Sleep ∞ Over – Outer Limits 7″

What’s up guys. I mentioned yesterday that I had a ton of fantastic new stuff pouring in these past few days, and this is just the beginning of the fun. I also mentioned that Titus Andronicus would be destroying our faces on live national television, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. You can check out the madness from the show right here – they played the first half of “A More Perfect Union”, and it was every bit of “glorious” as Mr. Stickles promised it would be.

Today we have a 7″ from the girls of SLEEP ∞ OVER, and boy did they whip up something delicious for us. Their brand new 7″ comes from the white-hot Forest Family Records label, (which means it’s probably going to sell out like all of their other releases) and it’s pressed in an edition of 500 on crystal-clear vinyl that’s bound to turn heads (just look at that cover art). The girls have some other material out there for our listening pleasure, but this one is already proving to be their most solid and accessible effort to date. Trust me when I say you guys DO NOT want to miss out on this stuff.

Imagine being thrown right in the middle of a spaced-out dream world where nothing around you is as real as it seems, but anything and everything is possible as long as you believe in it. In other words, if you can dream it, you can make it a reality. That is “La Rose”, and it’s so immensely dazed-out that it seems to put everything around you in slow motion, which makes me go on to say that it’s completely normal to lose yourself in the blissful, intoxicating, dreamy textures that this near-perfect song has to offer. I don’t know if people are going to agree, but I definitely feel like there are some elements of the chillwave sounds we’ve been talking about so much lately hidden in the music. Listen to the bass line of this song and tell me it doesn’t vaguely remind you of “Feel It All Around” by Washed Out, just slowed down a bit more. Huh? Maybe?!

Flip on over to the other side and you’ll find yourself in a similar position from where we left off. This side is called “Outer Limits”, and by the time you’re on this track you’ve probably already decided that this is a perfect 7″ record. Both songs have gospel like qualities, sounding exceptionally spiritual or heavenly, and they’re dripping with attitude. Now the only problem is deciding which of these two songs you like better, because let’s be honest people, this stuff is fantastic. Definitely be sure to snag a copy of this 7″, because I don’t think it’s going to be around for awhile before it’s gone for good. Not only is it on clear vinyl, but check out that cover art.

La Rose –

Outer Limits –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Dream Pop, Experimental, Witch House
Outer Limits 7″: Tracklist
1.) La Rose
2.) Outer Limits

PREORDER the 7″ directly from Forest Family Records
Sleep ∞ Over/Pure Ecstasy Split 7″ previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Sleep ∞ Over on Myspace
Sleep ∞ Over on tumblr

Titus on TV!

Here’s some exciting news: Everybody’s favorite punk rockers TITUS ANDRONICUS from none other than Glen Rock, New Jersey will appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this evening for “three and half glorious minutes”. The show airs on the NBC network, which is channel 4, and the show starts promptly at 12:30am. I’m not sure what else you guys have going on tonight, but I suggest you clear off your schedule to witness the live mayhem that is Titus Andronicus on national television. I wonder what song they’re going to play? I guess we’ll find out soon enough…

In other news, Titus Andronicus and their recent tour buddies Free Energy are preparing a brand new split 7″ for us, and it’s going to be available on their forthcoming tour. You can check the dates of that tour on TA’s Myspace. The 7″ will feature two cover songs from each band, with Titus Andronicus taking on “Anxiety Block” by the Television Personalities and Free Energy covering “I’m Going Down” by Bruce Springsteen. Definitely going to make sure I pick that one up when both bands come to Philly on September 23rd (which I still need a ticket for). More details on that 7″ right here.

Titus Andronicus on Myspace
Free Energy on Myspace

Weed – DC Hope EP

I was surfing around the web yesterday to find something new to post up, and I came across something that’s slightly different from everything else we’ve been listening to lately. It came from one of my favorite blogs Shoegazer Alive, and I think what originally caught my eye was that retro looking artwork you can see to the left, not to mention the name of the band – WEED. Yeah, Weed, but you could also call him Willy “Flip” Anderson, who happens to be main man behind the music. This is his first official release, and also the first release from the label putting it out, Moongadget.

