoying this CD as much as I have and not write smething about it. I planned to write about it anyway, but now feel that I am actually obligated to do it as a way of giving back. It is that good. This is how the songs made me feel.
The style is not any serious departure from the style of prior releases, it is still Stephen Steinbrink relating deeply personal stories and feelings with the sweetest voice and catchy pop arrangements. the best parts about these songs are the subtle effects which are layered in the background, the occasional lapse into a snotty lyrical attitude, and those catchy fucking bass lines.
The first song/title track makes me feel dumb for making the same mistakes and hoping for different results. It is kind of patronizing in that it sounds approprite for a long thoughtful car ride, but it urges that my thoughtfulness is misguided and futile. The fuzzed out acoustic guitar is still comforting nonetheless. "A Tiny Seed" makes me think of a really aggressive person who is angry because nobody understands/loves him. What will the seed of resentment grow into I wonder? the waves of vocal humms and long pronounced howls that are mixed into the background contribute to the feeling of being stuck inside of one's head.
the next three tracks are very to the point. "No More Night Driving" and "Growing Up is Easy" are frank and honest songs about exactly what the title suggests. "The Cops" is a super graphic song about murder and the boys in blue clean-up-crew, and how it doesnt feel right eating after you watch a corpse get scraped off the sidewalk. these tracks remind me of Jonathan Richman if he was more cynical, and laughed at inapropriate times.
After the true to life narratives of the the middle three songs, the album reverts back to the deeper complexities of the beginning. "Warning" is a sweet Bri White cover that is by far the most cryptic track on the album. It is probably about suicide. and "Wet Cloud" is my favorite track because it is absurd and beautiful, "If i fell through a wet cloud, i would be very wet. to the bones i would bet. then if i kept falling through another wet cloud, it was wetter than the first wet cloud." what does that mean? if you consider that the "sky holds a power and this is the hour to fall," then maybe it makes more sense. or not. it basically begs you to come to your own conclusions about its meaning, and make it your own. and so in that way it is like a gift from Stephen to the listener for listening to the whole album.
The entire album was a gift figuratively and literally, to me. i sent him five bucks (the cost of one) and he sent me three as well as an issue of manys #4 (a thoroughly fucked up cartoon zine) the art is great on everything (see picture) and i have been able to play it for strangers who liked it and subsequently sold my extra copies. when people get pumped on something they have never heard before it is always a good sign. and it probably means that the release diddnt necessitate a review (as it is limited to 100 anyways) but here it is anyways.

WET CLOUD


read what stephen thinks about all sorts of random shit on his blog Holy Smoking.
check out his Myspace.

UPTAPE: PEAKING LIGHTS

since the fall or winter of last year peaking lights have become more and more "my JAM". indra dunis and aaron coyes make up peaking lights hailing from im assuming somwhere in the midwest??? anyways both are from rahdunes and indra is also from Numbers. i really liked numbers as a matter of fact i jammed numbers hard for a good part of my senior year of high school. though i don't really care for erase eratta their split with numbers RULES.

i don't want to talk about numbers a bunch, because anyone who liked dynasty and got into numbers, your bridge isn't made here. numbers the way i loved numbers most consisted of fast sporadic synth music. peaking lights on the other hand are patient with every conscise breath and every noise sounded, i can't begin to tell you how much i have always wanted to be in a band that can feel so necessary and comforting at a slow speed.

the best way for me to describe peaking lights is from a quote that can be seen on the artwork inside of Abe Vigoda's Sophmore album that went somthing like the following "if you stretch out your most favorite moment of your life, you would have one really dull moment." this applies to peaking lights except not dull in the slightest, tantilizing and amazing in the most gentle ways. i feel very good listening to this music.



this song is on their profile it is the jam

NEW ABE VIGODA VID

Abe Vigoda - Don't Lie from Weston Currie on Vimeo.

