Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose [2002]

Reinventing Axl Rose is considered by many (including yours truly) to be Against Me!'s peak, a folk-punk bible of sorts. Hearing Tom Gabel roar his way throatily through track after track of passionate and youthfully optimistic punk rock is a feeling that never fails to make the spirits soar. From opener 'Pints of Guinness Make You Strong' which is about a wife lamenting the loss of her husband on St. Patrick's Day, to the atheistic anthem of 'Walking Is Still Honest', and the hilarious 'Baby! I'm An Anarchist', Reinventing Axl Rose is packed with some of the most earnest and incredibly touching punk rock ever recorded.

As We Draw - Lines Breaking Circles [2010]

As We Draw are a three man band from France. Their music is some sort of post-hardcore/metal - sludge hybrid, apparently.

I find most sludge very similar to that other disdainful, slimy substance, shit. And everyone knows that most things French are pretty shit too. As such one can only conclude that Lines Breaking Circles is living proof that the theorem of double negatives applies to music too. It's actually pretty good... very good even.

I've only had this a couple days, so I haven't got a lot to say, other then that I can't stop listening to it. Definitely worth downloading.

Every Time I Die - Hot Damn! [2003]

The way I see it lately, the metalcore genre seems to have become saturated with two types of bands; those that are bringing ridiculously overproduced and uncreative breakdowns to the swoop-fringed masses, and a select number of bands carrying the banner for the brand of the genre pioneered by the likes of Botch, Integrity and Converge (read: good metalcore), with the focus being on technicality and calculated brutality. It's refreshing then that bands like Every Time I Die exist to prove my jaded generalizations are exactly that - a cynical characterization of a genre that has far more to offer than first meets the eye.

Anyone familiar with Every Time I Die's later work will be able to see the influence their past work has had on their current southern groove oriented manifestation. Much heavier than their recent rock-riff heavy records but still containing the same sense of freewheeling fun, Hot Damn!'s riffs are faster and more intricate, the rhythm section more visceral, and the vocals aggressive and passionate. With a talent for writing witty, intelligent and incredibly appealing lyrics, Keith Buckley leads from the front, and his charisma as a frontman on Hot Damn! is unmatched on any other release from the band. His vocals often take the front seat in this manic half-an-hour of metalcore, and he tactfully avoids being overbearing, instead complimenting the frantic instrumentation with a voice that is equally as urgent. The breakdown on “Floater” is the obvious highlight of the album, with the screams of ‘drag the lake / you’ll find it’s full of love’ expressing all of the anguish and heartache that any asshole that has destroyed a relationship feels. Another standout, “Ebolarama” is an excellent example, with the heavy groove of the opening riffs perfectly partnering Buckley’s bitter spiel about the emptiness of nights drenched in alcohol, but the desire to enjoy it and live and fuck and do it over and over again anyway.

As energetic as it is fun, Hot Damn! (and indeed the band's entire body of work) is an invigorating listen, and with one of the best live shows I've ever experienced, Every Time I Die keep proving their worth as a breath of fresh air in a genre saturated with talentless, tasteless trash.

FLAC Audio

I'm going to be posting most of my music in FLAC format. FLAC stands for Fully Lossless Audio Codec, and it's currently the most popular lossless format. As you've probably guessed, FLAC rips achieve compression without sacrificing any sound quality. The difference between FLAC and 320kbps mp3s isn't very noticeable, (at least to my ears), but it's definitely there, and FLAC files can easily be converted if need be.

You can download the FLAC codec here.

Guthrie Govan - Erotic Cakes [2006] (FLAC)

Erotic Cakes is a solo instrumental album performed by guitarist Guthrie Govan.

Govan is an exceptionally talented guitarist, and commands a variety of styles at a very high level. Erotic cakes does a great job of showcasing the extent of Govan's ability without being too overindulgent.

Guthrie uses his extensive repertoire tastefully. He employs his techniques like tools from a comprehensive toolbox, rather than cheap tricks from a conjurer's bag. However, the result is nothing but magical.

Erotic Cakes is an amazing showcase of technical proficiency, and fantastic songwriting. Govan proves that you can be a Jack of all trades, and a badass at every single one.

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor [2010]

A delicious mix of Jersey punk and E-Street era Springsteen, The Monitor delivered the kind of kick that indie rock albums had been missing for a while. With Patrick Stickles' Oberst-esque vocal performance hammering home the point, Titus Andronicus have released what is looking increasingly like it's going to be one of the contenders for album of the year.

YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A LOSER, BUT THAT'S OKAY!

How To Dress Well - Love Remains [2010]

Whilst the hype-train for this album has both faded into the distance and, to a degree, been hijacked by a certain Sufjan Stevens album, Love Remains continues to be one of the most awe-inspiring albums of the year. Bringing to mind the same cold, fragile atmosphere of For Emma, Forever Ago, it's almost impossible not to draw comparisons between Thomas Krell's lo-fi dream pop and Bon Iver's body of work, particularly due to the wavering falsetto that he sings with on many of the tracks. Likewise, it is also hard not to see the similarities between Love Remains and much of Burial's more recent work, particularly in the moody ambience and the ghostly, soulful Rn'B infected vocals. Contextually as well, this album is absolutely mind-blowing. Recorded in his bedroom with a 4-track, it is jaw-dropping that Thomas has managed to craft such a delicate and beautiful release, and with winter fast approaching in the northern hemisphere this is the perfect soundtrack for the endlessly harsh, cold nights ahead.

Kidcrash - Snacks [2009]

In a genre with a propensity for overdoing it, it's refreshing that Kidcrash continue to release albums without pretension or vocal or instrumental wankery. With obvious influences from the emotional hardcore scene (the most obvious being Off Minor and their jazz-heavy compositional style) and a Kinsella-worshipping bent of mid-west indie, Kidcrash write music that flows fluidly from dense, chaotic crescendos to slower, more intricate passages. The dynamics on Snacks are noticeably better than on Jokes, with a heavier focus on variation between these two extremes and everything in between. Their exploration of this middle ground is what separates this album from the disproportionately large pack of mediocre emotional hardcore records, along with their technical proficiency which, while ever on display, never descends into tasteless self-indulgence. Plus it's impossible for me to resist those twinkly, twinkly guitars.

Bomb The Music Industry! - To Leave Or Die In Long Island [2005]

Punk rock heroes Bomb The Music Industry! are the brainchild of producer and songwriter Jeff Rosenstock of The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches fame and are famous for their DIY ethos, not only producing and distributing all of their albums themselves (and for free!) but also encouraging such quirky gig antics as allowing their fans to bring their instruments and play along with them. Refusing to play any shows other than all ages shows with entry fees under $10, Bomb The Music Industry! have forged themselves a rabid fanbase of listeners who are taken by their commitment to music and their intimate method of bringing it to their fans.

Thank God, then, that their music is also incredible. Embodying everything there was to love about punk rock in the 90s, Bomb The Music Industry! romp through album after album of quality output. Mixing a myriad of styles from hardcore punk to ska to tongue-in-cheek mockeries of synth pop, their greatest quality is undoubtedly the carefree attitude that drips from every group chorus, rapidfire drum fill and the often sarcastic but inherently sincere lyrics.

Oh, and did I mention it's all free?

"'Cause if I wasn't a fat kid in high school, I would have never listened to punk rock.
And if I knew how to throw a football, I would have never played any music.
And if never got my heart broken, I would sing "blah blah fucking nothing."
And if you didn't fuck my ex-girlfriend, I would still owe you three-thousand dollars.
And if I never lived in that van I wouldn't have met Chris or Steve or Alex or James or Middagh.
And if I never worked in a basement I would have never quit my job.
And if I had a big emo band or dropped out of college, I would have never met you, man."

Cloudkicker - Beacons [2010]

This is an instrumental album by solo artist Ben "Cloudkicker" Sharp. He plays the guitar/bass himself, the drums are programmed.
Beacons is a dynamic, atmospheric mosaic of heavy metal riffs, post rock, and ambient soundscapes. The tempo shifts very naturally, transitions flow at a tasteful pace. None of the sections drag on so long as to be repetitive, yet none are so short as to seem underdeveloped.

Beacons is a solid, tastefully composed album, and it's available completely free! Kudos to Ben Sharp, what a sick bloke.

Bear Vs. Shark - Right Now You're In The Best Of Hands... [2003]

This is a poem, a combination of a sentence broken up to form a rhythm.
You are a poem, little pieces of my senses broken up to form an image.

The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches - Three Cheers For Disappointment [2006]

EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS FALLING APART BUT I CAN'T.

donate/other free BTMI! stuff

Run DMC - Raising Hell [1986]

I'm the king of rock, rap and a rhyme, I deal what I feel and it feels fine.

Japandroids - Post Nothing [2009]

I don't wanna worry about dying, I just wanna worry about those sunshine girls.

Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner [2010]

Beautiful.