It's a shame that most people had never heard of this band before last Sunday, when singer/guitarist Matt Davis tragically passed away at the age of 26. Here's a track off their This Is The Way To Rule LP on Southern Records:
Ten Grand - Fuck You Guyses Teams
I recommend this download for fans of good music. For more info on Ten Grand, click here or go to Ten-Grand.com. Rest in peace, Matt.
What's that? You want to hear my favorite track off the new Jawbreaker tribute record? Well okay!
The Ãffect - Boxcar
For more info on The Ãffect, please go to TheÃffect.com
Scott: I saw this band in the basement of a bar last night with about a half dozen other people, and they really wowed me. Their name might make you think they're a ska band, but their sound is that of shoegazer-meets-alt-country; think Hum meets Wilco [maybe?]. Anyway, here's a live version of one of the songs that blew me away tonight:
Jimmy's Comet - Hey Moon
For more info on Jimmy's Comet, go to JimmysComet.com.
Adam: I'm still trying to dry off from the four hours or so I was standing in the rain at Toronto's Warped Tour date yesterday. You might get an MP3 from me later, but then again you might not. Enjoy your Sunday.
Scott: Somerset will be your new favorite band. Seriously. Here's a track off their self-released EP [reviewed here]:
Somerset - The Victim: Animated
[Normally I'd never link directly to an mp3.com page, but you all need to download this, it's worth the hassle.]
For more info on this soon-to-blow-the-fuck-up band, point your browser towards SomersetRock.com.
Adam: Bah, new bands… I just realized that as much as I've been hyping the fantastic new Buzzcocks record I haven't given you guys a track from it yet. "Sick City Sometimes" is one of the albums more somber songs. It's penned and sung by Steve Diggle, so it's a bit lower key than some of Pete Shelley's frantic tunes. You can read my full review here.
Buzzcocks - Sick City Sometimes
(track offline, email Adam if you want to hear it)
Head on over to Merge and pick this up.
Aubin: While they haven't put out a record in a while, the recent news that they would be appearing at the Take Action Tour and would be appearing on the soundtrack for Underworld encouraged me to feature the band anyway.
Dillinger Escape Plan - Fourth Grade Dropout
Scott: Well shit. I listened to the new Weakerthans album pretty much nonstop over the past 2 weeks while I was in Russia, and fully intended on making "Plea From A Cat Named Virtue" my MP3 of the week upon returning. Then I find out Epitaph already posted it. I guess it's time to post another of my favorite tracks from the new disc, and what better one to post than the song that takes a guitar solo straight from the pages of Wyld Stallyons?
The Weakerthans - Prescience Of Dawn - UPDATE: this should be the full MP3 now, I think my FTP client messed up the upload earlier. Please re-download!
For more info on the Weakerthans, head to TheWeakerthans.org.
Aubin: There was a band called Lifetime. Lifetime begat Kid Dynamite. Later, Kid Dynamite begat two bands. One, was a melodic rock affair called None More Black, the other was something different altogether.
Paint It Black - Wombicide
Go visit Paint It Black.
Adam: I'm listening to the new Warsawpack record "Stocks and Bombs" for the first time and it's pretty damn good. Here's an instrumental jam from the upcoming disc titled "Wolfblitzer." It's a good display of the band's rock / hip hop / jazz fusion:
Warsawpack - Wolfblitzer
Adam: How Verbena manages to remain a rather low-key artist despite their major label backing bewilders me. The three piece plays swaggering rock that calls to mind early 90s grunge with moments of both traditional blues and late 70s punk. If this was released ten years ago, it would have been huge. This is track 10 from this year's "La Musica Negra," which I've been spinning a lot ever since I got it.
Verbena - Devil In Miss Jones
(track offline. email Adam if you want to hear it)
One of our readers contributed a review of "La Musica Negra" here, you can also check out a live review here.
Aubin: Ok, I'm late again, but I'm putting up a song that should prove to be a sharp contrast to Adam's pick. The song from Every Time I Die's previous record, Last Night in Town Every Time I Die - The Logic of Crocodiles.
I reviewed their newest record too, so you should really get both.
Aubin: I know this is usually posted on Sunday's, but I'm such a out-of-control rebel that I'm doing it Monday morning. Anyway, my track is from the unbelievably intense Swedes of Raised Fist. Brett, editor of AMP described them to me as "Slayer meets Minor Threat"
Get This Right - Raised Fist
Adam: Oshawa's Cuff The Duke has been described as "Johnny Horton meets Sonic Youth" due to their penchant for mixing rockabilly twang and rock noise. The group is part of the mighty Three Gut Records, home Guelph's Constantines and Royal City. This is the lead track from their recent album "Life Stories For Minimum Wage." Fans of the Weakerthans' alt-country side should enjoy this:
Cuff The Duke - Blackheart
(track offline. email Adam if you want to hear it) Scott: Well, Warped Tour is in Chicago today, and I'll be there in just a handful of hours. Out of the many acts that will pique my interest, there is only one I am wholly dedicated to seeing - the audio messiah himself, Andrew WK. Here's his cut from the Jackass: The Movie Soundtrack:
Andrew WK - We Want Fun
For more info on the man, the myth, the partier, head to AWKWorld.com. And for more info on meeting yours truly at Warped in Chicago today [I'll give you free stuff if you come talk to me!], click READ MORE.