BOMBAY: ARGUMENTIX HIP-HOP MIXTAPE

a couple years ago i lived at a house called the turtle shouse, many sick bands came through and played. among my favorites was argumentix from portland, if you don't know about argumentix thats a shame. just google argumentix or alarmist. anyways argumentix and his friend dan of budweiser sprite left me almost everything they had. among this was a tape titled the QUE-TONG MIXX TAPE VOL 1 anyways this is a sick bunch of jams that i have been listening to constantly for the past few weeks.

here is the audio for it check it
http://argumentix.podomatic.com/player/web/2007-12-17T09_17_09-08_00

track listing
1. Diplomats-the best out
2. lil wayne- birdman jr
3. young jeezy- gangsta music
4. 666 mafia- don't violate
5. diplomats- get down
6. hell rell- paper boy
7. T.I.- I'm talkin to you
8. dizzee rascal- fix up look sharp
9. 50 cent- many men(wish death)
10. B.G.- bling bling
11. jeulz santana- mic check
12. clipse- god damn
13. destiny's child- soldier
14. fabulous- tit 4 tat
15. akon- i wanna love you
16. young turk- it's in me
17. ?????
18. R. Kelly/ USHER- the same girl
19. nelly furtado i think blah

there you go, this mixtape rules james squeaky rules

RADNESS: Electric Annihilation

Tynan Krakoff of DNT fame doesn't let up for nobody. i am trying to do a label and i really wanted to do a zine/magazine simultaneously but i recently decided to put the latter on the back burner so that i do one good thing instead of two shitty things. anyways Krakoff is putting people to shame with the first publication of Electric Annihilation.

Electric Annihilation(from what i read on the website) is a big ass zine. kindof like fader mag for the punks(not to be confused with punx)
the first issue has interviews with:
henry rollins
sun araw
thurston moore
and wet hair

along with some "scene reports" from corespondents all over the world

this is some crazy jazz. not only that but they are making 5,000 of these and all of the art looks way rad.

here's the catch, they don't deal with paypal. if you want one you need to get your ass an envelope put 3$ in it (cash/check/money order) and mail it to him in SF. if you live overseas you have to go through distro. if you are in canada its 4$

you can get it in selected areas and also certain distro's are going to carry it. not just a couple small ones, but big ones and lots of them.

i think this is amazing and i have admired DNT for quite some time now go check this out.

http://www.electricannihilation.tk/
http://www.dntrecords.com/

andy recently reviewed DNT's release of the yukoXchino split tape with sasqrotch. check that out as well

SUMMER OF HATE

hooooooollllly shit , i can't even describe how excited i was when i heard about this album....seriously ive been telling all of my friends i can't wait to get it. "summer of hate" by san diego's crocodiles right?? crocodiles are both chuck and brandon former members of the beautifully jazzy and destructive plot to blow up the eiffel tower. these guys are amazing. the first song screaming chrome opens you up to what you know is the beginning of something mesmerizing . crocodiles take you to all sorts of places in this album. they keep the same angst and snottiness of the plot but the music is more driving and it creates all sorts of almost atmospheric feelings at times almost like you're alone and drugged , then it picks up into a heavy pop grooves. there's something about this band and i can't explain it they have swagger like no other , when you hear soft skull or refuse angles you just feel it like you're in at dark dirty trashy dance party in a fucked up house and everyone is going crazy.

basically , you'd be stupid not to own this album when it comes out.



listen to them!

http://www.myspace.com/crocodilescrocodilescrocodiles

NEW RELEASES

FAMILY TIME

fam006----twin lion-awesome power-c 30 tape

after a long time this release is finally out. i put a lot into this release from the beautiful two sided fine printed art to the pro dubbed and imprinted tapes. this release was supposed to be 12 songs. it is 10. im sorry it took so long.
limited to 200
all are hand numbered

fam05b----no paws-album on tape

no paws' album that came out in january on narf records on two sides of beautiful blue tape. im not going to beat around the bush. i printed the art at my grandmothers house and i didn't even label the sides. i really just wanted this album to be on tape. andy from OBEAST tapes did the dubbing and it sounds amazing
limited to 45
hand numbered

i am sending out the masters on monday for it to be made into plates.

i am really happy to have these out right now
thanks everybody who has been ordering stuff i am trying really hard to keep up with the orders.

