Snapper - Snapper EP

1988; 4 tracks

I posted this on my facebook page (yeah.) but I believe that it bears repeating, and it's as obscvre as fvck so why not.

This is the first release by New Zealand-based kiwi pop band (Flying Nun!!) Snapper. My friend so nicely described it as "desertkrautgaze." After this Snapper went on to release two full-lengths and a couple more EPs then descended back into their cave, because they are snappers and those are fish and fish like the darkness, like me, i like darkness and i only like music that is sad as balls

but this isn't sad

death and weirdness in the surfing zone

Spain - The Blue Moods of Spain

1995; 9 tracks

Lonely and forgotten slowcore from Los Angeles.

Download.

Chokebore - Anything Near Water

 1995; 15 tracks

Ungainly noise rock with some incredible Jandek-y vocals set against an emerging 'sadcore' backdrop. As I talked with a friend about the record, we both noticed a certain youthfulness that can be attributed to the vocals, provided by Troy von Balthazar - they are constantly cracking, yet in an attractive manner. This adds, quite well in fact, to the impreciseness of the music.

Chokebore was an indie rock band formed in Honolulu in the 90s that eventually moved to LA. Anything Near Water, the band's second full-length, is an aimless venture down a long, desolate road. Highly recommended for fans of early Nirvana and Idaho.

Download.

Electrelane - Rock it to the Moon

2001; 11 tracks

Here is the debut album by all-female British band Electrelane.


Download.

Elevator to Hell - Parts 1-3

 1996; 27 tracks

I love the album Purple Blue by Eric's Trip (which I might be posting in the near future), and Elevator to Hell was a sort of solo project for Rick White, of Eric's Trip.

Elevator to Hell was a Canadian lo-fi/indie rock project active during the later 90s through the 00s. Parts 1-3 is a combination of the band's first release, a self-titled album, and a mini-LP entitled Part 3. It is absolutely amazing - one of the greatest things I've come across in a while. Every single song is great.

"Haunting lo-fi psychedelia."
one day as i walked down the street
i found a cat at my feet
and when i asked it it's name
the cat said hooray,
you're what i needed today

n.b. they have a song entitled "Why I Didn't Like August 93," which is one of my favorites on here, but I am mad that they didn't like August of 93 because that's when I was born! >:(

Morphine - Good

1993; 13 tracks

Distant, suspended worlds. Reality experiences a slight abeyance as the sensual world caves in on all sides... a world of rain and failure.

Morphine was an acclaimed jazz/rock group based in Massachusettes. Good, a beautifully constructed work of soft jazz-infused alternative rock, was their debut album.


you look like rain

The USA is a Monster - Wohaw

2005; 14 tracks

This truly is an incredible album, but it sounds like it should have been made in the 90s. Prog-rock and noise rock mix, sometimes creating a sound that might be characterized as mathfolk, to stunning effect. The USA is a Monster was a noise rock duo from New England, and this is their second album.

I am completely and thoroughly obsessed with the song "Tecumseh."

That is all.

Download.

Rival Schools - United by Fate

 2001; 13 tracks

Holy fucking shit. Really. From the very first seconds of the very first track, "Travel by Telephone," (which just so happen to be the greatest part of this entire album), United by Fate is non-stop incredible post-hardcore. I don't really think there's even one "slow" song on here. Intense, powerful, melodically sound. May induce the urge to play 100 times. A day. For weeks.

Download.

Twin Sister - Color My Life

2010; 6 tracks



Sensuous, dream-like and pretty indie pop from New York. I don't know much about this band, and for some reason I'm not too interested in looking it all up. But, really, I could easily sleep to this. (last.fm?)



Download.



EDIT: the more i listen to this the more i love it.

Jale - Dreamcake

1994; 12 tracks

Jale was, at first, an all-female indie rock group from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Their name was derived from the first letters of the four initial members of the band - Jennifer Pierce, Alyson MacLeod, Laura Stein, Eve Hartling. This was the band's first album, and they went on to release another full-length and an EP. Although it sometimes gets a little slow, Dreamcake is an innocuous indie/pop rock record, very catchy and pretty. :3


Download.

Here's the opener to the album, "Not Happy," which happens to be one of the really awesome tracks (I also like "Emma" and "3 Days").

