You Can Be a Wesley – Heard Like Us

Alright, so I’m pretty sure I know what you’re thinking right now. You Can Be a Wesley?? Yes actually, You Can Be a Wesley. That is the name of this band. And you better get used to it, because chances are You Can Be a Wesley are going finagle their way into your brain, and once that happens, it’s going to be too late. The damage has already been done.

You Can Be a Wesley hail from the wonderful city of Boston, and the band is made up of 4 members. Saara Untracht-Oakner takes vocal duties, and she is certainly a force to be reckoned with in this band. Her voice is that of a goddess – so clear and it stands out so well in the recordings that you may not even believe your ears at first listen. She is backed up by her immensely talented band mates – Winston, Nick and Dan – who all create Earth-shattering songs dominated by epic guitar licks and relentless, crashing drums. You Can Be a Wesley totally caught me off guard (I bought their LP on a whim, it was affordable I had no idea what I was getting into), and I hope they do the same for you.

“Heard Like Us” is a little over a half hour long, and it’s equally powerful and ambitious at the same time. The album kicks off on the instrumental track “6/8 Tengo”. Although it’s instrumental and you’re not getting the full YCBAW treatment just yet, this track still sets the tone for the rest of the album. It kind of hints at what’s in store for you later into the album, and they do a pretty good job with it. There’s a mysterious feeling mixed in somewhere in there between the ground-shaking bass lines. Next up would be the song “Stuck in a Battle”, and this is when full-throttle YCBAW begins.

The song starts off with a quick burst of happiness as everybody yells “Hey hey!” and there’s no looking back from there. You’re going to be a YCBAW fan shortly after. At least I think so. Saara’s voice hangs over our heads as she howls through the song, on top of hi-hat rolls and nasty guitar licks. For the last 30 seconds of the song it’s them straight up rocking out before the song comes to a close. Coming up next is the track “Kiddie Pool”, which they start out with a laid back intro as Saara continues to grace us with her wonderful voice. They kick it up right around the 1 minute mark as Saara sings “I remember it all”. This is one of the songs on the record that gives this band a sort of folk tinge, mainly due to the guitars. A bit past the midway mark and Saara is singing “Kiddie pool with a popsicle”, evoking summery childhood feelings of when you used to hang out in your backyard with your cousins without a single worry or care in the world. They continue on as Saara sings “And it stuck in my head”, possibly referring to one of her earlier childhood memories that she could never quite shake off, good or bad memories alike.

Skipping ahead to the song “Creatures”. The rhythm section kicks off this song, and shortly after they’re joined by the rest of the band. Saara then lets us know that she’s “been dreaming about creatures, coming from dunes on foggy beaches.” She claims that she’s trying to avoid them, but they just keep creeping on back. The song continues on like this for awhile until they change it up right around the 3 minute mark and they begin to pick up some momentum. They ride this momentum out until it can’t be contained anymore as Saara shrieks and the guitars and everything else comes at us full-throttle. Once that’s over they let us catch our breath again and take a step back on the intensity as the song comes to an end. Next up would be the folky goodness of the track “Make Up Your God”, which Saara urges us to do time and time again throughout the song. Her voice sways back and forth during the song – almost as if it’s riding a wave – and it’s enough to make you want to share this band with the world, hence why I’m writing this post. There are still two more songs on the album, but I’m running out of time. Be sure to listen to the songs I have for you below, this way you can decide if you feel the same way about You Can Be a Wesley. One thing we still don’t know – even after listening to the album countless times – is who the hell is Wesley? I guess that’s up for interpretation? Either way, fabulous stuff right here. Check it out below.

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Folk Rock, Indie Rock
Heard Like Us: Tracklist
1.) 6/8 Tengo
2.) Stuck in a Battle
3.) Kiddie Pool
4.) Wildlife
5.) Creatures
6.) Make Up Your God
7.) Fourth Walls
8.) Rearrange the Sea

You Can Be a Wesley – Official Website!
You Can Be a Wesley on Myspace
Download the album here!

