dd/mm/yyyy – Black Square

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Post Punk, Experimental, Canadian

dd/mm/yyyy may or may not be a band you have already familiarized yourself with. If you already have discovered them up to this point, then good job. If not, well then I suggest you stick around and read this post, and then perhaps you’ll be interested enough to check out the band.

Most importantly about the band, their name is pronounced “day month year”. Their first release came out back in 2004, but the members of the band had been practicing together for a year already, beginning the band 2003. dd/mm/yyyy hail from the second biggest continent in the world, Canada, coming specifically out of the largest city in Canada, Toronto. Currently, the band has 5 members, and they are all currently on tour in the UK before they come over to the US for the SXSW shows that are happening in the Texas area.

Depending on who you talk to, you could say that dd/mm/yyyy’s most recent release is their most defined to date, but with the way the band is constantly changing things up, it’s difficult to pin down an accurate statement. Once you have an idea, their music is changing so fast that you’re not too sure if you want to speak it aloud anymore. Some things that can easily and most definitely be said about the band is that the music is usually fast, with frantic guitar licks and urgent vocals – possibly even arguably mysterious or creepy at times with a song like “They” or “My Glasses”. Other songs like the first track “Bronzage” and the final track “Digital Haircut” feature these more rabid and spazzed out guitar licks mentioned above. This really goes to show how the band can go directly from one sound to the next, and this is definitely not something every band is known for doing. Other tracks from the album such as “No Life”, “Birdtown”, and “I’m Still in the Walls” are more or less dominated by the electronic keyboards that sound like they come right from an old school Nintendo or Sega Genesis. Other tracks like “Lismer”, “$50,000 Guitar Gear”, and “Sirius B” might as well leave you saying (or thinking) “Wow”. If you disagree with anything I just said, one thing that I hope we could agree on is that this band surely has it’s own unique sound. Before listening to dd/mm/yyyy, I had never heard music quite like this. The most accurate and short description I came across about the band was found on their Wikipedia page, and it reads “The nature of dd/mm/yyyy’s music is explained as a mess of spastic, specially challenged art rock with jagged, diamondback guitars, ’80s video game synthesizers, and drums that roll with all the punches of the discordant dreamy vocals”. Yeah. Enjoy.

Tracklist: Black Square
1. Bronzage
2. No Life
3. They
4. Infinity Skull Cube
5. My Glasses
6. Birdtown
7. Sirius B
8. lismer
9. Real Eyes
10. $50,000 Guitar Gear
11. I’m Still In The Walls
12. Digital Haircut

dd/mm/yyyy – Official Website
dd/mm/yyyy on the MyyySpaaace
Black Square/ all dd/mm/yyyy releases – BUY!!!

Volcano Suns – The Bright Orange Years

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Post-Punk, Alternative, Rock

The 1980’s were a fun time, with musical outfits such as U2, R.E.M., David Bowie, Michael Jackson, and Madonna dominating the scene. Alongside of that, the 1980’s were also heavily influenced with the emergence of synthpop and electronic music, with songs like this one right here. This was one of the best selling songs at the time, and it played a huge role in the constantly growing genre of electronic music during the 80’s. Now while all of this was going on, three dudes from Boston, Massachusetts decided to completely ditch the synthesizers and go with a style of music that was certainly not as popular as all the emerging synthpop, and I must commend them for this.

The Volcano Suns initially formed in 1984 after the break up of Mission of Burma in their already mentioned hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. For most of their early years, the band was a three piece consisting of Peter Prescott on drums, Jeff Weigand on bass guitar, and Jon Williams on guitar, with Prescott being the only member to remain in the band until it’s break up in 1991. This original three piece line-up would play together for the first two releases of the Volcano Suns discography – their debut in 1985, “The Bright Orange Years”, and 1986’s “All Night Lotus Party”.

Today I have their debut LP for you to listen and love, and love it you shall. The album is bursting with raw energy, with just about every song forcing you to somehow tap along and keep the beat, and at times while listening, I actually recall similarities to the band White Denim. The recording quality of the music also does wonders for their sound; that being said, I don’t think I would favor them as much if it was overproduced. If you have never heard these guys, please do yourself a favor and HEAR THEM. I was going to go through and name which songs stand out before the rest, but then I noticed I was just listing the tracklist from the album. Be sure to be on the lookout for more Volcano Suns in the near future.

