The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

The Unicorns are kind of a staple in the realm of indie rock/pop, a trio from Montreal who broke up after two full-lengths. Their hybrid form of experimental pop saw the release of their second and last full length in 2003, 'Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?' -- notably on Alien8 recordings alongside foundation-shaking acts like Acid Mothers Temple and Merzbow. The band broke up, but all the members can be found in other projects (the most-recognized being 'Islands', or a project of Thorburn/Thompson).

If I had to scribe them in stone, I'd say the Unicorns were a terrific mixing of simple complexities. That also doesn't make sense, but if I'm writing in stone, might as well be cryptic. But really, this album is the go-to album in my head whenever someone mentions interesting forms of "indie-rock"/"indie-pop", because I guess the term alternative just doesn't cut it anymore. The songs shift moods at any given moment, the lyrics hold your attention, both singers go well together and make pleasing melodies in unconventional fashions, and the overall theme of the album really feels/sounds like a journey. The journey, I guess, is one of mortality and acceptance -- as the opening song "I Don't Want to Die" starts the album, and "Ready to Die" closes.

I guess not much else I can say -- if you haven't heard of the Unicorns, or avoided them because, say, pitchfork-reading myspace-tweeners corrupted your curiosity (sup, 2002?)....now is the time to become acquainted. Really just one of the more interesting and well-put albums I've heard. Quality listen in headphones, especially.

Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?
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Point of No Return - Centelha

Point of No Return were a hardcore band from São Paulo, Brazil. They released one album before breaking up, 'Centelha' or 'Sparks' as it was called in the US. The band focused on third-world struggles, animal liberation, and general political dissonance...implementing their crushing three-singer maelstrom on the listener. And for a group of straight-edge vegans, they really did sound pissed off.

The lyrics are entirely in Portuguese, but language barriers aside, they get their point across. I'd had this album for some time, but it never really sunk in initially -- the past few weeks though I can't get enough; the three-singer dynamic is probably the most well-structured I've heard in hardcore music, especially since each vocalist really stretches their range, and despite the constant usage of chug, the music packs a punch, and perhaps a hurricane-kick or two that flips your wig unexpectedly.


And I lied (or maybe they did), the band did break up, but they came out of the ashes to release a second full-length in 2002, 'Liberdade Imposta, Liberdade Conquistada'. I've given that album some plays too, but the band went in a lighter direction and overall didn't feel it as much -- some interesting things going on though as the band kind of dabbled in post-rock/metal territory. Maybe I'll come around to it later, like I did their first.

But yeah, 'Centelha' is a quality album -- among the gems in hardcore.

Centelha
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The Mars Volta - Remixes

It shouldn't be a secret that I dig The Mars Volta, I think they're one of the best acts in music today, and musicians alike across all genres would seemingly back that statement.

Thought I would upload and share some remixes of their work, handled by El-P, DJ Nobody, and Wes the Mex. I left out a few remixes, as there have been multiple re-interpretations of their work, but these selected I thought were some of the more interesting takes.

Also thought I'd make a post to share their first released single, for their upcoming 'Octahedron' album. Pretty sure this track is from a radio rip, and if I'm not mistaken, like all their singles, it seems to be clipped here and there -- but still worth an early listen. And finally, if you haven't caught word of their project with Zach Hill that was recently released, I'd suggest looking into that.

Tracklist (Volta Remixed):

1. Askepios (DJ Nobody Remix)
2. Goliath (El-P Remix)
3. Ouroborous (DJ Nobody Remix)
4. Tourniquet Man (Wes the Mex Remix)
5. The Widow (El-P Remix)


Volta Remixed
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Tribeqa

Tribeqa is this fresh group out of France, who play this tight mixture of soul/hip-hop/world/folk/electro/(I could go on) music, really been digging their self-titled full-length.

Album is perfect for the warm weather finally arriving, lots of feel-good vibes but not in predictable or familiarized fashions -- really one of the more diverse and interesting albums I've heard in a while.

Multiple instruments, multiple sounds and directions, really recommend giving this album some play. If you're not following along with any one song, chances are the second will be completely different -- great potential to be a grower/album that sticks with you.

Tribeqa
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65daysofstatic - Escape From New York

I've always had a soft-spot for Sheffield, England's 65daysofstatic -- they made a relative buzz with their arguably best album, or debut, 'The Fall of Math'. Their sound was formerly more aggressive, accenting guitar, with frenzied, sampled drums interspersed throughout. On their following album 'One Time For All Time', the band began implementing piano/keys as an important dynamic to their sound, yet still maintained the often-sampled/distorted drums.

