All this Music: Crate Digging at Dave's

Welcome to a new feature on United By Rocket Science. "All this Music."  hopes to keep a tab on all the records and CD's that come in on a weekly basis. The thought of posting images, thoughts, reactions an maybe a few memories seemed like a good idea that hopes to have some staying power. 

Small 23 were and still are a very important band to me. Back in the early 90's the vibrant Chapel Hill indie and college music scene was to me what Seattle and Grunge was to the masses. The southern east cost was providing us indie kids with an abundant amount of new bands and noteworthy music. Small 23 just happened to be one of them. Having their early singles. I was lucky enough to see them live in both New York and New Jersey. I sat them down for an interview when they played Maxwell's and recall cramming the band into the clubs tiny bathroom for a picture. Seeing these records in one of Dave's sales bin brought back a lot of good memories of the band, their music and a time when my music palette was becoming more and more colorful. It also served as a reminder that the best record store I've ever been to is still located at my friends home. Thanks Dave G.

 

  

 

Alias Records

 Trouser Press

United By Images; Archers of Loaf

While the 80's fueled my love for Hardcore and Punk music and the ethos I would come to live by till this day. I t was the 90's that expanded my taste in music while broadening my love of music and understanding and overall experience. Inspired by a long list of bands, including The Doughboys,
Big Drill Car, Velocity Girl, Small 23, Superchunk Mega City 4 and countless others. I was exposed to a world of varied music that, at the time and for me at least, went beyond the trappings of any set genre. One of those may bands during that time was Chapel Hill's Archers of Loaf. By the time I got wind of the band. I was already enthralled by what was happening in that particular college town of North Carolina. "Loaf" as I often called them, came at a time when bands like Superchunk and
Small 23 were already wearing out the reels of my tape deck. Along with the may flyers and posters
I had attained at Hoboken hot spot "Pier Platters" was my oversized one of the Archers playing live with their #1 fan Tracy Wilson rocking out all front and center. Looking back, I wish the original negatives I shot help up as well as my memories have. James Damion

The original poster I proudly displayed for years.
That's Tracy in mid Loafgasm at the bottom right.

Stuyvesant - Shmyvesant

Is it me, or do bands these days seem to take themselves way too serious. With all the competition, grabbing for press and campaigning for votes. The indie scene is beginning to look like it forgot to have fun.  Lucky for us we have Stuyvesant to balance things out by reminding everyone that making music is supposed to be a fun, creative outlet that makes everyone involved feel good and not worry about the daily pressures and bullshit life sends our way on a fairly daily basis. Like a reliable friend or a good, stiff drink. Stuyvesant never seem to let us down. Their music sticks with us through both the good times and the bad. They're always there to remind us of the good things. The simple pleasures. Whether it's through their hook laden melodies, their uplifting singalong choruses or maybe their incredible ability to allow us to be silly and just have fun, even it it's at their own expense. Each one of these qualities go a long way towards making Stuyvesant so accessible and endearing to those to us.

The bands latest, Shmyvesant marks Stuyvesants third full length release and the debut release for Al (Dromedary) Crisafulli's new label, Sugarblast Records. The record opens with Baby Bear.  A song that immediately puts the spotlight on those aforementioned hooks and melodies. More than ever before, I'm instantly reminded of how vital the combination of Sean Adams and Ralph Malanga's are to what makes this band so loved. As much as I've come to love their former bands Friends, Romans, Countrymen and Footstone.
It's nearly impossible to measure the improvement made when bringing the two together.
To say that they compliment one another would be, at the very least, an understatement.
The album seamlessly flows from one song to another, with tracks like Hellbent for Heather, Oatmeal Song, Shhh and Until You Came Around leading the way. Stuyvesant's effortless ability to create punk infused power pop melodies, hooks and sing along choruses make even the most jaded old curmudgeon sing along and dance with uncoordinated, wild abandon. Overall, Shmyvesant closes out a tough year on a high not and reminds us we we shouldn't rush to deliver those "Best of" lists. The more I listen and experience Stuyvesant. The more I realize how they are to the present what bands like Superchunk, Big Drill Car and ALL were to me in the 90's. Not a bad class to be included in if you ask me.
James Damion