Mr. Anderson creates these severely bent, lo-fi “bedrock” jams that are increasingly fuzzy and mangled, and each one brings you to a place on a hazy Summer afternoon where there wasn’t much else to do but hang out in your bedroom and make some music. Parts of the songs sound electronic, while other parts sound more instrumental, but either way there are definitely some nods to the chillwave sound (like the trippy track “Run to Cranes”) that’s been storming the web. While this stuff does chillwave justice, I still hope in the long run that the fad is starting to die down a bit, because it’s beginning to show up everywhere. Like my G-mail inbox.

I have two songs to share with you guys from the EP – the loose, easy going, bass-bumping jam “W.G.A.” and the twisted, gritty lo-fi madness of “Might as Well” which has enough fuzz to make your head explode, but at the same time it’s bound to make you smile. One last thing: this stuff WILL grow on you. But that’s all for today! Lots of new stuff coming in lately…stay tuned…

Might as Well –

W.G.A. –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Electronic, Psychedelic
DC Hope EP: Tracklist:
1.) Quilt
2.) Might as Well
3.) Cody Girl
4.) Run to Cranes
5.) W.G.A.

Weed on Myspace
BUY the EP on cassette – a limited edition of 50!
Weed – Moongadget Artist Page

Tammar – I Live Here Now

Hey, remember TAMMAR from a post back in early July? Well if not you can click that link and go check it out – it’s their self-titled EP that came out back during 2008. To be honest with you, I didn’t know what these guys were up to when I made that post, but since then all of our “Where is Tammar?” questions have been answered. They’re now back on the scene with a brand new live EP called “I Live Here Now”, and it was literally just released by none other than the St. Ives imprint – which I am growing more fond of with each release I pick up. This brand new set of live tracks were all captured during the Summer of 2009 at Russian Recording in Bloomington, Indiana – which also happens to be Tammar’s hometown – and they couldn’t be more ready to share the music with you.

If you read the post from last time, you might already know what to expect. And if not, I’d be glad to fill you in with the details. So for starters, the biggest difference from their two releases is that this one was recorded live. The other one wasn’t. Only one song from their other EP made it onto this new live EP, and that would be “Weddle On II”. While the actual songs might be different, the fashion that they play them in certainly didn’t change much at all. And they still use those woozy, dazed-out keyboards in the background that gives each song a wobbly, confused feeling.

Just about every Tammar song I’ve heard starts out relatively simple and easy going, but sure enough each song begins to grow as time passes on, whether it’s a small subtle change or a huge wailing guitar lick, they get their point across, and they stay focused from beginning to end. Before you even realize, a song will turn into a huge wall of sound with dream-like textures as it evokes a fantastic feeling that you can take on the entire world. With that being said, I definitely think Tammar is a band that is meant to be experienced live before any other possible way. So it’s a good thing that all this stuff was recorded live in case you never get the chance to see them. This way you capture that live energy that may or may not be there when things are recorded in a studio. Speaking of live energy, the first song that really put me on the floor from this record was “Yung Jun”, and it’s quite a joyous number. I could seriously listen to it all day – hell, I pretty much did just that while driving pizza’s around town all day yesterday. I was ecstatic when I first heard it, and I hope you guys feel the same way. Definitely don’t miss out on this one, because it’s limited to 300 copies, and once people realize what they’re missing out on, these things won’t be around to buy anymore.

Yung Jun –

My Rating: 8.5/10
Genre/ Tags: Experimental, Pop, Indie Rock
I Live Here Now: Tracklist:
1.) Arrows Underwater
2.) Weddle On II
3.) Yung Jun
4.) Frost Meter

BUY the brand new album @ Insound! – Limited to 300 copies!
Tammar EP previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Tammar on Myspace
Tammar on Last.fm

Silver Jews – American Water

Hey hey. So I think many of you guys are already going to be familiar with today’s album, but I think it’s more than worthy of having a spot here on the Styrofoam Drone. It’s the pivotal third album from David Berman and company, and it’s quite a milestone in the indie rock world. I probably wouldn’t be making this post if I didn’t find this gem chilling in the ‘used’ record bin the other day either. It was only $6.99! How am I supposed to walk away from that? Do I even need to mention that Stephen Malkmus is on this record? Should I just ask you guys questions from now until the end of the post? Nah seriously though, if you haven’t heard anything from this record, you should stop what you’re doing right now and check this stuff out.

