hardcore « the indie lumberjack.

heavy rotation – 2.9.11

February 9th, 2011 § Leave a Comment

goodie goodie gumdrops.

so i spent a lot of time trying to find new music for you guys this week, so…yeah. most of this is pretty good, and one of them is now a highly recommended super favorite of mine. so this is what i’ve been listening to this week. enjoy.

this week’s heavy rotation.

1. high and driving – everyone knows that i love anthony green and everything about him. all of his work with saosin, circa survive, the sound of animals fighting, and his solo projects is golden.

tracks to listen to: any of them. all of it is magic.

2. american ghetto by portugal. the man – so…pandora told me that i’d really like portugal. the man and the internet was right [the internet is right a lot...which makes me really nervous]. anyway, they have a nice progression to their music and this album is fantastic. i’m stoked i’ll be somewhere that allows…the free flow of information without the block of filters and what not.

tracks to listen to: “the dead dog” or “when the war ends”

3. grey britain by gallows – so i’m not quite sure how i feel about them as a whole, but i’ve been listening to them a bit. i didn’t realize how established england’s hardcore scene is, but i was pleasantly surprised. they sound kind of like everytime i die [if you know who they are] so if you’re in to that sort of thing, you’ll like them.

tracks to listen to: “the vulture (acts I & II)” or “misery”

4. of mice & men by of mice & men – i love this band. their sound is something i haven’t heard from many other bands and it really gets me stoked when i listen to their stuff. they have a pretty heavy sound for being considered hardcore/metalcore [maybe the word "metal" makes them sound heavier"]. i got to see them live over the summer and it was great…especially that i only got to see two minutes of it.

tracks to listen to: “they don’t call it the south for nothing” or “john deux trois”

hopefully you enjoyed the choices i gave you this week. if not…we can try again next week.as always, comments and feedback are incredibly welcomed.

thanks for playing.

-the lumberjack.

most anticipated of 2011: music.

February 6th, 2011 § 4 Comments

this year is going to be magic.

if you’re like me and you’re constantly looking up when the next time good music will be coming to your ears, you know that 2011 is going to be a fantastic year. depending on what type of music you like, this year is either going to be great for you, or it will be lyrically boring. for me, it’s gonna be epic.

top 5 most anticipated.

1. downtown battle mountain 2 by dance gavin dance: i’ve seen them live, i have every single one of their albums, and jonny craig is back in the band. now i’m like a little kid waiting for the recess bell to ring so i can play on the jungle gym. they’ve released two songs so far – “the heat seeking ghost of sex” and “the robot with human hair pt. 2 1/2″ and both are musically spectacular. it sounds like craig brought a little of emarosa [his other band] with him and the two sounds mesh beautifully.

release date: march 8, 2011

2. codes and keys by death cab for cutie: i have a weird relationship with death cab, it seems that i can really only listen to their music when i’m in a period of soul-crippling depression, which is why i’m both excited and nervous for their upcoming album. i sort of feel like death cab is classic “broken up with” music. if you break up with someone, you don’t pop in some plans or transatlanticism, no, you put on some dr. dre or some lil wayne or some and you go out to the club [that was kind of a completely unnecessary side note that had no point. sorry]. anyway, the point is, death cab is releasing their first album since i was in high school and i’m nervous.

release date: spring 2011

3. soul punk by patrick stump: you have to give the man some credit – in four years, fall out boy went from being just another local band to something of a pop-punk powerhouse. sadly, good things never last forever, and in 2009, fall out boy went on indefinite hiatus. that being said, genius never sleeps. patrick stump is currently working on a solo album [and working on getting eerily way too skinny] entitled soul punk. i’ve heard a song off of it and it is actually pretty good, which isn’t any surprise at all. let’s see if “solo” was the way to go.

release date: february 2011

4. “upcoming 4th album” by the devil wears prada: it makes sense that the devil wears prada would go to the studio to record a new album, especially after the success of their latest ep, zombie ep, which was incredible, was about zombies, and came with a sweet t-shirt. details are sort of limited for this one, but when i know more – you will know more.

release date: summer 2011

5. the dudes by the lonely island: this might seem unrelated since all of my other choices were…well…legitimate musical experiences, but there is just something about comedy songs that doesn’t get old. i think their last album, incredibad, was really funny [especially since "i'm on a boat" is one of the greatest songs ever written"] and i’m really excited for this album.

release date: march 2011

i’m sure some of you won’t agree with my choices, but that is why they are mine and not yours. as always, feedback and comments are encouraged: tell me what your most anticipated album/artist is of this year.

thanks for playing.

