Bullet Train to Vegas
Label: NitroGenre: Punk, Rock
Back in college, my friend and roommate Dave Stohl studied Japanese and taught me a few key phrases: "Good morning." "Very cool, isn't it?" "Make a U-turn here?" and "Please do not pee out the window of the bullet train." I've never really had occasion to use these...until now. The first two phrases are fairly obvious. The third in reference to the band's throwback post-punk aesthetics (right down to the sound of the cassette tape snapping into the deck at the start of "Cut the Party..."). The fourth is sound advice under any circumstances, but especially when you're rolling at breakneck speeds as these lads do. Domo, Dave. And, domo to you too, Bullet Train to Vegas.
Cut the Party to Pieces [MP3, 2.9MB, VBR]
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Okkervil River
Label: JagjaguwarGenre: Pop, Rock
A few months ago, The New York Times compared Okkervil River to The Decemberists, noting that both bands compose literate, obscure indie-pop songs for small-but-growing audiences. At least I think that's what the article was about. I don't really remember. Anyway, the songs I donwloaded back then have been sitting around on my computer, aging like a decent bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, so please let me say, "Drink away!" Start with the mellow intensity of "A Favor," check out the pop legs of "Black," or dive right into "For Real," off their recently released Black Sheep Boy. For more hits at the bottle, so to speak, check out the half dozen other tracks available at the Okkervil River homepage (and please excuse my oenophilic tendencies).
For Real [MP3, 5.3MB, 160kbps]
Black [MP3, 5.3MB, 160kbps]
A Favor [MP3, 6.8MB, 160kbps]
It Ends With a Fall [MP3, 2.6MB, 96kbps]
The War Criminal Rises and Speaks [MP3, 3.5MB, 96kbps]
www.jagjaguwar.com
www.jound.com/okkervil
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Quiet Life
Label: Cosmodemonic TelegraphGenre: Folk, Rock
Back in my day... you wouldn't be caught dead listening to Bruce Springsteen. But what did I know? We were a bunch of suburban punk rock kids; we were beyond anything that sounded like it was made in Iowa. I'm less closed-minded nowadays, thankfully, but I still haven't got around to listening to the Boss. Bands like Quiet Life make me think I probably should.
Kids [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]
Spinning Like a Wreck [MP3, 2.6MB, 96kbps]
How it Goes [MP3, 2.3MB, 96kbps]
www.hozomeen.org/cosmodemonic
www.quietlife.tk
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Seedy Gonzales
Label: GiganticGenre: Rock
Never mind the silly name, this is some serious — as in rambling-slice-of-life-Lou-Reed-style-narrative serious — rock 'n' roll.
Page 28 [MP3, 4.2MB, 192kbps]
Maddie's Day [MP3, 6.1MB, 160kbps]
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The 101
Label: Lime KilnGenre: Pop, Rock
Lest we forget that the three golden rules of pop are hooks, hooks, and hooks, the 101 are here to remind us, and remind us, and remind us. It's not just that the guitar-driven power pop melodies are spare and infectious, nor that the emo-laden lyrics are repeated with mantra-like efficiency, it's that the combination feels like a head-bobbing security blanket that we can wrap ourselves around all summer long.
Never In [MP3, 3.6MB, 160kbps]
Verve [MP3, 4.1MB, 160kbps]
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Mark McKay
Label: ToadfishGenre: Country, Rock
I haven't played as much air guitar as I did while listening to "I Know You Rider" since seeing Joe Satriani at Cobo Hall in Detroit in 1987. His is a different style than Mark McKay's, mind you, with the latter tapping into the vibe of a ghostly night highway in the middle of nowhere, as opposed to Joe's blistering fretwork. Really, the two likely have very little in common, and I haven't listened to a note played by Joe S. since the late 1980s. Anyway, to summarize, if you dig the country rock, choose Mark McKay, not Joe Satriani.
I Know You Rider [MP3, 6.2MB, 128kbps]
Nashville [MP3, 5.2MB, 128kbps]
www.toadfishrecords.com
www.markmckay.com
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Phil Krauth
Label: TeenbeatGenre: Pop, Rock
From the Teen Beat website: "Phil is Teen Beat's Leonard Cohen." Lloyd Cole is my Leonard Cohen (he's my Bob Dylan as well, for that matter). Who's yours?
Maria et. al. [MP3, 2.2MB, 128kbps]
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Ballboy
Label: SLGenre: Pop, Rock
In honor (or honour) of the final Star Wars installment, the wonderful Scottish band Ballboy have posted a home-recorded power pop gem called "Light Saber" which closes each line with that walkie-talkie static that used to make it so fun to play stormtroopers ("there she is, set for stun...shhk"). When not giving in to good side of The Force, Ballboy's approach to songwriting can be summed up by the chorus to "The Art of Kissing": "A little despair will go a long, long way." And does it ever...
Light Saber [MP3, 3.6MB, 160kbps]
The Art of Kissing [MP3, 3.2MB, 128kbps]
Leave the Earth and Take a Walk Into the Sunshine [MP3, 5.5MB, 128kbps]
I Lost You, But I Found Country Music [MP3, 1.7MB, 160kbps]
I Need Two Hearts [MP3, 2.9MB, 128kbps]
www.slrecords.net
www.ballboymusic.com
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Bunky
Label: Asthmatic KittyGenre: Pop, Rock
A playful, boy/girl pop duo from San Diego backed by members of area scene stars: Pinback, Black Heart Procession, Rocket From the Crypt, and Castanets. This is a band who, in the album credits, refers to drums as "boomkadittles" and bass and guitar as "thunderstick" and "lightenin' stick" respectively. Not sticklers for spelling, but sticklers for something much more important: making music that makes you laugh and dance and in the case of the ending of "Yes/No," check outside your windows for UFOs.
Baba [MP3, 3.3MB, 192kbps]
Chuy [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]
Yes/No [MP3, 5.4MB, 192kbps]
www.asthmatickitty.com
www.bunkymusic.com
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Nineteenseventyeight
Label: KelpGenre: Pop, Rock
Looks like these guys are going to turn into a country rock outfit called South of '78, so enjoy the noisy guitars and drum crashes while you can.
Capstan [MP3, 3.7MB, 128kbps]
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