Berman and Malkmus deliver these folky, twangin’ country tunes, and they do it all with a lazy, laid back approach that’s definitely noticeable on many of the songs from the record. My favorite example of “lazy” from this record would probably be the song “Federal Dust”. Just listen and you’ll know what I’m talking about a minute and a half through when the guitar solo starts. It’s actually funny sometimes. It seems like they didn’t care when recording this stuff, but I’m sure that’s far from being true.

I also want to take a quick second and mention the track “Night Society”.Talk about the biggest tease ever when it comes to music. What happens before and after this song!? They just fade out on both ends! Every time I listen it kills me – I just want it to keep playing (which reminds me of “J vs. S” at the end of Shady Lane by Pavement on “Brighten the Corners”). It’s like “What did this spawn from? Was it really just a short jam like that or was there a whole song that you’re not telling us about! Come on! Spill the beans!”. If you haven’t figured it out, yes, this really does bother me, and the worst part is we’ll probably never know. It’s also the only song on the album that doesn’t feature Berman’s unique mixture of a mundane singing voice and genius lyrics. “All my favorite singers couldn’t sing,” says Berman during “We Are Real”. I guess that’s his rebuttal. Another good track for lyrics would be “Blue Arrangements”, and I’ve got it for ya below. Unfortunately that’s all for today, it’s time to go to work, but check this stuff out.

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Country, Alternative, Folk
American Water: Tracklist:
1.) Random Rules
2.) Smith & Jones Forever
3.) Night Society
4.) Federal Dust
5.) People
6.) Blue Arrangements
7.) We Are Real
8.) Send in the Clouds
9.) Like Like the the the Death
10.) Buckingham Rabbit
11.) Honk If You’re Lonely
12.) The Wild Kindness

Buy the LP @ Insound!
Silver Jews – Official Website!
Silver Jews on Myspace

Son Drop – Deep in the Underbark

Yo guys. I’m really stoked on this album we have today – it’s called “Deep in the Underbark” by SON DROP. Son Drop is the moniker of James Duke, the mastermind behind the music, but he employs a band to play with him for live shows. This appears to be the first Son Drop release out there, and its packed to the brim with folky-pop jams with a sound that’s bound to remind you of a breezy, sunny Spring season without a cloud in the sky and a worry in the world. There’s also a bit of a psychedelic tinge worked in to the sound, but no matter what these songs would go great while driving to the beach with your windows down and the wind blowing all around you. Sometimes they remind me of Alex Bleeker & the Freaks, but that’s basically their sound in a nutshell. Breezy, sunny and Spring time – I think you get the idea.

One song that falls more into the psychedelic boat would probably be “The Sails Will Fill Out”. About halfway through the song just pops off into a sudden guitar solo, and Duke tears it up and melts our faces with a hell of a lick that continues on until the end of the song. Powerful stuff right there. Later into the album comes another one that leans a bit more towards the psychedelic side, and it’s called “Crystal Ball”. Duke again wows us with some magnificent lead guitar work that’s sure to force you to play this song at least one more time, and there’s even some brass worked in at the end of the song which adds a nice touch. But these aren’t the only kinds of songs you’re going to come across.

For example, “Fields of Corn” sounds nothing like the ones I just mentioned, and if there’s any song that’s going to feel the Spring season, it’s probably this one. I’m not sure if that’s a flute or what you can hear in there, but it really helps get that feeling across. If you like that one you’ll probably like the song “Molasses” too, but seriously, all of this stuff is great and just highly enjoyable (Way Up, Romulus is An Owl). Anything that can bring you back to Spring time get’s an thumbs up in my book. Do yourself a favor and listen below! You can even download the whole album!

