REVIEW: Overo – “Cold Concrete / Shattered”

overo

Overo is a band that I was stoked about the minute I heard they existed. The band is made up of Lindsay and Mercy from Football, etc., Brendan from Perfect Future, and John from Rose Ette. I’m not going to bore you with a lot of introduction and bullshit. Suffice to say, that is a goddamn line up.

The release here is a two song demo/single. The two songs featured are solid post-hardcore, but they also embraces the emo and punk connections. Both have a strong quiet/loud dynamic, but in notably different ways. “Cold Concrete” nails that dynamic with the vocals. “Shattered” with the music. Lindsay Minton and Brendan Stephens have very different vocal styles, but they work really well together. “Cold Concrete” has the former’s singing delivery going head on into the latter’s more yelling/screaming delivery. “Shattered” features more vocal interplay, with both singing at the same time.

I really enjoy how the song play with the post-hardcore style in different ways. “Cold Concrete” has a punk aggression to it. It’s a short song that drives to it’s conclusion. There isn’t a lot of posturing, but there are great riffs. “Shattered” is more jagged and angular. It starts with a minute of delicate guitar work before it crescendos into a mathy kind of jam. The guitar lead is fantastic and the shift at the midway point is a thing of beauty.

The long and short of this is simple. You’ve got a band with a killer lineup making two of the strongest genre songs I’ve heard in a minute. If there was a release more in my wheelhouse, I sure haven’t found it yet. Here’s hoping we get more stuff from this band.

Overo
Bandcamp / Buy It

REVIEW: Football, etc. – “Corner”

fecornerlp

It’s kind of hard to write about Football, etc. at this point. I been writing about them for about as long as I’ve been running this blog. I first talked about them when I wrote up their First Down EP. I also covered their previous two full lengths (The Draft and Audible), their Disappear EP, and their split with Plaids. There isn’t much to say about them that I haven’t already said sometime in the last six years.

Football, etc is one of my favorite bands to have come out of that late 2000s emo scene. They were right there at the start of the emo revival (or whatever), and they’ve outlived many of their peers. In fact, Football, etc. are one of the bands I most associate with the current genre. They’ve put out consistently great records. They do that second wave emo sound better than most current bands going. They are a torchbearer. Corner is another example of all that.

Their third full length, and first on Community Records, is a distillation of the growth the band has experienced. While the songwriting and vocal performance from Lindsay Minton is still the goddamn show, it has become more and more about how the trio works together. Allowing certain pop influences to shine through have made the rhythm section of Mercy Harper and Daniel Hawkins an unstoppable force. “Foul” and “Nutmeg” are perfect examples of how the band can absolutely fucking go. Minton’s guitar is still out there twinkling, but things really pop when she gets some distortion going. Her vocal delivery sounds as strong as ever. There is a much more dynamic range than on records past. A song like “Space” wouldn’t be horribly out of place on a record like The Draft or Audible, but it certainly would be the outlier.

Corner is the sound of a band that has matured beyond being a “genre band.” You can still call them emo, and you’d be right. Football, etc. are much more than that though, and it’s great to see that they’re still growing.

Football, etc.
Bandcamp
Community Records (USA)
Barely Regal (UK)
Stiff Slack (JPN)

YEAR END! – Top Records Of 2015

trbestof

I’m keeping this list brief this year. Not too many bells and whistles, or whatever. It’s the end of January, so I really need to just post it. 2015 was a weird fucking year, and I didn’t keep up with this stuff the way I should have. 2016 should be better. Anyway, on with the list.

Top Records of 2015. LPs, EPs, and splits. In alphabetical order:

Adult Mom – “Momentary Lapse Of Happily”
Annabel – “Having It All”
Beach House – “Depression Cherry”
Big Awesome – “Party On”
Blind Mice – “Sunday Songs”
Bong Mountain – “You’re Doin’ Great”
Drowse – “Soon Asleep”
Football, etc. – “Disappear”
Haybaby – “Sleepy Kids”
Island Of Misfit Toys – “I Made You Something”
Jennylee – “Right On!”
Kindling – “Galaxies”
King Woman – “Doubt”
Kind Of Like Spitting / Warren Franklin & The Founding Fathers – “It’s Always Nice To See You”
Long Knives – “This Is Your Life”
mewithoutYou – “Pale Horses”
Pet Symmetry – “Pet Hounds”
Sheer – “Uneasy”
The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – “Harmlessness”
The Unlovables / Dirt Bike Annie – “Reunion Show”
Waxahatchee – “Ivy Tripp”

REVIEW: Football, etc. – “Disappear”

fbed Football, etc. are a band that have consistently produced some of the most engaging examples of what indie and emo music have to offer. They definitely don’t seem to get the full credit they deserve. Especially in a world where everyone is content to be just another emo/punk band. There is something to be said for subtlety. There is something to be said for nuance. Football, etc. have plenty of both, and it makes for really good music.

