Some Songs from this Morning

1. See More Glass - Total Control
2. In My Eyes - Minor Threat
3. Big Me - Foo Fighters
4. Everywhere I Go - Mini Dresses
5. Ironic - Alanis Morissette

Today's Playlist

1. Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
2. Lazarus - David Bowie
3. Oh, Me - Nirvana
4. Sleep Talk - Diet Cig
5. Too Tough - Bully
6. I Hate the Weekend - Tacocat
7. Look Alive - Titus Andronicus
8. Paperback Writer - The Beatles
9. Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas
10. Rock and Roll Forever With the Customer in Mind - Pile

Today's Playlist

1. Womb Gold - Stickers
2. Born Good - IAN
3. It's Nice - Screaming Females
4. Don't Lose Touch - Against Me!
5. Before Your Time - INFJ
6. Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth - Teenage Cool Kids
7. Tech Bro - Childbirth
8. Rain - Ava Luna
9. The Funeral - Band of Horses
10. Ride Your Heart - Bleached

Songs from this Morning

1. Just a Girl - No Doubt
2. Grip - Jawbox
3. Misery Over Dispute - Waxahatchee
4. White Fire - Angel Olsen
5. Froot - Marina and the Diamonds
6. The Graduates - Speedy Ortiz
7. Nadine - DENT
8. Just My Luck - Laughing Stock
9. Targets Of Men - G.L.O.S.S.
10. Mulch - Gnards

Today's Playlist

1. Kari Ann - The Monsieurs
2. Waste Your Time - Ex Hex
3. Waterfalls - TLC
4. Walkin on the Sun - Smash Mouth
5. Cumbersome - Seven Mary Three
6. Molly's Lips - Nirvana (Vaselines cover)
7. Nu Punk - Ovlov
8. Bed for the Scraping - Fugazi
9. Peggy Sue - Blink 182
10. English Country Garden - The Darkness

This Morning's Music

1. Linger - The Cranberries
2. Wedding - Funeral Advantage
3. Green Eyes - Coldplay
4. It's Nice - Screaming Females
5. Roll Over - The Spirit of the Beehive

Some Songs from Today's Playlist

1. Net Babes - Free Pizza
2. Hollow Bedroom - Waxahatchee
3. Gone Daddy Gone - Violent Femmes
4. Schism - Tool
5. Look What Happened - Less Than Jake

Some Songs from this Morning

1. Life is a Chore - Yeehaw!
2. Just Perfect - Laika's Orbit
3. Hallway - Bugs and Rats
4. Three Ducks - Dinoczar
5. No Wind - Funeral Advantage

Some Songs from Today's Playlist

1. Pig - Zip Tie Handcuffs
2. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
3. Black Shuck - The Darkness
4. Sell Your Soul - Black Beach
5. Ponytail - Chastity Belt
6. Make the Fonz Bleed - Harris Hawk
7. Runner - Laura Stevenson
8. 1984 - Shellshag
9. Horses - Patti Smith
10. Blank Generation - Richard Hell and the Voidoids

Screaming Females Deliver Powerful Smoothness on New LP

Following up with my recent post on DC’s explosive band PRIESTS, I figured I’d cover the other album I picked up at that show, Screaming Female’s latest full length Rose Mountain.  The Females have become without a doubt one of my favorite rock/punk bands EVER and most certainly one of the best guitar bands playing music today hands down.  Their sixth LP showcases not only continued growth but a self-assuredness which is both refreshing and exciting.  Marissa Paternoster’s guitar playing is unparalleled as the tiny shredder lays down riffs and solos that can stand up against any of the greats past or present.  Starting off with the steady, energizing “Empty Head” and “Ripe” you’re reassured that this new effort is still the hard hitting garage rock people have come to expect from the NJ basement trio.  However, it’s songs like “Wishing Well”, “Hopeless”, “Broken Neck” and the titular track “Rose Mountain” which show that Screaming Females have come a long way since 2006’s Baby Teeth.  Marissa’s voice is better than ever hitting a large range of notes while employing her iconic vibrato to punch the listener in the face with the sheer force of her lyrics and harsh squeal.  King Mike’s bass fills are increasingly present and offer chunky contrasts to Paternoster’s sharp solo’s and powerful hooks.  Jarret Dougherty’s drums are on point and push his bandmates to new heights while keeping them firmly grounded in unshakeable rhythms.  The band was concerned that their time may have come to an end last year when Marissa was diagnosed with mono and eventually fibromyalgia which saw them cancelling shows for the first time ever and returning home to take a break from their relentless touring schedule.  After bouncing back, the band is clearly at a point where they are happy with their music, their life, and each other and that comes out strongly in the tracks on Rose Mountain.  Having been a band for nearly 10 years, this violently cohesive, feel good power trio is here to stay and is committed to staying true to the DIY spirit that embodies their music, their label, and themselves.  I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come.