Molasses –

Crystal Ball –

Way Up –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Pop, Folk Rock
Deep in the Underbark: Tracklist:
1.) Fields of Corn
2.) Salt Trucks
3.) Sunshine
4.) Go Leafs Go!
5.) Molasses
6.) The Sails Will Fill Out
7.) Shotgun Shell
8.) Way Up
9.) Rimulus Is an Owl
10.) Crystall Ball
11.) A Lamp in the Window

DOWNLOAD the album right here completely for free!!
Son Drop on Myspace
Son Drop on Last.fm

Cloud Nothings – Didn’t You 7″

Dylan Baldi burst onto the scene last year with Cloud Nothings and the release of his first CD-R “Turning On”, and ever since then he hasn’t looked back. There’s a few other cassettes and singles out there with the Cloud Nothings name on it, but most recently would be this 7″ that we have here today. It was put out this past June by Old Flame Records, and it falls right in to place with the songs from the “Turning On” CD. Both of the songs are brand new, and they’re both instantly catchy and just aching rope you in. Check out “Didn’t You” right below, while you can check out “Even If It Worked Out” on the Cloud Nothings Myspace. You know, upon first listen these songs made me think of the First Base records we covered last week. Listen for yourself below and see what you think. Yo sorry for the short post dudes but I’m moving into a new house today and I need all the time I can get.

Didn’t You –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Indie Rock, Pop
Didn’t You 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Didn’t You
2.) Even If It Worked Out

Cloud Nothings on Myspace
Buy the 7″ @ Insound!
Check out the “Turning On” CD-R from Bridgetown Records

Party Photographers – Let the Red Lights Riot 7″ EP

Today’s band comes from our hometown of Philadelphia, and that usually makes the music all the more interesting. It kind of gives you the feeling that you can reach out and contact these guys if you had to, and chances are you’ll always be nearby when they’re playing a show at home. Unfortunately they don’t have any shows listed at the moment, but we can be patient, right? These hometown-hero’s are going by the name PARTY PHOTOGRAPHERS, and this 7″ EP just happens to be their debut release of any sort! It’s also the debut release for Ian Records, so let’s give them a nice warm welcome.

Party Photographers are a four piece band consisting of two guys and two girls, and their names are Christian, Shane, Elizabeth, and Karlina. I’m not sure which person does what in the band, but together they play these mangled and moody lo-fi pop tunes with enough noise and fuzz to blow your mind. For example, B-side “D.A.F.H.B.” is a hard hitting track with face pounding drums that keep things moving along at a steady pace while the lead singer (Elizabeth or Karlina) urges us to tell her what we’re going through. I think I’d trust her, too. Also on the B-side is the song “Piano Vache”, which I’ve uploaded for you guys to listen below. The lead singers voice (again, Elizabeth or Karlina) sounds blissfully happy over the mix, leaving you with no other option but to smile and sing along with her “Na na na na naaa” harmonies. “It’s just imaginary,” she carelessly reminds us over and over again. The gritty lead guitar licks take her singing to the next level all while this song secretly buries itself under your skin. This was definitely a fantastic way for them to close out their debut 7″, and it leaves me with promising notions for their future releases. Hopefully we’ll hear more from these guys very soon. Check out their Myspace for other songs from the 7″.

Piano Vache –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Noise, Pop, Shoegaze
Let the Red Lights Riot 7″ EP: Tracklist:
1.) Let the Red Lights Riot
2.) Penn Treaty
3.) D.A.F.H.B.
4.) Piano Vache

Party Photographers on Myspace
BUY their 7″ from Ian Records

Forming – Forming 7″

Hey hey. Got something for you guys today, and I think you’re gonna like it. The name of the band is FORMING, and they’re from Long Beach, California, where they’re living the life and chillin’ …eternally. They’ve got two official releases out there for us – one of them being this 7″ we have here today and then a CD-EP called “Sleep Like a Dog” that were both put out by the same label.

