Monday 28 August 2023

*** PODCAST #126 Widowdusk ***


     Ever since hearing California's five-piece WIDOWDUSK I've been pretty gosh darn smitten. Their honest take on emo/screamo has been vitally refreshing, so asking the band to join on me this podcast was a no-brainer. It was very interesting to hear screamo erase the divide between our nearly quarter-century difference in age. A few things touched upon: WIDOWDUSK name origin + the age of the new generation of screamo, shifting influences and the ditching of midwest emo, the best Kite Flying Society song and influence, the Ihuntmonsters split, delving into Euro screamo, the importance of clean guitar, new WIDOWDUSK recordings and shows, it's crazy how many screamo festivals there are, the end of WIDOWDUSK, best albums of 2023 thus far, Jordan's mom rules, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Coheed And Cambria, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Mihai Edrisch, Moneen, Phantogram, Ribbon Fix, Storm The Bastille and The Summer We Went West. Listen to podcast #126 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.

WIDOWDUSK
Bandcamp
Instagram


1 The Future of Screamo
RIBBON FIX "One Last Cigarette" (Brody)
MONEEN "The Passing of America" (Dave)

2 The Widening of Palates
PHANTOGRAM "Fallen Love" (Kurt)
COHEED AND CAMBRIA "Everything Evil" (Dave)

3 Defining Sounds and Moving Into Emo-violence
THE SUMMER WE WENT WEST "Jackson Hole, WY" (Jordan)
MIHAI EDRISCH "To be Born (naitre)" (Dave)

4 The End of Widowdusk?
LOVE LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN "It Never Happened" (Levi)
STORM THE BASTILLE "Bankrupt and Finally Forgotten" (Dave)


~Dave

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Saturday 26 August 2023

PUT PÙRANA

Band: PUT PÙRANA
Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz
Related artists: ?.
Country: Brianza, Lombardia ITALY
Years Active: 2021-present
For fans of: Altair, Ojne, Vientre, Shibuya, Marcovaldo, La Parade, Boneflower, Omsorg, Viva Belgrado, Tenue, Nulajednanulanula, Descubriendo A Mr. Mime, Chalk Hands, Hurricäde, La Cienca, Fake Off, Careless, and Fiesta Bizarra.
Label(s): Self Released

     This Italian five-piece released an interesting debut album in 2021 that I've been jamming pretty consistently. It's fairly reminiscent of bands like Altair, Ojne, and Vientre, combining yelled-to-almost-screamed vocals with fairly clean, post-rock/post-hardcore instrumentals. There are definitely some gorgeous moments, slight nods to chugs and heavier sections, play parts, and some near-sung vocals. I've order the standouts below as my top three. If you dig this band be sure to research all of the aforementioned artists in the "For fans of" section as I think I've reviewed every single one on this blog.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2021 - Sospinti da una Massa Remota LP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2021) PUT PÙRANA - "Continui a svegliarmi" (from 'Sospinti da una Massa Remota')

(2021) PUT PÙRANA - "Tornare a casa" (from 'Sospinti da una Massa Remota')

(2021) PUT PÙRANA - "Ripartire da capo per me non significa niente" (from 'Sospinti da una Massa Remota')
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Additional links


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Thursday 24 August 2023

*** PODCAST #125 Jay Springman (The Sawtooth Grin) ***

(photo by Bret Backus)

     When The Sawtooth Grin played ZBR Fest 2023 it was fucking magical. Getting to hang out with the members before the set, watching Jon Karel stupify the Heavenly Blue members, and having the band just fucking kill it live was an experience I will never forget. I had done a podcast with Rich before the fest and was keen to interview more members of the band, so when I got to meet guitar mastermind Jay Springman I quickly hatched a plot to have this here podcast. This episode is very awesome, hella eye-opening, and baringly truthful. Some things discussed in this 125th podcast: Hammertime, Pauley Shore, Nirvana deep dive, Bach and transforming art, early Jon Karel and Jay the Vocalist, small minds and short hair, the amazing power of The Dillinger Escape Plan, overcoming addiction, gettin' fucked by crowd metronomes, discovering your own musical literacy, Mathcore Index Fest, Sawtooth Grin's inhouse plan aka the future of the 'Jabberwocky' demos, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Death By Stereo, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Nicole Dollanganger, Goreguts, Hilary Hahn plays J.S. Bach, and Thoughtcrimes. Listen to podcast #125 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.

