POLLUTED BITCH-HOUND-HUNGRY DEMO

So I decided to plug the new band I am in before the year is out. I spent all day yesterday recording and mixing this demo. I came out very well and I am happy with it. My new band is called Polluted Bitch-Hound. We play riffy psychedelic/hard rock stuff, I guess somewhere in the ballpark of Sabbath, Flag, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, Bl'ast, etc. We have played some shows and done some basement demos, but this was done in a studio with nice mics and such. Anyway, please give it a listen!

download

HAPPY HOLIDAYS//HEAVY 101

I doubt I'll be posting on here again before the New Year, so I thought I'd end the first full year of Girth Crisis, one of few posts, with a special Holiday treat. I believe I've used ELECTRIC WIZARD as a reference point when describing various bands on here, but have failed to post anything by the good Wizard itself. Well, a little background, then I'll make with the links.

I'd heard Electric Wizard was mind-blowing from some pretty respectable sources, but it took me a while to check them out. For whatever reason, the concept of slow, heavy, weed-reeking, disgusting vibes had limited appeal for me, so I kept listening to Pg.99 and really didn't budge on the issue. One day, on a whim during a particularly depressing day or evening in my old dorm room, I read one last time that Dopethrone was a bona fide classic, making every other "heavy" band look like lightweights.

In retrospect, it was a great idea to start there. Dopethrone begins with what probably is the Wizard's most accessible song, "Vinum Sabbathi," a three-minutes-and-change introduction to what instantly became one of my favorite bands. Calling Dopethrone "heavy" is like saying that Rush are "good musicians" or George Carlin was a "funny guy." The record flat-out crushes, every riff sounds like something Master of Reality-era Sabbath wrote, forgot about, handed off to Jus Oborn, and asked for it to be tuned down like five steps, the drummer, Mark Greening, hits the drums harder than anyone I've ever heard, with the possible exception of Bill Ward himself, and Tim Bagshaw's bass just adds to the heaviness. Jus' vocals are distorted, low in the mix, and pure hate, spewing some of the coolest lyrics I've ever heard. Dopethrone is a modern-day classic.

From there I went to Come My Fanatics..., Dopethrone's full-length predecessor, which is a tad less heavy and hateful (but only a tad), but about 99% the classic Dopethrone is. "Return Trip" and "Wizard in Black" are both up there with the Wizard's best songs, and I count them among my favorites. No song on the album proper clocks in at under 6:42, making this record a slightly more challenging listen, which is probably the only thing keeping it from reaching the heights of Dopethrone. The first record, the self-titled, doesn't quite run with those two, but still shows a band reigning far above most any other band daring to play heavy and slow. The two EPs I'm putting up, Supercoven and Chrono.Naut, only add to the madness, and "Supercoven" is a particularly great track.

Alas, all was not all in the Wizard camp. After the somewhat-disappointing follow-up to Dopethrone, Let Us Prey, Bagshaw and Greening left to form the great Ramesses, whose EP was covered in a recent post. Electric Wizard Mk. II soon emerged with 2004's We Live, which was an improvement over its predecessor but failed to reach the heights of vintage Wizard. 2007's Witchcult Today was a much more solid effort, and though I did not include it here, it is thoroughly worth checking out. Anyway, you probably want me to shut up and post the links:

Dopethrone: buy/download
Supercoven: buy/download
Chrono.Naut: download
Come My Fanatics... (Incl. bonus tracks): buy/download
Electric Wizard: buy/download

MIDNIGHT-FAREWELL TO HELL; TURBOSLUT-ORDER OF THE TURBOSLUT; BLUE CHEER-OUTSIDEINSIDE

MIDNIGHT-FAREWELL TO HELL

This is definitely one of those bands that formed to do exactly what its collective members like about music: balls-out fucking rock. Hailing from the once-great rock 'n' roll city of Cleveland, these guys put on grim reaper hoods and do their best to reclaim the throne. I came across their myspace because they're tight with some other great bands and was blown away by the whole spectacle. Awesome.