'The Destruction of Small Ideas', their most recent, made a dividing line in much of 65dos' fanbase, in many ways due to the album's production (which the band stated was their intention, to not "overly compress" everything, and thus, asked the album to be played LOUD), but also in that the majority of the songwriting had taken a lighter tone -- even with the addition of metal/screamo guest appearances from acts like The Mirimar Disaster and Circle Takes The Square.

Personally, I thought 'TDoSI' was a good album, if not sometimes dry, or the fact it's given rise to their more electronic -- dare I say, often techno vibes. If anything, it's nice to see bands constantly changing their formulas and not adhering to any one sound.

Which brings me to their newest release, a live CD/DVD entitled 'Escape From New York', a compilation of sorts throughout their entire catalog. Now, despite being a fan of their studio work, I'd always heard (even from the band themselves during interviews, what with technical problems) their live-show doesn't really live up to par -- but this live album, recorded during 2 shows in New York -- really sounds tight and balanced.

Their drummer is probably the standout player for me, but this band has always struck me as a band greater than their individual parts -- collectively they just make great music. If you missed all the buzz, this recording is a great place to start (but I'd really suggest hearing-out their studio releases) -- and if you've since moved on from 65dos, this should be a convincing display of their craftsmanship and ability to keep your attention.

This is only the music-side of the release, but for a sample of the DVD, check out their performance of "Radio Protector":


65daysofstatic - Radio Protector (Promo Cut) from 65dayosfstatic on Vimeo.

Escape From New York
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A Message: Brought To You By lMmT

Hey, hey you -- lurkin' in the bushes and shit -- got a few things I thought I should let you know:

DOWNLOADERS:
1. If you guys ever want me to re-up a dead link, your best bet is to leave me a message in the dropbox over there on the left <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I don't have message indicators on or whatever, meaning if a comment is made to an old post I'm completely oblivious. I was going through some olllld posts recently and noticed some recent comments for re-ups, which I'm more than happy to do (for the people interested in those FULLARMOR albums, they should be re-upped by the time you read this).

Or just comment a recent post, as I'm more likely to notice it -- don't be afraid to post comments, either...I'd actually prefer to know who is getting what, whether or not you enjoy a post, etc. If comments aren't your style, "Follow" my blog, it's a painless way to inflate my ego and will likely cause me to post more frequently (..maybe).

==============================

ARTISTS/PROMOTIONAL PEEPS:
1. If you're an artist who wants to submit/have me check out some of your stuff, your best bet is to email me at my blog email: lessmtvmoretmv@yahoo.com

I'm pretty horrible at checking my email, so if you submit something to me and don't hear back via email within a week or so of sending it, feel free to post a comment in the dropbox to let me know what's up.

Submitting something won't guarantee I'll post it/review it, but at the very least I guarantee I'll give it a listen and give you personal feedback.

2. If you're an artist/label/robot who wants work removed from my page, your best bet is to comment on the entry, UNLESS IT'S OLD (as mentioned above), in which case the best bet is the dropbox <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

=======================================

The moral of this story for both parties, is don't be afraid to contact me for whatever reason, contrary to existing on the internet, I'm actually a pretty nice robot from time to time.

Lastly, to preach to all the anonymous lurkers about -- be sure to support the artists. I'm not a musical-nazi who believes support is synonymous with $$, but if you dig anything I up here, make an effort to give the artist the credit they deserve; shoot them an email, tell a friend about them, go to a show, if willing and able buy some of their shit -- anything to give back or show your appreciation for what they do.

Cuz' you know what they say about unreasonable pirates...SEALs don't miss, mang.

Azat - Make a Record of Your Voice and Send It to Him

Azat is an instrumental hip-hop/soul/funk project of a gent from Turkey -- he was nice enough to email me and give me a heads up on his one track/24+ minute cyclone 'Make a Record of Your Voice and Send It to Him'. He employs a number of samples, some familiar, some not so familiar -- but all of them meld seamlessly throughout the track's entirety. It's stuff like this that really keeps me doing this -- the fact that he contacted me and was willing to share this is really special, also a definite plus that it's actually really good.

So Azat, if you're out there reading this -- THANK YOU. And for the rest of you waves, keep tabs and show support.