THE SAWTOOTH GRIN
Bandcamp
Facebook

THE SAWTOOTH GRIN
live @ZBR Fest 2023
https://youtu.be/VMNycMcloso


JASON SPRINGMAN
Bach Violin Sonata No.3, BWV 1005: 2. Fugue
https://youtu.be/Ba_k3DKpmR4


1 Gravitating Towards the Extreme
GOREGUTS "Obscura" (Jay)
DEATH BY STEREO "Lookin' Out For #1" (Dave)

2 Long-Hair and Short-Hair Dudes Unite Through DEP
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN "Sugar Coated Sour" (Jay)
THOUGHTCRIMES "Keyhole" (Dave) [music video linked here]

3 This Is Where My Life Is
HILARY HAHN plays J.S. BACH "Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: I. Adagio" (Jay)
NICOLE DOLLANGANGER "Moonlite" (Dave)


~Dave

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Sunday 20 August 2023

*** PODCAST #124 Egin Kongoli (Respire, New Friends) ***


     Off air, Egin Kongoli (guitar/vox for Respire and one of three founding New Friends DIY members) and I reminisced of days when Foxmoulder and Respire hosted about a hundred people every month at Soybomb. That is seriously another lifetime, and its shock reminded much like a slap in the face how long I've known them. Now we're approaching the fifth Respire full length and the culmination of the 2023 New Friends Fest in Toronto. How time flies. We touched on a ton in this podcast including, but not limited to: the expansion of New Friends, Rogers On-Demand, the importance of Emma Cuthbert, looking back at the history of Respire and the upcoming record, Suis La Lune shirts on the bus, New Friends DIY origin/hiccups/band-choosing/ZBR comparisons/etc., biggest issue at New Friend Fest and how Rohan almost slept at the venue, the screamo bubble burst of 2024?, "adjacent" is a hard word to remember, balcony diving, a quick 2024 recap post-fest bonus round! etc. Bands played in this podcast: Excrucis, Low, The Pine, Slow Pulp, Social Caterpillar (exclusive song premiere!!!), and Xiu Xiu. Listen to podcast #124 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.

RESPIRE
Bandcamp
Facebook

ZBR Respire copies:
Black Line cassettes (US store)
Denouement 12" (CAD store/last copy)

1 Future Egin
XIU XIU "The Fabrizio Palumbo Retaliation" (Egin)
SOCIAL CATERPILLAR "Guillotine for Hope" (Dave) ***SONG PREMIERE***

2 Different But Still Respire
THE PINE "Plug" (Egin)
EXCRUCIS "Mandated Violence" (Dave)

3 Your Nightmare and Your Fantasy All Wrapped Into One
LOW "Over the Ocean" (Egin)
SLOW PULP "Cramps" (Dave)

4 Bonus Post-Fest Discussion
~no music

~Dave

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Saturday 19 August 2023

US, HAUNTED BODIES

Band: US, HAUNTED BODIES
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Grindcore
Related artists: Loma Prieta and Occam's Razor.
Country: Bay Area, California, U.S.A.
Years Active: 2006-2008
For fans of: Sailboats, Orchid, Yearning, Towers, Textbook Traitors, New Forms, Marjory Stewart-Baxler, and Youth Funeral.
Label(s): Communique


     US, HAUNTED BODIES are a band with four recorded songs that I can find, as I used to own the self-titled 7" released back in 2008 on Communique. I heard this band were initially around in 2006 then broke up only to get back together in 2007 and then obviously break up again in 2008 shortly after this 7" was released. The band shared members with Loma Prieta and Occam's Razor so that gives you a pretty good idea of the sound (assuming you apply this era Loma and not the new material) which are short, jangly, violent, chaotic screamo. You can jam the entire EP in four minutes so no more words are needed.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2008 - Us, Haunted Bodies 7"EP (download here)