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TURBOSLUT-ORDER OF THE TURBOSLUT

I really can't decide whether I'm more bummed about Turboslut's breakup or Annihilation Time's. I'm actually going to go with Turboslut because I've seen AT and those dudes got to release three sweet full-lengths before calling it quits. Turboslut only did this and the Pygmy Lush split covered earlier (you find it) and I missed the boat on them. Whatever, I can't even describe how blown away I was the first time I heard "Speed" off the Pygmy Lush split and that release is the superior of the two, but Order of the Turboslut offers more Turboslut songs, so what the fuck. Miserable, pissed, dark, and grungy, this band hits a spot for me that nobody else really can come close to. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't an uncomfortable spot, but I will continue to defend my love of this band. Contains my second-favorite Turboslut song, "Running in the Family." Check it out.

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BLUE CHEER-OUTSIDEINSIDE

Apparently this beast was recorded both in and out of doors, hence the title. These dudes were serious hippies. Whatever, this is my favorite Cheer record, which I don't think is a hugely controversial claim to make- they were still a young band, but their jamming is tighter and even trippier than it was on Vincebus Eruptum. This one has my favorite Cheer song, the just-plain-heavy "Just a Little Bit," which boasts an absolutely great riff and one of Dickie's best vocal performances. They also do a great version of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and a mix of other great covers and originals in the way that only they could. Dickie just died and you should feel bad. Worship.

buy
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SOURVEIN- S/T; RAMESSES- BAPTISM OF THE WALKING DEAD; ENTOMBED- WOLVERINE BLUES

Sup internet?! I've just been chilling and going to school and shit. Daniel and Mike have been doing the same I guess. I just got internet at my haus and it's pretty fast so I decided to do a post. I was going to upload a rip of the Fin cassette by Divisions, which is some of the most ripping shit ever, so I forgot and instead just uploaded some of the other music I've been digging lately. Some new, some not. Enjoy.

Sourvein- s/t

Sourvein represent a good deal of what I've been listening to these days: slow, sludgy, riff-driven, fucking loud. This band is very bluesy and my closest approximation of their sound is a slightly less abrasive Eyehategod. The vocals are pretty sweet and this is overall a very good release by a very good band. I think they may have broken up, because one of their guitarists married Jus Oborn and now plays in Electric Wizard mk. II. I considered putting Dopethrone up in this post, but if you don't already have that you have little business checking out a Sourvein record.

OUT OF PRINT
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Ramesses- Baptism of the Walking Dead EP

Continuing the trend of bands featuring sometime members of Electric Wizard, Ramesses features 2/3 of the "classic" EW lineup, the one that cut fucking Come My Fanatics..., Supercoven, and Dopethrone and therefore have earned themselves a lifetime of doom cred. I honestly like Ramesses slightly more than the Wizard's Witchcult Today. There's some sonic similarity between the two, but Ramesses does have a distinct black metal influence, most obviously in the vocals. At first I couldn't get into this but holy shit, this crushes. I guess these three songs are going to be rerecorded for their new album, so get stoked.

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Entombed- Wolverine Blues

I find the direction this band took hilarious, even if I do love this shit, in all seriousness. Entombed cut two seriously legit death metal albums (I mean, they did that shit as well as anyone), then I guess decided that they wanted to have verses, choruses, and solos in their songs; thus, death 'n' roll was born. I feel ridiculous when I listen to Wolverine Blues, but I just can't resist.

