Mind Spiders – Mind Spiders 7″

Dude, what’s with Texas releasing all of this great music? Seriously, more and more bands keep pouring out of Texas from all sides, and there’s no end in sight. Hopefully there won’t be either, and then they can all keep gracing our eager ears with their mind blowing tunes. Speaking of minds, today’s band is called MIND SPIDERS, and yup, you guessed it, they’re from Fort Worth, Texas. And this appears to be their debut release of any sort, so let’s give it up for the Mind Spiders. I must warn you before we go any further though – this stuff here is extremely addicting. After listening to the 7″ countless times, it’s pretty clear that the Mind Spiders hook is in pretty deep. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you too. Be sure to keep reading, because honestly, I don’t think you guys want to miss out on this one.

Mind Spiders are led by a guy named Mark Ryan, and it turns out that they’re only a side project of his. When he’s not concentrating on Mind Spiders, he’s destroying faces with his other band The Marked Men. The Marked Men and Mind Spiders do share some qualities, but we’re focusing on just the Mind Spiders today.

Their brand new 7″ comes from the punk label Dirtnap Records. It’s four tracks long of highly energized, face-beating garage-punk, and it clocks in at just over 10 minutes. Each song from the 7″ is a highlight in it’s own way – whether it’s the scorching, fiery guitars of “Ripped”, the gigantic, progressively growing sound in “Time Sucker”, or the harmonic goodness of “Worlds Destroyed”, this band is bound to catch on. Be sure to give these songs a listen below, and check out their Myspace too for other songs from the 7″.

Time Sucker –

Dirty Secrets –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Punk, Alternative
Mind Spiders 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Worlds Destroyed
2.) Time Sucker
3.) Ripped
4.) Dirty Secrets

Mind Spiders on Myspace!
BUY the 7″ directly from Green Noise Records (Dirtnap Records)

Jacuzzi Boys – Bricks or Coconuts 7″

So these Jacuzzi Boys have been around for a couple of years now, but only about a week ago did I first listen to them. Yeah, you could say I was a bit late to the Jacuzzi Boys game, but it really doesn’t make a difference. The only thing I won’t have much luck in is picking up all of their early 7″ records, but those are the prices you pay when you’re late to the game on good, new bands these days.

Since their formation as a band, the Jacuzzi Boys have released at least five 7″ singles, and then they have one full-length LP that you can get more information on right here. The most recent of their singles comes from the Mexican Summer imprint, and it was just released sometime during May or June. The 7″ features three brand new songs, none of which can be found on any other release from the band. If you’ve heard any of their full-length or any of their other 7″ records, then you already know what to expect from the Jacuzzi Boys – fun loving, head spinning garage rock with scuzzy, shredded guitars and the feeling of a rocking good time. If you haven’t listened to these guys yet (like me about 5 days ago), then I highly suggest you check out these songs. Finding their physical releases proves to be a difficult task now, but I’ve started you off on the mission by finding the “Bricks or Coconuts” 7″ from Midheaven Mailorder and then the “Island Ave.” 7″ from HoZac Records. Good luck with the rest!

Bricks or Coconuts –

Freakazoids –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Punk
Bricks or Coconuts 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Bricks or Coconuts
2.) Freakazoids
3.) Sing Along

Jacuzzi Boys on Myspace
You can still by the “Bricks or Coconuts” 7″ from Midheaven Mailorder
BUY the mp3s directly from Mexican Summer – Sorry folks, this one’s sold out.
BUY the Jacuzzi Boys full-length LP “No Seasons” from Insound
BUY the Island Ave. 7″ from HoZac Records

Weed Hounds – Beach Bummed 7″

Hey guys, listen up. You should really do yourself a favor today and check out this band called WEED HOUNDS. Earlier this week they released their debut 7″ record “Beach Bummed” from Iron Pier Records, and it’s proving to be quite an awesome 7″.

Their music is like heavy, atmospheric psychedelic rock with a tinge of the lo-fi pop/punk goodness mixed in (don’t forget shoegaze!), and lead singer Laura Catalano uses her gorgeous voice to sway over the mix, and it’s equally healing and haunting at different parts in the songs. These guys sound like they’re going to have even more awesome stuff for us down the road, so you might want to snag their debut 7″ before it’s too late. I say this because according to the Iron Pier website, there’s only 300 copies of the 7″ to go around, so yeah, get on that quick. If the songs below aren’t enough to keep you going, you should head on over to their Myspace page, because they have a handful of other tracks for your listening pleasure.

