Oblivians - Soul Food (1995)

Y'know, sometimes music doesn't need a long, boring description that details the very sound of a band by comparing it to bands you've never heard of put into situations you've never seen outside of tv-land. Sometimes music is just....raw, noisey gibberish.

Sometimes we just call it garage rock or punk, but the point is Oblivians are the embodiment of it, whatever "it" may be.

Sounding like a dusty bootleg of a gig an obscure, forgotten blues rock band from the 60's played in a bar in the middle of the desert, Soul Food is the perfect example of that Oblivians sound. Raw, jagged and totally ahead of its time...in that it sounded completely out of its time. Seriously, it amazes me that these guys were a 90's garage rock band and not a 60's garage rock band that jammed with the likes of The Stooges and The Sonics.

I'm just rambling now, so forget everything I said and just listen to the music for yourself.

Give it a listen

I'm so punk I buy music

The Mostar Diving Club - Don Your Suit Of Lights (2009)

I always hate it when people ask me what kind of music I like. What do I answer back with? Do I go with the always classic "everything but rap and country"? Or maybe the amazingly pretentious "I listen to everything". Y'see, it's a hard question to answer. I couldn't possibly list off all the bands I like, or praise certain genres because that just isn't a very accurate depicition of the music I listen to.

But if you were to ask me what kind of music I LOVE then I think I know what my answer would be. I mean, it helps that I've been asked this once before, but whatever. Just roll with it okay?

I love singer/songwriters who make beautiful, magical records all by themselves. The idea of one guy spilling his heart out, doing his best, making a record as well as he can sends chills down my spine. I love the image of a guy waking up in a small cabin in the middle of nowhere, knowing that he's going to spend the rest of the day writing music, writing what he feels, thinking that maybe today he will finish this record - his masterpiece. He will start off writing and recording simple songs that anyone can appreciate but as time passes he will explore the medium that is song-writing, finding a sound that truly expresses how he feels. These experimental flourishes will be what sets his album aside from everything else.

THAT is the kind of music I love.

But, if anyone ever asks me that question ever again I'll probably just say "The Mostar Driving Club's 'Don Your Suit Of Lights' of course" because it's a lot quicker to say, and it's exactly the kind of record I'm talking about.

Check it out if you like beautiful melodies, touching lyrics and amazingly twee songs about honeybees.

Give it a listen

I can buy this on his myspace, right? (dunno)

The Fad - Kill Punk Rock Stars (2007)

Don't let the terrible cover art fool you, this right here is a gem of an album. I'm not sure about you, but I find a lot of ska-punk bands are too over-produced and (for lack of a better/real word) "horny" these days. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love first wave and second wave ska and I know why horns are forever present in the genre...but you'd think there'd be a few more bands that just played straight up ska-punk like Operation Ivy. But no, most of the big names have a billion horns tooting as they shout about sticking it to the man, and frankly it just doesn't work for me.

Thank goodness for The Fad, eh? Not entirely without the odd trumpet or sax, The Fad are an awesome fast paced ska-punk band hailing from Long Island, NY. The great thing about these guys is their simplicity, seriously, I have nothing else to tell you about these guys - they're THAT simple. They just strum a few guitars, bang a few drums, pluck a few basslines and blow the ocassional horn.

Whether you dig the likes of Catch 22 and Operation Ivy or just enjoy the style of plain ol' punk rock you'll find something to like about The Fad.

Give it a listen

Pickitup Pickitup Pickitup

The Ropers - All The Time (1995)

"Friendships can be gauged on the mutual love of The Ropers" - Robert Hardy, Franz Ferdinand

"All The Time is one of the most completely inspiring rock records I've ever heard" - Richard Reed Parry, Arcade Fire

"One of the few 'indie' rock records that I would consider to be a classic. Lyrically - complex and gruesome. Musically - simple and sweetly melodic." - Andy Broder, Fog

Okay, okay, okay. So maybe those guys didn't actually say those things about this album and the wonderful band who recorded it. Maybe they were actually talking about another album by another band but the point still stands.

This album is amazing, and you should listen to it.

