The Snake The Cross The Crown

The Snake The Cross The Crown

It's time for me to 'fess up. I've been sitting on these guys for more then 6 months. To tell you the truth I thought they we just too fucking good to share. I'm sorry. I'm greedy.  

The Snake The Cross The Crown out of Huntsville, Alabama began as a Emo/Electro Pop near disaster recording their first LP and EP under the name Curbside Service. On tour the band began to dislike their own material and in a seldom seen change for the better completely reinvented themselves as The Snake The Cross The Crown. The band moved to Santa Barbara, California,  rented a house together, and recorded two of the most powerful albums in recent memory Mander Salis and the amazing Cotton Teeth. Drawing from influences such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Band, and Louis Armstrong to name a few, TSTCTC makes folk/country/indie music meant to change your life in one easy listen. The first time I heard "Behold The River" I nearly cried for all the things the bittersweet ballad reminded of. They pull all of this off with such grace, melody, and rhythm that it is truly hard to ignore. 

I cannot more highly recommend downloading the five free tracks The Snake The Cross The Crown offer to us on thier Purevolume page. When you do however just turn down the lights, sit back, and breath for all the things we've lost and all the things we will. 

P.S.  God I love the banjo.

Myspace

PureVolume

Label

Mini-reviews/ Free Music Stub

Some random gatherings for you all, since I've been slacking.

Toby Dammit

First up is Toby Dammit. Mr Dammit is a symphonic percussionist (am I losing you yet?) with a penchant for experimental/classical workings. He's worked on several soundtracks, toured and recorded with Iggy Pop, and has even worked for the likes of Rufus Wainwright. If you're in the mood for some strange (and strangely relaxing) instrumentals and you want to work your way away from synthesizers for a spell, try out Toby Dammit. He's got four tracks available for download from his MySpace, and more available on his website (links below).

Toby Dammit's MySpace

Toby Dammit's 'Sounds' Page

The Morning Benders

Moving on, we've got some light indie pop rock coming from The Morning Benders. Aside from the obvious good solid musicianship and songwriting (I wouldn't be writing this otherwise), there's nothing particularly striking about this band, but you should definitely check them out if you're a fan of The Kooks, or, say, The Beatles. And speaking of The Kooks, after The Morning Benders' debut LP drops on May 6th, they'll be touring behind The Kooks in various parts of the country. So if you hadn't heard and you're interested in that, be sure to look it up on the band's site (or blog, links below). Unfortunately for us, I was only able to find one mp3 for download by the band (that's Antonio's forté, not mine). Enjoy it, along with the tracks you can listen to on the band's MySpace!

The Morning Benders - MySpace, Official Site, and Official Blog

Edit: There are two tracks available for download on this site ! Enjoy!
[Note: Make sure to right-click and 'Save Link As' on their song links.]

The Last Shadow Puppets

In other exciting indie rock news, Alex Turner (of Arctic Monkeys fame) has unveiled his new project's first single! The band is called The Last Shadow Puppets, and the single is titled The Age Of The Understatement. Fans of Turner's more well-known band absolutely must check this out, and I'd recommend it to non-fans too. The song itself, for obvious reasons, is not available for download, but the video for the single can be downloaded in various format and quality combinations. Everything you need to know (and can know, at this point) can be found at the band's MySpace! Check it out, spread it around.

The Last Shadow Puppets - MySpace

That's all for this post, kiddos. Let me know in the comments how you feel about this post format (preferably in comparison to previous posts) so I can figure out exactly how I should go about this!

The Black Angels

The Black Angels 

(Austin, Texas)

Psychedelic

The slow build, the frantic clattering climax, the constant drone. Yep, it's all there. All the elements of the 60's/70's Texas Psychedelic freakout band. The music consists of reverb drenched guitars set to "Scary" mixed with clanging sitars and deep repetitive Native American drum beats. The lyrics, which are nothing short of disturbing, focus mainly on the Vietnam conflict that force one to draw heavy parallels between that and todays war in Iraq.

While TBA isn't necessarily adding anything new to the mix, they are definitely jumping in, rolling around the in established conventions and producing a sparkling example of what good Psychedelic music should be. They do this in such a familiar way I am often left with the impressions that  if Jim Morrison did Mescaline instead of LSD the Doors would have produced records like Passover, TBA's first LP. The band can be easily placed among the genre's current leaders including The Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The only difference being that they accomplish a "Classic" sound without wandering to far into Experimental movement.

Myspace

Website 

Live recordings:

Concert 1 with KEXP 

Concert 2 with KEXP

32 Live Bootlegs via The Internet Archive: Link

Live at KVRX

El Paso Hot Button

El Paso Hot Button (Norman, Oklahoma)

One cymbal, one guitar, two drums, one extremely overactive young man; El Paso Hot Button, Rock and roll.