Beach Bummed –

Skating Away from the Cops –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Punk, Shoegaze
Beach Bummed 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Beach Bummed
2.) Skating Away from the Cops

Weed Hounds official Tumblr page
Weed Hounds on Myspace
BUY the brand new 7″ directly from Iron Pier Records

Sleepies – Sleepies LP

Yo yo. The name of today’s band is SLEEPIES, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the word ‘the’ is not part of their name. Unsurprisingly, this three-piece band hails from the ever-populated Brooklyn, New York, and the band is made up of singer/guitarist Thomas Seely, Josh Intrator on the bass guitar, and Max Tremblay behind the drum set. Unlike most things that have been coming through here on the Styrofoam Drone (with the exception of a few posts), these guys take on a heavy, pop/punk style that definitely leans much further to the punk side before anything else. This self-titled LP (with the intriguing “naked people waving” cover art) just came out recently, but they have been playing shows together since May of 2008, and above all else, SLEEPIES would be delighted to play a show in your basement!

So when I received an e-mail from these guys, I had no idea what to expect – and that’s usually how it goes in a situation like that. When things go down this way, that usually sets you up to totally be caught off guard, which is probably my favorite thing when it comes to listening to brand new music. Sure enough, these guys did just that. Their LP hits all sorts of lows and highs – whether it’s from a relentless, fast-paced punk rock song or from a grimy, electrified guitar solo – these guys really know how to do the punk thing, and they know how to do it good. The first track “Get Fucked” sort of sets the tone for the rest of the LP, as it starts things off with heavy guitar distortion, crashing cymbals, and frantic, yelling vocals. After listening to this song, you should have a rough idea of where the rest of the album will be going, but in no way will it reveal everything they have in store for you.

The next song “Monolith” is only the beginning of the punk fueled madness you’re about to endure, but that’s certainly not meant in a bad way. It’s an electrified punk song with shards of scuzzy guitars, and about halfway through they slow everything down and then suddenly pick it all back up again with a frantic drum roll before they bring you to the end of the song. The following song “Backbone” is another fast-paced, head-spinning punk song with grungy bass lines, and it’s followed up by a second one called “Dome”. Towards the end of “Dome” there’s some nice lead guitar work, and it all comes to an end with a spastic breakdown before the following track “Good Hunting” starts. I’m going to leave you guys with a good chunk of songs from the LP to listen to, including the sprawling final track from the LP called “Housewife”. If these tracks don’t do the trick, you should check out their Myspace because they have much more to offer over there.

Monolith –

Dome –

Housewife –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Pop
Sleepies LP: Tracklist:
1.) Get Fucked
2.) Monolith
3.) Backbone
4.) Dome
5.) Good Hunting
6.) Unfortunate Faces
7.) Hypochondriac Blues
8.) Carpultunia
9.) Squirrel Guns
10.) Polylith
11.) Summer Bummer
12.) Huh
13.) Housewife

Sleepies on Myspace!
Sleepies on Last.fm!
BUY the Sleepies LP directly from their store!

Spider Bags – Hey Delinquents 7″

It’s been a good chunk of time since this last one came out, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good one! This little gem of a 7″ came out over a year ago now (I think), which means it’s been sitting in my shoebox of 45’s for quite some time. I’m not exactly sure why I’ve failed to get it up here up until this point, but that doesn’t really make a difference.

If you’ve heard Dan McGee and his Spider Bags already, then you probably know what to expect – and you’re probably already a big fan of this 7″. But if not, then let me fill you in real quick. Dan McGee is the frontman, and his band plays heavy, shambolic, rootsy punk music that’s got a tinge of the country twang mixed in, along with a bit of that traditional garage rock sound you already know and love. And let me tell you one more thing, although you’re going to figure it out for yourself in just a minute: this stuff is good.

The 7″ kicks off on the A-side with the song “Hey Delinquents”, and my description of the music above pretty much covers this track. It’s about as twangy as a country song gets, with short little guitar licks coming up throughout the song that give it that country feel. Dan McGee howls about not being able to pay the rent without the ransom, which definitely makes me giggle a bit. Towards the end of the song he tells his girl to shut up multiple times, which again makes me giggle a bit. This guy is great – he’s not afraid to do anything. If you haven’t listened to anything else from the Spider Bags, I highly recommend you get on that…right now.

Now we’re flipping over to the B-side. This song is called “Professionals”, and it’s just a little bit different than the A-side, mostly due to the production quality. This song has this increasingly scuzzy, lo-fi sound, and I’m sure that has something to do with the note they left on the description page of the record over at Daggerman Records. Apparently it was produced by a guy named Camero Werewolf? They whip out the harmonica in this song, and there’s also a quick little keyboard solo in there somewhere towards the middle of the track. So why not head on over to the Daggerman Records store and snag up the 7″ before it’s gone? There’s only 100 copies, so I’m sure it’s bound to be sold out any day. And if not, you can just listen to the songs below! Enjoy!

