Viva Pizza: March 2009

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Yah Mos Def - Plays Ugly for Suckers

Yah Mos Def (YMD) - Plays Ugly For Suckers

Screechy (screamo?) indie rap from Philly with clever lyrics about Philadelphia, hardcore, and filled with samples from classic hardcore punk records. I'm not a huge fan of them live, but the records are worth listening to. Ardmore shout out.

Check it out

Operation Cliff Clavin - Freedom of Choice

Snotty, hard-edged pop punk. This came out on Plan-it X Records, so all those PBR drinking kids from Florida probably love it.

Check it out

Desaparecidos - Read Music | Speak Spanish

The short lived indie rock band from Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. A great concept album about the "growth" of a small town, with great socially conscious lyrics. I really wish they'd done more than this.

Check it out

This is Hell - Cripplers

There was some talk about this band on a messageboard this morning, so I figured I'd up their semi-recent 7". Three originals and three covers (Bad Religion, Beastie Boys, The Movielife).

Check it out

The Good Life - Album of the Year Acoustic Demos

Aside from Domestica, The Good Life's Album of the Year is my favorite Tim Kasher project. This was the bonus disc that came with some copies of the CD, and it's solo acoustic versions of all the album tracks. At times a bit slow, and at other times soul crushing.

Check it out

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Born Against - The Rebel Sound of Shit and Failure

Ferocious, political punk from the mid-90s. This is the reissue with all the extra tracks. "Hello shit..."

Check it out

This Day Forward - In Response

Haters be damned, this is their best work. Not as screamy, a lot more forward thinking, but overall, this is just really well done. They pushed the envelope with this and alienated a lot of the their older metallic hardcore fans, but I still think it's their finest hour.

Check it out

Weston - Got Beat Up

Uptempo, nerdy pop punk from PA in the mid 90s. "New Shirt" straight into "Heather Lewis" is one of the best one-two combos in all of pop punk. It's a shame they got so lame as they went on.

Check it out

The Progress - Golden State

Kinda pop punk, kinda indie rock. Not unlike Piebald at times. I love everything this band has done, but "US Camera" is definitely my favorite song of theirs.

Check it out

Bridge and Tunnel - 7"

Heavy at times, technical at others. This is one of my favorite indie rock bands recently. This 7" wasn't my favorite at first, but it grew on me a lot after listening to the LP. Don't make the same mistake I did. The line "So please bear with me while I try to balance my professional posturing with my punk rock posturing" really struck a nerve when I turned 25.

Check it out

Friday, March 27, 2009

Dutchland Diesel - Staging Grace

The second LP from this Lancaster "emo" band on Creep Records. I loved their song on the Creep Exploitational Sampler, and there are a few tracks on here that are just as good as that one.

Check it out

Rain - La Vache Qui Rit

HarDCore on Dischord records that was kind of lost in the shuffle, although it was rereleased a few years ago.

Check it out

Shift - Pathos

I posted the LP recently, but this is Quicksand inspired post hardcore, that would have made sense on Rev in the early 90s.

Check it out

Knives Out - Heartburn

Hardcore featuring ex-mems of American Nightmare and I Hate You, as well as mems of Paint it Black and AAJ. I think there's a discography coming out sometime soon.

Check it out

Dustheads - Collected Sounds

Brooklyn hardcore punks. This is a collection with both Tall Tales 7 inches, as well as the first recording of their LP, which was later re-recorded and released on its own. I think they broke up, but who knows with these dudes.

Check it out

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Carpenter - Law of the Land

Kinda like if Texas is the Reason came from Kansas or the farmland of Canada. This is a newer record, which I usually avoid posting, but it's totally worth it. Hopefully they release it on LP soon.

Check it out

Bookburner - Everything

A bit of shameless self-promotion. This is a folder with both Bookburner demos and a few songs that never got released. Gruff pop punk with cigarette fueled vocals.

Check it out

Vitreous Humor - Posthumous

Indie rock from the late 90s, and I think this came out on Crank! Records, so you know what to expect. When I was 15, I heard some no-name high school band cover "Why Are You So Mean to Me?" and it's been stuck in my head for 10 years.

Check it out

Plow United - s/t

I've already posted their last set, but this is the first LP. Through high school, probably one of my favorite records. "Spindle" is still one of the best lead songs on a record. Technically, it's not, but since the tape I originally had this dubbed on cut off the first super short song, I count it as the first.

Check it out

Assholeparade - Embers

Thrashy hardcore punk on No Idea Records. Dirty kids really like this band, yet so do I for some reason.

Check it out

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy

I have tried to shy away from upping more recent records, but I can't avoid this one. Noodly indie pop punk with nasal male vocals and fantastic female vocals. Listen to this, then buy it, then see them as soon as possible.

Check it out

The Honor System - Rise and Run

Chicago indie/post hardcore, not unlike Hot Water Music, but a bit more technical and restrained at times. Socially conscious lyrics and lots of beards.

Check it out

The Steinways - Live at Insubordination Fest 2007

The Steinways - Live at Insubordination Fest

Probably my favorite band to come from the recent pop punk resurgence. This is worth it for their cover of "Die Today" by Off With Their Heads, if nothing else. Although, the rest of this is pretty damn good.

Check it out

Ringers - Curses

Imagine if AOCTW-era Rancid and Dillinger Four had a baby, then raised it in Boston. It would probably sound like this record.

Check it out

Against Me - Acoustic EP

You know this band and you've probably already made up your mind. This EP makes me feel like I'm back with my best friends in college, listening to this record at 4am while they sipped whiskey and I pounded root beer. The soundtrack to 2004.