Today's Playlist

1. Rose Mountain - Screaming Females
2. Hadley, MA - California X
3. Runner - Laura Stevenson
4. Kind of Like Smitten - The Ergs!
5. Weirdoz Everywhere - The Prefab Messiahs
6. Mesmerize - Temples
7. Oliver Twisted - The Vaselines
8. Johnny Hit and Run Pauline - X
9. Design Within Reach - PRIESTS
10. In My Eyes - Minor Threat

Songs from this Morning

1. And Breeding - PRIESTS
2. Empty Head - Screaming Females
3. Juice - Slothrust
4. Misery Business - Paramore
5. Laughing Yet - Parasol

PRIESTS - Powerfuly Intense and Relevant Punk Rock

PRIESTS are scary.  And I’m not talking about the religious guys in robes.  I’m talking about the firestorm of intensity that is the latest post-hardcore band to come out of the prolific Washington, DC music scene.  Lead by enigmatic front-woman Katie Alice Greer, PRIESTS are exactly what post-hardcore is supposed to sound like, heavy and confrontational without becoming ironic or cliché.  The band, which formed in 2012 and put out two self-released tapes and a 7” on their own Sister Polygon Records, recently released their latest EP Bodies and Control and Money and Power on NJ indie powerhouse Don Giovanni Records.  Indeed all of those subjects are discussed in Greer’s demanding and profound lyrics which capture millennial malaise and coming of age frustrations felt by everyone who was expected to make a life for themselves in the wake of the economic recession.  PRIESTS state, or rather belt matter of factly, the feelings felt by many of the millennial generation and they do it alongside jarring punk riffs and funky interplay that crafts a sound completely unique.  Taylor Mulitz’s bass guitar comes through heavy on all songs and creates a haunting background to the jangly guitar leads brought to the table by guitar guru G.L Jaguar.  Drummer Daniele Daniele keeps things steady and cohesive making sure the rest of the band doesn’t lose track of structure completely.  Songs like “Right Wing” discuss Republican power dynamics alongside the powerful and ethereal “New” which deals with the frustrations of growing up only to realize that life is a lot scarier and darker than you were promised.  This is especially true of the Generation Y.  Growing up we were all told we were special and destined for greatness.  We were the “every kid gets a trophy” generation.  Now as we’ve all entered the real world, we’ve come to realize this was a lie and there is a certain amount of resentment towards older generations which fueled such dreams and now it seems are the ones in power preventing them.  PRIESTS capture this feeling perfectly in closing track “And Breeding” in which Greer screams “I’m trying to afford, everything I always asked for, everything they said was in store” and later “yeah I went to college, yeah I got a job, but I still can’t figure out how to join the mob”.  The song ends with Greer straining her throat yelling “Barack Obama killed something in me!” expressing the frustrations of young adults who put their faith in reform and change both in 2008 and 2012 only to have those dreams dashed after nearly 8 years of partisan gridlock.  Another track on the album, the fast paced “Modern Love/No Weapon”, showcases PRIESTS ability to compose striking and dominating instrumental powerhouses.  Each one of the albums eight tracks are different and bring something new and fresh to the table.  It doesn’t sound overdone, nor does it stress over the top musical diversity.  It’s just right.  I recently saw them on tour with Screaming Females, Vacation, and Tenement and while the other bands were fantastic including the Females, PRIESTS were something else entirely.  With whole portions of the performance devolving into atonal static and driving bass as Greer writhed on the floor screaming intensely politicized monologue, I was floored.   This is a band everyone needs to hear AND see.  It’s jarring, it’s in your face, it’s experimental, it’s punk rock.

Tracks from Today's Playlist

1. Lights Out - Screaming Females
2. Medical Envy - NICE GUYS
3. Every Day is a Winding Road - Sheryl Crow
4. Magnets Pt. 1 - Slothrust
5. Angel's Wings - Social Distortion
6. Price to Pay - Miami Dorritos
7. Fresh Pond - Krill
8. Nic Fit - Sonic Youth (Untouchables cover)
9. In the Meantime - Spacehog
10. In the Evening - Led Zeppelin

Songs from this Morning

1. The Charles Mansion - Idiot Genes
2. Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
3. The Way - Fastball
4. Something Must Break - Jawbox
5. Nightmare - The Faith

Sleater Kinney Back Together!!

