Six Parts Seven - Casually Smashed To Peices - mp3 review

Interesting night for me.  I’ll leave it at that.

This is a band that I saw a few years ago in baltimore.  I think I went to see TV On The Radio and they were on tour with them.  I thought the show was pretty good and I think they were selling CDs really cheap (like $5 or something).  Anyway, they had a record with a bunch of guest vocalist, one of which was David Bazan, so I bought it.  That track blew me away and I’ve been a fan ever since.  These tracks  are from their upcoming release ‘Casually Smashed To Peices’ on Suicide Squeeze, which is coming out on 1/23/07.

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/02%20Stolen%20Moments.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/08%20Everything%20Wrong%20Is%20Right%20Again.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/06%20Confusing%20Possibilities.mp3

-mark

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Beirut - Lon Gisland E.P. - mp3 review

I woke up to some really strange dreams this morning.  I usually have a hard time remembering my dreams, but this morning I had several of those short mini-dreams that seem like they last an eternity.  One in which I had a child that was born with the ability to speak at birth.  She would explain in detail what it was like to be baby and experience the world with new eyes.  She could also read Casey’s mind, and she would tell me what it was like for Casey growing up.  In the dream I watched her grow, it felt like years had gone by, but I woke to find that the entire dream spanned only the amount of time between alarms on my clock when I hit the snooze button.

gonna skip the beirut background cuz I sent some of his shit out already.  Anyway, these tracks are from his new EP ‘Lon Gisland E.P.’  I still think this kid is hit or miss, but I really like the first two tracks.  The third is different version of a song on his debut release.

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/01%20Elephant%20gun.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/05%20Carousels.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/03%20Scenic%20world%20(Version).mp3

see you guys tonight at the insound party?

-mark

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Rafter - Music For Total Chickens - mp3 review

Went to the French Kiss records holiday party last night and got schooled in foosball.  Lately feel like I’ve been gettin’ schooled in a lot of things.  I’m going to working on those CD’s this week and I’ll try to have them out to all of you that asked for one before I leave for Nashville this Saturday.  BTW, Insounds holiday party is tomorrow night at Fontanas.  Its private from 7-10, but after 10 a friend of ours is having a party in the downstairs room.  All you NY’ers are all welcome and encouraged to join us.

Rafter is half Bunky.  Bunky is Emily Joyce, vocals and drums, Rafter Roberts, vocals and guitars, and a cast of San Diego’s finest, including members of The Black Heart Procession, Pinback, Rocket From the Crypt, and label-mates Castanets.  Rafter Roberts, one of San Diego’s top music engineers, has worked with all of the above bands, plus the Kill Me Tomorrow, Bedroom Walls, The Album Leaf, GoGoGo Airheart, Liz Janes, The Rapture, and many others.  These tracks are from his solo release ‘Music For Total Chickens’ on Asthmatic Kitty (i think).  You know with a title like that I was going to check it out. 

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/09%20Unassailable.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/02%20Hope.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/11%20Boy.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/08%20Your%20War.mp3

Make sure you give this guy a good thorough listen before skipping tracks.  He’s got a lot of drastic changes, but I find it’s always worth it in the end.

you guys have been mad slacking on the reviews, ’sup wif dat?

-mark

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The Manhattan Love Suicides - The Manhattan Love Suicides - mp3 review

Spent almost the entire day at the Tibet House which was a cool place to hang out, but certainly not when your time there is spent looking at power point presentations explaining what your marketing services company mission statement is and its internal processes.  It’s intriguing for like the first hour or so, but after about the 3rd hour you’re bosses voice starts to wear on you and you find yourself counting the number of times he says ‘uh’.

This is the only thing I could find about this band:  For anyone who loves fuzzed up guitar assaults, feedback, hit and run 10 minute gigs, female vocals, melodic pop, ear splitting minimalist noise… and hates a hell of a lot of other things - we give you The Manhattan Love Suicides.  