Give it a listen

I love buying obscure records

The Ropers are awesome, and it's a shame that all the members went on to do different things. However, if you find yourself in New York on the 14th of November you can grab a chance to see them performing together as a band for the first time in a long time. Just in case you're interested, y'know?

Lullatone - The Bedtime Beat (2008)

Wanna be happy and innocent ie. feel like a kid again? Well now you can!

This release from immensly childish japanese indie pop group Lullatone is a surefire way to brighten up your day and make you envious of many a child. Just listen to the opening track (a cute little number that features the playful sound of splish-splahing around in a bath) to see what you make of it. The rest isn't so different.

I will admit that there are a few tracks that aren't so upbeat, but they're still pretty innocent and childish. I think that comes down the the vocals, which are very hush-hush almost like a mother trying not to wake her baby.

Seriously, give it a spin.

Give it a listen

When I was a kid I bought albums

Butcher The Bar - Sleep At Your Own Speed (2008)

There's a sufficient lack of good singer-songwriters these days, it's a real shame. But then again, that just makes finding a good one that much sweeter doesn't it? Enter "Butcher The Bar".

I know next to nothing about this guy other than the fact that he's awesome and he's british.

There are a few things about this guy that I really love. For starters, his voice. Dat voice. It's quiet and soothing like nothing else you've ever heard, think Elliott Smith but quieter and you might be halfway there. Oh, and the instrumentation on this album is killer. He pulls a Shugo Tokumaru by playing a few more instruments than just acoustic guitar, which makes some of his songs stand out from the standard indie-folk affair.

Seriously, give it a go. I don't think you'll regret it. I guarentee some of his songs will make your heart melt.

Give it a listen

I'd like to butcher HIS bar, if you know what I mean...I mean buy his album

Antenna Error - Fix The Receiver (2009)

Antenna Error are the greatest polish alternative rock band that, no doubt, you've never heard of. They play a style of music that bears resemblance to post-rock grandaddy's Slint, but Antenna Error are a bit noisier and their frontwoman has a wonderfully emotional, raw voice. This EP is their only release as far as I know and it's an amazing listen that I recommend to everyone.

Oh, and don't worry, you'll be able to understand most of it (as their english is actually very good, props to them).

Give it a listen

I can't read polish but I totally wanna check out their myspace

Carissa's Wierd - Songs About Leaving (2002)

As autumn begins to show its head and winter draws ever closer it's nice to know there's a depressing slowcore album to listen to when you get home from another harsh, cold, dark day.

Carissa's Weird never made it big, and doesn't that just bring tears to your eyes? It's even more shocking when you think that they recorded this album, one of the most beautiful slowcore albums ever made. Lyrics that touch upon every personal subject you can think of, vocals that pierce your very being, and music that would make even the manliest man weep.

If you're new to slowcore as a genre, dim the lights, get comfy, shut the world out, think of the saddest moment in your life, and listen to this album. Shit's awesome, right?

If you're not new to slowcore, why the hell haven't you heard this album yet?

Give it a listen

If I buy this album the pain will go away, right?

LSD and the Search for God - LSD and the Search for God (2007)

Clearly there's only one thing better than LSD, and that's searching for God. So what happens when you do both? You get one of the most mindblowingly awesome shoegaze recordings to be released in recent years.

You like My Bloody Valentine? Good, because that's who these guys sound like. No, really. In the most sincerest form of flattery, LSD and the Search for God have gone down the same path as Algernon Cadwallader ie. sounding almost identical to the bands that are undoubtedly the apple in their eyes. But is that a bad thing? Of course not, after all it's not like Kevin Shields is going to release anything MBV are recording anytime soon, in fact you're probably only going to hear MBV's followup to Loveless once you've completed Duke Nukem Forever a few times. And by that I mean it's not going to happen (seriously, if you didn't get that you should feel bad).

So how does this debut EP from over-complicated named band LSD and the Search for God stand up? Pretty well. It's noisy, it's lush, it's actually pretty beautiful from time to time. In fact, it's got something MBV songs don't have; vocals you can understand (from time to time, of course).

So give it a listen, see what you think. Sure it ain't got a patch on Loveless, but if MBV were to ever release a new album I bet it would sound just like this.

Give it a listen

This shit sounds rad. Hook me up, bro