It takes a lot of courage just to walk out on stage and put on a show with a couple of you best buddies. Imagine however strolling out in front of a crowd, wether it be ten people or a thousand, all by yourself. That friends, takes what I call Cojones De Oro and for Mickey Reece it's the only way to do it. The young Oakie already on tour behind his third record entitled "When I Needed Sympathy" sings like he just might be Jack White's younger brother and performs like a maniac. Driven by strong and simple rhythms songs like "Rubies and Pearls" and "Beat on the Drums" work their ways into your ears and don't let go all while retaining their danceability. Check him out, buy his music, show some love.

{Addition - I saw him live. He rocked the boat. Catch him during SXSW '08 at The Backspin Records day party or at The Chuggin' Monkey, both on the 14th.}

Website

Review W/Free Download: Link

For Another rockin' one man band check out The Matt Kurz on Quote Unquote Records:

The Matt Kurz One

Also Matt Kurz

Quote Unquote Records

Quote Unquote Records

Last month as I was sifting through about a dozen or so whiny interlinked suburban hardcore groups I found something quite interesting. An indie label called Quote Unquote Records with the strangest marketing strategy I've ever heard about, that is to say they don't have one. All records produced and marketed are available for free download on the label's website, no catch. Founded in 2006 by Jeff Rosenstock (Who also fronts the band Bomb The Music Industry!) the label operates on a "Donation Only" basis, which includes suggested donations of about five bucks for any of the already fifteen releases the label has racked up in the past year, of course however the albums themselves are completely free. 

Quote Unquote Records

At Myspace



--

The Bands Of Quote Unquote

Bomb The Music Industry!
(Various, USA)

Think- Centered around Jeff Rosenstock, the Ska/Punk/Electronic collective is somewhat of a hit or miss. Depending on which of its 20+ "members" happens to be on hand for recording or touring the bands sound can sway from horrid drunken crap to well crafted punk and ska. In 2004 after The Arrogant Sons of a Bitches went on hiatus Rosenstock opted to, instead of becoming a vapid alcoholic, record an album under the name Bomb The Music Industry. Doing so alone he crafted Album Minus Band, From there things took off as old band-mates, friends, and fans all seemed interested in performing the songs live and from this stemmed BTMI's revolving door membership system. The music is always unrelentingly energetic and erratic which sometimes rocks (Free Bird) and sometimes does not rock, does not rock a whole lot.

Try-
Frrrrrrreeeee Biiiiirrrrrrd! (Album Minus Band)
Even Winning Feels Bad (Goodbye Cool World)
Side Projects Are Never Successful (Goodbye Cool World)

Total Downloads- Total Download

(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)

Website

Myspace

Purevolume

-


The Matt Kurz One
(Richmond, Virginia)

Think- Primarily banished to the world of Mary Poppins rip offs and various forms of computer made crap, the one man band has long been thought dead. But alas! we find our hero Matt Kurz a shining example among a sea of completely retard ed idiots banging on steel string acoustics. After playing for several bands Kurz thought his music days were over. However after recurring dreams of an old bluesman who played with his feet and a trip to San Francisco, he was inspired to start his band in which he is featured simultaneously playing five instruments...on every track...even during recording.

Try- Everything Is Boring Now

Total Download- His two albums "If You Can't Join 'Em, Beat 'Em" and "Impending Doom Is No Excuse"

(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)

Website

Myspace

-


The Livingbrooks
(Long Island, New York)

Think- The Long Island Trio (Featuring our old friend Matt Kurz) formed during that hazy pre-myspace world of 2001 and unfortunately dispersed after releasing its debut; Easily one of the best albums on Quote Unquote records Night Of The Livingbrooks has a timelessly great "Surf Punk" sound. Really!, no joke check out the undeniable charm (Well, Punk charm) of Baldwin or Big Muff Buddah.

Try- Big Muff Buddah

Total Downloads- The debut album Night of the Livingbrooks

(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)


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Pegasuses-XL
(Athens, Georgia)

Think- The only band on the label that raps. Although rap they do Pegasuses-XL is not a rap band. What Peagasuses-XL is, is one set of killer drums, two synthesizers, beat boxing, and a shit-load of cool. As you read this the band is putting the final touches on it's new album Antiphon which can be sampled at their myspace.

Try- Welcome To It(,) Me , Every House Is Not A Homie, and 600$ Man.

Total Downloads- The bands three EP's The Midnight Aquarium, Pegasuses XL, and Third EP and the upcoming full length Antiphon.


(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)

Myspace


-


Chotto Ghetto
(Santa Monica, California)

Think- After releasing its debut on another label Chotto Ghetto switched to Quote Unquote for it's followup EP entitled simply "Rampage". While not actually "Hardcore" the band is often labeled that way, In reality they give off a feel more akin to The Refused or The Bronx.

Try- Holy Wars

Total Downloads- The Rampage EP and one track off of their debut Shooting Devils.

(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)

Website

Myspace

-
Other bands (That I'm too lazy to write about) that are associated with the label include:
-

Cheeky
(Long Island/Brooklyn, New York)

Bi-gender punk band with a great guitar and strange lyrical subject matter.

(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)
Myspace
-

Rick Johnson And The Rock And Roll Machine

What isn't already explained in the title?