Sugarblast Music  Get it Here

The Brixton Riot's Jerry Lardieri Shares his List of Favorites from the Year 2013

Jerry Lardieri - Guitarist / Singer The Brixton Riot
The Brixton Riot

My name is Jerry, and I play guitar in a band called 
The Brixton Riot.  We've been together for seven years, so we've lasted longer than a lot of marriages.  We're all pushing 40 and have full time jobs and families.  Our songs tend to be loud and uptempo, which finds us in the uncomfortable demographic of too loud for people our own age (they don't ever go out anyway) and too old and ugly for the young people who question why we're not at a Lowe's or watching UFC with the other dads.  We don't use copious amounts of reverb.  We don't sing falsetto.  We don't wear V neck t-shirts.  We don't have facial hair, at least not of pre-Civil War length.  We're about as uncool as you can get and we have a lot more fun then we probably should.  Our moms probably think we should have outgrown this phase.  Not happening anytime soon.

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the steady stream of best of lists by the music press.  They're always a good place to search for hidden gems that I missed over the last 12 months, or to be reminded of some of the earlier contenders that got lost somewhere between season changes.  But lately, there seems to be a lack of diversity in a lot of the more popular music blogs and websites, even the ones that claim to be "independent" (a term that has about as much meaning in 2013 as "alternative" did in 1995).  I knew when they were released that records by Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Daft Punk would be dotted across a lot of these lists.  And they were.  Of course they were. 

But not mine.  In fact, this isn't really a best of list at all.  It's a little silly ranking albums like basketball teams in a bracket.  Other than the actual notes and melodies, there's an emotional subtext that resonates with each individual listener, and trying to tell another person what they should feel is a fool's errand.  So this isn't a true "best of list" as much as it's a list of musical items that resonated with me in 2013.  I'm flattered that James asked me to write this, and since you made it this far, you might as well read the list now.

Favorite Album of 2013 
Superchunk's "I Hate Music"
Picking favorites may have been hard, but #1 was never in question. Superchunk's "Majesty Shredding" was my favorite record of 2010 and its follow-up tops my list this year.  Great songs, great production and great performances. Not a bad track on here.


Favorite Album That Avoided The Sophmore Slump
Veronica Falls' -  "Waiting For Something"
Loaded with jangling, chimey guitars and beautiful vocals, Veronica Falls' recalls some of the 90's New Zealand/Flying Nun sound perfected by bands like The Bats and The Chills.
Waiting For Something

Favorite Album By A Band From Brooklyn - "New Moon" by The Men
For the second straight year, The Men have produced an outstanding, completely unpretentious guitar rock record.  And coming from Brooklyn, that's quite an accomplishment.
New Moon

Favorite Live Album/Reunion of Sorts - The Chills' "Somewhere Beautiful"/"Molten Gold" single
"Somewhere Beautiful" serves two purposes - it's an excellent retrospective of The Chills' best songs in one package and it's also a "victory lap" of sorts for Martin Phillips'.  Not content to simply revisit the past, their new single "Molten Gold" was my favorite single this year.
Somewhere Beautiful

HONORABLE MENTION:
 Swervedriver - "Deep Wound" Deep Wound

Favorite Not-Quite-A-Reissue-But-Not-Quite-A-New-Album 
Eleventh Dream Day's "New Moodio"
This is the bizzaro world version of Eleventh Dream Day's classic "El Moodio", recorded and financed by the band back in 1991 and finally available to all thanks to NJ based Comedy Minus One.
New Moodio

Favorite Actual Reissue:
The Verlaines' "Juvenelia"
Having been very late to the party, I only discovered Juvenelia a few years ago, but it's become one of my favorite records.  Looking forward to getting an "honest" copy.
Juvenelia

