Flawless - Something I'll Never Miss

http://www.mediafire.com/?4acfmtrhtsaa1t7

Flawless is a band from Springfield, Missouri. I was emailed by bandmember Alex, offering a mutually beneficial arrangement of posting this album on my blog!

Alex says: 

We're from Springfield, Missouri , and we've been around for about a year.We're influenced by bands like Texas is the Reason, American Football, Jawbreaker, and Lifetime, but I wouldn't say we sound much too much like any of them.We recorded the whole EP ourselves over the course of about a week. I don't expect to necessitate anything really exciting like a review or an interview because we're a tiny band from the midwest, but if you want to do either of those that would be pretty fuckin' rad.

The more tiny bands the better! I figure if i can get just a few people to listen to tiny bands, I'm doing my little part for independent music. I'm not much for interviews (i've had a couple offers) because i am terribly antisocial, and usually rewrite emails and posts about two dozen times before i send them...

The description above gives a fairly good idea of (the influences of) Flawless's sound. Kind of like an energetic 90s emo/pop-punk hybrid. I can see the Lifetime and Jawbreaker in it. Maybe a little like 764-HERO as well. It's a very solid EP. I recently heard someone say that 90s music sucked. I had to light into them a little bit.

LISTENS AHOY

http://ourblockdistro.limitedpressing.com/

http://flawless417.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Flawless417

P.S. where have all the other music blogs gone? it seems they are derelict or deleted. Am i lamely occupying a dead neighborhood or am i valiantly carrying on where so many have fallen before me?

Street Smart Cyclist - Demo & Lint Traps

http://www.mediafire.com/?zct4ohwi4n6y6ef    http://www.mediafire.com/?37212dyzge4bv7w

Street Smart Cyclist was a band from Pennsylvania, around from 2005 to 2008. Some members went on to form the band Snowing. SSC made two albums, the demo and an acoustic album called Lint Traps. 

SSC is a band that seems to take as much from twinkly emo bands as it does from bands like Latterman. The group vocals part in Hoods Up (see below, from demo) reminds me of Latterman in the most lovely of ways.

I've been listening to this a lot lately.

http://www.myspace.com/streetsmartcyclist

Rowboat - Beneath The Sycamore

http://www.mediafire.com/?91006ss8au84g89

So i know almost nothing about this band except that the individual(s) that compose it are from Denver. I stumbled across this on Bandcamp (as i do) and i was quite taken by the first song so i thought it would make a good post. It's sort of a gothic-americana-folk type deal.

That album cover creeps me out a bit

http://rowboatrow.bandcamp.com/

http://www.myspace.com/rowboatrow

Carissa's Wierd - Tucson (2011)

http://www.mediafire.com/?vm19vnd4k1e9e82

Okay i just had to post this. Some of you may not have heard, but Carissa's Wierd released this EP in September after an eight-year hiatus. Anyone who has spent some time around my blog should know that CW is one of my favourite bands of all-time, so this is somewhere in the neighborhood of the best news ever.

It is definitely in my top hopes right now that Carissa's Wierd continues to make more music, and not return to their hiatus. I hope they don't mind me posting this but i want to make sure everyone knows about it.

http://www.subpop.com/releases/carissas_wierd/singles/tucson

More posts monday/tuesday i am busy etc. Merry Christmas

Seriously though please buy this 7" it is only $6. Thats over an inch per dollar. Incredible value.

Rescuer - Some Things You Just Have To Let Go Of

http://www.mediafire.com/?bix58e4y792dods

Rescuer is a melodic hardcore band from Tampa, Florida. They are in the same ballpark as Ruiner or Defeater. This album is hells of rad.

I hope that when I post hardcore stuff, the people that just came here for quiet folk music give it a listen, and vice versa. People should try to broaden their musical horizons. You can't just listen to the same stuff forever. My digital music library is at 24481 songs (1633 artists) and counting (and yes i can identify nearly all of it by ear, except the new stuff i haven't gotten around to listening to yet).

