i’m having to do this post tonight since tomorrow i will be attending a concert. i’m seeing the bands Fireworks, Transit, Man Overboard and today’s focus, The Swellers. this should be an interesting way to change the pace this week. heck, i might even try to get a band shirt if they are awesome and cheap. yippy skippy!!!
oh, and like i said, today’s post in on The Swellers.
the swellers are a melodic punk band that started back in 2002. they gained quick notice with their tribute style to early 90’s epitaph/fat wreck chords type artists like, NOFX, Pennywise, Lagwagon, The Bouncing Souls, Gutermouth and other acts like MXPX, Blink 182 and RKL. the band started off really young and this was a tribute to their style and pure awesomeness. they have released one demo, a 7 inch, three albums and one ep. they recently spent the summer on the Vans Warped Tour, and are making their way across america, so be sure to give them a look-see and run and jump when you do!!!
so, for this discography we first start with their debut full length called End of Discussion, then the ep Beginning of the End Again. after that we come to their next full length, and my personal favorite, called, My Everest. this is then followed by the Welcome Back Riders 7 inch and then their most recent album, Ups and Downsizing. (sorry, but i'm missing their demo album...) anyway, give these a listen and remember how good punk music can be. it takes kids like this to sometimes remind us of the fun we can have with music…
this is the first week of a new, daily, routine for me. no, not the blog, nor other computer related aspects. and no, not something vulgar and demented like some people out there might think quickly. no, this is the start of my recovery towards better health. i’m going to be a part of a daily exercise program that i have carefully chosen in regards to my current fitness level and willingness to persevere through hardships and personal struggle. i believe this will help me gain confidence as well as a more healthy body and frame of mind. i won’t bother with telling you all the details and up-to-date facts on my current situations during this process, but in the end, i will, possibly, show a pic or two. i mean, how on earth are you all gonna know if i did anything that i said??? so, here’s to good health and eventual results. no pain, no gain...
since it’s another monday, i’m wanting to cover something that’s a bit slower and more atmospheric. this is a band called Lilys, and they are here to ease your long day from whatever it is you do while living…
the lilys are a dreampop/shoegaze/indie rock band that formed in 1988 in washington, dc. they are largely recognized in the underground music scene as purveyors in all types of styles. so don’t go with the preconceived notions that they are just, “another shoegaze band.” actually, the band has dabbled in areas of psychedelic rock, garage and pop.
but of course, this post is all about the shoegaze anyway, so ha ha!!! front man and sole constant member, kurt heasly, formed the band and debuted with a sound very similar to My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. this became the basis for the lily’s first recorded material and the primary focus for my decision to post them today. there really is no other album for me to post besides their debut. this is an often, "overlooked" album in the shoegaze genre, and that's a darn shame because it's brilliant. if you ever wanted a sequel to my bloody valentines epic and classic album, Loveless, then look no further than, In the Presence of Nothing. it really takes it's cues from the scene king bands i've mentioned and turns them on their heads to make something almost as similar, but different in it's own way. think of the movie, 28 Days Later, the it's equally awesome, but not as good sequel, 28 Weeks Later. (that's my own way of putting it i guess...) anyway, try digging this then...
i just woke up. i blame the rock star energy drinks. also, it's probably not good to eat tacos real late at night with a large pop as well. anyway, just like my cat joshua, i slept all day and didn't wake up till after my dad came in and smelled of gasoline and rubber tires. the cat is still sleeping, but that's a cat for ya. i wanted to blog, so here's to that i guess...
you know, whenever you do heavy sleep you usually have the opportunity to dream. i'd say nine out of ten times my dreams aren't too good. heck, they're sometimes downright horrible. today's was no exception. anyway, to go alongside the dreaming i thought of some music that really makes the ambiance unsettling. the band who can do just that are called, Swans.
i chose the 1984 era photo above just because it was the year i was born. i do believe that the band had several different lineups, so i'm not sure if this was the initial group, but eh. so yeah, the swans were/are a no-wave/post-punk band from new york city that originally formed in 1982. they were led by lead singer michael gira who is the sole constant member. the band was noted for their intense live shows that often were held with excruciating loud volumes, and because of that, audience members would often vomit or transcend into madness. (probably not the latter...)
now, going back to my dream description, the band can most definitely become the background to your nightmares and fantasy's. this isn't the same post-punk of my faves like Joy Division or The Cure. no, this is brutal, punishing, grinding, metal on metal sounding music. it's the soundtrack to an industrial combustion engine of personal doom. this is a solid definition of what industrial music is and was. swans projected their own personal madness into the faces and ears of every soul who watched them and it was art transcending into substance. you just have to listen to it to understand...
which is why i have music here for ya!!! there is only one album i'm posting from this band and that album is their debut titled, Filth. there is no better word to describe this collection of songs crafted by the underdogs of the early new york music scene. this is where everyone should start and it might be where everyone will end. swans aren't for the faint of heart...
http://www.mediafire.com/?zj3g0gwzrma
buildings falling down, bolts rattle, glass is shattered...