The Babies – All Things Come to Pass 7″

About two weeks ago we covered the latest 7″ single from Brooklyn super group The Babies. Now, today, we have the original debut 7″ from these guys. The 7″ was put out by Wild Word Records, and they’re actually sold out of them at this point, but there’s a message there that says a repress is coming soon. Be patient, we’ll just have to wait for that one. As opposed to the latter 7″, Cassie Ramone takes lead vocal duties on this one while Kevin Morby takes care of the guitar. Justin Sullivan plays the drums, and Nate Stark plays the bass. These guys all play in other bands from New York – Vivian Girls, Woods, Bossy, and Stupid Party, respectively.

I know I said this before, but switching back and forth between the two 7″ singles from this band, it’s almost like two completely different bands. That would be due to the vocal switch up, as Kevin Morby takes the mic on the latest Babies 7″, while Ramone holds down the vocals on this one. The 7″ kicks off on the poppy self-titled track “All Things Come to Pass”, and this one is bound to put a smile on your face. Ramone reminds us not to be “sad when it’s over and done”, but that’s posing to be very difficult considering how uplifting and happy this song can be. Flipping over to the b-side “Caroline”, they change things up a bit. For the first two minutes of the track, Morby builds up the momentum with some fantastic guitar work, and slowly but surely he is joined by the rest of the band. They begin to get louder as the cymbals start crashing, and Ramone sings almost as if she’s trying to get somebodies attention. In this case, it’s Caroline. Check it out for yourself right below!

All Things Come to Pass –

Caroline –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Lo-Fi
All Things Come to Pass 7″: Tracklist
1.) All Things Come to Pass
2.) Caroline

The Babies on Myspace
BUY the All Things Come to Pass 7″ directly from Wild World Records
Meet Me in the City 7″ previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone!
Watch the Babies and Titus Andronicus perform live in Philly!

Top Surprise – Everything Must Go EP

Top Surprise is a brand new band formed out of the unexpected country of Brazil. Before listening to these guys for the first time, all I could say I knew about them was their name. I downloaded their album (FOR FREE!) about a week ago, and since then, I’m finding it very difficult to not listen to these guys. Before I go any further, I would like to announce that you too can download this great EP, entirely for free! Just click this link! It’s that simple. These guys play hard, and they play loud. This is one of those albums that you need to play with the volume all the way up. It’s noisy. It’s loud. It’s mothafuckin’ Top Surprise.

Opening track “Samsara” starts off the EP, and it certainly doesn’t take long before things get loud. Any listener will know right away whether they’re going to like this band or not, because noisy pop rock certainly isn’t for everybody. Lead singer André takes lead vocals, and he is backed up by female counterpart known as Boo, who at times can be very difficult to hear in the mix, but she’s there, just listen carefully! Following track “Saturn (The Season)” starts off with the boy-girl vocal duo, and this one starts to get deep into the noise. Drummer Fil starts beating the hell out of his drum set a bit past the 1 minute mark, and that’s when the noise comes in. Screeching guitars and indecipherable lyrics dominate the mix, and shortly after the 2 minute mark they give you a chance to catch your breath. The drawn out guitars and snare hits progressively get softer and softer, giving this part of the song a demonic feel, and before you know it the shit hits the fan and they’re at it again.

Next track “More than Cool” can definitely be tagged as a highlight for this EP. Unfortunately it’s less than 2 minutes long, but it brings a lot to the Top Surprise table. The rhythm guitar screams nothing other than having a good time, while the squealing solos in this one are enough to melt the skin right off of your precious face. An unexpectedly satisfying song this one was. I’m not entirely sure how this band does it, but they keep hitting that mark. You really need to listen to this song below. Next track “Home” starts off with a murky bass line and quick little noise blasts from the guitar. Things continue on this way for most of the song until the end when they turn up the intensity a bit. The guitars become even more overbearing and the bass line gets drowned in yet another layer of fuzz. Skipping ahead to the longest song on the EP “I Shoot the Devil”. This one starts out sounding like a rip-rockin’ good time, followed by more of lead singer André and backup singer Boo and their completely unintelligible boy-girl vocals. Some nice little guitar licks come up on this one, and as the song comes to a close they speed things up, only to slow back down to bring the song to its end. Last but not least would be the final track “80 Comes”, which isn’t quite like the rest of the EP. This one falls into a category of its own, and like myself, chances are you won’t see this one coming. It’s simple, laid back, and easy going. The acoustic guitar has a welcoming tone, and you can actually hear lead singer André in this one! Guys, don’t waste any more of your time. Hurry up and download the EP and start listening right away. You’ll be happy you did. And as always, thanks for coming by, and be sure to check back again tomorrow!