sam

yukoXchino / sasqrotch split cassette

I got to see yukoXchino play at the /OTHER noise show in Santa Barbara. The show as a whole was great and all the artists that performed brought something interesting to the fold. Personally, I am not a fan of the break-core noise stuff, but there wasn’t much of that style present. The band that resonated most with me was yukoXchino. The performance was noisy, but not in an elaborate or confusing way, rather a solid doom metal drone groove way. Anyways, after hanging out with Rhys for a summer the weight of yukoXchino seemed all the more impressive for me. I traded for his cassette split with Sasqrotch and have played it over and over again since. Both bands are very similar, which I don’t generally prefer on a split release as it forces the listener to compare the two, but considering the atmospheric quality of both bands it is easy for me to see the tape as a whole rather than two halves. it is heavy as fuck, the intro sample of the Halloween child chant sets the tone. It maintains a sub- musical tempo throughout the majority of tape, save for the moment of frantic "run away from the deathbringer" sounding outro track at the end. It’s layered with shrieking guitar tones, trashy, broken- sounding percussive noises, static hiss, and immutable evil. The differences between sides are remote, the sasqrotch side is equally evocative and impressive but is more drone and more freeform. The yukoXchino side (my favorite) is more doom and noise centered ranging from repetitive patterns and faint structure to washing atonal sound waves. Each artist borrows from the other and though it is a split by definition, it sounds far more collaborative. the art is impressive too. Red cassette with gritty looking labels, and a plain white j-card covered in color printed transparencies.

andyways...
this tape is the shit. buy it.
it was put out by DNT records, you can get it HERE.
yukoXchino myspace page
sasqrotch myspace page

NEW WAVVES 7"

wavves - to the dregs 7" ppm

can i hate for a second? this is the wackest cover i have ever seen. i'm not going to rant using clever analogies that pertain to how much this cover looks like it was done in ms paint but come on has anybody else become fed up with bedroom punk one man band thing that seems to be putting quantity over quality?

i like bands, i like bands with three people, four people, i also like bands with one person doing everything. that is cool. most importantly i like bands that make quality.

to me 7"s with one song per side are kindof a drag, i have some and i like them. this is wack because it has "to the dregs" on side A and a different version on side B. is it just me or do records like this usually end up at the back of your collection?

i am really interested in what other people think on this issue. you should comment on what you think.

GET PUMPED: WOODSIST 2009

2008 provided an amazing year for woodsist, including releases from Pink Reason, Robedoor, Crystal Stilts, and the much talked about Vivian Girls, not to mention to cap it off with a mini LP from Blank Dogs and full LP from san diego hype machine Wavves. But you already know that, onto the future. How could this be beat? 2009 is how.
most pumped
METH TEETH

they were way nice when we tried touring earlier this year. mattey gave us all tapes and shirts to please our little fan boy hearts, it ruled. Their debut full length is set to drop sometime around summer this year on woodsist
SECOND PUMPED
Woods

borrowed the some shame tape and was completely blown away. i can't explaing how much i have been listening to this. family creeps ruled, but i feel like this is going to be a real big deal in 09

this album and the meth teeth album are what i am majorly looking forward to in 09

other stuff to be pumped by
real estate 12"
psychadelic horseshit 12"

stuff i haven't heard of but is coming out on woodsist in 09
kurt vile

least pumped on
ganglians

yes PUMPED & PUMPED

Memory Lane kindof : OCS

a couple of weekends ago i was going through my records when i found an old favorite that i haven't listened to in a while, the OCS album "3 songs about death and dying". picked up at the record store i worked at a couple of years ago for no other reason that it looked dope. and the first disc that is 3 became an instant favorite, which i later got on vinyl. the song "second date" sticks out especially, being one of the most delicately haunting songs i have ever heard. the OCS are now Thee OHSEES and now carry more of a garage rock throwback thing with two vocals and two guitars. their sound now is very different than what it was. but still good in it's own right.

last week i was looking for some video footage of that particular era of OCS only to find new recordings of a bunch of songs that is coming out on a DVD on tomlab records. they are of the old fashion of the OCS and employ their old drummer/noisemaker whose name is hard to find, but yeah here is THEE OHSEES playing "we are free" near a freeway in San Francisco. this rules, i never thought it would ever be this way again.