Direct from their myspace page.  granted I only looked for about 10 mins.  Anyway, I’m kind of into these tracks and I don’t feel like diggin’ through any more shit today so that’s the way its going to be. 

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/02%20Skulls.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/01%20Things%20You_ve%20Never%20Done.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/09%20Kick%20It%20Back.mp3

I got the new Rob Crow solo project promo here, but I listened to it and it sounds like bad pinback.  However, if you guys really want to hear it let me know and I’ll send it out.   Other options are new Trans Am, Dirt Bombs, and this band I’m kind of diggin’ called Rafter.

-mark

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The Postmarks - Nelab - mp3 review

Went to this filter party last night at the Ben Sherman store in SOHO.  I was already a little tipsy from pre-gaming at 151.  After a few free beers at the filter party I was a rite bastard making fun of everyone and everything.  Of course it didn’t help to be hangin’ with Joe and Andy, bad news for your band if we roll up drunk to your show.  Anyway, turned out to be an early night because my drinking skills have def. diminished over the past few weeks (have you noticed the lack ‘I was sooo wasted’ emails lately).  I was certainly proud of myself for not falling asleep on the train ride home and resisting the temptation to piss in an alley, or get that end of the night egg salad sandwich (gross right).

Here is some sad twee shit to make you bop your head and smile, weird right.  They describe the environment where their songs and recordings have been carefully crafted as a “heartbreak factory”.  Producer Andy Chase (Ivy, Tahiti 80, Brookville) agreed to mix their full-length studio recording for release on his own Unfiltered Records label.  These tracks are from the album “Nelab”.

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/07%20Weather%20The%20Weather.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/01%20Goodbye.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/05%20Watercolors.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/10%20You%20Drift%20Away.mp3

-mark

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Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity - mp3 review

Please take a minute to visit this site and donate  if you have the means. 

http://www.desotorecords.com/cal/index.shtml

Deerhoof.  come on, you guys know who they are.  these tracks are from their upcoming release “Friend Opportunity” on 5RC.  really, I just want to get the hell out of this office so I’m not writing anything else.

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/09%20Matchbook%20Seeks%20Maniac.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/03%20Believe%20E.S.P..mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/07%20Cast%20Off%20Crown.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/05%20Choco%20Fight.mp3

if you like this record you can hear more tracks on my friends blog:  www.ravensingstheblues.com.  The track galaxist is really good, I just didn’t send it cuz he already put it up.

-mark

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65daysofstatic - One Time For All Time - mp3 review

Went to see Big Sleep last night at TONIC.  I hadn’t been there in a while and remembered why when I got there.  It kind of sucks.  Sound is bad, beer is kind of expensive, and its pretty much just a big cavernous room.  Alright, Im just being a dick now.  The show was actually really good, Big Sleep sounded great so whatevs.  At some point Andy stumbled into a trivia contest at St Jerome’s between The Johnsons, 151, and St Jerome’s (3 bars all on the same block in lower east side for all you non ny’ers) which was kind of funny because we usually find ourselves debating which of those 3 to “pre-game” at after work.  For a while Johnsons was the junxt with their $2 PBRs, falling out of favor to St. Jerome’s $2 buds till midnight, recently replaced by 151’s two for one deal that goes till 10pm.  We hung for a bit at the trivia contest and left when the free beer ran out.  Later that night hanging out with matt at 151 matt sees a guy run into bar with the trophy from the trivia contest yelling “hide this behind the bar I just stole it from St. Jerome’s”.  So I guess 151 always wins.

65daysofstatic began as Iain Armstrong, Paul Wolinski and Joe Fro. Originally formed to try and write music to fit the unreleased and little known John Carpenter flick ‘Stealth Bomber’ starring Kurt Russell. Set over ‘65 Days of Static’ a period of time after some unknown global infrastructure and communications breakdown, it also gave 65 their name. Whether or not such a film ever existed is disputed.