Saturn (The Season) –

More than Cool –

I Shoot the Devil –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Lo-Fi, Pop
Everything Must Go EP: Tracklist
1.) Samsara
2.) Saturn (The Season)
3.) More than Cool
4.) Home
5.) Lagarto Drugs
6.) I Shoot the Devil
7.) 80 Comes

Top Surprise on Myspace
BUY the EP on cassette directly from Pug Records!
DOWNLOAD the entire EP, completely for free!

Vermillion Sands – Vermillion Sands

Here’s something that we’ve been waiting for for awhile now. It’s the first full length record from Italy’s own Vermillion Sands. The album was released a little over a month ago at this point (April 10th), and it was put out by the Alien Snatch! Records label. Up until this point, the Vermillion Sands were getting by simply by releasing a new 7″ every few months or so, but now we finally have a proper release from the gritty garage rocking 4-some that is the Vermillion Sands. Lead singer Anna Barattin fearlessly takes vocal duties all the way through the album, and is backed up by her band mates who plow through songs with galloping drum beats, tense bass lines and jangly guitars.

The album kicks off on the fast paced “In the Wood”, which originally came from the In the Wood 7″ that came out back in February 2009. This song gives you a good taste at what the Vermillion Sands sound like, and it works well as an opening track. It has a small piece of all the elements that Vermillion Sands have had in the past; such as Barattin’s nasally, heavily accented voice, crunchy guitars or the fast-paced nonstop action. The second track on the album, “Monsoon Blues”, is the first song on the record that wasn’t previously put out on a 7″ that we had covered. It’s a bit slowed down, which gives it kind of a menacing feel, almost like you’re in a room that’s spinning around without ever taking a moment to stop.

The next track “Wake Me When I Die” may be a familiar one. This track came from the first record the Vermillion Sands had ever put out, the outstanding Mary 7″, which is probably the most solid of all their 7″ records to date. Moving on to track four, this one is another brand new VS song. It’s called “The Last Day”, and it’s got those extremely tense bass lines and jangly guitars that we have mentioned before. The following track “Peter Peter” totally changes the mood completely from the last track. When this one starts off it’s going to sound like you’re hanging out in a barnyard on a farm somewhere, but one thing that is for sure is that this guy Peter sounds like he’s having a rough time. Lead singer Barattin sings “Once he used to have great fun, and now he’s coming with a gun.” Definitely keep your eyes peeled for this Peter guy – he doesn’t sound too pleasant, and apparently, he’s got a gun. Hell, he couldn’t even keep his wife. Either way though, this is an excellent track. Be sure to check this one out below.

Moving ahead to the track “Star Light Star Bright”, this song kind of follows a similar path of the song “Monsoon Blues”. It’s has that restless feel to it, not to mention the strained bass line and it’s relentless approach. It’s not a surprise that it’s the shortest song on the record considering how fast it is. Next up would be “Weary & Weak”, which takes a step back and gives you a chance to catch your breath, unlike the previous track. About halfway through on this one a noisy guitar comes in to shake things up for a few seconds, and then pops up again in the final minute before the song ends, all while the spaced out lead guitar hangs above your head and guides you through the song. Next track “Warm Up” starts off in familiar Vermillion Sands territory before moving into a ridiculously fuzzed-out guitar solo, which is sure to catch you by surprise. Skipping ahead to the last track “Ghost Song”, this one is in a department of its own. Barattin’s echoing, drowned out vocals sound as if she’s floating through space somewhere without ever coming back down. It’s got quite a different feel to it that wasn’t anywhere else on the album, which leaves you wondering where these Italian garage rockers are going to bring us next. Until then, we’ll just have to guess. Thanks for coming by once again, and please be sure to listen to the mp3’s below.