Make a Record of Your Voice and Send It to Him
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Showbiz & A.G. - Runaway Slave

One of the best hip-hop albums ever..? I think so. One of the best debut albums ever..? I think so.

Showbiz & A.G. were a duo from the Bronx -- Showbiz produced, A.G. (or André the Giant) versed. They were a part of the D.I.T.C. crew (featuring members like the late Big L, who has a verse on "Represent"), who branched out into their own territory in the early 90's -- their first release was an EP called 'Soul Clap'. Some of their tracks on the debut 'Runaway Slave' were reworked from the EP -- like "Catchin' Wreck" and "Soul Clap (short version)"...not to mention the handfuls of classic originals like my all time favorite, "Fat Pockets".

Their two full lengths were critical successes, but never financial ones. They returned to work with D.I.T.C. and solo projects -- going on hiatus as a duo, but still contributing to one another's solo work and various offshoots.

Oldschool hip-hop vibes, choice beats, both light-hearted and dark topics...album was a knock-out on all fronts...doesn't get much better than 'Runaway Slave', absolutely.

Any fan of hip-hop or anyone ready to be won-over, this is definite -- a classic. Look into their other material too, like the darker 'Goodfellas' full-length.

Runaway Slave
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Witch

Dinosaur Jr. guitarist J Mascis and longtime friend/bass-player Dave Sweetapple formed Witch in 2005. It's also crucial to note that Mascis doesn't play guitar -- he plays drums. The band could be lumped into the "stoner rock" tag -- lots of big grooves, catchy guitar parts/sweeping solos, psych vocals...

Everyone appreciates some Mascis/Dinosaur Jr., and I was really surprised to hear how good of a drummer he is -- the drums really separate this album from most standardized stoner rock; Mascis displays some pretty finesse chops throughout the album (but all musicians involved really bring it together).

Was introduced to this about a week ago by a friend, and then as fate works, musical comrade Marcus from Sometime-World upped the album -- really digging the energy on this release alongside the (finally) warmer weather approaching.

I haven't heard their follow-up 2008 album, 'Paralyzed', but their eponymous debut has more than filled the void. Anyone with heavy-ears give this a go.

Witch (2006)
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Louis Logic - Sin-A-Matic

Louis Logic is a NY underground MC, known for his prior work in Demigodz (ft. Celph Titled, among others), solo-releases, and his more recent official-collaboration alongside producer J.J. Brown.

2003 gave rise to Louis' debut solo album, 'Sin-A-Matic', a quick-witted and fresh release that carved him out mention as one of the better upcoming MC's among underground hip-hop heads.

My introduction to Louis connected instantly; it brought me back to my younger years, of my brother and I secretly listening to Em's first CD hidden from our parents -- that introduction of twisted comedy found in hip-hop. I only mention Em, because Louis reminded me of him -- clear, enunciated flow, similar stylings, quick-wit, dark humor, and at times, able to make you stir. And in a nutshell, I think that's what 'Sin-A-Matic' is -- only in my opinion, executed better for the current generation.

While some of you probably stopped reading at the mention of Eminem, recognize they're completely different entities, and I'm just filling space on the page -- so don't fret if the mention puts a bad taste in your mouth (and it really shouldn't, not going to lie, Em is a talented lyricist and MC, song quality past albums is up for question..).

Not going to talk this up any more, but please believe it's one of the better hip-hop albums the past ten years -- a few overdone lyrics aside, really isn't a bad track on the entirety of the album, in fact they're all pretty damn good...the connected "Best Friends"/"Revenge" gives me goosebumps every listen, no RL Stine needed.

Look into his other stuff if you dig this, like the 80's Edition of this album (which is the same, only the samples are from the 80's -- more light-hearted version), or some of his more recent work...def one of the better MC's in the waves today.

Sin-A-Matic
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AFTA-1 - Aftathoughts Vol. 1

AFTA-1 is a Cali-born/Brooklyn-based space-beats extraordinaire, drawing influence from acts like Sun Ra and Flying Lotus.

His debut album 'Aftathoughts Vol. 1' initially released in Japan, and I've been digging it for awhile, along with his follow-up 7", 'The Time In Between'. Really solid beats that don't beg for your attention with sporadic shit interlaced, just tight and varied grooves. Some quality samples, too. Def an artist to keep tabs on, cosmic/chill material.

Aftathoughts Vol. 1
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mind the graves