NEW BLOOD: SHOWGIRLS

This is my jam right now, Showgirls. Ex-Silver daggers on bass, Ex-Erebus NYX and STYX/Weekend Warrior on drums and i have zero info about the lady on keys but i dig it/everything. the bass and drums are heavy as fuck, i feel like the way all the crash hits make my headphones get all fuzzed up is an added bonus in this case.

Their Myspace offers up two slabs of semi-repetitive art punk. On "No Mistakes" i feel that the bass sound carries the song throughout the recording, swaping places with the drums as the backbone and leaving the drummer to add to the ideas of the bass. at the mid-point of the song the bass provides ground for the drums to almost solo in the least cock rock aspect of the word. There is a break that i felt takes from other LA contemporaries, but is almost immediatly taken into a different direction than seen in other bands.

Vocals are faint but i have faith that they will be evident in future recordings.

they are playing in LA on the 10th and 16th of APRIL, you should check them out

check this band out HERE SERIOUSLY!!!!! no mistakes is a solid song

It feels like my whole life has been building up to this point.

I am now posting on the Family time blog.



Booyakashaw.

Colossal Youth - Young Marble ...

The Magnificent Seven... inch

I went to see Clipd Beaks play at the smell on Monday, after the show I sat next to the merch table for like 20 minutes waiting to pick up their records. I’m glad I didn’t get bummed out and leave because the 7inch pictured above was totally worth it. When they played, they worked with a lot of loops, and a repetitious sort of tribal drum beat. The sound was a lot different from what I was used to with “Hoarse Lords,” the style gave me a distinct feeling of being tired and dehydrated and having those weird death trip hallucinations while slowly trudging on even though there is little hope of escape. It was exhausting in a good way. After listening to the 7 inch, I was fondly reminded of those same feelings. Visions in particular (funny song name) made me smile. What is a chorus? This shit rolls over itself again and again constantly evolving, but hardly changing at all. Dank Swamp is great too, a bit noisier with thicker more experimental textures. At the end of dank swamp they turn the speed down way low so you’re like “who pushed the button on the turntable” but you’re alone, and clipd beaks is just fucking with you. It’s a good record that shows promising signs of a bright future for the band, less rock, more exp. download a collection of their shit here.
The 7" is available now from Lovepump United.
myspace.com/clipdbeaks

GET A NEW FUCKING JOB

i posted a memory lane blog a while back about the wives and how amazing they were blah blah but when i was doing a little searching for some new jazz on the Pukekos blog i noticed he had uploaded all of the wives non album material. i feel like passing on some of this love because these songs rip hard. so here you go ... WIVES(<----click this to get all of WIVES non album jazz)

P.S. if anybody has the EU/UK TOUR 7" on cold sweat let me know i want it BAD(below)

UPTAPE: TWIN CRYSTALS

i wanted to wait till these dudes were closer but i can't help it i am really pumped on their return. Vancouver's TWIN CRYSTALS are returning yet again. I am way too into this band right now considering i don't have much by them. i don't know what to say about this band, they are perfect for me they are repetitious but not to much, they can be drenched in reverb at times and at other times dry as hell, but always just punk enough for my likings. not to mention i love all of the keyboards in their songs.

nuff said just check them out here
here is a sick as fuck video of their song "two girls" such a hit


even though mutators broke up vancouver has some crazy shit happening

ALL HAIL MUSICAL FREENESS

Rose for Bohdan
"There it is, The Creeping Moral Decay of the Past Thousand Years"

If you're like me, than you discovered this band all too late. so late in fact, that the first thing you heard was their last album ever. well actually that's not true, Ports O' Call Jon played "Then Everybody Hugged" for me late last year, and I thought it was great, though i didn't know what it was and forgot the name as soon as Id heard it.

And so, newness is a relative concept all over again. The Album "There it is, The Creeping Moral Decay of the Past Thousand Years," was released for free download at the very beginning of the year (still available) by Deathbomb Arc.