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(2008) US, HAUNTED BODIES - "Austere asceticism" (from 'Us, Haunted Bodies')

(2008) US, HAUNTED BODIES - "The unreported resistance" (from 'Us, Haunted Bodies')

(2008) US, HAUNTED BODIES - "Untitled" (from 'Us, Haunted Bodies')

(2008) US, HAUNTED BODIES - "What we are and what we've become" (from 'Us, Haunted Bodies')
https://youtu.be/wDLUooj9Hro

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US, HAUNTED BODIES out of print mp3 discography download


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Tuesday 15 August 2023

SØMERSET

Band: SØMERSET
Genres: Punk / Rock / Post-Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Metal / Metalcore / Metallic Hardcore / Math Metal / Mathcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Powerviolence / Grindcore / Thrash / Crust
Related artists: ?.
Country: Bielefeld GERMANY
Years Active: 2013-2016
For fans of: Mouthing, Fluoride, Neboas, Closet Witch, Kiss 2, Oathbreaker, Hiretsukan, Drei Affen, and Weak Wrists.
Label(s): ?


      2013's debut self-titled 'sømerset' EP is the rawest and heaviest incarnation of this band. Opening with a clip from No Country For Old Men, "...mourning" then erupts in a mixture of Mouthing and Oathbreaker, creating a pretty high expectation for all subsequent tracks. Sadly most songs don't fuck as hard as the opener, but "confidence" is quite venomous (and punky), while the closer "fuck" is a dark instrumental jam.

     Despite being released last, chronologically these tracks likely lie between the band's two proper releases, as in 2016 'sømerset II' was released and the band stated it was "recorded quite a while ago by our good friend Fabian Schulz in his Studio Machines of Sleep." These four songs are much more vicious and even include an early Star Wars audio clip, lining up more evenly with the aforementioned  standout track "...mourning".

     'King of the Lapiths' was the band's final official release, going down in May of 2016. This is the ultimate SØMERSET release, capturing the intensity and aggression of the early work and combining it with more varied and interesting instrumental arrangements. This is blatantly clear as the opener "Torned Sphere" hits the halfway mark and a soft interlude brings the song to an almost post-hardcore climax...and it's great. "Ixion" is much more volatile, "Feuerrad" slaps and includes dual vocals, "Thread of Patience" utilizes crushing bass, "Ill-Defined" is the only song over three minutes (and probably could be shorter), with closer "Synesthesia" possibly symbolizing the band's fading out of existence.

   All-in-all a relatively obscure band over here in North America, so have at it.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2013 - sømerset EP (stream/donate/download here)

2016 - sømerset II EP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2016) SØMERSET - "Torned Sphere" (from 'King of the Lapiths')

(2016) SØMERSET - "Feuerrad" (from 'King of the Lapiths')

(2016) SØMERSET - "Ixiom" (from 'King of the Lapiths')

(2016) SØMERSET - "Wasted Times" (from 'sømerset II')

(2016) SØMERSET - "Problems" (from 'sømerset II')
(2013) SØMERSET - "...mourning" (from 'sømerset')
https://youtu.be/a6rNvegqwnA

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SØMERSET additional links

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Sunday 13 August 2023

*** PODCAST #123 Alex Clark (Loose Teeth, Life In Vacuum) ***


     I have a decade-long history with LIFE IN VACUUM, so when they lost their long-time bassist and were forced to search/recruit new ones I was worried about the future of the band. Enter Alexander Clark, longtime hardcore/punk kid who even played bass for Dilly Dally on tour for over a year, who was head-hunted by none other than Ross of LIV. Around that time Alex also started LOOSE TEETH, a maniacal, techy, brooding, heavy hardcore/metal band, vastly different from the groovy, melodically-oriented LIV. After having great meets at Zegema Beach Records Fest 2022 and releasing all of the recent LOOSE TEETH material, it was definitely time to sit down with him and have a chat about many-a-thing including: Blood Brothers and tangent city aka what is the best album?, liking a band so much that you vomit, touring with Dilly Dally, being head-hunted by Life In Vacuum, grueling tour schedules, the difficulties of being an artist, support vs. beer, why Loose Teeth is dialed back on the new split, 2008 Warped Tour vocals, Frat Party Blood Brothers, Constrain lovin', etc. Bands played in this podcast: Bambara, Dananananakroyd, Kowloon Walled City, Panthers, Porcelain, and Since By Man. Listen to podcast #123 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.