Aubin: I never do these, and I guess technically I'm not doing one now since I'm picking a video rather than an mp3. But the new video from Salem (ex-As Friends Rust) is really addictive and I think you should check out Salem - Smoke and Mirrors.
Longing for the quintessential post-breakup "I hate your fucking guts" song? Well, look no further than this, one of the many spicy jams on Moneen's new album [review here]:
Moneen - Start Angry… End Mad
For more info on Moneen, go to Moneen.com.
Scott: This band has done one of the most radical 180s I've ever seen between their first and second album. This track is my personal favorite off their upcoming "Ribbons & Sugar" disc, out July 1st:
Gatsby's American Dream - Work Lies Sex Love Fear Hate Friendship
For more info on Gatsbys American Dream, go to GatsbysAmericanDream.com or Rocket-Star.com.
Adam: This track has been in my head ever since I first heard it. It's unhealthily catchy. The Soviettes are a female fronted Minneapoilis 4 piece and just released their debut on Adeline Records, who's reputation for putting out great pop-punk continues:
The Soviettes - Blue Stars
Scott: The temperature's rising, the sun is shining, the lawn needs mowing, and girls are wearing less and less. All this can only mean one thing - it's summertime, baby. Here's a song that I've been in love with since the first time I heard it last year, and it seems incredibly appropriate now:
Beatsteaks - Summer
For more info on Beatsteaks, go to Beatsteaks.com or Epitaph.com.
Adam: Someone requested this song a few weeks ago in the comment section, so here it is. From the first "Give Em The Boot" (one of my favorite compilations ever) is The Silencers with "Policeman." It features Tim and Lars from Rancid, Vic Ruggerio from the Slackers, Josh Freese of the Vandals, Wix (?) on bass and Mr. Brett doing some backing vocals.
The Silencers - Policeman
(track offline. email Adam if you want to hear it)
I'll be straight up - I used to hate Spitalfield. I thought they were unoriginal and boring. Then they recorded "Remember Right Now," which comes out June 17th on Victory Records, and something clicked. Something clicked big time. This band will be leading the way for the new breed of Chicago music, carrying the banner that bands like the Promise Ring, Braid, and Gods Reflex dropped. Here's one of my favorite cuts off the upcoming disc:
Spitalfield - Kill The Drama
For more info on Spitalfield, go to Spitalfield.net.
Adam: What was Scott saying earlier about us having pet bands? This marks the second appearance by The Bronx as my pick of the week. They have a new EP coming out on Tarantulas Records this July titled "Bats!" Here's the title track:
The Bronx - Bats!
The band's debut album is out later this summer on Ferret Records / White Drugs.
Scott: This is the best female-sung emo song ever written. Ever.
Pohgoh - Friend X
This song is taken from Deep Elm's "Emo Diaries, Volume 1" compilation. For more info on Pohgoh, click here.
Adam Dove is the stage name for Adam Rubenstein, former guitarist for the massively underappreciated and now-defunct Chamberlain. He put out a solo album entitled "Aftershock" early last year on Doghouse Records to virtually no fanfare, and has been laying low ever since. This is the title track off that album, and it's one of the catchiest rock songs you've never heard:
Adam Dove - Aftershock
For more info on Adam Dove, go to AdamDove.com.
Adam: I miss The Nerve Agents. Someone figure out where Eric Ozenne's run off too and send him a fruit basket for me. Here's a song they released on their split will Kill Your Idols on Mankind Records. It's a cover of David Bowie's Suffragette City from the "Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust" album. The Bowie version of the song's been stuck in my head all week long.
The Nerve Agents - Suffragette City (David Bowie cover)
(track offline. email Adam if you want to hear it)
Scott: Adam misses the Nerve Agents, eh? Well I miss Lifetime. Here's what I believe to be the band's best song ever:
Lifetime - Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey
This song is the b-side from the band's now out-of-print "Boy's No Good" 7", which was released on Jade Tree many, many moons ago. It's never been released on any other format that I know of, and it's a damn shame.
In the year and a half history of the MP3 of the Week feature, very rarely has a band been featured more than once. Motion City Soundtrack, Slow Gherkin, John K. Samson, The Constantines, and The Promise Ring [and Gestalt] have been lucky enough to be worth a second mention. The Gadjits now join those ranks, but with a twist - the song I'm featuring is the same song I featured over a year ago. It's still that good.
The Gadjits - Optimism
If you can't rock out to this track, you are deaf. End of fucking story. For more info on the Gadjits, go to TheGadjits.com and THICKRecords.com.