Wake Me When I Die –

Peter Peter –

Weary & Weak –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Folk Rock, Italian
Vermillion Sands s/t: Tracklist
1.) In the Wood
2.) Monsoon Blues
3.) Wake Me When I Die
4.) The Last Day
5.) Peter Peter
6.) Razors
7.) Star Light Star Bright
8.) Weary & Weak
9.) Warm Up
10.) Sew My Heart
11.) Ghost Song

Vermillion Sands on Myspace
BUY the Vermillion Sands s/t directly from Alien Snatch! Records
Something Wrong 7″ previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
In the Wood 7″ previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Miss My Gun EP previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Mary 7″ previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone

Mount Carmel – Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel is a fairly new 3-piece band who hail from the wonderful Columbus, Ohio. Almost exactly one month ago, their debut album, the self-titled “Mount Carmel”, was released by Siltbreeze Records, and ever since, it’s been stirring up quite a bit of excitement. Much of that excitement would be due to the albums raw, invigorating sound that brings people back to their days in the 60’s (or 70’s) of blues rock and when it was just beginning to make waves. With that being said, it sounds like this record was recorded straight out of the 70’s, which certainly gives it more of an authentic feel. Going by the Siltbreeze description of the album, chances are you’re going to hear “Peter Green-era Bluesbreakers, Cream and Ten Years After” in their sound (and they actually cover the song “Hear Me Callin” by Ten Years After). Fine by me! Bring it on!

The album kicks off on the track “Livin Like I Wanna”, and it won’t take long for you to figure out what direction this is going, especially if you read the paragraph above. Shortly into the song lead singer Matthew Reed joins in the mix, and it’s pretty much a done-deal after that. His howling vocals go a long way in giving these guys that 70’s rock sound, although most of that would be due to the instrumentation, but his vocals still play a major role in the sound. Not only are Reed’s vocals essential, but the guitar plays an even greater role. Throughout the entire record, the guitars have a beyond-satisfying raw and electrifying sound, complete with face-searing guitar solos and catchy, memorable hooks. Some of these earth-shattering guitar solos can be found in tracks like “Livin Like I Wanna”, “Still Listening”, “ZZ Breakers”, and pretty much all throughout the entire 40 minutes of the record. That’s no exaggeration either, every song has it’s moment – whether it’s the 3 minute drum attack or an onslaught of guitar solos and letting the good times roll – this album is bound to keep you listening. Why not find out for yourself and check out the songs below?!

Livin Like I Wanna –

Still Listening –

ZZ Breakers –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Blues Rock, Psychedelic
Mount Carmel: Tracklist
1.) Livin Like I Wanna
2.) Still Listening
3.) ZZ Breakers
4.) Sacksburg
5.) Hear Me Callin (Ten Years After cover)
6.) I Work While You’re Sleeping
7.) Studio Jam

Mount Carmel on Myspace
Mount Carmel on Facebook
BUY the “Mount Carmel” LP directly from Siltbreeze Records

Satàn – Lick My Feet 7″

Hey guys, what’s going on? I don’t have much time for a big post today, so I’m going to do my best to keep it short. First of all, I would like to send a shout out to my Philadelphia Flyers, who successfully rallied from a 3-0 deficit in their best-of-seven-games series to come back and defeat the Boston Bruins in the series, 4-3. This officially makes the Philadelphia Flyers the third team ever in NHL history to rebound from a 3-0 deficit, and then come back to completely win it all in Game 7. History has been made people. Thank you Flyers, and good luck in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. Now, onto the music.