UPDATE: I'm an idiot and forgot to post the link.
HERE

SCUD MOUNTAIN BOYS

Daniel was in San Diego recently and picked up a cassette by a band called Scud Mountain Boys, for some reason. Anyway, turns out they're great. Joe Pernice, later of the Pernice Brothers, was in this band, which may or may not be of interest to you. Daniel and I have been fucking huge on Pygmy Lush for a while, and I covered Red House Painters in an earlier post so this is a welcome precursor to that: a little more country, a little less folk, and just as depressed, which is awesome. I uploaded two full-lengths, Dance the Night Away and Pine Box, and they're both excellent. I find that Pine Box is of slightly higher quality, but they share a sound and are entirely worth having.

buy them both!
download Dance the Night Away
download Pine Box

STABYOUINTHEHEADANDEATYOURFACEOFF

Herbs Get Wet

This release is the longer and better of the two. I think they released this after they got back together, and the production and songwriting are generally better than on Killin Toys. The drummer definitely took the snare off, so it kind of reminds me of St. Anger- era Metallica, except good and not "thrash metal" or whatever you want to call that one. Ehh whatever, it's good, get it if you want it.

buy
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Killin Toys

ALMOST AS GOOD.

buy
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Oh right, background: xStabYouInTheHeadAndEatYourFaceOffx is a hardcore band from Connecticut. They kind of remind me of Dangers and that school of hardcore, only with some Boston HC influence. They do the guitar-drums-vocals thing, and their guitar work is pretty impressive considering. I like this band.

MOUTHBREATHER- THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE; PITCHFORK- EUCALYPTUS + SATURN OUTHOUSE; BONGRIPPER- HATE ASHBURY

Mouthbreather- Thank You For Your Patience

Wow, Owls! was, for a moment, one of the best bands out there. I bought their split with The Set-Up around the time that came out, and both sides ruled. I think The Set-Up broke up first, but fortunately, when Wow, Owls! broke up, members of the two bands decided to join forces and form Mouthbreather, which sounds like a logical progression for both bands. I dig it, and so should you.

buy
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Pitchfork- Eucalyptus + Saturn Outhouse

This release compiles the album and EP released by Pitchfork, the first band featuring John Reis and Rick Froberg, who would go on to form the incredible Drive Like Jehu (covered earlier). Reis would also form Rocket from the Crypt, who I don't really like, and then Reis and Froberg would get back together to form Hot Snakes, who I love. Anyway, this sounds like a more melodic, less technical version of Jehu. Froberg's vocals aren't quite as rough, and only Reis played guitar here, so there's none of the awesome interplay that made Jehu stand out so much, but there are some real winners here.

buy
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Bongripper- Hate Ashbury

Something about this album leads me to believe that these guys like weed. Maybe it's just me, though.

buy
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RED HOUSE PAINTERS- DOWN COLORFUL HILL; PYGMYLUSH- LIVE CD-R; WITCH HUNT- BLOOD RED STATES

Red House Painters- Down Colorful Hill

I'm a big fan of depressing music, and Mark Kozelek may be the most talented of the bunch that write these things (and I am not overlooking Elliott Smith). This is not the best thing Kozelek's ever put out; that honor goes to either Rollercoaster or Songs for a Blue Guitar. Sun Kil Moon, his current band, has also released some stuff that rivals this. Still, there are some real winners here, including the awesome "Lord Kill the Pain" and the title track. First RHP album I heard was Rollercoaster, and I think that one's easier to get into right away, but this is really good stuff.

buy
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Pygmy Lush- Live CD-R

I don't know how these dudes want me to write their name. Pygmy Lush? Pygmylush? Pg.99 had the same problem. No matter. Five or six guys (who happen to make up the best band in existence right now) going into a studio and laying down some quiet jams, including the then-unreleased "Proud King of the Doomed." Everything here could pass for a Pygmylush studio album, but the real treats are two covers: first, a "cover" of Pg.99's "Lonesome Waltz of Leonard Cohen" which totally rules, then an even better cover of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" which totally sounds like a Pygmylush song. Any collection without Pygmylush is incomplete.

