chamberlain - "the moon my saddle"

i mentioned chamberlain in my last post and realized that alot of people might not know too much about this highly underrated band. previously a hardcore punk band known as split lip, the band traded their sound for a more rock/country vibe in '96 and along with that came the name change. try to imagine counting crows meets jawbreaker. their '98 album "the moon my saddle" (doghouse records) is my personal favorite by them and here's a couple tracks from off it.

mp3 | chamberlain - try for thunder
mp3 | chamberlain - manhattan's iron horses (last train out)

500 miles to memphis - "sunshine in a shot glass"

500 miles to memphis is a country/punk band from ohio. back in june they released their debut album "sunshine in a shot glass" on deep elm records. lap steels, banjos and fiddles all help give this little punk band a unique sound that can only be compared to lucero or maybe chamberlain. definitely good music for hanging in a bar or taking long drives.

mp3 | 500 miles to memphis - broken, busted, bloody
mp3 | 500 miles to memphis - all my friends are crazy

thurston moore - "trees outside the academy"

i really doubt thurston moore really needs any sort of introduction considering how consistent his band sonic youth has been for over 25 years so i'll go ahead and skip all that. however you may not know that thurston released a new solo album "trees outside the academy" a couple weeks ago on his own label ecstatic peace. this is his first solo work since 1995 and it's basically a stripped down version of sonic youth with more traditional song structures. highly recommended.

mp3 | thurston moore - frozen gtr
mp3 | thurston moore - fri/end

old school punk/hardcore mix

i stumbled upon a bunch of old punk records that i hadn't heard in a long time and for the past couple days i haven't been able to stop listening to them. because of this, i decided to throw together a mix to give you guys a taste of what punk used to sound like back before it was ruined by all the so-called 'punk' bands that you see on mtv these days. oh well, i'm not going to go off on a rant or anything so just enjoy this mix and get in the fucking van.

mp3 | black flag - nervous breakdown
mp3 | the ramones - now i wanna sniff some glue
mp3 | d.i. - hang ten in east berlin
mp3 | minor threat - i don't wanna hear it
mp3 | 7 seconds - new wind
mp3 | dead kennedys - stealing people's mail
mp3 | husker du - broken home, broken heart
mp3 | circle jerks - behind the door
mp3 | the misfits - some kinda hate
mp3 | x - los angeles
mp3 | dead boys - sonic reducer
mp3 | descendents - suburban home
mp3 | bad brains - i against i
mp3 | gorilla biscuits - start today
mp3 | embrace - dance of days

carolyn mark - "nothing is free"

i'm ashamed to admit that until recently i knew nothing of carolyn mark especially since she's half of the corn sisters. well luckily i was introduced to her via her new album "nothing is free" which came out last week on mint records. if you're into her fellow corn sister neko case's work or even classic female country acts like loretta lynn then you're gonna want to give these tracks a spin.

mp3 | carolyn mark - happy 2b flying away
mp3 | carolyn mark - the 1 that got away (with it)

jose gonzalez - "in our nature"

next tuesday mute records will be releasing jose gonzalez's sophomore album "in our nature". the 29 year old swedish native gives us 10 new tracks of haunting folk with hushed vocals and bossanova rhythm. if you liked his previous album then i'm fairly confident you'll like this one just the same. recommended for people who enjoy everything from john fahey to mark kozelek.

mp3 | jose gonzalez - how low
video | jose gonzalez - killing for love
video | jose gonzalez - down the line

david dondero - "simple love"

last month, david dondero's latest album "simple love" was released via team love records. with his wobbly vocals and unique alt-country/rock sound, he delivers another stellar album that's good from start to finish. though he's often compared to bright eyes, i can assure you that conor oberst is the one doing the aping. here's a couple of tracks to enjoy from the album.

mp3 | david dondero - when the heart breaks deep
mp3 | david dondero - rothko chapel

iron and wine - "the shepherd's dog"

just got my hands on an advance copy of iron and wine's latest release "the shepherd's dog" and figured i'd write something about it. it's due to come out next tuesday and it features a slightly different sound from sam beam and company. the songs use way more instrumentation than usual and are quite rhythmic and percussion heavy. so far i'm enjoying it and i'm looking forward to letting this expanded sound grow on me. oh and if you pre-order the album from sub pop you'll get a bonus cd with 2 exclusive b-sides on it.