-the lumberjack

heavy rotation – 2.2.11

February 3rd, 2011 § 1 Comment

i’m getting sick.

i have a really bad stomach bug at the moment and i’m afraid it might be turning in to something else. i feel a sore throat and a cough coming on, so it must be getting close to spring. in other news, i’m getting back on my exercise routine tomorrow, and i’m strongly considering becoming vegetarian. not sure though…kinda just tossing it around in my head.

enough with the chit-chat, let’s get down to business.

this week’s heavy rotation.

1. the king is dead by the decemberists: this is the sixth album by the folk masters…and i’m still not quite sure how i feel about it. i’ve probably listened to the full album like seven times and i’m just not in to it as much as i was in previous albums. the hazards of love was one of the greatest albums to come out of the past decade, and its a shame that this doesn’t come nearly as close. it has a very…country feel to it.

tracks to listen to: “rox in the box” or “rise to me”

2. the devil and god are raging inside me by brand new: this album was written for me [not really] but you know those albums that just feel like every single track was written for you no matter what day of the year it is. every track off of this album is phenomenal. i wish i listened to brand new in high school because i’m sure it would have gone completely different.

tracks to listen to: “you won’t know” or “handcuffs”

3. folie á deux by fall out boy: listening to this album makes me cry. not because the subject matter is particularly dark or depressing, but because fall out boy broke up and i will never get to hear clever songs about whores or high school or relationships or being a badass [every song patrick stump writes is about being a badass. he can't help it]. there is a happy end to this story though, because patrick stump started a solo project type thing that i’m really excited about.

tracks to listen to: “headfirst slide in to cooperstown on a bad bet” or “west coast smoker” [also listen to the last 60 seconds of w.a.m.s.]

downtown battle mountain 2 - 3.8.11

4. downtown battle mountain by dance gavin dance: this album is perfect. johnny craig’s voice is like butter for the bread of my soul. the mix of singing to screaming is precise and the songs are just catchy. i love everything about this album. the best part? downtown battle mountain 2 comes out on march 28th. the kicker? jonny craig is back on the album [as well as some of the original dance gavin dance crew]. needless to say, can’t wait til march.

tracks to listen to: “lemon meringue tie” or “open your eyes and look north” or “and i told them i invented times new roman”

those suggestions should hopefully get you through the week. i’ll try to find some more music for next week.

as always, suggestions and feedback are always welcomed and encouraged.

-the lumberjack

my next post: either something about college or something about video games?

illuminadio: first impressions.

September 9th, 2010 § 2 Comments

i’m at a crossroads.

so as you all might be aware, i’m what some would call a chiodos fan [and that is a grand understatement if there ever was one]. i own all of their music and would say that overall i like all of it. was all’s well that ends well their best album? oh hell yeah it was. do i think bone palace ballet should have been a better album? you better believe i do. but i still love chiodos, no matter what.

no matter what.

as most of you may already know, craig owens, incredible singer/alleged drug addict/beautiful beautiful man, was “politely” asked not to return to chiodos in sept. of 2009. they posted a short, to the point, explanation that they let him go and would be continuing on as a band sans owens.

this made me cry a lot of tears, but owens is in a new band called d.r.u.g.s. and i’m really looking forward to what comes from them.

then, earlier this year it was leaked that chiodos had a brand new singer: brandon bolmer [formerly of yesterday's rising]. he is a pretty talented chap and he sang some of the older chiodos material at bamboozle and it sounded pretty good.

his vocal range isn’t quite as impressive but his voice is still pretty good.

illuminadio album cover

the new album.

the new chiodos album, illuminadio, is set to be released on october 5, which is less than a month away. now, you’d expect my natural reaction to be excitement since their last album sort of left something to be desired from me.

they’ve released two songs on their myspace from illuminadio and here is what i think about them.

“those who slay together, stay together”

this song is actually pretty good. it sounds a lot like bone palace as far as the instrumental direction that the track took, and bolmer’s voice blends really nicely with the rest of the music. the intro to the track is also really grabbing.

the lyrics are also pretty impressive.

however, the first thing that is obvious is the lack of owens’ vocals.