A little over a week ago I received an e-mail from the good people at the record label “Shit Music for Shit People”, a record label based out of Italy/ Portugal. They offered the songs from their most recent 7″, which just so happens to be the bands debut release. The band is Satàn, and they’re quite good. Their Myspace says that they’re from Italy and France, so I’m not entirely sure where these guys come from, but that doesn’t necessarily matter. Satàn plays an infectious blend of garage rock mixed in with some noisy elements and sound effects, sometimes sounding like their Italian friends the Vermillion Sands. None of the songs from the 7″ are on their Myspace, but don’t worry, I’ll take care of that. There are still a handful of other songs you can listen to on their Myspace, so why not give it a shot? You never know! Thanks for checking again today, and sorry for the short post. Be sure to check back yet again tomorrow!

Lick My Feet –

More Funny than a Mini Horse –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Noise Rock
Lick My Feet 7″: Tracklist
1.) Lick My Feet
2.) More Funny than a Mini Horse
3.) Satàn
4.) Loin de Moi

J. C. Satàn on Myspace
Shit Music for Shit People Records!
BUY the Satàn 7″ directly from Shit Music for Shit People

White Fence – White Fence

White Fence is the one-man bedroom pop outfit led by the one and only Tim Presley. Presley plays in a few other bands aside from White Fence, so you could consider White Fence more of a side-project before anything. Presley currently plays guitar and sings in the band Darker My Love, and he is listed as a band member on the Strange Boys Myspace page, being credited for “vocals and laughs”. Presley’s first full length album by himself came out just this year in 2010, and it was released on CD and digitally by Woodsist Records, while Make a Mess Records took care of the vinyl format. Woodsist rules and everything, but I’m going to have to suggest you buy the vinyl format for this one.

From beginning to end, this record is jam-packed with short, hazy lo-fi garage gems that are bound to crawl under your skin one way or another. Given that there are 16 tracks on the record, there’s a pretty good chance that at least one of these songs will catch you and keep you coming back for more. Whether it’s a gritty sounding psychedelic track (“Destroy Everything”) or a laid back bluesy guitar jam (“Hard Finish on Mirror Mile”), this album has the goods to reel you in and keep you hooked. The album starts off on the track “Mr. Adams”, and it’s sure to give you a taste of what the rest of the record is going to sound like. That lo-fi haze is immediately noticeable, and then Presley’s eerie, bone chilling vocals come into play. “Mr. Adams” plays directly into the next track “Who Feels Right”, which continues on in this lo-fi, haunting vocals fashion. The drumming keeps going steadily as Presley howls over everything to bring the track to an end.

“Slaughter on the Sunset Strip” definitely falls onto the blues side of the White Fence before anything else. About halfway through this track there is a nasally sounding lick, and then the twangy lead guitar finds it’s way back into the mix to lead you out. Next up would be the totally blissed out “I’ll Follow You”, which just so happens to be the longest song on the record. Bells, maracas and an incredibly fuzzy guitar solo dominate this tune, and it all gets put on hold for the final minute of the track while Presley takes us out on some acoustic guitar. Next track “The Love Between” can either be a hit or miss. The repeating keyboards could easily be enough to drive any listener mad, but then Presley’s spaced out and broken up guitar solo at the end change the vibe completely. Skipping ahead to “Destory Everything”, this could be one of the highlights from the record. The distorted guitar riff in the beginning is enough to give any listener a headache, but the heavy distortion goes a long way in giving this song an increasingly fuzzy and static-like feeling. Right around the one and a half minute mark Presley graces us with a hell of a fuzzed-guitar solo, and that brings us to the end of the song. That’s the end for this review, but it doesn’t have to be over just yet. Listen to the few songs I have for you below, and as always, be sure to come back again tomorrow!