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Witch Hunt- Blood Red States

Witch Hunt play serious punk rock and you should know 'em if you haven't heard them already. Not a whole lot else to say, except that the artwork rules hard.

buy
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LE PRÉ OÙ JE SUIS MORT- S/T; THE HOLY MOUNTAIN- BLOODSTAINS ACROSS YOUR FACE IN DECLINE; BONUS BABY

Le Pre Ou Je Suis Mort- S/T

You know, I really like this. This is impressive, technical, ambitious, emotional, and well-written. Every part fits pretty well pretty much everywhere, and most of the time everything is transcendent. It isn't a perfect album, but this is a new band showing more talent at this early stage than many perfectly acceptable bands ever did. The music itself is expansive, post-rock-influenced screamo sung in French. They sometimes have spoken-word parts that aren't the greatest, but what makes up for that and REALLY fucking impresses me is how they can do the whole post-rock/screamo thing without totally ripping off City of Caterpillar or Envy, though I do hear some serious Amanda Woodward here. (Makes sense.) I am really looking forward to hearing the next thing these dudes do or, even better, seeing them if they ever come to the States.

buy
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The Holy Mountain- Bloodstains Across Your Face in Decline

Sounds like Combatwoundedveteran playing Tragedy-type stuff. Contents: some former members of Combatwoundedveteran playing Tragedy-type stuff. I like the vocals more than Tragedy's, so I'm really into this. This band may have broken up or something, I've checked around and it's really unclear. Seriously a shame if they did.

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BONUS
This has nothing to do with music, and may very well undermine the reputation for excellent recommendations, utmost seriousness, and contributions to music journalism that we here at Girth Crisis have acquired over the past few months. Well, fuck that. The contents are half of a phone conversation and a phone message left by a coke-addled girl apparently attending the school I go to. Starting at around 3:30, things get fun. Small download and seriously entertaining, though I don't know how funny it'll be if you don't know the full story. Please give it a listen.

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END OF A YEAR

So End of a Year is a band from Cohoes, NY, a suburb of Albany, which is also close to where I live. I saw this band a few times back in 2005, which I'd define as "early" EOAY, and they've since gone on to release records on Revelation and Deathwish. I haven't seen them since, but they've morphed into one of my favorite bands. Anyway, I found these two really early releases, so I thought I'd share them:

END OF A YEAR- WARM (DEMO)

Early demos are sort of a music form in themselves. They usually represent some dudes just learning how to play together, and they usually contain songs written before the band really knows how to write songs. This demo is much more straightforward than anything the band has done since, so the whole Revolution Summer influence everybody mentions with EOAY is really prominent here. Still, it contains a few really raw, sweet moments, most notably "Hey," a great song which was recorded for Disappear Here but honestly sounds better on here.

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END OF A YEAR- DISAPPEAR HERE

They rerecorded four or five of the best Warm jams for this and added about as many originals. The songwriting definitely had reached a more advanced stage, and the album as a whole has a little ambition to it. The recording is still raw as hell, which I really like, and it's debatable which is better, this or Sincerely, which is a compliment to either LP.

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Sincerely is available for purchase or download in an earlier post.

THE SAWTOOTH GRIN- CUDDLEMONSTER; MARA'AKATE- EP; MAJORITY RULE- 2000 DEMO

THE SAWTOOTH GRIN- CUDDLEMONSTER

I first heard the Sawtooth Grin, a band from my area, more or less, two or three years ago and thought they were the most ridiculous shit ever. Honestly, they're still the most ridiculous shit ever-- you can take that as a positive or a negative. These dudes played very fast, technical grind, and by "grind," I don't mean Slap-A-Ham-type shit, or even Destroyer Destroyer-type shit. The guitar is very clean, almost jazzy, throughout, the drumming is "bonkers," and the vocals come courtesy of the most talented, if grating, screaming dude I have ever heard. I'm not even sure how much I like this anymore, but it will definitely make you think.

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Out of print, to my knowledge.


