Word of Mouth #15: Keep - Hypnosis For Sleep

This is a self-release, dated July 22, 2014.

More shoegazing! It's also a perfect (in my opinion, anyway) blending of shoegazing with ambient. Just listen to the opener to get what I'm saying.

At $1 a track, you can't go wrong. Releases like these are why BandCamp is a great venue for quality tunes. I'm digging the vocals here especially; they're both mellow and melodic, helping to generate a vibe I've thus far felt in only few genres of music. 

Support these guys if you like what they have to share. And take a look at their official motif while you're at it!

Word of Mouth #12: Bane - Don't Wait Up

Bane - Final Backward Glance (Music Video) on YouTube

This album was released on May 13th, 2014, through Equal Vision Records.

A former member of Converge has helped to make Bane into the hardcore act it is today. Sadly, though, this is reported to be their final album before calling it quits as a band. Will they try solo avenues? Or will there be new ensemble acts to come in the future? Whatever the case may be, the hardcore scene will lose an important band when they throw in the towel. This is their last hurrah, so to speak, and it's a good note to leave on if this news is true.

Farewell, Bane, thanks for your contributions to hardcore. You will be missed.

Word of Mouth #11: Trophy Scars - Holy Vacants

Trophy Scars - Gutted stream on PureVolume

I love, fucking love Trophy Scars, and that's why I'm glad to be doing this.

This album will be released on May 6th through Monotreme records. 

I was formally introduced to these guys with their "Hospital Music..." album back in '10, which is a fantastic listen if you like post-hardcore mixed with jazz & blues, and you don't mind (or better yet, you like) tempo changes. I haven't nabbed any subsequent album from them since then, but I was immediately grabbed by the news of this release. I've listened to the linked song a few times now and that's what's going to get me ordering the beast, because it's just that good. What say you?

Thanks again for great music, Trophy Scars!

Word of Mouth #10: The Menzingers - Rented World

The Menzingers - "In Remission" on YouTube

This release arrives April 22, 2014, courtesy of Epitaph records.

Finally, folk punk gets a shoutout from me.

The Menzingers have been going at it since 2006, which is by no means a long stint but it needn't be in order to drive home a point in the punk genre. These guys couple a somewhat contemporary punk sound with rather intelligent lyrics that don't veer off into skater punk territory. "Rented World" will be up for grabs as of April 22nd, so be sure to check out the song linked above and even show your appreciation by buying the album when it drops!

Thanks, Menzingers.

Word of Mouth #8: The Twilight Sad - Live at Paisley Abbey

Download The Twilight Sad Live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra 

The Twilight Sad live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on YouTube 

This live release is courtesy of Fat Cat records.

It's a live album, recorded at a renowned orchestral location in Scotland, and it's totally free to download.

This indie rock group has been around since 2003, reveling in dark and very personal lyrical & instrumental overtones. As they incorporate the more experimental side of rock with noise, shoegaze, and even industrial, they produce an atmosphere befitting of their name. Then they were able to play at the Paisley Abbey in Scotland, with the orchestra providing a stunning complementary sound, and you've got yourself a free to download, free to enjoy live recording.

Because it's free, you shouldn't have passed it up before even reading this sentence; give yourself a free live album and enjoy the hell out of it.

Word of Mouth #7: Manners - Pale Blue Light

 

Manners - Wallflower on YouTube 

Manners - Pale Blue Light Stream (albumstreams.com)

'Pale Blue Light' is a release courtesy of Morsecode Recordings.

This very somber, very bluntly worded album dropped six days ago, and it's definitely worthy of a shoutout. You may think that, based on the previous description, this album is of the emo category. Well, you're pretty much dead wrong. This release sees a kind of post-hardcore that is seemingly quite rare these days; down-to-earth, heartfelt, and pissed-off all the more for it. There's no time wasted in pelting you, the listener, with the sonic onslaught of mosh-inducing riffs coupled with the sad, self-reflective lyrics. One example of that can be found in the first link provided above.

Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be a review, but if that's what it takes to get people to hear them out, then so be it. Give this one a whirl, and don't get too lost in that haunting album cover, if you know what's good for you.

Word of Mouth #5: Future Of The Left - How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident

Future of the Left - Bread, Cheese, Bow and Arrow on Soundcloud

Future of the Left - How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident (Full Album) on YouTube

From the album 'How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident', released through the band's own label Prescriptions Music.

Holy shit...

This one dropped this past October, and somehow I only became privy to its existence tonight, after watching TheNeedleDrop's video review on this album. In retrospect, I feel deprived of stimulating aural bliss from works like these. So anyway, after watching the video review, I checked them out, given that he mentioned the band's past works (McLusky was name-dropped) and the music seemed genuinely interesting just from his description of the music within this album. With all of that in mind, and getting hooked just from the opening song (which I linked to up above), I came to really like this shit.

So I'll shut up about all that and tell you that if you haven't heard this album yet, and you think you could appreciate their music (if Anthony Fantano's review of the album is anything to go by at least), then GIVE IT A LISTEN. 

Oh and in closing; spread the word! I'm doing that here, and good god if you love music like this as well then you'd share the love, too.

Word of Mouth #4: Sandveiss - Scream Queen

 

 Sandveiss - Blindsided on Youtube

From the album 'Scream Queen', which is a self-released effort. You can purchase the album through their bandcamp page.

What a stunner! Sandveiss are a hard rock/stoner band, utilizing blues-rock riffs not unlike those of Kyuss & Queens of the Stone Age (those are always welcome). They come as a surprise to everyone (including myself) from straight out of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Revel in those riffs. Thanks, Sandveiss!

(I don't know how the "center" function doesn't work in this instance, but that's the best I can do at this point considering this image isn't widely available and the publisher's functions are wonky, to say the least)

Word of Mouth #3: Doomriders - Grand Blood

 

Doomriders - Dead Friends on YouTube

From the album 'Grand Blood', courtesy of Deathwish Inc. (a quality Indie label run by Converge's Jacob Bannon, who plays alongside of Doomriders' own Nate Newton no less).

Did you catch the previous LP known as 'Darkness Come Alive'? Did you enjoy it? Then perhaps you'll have every reason to enjoy this one as well. While this isn't exactly a recent release anymore, given that it's been out for almost two months as of this writing, this band cannot be ignored. That's why this shoutout is for Nate Newton's side-output. 

On the topic of Converge, when their 'Live at the BBC' record drops in "early 2014", I'll shout out to them as well. I have to, given that they're easily one of my favourite musical acts around.

Enjoy, and spread the word!

Doomriders is Nate Newton, Jebb Riley, Chris Pupecki, and Q.