Mister Loveless - My Share of Losing

Someone on Last.fm asked me for this so I thought I would post it here for everyone. I first read about this band through a music blog that posted an mp3 of Scatterplot off this album. I liked Scatterplot so much that I went and ordered My Share of Losing. After a month's wait and some confusion due to my school's shitty mail system I got the CD in the mail along with Mister Loveless' newest EP Two Words (for free! Very nice people).

Mister Loveless' sound is a nice mix of shoegaze and post-punk. The singer's droning voice sounds Ian Curtis inspired and many of the songs have pronounced JDish bass lines. A few songs break from this so the album is all over musically; the first track, Twiggy, is a surfy instrumental and Scatterplot is a guitar filled shoegazy song. I like My Share of Losing a lot. The EP, Two Words, represents a big change in the band's sound and I don't like it too much. Perhaps it needs another listen.

Check out the tracks below or download the full album. If you like it, buy the album from the band.

Twiggy mp3
Scatterplot mp3
Dream mp3
Download album

800beloved - Cassette Single

800beloved is a shoegaze band from Michigan that takes its name from a 1-800 phone number. They haven't released much and what they have I don't know where to buy. There is an LP on the way titled Bouquet but no word on when it will be available. So here are two songs from a single I found on the web. Out of all the songs I've heard from 800beloved, The Skeleton Collection is my favorite due to it being the song with the most audible post punk influences. So check it out!

The Skeleton Collection mp3
Download single

Government Warning - Arrested 7"

There are maybe eight good bands from Richmond and this is one of them. Government Warning plays fast, 80s influenced hardcore. I don't like a lot of hardcore but I love Arrested off this 7". The band is still active and has released an LP called No Moderation along with another 7" EP. Check them out if you like Black Flag, Zero Boys, and etc.

You can buy this 7" from Grave Mistake.

Arrested mp3
Download 7"

KG

Here's an obscure shoegaze band I found on Soulseek. The only info on KG I found is from here.

This one-man show released some hard to find 7'inches. Fantastic JAMC overload meets MBV and Boyracer. Wow!

If you know something else leave a comment!

The JAMC comparison is spot on. The first song on the Candy 7", by far my favorite, sounds like something off Psychocandy. I love it. The other releases have a few good tracks but the standout is Candy.

Candy Loves Me So mp3
Love Me Forever mp3
Download Candy
Download 987
Download From innocence To Catastrophe
Download The Greatest Hits

Tally Ho - Takes Two To Do It + Wavves

This is kind of interesting. Download these tracks and play them in repeat + shuffle. These five short mp3s blend together randomly to make a song. For some reason I listened for at least five minutes. I don't know why.

Download


Also, Wavves' best song, SO BORED, is Insound's free recommended mp3 of the week. Yay! I can't wait for the De Stijl release in February. I'll probably buy both s/t LPs because I love the cover art so much.

And the track listing for the De Stijl album is new to me. Maybe it is to you as well. I haven't heard some of these.

1	rainbow everywhere
2	sun opens my eyes
3	get in the sun
4	jetplane (staying on a )
5	no hope kids
6	more fur
7	so bored
8	summer goth
9	surf goth
10	goth girls
11	ghost ramp
12	killr punx
13	scary demons

Ceremony / Screen Vinyl Image Split LP/CDR

Finally got this in the mail last week. I preordered months ago and the expected release was sometime in October but something came up and the split was delayed a long time.

Ceremony are from Fredricksburg, VA and formed from the remnants of Skywave when they broke up after the release of their second album, Synthstatic. They sound a lot like Skywave and are definitely on the noisier side of shoegaze. More Telescopes than MBV, maybe? Anyways, For Her Smile is now my favorite Ceremony track.

Screen Vinyl Image also come from north Virginia. DC, I think. I had never listened to them before this 12". I don't care too much for their songs on here but it is decent enough to warrant looking into whatever EPs they have out.

I need to catch both these bands live. I missed out on a show with both of them plus some other shoegaze band. Damn weekday metro schedule....

For her Smile mp3
Download LP
Buy it from Custom Made Music

Also, look what came in the mail today. It is beeeeeautifuuuuulll (click because it is best when viewed at maximum size)

Box Elders - Hole In My Head 7"

I read about these guys on Jay Reatard's blog. Box Elders are from Omaha, Nebraska and formed in 2005 but so far only have this single to their name. I really like it, especially the A side tracks. For fans of Wavves and Reatards. Buy it from Grotto Records.



Hole in My Head mp3
One Foot in Front of the Other mp3
Download the 7"

Nodzzz - I Don't Wanna Smoke Marijuana 7"

I don't wanna smoke marijuana
I just wanna get.... high
On another drug

I am very sad that both presses of this single sold out before I heard about Nodzzz because I love both tracks and neither appears on the LP. Nodzzz is three guys churning out short, lo-fi punk songs. They remind me of a sparser, punker Boyracer.

I think the title track on this 7" is their hit, but the LP is worth checking out. You can buy it at Goner. If anyone knows of a distro that still has copies of the single please tell me!

I Don't Wanna (Smoke Marijuana) mp3
We Are the Only Animals mp3
Download the 7"

Miracle Legion - The Backyard EP

I don't know what weird mood is making R.E.M. sound so good to me right now but I don't mind it at all and have been listening to Murmur and Dead Letter Office a lot. I mention R.E.M. because they are an obvious influence on Miracle Legion, a band formed in 1984 in Connecticut. The Backyard is their first release and has my two favorite songs on it: The Backyard and Just Say Hello.