I’ll Follow You –

Destroy Everything –

Hard Finish on Mirror Mile –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Garage Rock, Psychedelic
White Fence: Tracklist
1.) Mr. Adams
2.) Who Feels Right
3.) Slaughter on Sunset Strip
4.) I’ll Follow You
5.) The Love Between
6.) Sara Snow
7.) Baxter Corner
8.) The Gallery
9.) Tildas
10.) Destroy Everything
11.) Ring Around a Square
12.) Box Disease, Today Bond
13.) Hard Finish on Mirror Mile
14.) I Need You
15.) Sick Doctor Blues
16.) Be Right Too

White Fence on Myspace
BUY the White Fence s/t directly from Make a Mess Records!
White Fence Art Collective Blog

Light Pollution – Apparitions

Light Pollution is a four-piece band that hails from Chicago, IL, and they’re currently in the process of releasing their first full length album, “Apparitions”. “Apparitions” is due out on Carpark Records on June 15th, which means we still have a good bit of time to wait until this one is physically released. The band had one previous release before this, and it was a self-titled, self-released 12″ EP that I can’t seem to find any significant information on anywhere on the web. The best information I found came directly from Light Pollutions Myspace where they show a picture of the EP’s cover art. This band plays a familiar form of indie rock, but they add another element to the music that changes things up. Instead of keeping it simple with the usual instruments, they throw in crazy sound effects and sonic textures that are enough to make your head spin. At times it feels like this band is playing with an entire orchestra behind them.

The album kicks off with the appropriately named “Good Feelings”, and the sound effects that come in go a long way in producing actual good feelings. This can already give you an idea of what the rest of the music might be like, but you don’t want to make any assumptions just yet. This album goes deep with the sound effects in many spots, but on this opening track they do a nice job of keeping the balance between sound effects and the traditional instruments – Neither one of the two overcome each other in the song. Right in the middle there is a nice but quick guitar solo, and the ending of the song is brought by huge drum attacks that are sure to leave you floored. The effects continue on until the very end when the song fades out, and then you’re in the next track, “Oh, Ivory!”.

“Oh, Ivory!” may just be the most accessible song on this album. Alongside of that, this song is also the shortest on the album. It starts off quite unlike any of the other tracks, immediately sounding quite poppy and bubbly. For most of this song they leave behind the heavy sound effects and keep it minimal for the song, never getting too involved with the textures and effects on this one. This is also one of the songs that sounds like they have an entire orchestra backing them up. They build the song up into a hell of an exit, sounding as if they just overcame a monstrous task, and now this is their triumphant exit. Heavenly ending right here. I would love to live in the mood that’s at the end of this song. Next up would be the song “Drunk Kids”, which doesn’t entirely live up to the song we just heard before. Definitely a less ambitious sound on this track. They slow it down significantly with a grooving bass line and a lazy drum beat that hold the song together, while the drowsy vocals work wonders for giving the song more of that lazy feel. There is definitely no sense of urgency in this song like there have been in the previous two. But moving on.

“Fever Dreams” is up next, and they get into the heavy sound effects on this track. The drumming throughout the song is relentless, with little rolls and fills taking any spot they possibly can. After a lengthy outro of effects and splashing cymbals, the next track “Deyci, Right On” begins. This song is quite drawn out and slow in the beginning, but soon the drums come in to start things off. Even after the drums kick things off, it’s still a slow song. The next track “Bad Vibes” starts off like it’s coming up from being underwater, and it continues to build up into some tribal sounding tom-tom action. The song continues to build up into something more, as they progressively get louder and more involved with the instruments and sound effects. There is a fuzzy, hazy-like texture used over this song, which makes it sound like they’re playing from inside a bubble or something, but this is quite an epic ending to the song. They continue on this way until the song suddenly comes to an end.

The next song “All Night Outside” brings us back to familiar territory, as the friendly guitar comes back to start this one off (but not immediately, you gotta get through about 15 seconds of sounds first). They go for more instrumentation in this one and keep the effects at a minimum for now, but that doesn’t mean the effects are absent entirely. A short bit after the halfway mark the song takes an unexpected turn, and then comes a huge guitar solo that’s drowned out by immense cymbal smashing and hazy, wind-like sound effects. Now it seems like these guys are rocking out in the midst of a thunderstorm. Skipping ahead to the last song on the album, “Ssslowdreamsss”. Slowdreams is the longest song on the album, and it’s woozily evocative right from the get go. The swirling, spinning sound effects above your head could easily make you dizzy, and it sounds like you can reach out and grasp the song if you wanted to. As opposed to a traditional song, this moody track is more of a sound scape than anything. Pretend you’re floating through space on this one.

