Newer Sounds

I've yet to meet a Title Fight release I didn't love. This is no different. They deserve all the success that has come their way.

I think it's awesome that they're on Revelation now.

Title Fight - Spring Songs. RevHQ. New.

Newer Sounds

Caught In A Crowd is easily one of my favorite current hardcore bands. I'm a little bummed that I haven't managed to see them yet. Thankfully they're playing soon.

Now all I need to do is motivate my old man ass to attend.

Caught In A Crowd - The Fight. React Records. New.

Newer Sounds

Sorry for the delay in posting.

There are a few current labels I'll pretty much buy releases on based only on the description. Triple B is one such label. I'm pretty sure I only grabbed this because it said "Richmond hardcore." Sometimes that's all it takes.

I'm not one to hit up Bandcamp or sample things before buying. The majority of my music buying life has been based on picking stuff up that looks interesting, or I heard about, or on a certain label, etc. Granted that got fairly pricey with imports. But it didn't stop me.

I'm glad I picked this up. Solid sound trending towards the "harder" end of things and worth checking out.

Friend or Foe - Outsider. Triple B. New.

Replaced

I first got the Devo greatest hits package for my sixteenth birthday. And some point I made the terrible mistake of selling it. 

Thankfully it's back in my collection.

Devo - Greatest Hits. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

I realize there was a Clear before this Clear. 

But I like this one better.

Clear - Demo. Triple-B. New.

Newer Sounds

English (shocking I know). This is very good.

It reminds me a little bit of Talking Heads. It has an eighties vibe that I appreciate in the sea of nineties revivals I've been obsessing over.

Fiction - The Big Other. amazon.com. New.

Newer Sounds

This reminds me of a poppier Cocteau Twins. Anything that reminds me of Cocteau Twins is not a bad thing.

Dive In - Let Go. iTunes.

And Before Telegram Sam

A lot of people really like what T-Rex became. I know I do. There's not much like it.

But I find the early folky stuff equally fascinating.

Tyrannosaurus Rex - My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair...But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

This reminds me of The Datsuns, The D4 and other "garage-y" acts of the early 2000s.

Pink Cigar - Lady Killer. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

I'm not into this Cloud Boat EP. It bores me.

That's not to say it's bad. It's just not really my thing.

Cloud Boat - Youthern/Hammerspace. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

I guess this isn't really "newer" but it's the Pet Shop Boys newer release.

I saw them twice in the past year while touring this album. And it was worth every penny.

They were one of my favorite live acts before this tour and they continue to be.

Pet Shop Boys - Electric. amazon.com. New.

More Than Hold Me Now

Until recently ("recently" in my old age seems to cover a few years at a time) I didn't own anything by Thompson Twins. I've been making up for lost time. It's always interesting exploring a band deeper than their hits. Thompson Twins are a great example of that.

Thompson Twins - The Best of Thompson Twins Greatest Mixes. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

I think it's important to check out and support newer hardcore bands. I think too many people get stuck in the hardcore of "their era" and think everything new can't compare to what came before.

Feel free to disagree.

Focused Minds - The Fact Remains. 6131 Records. New.

Newer Sounds

I am incredibly disappointed I didn't manage to see Honeyblood a few weeks ago. World Cafe Life maybe? I like them a lot. Glasgow delivers again.

Honeyblood - Bud. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

Another artist with a lot of hype. I've managed to miss her once or twice now. Shows can feel very late for this old man. But I'm very excited for more from MØ.

MØ - Bikini Daze. iTunes.

Decades Old

Have I said how much I enjoy that nineties "DC sound"? I'm pretty sure I have. Many times. Teen Beat. Simple Machines. Tuscadero is definitely one of my favorites. They're no Velocity Girl, Unrest or Tsunami. But they're up there.

Tuscadero - The Pink Album. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding Jungle. And while I think this single is decent enough, I don't get the buzz. I should probably explore additional releases. They played fairly recently. That might have been a good opportunity to check them out.

Jungle - The Heat. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

Wolf Alice reminds me of the lighter end of female fronted rock of the late eighties, early to mid-nineties.

It reminds me of 10,000 Maniacs. Sinead O'Connor. Mazzy Star. Maybe the Cocteau Twins. Not that it sounds specifically like any of that. But that's where my head is filing it.

Wolf Alice - Bros. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

Don't get me wrong. NO CEREMONY/// is fantastic. I mean really great. A rock/electronic hybrid in the vein of New Order. Female vocals. And a slick design.

But I hate when bands use capitalization, lack of spacing, symbols. Sure it looks good in print. But it's a real hassle for iTunes tagging obsessives such as myself.

NO CEREMONY/// - iTunes Festival: London 2013. iTunes.

And Again

I had to repurchase this album. I'm fairly certain I loaned it to someone and never saw it again.

I don't know why anyone ever thinks they'll get a CD back when they loan it out.

I never have. And I never learn that lesson.

Modern Life Is War - Witness. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

I've said it before on here, but I'll say it again. Check out Veronica Falls.

There is a "dark" quality that works really well with with their brand of guitar pop.

They're great live as well.

Veronica Falls - Waiting for Something to Happen. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

This is probably one of my favorite "newer" bands out there.

Driving up to New York after work on a Friday to see them at Mercury Lounge was very worth it.

Missing them a month or so ago in my own back yard was a mistake. It was a weeknight. And I'm not a young man anymore.

Drenge. Amazon.com. New.

Newer Sounds

I keep confusing Violent Situation and Violent Future. They sound nothing alike. But both have "violent" in their name. And apparently that's enough to confuse me.

Violent Situation - 13 Demo. Back To Back Records. New.

