Don't stop living in the blog.
Ever wonder where the magic happens? Well, wonder no longer:
(Click the pic for a significantly larger version.)
In terms of clutter, this is actually significantly reduced right now. Those stacks of CDs on the left-hand side of my desk are typically about a foot taller each, and the CD rack in the background generally has much, much more stuff on it. (The stuff on the windowsill only continues to grow, however.) I've been trying to clear out some of the music in my office over the past week, plowing through dozens upon dozens of random discs sent to me over the past six months or so that continually gets pushed down to the bottom of the pile. Lo and behold, I actually unearthed a few real gems that I wanted to share with you. Here are three CDs I'm glad I discovered.
Wino - A Bottle Of Pills With A Bullet Chaser
This double-disc discography of overlooked Louisville noise-rock act Wino was released this past Election Day by the fine folks over at Temporary Residence Ltd., home of such great bands as Mono, Envy and Explosions In The Sky. Wino were straight outta the Jesus Lizard/AmRep school of rock 'n' roll, meaning it was loud, muscular, discordant and at times downright uncomfortable to listen to, but there was no way you weren't going to pay attention to it. All of their material is out of print now, so TempRes put everything on these two CDs (including six previously unreleased songs) and made it available for your consumption. I definitely recommend it. If you wanna try before you buy, download "Dutch Oven" here.
Hospital Bombers - Footnotes
This band hail from Amsterdam (yes, the Amsterdam), but they sing in English, which is beneficial to a stupid American such as myself. Not sure what to expect based on the band name and cover art, I was pleasantly surprised at the lo-fi rock mixed with folk-punk on Footnotes, which came out this past October on Canadian label Saved By Radio. The more amped-up moments are reminiscent of the (International) Noise Conspiracy, but most of the disc feels like the Weakerthans hanging out with the Mountain Goats while Defiance, Ohio plays in the background. Download "Neighborhood" here or you can stream the whole disc here.
Kiss Me At The Gate - Tape & Scissors
Forgive me for my ignorance, but I had absolutely no idea there was a rock scene in Birmingham, Alabama. (Call it Northerner's Ignorance.) Female-fronted four-piece Kiss Me At The Gate put out their debut album this past October on Superphonic Records. It's an exciting blend of Eisley-esque atmospheric pop with an indie-punk edge reminiscent of the Rocking Horse Winner or Pohgoh. You can download four MP3s from the disc here, but unfortunately, that doesn't include the album's best song, "Come On." Thankfully, you can stream that number at their MySpace page.
All right, back to digging into these stacks. If you don't hear from me in 72 hours, assume I'm buried under a sea of plastic and aluminum and send help.
(Click the pic for a significantly larger version.)
In terms of clutter, this is actually significantly reduced right now. Those stacks of CDs on the left-hand side of my desk are typically about a foot taller each, and the CD rack in the background generally has much, much more stuff on it. (The stuff on the windowsill only continues to grow, however.) I've been trying to clear out some of the music in my office over the past week, plowing through dozens upon dozens of random discs sent to me over the past six months or so that continually gets pushed down to the bottom of the pile. Lo and behold, I actually unearthed a few real gems that I wanted to share with you. Here are three CDs I'm glad I discovered.
Wino - A Bottle Of Pills With A Bullet Chaser
This double-disc discography of overlooked Louisville noise-rock act Wino was released this past Election Day by the fine folks over at Temporary Residence Ltd., home of such great bands as Mono, Envy and Explosions In The Sky. Wino were straight outta the Jesus Lizard/AmRep school of rock 'n' roll, meaning it was loud, muscular, discordant and at times downright uncomfortable to listen to, but there was no way you weren't going to pay attention to it. All of their material is out of print now, so TempRes put everything on these two CDs (including six previously unreleased songs) and made it available for your consumption. I definitely recommend it. If you wanna try before you buy, download "Dutch Oven" here.
Hospital Bombers - Footnotes
This band hail from Amsterdam (yes, the Amsterdam), but they sing in English, which is beneficial to a stupid American such as myself. Not sure what to expect based on the band name and cover art, I was pleasantly surprised at the lo-fi rock mixed with folk-punk on Footnotes, which came out this past October on Canadian label Saved By Radio. The more amped-up moments are reminiscent of the (International) Noise Conspiracy, but most of the disc feels like the Weakerthans hanging out with the Mountain Goats while Defiance, Ohio plays in the background. Download "Neighborhood" here or you can stream the whole disc here.
Kiss Me At The Gate - Tape & Scissors
Forgive me for my ignorance, but I had absolutely no idea there was a rock scene in Birmingham, Alabama. (Call it Northerner's Ignorance.) Female-fronted four-piece Kiss Me At The Gate put out their debut album this past October on Superphonic Records. It's an exciting blend of Eisley-esque atmospheric pop with an indie-punk edge reminiscent of the Rocking Horse Winner or Pohgoh. You can download four MP3s from the disc here, but unfortunately, that doesn't include the album's best song, "Come On." Thankfully, you can stream that number at their MySpace page.
All right, back to digging into these stacks. If you don't hear from me in 72 hours, assume I'm buried under a sea of plastic and aluminum and send help.
6 Comments:
Sweet photo, Ted!!
Do you want to explain the Creed poster in the background?
^Yeah, and while you're at it, an explanation for the Common and David Hasselhoff discs.
Okay, let's address these comments in order:
1. Yes, thank you to Ted Barnes for an incredible panoramic photo. I couldn't have done that with a cell phone camera, you're 100% correct.
2. The Creed poster is actually of the time they were on AP's cover eight or nine years ago (before I worked here). I keep it on my door to remind me that no matter how bad my day may get, it will NEVER be as bad as that.
3. I have the Common CD sitting on my desk because I keep meaning to listen to it (I liked his last album). The David Hasselhoff "disc" is actually a picture Ted photoshopped over the photo of my girlfriend that I have on my desk. Looks pretty legit, right?
fair enough for Creed. And Common is awesome. I must admit even tho I may not be into some of the recent AP cover stars, you guys are delivering music from bands with integrity and heart (for the most part. And that's what separates AP from other music mags.
basically, I think I want your job...though i guess i dont know what kind of bullshit you have to go through sometimes...but if my office had a Andrew W.K. poster, that'd make my day EVERYDAY. I think i'll put one up, see how that goes over.
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