EP – Page 20 – Styrofoam Drone

Alright, here we go. For today’s entry, I am going to cover the Wounded Knees, hailing from Dublin, Ireland by Troy, New York. This band is led by the man known as Jimi Shields who has also been a part of other bands such as Rollerskate Skinny and Lotus Crown. Jimi is also the brother of the guitarist from My Bloody Valentine, and you might already know him as Kevin Shields. As far as music goes, the band hasn’t released much yet. I know they have one EP up to this point. This EP came out back in 2008 on the NY-PA label Specific Recordings. It is still available over on that website if you’re interested. They only pressed 200 of them, and it’s on colored brown vinyl with screen printed jackets. I have a copy of it sitting right here as I type, and I must say it is a beautiful record. The EP has 5 songs, all original in their own way, and it clocks in at just over 20 minutes worth of music. One highlight I can’t help but mention is the epic track “Dirty (Exploding Sonic Dogfight)“. If you’re listening to the album from the beginning, by the time you get to this track, you would already know that the band has a flute player, ex-Mercury Rev flautist Suzanne Thorpe. What you may not have known, is that she can totally TEAR SHIT UP. LISTEN TO THAT FLUTE! Okay, okay, so the flute action is good. When you’re done listening to the flute, move your concentration over to the guitar work of J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. This, my friends, is also COLOSSAL. Adding this flute along with the guitar is a recipe for complete destruction. Unfortunately this is the only track featuring Mascis, but this song will keep you coming back for more, as well as every song from the EP. This EP is certainly worth hearing, so don’t waste any more time…check it out with the link below.

The Wounded Knees on Myspace

All Rise EP: Tracklist
1.) Mainstream Hate School
2.) All Rise
3.) Dirty (Exploding Sonic Dogfight)
4.) Surf the Urge (To Explode)
5.) Sonny Payne

All Rise EP: BUY

Hello! How are we all this afternoon? Today at the Styrofoam Drone, I have a band that some of you may have already had the pleasure of listening to. That band is known as Javelin. Javelin hails from Providence, Rhode Island via Brooklyn, New York. The group is made up of two cousins, Thomas van Buskirk and George Langford, who have been making this music together since 2004. The first release that Javelin put out, Jamz n Jemz, received some much deserved praise over the summer of 2009, and that’s when Javelin began to get the ball rolling. Since that release, things have been looking up for Javelin, because they landed a multiple record deal with Thrill Jockey and then another record deal with David Byrne’s Luaka Bop.

Recently, one of those records was put out by Thrill Jockey, and the title is simple enough: Javelin. They released it about a month ago on vinyl format only, and they only pressed 500 of them. If you’re looking to get one of those now, it’s a bit too late, because they’re all sold out, but all is well, because that is the album I have for you today! With this release, they recycled old “dollar-bin” record sleeves, screen-printed the name “Javelin” on the front, pasted a track list on the back, and then sent them out to their loyal fans.

With their next release from Thrill Jockey, they’re getting even more creative with the record sleeve recycling. Check out this idea here. Instead of just having the new Javelin record inserted into and old, random, record sleeve, this time, you have the opportunity to pick your very own record sleeve for the Javelin record. That’s right, you can pick your own album art. Here’s what you need to do if you want to participate:
1.) Find an old record jacket.
2.) Mail it to Thrill Jockey by January 18th with your address written on the inside (Thrill Jockey address here)
3.) Place your order at Thrill Jockey when the album is released (February 16th, 2010) and write “MY JACKET” in the order message.
4.) Throw in 5$ and a blank shirt/hoodie and they’ll print you your very own piece of Javelin merchandise along with your record. Cool!

So the record will be released on Feb. 16th from Thrill Jockey, and it’s titled “Number Two”, and as for the custom record sleeves, I will be participating. I encourage you all to do the same. Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow…or even later today.

Javelin Tracklist:
1.) Lindsey Brohan
2.) Unforgettable Super Lady
3.) Soda Popinski
4.) Radio
5.) TWYCE

Javelin: MYSPACE
Copies of the 12″ record still available at Insound: BUY