Anyone remember the Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete and Pete? It was created by two guys who were fans of Miracle Legion, and they asked Miracle Legion to write music for the show. Mark Mulcahy, the singer, accepted and formed a side project called Polaris. The music they wrote for the show was collected on a CD titled "Music From The Adventures of Pete and Pete." I've gotta give the Pete and Pete guys credit for their music taste. Iggy Pop was a main character in the show and there were guest appearances by people like Debbie Harry (Blondie), Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), and Sarah Shannon (Velocity Girl). Good stuff.

The Backyard mp3
Just Say Hello mp3
Download EP

Weird Paul - I Got Drunk At Chuck E. Cheese

Another one-man deal. But totally different from the last one (by the way you should download all five MDID albums if you haven't. I listened to the rest and they're all great)! Rather than depressing post-punk this is... guess I will call it comedy pop. Weird Paul Petroskey has been writing and recording songs for about twenty years and has amassed a GBV-like amount of material (over 600 tracks). I don't really know where to start in the discography, and there is a distinct lack of sample tracks and information on the internet. Though thanks to the track in this video I'll probably be ordering 2001 through Weird Paul's website. I Got Drunk At Chuck E. Cheese has the best line I've heard recently: "I sat down right in front of my plate/and I was so messed up that my pizza tasted great." This is so true because Chuck E. Cheese pizza really does taste like shit. Go to Weird Paul's MySpace to listen to a few songs from his most recent album. Piece of Meat in the Tang is also great.

And here are the lyrics to the above song so you can sing along:

I got drunk at Chuck E. Cheese
on several of their bland chablis
I got drunk at Chuck E. Cheese
and I was asked to leave

I just wanted to know how their wine would taste
but I ended up so very faced
I guess you could say that I got trashed
but you also could say that I got smashed
Chuck E. Cheese is a talking mouse
and that kind of makes sense when you are soused
All I wanted was to cut loose
but I went to far and got totally juiced

I wish I could've helped Nicole when her mom got lost
But I wasn't worth a damn cuz I got tossed
I sat down right in front of my plate
and I was so messed up that my pizza tasted great
I thought of Scott Zodiack when I was wasted
When I saw the puppet's mustache so badly pasted

I got up on stage, I was pretty tipsy
people started throwing tokens but most of them missed me
You don't know what it's like unless you are plastered
when a 6 foot mouse calls you a bastard
he might not have hit me if he hadn't been goaded
but that's just how I am when I get loaded
it's no surprise that I got booted
cuz my brain was so chabli-polluted

LSD and the Search for God - S/T EP

First off, isn't this one of the best band names ever? Very awesome. On this EP are five great MBV/Slowdive sounding tracks with breathy male/female vocals that I love and can put on any hour of the day. This Time is my favorite but really the whole album just flows from track to track like The Comforts of Madness and it all comes together in a mass of dreamy bliss.

Everyone should buy this from Deep Space Recordings so the band can have the monies to produce an LP. The vinyl is beautiful clear yellow but I don't know if there are any more in stock (only 200 pressings in yellow, 800 were black). I sent the mailorder guys a message and will edit this post once I have a response. Because if there are some in stock there's no reason to buy the CD rather than the LP.

UPDATE: Holy shit that was fast. The label replied to my message in less than ten minutes. There are still a few in stock. $13.65 through Paypal!

Download

My Dad Is Dead

I've been on a bit of a one-man-band kick lately. Blank Dogs (check out The Fields cassette/LP/CD if you haven't. It's the best thing he has done so far), Wavves, My Teenage Stride, and most recently Captain Polaroid have all been getting a lot of plays. My Dad Is Dead is Mark Edwards, a guy from Cleveland, Ohio who has been recording since 1985. He has released eleven full length albums as well as some singles and EPs (full discography). I came across My Dad Is Dead while looking through some of my dad's records. The band name sounded neat so I looked it up online and found that Mark Edwards has released the first five albums as free downloads. I've only listened to the first two so far but they are both great and I highly recommend giving them a go. If you're like me it'll make you want to finally learn guitar and start your own band haha.

Mark Edwards is still recording music and has even played a few live shows in the past years (most notably SXSW 2008). You can buy CDs through his store.

Head over to MDID's download page to sample mp3s or grab the five albums + rarities compilation below (in chronological order).

...And He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore
Peace, Love & Murder
Let's Skip The Details
The Best Defense
The Taller You Are, The Shorter You Get Part 1 / Part 2
Rarities

Mix #2 - Perpetual Nervousness (American Jangle Pop)

Sorry to any British fans out there. No June Brides, Smiths, or McCarthy. Maybe in the future!




1. She's Fetching - Big Dipper
2. J.E.B. Pharoahs - Love Tractor
3. Fa Ce La - The Feelies
4. Radio Free Europe - R.E.M.
5. How Come? - Dumptruck
6. Elizabeth Montgomery's Face - The Embarrassment
7. Alex Chilton - The Replacements
8. Volume - Pylon

The Muslims - S/T LP

I don't remember how I came across these guys but I love this album. Classic garage punk that sounds a whole lot like The Stooges. Download and see for yourself. The Muslims also have a 7" coming out soon. You can sample the tracks and preorder it at I Hate Rock N' Roll.

Look for more releases by The Muslims under the decidedly less cool name The Soft Pack. I don't know why they changed it. Surely they don't expect to become big. Maybe they want to tour the Middle East?

Beside Myself mp3
Download the album
Buy LP+CD from Insound