Hear New Music 008

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines please...

Zip File (105Mb) | Torrent

Well then, I said it'd be a week, and it's been almost a month. I'm a terrible host. I apoligize. Although, looking back on my previous versions of HNM008 I'm glad I did, as I tore it all apart and left only the best bits in. I added more great songs, and soon had 17 super ones ready to go.

1. Pulled Apart By Horses - Super Hang-On
It's quick, it's brilliant, and it's based on a video game. What more could you ask for? It's so good I based the front cover on the same game!
BSM Autumn 2008 Sampler | Source

2. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
I saw The Prodigy when I was about 7 or 8 at Glastonbury and I loved it. I also love the fact that I can come back to the band 15 years later and still be impressed by them. This is a cut from their new album, and it's pretty lucky to find a band as big as this giving away songs for free. It's thanks to Clash magazine, who put together a tidy sampler which I'm sure will make another appearance down the line. In the meantime, enjoy this meaty motherfucker.
Clash Magazine Sounds Of The Summer Sampler | Source

3. Russian Circles - Malko
If there was one band I could say I'm continuosly impressed by it'd be Russian Circles. They have a sound which is hard to beat, and a great wealth of incredible musicians at their behest, including one of the best drummers alive. This song shows those skills in abundance, and proves Russian Circles as one of the best bands out there.
Mp3 | Source

4. Audrey - Big Ships
On an entirely different note, Audrey are also pretty damn impressive in their own field. Sombre, heartfelt and calming, Audrey command a whole heap of respect from me, even if just for the one guitar line that drops at 1:40. It's not big, but it is very, very clever.
Mp3 | Source

5. Gifts from Enola - Aves
And now, in the Red corner, from Post-Rockville and weighing in at a hefty 8 minutes and fifty-six seconds, Gifts From Enloa's 'Aves'. They have it all in spades. Impressive musical ability, odd-timings, Post-Rock Advanced Higher level and HND qualifications and even an Brutal Riff award from the school of *shels. They could well come out on top here.
Mp3 | Source

6. A Wilhelm Scream - Route 40 One Six
In the Blue corner, from Hardcore Alley and weighing in at a seemingly wimpy two minutes exactly, A Wilhelm Scream's B-side entry 'Route 40 One Six'. It's firey, it's brash and it's as anthemic as they've ever been, and it's a wonder why it would be left to the wayside as a B-side, and not the lead in track to their next album. It has everything that makes A Wilhelm Scream what they are, utterly impressive. Theres no telling who the winner was here, but they had a damn good time trying.
Mp3 | Source

7. These Arms Are Snakes - Riding The Grape Dragon
Latecomers to the fight, These Arms Are Snakes come out swinging. I've had this song sitting on my computer for ages without any real urge to listen. Who knows why? Maybe it's the dumb name (on both counts). Whatever reason it is, it doesn't matter, I was wrong. It's a great song and should be heralded as such.
Mp3 | Source

8. Machine Head - Aesthetics Of Hate
Machine Head are awesome. Aesthetics Of Hate is awesome. It's free. Any more reasons? Oh yeah, and it's striking back at an article by William Grim against Dimebag and fans of heavy metal citing them as 'an assemblage of ignorant, semi-human barbarians who [are] filthy in attire and manner, intellectually incoherent and above all else, hideously ugly to the point of physical deformity.' Douche.
Mp3 | Source

9. The Weakerthans - Psalm For The Elks Lodge Last Call
Speaking of douches, here's The Weakerthans, whose only douchey feat is writing great indie pop songs that I wish I wrote. This is no exception. This is a welcome return from a band featured on the very first Hear New Music, and a band which I continue to find lots of little things to love about. Sexy.
Mp3 | Source

