What's Left Of The Trees - Where There's Water, There Must Be Shore [2010]

Absolute Punk's Free Music Friday is a godsend. I've found some awesome local groups from it and this is one of them. What's Left Of The Trees is a two-man group that has been kicking my musical ass for the past few days. The sound is reminiscent of Portugal. the Man's Church Mouth as well as As Tall As Lions and I'm loving it. Southern-ish but also soulful, it's kinda difficult to describe but also really familiar. The singer's vocals are pretty different from a lot out there, it's normal at some times then every now and again he'll do some vibrato-sounding bits as well. Really this is one that's kinda hard to critique but super fun to listen to and addictive. Support local music, yo.

Also, I'll have my download up as well as the band's bandcamp link in case you'd rather DL it from there (so they can have an accurate download count).

Genre: Indie
For Fans Of: Portugal. The Man, As Tall As Lions, Circa Survive
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Wake Me! You're Not Waking Me!
2. Always Was
3. As Long As We're Being Honest
4. All That Gold
5. Sugar And Brass


Bandcamp

- A

The Strokes - Is This It [2001]

Is This It is the debut album from the five member group, The Strokes, and is in my opinion, one of the best albums ever made. While that may sound like quite a pretentious claim, it is without a doubt justified in this case. Full of insightful lyrics about everyday life, laid over the relaxed, yet engaging music, the combination is flawless. Despite the laid back impression the album gives off at first, there is an underlying urgency to the music which nearly reaches anxiety at some points. This incredible helping of emotion drives Is This It far above other music of this style (including later albums by the band) and, for me, ascertains it as some of the most quality music of the decade.

Another quality of Is This It that I enjoy is the somewhat do-it-yourself sound. What I mean by that is you can actually hear the band behind the music; it doesn't sound overproduced at all. The guitars are infectious and the basslines will have you nodding your head along. The drumming fits into the music perfectly and Casablancas' vocals are raw and natural. Rather than having any one member stand out, each member of The Strokes' work blends together so well, almost intuitively, to produce their very distinctive sound.

One critique I would make is that the vocals on this album, while unique from any other band's vocal style, can get a bit monotonous at points (especially on Barely Legal) and don't vary much throughout the album. That being said, Casablancas' mouth-too-close-to-the-microphone style distorted singing is just what the music needs, and it never gets excessively tedious.

Is This It is a nearly perfect collection of songs, and an imperative album for any music lover. Personal favorites include the title track, Hard To Explain, and Someday, but each song contributes to the masterpiece as a whole. This album is a classic. Front man Julian Casablanca puts it very well in an interview with Rolling Stone: "[As] a songwriter, you play a few chords and sing a melody that's been done a thousand times, and now you're a singer-songwriter. I think it takes a little more than that to do something that matters." Well Julian, Is This It is just that.

Genre: Indie Rock
For Fans Of: The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party
Contact: Website
Tracklisting:
1. Is This It
2. The Modern Age
3. Soma
4. Barely Legal
5. Someday
6. Alone, Together
7. Last Nite
8. Hard to Explain
9. New York City Cops
10. Trying Your Luck
11. Take It or Leave It


-T

New Just Like Vinyl Song

After TFOT broke up earlier this year, Thomas (guitar/vocals) went on to form Just Like Vinyl. Just today they put up a new song entitled "Death Of The Sheep" and I'm diggin it. It sounds like a more punk version of The Fall of Troy and I'm really interested in seeing where this will go. Hopefully I can get a ripped version of this to download but if not you can hear it on their Myspace here.

This Town Needs Guns - This Town Needs Guns [2008]

This self-titled record from This Town Needs Guns is some of math-rock at its finest, with all the technical guitars and intricate melodies you could ask for. Tim Collis rockets over the fretboard with some ridiculous ability but still is able to keep the overall mood very chilled out and relaxed, which is not easy to do. Singer/rhythm guiarist Stuart Smith's vocals are absolutely perfect for the music, his crooning slides gently from song to song and somehow adds a laid-back atmosphere to the most eccentric of pieces. It's hard to accurately describe this band's sound in one paragraph so I recommend you just download the album and hear it for yourself. Let me know what you think!

Genre: Indie Math-Rock
For Fans Of: Maps and Atlases, Dartz!, Tubelord
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. 26 Is Dancier Than 4
2. And I'll Tell You For Why
3. I'll Forget About You Throwing That Rock Cos That Dance Was Pretty Funny
4. 1470 Man
5. Want To Come Back To My Room And Listen To Some Belle And Sebastian?
6. If I Sit Still, Maybe I'll Get Out Of Here
7. Japanese Ultra-Violence In D-Minor (The Saddest Chord)
8. It's Not True Rufus, Don't Listen To The Hat



- A

Maps And Atlases - Tree, Swallows, Houses [2006]

Before Maps and Atlases got their folky vibe, they were a LOT more math-rock based. Tree, Swallows, Houses has some incredibly frantic guitars that make mince meat of the fret board. Dave Davidson's vocals are quirky as always and somehow sound right over the technical music regardless of his unique voice. Now I love me some technicality and crazy guitar work, but I feel like M&A took it a little too far with this EP. The noodling gets somewhat overbearing and can only be taken in small chunks, but it's still terribly impressive nonetheless. I think my favorite track is Stories About Ourselves, it starts off with an awesome Blink-182 ish bass line that then bursts into some typical M&A math-rock. The album might be a little heavy on the fret-jumping but it's still a classic for an math fan.