Slap Bass

Generally people tend to cite the seven inch as their favorite Turning Point release. I like it, but I don't think it comes close to the LP. Easily in my top ten favorite hardcore releases. I might be able to convince myself it's in my top five. I think it's perfect in every way.

Turning Point - It's Always Darkest...Before the Dawn. Used.

Newer Sounds

I didn't know anything about Praise until I caught them at This Is Hardcore last year. I went away impressed.

This is yet another excellent band coming out of Baltimore. I don't know what's going on down there, but they need to keep doing what they're doing.

Praise - Two Songs. React Records. New.

Newer Sounds

Inoffensive, danceable alterna-pop? The kind that seems to be popular with the kids these days. And adults I suppose.

For fans of Empire of the Sun, Capital Cities and the like.

Fenech-Soler - Last Forever. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

If you like or liked hardcore at any point in your life, you need Angel Du$t. You really do.

Angel Du$t - Xtra Raw. React Records. New.

On Break

For a band formed during a "break" of another band, they have a pretty large body of work.

Cinerama - Torino. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Newer Sounds

This release isn't particularly new. But the band is new to me.

And they are very, very good.

Slant 6 meets Siouxsie? Not sure if that comparison works for everyone, but it works for me.

PINS - Luvu4lyf. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

Like most music from Iceland this is interesting. It is worth checking out. One part Mum. One part pop vocals.

It should be noted I'm pretty obsessed with Beyonce's "Halo." And this cover does not disappoint.

Hjaltalin - Crack In a Stone. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

I'm instantly reminded of The Smiths. But at the same time they don't sound like The Smiths. High Hazels take me back. Like so many other current acts. But they are certainly modern and stand on their own.

High Hazels - Hearts Are Breaking. iTunes.

Missed Opportunity

Bold played last week. I should have seen them. But I didn't. I never have. Even though they've been playing out on and off for a few years.

Bold - Looking Back. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

I posted a Theme Park single before. It prompted me to buy the full-length. I'd like to see them.

I always want to say they remind me of Vampire Weekend. But they actually don't at all. Bombay Bicycle Club? I got nothing.

I'm very unhelpful. Recommended!

Theme Park. amazon.com. New.

Newer Sounds

If Stereophonics keep making records I will keep buying said records.

Stereophonics - Graffiti on the Train. amazon.com. New.

Newer Sounds

Not to be confused with Mineral. The recently reunited mid-nineties emo band.

Mineral - Serial Monkey. iTunes.

Catching Up With

I always forget how much I liked this song when it came out.

Clinic - The Return of Evil Bill. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

I'm really enjoying everything I've heard from Temples. Sadly I missed them a few months ago. And I'll likely miss them again next month because I don't know if I'm up for a "Morgan's Pier" event...

As for why you should check them out? They sound a bit like T-Rex? That should be enough for anyone.

Temples - Keep in the Dark. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

An instrumental Stereolab? There are worse things in the world.

(That's actually not a bad thing at all.)

Cavern of Anti-Matter - Blood-Drums. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

Hard name. Wavves sound.

Definitely into it.

Boneyards - Rest In Beach. iTunes.

Limited

Truth be told my reggae knowledge is pretty much limited to Bob Marley (and his offspring) and Peter Tosh. I should really dig deeper, but I don't even know where to begin.

Peter Tosh - Legalize It. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

The name is appropriate as it feels like summer.

Summer Camp reminds me of a lighter Human League.

Summer Camp - Losing My Mind. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

This isn't super new, but it's new to me.

There are elements that remind me of The Jam.

There are worse things to be reminded of.

But what's most important, they cover Erasure.

Jonny Cola and The A-Grades - Halo. iTunes.

Newer Sounds

So many of those nineties bits that you and I like so much.

Excellent stuff.

Younghusband - Silver Sisters. iTunes.

More Toomey

Do you like Tsunami? Do you like Grenadine? Do you like Simple Machines?

Then, like me, you will probably like this. It's really good.

Jenny Toomey - Antidote.

Newer Sounds

While I recognize the Revelation Mystery Box was a way for them to get some money for the piles of compact discs sitting around from all of their terrible signings throughout the 00s, I still participated for the vinyl.

I think the Down To Nothing seven inch was worth it. And I got an Elliott release in my box. But I must say I was disappointed not to get a "rarity."

Down To Nothing - Greetings From Richmond, Virginia. Revelation Records. New.

Ideas

I'm not sure if dipping my toes into Talking Heads singles collecting is a good idea. Which means I will likely continue with it.

Talking Heads - Blind. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

Primal Scream keeps churning them out. And I keep buying.

I still need to see them live. One of my few "heavy hitters" that I still haven't gotten around to seeing.

Primal Scream - More Light. amazon.com. New.

Appreciate

Another addition to my "buy up the entire Dischord catalog to the best of my ability" project.

When I was in high school I thought Lungfish was OK. They bored me a bit. A bit too "post-hardcore" I suppose. Really "post-hardcore." Well beyond Quicksand or Fugazi. For example.

Now that I've been buying up the Lungfish records I have a new appreciation for them. They're probably in my Dischord top five. I think this stuff is that good.

Lungfish - Talking Songs For Walking. amazon.com. Used.

Newer Sounds

Dreamy? Akin to older M83. Things like that. I don't know. It's good. Get it.

Two Sunsets - Katy Komatsu/Searchlights. iTunes.

?

I'm pretty sure I said everything I needed to say about Therapy? last year. But really, if you don't know them and am a fan of the "harder" end of nineties alternative, you should really check them out.

Therapy? - Nurse. Long In the Tooth. Used.