10. Colour - Over The Moon
I am an idiot. Really, a fucking Idiot. What I mean by this, obviously, is that I never went to see Colour live. I mean, at the time, I was completely obvlivious to the whole Big Scary Monsters scene, but that's no excuse. I feel terrible about it, as not only from the quality of this song, but the previously featured 'Conversations' on Hear New Music 002 and the rest of the recently released free sampler on the BSM site, they seem like a band of incredible live quality, and are definitely sorely missed.
Colour Anthology Sampler | Source

11. Biffy Clyro - Mountains
You've heard it. I know you have. It's great. You know it. So do I. It's free and its Biffy and you love it. Don't complain!
Mp3 | Source

12. A Lull - Skinny Fingers
Now, for a nice wee skip through a colourful field in a bright painting captured on a summers day and hanging in a rented house. It's exactly what this song sounds like, and to me that sounds perfectly lovely. Especially right now in this cold blustery night, huddled over a keyboard, typing this very sentence. It's lovely, and it takes you right out of the moment you are in.
Mp3 | Source

13. If These Trees Could Talk - What's in the Ground Belongs to You
Post-Rockville is calling yet again, with another fantastic song to be added to repitoire. A return from the boys in ITTCT, but a hugely welcome one, with a new song straight out of the minds of geniuses with delay pedals. I see the next *shels heavy riff award going straight to these boys, with no doubt in my mind. A super song by a super band.
Mp3 | Source

14. Five Pointe O - Double X Minus
This is from one of my favourite albums that no-one has ever heard. It may be possible you've heard this song, but the album? Probably not. A one-album band, Five Pointe O turned out to be a bad signing for Roadrunner records as their career ended shortly after the release of the album. However, the album speaks for itself, and it's a band that I certainly would love to see back together.
Mp3 | Source

15. The Tupolev Ghost - Diagrams
Yes, it is a third Big Scary Monsters band. Don't moan about it, you are in fact, bloody lucky! It could have been much more! But I'll be honest, I don't see that as a bad thing. Big Scary Monsters continue to put out solidly good bands just like The Tupolev Ghost, and I can't see them stopping anytime soon. I for one, am glad. This is a fine example of the great stuff that can be found underneath the big hitters on the label, and it's just as gold underneath as it is on top. Shiny.
BSM Spring 2009 Sampler | Source

16. Eaten By Tigers - Solstice
Eaten By Tigers return! And they're very welcome to, if you ask me. Which you didn't, but I saved you the trouble. I think I'll let the incredible nine minutes of Solstice speak for itself, thank you very much.
Solstice EP Rapidshare | Source

17. Sleepingdog - Your Eyes
Some would say, 'save your best for last'. Others would weigh in with, 'Put your best foot first'. Then some douche would chime in, 'No-one is going to get to listen to the last one, they've got half hour attention spans!' I disagree with all of these. Except for the first one, which is entirely true. This song is beautiful, and I love it. You will too.
Gizeh Records 2009 Sampler | Source

G'night folks.

Til Next Time,

Carl

Hear New Music 005

Zip (100mb) | Torrent

Games are good. So is music. So are films. So is life. Life is good. Enjoy these ponderings and more while attempting to keep sane and enjoy this CD I've made. Yum.

And just so you know, I hate you Whit Prowdy.

1. Death From Above - Dead Womb
What a lovely title. Back when the now split Death From Above 1979 used to be simply Death From Above, I saw them supporting The Futureheads at a polish social club in Glasgow. With members or Mogwai and Franz Ferdinand in this tiny converted living room watching two sweaty men bash their instruments in disco rock movements, I knew that this was a classic from the beginning. It was, and remains in my top ten gigs ever. This song represents their earlier, faster and nuttier side incredibly well.
Mp3 | Source

2. Envy - Further ahead of warp
Now, following that up with Japanese Hardcore Post-Rock may seem odd, but I love it. The subdued vocals with wraparound warm sound followed by the brash and abrasive vocals is just a great difference from the usual, but not without breaking it's original feeling. It's a great take, and even though I can't understand Japanese I feel like I understand this... in my own way.
Mp3 | Source

3. Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen
I'll be honest, when I first heard Holy Fuck, I wasn't impressed. Then I saw them at Pukkelpop 2008 and danced like a maniac for an hour. It's the kind of music that always struggles to sound as impressive on CD as it does live, but hopefully this gives you a good enough introduction to the band to seek them out, and wear out your shoes on the dancefloor.
Mp3 | Source

4. This Town Needs Guns - Baboon
Yes, I know, it's yet another Big Scary Monsters band. But I wasn't overly impressed when I first heard these guys in 2008. Only with time, and the right couple of songs (Baboon being one) was I brought to their slightly more dulled twinkly sound. Though I haven't yet, I'm very tempted to get the 'Animals' album, along with Mimas 'The Worries' in the BSM Friend Of The Family deal. Yes, indeed. You should too.
Big Scary Monsters Summer 2008 Sampler | Source (you may need to join FOTF, but it's free!)

5. If These Trees Could Talk - Signal Tree
When you say the words post-rock, what does your mind conjure up? For me it's something like this, only with one distinct difference. It's slow. Yes, this is an up tempo post-rock experience which beats off rivals and joins the heroes of the genre. It's inventive in it's own right, yet also keeps a firm hold on everything that makes post-rock what it is.
Cavity Records/Mylene Sheath 2008 Sampler | Source

6. Athlete - In Between 2 States
I can't believe it either. I stumbled onto Athlete's purevolume page and was about to leave it when I noticed that they had this song up for download. I figured, why not, it can't hurt, they aren't that bad! I was entirely surprised. It seems Athlete have been listening to post-rock and electronica quite a lot, as their delicate indie style has been infused with a great sense of warmth and power, siphoned off quite well from the aforementioned genres. Well done Althlete.
Mp3 | Source

7. Saviours - Holy Slaughter
See this band live. Do it. Find out where they are playing and go. They are a great live band I've only had the fortune to see once, and when I did I immediately ran over to the merch table and bought their debut album 'Crucifire'. It's heavy, but not overly so, with a sense of Black Sabbath taking on any and all bands with Josh Homme in them, with Mastodon as the judicators. Bloody brilliant.
Mp3 | Source

8. Grampall Jookabox - The Girl Ain't Preggers
I played this for my mum, and she said it sounded like a mix between Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and Gnarls Barkley. If you think that sounds good, you've come to the right place! It's minimalist style is impressive in it's incredibleness, making a sound you aren't likely to hear anywhere else right now. The bass is raw, the drums are handclaps, a tambourine and cymbals, and the melodic refrain comes from two xylophones. What more could you ask for?

Mp3 | Source

9. The Blood Brothers - Cecilia And The Silhouette Saloon
I played this song for my mum and she said 'I like the bass, but the rest of it is rubbish.' Eh, she was wrong, on both counts as that's a moog synth and it's great. Of course, Blood Brothers have their niche, and if you didn't like them before, you won't now. While the quality of their albums varies greatly from disc to disc, they have two stunners which are well worth checking out. This is from the earliest of the two, and while I'd have preferred to put 'Fucking's Greatest Hits' on here, this little beaut' was readily available.
Mp3 | Source

10. Parts And Labor - Fractured Skies
Originally when I searched the internet for this song, I must not have been putting much effort in, as when I stumbled onto the goldmine that is Jagjaguwar Records, I found that they were hiding the Mp3 away on their Mp3 page, of all places. Who would look there?! Still, I'm very happy to be bringing you this incredible song which should fire it's way through your ears like a rocket before exploding like an incredibly good... rocket song. It's fast post-punk rhythms and noise-ridden guitars contrast the almost entirely upbeat sounding horns and vocals to create an incredible tension and shake that no other song seems to be able to muster. Incredible.
Mp3 | Source