MARA'AKATE- EP

If I were to really dumb down a comparison here, I'd say this sounds like Daughters' Hell Songs. It's similarly intense, has these very calculated and cool guitar parts, has a singer that does not straight-up scream, and still seems pretty chaotic. Throw that in with some more rocking and screamo-influenced parts and you pretty much have this EP. Sorry if I haven't really sold it, but I like this a lot more than I liked Hell Songs. Also, these files are very low-quality, so you may just have to buy this one! Hah!

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MAJORITY RULE- 2000 DEMO

Before I get on to describing the demo, lemme gush for a sec-- Majority Rule have had a huge impact on the way I listen to music. I try to be as diverse as possible in my listening habits, and these endeavors have really given hardcore a much less prominent place in my mind. In general I associate it with being sixteen and going to awful, awful shows and not really having great friends. Don't get me wrong, there's some fantastic hardcore out there, but nothing fast and heavy blows my fucking mind quite like Maj Rule's Interviews with David Frost. Emergency Numbers, the second full-length, also would get a 10/10 on anyone else's scale, and the split with pg.99 is in the running for my favorite releases ever, both sides. This band had fifteen or so songs that were flat-out perfect, which is more than 98% of bands across the board can say. Majority Rule absolutely ripped.

Okay, this demo contains four songs, three of which made it onto Interviews. The quality is pretty good for a demo, and though some parts are changed between this demo and the full-length, if you've heard Interviews, you've basically gotten the full experience. So why is this worth posting? 1.) You get to spend more hard drive space on Majority Rule, and 2.) You get to hear "No Breathe," which definitely could've matched up to the songs that made the cut. Here, I want you to have it.

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BLACK SHIPS- LOW

BLACK SHIPS- LOW

My huge boner for this band continues. Released before Omens, Low contains four songs that are slightly faster and less perfected, but definitely by the same band that birthed the monster that is Omens. Opener "These Nights in These Places" has one of the best riffs I've heard from them, and I can actually make out the lyrics in spots. Yup, they're a bummer.

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WUT UP PLAYBOIZ?!

WRANGLER BRUTES - ZULU

Sam MacPheeters of Born Against on vocals with a cameo from Keith Morris. Sounds like the '80s. Fast, spastic, and fun. Also, recorded by Steve Albini. I think that just about covers it.

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MENEGUAR - I WAS BORN AT NIGHT

Here's where it becomes abundantly clear that I am not a music journalist. The only descriptors I can think of for this band would turn me off in two seconds flat if I were to read them: "mid-tempo", "indie-rock", and -- wait for it! -- "from Brooklyn". But that's what Meneguar is, and they completely nail it. Whiny, intricate, and catchy as hell. Maybe I should have just used those words instead. Features members of Gospel (whose record I posted months ago, if you recall).

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I, ROBOT - MISC. TRACKS

Jack recommended this to me because one of the dudes in Get Bent was wearing their shirt when we caught them. Maybe he's better suited to write this. Right now, all I can think about is how one of the dudes doing melodic vocals sounds like Nikola from Millencolin, which is very funny to me. I should find all my old Millencolin records and upload them. Good idea.

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I HATE MYSELF - 3 SONGS 12" EP

I Hate Myself reunited in 2004 to release an epic swan song in the form of this concept EP about one man's relationship with lightning. Might actually be my favorite EP of all time. Get it, get it.

buy
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DRIVE LIKE JEHU - YANK CRIME; BIG BLACK - THE RICH MAN'S EIGHT TRACK TAPE; TALK TALK - LAUGHING STOCK

Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime

I have to thank Nirvana for getting DLJ on a major for Yank Crime, the better of their two albums. I'm sure the royalties were even worse from Interscope than they are whenever this is rereleased on a new indie, but it just rocks that there was a band as good as this on a major label as recently as... 1995.