90's alt-rock giants Sleater Kinney have reformed and announced not only a new album slated for release in early 2015 but also a short tour of North America and Europe which will see the three piece hitting up the House of Blues in Boston! Guitarist/vocalist Corin Tuckin, guitarist/vocalist Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss, have thrown themselves back into their Olympia, WA roots and will no doubt play to sold out shows at each of their 21 American and European tour stops.  Read the full Rolling Stone article below and be sure to get tickets to their HOB show!  They go on sale Saturday at 10 AM and will no doubt be gone within minutes.

Sleater Kinney Announce New Album and Tour Dates

Today's Playlist

1. Face Down - White Lung
2. Liar - Bikini Kill
3. Lights Out - Screaming Females
4. Mess Around - The Pits
5. When I Go Home - Milk
6. Beowulf - Slothrust
7. Fire in the Fens - A Guy Name Guy
8. Dreams - Sebadoh
9. Destroyers - The Shrine
10. Food Fight! - Titus Andronicus

This Morning's Playlist

1. No Hair No Flair - White Pages
2. Brill Bruisers - The New Pornographers
3. Drown the the Monster - White Lung
4. Cheap Talk - Death From Above 1979
5. Something Came Over Me - Wild Flag

Songs from Today's Playlist

1. Heaven is a Truck - Pavement
2. Gladiator - The Jesus Lizard
3. Low Season - Bob Mould
4. Thin Twin - Hunters
5. Bent Nail - Nothing
6. No Below - Speedy Ortiz
7. Suffragette City - David Bowie
8. Lust for Life - The Stooges
9. This is Anarchy - Tacocat
10. Oliver Twisted - The Vaselines

Cloud Nothings Deliver Powerful Follow Up to 2012's Attack on Memory

Cloud Nothings new LP Here and Nowhere Else is a sophisticated and logical follow up to 2012’s Attack on Memory.  Employing the same influences and sounds cultivated on their 2012 breakout, lead singer Dylan Baldi has proven that his band has not only done a 180 from where they began, but has carved out a nitch in the current indie-rock landscape which is sure to see continued success.  Much like Attack, Here and Nowhere Else’s eight tracks combine the forceful, gut punching drums of heavy metal with the blistering guitar riffs of punk.  Combined with Baldi’s uniquely shrill howl, the album is some truly fantastic modern rock and roll.  Lead in track “Now Here In” is reminiscent of The Men and has great tempo changes combined with a loud/quiet/loud song structure alongside some softer vocals from Baldi.  “Quieter Today” has heart stopping pauses which erupt into mind numbing explosions of lightning drums and a much shriller howl from Baldi.  “Psychic Trauma” starts out slower but transforms halfway through as Baldi shrieks into the mic as if it were his last time on stage.  By the end, his sincerity oozes from the speakers and finishes out the punkiest song on the album.  The poppier “Just See Fear” is the most radio friendly on the album and is followed by the rock heavy “Give Into Seeing” which has a forceful chorus that builds and builds and finishes with an echo-y verse that gains momentum with its repetition even as the song comes to a close.  “No Thoughts” is very reminiscent of the songs from Attack on Memory with a central guitar riff which is accentuated by several pauses of the rhythm section all leading up to Baldi’s loudest finish on the album which sees his voice so raspy and ready to break that you’d think he had laryngitis.  The 7 minute “Pattern Walks” shows that the band has not only settled in to their new sound extremely well, but that they are also not afraid to push the boundary.  Combining the best elements of every song on the album, the song is a powerhouse of modern indie-rock and sets Cloud Nothings apart from other bands.  The album closes with the chunky “I’m Not Part of Me” which has a catchy chorus and is a stand out stadium rock song that definitely sounds the most “mainstream” out of any other song on the album.  Overall, Cloud Nothings has put out a phenomenal release which follows up the incredible songs on Attack on Memory and shows that this is a band which is not only capable of making a dramatic change in their sound, but capable of evolving that sound and continuing to develop it on subsequent releases, something many bands struggle with.  One thing is certain, Cloud Nothings are here to stay and have proven that they are band whose genre bending rock and roll is a force to be reckoned with in the modern music landscape.