Good Feelings –

Oh, Ivory! –

All Night Outside –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie, Pop, Experimental
Apparitions: Tracklist
1.) Good Feelings
2.) Oh, Ivory!
3.) Drunk Kids
4.) Fever Dreams
5.) Deyci, Right On
6.) Bad Vibes
7.) All Night Outside
8.) Witchcraft
9.) Ssslowdreamsss

Light Pollution on Myspace
Carpark Records Website
Preorder “Apparitions” over at Insound for June 8th!

Titus Andronicus – “Feats of Strength”

Earlier this year, Titus Andronicus released their sophomore effort “The Monitor”. Since then, the band has been touring the country pretty much non-stop, and they’re about to continue the touring-madness again on May 15th when they head out to Utrecht in the Netherlands. They’ll be making stops all throughout Europe on this short leg of their tour, and they’ll be touring straight on through until May 27th, only taking one day out (on the 26th) to take a break from it all. This definitely can’t be an easy thing to do.

What I have here for you guys today is a brand new, unofficial fan-made collection of demos, b-sides, and live tracks from Titus Andronicus – all pre-2010 stuff. So unless it’s the original version of “To Old Friends and New”, you’re not going to find anything to do with their most recent release “The Monitor”. This is all “Airing of Grievances” era material, and it’s a significant amount of tracks, ranging from the version of “Albert Camus” from the “Library of Congress” days, all the way up until 2009. Some of the track names on the list they have are titled incorrectly, for example “Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ” did not come from the Camus 7″. It came on a 7″ that originally came from Shake Appeal Records. That song should instead be titled “Upon Viewing Brueghel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”. Except for this tiny flaw, this compilation is quite a good one. Well worth it for any Titus Andronicus fan out there, especially if you’re a fan of their earlier recordings, meaning that this is mostly the ‘lo-fi’ stuff. Included on the comp is an acoustic version of frontman Patrick Stickles playing “No Future Part 1”, which was a very pleasant surprise. You can listen to that one down below, along with a few other tracks.

Whoever came up with the name of this comp did an excellent job by the way, because “Feats of Strength” is almost too perfect. This is a comp of all of the earlier material Titus Andronicus had to offer, and it just goes to show you that these guys having been doing it right since day one. It’s almost like saying these “feats of strength” were only foreshadowing what Titus Andronicus will do for us shortly down the road. With that being said, it’s no question these guys are out touring non-stop right now.

Be sure to head on over to the fansite Titusandronic.us to download the entire compilation yourself!

Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ (EP/ 7″ Version) –

Albert Camus (Library of Congress/ Seizing Elian version) –

No Future: Part 1 (Acoustic) –

Genre/ Tags: Punk, Lo-Fi, Shoegaze
“Feats of Strength” Tracklist:
1.) Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ (Titus Andronicus EP)
2.) Titus Andronicus (Titus Andronicus EP)
3.) Talking Oral Fixation Blues (Titus Andronicus EP)
4.) Arms Against Atrophy (Titus Andronicus EP)
5.) To Old Friends and New (Titus Andronicus EP)
6.) Albert Camus (Camus 7-inch)
7.) Upon Viewing Brueghel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (Camus 7-inch)
8.) Albert Camus (Seizing Elian)
9.) Every Time I See The Light Part One (Titus Andronicus b-side)
10.) Every Time I See The Light Part Two (Titus Andronicus b-side)
11.) Landscape with the Fall of Icarus – (2006-06-28)
12.) Christmas Calculator (VCR cover, 2007-01-31)
13.) Say it Ain’t So (Weezer cover, 2007-10-20)
14.) Titus Andronicus Forever (2008-06-21)
15.) Roadrunner (Modern Lovers cover, 2009-02-23)
16.) No Future (Patrick solo, 2009-05)