Football, etc. has showed a great amount of growth over the years. They established their sound back in 2009, and have spent the intervening years perfecting it. They were a scrappy young band when First Down and their split with Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) came out. Disappear shows a band that has continually grown and refined their sound. Football, etc. have a sounded rooted in classic Midwestern emo, but they’ve become a cornerstone of the contemporary scene.

Disappear really solidifies that for me. It’s an EP that is really representative of what the band has done and can do. Lindsay Minton has gotten stronger as a vocalist, both in delivery and clarity. The added string section sounds on “Sweep” and “Open” add an interesting flavor to the sound. Everything else is pure Football, etc.. One of the best things about Disappear is the production. Football, etc. really made the right choice by working with J. Robbins.

This is a great EP from a great band. Football, etc. should be one of the biggest name in modern day indie and emo music. Let’s get on making that happen.

Football, etc.
Count Your Lucky Stars
Bandcamp
Buy It

YEAR END! – Top Twenty Records Of 2013

albumgrid

Laura Stevenson – “Wheel”
Football, etc – “Audible”
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – “Whenever, If Ever”
Waxahatchee – “Cerulean Salt”
Nona – “Through The Head”
Lord Snow – “Solitude”
Save Ends – “Warm Hearts, Cold Hands”
Pity Sex – “Feast Of Love”
American Thunder Band – “Neither Here Nor Thayer”
Tiny Moving Parts – “This Couch Is Long & Full Of Friendship”
Lemuria – “The Distance Is So Big”
Dowsing – “I Don’t Even Care Anymore”
Belgrade – “Belgrade”
RVIVR – “The Beauty Between”
State Faults – “Resonate/Desperate”
Little Big League – “These Are Good People”
Mutual Benefit – “Love’s Crushing Diamond”
Rika – “How To Draw A River, Step By Step”
Radiator Hospital – “Something Wild”
Our Sunday Affairs – “Cave”

YEAR END! – Top Twenty EPs / Splits Of 2013

epgrid

Nobody, Ever – “This Wall Is Dedicated To Liam And His Mates”
All Dogs – “All Dogs”
The Island Of Misfit Toys – “Furiouser & Furiouser”
Adobe Homes / Innards – “Split”
These Branches – “Beliefs”
Best Practices – Sore Subjects
Late Night Beers – “Waking”
Lemuria – “Brilliant Dancer”
Dads – “Pretty Good”
Football, etc / Plaids – “Split”
Perfect Future – “Irrational, Malleable, Inevitable”
Sunday Guts – “Leave It Go”
Graves. – “We Could Stand Here, SIlent And Still”
Tyler Daniel Bean – “Everything You Do Scares Me”
Young Turks – “Where I Rise”
Self Defense Family – “You Are Beneath Her”
Abi Reimold / Infinity Crush – “Wish It Stopped (split)”
Iron Chic – “Spooky Action”
Dikembe / Pet Symmetry – “Split”
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) / Malegoat – “Split”

REVIEW: Football, etc – “Audible”

So I know I just reviewed a Football, etc release a little over a month ago (specifically their split with Plaids), but we’re talking about them again. Coming off the strength of that split, we have their sophomore LP. Audible is everything I wanted a full length from this bands to be. I mean that without any hint of hyperbole.

When I reviewed their debut LP back in 2011, I was a little bummed on certain parts of the record. None of those things are issues here. One of the greatest improvements was on the production side of things. Teaming Football, etc up with Ed Rose was basically perfect. Everything sounds dynamic. Lindsay Minton’s vocals (and guitar) finally stand out. They are crisp and clear. That’s not to say the rest of the band doesn’t show up. Shit, everything sounds crisp and clear. Mercy Harper’s bass and Edward Reisner drums also shine.

What I’ve always liked about Football, etc is the songwriting. It has always stood out to me for how concise and exact it is lyrically. A lot of indie/emo bands tend to fall into overly elaborate lyrical traps. I have no problem with it really. It’s just a lot easier to connect to a lyrically straight forward song. “Blackout” and “Return” are perfect examples of this. Both are strong, and convey clear messages. I know it’s a weird thing to be stoked about. Why write a page when you can express your feelings in a paragraph?

In that spirit, I’ll cut to the chase. This is one of the best records of the year. Recently I’ve gotten a bit burned out of emo records. Football, etc got me out of that funk. They made a record that I could get really excited about. This should be right near the top of everyone’s lists.