Genre: Math-Rock
For Fans Of: This Town Needs Guns, Good Old War, Piglet
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Everyplace Is A House
2. The Most Trustworthy Tin Cans
3. The Ongoing Horrible
4.Big Bopper Anthems
5. Stories About Ourselves
6. The Sounds They Make
7. Songs For Ghosts To Haunt To



- A

Tides of Man - Dreamhouse [2010]

Tides of Man has been on my radar for a while now, but I was never really able to get into the band before now. Sure, Empire Theory was good, but it just didn't catch me like I was hoping. So last night as I was talking to Jack Appleby (editor/writer of Mind Equals Blown) he suggested I check out Tide's new record and I was blown away. The band has taken their sound to the next level and has moved to a more progressive sound, which I love. The guitars are technical and the vocals are excellent (they accent the music much better than I expected). Really this album is a great expansion on what ToM have already created and is now a contender for album of the year.

Genre: Melodic Post-Hardcore
For Fans Of: Closure In Moscow, Circa Survive
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Not My Love 2
2. Statues
3. Home
4. Sunshine
5. Dreamhouse
6. Salamanders and Worms
7. Chemical Fires
8. Echoes
9. A Faint Illusion
10. Only Human



- A

Motions & Miles - Grace EP [2010]

While In:Aviate is on hiatus, some of the members formed the new group Motions & Miles. They recently released the short Grace EP, and even though it is only four songs, it is some of the best music I've heard this year, and I'm very stoked to hear more from this band. They sound a bit like a stripped down version of In:Aviate, with a less complex sound, but just as much power in their music.

The EP kicks things off with the title track, Grace, which isn't as intricate as any of In:Aviate's work, and instead has a straight-forward rock feel similar to The Almost. Grace builds up from a simple beginning into a fun jam perfect for playing loudly in the car with the windows down. Up next is Solipsism, my favorite track on Grace. It sounds quite a lot like In:Aviate, and it has a killer bassline driving it which contrasts nicely with the ambient guitar work. Every Day Between The Facts And Faith brings a nice mixture of the sounds of the first two songs, with some technical sounding elements, great vocal work and a sing-along chorus. The final track, Safe In Sound, has one of the coolest moments on the EP about halfway through the song with the bass and maracas jam (you'll see what I mean when you listen to it.)

The lyrics on this EP show that the band members still have plenty of talent in that area, with lines like "Keep yourself honest, but never too obvious. The only victim is the truth, and sometimes fabrications are win-win situations," and "At night you sit and talk to God, did he ever respond?... I really hope He'd understand or know the struggles of a man." The themes are deep questions about life and dealing with personal struggles, and the lyrics always sound sincere and intelligent. Ryan's eloquent vocals are full of emotion and energy and soar wonderfully over the music, which provides the perfect melodic backdrop.

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Indie Rock

For Fans Of: In:Aviate, The Almost, Closure In Moscow

Contact: Myspace

Tracklisting:

1. Grace

2. Solipsism

3. Every Day Between The Facts And Faith

4. Safe In Sound

-T

Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise Bonus Acoustic Tracks [2010]

These tracks were originally released with the deluxe version of Blue Sky Noise and they're all awesome versions of the normal songs. The last track, Every Way is a b-side from the album that I think sounds more like an Anthony Green solo song. But either way, it's awesome and worth giving a spin.

Genre: Acoustic
For Fans Of: Anthony Green,
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Get Out (Acoustic)
2. I Felt Free (Acoustic)
3. Dyed In The Wool (Acoustic)
4. Every Way (Acoustic)



- A

Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind of Cadwallader [2008]

Algernon Cadwallader sticks in my mind for 2 very distinct and important reasons. 1. They sound like a 90's emo band that somehow stayed underground for 15+ years only emerge now and show us how damn good they are, and 2. Their name is awesome (pronounced al-jur-non kad-wall-uh-der). The name aside, these guys are just kickass. The guitars have a technical tinge to them, but it's not overbearing and not the focus of the group. Vocals-wise, I just absolutely love it. The singer isn't amazingly talented and he can't hit high notes very well, but that's one of the draws. It feels so raw and emotional when he's yelling to try and reach the notes that are just outside of his range. I know some people won't like it, but I totally dig the sound. But overall, the band is happy and upbeat. I can imagine they would put on one of the best live shows just based on their energetic and fun-loving sound. The music is a little samey, but that's just how this genre is. Honestly, if you can catch them at a basement show anytime soon, go to it and tell me how it went while I sit at home and cry in envy.

P.S. If anyone has this on vinyl, I'll trade you some Tera Melos stickers and a copy of Soul Caliber 2 for it.

Genre: 90's Emo, Indie Math-Rock
For Fans Of: Snowing, American Football, Native
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Casual Discussion In A Dome Between Two Temples
2. Horror
3. I've Got Piano
4. In Response To Irresponsibility
5. Katie's Conscious
6. Motivational Song
7. Serial Killer Status
8. Some Kind Of Cadwallader
9. The Stars
10. Yo Soy Milk


- A

Underoath - O (Disambiguation) Preorder

The new Underoath album, named O (Disambiguation), is coming out on November 9. You can preorder it right now from their merch site here. Underoath is one of my favorite bands out there, and I am so excited to hear this album. I anticipate it will be some of the best music this year, and hopefully it will still be as good as their other albums even without Aaron on it. Now just a few months of waiting to go...

-T