Give

Give plays super powerful, melodic post-hardcore. Rites of Spring meets Swiz. I came across these dudes blog-walking one day and download the Boots of Faith 7" on a whim. Hardcore band with a daisy flower as their logo? I couldn't resist. And as I hoped, the daisy flower logo and the name Give are very telling elements to this bands sound. The tone and feel for most of there songs tends to be very positive and progressive, a unique quality in hardcore and post-hardcore. This band deserves some recognition, because they are doing something truly interesting and fresh with their sound. Highly recommended if you're into genre-blurring bands or melodic hardcore. The download below contains:

Boots of Faith 7"
Heaven is Waiting 7"
Self Titled LP

Give - 3 records (DOWNLOAD!)

One Year Recap: Top 10 Posts I Don't Want You to Miss

So this blog has been up for a year now. There have been a few gaps here and there, but regardless, I feel like I've laid some righteous jams on here, and that it's about time to recap and choose my top 10 favorites. If you aren't sure what you'd possibly want off the blog, or maybe you've missed out on some choice cuts, this will be an excellent place to pick up some slack. So here ya go:

Mitchell's top 10 posts you shouldn't miss (in no particular order, and most of these posts should have a youtube video to sample on their respective pages, so be sure to give 'em a listen):

1. LECHEROUS GAZE - ex-Annihilation Time, rock n' roll punk at it's purest and most creative
   (Recommended download: Lecherous Gaze - S/T EP)
   
   
2. Annihilation Time - The precursor to Lecherous Gaze. More punk-tinged, but still chocked full of tasty riffs
   (Recommended download: Annihilation Time - II)
   
   
3. Otis Reaper - New Wave of Southern Heavy Metal. Good friends of mine with a unique sound and unrelenting jams.
   (Download: Otis Reaper - Footprints in Dead Earth and Graveyard Sorcery 7"s)
   
   
4. Cave In - Psychedelic rockers who tread the line from heavy hardcore to Syd Barrett worship and everything in between.
   (Recommended download: Planets of Old EP and White Silence)
   
   
5. Owen Hart - Chaotic hardcore death thrash extravaganza. Pushing some serious metal envelope.
   (Download: Owen Hart - Earth Control)
   
   
6. Glasses - Pretty unique and gnarly German d-beat punk band. For fans of Ghostlimb, Tragedy, From Ashes Rise, Kylesa)
   (Recommended download: Glasses - The Ills of Life)
   
   
7. ASG - Little known band from Wilmington, North Carolina, who play a brand a stoner rock that beats the pants right off The Sword, leaving you wondering why no one has heard of these dudes. Heavy and catchy. Dig it
   (Recommended download: ASG - Win Us Over)
   
   
8. Frumpy - Organ heavy, female fronted 70's prog rock from Germany. Another band that puts their contemporaries to shame, leaving me in awe that no one ever picked up on them
   (Download: Frumpy - Frumpy 2)
   
   
9. Rwake - Sludgy, swampy, grimey dextromethorphan prog metal from Little Rock, AR. These dudes are incomparable and unmatched at the insanely creative form of metal they put forth. If you haven't heard 'em, you haven't heard heavy.
   (Download: Rwake - Voice of Omens)
   
   
10. Earth - Starting out loud, fuzzy, and droney, Earth made a name for themselves in the realm of heavy music. Then after a short hiatus, they returned with a new outlook and an expansive sound, eschewing the one-note wall of fuzz for sprawling clean guitars and atmospheric percussion. Incredibly mind-expanding music.
    (Recommended download: Earth - The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull)

OFF! - First Four EPs

My buddy Johnny wrote this for me, cuz I'm lazy. Here ya go:

"Listening to this band is like waking up in the hospital after being in a coma for more than 30 years. It is what is. That big "IT" meaning brutally honest DIY punk in its truest form. If you are old enough to remember the SST days then this is like a beer soaked wet dream. While it may be cliche' to use the word "REAL", there is no other word I can find to sum it up. Some may say "retro" or "Old School" but its just honest to goodness PUNK FUCKING ROCK. Led by Keith Morris, the founder of Circle Jerks, and Co-founder of Black Flag. His voice is instantly recognizable. I am curious as to how many of today's punk rock "icons" will be doing this at 55 years old with as much raw unhinged passion as Keith Morris. WRECK-AMMENDED for anyone who wants a REAL fix of 100% punk RAWWK"

OFF! - First Four EP's
Thanks Johnny, and hope to snag you as a recurring author on the blog soon!

Best Coast

My friend Anna inadvertently turned me onto this band a day or two ago, linking the rockin' track below, called "Happy". They remind me of Real Estate a bit, mostly because it's fun, summery sounding reverb worship, only with female vocals and generally being a little more upbeat than most Real Estate.  I'll skip a strained description and just post the jam that got me hooked. Hope you dig.
EDIT: JUST REALIZED IT'S ONE OF THE GIRLS FROM POCAHAUNTED!!! (Pocahaunted is a really neat noise/soundscape band)

Best Coast - Best Coast

Real Estate

Reverb-drenched, psychedelic surf pop from New Jersey. If you consider yourself an indie snob and don't know about these dudes, just grab this record and I won't tell anyone. It also features the guitarist from Ducktails, who makes some excellent guitar soundscapes and surf pop. Perfect summer music if I lived on a beach, instead of muggy, humid western Tennessee. These guys have a pretty neat sound, sometimes sounding poppy, but seemingly more often, sounding spacey and gloomy. Overall, a very cool band, so this comes highly suggested if you have never heard of these guys.

Real Estate - Real Estate

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

Alt-Country awesomeness. I ain't even gonna attempt to write anything profound. Just know that Ryan Adams has put out lots and lots of music, and if your into the whole singer-songwriter / alt-country / whiskey music thing, you'll dig this.

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker