Unsane

Recently when I was visiting some friends in Toronto I went record shopping with one of them and he mentioned he was on the hunt for Unsane records. He seemed amazed I hadn't listened to them and strongly urged me to. When I got home they were one of the first bands off of my list I decided to check out and I was extremely pleased to find out that his suggestion was right. They really were something right down my alley that I'd love. Since then I've been playing the "Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Live" album at least once everyday at work just to get me through the day. It has this form of dark energy that just keeps me going.
Built on rolling bass lines with short choppy guitar that sometimes builds into epic guitar solos with powerful staticy vocals this group really rips.
I do not like playing genre tag games but I would put these guys into grungey hardcore. They play a mix of hardcore, rock, garage & grunge. Depending what you want to look into. No matter what they make you want to rock out and have the force to make you do it.
I still have not listened to the entire discography but from what I have touched base on so far 1995's "Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Live" is both the most energetic and entertaining of the albums. It's got an extremely dirty feel alternating between some slow sludgey slow tracks right while also having some quick ripping skateboard tracks that will just make you wanna thrash.

Highlights of the album: Scrape, Alleged & No Loss. Though the entire thing chugs along and fits together amazingly well.

Get into it!

Listen
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Clorox Girls

With the summer heat I just want skateboarding and slurpees. Normally when I board I want pretty aggressive music but sometimes I like to just groove and listen to something that is just extremely catchy.

For the past couple of days that has been Clorox Girls' "This Dimension." This three piece from Portland, OR play late 70's power pop punk. Extremely catchy hooks and plenty of "oh's", "ahs" and even "whoo-ee-oo's" to sing along to. Songs of love, drugs, and running from the cops. It seems like a terribly confusing mash-up but you get so caught up in the trip you realize it all just fits. Poppy guitar solos and a generally quick pace for all of the songs just makes it the catchiest ride you could ask for.

Or if you just want some quick punk that shreds and rocks they have the highly addictive hidden track "Animal Eyes" and the opening track "This Dimension" which through short choppy riffs is a youthful track of being bored, getting drunk and running from the police. Get into it!

Listen here.
Download 'This Dimension' here.

Rational Animals

Already I have managed to neglect this blog for a bit. I have been thinking about making a post but with time off from work came lethargy.

I'm back and with a hard hitting album to make up for the lack of posts. The entire album plus a track off of a mix CD is only 12 minutes long. Twelve minutes of Black Flag & Greg Ginn worship.

Rational Animals hail from Rochester, New York and really know how to rip. These guys have the attitude and sound of punk from the 80's. It's fast, it's hard, and it's still got a groove to it.

Since "Perception Becomes Reality" is a rather short 7" I threw in another track from the "The World Itself Is A Bad Dream" mixtape which they are featured on. (Check out this link to grab a download of the mixtape from I could die tomorrow. I believe if you do some digging you can find the newer 7" from Rational Animals on the blog as well.

If you dug this 7" or the track "Games & Fun" (which is off the new 7") I highly urge you to seek out their newer 7"-It feels like they wore their shoes in even more and rounded out their sound even better.

Listen Here
Download Here

A Place To Bury Strangers

A Place to Bury Strangers are a three piece who play a genre blending wall of sound taking aspects of some of the best bands from multiple genres and moulding them into their own sound. Genre tags I've seen used to describe them range all over the place and it makes a lot of sense; psychadelic rock, new wave, goth, industrial, shoegaze. The list goes on.
They do touch base on all of these though. They sound like some crazy love child of a drugged out three-way between Depeche Mode, New Order & Nine Inch Nails. But one of the members of the three-way were obviously dabbling about with some others for this child to turn out the way it did.

My personal favorite tracks on the album are "In Your Heart," "Smile When You Smile," & "I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Love." I think the track titles alone give away that this band does write songs on unrequited love and well.. Love in general. For as cheesy as it can be it fits the cold mood that their music leaves from the wall of sound they build. Even they poppy portions of their songs feel cold and lonely. Since discovery I have been every bit addicted to this album so it is time to share the goods.

Check them out here.
Download them here.