Pianos Become The Teeth - Old Pride

Coming straight from the awesomely pretentious band name department I bring you Pianos Become The Teeth.  This screamo (or skramz if you are an asshole) band from Baltimore draws influences from both post-rock and post-hardcore which leaves the listener with something in the same vane as Envy, City of Caterpillar, or Suffocate For Fuck Sake. (gotta love the names).  

Unfortunately for Pianos they don't quite live up to the behemoths of the genre I mentioned.  Not yet anyway.  Some of the post-rock buildups are amazing (see "Pensive"),  but at other times the meander and end up falling back on mediocre post-hardcore riffs leaving the listener waiting for that climax that never comes (see "Young Fire").  The lyrics live up to the stereotype of the genre and are mostly underwhelming for the entirety of the album, minus the absolute tear jerker, "Cripples Can't Shiver", an incredibly emotional song about a loved one dying of a degenerative disease.

Although these guys aren't perfect, this album is still one of my favorites of last year.  So check out the album, then buy some merch or book them for your next basement show.  They'll be in Milwaukee June 17, where they will be playing however remains to be seen.  So if you live in the area keep that in mind, as it appears these guys will literally play wherever.  They seem to be extremely humble and appreciative guys and that's pretty fucking cool.

 

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The Paper Chase - Now You Are One Of Us

 "I get a lot of e-mail that says, "Your music frightens my cat." -John Congleton

What do you get when the producer of successful pop acts such as U2's Bono, R. Kelly, and Explosions in the Sky decides to start writing his own music? Surprisingly you get some seriously spooky stuff.

Now You Are One Of Us wastes no time setting a creepy tone with a sample of a real radio interview of some wack-o who is supposedly flying over area-51.  From there you get a steady diet of uncomfortable subject matter being sung over jagged piano, ominous riffs and discordant melodies separated by equally creepy sample interludes.  The whole album feels as though you are listening in on a deliriously paranoid man's desperate thoughts and painfully authentic threats.  Deliciously creepy song titles such as "We Know Where You Sleep", "You Are One Of Them Aren't You", and "We Will Make You One Of Us" cements the feeling of intense paranoia.  Congleton's own experience with ardent panic attacks definitely seep through the songs giving the listener a taste of what it may feel like to truly experience hysteria.

The greatest discomfort of all comes when you realize that although some of the subject matter is over the top, all these feelings are human (even if they are at the very fringe of what is considered normal) and that all feelings most likely exist somewhere deep inside every one of us.  See the very ending of "At The Other End of The Leash " as a frightening example of the perpetual loneliness and boredom one can experience even while surrounded by creature comforts and people who care for you.

So give it a listen, but maybe turn on all the lights in your room first.

The Paper Chase - Now You Are One Of Us 

I forgot it was Valentines Day

 I guess that is what happens when your interests include writing a music blog.

Keep your love on lockdown ya'll!!!!

Kanye West- Love Lockdown 

Lotus Land Records on Friday

Saw a pretty good local show at the newly opened Lotus Land.  It was another well set up DIY show.  Here's who we saw:

Myspace 

White Problems- Fun band making fun music.  Think DFA1979. 

Myspace
Brief Candles- Technically sound indie rock with female lead vocals

 

 Myspace

sleepcomesdown- These guys blew me away.  They are everything you want in a shoegaze band and more.  I was totally taken aback at the amount of beautiful sound they could create. The streaming music on their myspace doesn't even begin to do their live sound justice.  If you are able I would definitely recommend seeing this sometimes haunting, but always powerful sounding band.  They also have some pretty nifty lights, which may be a plus for all I know.  I'm going to be ordering their full length soon, so expect another post on these guys.

Myspace
John The Savage- I was lucky enough to see a Milwaukee staple,  John The Savage.  They are well known in the area for great live shows and fun music.  They certainly lived up to that Friday.  Their set was an hour long dance party.  These guys take the attitude of Modest Mouse, the crazy big sound instrumentation of Arcade Fire, and vocals reminiscent of early Flogging Molly and create something that is absolutely infectiously enjoyable.

Absolutely also played during the course of the night.  Unfortunately I can't find their Myspace.  They play some pretty killer post-hardcore.  If anyone who reads this can point me to their Myspace please do (does anyone read this?)

edit: Found their Myspace

 

Myspace 

Come back tomorrow and I will share some music!

toe - Book About My Idle Plot On Vague Anxiety

 

Math Rock came to be in the late eighties as an offshoot of Post-Rock that concentrated on tapping and angular melodies as opposed to the concentration on atmosphere and texture that Post-Rock is known for.  The early bands in both genres shared many characteristics however.  See Slint as an example.

Like it's early brother in the Math Rock scene, Slint, toe borders on the edge of both genres.  They have no shortage of interesting time signatures and start stop rhythms, but they also take special care to create an interesting atmosphere.  This coupled with the technical drumming of Takashi makes this a Japanese export to check out.

 

toe - Book About My Idle Plot On Vague Anxiety

It snowed a lot today.

So have some music by a band called Snowing.  It's pretty much the best the current Emo scene has to offer.

My writing genius knows no bounds

 

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What has the Internet done?

I literally just found this: Pitchfork reviews Die Antwoord
 Expect that annoying guy standing by the keg to be shouting requests for Die Antwoord songs soon.
Interview discussing how gangster fairy tattoos are