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/09%20Radio%20Protector.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/08%2065%20Doesn’t%20Understand%20You.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/07%20The%20Big%20Afraid.mp3

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Welcome - Sirs - mp3 review

“I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.”

anyone want to play name that quote?

Trevor somehow got this record before we got the promo and the girl that used to do marketing for us actually works at their label, Fat Cat records (means you didn’t get these tracks from me, ya heard).  So, Trevor either swiped these from the band or used his magical music acquiring skills to track ’em down.  Either way he’s not one to kiss and tell so I’m not sure we will ever know exactly how these tracks really came to be in his possession.  We should thank him anyway because I really dig these tracks and I think you will too. 

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/01%20All%20Set.m4a

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/04%20First.m4a

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/05%20Natural%20Frost.m4a

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/03%20Bunky.m4a

-mark

FOR TREVOR’S EYES ONLY (nothing to see down here people)

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]               

trevor, don’t fuck up the story (like *some people*) with useless details like who actually gave you the tracks.  Let ‘em think you really do have magical skills.  trust me it’ll work to your advantage.

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SOUND Team - Movie Monster - mp3 review

I took the chinatown bus down to DC again.  Content spending the entire trip with my headphones on and writing.  When we made a stop at a rest area I got out to smoke a cigarette and use the bathroom.  As I walked out of the rest area and back towards the bus, headphones still on and blaring, I noticed two young hippie girls from the bus outside smoking.  I thought they were talking to themselves but they were looking right me.  As I walked past them the song on my ipod stopped and I heard one of them yelling “take your headphones off, your a sexy china man.  I LOVE YOU”.  My first reaction was to run over and yell I’M NOT FUCKING CHINESE BITCH.  Then I thought that prolly wouldn’t be a nice thing to yell before getting on the “chinatown” bus.  I could totally understand how women would bitch about getting cat calls on the street.  It’s fucking rude for one, but then it just kind of makes you feel sort of self conscience to know that someone is looking at you like that, not only looking but pointing it out to everyone else around them.  Just calling attention to you.  It sucks.  Then when I got to my seat after just ignoring them I thought that it was kind of flattering, even though they called me chinaman.

SOUND Team are based in Austin, Texas, initially formed in 2002.  These tracks are from “Movie Monster” which came out earlier this year on Capital Records.  Not really super new, but its a great record. 

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/06%20Back%20In%20Town.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/11%20Handful%20Of%20Billions.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/07%20Your%20Eyes%20Are%20Liars.mp3http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/10%20You’ve%20Never%20Lived%20A%20Day.mp3

-mark

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South San Gabriel - The Carlton Chronicles: Not Until the Operation’s Through - mp3 review

I just saw this girl get chased down the street by a pigeon.  The bird did this kinda swoop right by her head, then came back around.  She dropped her her bag, did one of those crazy duck and circle moves and then started straight running.  It was hilarious.  She was this small asian girl, decked out in her ultra-cool hipster outfit looking like an urban outfitter’s model.  Then this bird rolls in and fucks up her whole vibe.  Fuckin’ nyc pigeons man, like flying rats.  Sometimes seems like they just like to fuck with us.

Ok, this record came out a while ago, but I just found out about these guys the other day and I feel like they deserve some attention.  South San Gabriel is one of many projects by Will Johnson.  I think he plays all the instruments on this record, but I’m not sure.   These tracks came from their 2005 release ‘The Carlton Chronicles: Not Until the Operation’s Through’ on Misra records. 

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/05%20I%20Am%20Six%20Pounds%20Of%20Dynamite.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/07%20I%20Feel%20Too%20Young%20To%20Die.mp3

http://www.r8e8r.com/mp3r/04%20The%20Dark%20Of%20Garage.mp3

Dan & Matt, I feel like you guys would really dig this stuff.  Interested to hear what you think.  You guys been slacking on the reviews anyway.

-mark

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