Now I know this might be a stretch, but the singer in this band somewhat reminds me of Tim Kinsella from Cap’n Jazz, but certainly not in every way – just that raspy quality of his voice. I’m only saying this because I’ve been listening to a shit ton of Cap’n Jazz since that AWESOME show last Saturday, which you can still check out right here. But moving on…

This 7″ captures the bands raw energy quite nicely, with their heavy guitar driven jams and grieving lyrics about being drunk and unhappy and stuff. Perhaps the best example of raw energy comes about halfway through on the third track “BABCAB”, which is a fiery guitar solo that will certainly lighten the mood of the song, because chances are the lyrics aren’t going to do that. If you really want to talk about lyrics, skip ahead to the last track “Stay Home”. “Stay home tonight, turn out the lights…and cry for help” he screams about halfway through the track, only to have the song transfer over into this lazy stoner-jam until the final 30-seconds or so. They come back for a quick 30-second freak out at the end, which ultimately brings us to the end of the 7″. Listen to the two songs I just mentioned right below, and if that’s not enough for ya, head on over to their Myspace.

BABCAB –

Stay Home –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Rock, Alternative, Emo
Forming 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Hate My Guts
2.) The Night Before
3.) BABCAB
4.) Stay Home

Forming on Myspace
BUY the 7″ directly from Vitirol Records
Check out their CP-EP too, although it’s sold out – You can download it here

Whitesand/Badlands – Seeding the Clouds

YO. I have something special for you guys here today. I’m hoping that these sound waves are entering your ears for the very first time, mainly because it’s brand new music and it seems to be the bands first official release (but I’m not 100% sure on that).

That band would be known as WHITESAND/BADLANDS, and their 52-minute double LP was just released to the masses recently, and they would be more than happy to share it with YOU. They recorded their new LP at Sacred Heart Recording Studio, which just so happens to be a 19th century cathedral converted into a recording studio, and after learning that it almost seems too perfect that the record came out the way it did. They released the music in vinyl and mp3 format only, so to get these tunes you either gotta cough up the money for some brand new wax, or just buy some new mp3’s. But seriously, we all know which option is giving you more for your money. Just do yourself a huge favor and buy the vinyl.

Whitesand/Badlands have been around since at least 2008, and they’re currently made up of seven different members at most – but it’s usually just a combination/variation of those seven members. Andy Larson appears to be the constant frontman, although I’m not entirely sure about that – bear with me people, there’s not that much information out there to be found about these guys. While I can’t necessarily answer every question about the band, we can leave their music to do the rest of that for us.

Most of the songs from the LP are quite long, so it usually takes awhile for them to hit their mark, but each one does in due-time, and you’ll definitely notice the difference once they change things up. And it’s not a sudden burst of madness you should be looking for either, they do it all with much more subtlety. Some good examples of this would be on the longer tracks like “Magician’s Hat”, “Syntax Trees”, and “Sunburn”. Along with this, most of the songs have an underlying dark mood in them, at times sounding extremely eerie, tribal, or primitive. Primitive would probably work best with the song “Witch Hunting” or “Magician’s Hat”, while eerie would work best with “Brandspeakeasy”. Then you get much more welcoming jams like “Statue Park” and “Thought Leader”, but they still manage to change the direction of the song midway so you never get too comfortable with any sound.

“Thought Leader” takes about a minute to build up, and once it does you’ll find yourself in a mess of crunchy guitars and buzzy bass lines. It all ultimately leads up into a triumphant ending with some great little guitar licks during the final minute, making me go on to say that this might be one of the most accessible songs on the record. In a few of the other songs (“Sunburn”, “Brandspeakeasy”, “Syntax Trees”, etc) they bring out what sounds like a legitimate grand piano, and it really goes a long way in bringing the songs to life and giving them their own, unique (and much more serious) sound. But that’s enough from me – listen for yourself with the songs I left below. I had a tough time figuring out which ones to leave you all with too, so be sure to listen to them all. If you want more go to their SoundCloud page.

Witch Hunting –

Syntax Trees –

Thought Leader –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Experimental, Post-Rock
Seeding the Clouds: Tracklist:
1.) Angels on a Pinhead
2.) Witch Hunting
3.) Brandspeakeasy
4.) Statue Park
5.) Magician’s Hat
6.) Syntax Trees
7.) Sunburn
8.) Thought Leader
9.) False Prophets
10.) Whale Song

Buy the Double LP – Just send $25 to whitesandbadlands@gmail.com
Whitesand/Badlands – Official Website
Whitesand/Badlands blogspot
Listen to more from the LP on SoundCloud