Hey Delinquents –

Professionals –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Country, Punk
Hey Delinquents 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Hey Delinquents
2.) Professionals

Spider Bags on Myspace
BUY the 7″ directly from Daggerman Records
Spider Bags – A Celebration of Hunger previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone

Ghost Mall – Goons EP

Just yesterday I got an e-mail in my inbox from a band called GHOST MALL. They kept it very short, straight, and to the point. Here’s what they said: “We are Ghost Mall, a garage-y ramshackle pop/ethereal punk band from New Paltz, NY. This is our debut EP entitled ‘Goons’. It was produced by DJ Teenwolf of Ninjasonik.” Also included was a link to Mediafire where you could download the EP in it’s entirety. So I listened to the EP today for the first time, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only was it awesome, but they definitely used an accurate description to describe their sound in the e-mail, and I think that’s what originally grabbed my attention. Bravo Ghost Mall!

They definitely have the ramshackle-y gunky rock/punk thing down, but I think they also add a bit of an electronic element to their music that takes it to a whole different level, with the best example from their EP being the song “Senile Felines”. They also forgot to mention in their description that they seamlessly, (and quite unexpectedly) add a reference to the Biz Markie song “Just a Friend” in their song “Balloon Ideas”. I think I speak for everybody when I say that I didn’t see that coming when I first listened. But going back to “Senile Felines”. This was the first song on the EP that definitely caught my attention. It’s a long one, and it continues to grow and get more and more complex as time moves on. Hopefully you can agree with my statement about the electronic elements in their sound after listening to this song. About halfway through they start to chanting short yelps of “woo!” which definitely makes for a fun listen. For about the last minute and a half of the song, they break things down as they all chant “Patience is a virtue baby,” and then we’re at the end.

Next comes the fast paced, keyboard dominated song “Balloon Ideas”, which features that reference to Biz Markie that I mentioned up above. This also happens to be the shortest song on the EP. Following up that song comes the track “Young Lairs”, which I thought stood out the most on the EP. It starts off with some careful, intricate drumming, and then the rest of the band joins in to take part in the approaching destruction. This one definitely fits their description of the music, as it’s equally part pop and punk, and it doesn’t shy away from the word “ramshackle” one bit. Finishing up the EP is the track “Johnny Appleseed”, which starts off a bit slower than the last few songs we heard. The lead singer is sort of talking to us in the beginning, and he is definitely unhappy with somebody as he calls them out and says “You fucked up.” The song goes on from here, and it stays at the same pace for the remainder, never quite hitting those break-neck speeds we heard earlier, but you always gotta have time to catch up.

Senile Felines –

Balloon Ideas –

Young Liars –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Pop, Lo-Fi
Goons EP: Tracklist
1.) 40 Nugs
2.) Senile Felines
3.) Balloon Ideas
4.) Young Liars
5.) Johnny Appleseed

Ghost Mall on Myspace!
Download their EP for FREE! You really should.
Friendly Neighborhood Records
Rally the Robots?

Whirl – Distressor EP

WHIRL is literally a brand new band. They’ve been a member on Myspace since January, and they made their first post on their Tumblr account about three months ago. Since opening all of these accounts, Whirl has been hard at work releasing their earliest material to share with us. Up until this point they’ve released a demo tape (which you can snag for a dirt-cheap $2.00!), and then their first full-length EP, entitled “Distressor”. They posted a link to download “Distressor” on their Tumblr page about two weeks ago, so you should definitely look into that. It’s 25 minutes of heavy, spaced out shoegaze music that’s meant to be played no other way but at excessively high volumes. You’ll figure that out pretty quickly too, as the guitars are almost always coming at your full force, like in the song “Child”, or in the melodic goodness of the track “Meaningless”.

When it comes to listening to their new EP, it doesn’t really take that long for it to sink in before you’re listening to songs over and over again. Like everything else out there, once it sinks in, it’s not an easy task to escape it. Songs like “Leave”, “Blue”, and “Meaningless” will keep you coming back for second and third listens, not to mention the entire EP itself. The songs are arranged very carefully, some playing into each other as seamlessly as possible, making this all hang together almost too perfectly. I don’t necessarily like to tell you guys when you’re going to like music, but I think I have to this time. It’s just so deliciously awesome and fresh that it’s kind of hard to ignore. Although this is pretty much getting their foot into the door of the music universe, I think it’s a safe bet to say that these guys are going to be moving on to bigger and better things very soon. Very ambitious, and certainly promising. Enjoy the songs, because I know I did!

Leave –

Blue –

Meaningless –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Shoegaze, Alternative, Punk
Distressor EP: Tracklist:
1.) Preface
2.) Leave
3.) Blue
4.) Ghost
5.) Meaningless
6.) Child
7.) Sandy

Whirl on Myspace
Whirl on Tumblr
Download the EP for free right here
Download the Demo Tape right here (you should buy it for $2.00, come on)

Girls in the Eighties – Teenage Royalty

Hey. Last night I came across this album, although I wish I had a lot sooner. The name of the band is Girls in the Eighties, and they hail from Nashville, Tennessee. Their first official release, “Teenage Royalty”, was put out in Feburary, 2010, and it was recorded in late 2008 in Nashville at a place called the Red Room. It features Chase on guitar, bass, vocals and other stuff, Matt plays the keyboards, and Josh plays the drums. While I don’t know a damn thing about Nashville or the Red Room, I can tell you about Girls in the Eighties.