Engine Kid - Bear Catching Fish

 1993; 8 tracks Bear Catching Fish is the first album of Seattle-based math rock band Engine Kid, whose prominent inspiration was the memorable math rock / post-hardcore band from Kentucky, Slint. The likenesses between the two bands, especially on this release and Slint's Spiderland, are striking. Some might go as far as to say that this album is "pure Slint worship." In my eyes (or ears), Engine Kid's affinity for the music of Slint is portrayed respectfully, and elements of jazz and doom even come into play at times. Engine Kid has released a small number of other EPs and splits, as well as a second full-length, Angel Wings.

As I listen to this I feel a sense of desperation build up in my chest, as if I were stuck inside a cabin on some lost and lonely mountainside far away from any human contact. The intense loneliness and pure weirdness of Engine Kid's musical/vocal atmosphere is beautiful and frightening. If any of you remember Spiderland's specific ambience, there is an incredible holiness, or warmth, about the feeling. It isn't something you connect with on contact, as most are averse to feelings of despair and loneliness, but I just... wonder, sometimes, if maybe that is a prospect much preferable to the fruitless seeking of happiness. I guess I'm just trying to say that Engine Kid encapsulates quite magnificently that -lost- feeling.

Download.

Bedhead - The Dark Ages EP

1996; 3 tracks

Three really pretty and blissful tracks. Five men. Each chord change sounds like the earth turning on its axis.

At night when there's no moon
No one has a history
The dark ages last a few hours
But that's all the time that's needed
To erase memories, create horrible dreams, ruin sleep
Destroy all possibility of elimination

3Ds - Hellzapoppin'

1992; 13 tracks

3Ds (or The 3Ds) was an alternative / pop rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand active from the late 80s through 90s. They play attractive-sounding indie pop / punk rock with the occasional female vocals ("Sunken Head" and "Jewel" are my favorites), and overall this is a very likeable, mellow record.

It's a nice day for a dark age

Agnes Obel - Philharmonics

 2010; 12 tracks

"Danish singer/songwriter Agnes Obel's first major release, Philharmonics, is without a doubt one of the most powerful records I have heard in recent memory. An album that lacks the overproduction that has managed to creep its way into nearly every genre of music, her skill as a pianist would be enough to impress most.

Obel's musicianship extends far beyond keyboards, however. With her delicate vocals and eloquently layered harmonies, Obel crafts songs that speak volumes without unnecessary frills. The majority of the songs consist mainly of piano/keyboard and vocals, with some guitar and strings filling in on some tracks, and any sort of rhythm section on only two of the albums 12 songs. With some instrumentals in the mix, Philharmonics is an incredibly diverse, but at the same time cohesive album. While her popularity will need time to grow in the US, Philharmonics has reached double platinum status in Denmark, and has been nominated for various other awards in Europe as well."

Yeah I looooove this album. Especially the track "Riverside."


Download.

Pinebender - Working Nine to Wolf

2006; 8 tracks

Pinebender is Chicago-based trio signed to Lovitt Records who has to date released three full-length albums and one EP. Working Nine to Wolf is their latest effort.

This is honestly one of the most beautiful albums I have heard in recent times - each track has its share of hnnnngg moments, and the varied sounds this band is capable of are evenly spread throughout. The first track, "Parade of Horribles," has been described as a "fourteen-minute synopsis of Pinebender." Their strong musicality carries with it notes of sadness and beauty, and each and every song on here is impossibly brilliant. "Mask Tree" and "Polly Gray" are two of my favorites. Well, I also love "Broadcast All Your Dreams" too, and the final track is mind-blowing. "She Destroys the Light," with its soft but intense energy also stood out to me. I guess I can't pick one favorite! Pinebender play a mix of loud, intensive indie rock and sludge, but some might call it "math rock" that has been slowed down.

"Working Nine To Wolf finds Pinebender at its most aggressive. Still, the band adheres to the modus operandi that makes it special. Playing long melodic compositions very slowly and very loudly is what Pinebender does. They do it well."

Get. Grasp. Have.

EDIT: The track "She Destroys the Light" has become my favorite track of all fucking time.

Indian Jewelry - Free Gold!

2008; 14 tracks

This is a psychedelic album full of great sonic moments, shimmering buzzing through the universe. Indian Jewelry is a Texas-based indie rock / psychedelic group who, I've heard, aren't very good live. But that won't matter as you listen to this - particular highlights include "Temporary Famine Ship" and... yeah, that song is just fucking awesome. Watch the video!

Download.

My Dad is Dead - Chopping Down the Family Tree

1991; 12 tracks

My Dad is Dead is the recording project of American musician Mark Edwards (of the Cleveland-based band Riot Architecture), and since 1985 has released 11 full-length albums.