mp3 | iron and wine - white tooth man
mp3 | iron and wine - boy with a coin

film school - "hideout"

last tuesday marked the release of film school's sophomore album entitled "hideout" (beggars banquet). if you're unfamiliar with the band, they play an awesome blend of shoegaze and space-rock and their songs have a really great dark atmosphere to them. also a quick little sidenote, colm o'ciosoig (of my bloody valentine) plays drums on the last song on the album. please give these guys a listen and support them.

mp3 | film school - dear me
mp3 | film school - lectric

baroness - "the red album"

baroness is a 4 piece metal band hailing from savannah, ga. their debut full length "the red album" was released earlier this month via relapse records. the 11 tracks found on the album are heavy, melodic and epic. fans of bands like torche and mastodon are going to want to give these guys a listen for sure.

mp3 | baroness - wanderlust
mp3 | baroness - the birthing

m83 - "digital shades vol. 1"

two years since his last release, m83 (anthony gonzalez) returns with a new record entitled "digital shades vol. 1". released earlier this month by mute, the album is a collection of ambient pieces that are a slight departure from his normal guitar/synth driven shoegazer sound. in other words, more brian eno and less my bloody valentine. have a listen for yourself.

mp3 | m83 - coloring the void

johnathan rice - "further north"

to be honest i didn't know anything about johnathan rice until recently when i heard he was dating jenny lewis. when i heard his new album "further north" (reprise) was being released this week i decided to give him a listen. he plays country-tinged rock tunes and has a laid back vocal delivery that kinda reminds me of pete yorn or tom petty. anyways check this guy out.

mp3 | johnathan rice - further north
video | johnathan rice - we're all stuck out in the desert

papercuts - "can't go back"

i know this album is old news but i feel like talking about it anyways. papercuts is essentially just jason quever and he's quietly carving his notch in the freak-folk scene. his sophomore album "can't go back" was released back in february via gnomonsong. the songs are all over the map sounding like everything from bob dylan to the beach boys to elliott smith. to be honest, the whole thing sounds like it could be a wes anderson soundtrack. highly recommended.

mp3 | papercuts - take the 227th exit
mp3 | papercuts - john brown

oakley hall - "i'll follow you"

oakley hall is a indie/country six piece hailing from brooklyn, ny. on september 11th they will be releasing their 4th full length and first for merge records. it's called "i'll follow you" and has 12 tracks that feature dual male/female vocals and a sound that falls somewhere between neil young and tom petty. this is the first output i've heard from the band and i look forward to exploring their back catalog.

mp3 | oakley hall - i'll follow you
mp3 | oakley hall - no dreams
stream | oakley hall - "i'll follow you" (full album)

labor day 2007 mix

i'll be on vacation in the outer banks until the 8th so that means i'll be way too busy sitting on the beach or on a porch throwing back some cold ones to worry about updating this thing. lucky for you, i'm an awesome guy and decided to put together this little mix of tracks i've been listening to lately. enjoy.

mp3 | david vandervelde - nothin' no
mp3 | minus the bear - throwin' shapes
mp3 | shearwater - red sea, black sea
mp3 | david dondero - rothko chapel
mp3 | maserati - the world outside
mp3 | caribou - melody day
mp3 | art in manila - the abomination
mp3 | j. tillman - evans and falls
mp3 | fourth of july - she's in love
mp3 | the besnard lakes - and you lied to me
mp3 | the brunettes - small town crew
mp3 | brian glaze - rainsplitter
mp3 | birds and batteries - ocarina
mp3 | ryan ferguson - kill my confidence
mp3 | okkervil river - our life is not a movie or maybe

the ergs - "upstairs/downstairs"

the ergs are a 90's style pop-punk band from new jersey. back in may they released their second full length "upstairs/downstairs" via dirtnap records. their songs are catchy and fun and they don't really seem to take themselves too seriously. which is exactly how pop-punk should be. if you're into bands like descendents or the ramones then listen up.

mp3 | the ergs - the clocks, the clocks
mp3 | the ergs - 2nd foundation
mp3 | the ergs - trouble in river city