The Starlight Mints
Drowaton
Barsuk Records

The Starlight Mints are a quirky indie-pop band from Norman, Oklahoma. On their past two records, The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of and Built on Squares, the Mints were able to blend their pop laden songwriting with an orchestral arrangement of strings and horns to form a sort of psychedelic, bubblegum rock. After being a big fan of these two albums, I was eager to hear what the Starlight Mints had been up to. Continue Reading »

Yo, yo, yo!  What’s up?!  I was talking to my friend Lucius Rockefeller the other day and he asked me what has been up with Invisible Limb.  He said, “Hey, Richard.  What’s been up with Invisible Limb?  Why isn’t it updated as often as before?”  So I told him, “That’s none of your business, Lucius.”  And he understood.  Then he asked me if I knew that Pedro the Lion was no more and that David Bazan was now touring and recording under his own name.  “Yes, I did know that,” I told Lucius.  That’s when I threw him some change and continued walking down the street.  Why does Lucius insist on rubbing in the fact that my website is so weak and poorly updated?  And why does he always ask me about band break ups months after the fact?  I thought about the answers to those questions for a long while, then I came to the idea that maybe it’s because he’s a wily old transient with a heart of gold.

This mp3 is for a song called Backwoods Nation.  It was originally a Pedro the Lion song, but it looks like Bazan will be re-using it for his up coming EP.  If you want to know when that EP comes out you can visit his website here.  Enjoy, my faithful legion of readers*.

*I am referring to the 2 people who downloaded the Aquabats mp3 from the last Download post.

MP3:  David Bazan – Backwoods Nation (demo)

If you were born post-1980 and into underground rock and roll then you probably “grew up” listening to the Aquabats.  The OC ska super heroes will probably always be known for their one semi-radio hit ‘Super Rad’ which found itself on some alternative rock stations’ playlists, but most die hard fans have followed their careers from full length to full length.  Their latest album Charge!!! was released a year ago and is getting a special re-release featuring new artwork and 3 new tracks.  Here are the full details from the Bats themselves:

“Speaking of freshness, the special One-Year Anniversary edition of “CHARGE!!” is currently being pressed and should be available along the east coast dates of the tour. This double-disc CD/DVD combo includes lots of amazing things. The CD its self has been re-mastered and includes three bonus tracks: “Cheeseburger Politics”, “Video Nite”, and “Hi-Five City”, all of which were recorded during the original CHARGE!! sessions. The DVD consists of the “Fashion Zombies!” video , “Fashion Zombies Commentary” (with The MC Bat Commander, Crash, Jimmy The Robot, Ricky Fitness and Bob), a Behind-the-Scenes look at the “Fashion Zombies” video shoot filmed by The Robot, “What About Charge?!?” a 45-minute documentary of the band dissecting the record track-by-track, “Charge!! Photoshoot” – a 10 minute peek at the photoshoot for the album cover, a CHARGE!! Trading Card Gallery, a teaser trailer for the elusive “Season 12″, and maybe even more…?”

Here is the album cover.  It is simply amazing.

MP3: The Aquabats – Stuck in a Movie!

Dengue Fever
Escape from Dragon House
M80 Records

Combining vintage Khmer, ska, and surf rock, Dengue Fever fulfills a creative dream of cultural fusion, and they sound unlike anything you’ve heard before. Continue Reading »

Jets Overhead
Bridges
Microgroove 

We have reached the middle of the road. Jets Overhead maintains a steady, not-too-fast, not-too-slow tempo throughout their LP, and while they are quite good, a little more vigor wouldn’t hurt. Continue Reading »

Grandaddy
Just Like the Fambly Cat
V2 Records

I draw a distinct line between music critics and music fans. While a music fan might admit the limitations of their musical knowledge or reveal their guilty listening pleasures, a music critic is always self serving and puts himself and his words above the music. The music critic is a dastardly breed whose favorite activities include gleefully punching his stamp of disapproval on any record deemed “non-genius” and thinking of new, inventive ways to compare the three minute pop song with ancient Russian folklore. Music is simply a vessel through which he aims to receive attention. Unfortunately for indie veterans Grandaddy, the music critic has nothing to gain by complimenting their latest and final release, Just like the Fambly Cat. Continue Reading »

Newly crowned winners of the MTVu best original band award, Mewithoutyou are back in the studio working on their follow up to 2004′s sultry Catch for Us the Foxes.  If history serves as any indicator, it shall be a many splendid record and one of our most anticipated releases of ’06.  Anyway,  check out the following video I found on YouTube.  It’s of Aaron Weiss and the band performing a new, unreleased track live.  It’s a lot different than what one might expect from the band but I definitely dig it.

Mewithoutyou Live Video

Electric Six
Senor Smoke
Metropolis Records 

They have been criticized for writing poor lyrics and for not being musically viable. According to Electric Six themselves, the negative reviews far outweigh the good. Well E6, as far as I am concerned, you guys rock. Chances are, I like them for all the reasons the other reviewers didn’t. But in all honesty, not all good music has to be taken seriously in the lyrical sense. Not all music should be taken seriously. Electric Six is not the first band to master the art of comedic music. So where has everyone been all this time? It’s rock. Listen and enjoy! Continue Reading »

Model Actress
5 Song EP
Self-released 

Well folks, it appears that another alternative rock band is upon us. Model/Actress’ first release is a five song EP called, well, 5 Song EP, and unfortunately for us, their music is about as original as the title of recording.

It is difficult to determine the purpose of Model/Actress’ music, as their songs are loud, chaotic, and altogether incoherent. The reason for this may be attributed to the fact that they are indeed a young band, and for those of us who are listening, we are optimistic that this is the case. Continue Reading »

Mike Andrews
Hand on String
Elgin Park Recordings 

Having no previous knowledge of Mike Andrews I was quite surprised upon first listening to Hand on a String. The first track resembles a very new age-esque type sound and from there traverses across a vast landscape of musical geography. Mr. Andrews’ voice immediately reminds me of past musical greats Simon and Garfunkel, and the late Elliott Smith. While there are similarities amongst the three, Andrews’ voice possesses a unique dryness. It lacks any sort of dynamic quality, which blends smoothly with his music. The music’s uniqueness caught my attention more than anything else. Each song fits with the previous like a puzzle, but at the same time each song sounds entirely different. It’s almost each song is devoted to capturing the sounds of various different eras over the past fifty years. Continue Reading »