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Big Black - The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape

Think about this: I am giving you the opportunity to download digital files of songs that make up a compilation meant to illustrate the worthlessness of the CD. Indeed, we have moved past that, and Steve Albini's still furious.

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buy




Talk Talk - Laughing Stock

Man, girls will give it up for post-rock these days. Like the smallest mention of Godspeed will get you laid twice, maybe three times in one night. Silver Mt. Zion or (gasp!) ExPlOSiOnZ iN THe SkY will have you looking at a MFFFFFFFFFF or something. Not the same attention is paid to Talk Talk, a band only somewhat well-known for their contributions to synthpop. Then WHABAM, they whipped out Spirit of Eden like my dick after namechecking F#A#∞: unexpected, but not unwelcome (except at first). This was post-rock before post-rock existed, and that album, much like Laughing Stock, has garnered much acclaim in its wake. Laughing Stock is where it all comes together, though, like I defy you to listen to it twice and tell you this isn't fucking genius. None of that ten-minute-buildup and emotional loud part here bullshit (which, admittedly, is a turn-on), just some of the most complex music ever laid to wax.

Apologies for making this sound like a joke or something. It isn't.

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buy

ANTIOCH ARROW - GEMS OF MASOCHISM; BLACK EYES - COUGH; JEROMES DREAM - COMPLETED 1997-2001

Antioch Arrow - Gems of Masochism

I could probably write an essay on how important this album is, but I'm going to leave it at this: a great band on a label known for putting out dark, weird music (Gravity) makes a record that is so dark and weird that the label won't touch it. Other bands (like The Horrors) have actually made money and gotten famous doing a subpar job of aping this. Fuck.

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Black Eyes - Cough

I may not be doing Black Eyes any favors by uploading their second album, Cough, instead of their self-titled. That album is much, much more accessible, and is arguably the better of the two. I honestly prefer it to Cough, and I may post it on here at a later date, but I think of this as the most experimental Dischord release out there, and hearing this, it definitely sounds like Black Eyes had a few more great albums in them.

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Jeromes Dream - Completed 1997-2001

I always love it when a great band puts all their material on one release. Usually it's a single disc, but the fact that a band as prolific as JD were willing to leave nothing off in my mind set this release apart. Apart from that, I found it great that these guys were able to do the whole screamo thing as effortlessly as they did. Great musicianship here, to be sure. The screaming on 3/4 of this is pretty bad, so I honestly prefer the departure in vocal style on the first half of Disc 1, which is their last full-length, Presents. Honestly one of the only things I own that makes me want to start a band every time I hear it.

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buy

CAPSULE - S/T; CAREER SUICIDE - CHERRY BEACH EP; END OF A YEAR - SINCERELY

CAPSULE - S/T

Just found this on the internet the other day, and I only vaguely knew what to expect. I've heard really good things about this band, and I knew that one of these guys was in Tunes for Bears to Dance To, who are one of my favorite bands, period. Suffice to say that this is the best thing I've heard from any ex-Tunes dudes, and I'm big on Torche and Tyranny of Shaw. YOU WANT IT.

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CAREER SUICIDE - CHERRY BEACH EP

A lot of people love Fucked Up. I am one of those people. I had heard that their drummer, Jonah, was in another punk band that was pretty good, Career Suicide, so I checked 'em out. I listened to this. CS is one of my favorite bands right now. Do the math?

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They're supposedly rerecording this with new tracks. This kills, though.



END OF A YEAR - SINCERELY

I'm not honestly sure if you're getting the total "End of a Year experience" by just downloading this one. I doubt they care, since they aren't making shit off this band thing either way, but by snagging the digital files of this, you're missing out on some of the best liner notes I've ever read. Patrick's lyrics absolutely rule, something the casual listener will definitely miss. The references at the end of each song are excellent, and have actually turned me on to a few good bands and people since I picked this up. The music itself definitely isn't for everyone, but I have to think there's a reason I've listened to this record a gazillion times.

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