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