11. Push-Pull - Wrapped Her In Horsepower
The only reason I looked up this band is because they did a split EP with Hear New Music alumni Prizzy Prizzy Please inspiringly titled 'PPPPPEP', but I'm glad I did as this song is just sheer noisy brilliance. It's all noise for half the song, then a huge melodic sensibility bounds and almost gains control of the band, before it all goes to pot and noise wins with a knockout punch. Brilliant, a song with a fight in the instruments, I love it when a plan comes... er... apart.
Joyful Noise 2009 Sampler | Source

12. Bomb The Music Industry! - Fresh Attitude, Young Body
Right then, If you look back, you will find that BTMI! did appear on HNM001 and you may be perplexed as to rules regarding reusing of bands, considering the word New in the title of this blog. Well, this song is new, and I am governing myself quite harshly on situations like this. A gap of at least 3 HNMs needs to be between the same band appearing, and at that, only 2 of the bands on that previous HNM can be reused. However, it won't be that frequent anyway. Back to the song. I love this song. It's great, chaotic, melodic, energetic, upbeat, but still with a melancholy sensibility about it, which is the epitome of why I love Bomb The Music Industry! That, and they give all their great music away for free too! Which is nice of them.
Quote Unquote Records 2009 Sampler | Source

13. Laura Stevenson and the Cans - Baby Bones
Also hailing from the Quote Unquote Records family Laura Stevenson has opted to give her music away too, which can only be a good this for the world, considering this song and the album it appears on. It's acoustic melodies and lovely vocals will lull you into a false sense of security before her friends (The Cans) come up behind you with a brass band to take you on an entirely lovely journey. Ahh... lovely.
Mp3 | Source

14. Itch - Do You Know What Fear Is
This is one of the Big Scary Monsters bands that I didn't get at first, but in the end, had me going back for listen after listen, with it growing on me each and every time. It's ended up here, so clearly it's worked! Give it your time and love and you may find it's a great song. Because, well, it is! Especially with an ending like that. Enjoy!
Mp3 | Source

15. Kalpana - This Dead Horse
An entirely different kettle of fish, Kalpana thrust themselves neatly into a post-rock setting with their lovely melodies and slow-building sound, but take charge of the genre at that moment, and create a haunting sound that will wash over you like a breaze, before a thunderstorm begins to build over your head to bring you something you weren't expecting on this most lovely of days. It's a great song.
Mp3 | Source

16. Valina - Phantom Of My Longest Day
When you've got about a hundred songs in front of you, how do you pick what song to listen to first? I randomly picked this gem out of a crowd of that size or bigger and found myself washed away by it's post-punk pull, and it's sinister push, before being swept away by it's almost Cursive-like second half. It's a great little effort, and I'll surely be checking out more from them very soon.
Mp3 | Source

17. Remembering Never - From My Cold Dead Hands
You know what, no matter how much I try and kid myself that I don't like heavy music any more, I just can't do it. There are some times when the quiet stuff, the slow-building stuff, the off-tempo stuff just can't cut it. And that's when I come crawling back to music like this. It's energetic, powerful, not entirely melodic, and it cuts straight to the point. Thank you for the relief from the relief Remembering Never.
Mp3 | Source

18. Anathallo - Don't Kid Yourself You Need A Physician
Now, I couldn't recall where this Mp3 came from for a long time, but I was sure it was Big Scary Monsters, purely because of it's very BSM sound. I was entirely wrong. On the other side of the Atlantic, Anthallo were waiting patiently to figure it out, as this song is incredible. It is my current 'Best song of 2009' and while I'm sure that will change during the year, It is still going to be there in the end. Love it, live it, get it now.
Mp3 | Source

19. Reuben - Shambles
The only way I could possibly follow up my current Best song of 2009 is with my favourite band of all time, Reuben. I fear that there is no band that will take there spot, which always leaves me sad, knowing that the 'hiatus' the band are currently on is a little more permanent than it sounds. I love Reuben, and I always will, get to know them so that if and when they come back, everyone will know what an incredible band they are.
Mp3 | Source

Til next time,
Carl.