“modern wolf hair”

i know the name is kind of weird…and offputting…and makes you feel uncomfortable, but it is actually a pretty solid track. the vocals are good, the instruments are good, and the lyrics are good. i have no complaints about the song [except for the name].

overall.

i’m really excited for illuminadio. i’ll miss craig owens and i’ll always wish that they found a way to work through their issues as a band and kept owens in the band. his voice made them a recognizable band.

track list:

illuminadio

caves

love is a cat from hell

modern wolf hair

notes in constellations

scaremonger

his story repeats itself

let us burn one

hey zeus! the dungeon

stratovolcano mouth

those who slay together, stay together

closed eyes still look forward

like when “baby you wouldn’t last a minute on the creek” comes on, i know it is chiodos. i hope that they prove everyone wrong and illuminadio is their best album yet.

i have high hopes.

i have a special blog coming out tomorrow: it’s about intolerance. brace yourselves.

cody.

zombie ep.

September 6th, 2010 § Leave a Comment

the devil wears prada - zombie

outbreak.

it is no big news to anyone that zombies are possibly the coolest things that have ever eerily shuffled across the plains. the past five to ten years should be considered the Great American Zombie Renaissance [i just coined that. that is mine]. filmmakers like george a. romero and edgar wright, and writers like max brooks should be applauded for the incredible works of fiction [and awareness] that they have produced in the recent decade.

not to mention the scores of wonderful video games that have been released as a result of this phenomena.

resident evil [1996-2009] – i have a whole post in mind for talking about resident evil.
left 4 dead [2008 & 2009]
dead rising [2006 & 2010]

i said all that to say this.

on august 24, 2010 the devil wears prada released their first ep and it is pretty much amazing. i had all of their other albums, so it just made sense to buy their new album [and not just buy, i pre-ordered that jam].

merchnow was doing a deal on their website that included the ep, a comic book, and a sweet tdwp tshirt for like $20 so you better believe i bought that. the big surprise was that they included a signed copy of the ep [i squealed like a little girl].

i’ve been listening to nothing but this pretty much since i got it today and it is so well done. it is a little darker than their previous records. the subject material is a zombie apocalypse of course and that is no joking matter.

no joking matter.

to be completely honest, i’m really impressed with this ep. i know it is only five songs, but they’re all fantastic. this was probably the best $7 i’ve ever spent on an article of music.

the thing about the devil wears prada is that they’ve only gotten better over the past four years. their first album dear love: a beautiful discord was really good [for a debut album]. their next album, plagues was also incredibly well done. their last album, with roots above and branches below was practically perfect.

track list:

Escape

Anatomy

Outnumbered

Revive

Survivor

i’m completely ready for their next full length album to come out, which i’m hoping is either by the end of 2010 or at the earliest the spring of 2011.

i give zombie ep a 9 out of 10.

next time.

i’ll be talking about some things, and maybe even some stuff. thanks for tuning in.

cody.

follow friday – february 26, 2010.

February 26th, 2010 § Leave a Comment

Just a quick little something.

This post won’t be that long, I can guarantee that. But there is something I wanted to let you all know about if you’re in to music…well…a certain genre of music [as in hardcore music]. I just want to let you guys know sources for good info/downloads if you don’t like what I do.

Prepare for your mind to be blown.

So, I found a website while looking for some good music blogs, and I happened to stumble upon this one. Before I post what it is called, I’m going to say this:

I was not looking for porn when I found this website. I repeat, I was NOT looking for porn when I found this site.

The site is called Hardcore-Not-Porn [I'm not even kidding]. It is basically mini-reviews and full album downloads of pretty much every hardcore and metal band on Earth [except for obscure or terrible ones].

This is a blog that I follow…and check daily.

I like that all the downloads are free [and hosted through MediaFire] and that they are all legit and virus free. I also like that they have such a huge selection. When I saw the list of bands I practically peed my pants with giddiness.

Unfortunately, though, some of the links are too old or the content the link takes you to has been taken off of MediaFire [most content only remains on a file hosting site for about a year, so links dating back to 2008 or early 2009 are void pretty much].

I hope you enjoy their site and what they provide.

Cody.

the indie lumberjack.