ANYWAY THIS IS RAD CHECK IT OUT

http://rescuer.bandcamp.com/

Stalwart Sons - Burn Daylights Like Torches

http://www.mediafire.com/?vl2yy34uidbgipr

Stalwart Sons is a post-hardcore type of band from my hometown of Calgary. I haven't seen them live, but they were recommended to me by my good friend Rob of Ghost Factory. I hope to see them around someday. 

http://stalwartsons.bandcamp.com/

Mallard - Mallard

http://www.mediafire.com/?h5adi3ibnmh7flz

Mallard is a six-piece emo band from PA, formed in 2010 featuring ex/current members of Footnotes, Corcovado, Broski, I Sing the Equator, Mumble, Tycho Brahe, and Degrassi.

They have a super rad twinkly emo sound, but a bit more frenetic than is typical. It's catchy and i love it.

http://mallard.bandcamp.com/

http://mallardband.tumblr.com/

Preying Hands - Through the Dark

http://www.mediafire.com/?i9229ks0nt914rl

Preying Hands, from Montreal, is 3/5ths of Ballast. They are similar to Ballast in that they have a sort of crust-influenced hardcore punk thing going on. It might not be everyone's thing but the rhythm of the songs is so good. It's really great driving music especially.

http://www.myspace.com/preyinghands

Ridgemont - Colder Days

http://www.mediafire.com/?3c97bybl83vcw6y

Ridgemont is a band from Massachusetts. They play an awesome high-energy melodic pop-punk that falls somewhere around Latterman, RVIVR, and early Against Me! in terms of sound. Gruff vocals, fast tempos, great songs. I bet they'd be rad live.
This album came out in September via Kiss of Death Records, Mindless Records and Mission Social Club. They are touring in January with Escapist.

Max from Mindless Records emailed me asking if i would like to post about Ridgemont. Of course i would! He also sent me a vinyl copy of the album, which i am super stoked on right now.

Every time is a good time for some fantastic pop-punk

Bandcamp here http://ridgemont.bandcamp.com/

Purchase here http://www.facebook.com/mindlessrecords?sk=app_154070217987326

The Saddest Landscape - Lift Your Burdens High, For This Is Where We Cross (2004)

http://www.mediafire.com/?r9rgud70bsgwhvq

Okay so i'm sure lots of people have heard of this band already, but i'm also sure a lot of people haven't. The Saddest Landscape is a band from Boston, a self-described "bunch of nerds in a band that live, breathe, and eat music". They're fairly unique in that they play a blend of the chaotic screamo of the 90's with the twinkly emo of also the 90s. 

Now, the problem (not really a problem) i have with TSL is that they might be way too fucking good for their own good. They make everyone else look bad. Every song on every album is amazing and heartwrenching, and the screaming of the lead singer (i don't know any of their names) is probably the best screaming i've heard anywhere. It is shocking how much emotion is contained within that screaming.

TSL has also improved with every album and I look forward to many more TSL albums to come.

Of course, in my real life where i have a few friends that tolerate me when they have to, i know exactly 0 people that share my love of 90s emo and 2 people that have marginal enthusiasm for 90s screamo. If any of my real life friends wish to correct this statement let me know.
Although i do super wish those two genre names hadn't been ruined by the lots of shitty "emo" and "screamo" bands that existed in the mid-2000's. Trust me, there is an enormous amount of incredible music in both of those genres. Browse post labels over there ---->

Anyway, i highly, highly recommend The Saddest Landscape. Please enjoy.

http://thesaddestlandscape.com/

http://thesaddestlandscape.tumblr.com/

P.S. i am drunk
P.P.S did you notice the new layout? moving into a new decade here what with all of the shadowed borders and flash previews and the random button top right.

oh my god i am the worst blog guy in all of the world what am i
oh my god i am the worst human in all of the world what am i

P.P.P.S Dear The Saddest Landscape i am sorry i had multiple self-referential moments in a post about your music

P.P.P.P.S this is probably the longest post i have ever made