(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)
Website
Myspace
-

The Riot Before

My Favorite, I had the pleasure to see these guys live. They have an amazing back catalogue and based on the songs from their upcoming release they played during their show here we can expect great things to come.

(Try this first: Quote Unquote Records)
Blog
Myspace
Purevolume

Grand Ole Party

Grand Ole Party
(San Diego, California)

Grand Ole Party appeared out of nowhere and blew out my brains.

The Scene: I download about 20 new songs a week and I pride myself on the fact that I never, ever, forget a band or song. January 2nd, my iPod on shuffle and the opening lick of "Look Out Young Son" swings in. Immediately I am perplexed and intrigued by this creeping, driving music (Enter Kristen) the young female drummer of the group begins singing "I must be the Devil's daughter". I have never heard this song or this band before and somehow it not only found it's way onto my iPod but ended up stuck in my brain immediately making me a fan of the band after only one song. I check the screen and it was Grand Ole Party who appeared out of nowhere and blew out my brains.

The drums, bass, axe trio leave little to improve upon. Impressing someone with a 7000 track iPod on the strength of one song is not an easy feat but Grand Ole Party did it. Debuting with all the swagger of early White Stripes anf the vocal presence of Joplin on some form of crack or heroin the first album Humanimals should be on everyone's music buying list.. While the sound is laid back and almost bleeds an essence I like to call sexy/cool it manages not to sound too corny or dare I say, gay. WIth big beats, creeping guitars, and most of all the most beautifully rhythmic voice that ever sang Grand Ole Party really is something to keep your eyes on.

Try: Look Out Young Son

Total Downloads: Unfortunately some things in life aren't free. Lucky for us we can bootleg the shit out of those things. There are two concerts on the Internet Archive both from 2006, both at The Casbah.
2006-05-28

2006-03-21

Myspace

{(Addition 3/1/08)}

I found some higher quality live tracks on Daytrotter.

Link

Explosions In The Sky

Explosions In The Sky
(Austin Texas)

Think-Explosions In The Sky are practitioners of the underrepresented , almost unheard of, Post-Rock Genre. As Wikipedia puts it: "Post-Rock makes use of 'rock instrumentation' for non-rock purposes". What that boils down to is Four Sons of Texas, Three Guitars, One Drum Kit, No Vocals and hours of soaring, emotionally charged music. The idea of instrumental music being emotional may feel strange at first but once you hear EITS, one immediately understands. 

Forming in 1999 Explosions In The Sky originally went under the moniker "Breaker Morant" but after playing their very first show on July, 4th the band decided on its current name after watching the fireworks that night. After four albums the band is still going strong and due to a constant touring schedule the band enjoys a very dedicated fan-base.

Try- Day Six, Yasmin The Light, and Welcome(,) Ghosts

 

Total Downloads- Several Live Performances, Mp3's off all four albums, and a Free Online Album. 

EITS Official Website including Album MP3's as well as an online album.:
http://www.explosionsinthesky.com/albums.html

Link to the first ever preformance/recordings:
http://www.kvrx.org/locallive/performance.php?pid=183

Other Live Preformances, via I.A.:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Explosions%20in%20the%20Sky

Crystal Castles

Sounding off from Canada and repping Last Gang Records (home to Death From Above 1979), Crystal Castles is a two-piece hybrid of Nintendo-core sounds with dance sensibilities and thrash metal spirit.

The band is a manic dance machine on full-tilt. Listen to a few tracks on the first MySpace listed below and see if they can't get you to move (the first track is a remix of 'Crimewave' by Health, and is especially sweet). They've got it all, from down tempo chill tracks to uptempo, dance your ass off/ swing your arms around like a maniac, lo-fi, monster dance tracks.

Don't get me wrong though, this music isn't just for dancers. There's a reason they list their three genres on MySpace as "Thrash/Thrash/Thrash". Whether you're a fan of electronic music, disco, Nintendo-core, or you're just looking for something new entirely, I'd definitely recommend that you listen to at least a few of CC's tracks. And between their 3 MySpace profiles, there are plenty of addictive tracks to be heard.

Crystal Castles, for the maniac in all of us.

Think: Seizures, monsters dancing at your favorite club, music that can physically deliver electric jolts to your body, 8-bit demons.

Sounds like: Horse the Band on psychedelics and amphetamines.

Links:
First MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/crystalcastles
Other MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/ccrystalccastles
Second Other MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/wearecrystalcastles

The Wintermitts

The Wintermitts (Vancover, Canada)
Indie

Think- Whoever had the Idea to put a droning accordion blaring at the top of nearly every single Wintermitts song was a fucking genius! The Wintermitts are full of all sorts of good vibrations and witty humor all under the guise of some very sweet sound droning instrumentals. The main vocalist Lisa Monique seems to float between English and Canadian French as though she doesn't know which she prefers but that is to no Ill effect. God bless Canadians, their free health care, and The Wintermitts. Thats it.

Try- Petit Monstre and Heartbeat

Total Downloads- 6, three from the new full length Cascadia Falls and
three from the stylistically different Alouette EP.

http://www.myspace.com/lisemusic
http://wintermitts.com/