The Bright Orange Years: Tracklist
1.) Jak
2.) Descent into Hell
3.) Truth is Stranger than Fishing
4.) Balancing Act
5.) Promise Me
6.) (I’m Gonna) Make You Mine
7.) Cover
8.) The Mouth that Roared
9.) Cornfield
10.) Animals
11.) It’s Stewtime
12.) Silvertone

Volcano Suns on Myspace
The Bright Orange Years (and more): BUY

Television – Marquee Moon

My Rating: 10/10
Genre/ Tags: Post-Punk, Punk, New Wave

Good afternoon! So once again, I must apologize for post-slacking. It’s been difficult to find time while the new semester is getting started, but once things are settled, I should be posting daily again. Today’s album comes from back in 1977, when punk rock and similar genres were just beginning to develop in places like the United States and United Kingdom. While this album did come out during these punk developments, that does not mean it is going to stick strictly to the textbook agenda of punk rock. The album I speak of is called “Marquee Moon”, and it was the debut release from the New York City band Television. While some punk rock elements do come through, their sound is often dominated by a more complex form of improvisation, which almost always includes a face-melting guitar solo, either played by Tom Verlaine or Richard Lloyd. This would be most prominent on the title track “Marquee Moon”, which just passes the 10-minute mark. Between these two guitarist, it’s almost impossible to not be floored by the guitar work. If you find a moment where you’re not mesmerized by the far-out guitar sounds, take a moment to notice Verlaine’s frantic and nervous vocals. When listening to him, I always get this feeling of urgency.

Over the years since it’s original release, the album has continued to receive glowing reception, often being called “one of the best debut albums of all time”. Here is a list from Uncut Magazine listing the 100 greatest debut albums of all time, with Marquee Moon coming in at an impressive 2nd place. Hopefully that fact will make the album a bit more interesting to listen to.

Do yourself a favor and listen to “Marquee Moon” on YouTube: MARQUEE MOON

Marquee Moon: Tracklist
1. “See No Evil” – 3:53
2. “Venus” – 3:51
3. “Friction” – 4:44
4. “Marquee Moon” – 10:40
5. “Elevation” – 5:07
6. “Guiding Light” – 5:35
7. “Prove It” – 5:02
8. “Torn Curtain” – 6:56
9. “Little Johnny Jewel (Parts 1 & 2)* – 7:09
10. “See No Evil” (Alternate Version)* – 4:40
11. “Friction” (Alternate Version)* – 4:52
12. “Marquee Moon” (Alternate Version)* – 10:54
13. Untitled (Instrumental)* – 3:22

Television on Myspace
Marquee Moon: BUY

Double Dagger – More

Double Dagger is a post-punk band from Baltimore, Maryland. Currently they are a 3-piece band, consisting of Nolen Strals on vocals, Bruce Willen on bass guitar, and Denny Bowen on drums. You might be wondering who plays guitar in this band, and believe it or not, there is no guitarist. Instead, the bass player plays exceptionally loud all the time, making up for the absence of the guitar. Before hearing the music, the fact that the band doesn’t have a guitarist may turn you off, but I assure you, these are some tracks certainly worth hearing.

Double Dagger have been active since late 2002, and since their beginnings, they have had several releases on various labels. There first “full length” (it’s only about 23 minutes long) album is simply titled “Double Dagger”, and it was released back in 2003 on Hit-Dat Records. There sophomore effort came out 4 years later in 2007, and this time they called the album “Ragged Rubble”, releasing it on Stationary (Heart) Records. You can still buy Ragged Rubble in LP format, which is in a limited edition of 300 on clear vinyl, which I know I am going to buy before today is over. If that’s not your cup of tea, you can still buy it in CD format…but really? Who wants that? Just buy the LP for $12 and be happy. Double Daggers next and most recent release is entitled “More”, which could easily be named after their hometown of BaltiMORE. This release was put out by Thrill Jockey Records, and it brought in a bunch of positive reviews for Double Dagger. The city of Baltimore named it there favorite album of 2009, which is certainly an accomplishment for Double Dagger. This album was also one of my personal favorites from 2009.

More: Tracklist
1.) No Allies
2.) Vivre Sans Temps Mort
3.) We Are The Ones
4.) Camouflage
5.) The Lie_The Truth
6.) Surrealist Composition With Your Face
7.) Helicopter Lullaby
8.) Neon Gray
9.) Half-Life
10.) Two-Way Mirror

Double Daggers Official Website
Double Dagger on Myspace
MORE: BUY – the LP format is limited to 1,000 – get it while you still can.

The Wounded Knees – All Rise EP

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