Favorite Album That Made Me Want A Baritone Guitar:
Bottomless Pit's - "Shade Perennial"
Despite being a Bottomless Pit fan since "Hammer Of The Gods", this was the year I first listened to Silkworm, the previous outfit of BP's Andy Cohen and Tim Midyett.  And I listened to them A LOT. If the rules allowed me to pick albums from previous years, 50% of them would likely be Silkworm records.  I've loved everything Bottomless Pit has put out to date and this is no exception.
Shade Perennial

Favorite Album From A New Jersey Institution:
Yo La Tengo's "Fade"
It's definitely on the quieter side of their catalog, but I really enjoyed the sound of this one.
Fade

Favorite Album Discovered Too Late For Summer:
Upset's  -  "She's Gone"
This reminds me a lot of some of my favorite female fronted 90's bands - specifically Velocity Girl and Sleepyhead.  And that's definitely a good thing.
She's Gone

Favorite Live Show:
Screaming Females at Maxwell's
Nobody really wanted to say goodbye, but I'm glad my final memory of Maxwell's will be watching this New Brunswick trio blow the roof off the joint - and watching my wife get completely blown away by her first Screaming Females show.

From '93 to Infinity - A Dromedary Records Compilation

Local micro indie label Dromedary Records celebrate their twentieth anniversary with the release of
'From '93 to Infinity'. A clever and overall stellar collection featuring current and past Dromedary friends and family, putting the cover treatment on songs released in 1993.
The year Al Crisafulli followed his heart of hearts by starting his own independent record label.

'From '93 'til Infinity' features a hefty sixteen tracks delivered with quality and care. It's very rare when a compilation or tribute album resonates with the listener the way this does. Somewhat surprising, given the history of cover and tribute albums. Visit your local record store's dollar bin or Good Will store and you'll get a good idea. '93 'til Infinity' on the other hand, doesn't feature a wasted moment.

Picking the standouts from this album was like trying to decide what corner deli I want to pick up my winning Powerball ticket from. The quality and variety presented is astounding. Brixton Riot covering The Archers of Loaf's 'Might', Cinema Cinema's cover of PJ Harvey's '50 Ft. Queenie', Varsity Drag's take on Versus' 'Let's Electrify', Overlake's cover of
Yo La Tengo's 'From a Hotel 6' and D. Smith Sucks 'Fuck and Run' each shake the foundations. I'm also hearing a number of acts here for the very first time.
Riel, Dots Will Echo, Flash Flood, Picnic all deliver stellar covers. Other notable contributions come from the 65's, Stuyvesant, The Anderson Council,
Jean Homme & The Broken Telomeres, Guy Capacelatro and Tiger Saw. Add to that they eye popping cover illustration of Lauren Kelly and a few of my own photos thrown in for good measure and you've got a can't miss production that commemorates and celebrates the spirit and inspiration that was and is indie. James Damion

Dromedary Records  Get it Here

Sick Sick Birds - Gates of Home

I was sitting in a Kearny Bar the other night about to order my first drink of the evening when Killing Horse Records Mike Sylvia appeared before me raising his hand to say
"This one's on me." It was only a few nights prior that I had seen his band
(The Life Eaters) a few blocks down at another Irish themed pub. Before Mike's band played that night he handed me the labels most recent release Sick Sick Birds "Gates of Home"

Mike Hall's voice seems to find inspiration from Superchunk's Mac McCaughan. Highlighted by an endless array of great hooks and melodies that bring to mind  how albums like Superchunk's
"On the Mouth" and "No Pocky for Kitty" made me feel. Much like the albums I just referenced. I can see myself speaking of "Gates of Home" with similar revelry years from now. Just as I have in recent days. I'm going to be revisiting this bag of magic beans regularly. The folks at Killing Horse records are doing a great job working with consistently praise worthy acts and producing quality releases time in and time out. James Damion

Killing Horse Records  Get it here

Sick Sick Birds  Facebook