DOWNLOAD Titus Andronicus – “Feats of Strength”

Check it out more in-depth right here at Titusandronic.us
The Library of Congress previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Titus Andronicus live w/ the Babies previously on the Drone
Titus Andronicus live at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ
Titus Andronicus – The Innocents Abroad: First post on the Styrofoam Drone

Male Bonding – Nothing Hurts

Hey. Today is May 11th, 2010, the official release day for the newest album “Nothing Hurts” by Male Bonding. So I figured covering “Nothing Hurts” today was extremely appropriate.

The album is being released by Sub Pop Records today, and it’s their first full length album to date. Male Bonding hail from a place called Dalston in London, which Sub Pop refers to as a “gentrification-proof London neighborhood with ample ‘lo-fi’ bands and Turkish restaurants.” Interesting. We don’t exactly know if the town of Dalston has an influence on their playing style, but either way I’m sure Male Bonding would continue to serve up these quick, high-intensity noise pop songs that are almost always played a breakneck speeds. With that being said, there’s not a song on the album that’s longer than 3 minutes, and the album as a whole is barely a half hour long, clocking in at 29 minutes.

On “Nothing Hurts”, just about every last song can find it’s way into your brain and embed itself there for days. Every song on the record has it’s hook, making every one of these songs dangerously catchy and bound to keep your finger on the ‘repeat’ button. Whether it’s a screeching guitar solo (like on “Your Contact”, “Crooked Scene”, “Nothing Remains” or “Pumpkin”), or it’s a pulsing, groovy bass line (like on “All Things This Way”, or “Nothing Used to Hurt”), chances are you’re going to like this band. Aside from these things, they also make liberal use of the cowbell in a few of their songs, like on “Crooked Scene” or “Pirate Key”, which at first might catch the listener off guard. The ending of “Pirate Key” is especially interesting, as the cowbell brings the song to a close.

The song “Weird Feelings” starts off with a swollen, fuzzy bass line, and then almost immediately another squealing guitar hook comes into play, bringing these two elements of their music together in an almost perfect fashion. Get about three-quarters through the song and you’ll hear another quick but fulfilling guitar solo, thus proving that these guys really know how to hit that mark. Until that solo comes up, the song was good, but as soon as it plays, chances are you’re going to be wide-eyed and thinking “Where did that come from!?” Not to mention the quick use of the cowbell again at the end of the solo. All that being said, I think this would qualify as one of the highlights from this album. Not too long after “Weird Feelings” comes the song “T.U.F.F.”. “T.U.F.F.” is a culmination of just about everything last aspect of their music that I mentioned before this sentence. Specifically placed cowbells, head-spinning guitar hooks, breakneck speeds, crashing cymbals, and a bass line that just rips through the song without ever looking back to see the damage it has done.

While most of their songs do follow this pattern, there are a small handful that don’t. The oddly named “Franklin” and then the closing track “Worse to Come”. You may notice that these two songs don’t necessarily fit in as well as the others upon first listening to “Nothing Hurts”, but these two go a long way for showing the diversity that Male Bonding could have in their seemingly endless bag of sprawling, head spinning noise rock. “Franklin” creates quite an obscure feeling and could most easily be described as indistinct or ambiguous. With that being said, I’m not entirely sure what they were shooting for with this song, but it still certainly fits into the record, strangely enough. If that’s got you curious, then do yourself a huge favor and listen to these songs below.

Weird Feelings –

T.U.F.F. –

Franklin –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Grunge, Lo-Fi
Nothing Hurts: Tracklist
1.) Year’s Not Long
2.) All Things This Way
3.) Your Contact
4.) Weird Feelings
5.) Franklin
6.) Crooked Scene
7.) T.U.F.F.
8.) Nothing Remains
9.) Nothing Used to Hurt
10.) Pirate Key
11.) Paradise Vendors
12.) Pumpkin
13.) Worse to Come