The sound is crisp, clear, and perfectly layered. it really speaks volumes about the know-how and experience of the crew responsible for production. the songs themselves are fascinating in that they project that punk-as-fuck sort of attitude that come from songs and lyrics about hostile youth takeover, religious dogma, parents sucking, and riding bikes while pairing them with a fully realized sound. its a great noise-rock album that makes you smile and consider the band as being a group of musicians who cant help but defy convention, and have a shitload of fun doing so. its at times danceable, at times incomprehensible, but fresh as hell throughout.

The album is a great introduction to the Deathbomb Arc aesthetic, not simply because its free and good, but because it is the perfect precursor to Foot Villiage, Crooked Cowboy, Laco$ste, (all equally strange and exciting) and the Deathbomb label itself. if you arent paying for this album, you will surely pay for plenty others that are connected in some way.

NEW JEMS/HOT JAMZ: ZOLA JESUS 12"

this may be old news, troubleman unlimited has just released a slew of new LPs worth picking up. among them is a live radio 12" of brooklyn's current darlings vivian girls, O-VOIDS LP a pocahaunted LP, but probably the one i have been looking forward to most, the zola jesus 12" ep, "tsar bomba". limited to 500 this release will sell out within the upcoming months. zola jesus or Nika Danilova as she is legally recognized resides in madison, wisconsin. thats right wisconsin. both dark with pop structures danilova doesn't try to put a little soul in her step. she has a beautiful powerful voice. i am way into it. not to mention the dude from dead luke plays a lot of the instruments for her live. this is dope i want it. the stuff on her myspace for it sounds way better than the "poor sons" 7"


check out sea talk here
she is doing a short north east tour with wet hair, so keep your eyes peeled

UPTAPE 2:double header

so my hist 341 class got canceled today i will use this newly acquired time to blog about a new favorite, hailing from arkansas(yeah that's right arkansas) i give you PINK PRIEST

while listening, one might just dismiss this stuff as noise compositions, not saying that they are or aren't but underneath everything lies a good melody and some pretty good vocals, both haunting and jarring at the same time. seems right now everything is going to the dark side and i don't really have a hard time with that, and i don't think that pink priest does either. this music is varied so do give it all a shot. circling vultures is getting under my skin pretty well along with carving that midnight pumpkin, both can be heard on his myspace.
there is some fucked up shit happening in Arkansas,
check pink priest out here
download I Want To Stand By You At The End Of The World

peace

UPTAPE

ok so i missed a day what-the fuck-ever. i just found this the other day, i was wondering if this was going to happen, but it did and it rules. not not fun put out the abe vigoda full length album "skeleton" on tape. here it is

sick right, i am pumped on it. there are only 200, be sure to get it asap.
not not fun is killing the game right now, for a second right now i was questioning the quality of what they were putting out, but that racoo-oo-oon double 12" and that peaking lights tape are looking pretty sick.
check it

ALBUM REVIEW; ROGERS THROUGH FAMILY TIME

i picked up rogers today to hang out and i came up with the idea that i should take some pictures of him listening to a particular release and interview him as a sort of review

extreme blogging


dum dum girls
untitled 12"
captured tracks 001
initial thoughts after two listens?
rogers:it's good, super definatly awesome! um reminds me of the best friday you've ever had. but you are just sitting in the back of your friends car drinking tall cans.

favorite track?
R:hey sis or yours alone, the last one

there is a misprint between the cut out of the record and the back track listing

thoughts on the packaging?
R: :/, the artwork looks nice, but it would look 100 times better if there was more info on an insert.

how many stars?
R: 4 out of 5, i would give it a 5 but the lack of insert, yeah.

uptape

well i think i want to change the name of this blog, i think i am into "art is tough" let me know what you think.

also my bud andy is going to start posting with me in order to keep consistent on the posting...

anyways i had sushi last night and i came to the conclusion that i really miss this guy
chino's outdoor mall is crazy fancy

right now i am jamming woods new stuff, i can't tell you how pumped i am on their new album