Chopping Down the Family Tree is Edwards' 7th album, and fully awe-inspiring. Its opening track, "Cool Rain," which is steeped in a heavier indie/punk sound, sets a very gritty and dark tone for the album. After the first half of the album, however, the tracks become increasingly cheerful (and increasingly enjoyable). The instrumentation of Chopping Down the Family Tree is astounding - bright guitars, exciting vocal harmonies and a great sense of variation and movement throughout. When you listen you will be surprised at the variety of music styles Edwards employs to convey his thoughts. Amazing tracks that transcend perfection: "Without a Doubt," "Cool Rain," and "Chopping Down the Family Tree."

"My Dad Is Dead, most of whose songs were indeed inspired by the loss of Edwards' father, makes music whose appeal lies largely in its matter-of-fact handling of trauma. Growing steadily in fluency and confidence, Edwards, who writes, plays and sings with instrumental and vocal help from a floating gene pool of Cleveland musicians (Prisonshake's Chris Burgess has also produced the bulk of his recordings), makes records that are as comforting as they are harrowing.

Chopping Down the Family Tree boasts its fair share of Edwards' familiar lyrics and dense, metallic instrumentation, but the fog hovering over his head has lifted a little further."

The strength of the family can be an illusion when built on control and based on collusion.

Download / Buy

Helium - The Magic City

1997; 14 tracks

"After Helium hit indie paydirt with '95s blustery feedback-drenched The Dirt Of Luck – a sonic corruption bewitched by subversively fragile sentiments, Boston-based Timony resolved her post-teen uncertainties and decided to trade in the droning cacophonies of yesterday for a cosmic experiment.

Brilliantly derived from Baroque, Gaelic folk, and neo-Classical styles, The Magic City takes a surrealistic journey forward (the artful 'Aging Astronauts' and the astral 'Leon's Space Song') and backward (the harpsichord-laden 'Medieval People' and the shadowy 'Ancient Cryme') in time."

Mary Timony (guitar, vocals, keyboards) ((whom I adore)) shares her thoughts on the band's 2nd and last full-length album:

"The sentiments were angrier on The Dirt Of Luck’s songs. They were more aggressive and agitated, but there were some nicer songs on that record. Since the production was lo-fi, they came out sounding more distorted and noise-oriented. I think the themes were more urban and about inner turmoil and gender gaps. Now I feel the themes on the first album were overdone and so 'over' now. There are so many cheesy women musicians around because of the whole Alanis Morissette fake feminism thing. I got tired of it. I had huge writer’s block and couldn’t produce new music for a while. But then I realized the music I like is soothing and has balance. I didn’t want to use my music as just a tool. That’s why The Magic City is quieter and more mellow. I decided I wanted to make music and not deal with the bullshit anymore."

As fantastic as The Dirt of Luck is, The Magic City showcases not as much of a "softer" side to Helium but a more... reflective one. It is amazing to listen to.

Will we go on until the end?
I know it's coming, but I just don't know when.

Lisa Germano - Geek the Girl

1994; 12 tracks

I have yet to come across an album so full of (wonderful) surprises as this one. Lisa Germano is an American singer-songwriter who used to play as a session musician for artists such as Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp. Listening to this, I was struck by the notion that a voice very much like Germano's had once (or still) spoken in and through me about the same issues and decisions a young girl has to face. It feels as though the quirks and complexities of this album are infinitely enlightening, if you listen closely enough.

"Geek the Girl was both a self-portrait and an allegoric concept. It was both an epic diaries of insecurity and a Dantesque journey into the psyche of a girl."

In the words of Lisa Germano:

"hi, this is the story of geek the girl, a girl who is confused about how to be cool and sexual in the world but finds out she isn't as cool and gets taken advantage of sexually alot, gets kind of sick and enjoys giving up but in the end tries to believe in dreams and still hopes of loving a man that he might save her from her shit life... ha ha what a geek!"

sexy little girl princess

Elysian Fields - Bleed Your Cedar

1996; 11 tracks

Bleed Your Cedar may be one of the most seductive albums ever... to use a phrase my friend often uses, it is "sexy in my ears" :3

This charm is not only due to the magnificently attractive voice of Jennifer Charles, but the variety of music presented in this, the band's first full-length... It is guaranteed you will love it from the first track alone, "Lady in the Lake," which is a catchy (and infinitely beautiful) shoegaze-y/grunge track. The album winds down a tiny bit later on with jazzier tracks like "Star" and "Parachute," but the electric and romantic pulse of Elysian Fields is thoroughly enjoyable to the end.

i'm on the wrong side of the water