LOOSE TEETH
Bandcamp
Facebook

LIFE IN VACUUM
Bandcamp
Facebook

There are only 1-3 copies left in each of these stores:
Tomb Tree Bandcamp
ZBR U.S.A.
ZBR Canada/International


1 Buncha Blood Brothers
PORCELAIN "C.O.A." (Alex)
KOWLOON WALLED CITY "Turk, Taylor, and Jones" (Dave)

2 The Correct Life In Vacuum Bassist
BAMBARA "José Tries to Leave" (Alex)
PANTHERS "It's Not the Heat, It's the Humility" (Dave)

3 Raw Emotion and the Constrain Split
DANANANAKRYOD "Black Wax" (Alex) [official music video linked here]
SINCE BY MAN "Push the Panic" (Dave) [official music video linked here]

~Dave

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Monday 7 August 2023

*** PODCAST #122 Yuri Arakaki (Bok Suna) ***


     The past few years I've been delving pretty hard into indie rock, bedroom pop, lo-fi folk, etc. so when I came across solo project BOK SUNA from Tacoma, Washington I fell in love. After agreeing to let me release her current discography on cassette through Softseed Music (linked here) I asked her to come on this podcast and here we are! We discuss a variety of topics including but not limited to: Kpop, inheriting musical instruments, writing the EP at 14-15 years old, "Ginseng" origin, the process of writing, 1938 the song and tattoo, Korean screamo, phone drums, playing shows, the future, talkin' bout screamo, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Apollo 18, Hedge Fund Trader, Hook, KikuoHana, Nicole Dollanganger and Yeah, No. Listen to podcast #122 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.

BOK SUNA
Bandcamp
Instagram
Softseed Music cassette links


1 I'm Just Gonna Learn All the Instruments and Do This Shit On My Own
KIKUOHANA "ヒトガワリ" (Yuri)
NICOLE DOLLANGANGER "Alligator Blood (early version)" (Dave)

2 Compliment City
HOOK "Last Visit" (Yuri)
APOLLO 18 "The End" (Dave)

3 You're Probably Sick of All the Compliments But Screw You Here's Some More You're Amazing You're Ridiculous I Can't Believe That You Wrote That Stuff at the Age You Did
YEAH, NO "IV" (Yuri)
HEDGE FUND TRADER "One for One" (Dave)


~Dave

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Saturday 5 August 2023

RESTE

Band: RESTE
Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence
Related artists: Yusuke and Kelut.
Country: Illinois U.S.A.
Years Active: 2020
For fans of: Leer, Vampires, Youth Novel, Massa Nera, Raein, Gossip, Shizune, and Heavenly Blue.
Label(s): Zegema Beach Records / No Funeral

     I know about RESTE primarily because it was Ryan's new project after their Yusuke and Kelut days and ditches the dirty, unrestrained chaos in favor of excellently structured screamo with post-hardcore elements.


     Writing a ton about two songs would be sillier than parachuting into a volcano, so I'll keep it brief. Synopsis: fucking sick. Sounds like: a mixture of Youth Novel, Raein and Leer. Riffs? Yes. European feel to the guitars? Yes. Dual screaming? No. Dancy? Fuck yeah. Only one release ever? A screamo-yes. Insanely overlooked? Absolutely.

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DISCOGRAPHY


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(2020) RESTE - "Drowning in a Glass Bottle" (from 'Chivàla' split)

(2020) RESTE - "Unavoidable Meeting" (from 'Chivàla' split)
https://youtu.be/qiK8JRovW-4

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