in keeping with my current tastes, it seems this years Top Chef, isn’t as good as last season. the quality of the cooking doesn’t look that appealing and the contestants aren’t separate enough to be unique in their own right. even though i fuss about this, i can’t find a better show to watch on a wednesday night. (until SouthPark starts back up that is…) anyway, top chef is a reminder that people can create works of art out of nothing. in this case, food is the material and it’s a hard form to handle. (i know i’m not capable of making such fantastic food…)
during the week, top chef has become the beacon of hope in an otherwise dreadful slump. sure there’s always church on the same night, and i’m eternally grateful for that, but when it comes to wanting something a bit more in my area of artistic inspiration, top chef hits the mark. it makes me want to create, which my current use of writing seems to be filling in for. going back, there was a time when i used to draw really good. (at least in my mind it was good…) but yeah, i was a self proclaimed lover of the arts and i wanted to draw comics and paint epic scenes of my inner most thoughts. after high school, i stopped completely. my excuse for this decision is that my art didn’t develop past making rip-offs of Dragon Ball Z and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. i want to kick myself right now for quitting because after a few doodles, my style has become much worse and i can’t even draw a face hardly. i’d like to take a few classes just to freshen up, but i honestly don’t know how well that would work. i guess there’s no harm in trying, but what use do i have of it??? i’m so far into writing that going back to that old dream seems like a rash decision on my part, and something i can’t afford to spend my time on. (i keep feeling like the end is near for me…)
besides wanting to make my own comics, i also wanted to make movies. i always had these bizarre ideas in my head that i desperately had to produce. i know nothing of the form, besides crafting awkward reviews, so i can’t begin to describe my style for it and reasons behind the madness. i guess this is why i started writing in the first place. i knew, and so did everyone else, that writing down my crazy stories is the only way for them to be possibly recognized, and even then, i was taking a long shot. (who reads anymore???) oh boy, those early days were full of so much doubt and suffering on my part. as for anybody just starting out, you have some of the biggest hurdles to conquer, one of them being confidence and another being pride. maybe those two are related, but i like to separate them because they both represent me during my early writing stages. not like i’m some super awesome writer now, but i do know i have progressed greatly since my scrappy beginning.
when i got accepted into art school, i felt like a king. i was so proud and, honestly, i thought i was something special. “they picked me out of tons of applications!!! that must mean i’m awesome!!!” well… I was quite WRONG!!! my butt was handed to me that first year. just about everything i did was torn apart by the older students and it totally made me loose all hope i originally had in myself. over the course of the next four years, my feelings towards art changed, as well as me personally and physically, and in the end i left that school with mixed feelings. i studied myself crazy and passed with good grades, but for what purpose??? (i often think that…) i currently have a desk job and blog almost everyday to keep the flame alive. the flame of creativeness i’m stillinspired to use…
and like the wind, constantly moving, inspiration comes at any time. here today is a little band that took inspiration and made their own ideas come alive. they were called, Anatomy of A Ghost.
anatomy of a ghost had a cool name. seriously, i love it!!! there was a time when i used to read rock magazines like crazy, and this band would seldom pop up in various ads. i never paid them much attention, but after hearing their song called, “on to morning stars” i quickly caught on. the band apparently started back in 2002 and ended in 2004. i think they were from portland, oregon and also had members from wasilla, alaska. the music they made was typical post-hardcore/emo/screamo stuff from the early 2000’s, and because of this, was often written off as typical flavor of the month tripe. (the band emerged right around the time Saosin and From First to Last got popular…) since this was the case, most people never got the chance to experience their music or see them live, me being one of them. (they came to okahoma in 2003 or 2004, but i disregarded that show as crappy stuff and skipped it like a bad street in the ghetto…)
my bad!!! so anyway, to better describe the bands sound i’m going to have to name drop a few references. think of the guitar work of Coheed and Cambria during their early years as well as At-the Drive In, and then mix that with a little bit of Thursday’s background screaming style and the soft focus of, say a band like Further Seems Forever and you might be near to what i’m hearing in my head. and like i said, they weren’t as well received when they first came out, but after several years of laying dormant, the band has sort of risen to legendary status. their style resembles the stages of midwest 90’s style emo, where it was all about the substance and not the style. the band, arguably, tears through their music with gusto and non-egotistical notions towards making it not seem bigger than what it was, but nonetheless full of young angst. the music still sounds distinct and inspirational in that, “i can make music too!!!” sort of way. (i like to remember Desaparecidos when talking like that. If there was any sort of band that maked me wanna go out and make music for the sake of it, they took the cake.)
and so the music is finally upon us. to this day, anatomy of a ghost only released one album, and it's called Evanesce. it's pretty much the only recorded documentation out there of the band besides live bootlegs maybe. yeah, this might be a bit sad that it's only what they have to offer, but raise your head up because not all is lost!!! if you happen to really like their music, then i highly suggest to travel along and check out the band called, Portugal. The Man. this group emerged from the ashes of anatomy of a ghost and have been on a killing streak ever since. it's the same vocalist and same bass player and, to this day, the band has released over six albums and five ep's!!! i might get to them at a later time, but for now enjoy some of the past because we all start out with scrappy beginnings, and eventually we emerge as hopefully something better if we stick with it. ya dig???
http://www.mediafire.com/?3zdtdd14qib
We flail on to morning stars We'll offer all of ourselves just not to close our eyes Seize onto the sun as it rises in the east Ascend to open doors hanging heavenly Suspended in the superlunary even broken you'll be back to still stand
I'll shatter the silence to tell you we won't last long If this canopy crashes down, crushing us That's the only way to break this apart
And although the moon is falling down on us Don't expect this day to end Do you see that star? Well, I'll meet you there When you read this you'll be well on your way Please write soon, so I know that you have gotten home safe And please don't forget me
How I worked hearts molded in mache to some mended way of beating before we behold them break and both Painting pictures that will never fade still they crack Clutched at the crushing in our chests dizzy we'll see stars dazzle like glass shards sparkle shatter (The violence in destroyed frames)
And if the sheltering sky will slip to sever us We'll receive it We will reap it Always remember
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