Check it out

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Ransom - George and Sean Demos

Here are the other two Ransom demos that I mentioned earlier in the week. Enjoy!

Check it out (George)

Check it out (Sean)

The Trouble - Nobody Laughs Anymore

Boston punk rock from guys who later went on to form The Explosion and Panic. An overlooked band from the late 90s. In the last few years this has been re-released on both CD and LP.

Check it out

Tommy Murray - The Broken Sound

Tommy was the singer of the Crash, who I uploaded recently. But unlike his 16 year old pop punk songs, this is a solo acoustic record that shows extreme growth. Most of these songs were written during a two year span of living alone in Massachusetts on Buzzard's Bay, and it totally fits when you listen to it. Just because he's an ex-punk, don't be fooled into thinking this is a cheesy folk punk record. It's much more than that.

Check it out

Young Livers - The New Drop Era

It's No Idea, so it's got that gruff punk rock thing going on, but with a bit more angular and heavier. They share members with Glass and Ashes, and that's pretty similar. One of my favorite No Idea releases in the last few years. Them and Able Baker Fox were my favorite back to back sets of Fest this past year. Buy this. Twice.

Check it out

The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine

With their new record leaking and kinda being a disappointment, I've been listening to this a bit more. Spastic indie rock with a lot of religious and apocalyptic lyrics and themes throughout the record. I'm hoping the new one will grow on me, but even if it doesn't, this one is still great.

Check it out

Mental - Planet Mental

The last LP from Mental, with more of a post-hardcore/Quicksand sound than their earlier more straight up hardcore sound. I ever really liked their earlier stuff, but I love this one.

Check it out

Samiam - Clumsy

I believe this was the major label debut for this indie rock band. You should know the deal with this. I could listen to "Capsized" over and over.

Check it out

Moneen - Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?

This was my favorite record from Moneen, a Canadian poppy punk band, with a slightly scratchy feel to it. They were also one of the most exciting live bands I've ever seen, even though the one guy had dread locks.

Check it out

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I Hate You - Discography

I generally dislike straight edge hardcore bands, but these Philly guys were so obnoxious and so brash there's nothing to dislike. "Cram" is the perfect song for St. Patrick's Day.

Check it out

Owls - s/t

Members of Cap'n Jazz (sans Davey) decided to get back together and revisit their old sound a few years later. Spastic, off key, and very Kinsella.

Check it out

Renee Heartfelt - Magdalene

A great EP from this Quicksand inspired post-hardcore band. It's a shame they broke up as quickly as they did, but at least the Memorial stuff is killer.

Check it out

None More Black - Loud About Loathing

A quick EP from this melodic punk band, but it has three of my favorite songs of theirs. At times it's a bit too "bouncy" for my tastes, but the first two tracks are totally worth it.

Check it out

Crimpshrine - Duct Tape Soup

Say what you will about Jeff Ott, this CD is still great in spots. East Bay punk with scratchy vocals and Cometbus drumming.

Check it out

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Sleepasaurus - It's All Written Down and I Still Don't Feel Any Better

Creep Records/Motherbox records pop punk with a tiny splash of what some were calling emo in that time period. Either way, a great record about high school, Star Wars, and girls.

Check it out

Saves the Day - Through Being Cool session

Saves the Day - Through Being Cool Sessions

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where this came from, but it seems to be a live studio session as one track of Saves the Day playing their classic album Through Being Cool. A slight change of pace, and definitely fun.

Check it out

Polar Bear Club - Demo

PBC play indie rock inspired punk rock, not unlike Hot Water Music or Small Brown Bike, but their LP has a slicker feel than their immediate influences. This demo (as well as the EP) is a bit more rough around the edges and keeps me a bit more interested.

Check it out

Ransom - Ben Demo

Ransom was a short lived Philly hardcore band that pretty much morphed into No Roses. They did three different demos with three different singers and this is the one with Ben Wolfgang (The Curse, Bookburner) singing for it. Ben's got one of my favorite voices in punk rock, and I love this demo. Tomorrow I'll post the demo with George Hirsch singing.

Check it out

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Casket Lottery - Choose Bronze

Late 90s emo type stuff. Catchy and melodic, while heavy and driving at times. Powerful vocals and great melodies make this one of my favorite records of theirs. It was the first I really heard, and the only one I paid much attention to until recently for some reason. Their singer, Nathan, is now in Able Baker Fox with members of Small Brown Bike.

Check it out

The Broadways - Broken Star

Scratchy, gruff pop punk with socially conscious lyrics. At a time when I was getting way too into emo and indie rock, this record kicked me in the butt and reminded me that punk bands do still sing about other stuff sometimes. Sometimes this record makes me want to move to 100 acres in Montana and never come back. Mems of Lawrence Arms and Honor System.

Check it out

Broadway Calls - s/t

Insanely catch pop punk that really resembles early Green Day at times, with a modern slickness too it. They put on a killer live show at Fest, and are blowing up. A lot of people write them off as a typical radio pop punk band, but they're so much more than that. Great sunny day driving record.

Check it out

Cheap Tragedies - 2000 and 7

Tony Erba's latest hardcore punk band. I saw them at This is Hardcore two years ago and they were probably one of my top three bands of the day, and arguably the most entertaining live.

Check it out

Jets to Brazil - Perfecting Loneliness

The final album from the indie rock supergroup. This was the biggest stretch for them musically and I think it alienated a lot of people. Lots of slow songs, lots of pianos, and lots of long songs. I still think it's great. It stands as Blake's record that's the most mature musically, but also the furthest from Jawbreaker.

Check it out