The first thing I learned is that they have a lot of technical difficulties when trying to release new stuff, but that’s besides the point. Girls in the Eighties play noisy punk rock gems infused with a tinge of electronic elements/sounds that’s balanced almost too perfectly. It’s neither entirely electronic, and neither is it entirely noisy punk rock – it falls somewhere right in the middle. At times when listening to Chase’s vocals, I can’t help but think of the Smith Westerns, but that doesn’t go for every aspect of the music, just the vocals really. While you may not agree with that statement, one thing that is certainly true is that yesterdays really don’t mean shit. Woo! Such a triumphant listen! Nothing else matters when you listen to this song! You can listen to the first four tracks from the album below, so why not give it a shot? “Teenage Royalty” is an enjoyable listen from end to start, and it won’t hurt one bit, I promise!

Vacation –

Yesterdays Don’t Mean Shit –

Teenage Royalty –

Too Cool for This Crowd –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Pop, Punk, Shoegaze
Teenage Royalty: Tracklist
1.) Vacation
2.) Yesterdays Don’t Mean Shit
3.) Teenage Royalty
4.) Too Cool for This Crowd
5.) Burn Your Riches
6.) Slow Motion
7.) Glory Fades
8.) The Duke Boys Anthem
9.) The Seconds After an Explosion
10.) No More Last Goodbyes
11.) Youth Experiment
12.) Future Years
13.) Strange Lights

Girls in the Eighties on Myspace!
BUY a copy of the “Teenage Royalty” CD right here!
Download “Teenage Royalty” right here! (This link was on their Myspace blog)

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

Long Legged Woman – Nobody Knows This is Nowhere

Some of you may already be familiar with Long Legged Woman. If so, then you already know the deal. If not, then it may come as a surprise to you that they’re no longer a band anymore.

After three years of playing together, the band finally decided to call it quits. The lifespan of Long Legged Woman yielded many releases, one being this LP I have here today, along with multiple CD-R’s, endless touring, tapes, and some 7″ records. Now although the band called it quits, that doesn’t mean the members involved have given up on music entirely. Instead, they just moved on to other projects. As said on their Myspace by band member Justin, “We’ve decided to not go separate ways but do some different shit. Get my drift? We’re not quitting music, in fact, we’re making more shit now than ever.” He’s not lying either. You can check out his latest band right here on Myspace, and their called CCR Headcleaner. Hooray for extensive touring!

As for the Long Legged Woman outfit, it’s too bad their not going to be playing shows anymore. The heavy guitars that produce a wall of sound and practically dominate every song on the LP can’t quite be experienced the same way now. CCR Headcleaner may be capable of pulling it off, but they just don’t quite hit that mark that Long Legged Woman did. Granted there are only two songs on the CCR Myspace, so there is always room to be proven wrong, but right now I’m still leaning towards LLW.

Listening to songs on their “Nobody Knows This is Nowhere” LP could potentially send you straight to the floor. Tracks like “Vinegar”, “You Found Out”, “Something is Pressing Against it From the Inside”, “When I Was Asleep”, and “Yours is Mine” are sure to leave you speechless, and quite possibly without much of an opinion at all, but by any chance begging for more of the face pounding action. Their relentless approach to the music may scare off a good amount of listeners, but it’s the ones that stick around to hear what’s next that really matter. One highlight from the album that is certainly worth all 7 minutes and 30 seconds of your time is the track “Psych Jam”. I say this now because it’s definitely a song with a “relentless approach”. It’s just nonstop, constantly in-yr-face howling guitars, crashing cymbals, and squealing guitar solos. It’s enough to completely disorient any listener, and just enough to make your head spin in all possible directions. As I read somewhere on the web, “it’s enough to make your brain explode”. Although this does not sound safe, I highly recommend you give it a shot. Listen to Long Legged Woman. I have mp3’s for you below!

Something is Pressing Against it from the Inside –

Vinegar –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Psychedelic, Punk
Nobody Knows This is Nowhere: Tracklist
1.) Vinegar
2.) You Found Out
3.) Something is Pressing Against it From the Inside
4.) Bath House
5.) Psych Jam
6.) When I Was Asleep
7.) Racoon in a Coon Skin Cap
8.) The Horse Holds it’s Own Reins
9.) Yours is Mine
10.) He Was a Narc but We Loved Him Anyway
11.) I Have a Scheme…
12.) But There’s Something Going On