Football, etc
BandCamp
Count Your Lucky Stars
Buy It

REVIEW: Football, etc. / Plaids – "Split"

I always get excited about split records. It’s basically a perfect format. Even if it’s just a quick split 7″. Since we are long past the days of the cheap-o compilation cds/records, these remain one of the best ways to find new bands that you might otherwise not be exposed to. This is the case for me here. I’m a big fan of Football, etc. I’ve not heard Plaids before now. I knew what to expect from the former, but had no idea how I’d feel about the latter. This record is great.

Football, etc., who have a few splits under their collective belt already, came strong out of the gate. “Down The Field” is a great song. People who already know this band know what to expect. It’s a great calm, melodic indie/emo song. Lindsay Minton’s vocals sound stronger than ever. One of my issues with their full lengths was how her voice tended to get lost in the mix. They stand out perfectly. The same can be said for the music in general. Basically, everything here is stepped up. The song is strong, but it never loses the frailty of the prior full length.

Plaids was totally new to me. Hailing from Nottingham (UK), they also have a good number of splits going. This is a fucking punk rock band. They play around with sort of mathy, post-hardcore. That said, they manage to stay accessible. I don’t mean that in a weird way. These aren’t pop songs. Plaids’ two songs on here (“Eleven” and “Twelve”) are both dynamic and driving. They are aggressive. It’s a bit of a shock coming off the Football, etc. song. Not knowing this band, I was expecting another calm, Midwest emo-ish song. Two quick punk rock songs was a great surprise. This is a band to watch, man.

There is so much to love here. I can keep talking about it, but fuck that. Just go get it.

Football, etc.
Plaids
BandCamp (Football, etc.) (Plaids)
Buy It (CYLS) (sncl)
Count Your Lucky Stars (US)
strictly no capital letters (UK)

Best of 2011

So, it is that time. Year in review lists are always kind of annoying. I will make a list now, then look back and disagree with myself later. Sometime in march, I will be pissed at my list. But, before I make the list, I guess I should do a quick thing.

2011 was an interesting year. It was really good at times, and really fucking terrible at others. A lot of stuff associated with this blog fell on the good side. Back in March, I dropped the Emo Is Not Dead article. Initially, it was just going to be a stupid article (not unlike the other “articles” I have written). It seemed like that shit struck a chord. As a result, I got a bunch of people coming here, I started getting promos, and I got my first troll. So, you know, that was pretty sweet. Thank you to all the awesome people who sent me promos, linked to shit I wrote, sent leads about things to check out, and just generally helped me make content happen. Ever since March, I have kind of been forced to feel like this blog is actually something worth doing. Specifically, thanks to Count Your Lucky Stars, Tiny Engines, Square Of Opposition, and Topshelf for putting out so much awesome shit this year. I look forward to giving you all my money in 2012.

On the flip side, the latter half of this year has been a shit storm. Goofy shit kept happening, from the stupid MS diagnosis back in August to the current broken molar / swollen jaw I have now. Medically, this year has been stupid as fuck. The reason why there was a drop in content is due in large part to all that. I know that seems like a cop out, but it is what it is. I try my best to keep up with shit though. Whatever. On to the lists.

In no particular order, the top records of 2011 were:

FULL LENGTHS:

Restorations – S/T
Boris Smile – My Love Powered by 10,000 Practice Amps
House Boat – The Thorns Of Life
The Copyrights – North Sentinel Island
Football, ect. – The Draft
Candy Hearts – Everything’s Amazing And Nobody’s Happy
Andrew Jackson Jihad – Knife Man
Algernon Cadwallader – Parrot Flies
Into It. Over It. – Proper
P.S. Eliot – Sadie

EPS / SPLITS / OTHER:

These Branches – The Payoff
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) – Home After Three Month Away
Grown Ups – Hand Holder
You, Me, And Everyone We Know – Things Are Really Weird Right Now
Family Lumber – Look To The Sidelines
Dowsing – All I Could Find Was You
Dikembe – Chicago Bowls
Lemuria / Cheap Girls – Split
Circle Takes The Square – Decompositions – Vol I. Chapter 1. Rites of Initiation
Bonjour – Motivational Suicide

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) – On Time Spent Waiting…
Lemuria – Pebble
The Horrible Crowes – Elsie
Laura Stevenson and The Cans – Sit Resist
Thursday – No Devolución
Spraynard – Funtitled
Stage Fright Therapy – Stealing Salt Shakers Again
Deer Leap / The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die – Are Here to Help You
Timeshares – Bearable
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Belong

OK. That is it. Anyone from Chicago going to be at the Dowsing / E!E! (IWALE) show tomorrow, I will see you there. Look for the giant dude wincing in pain. That would be me. Stupid tooth.

In closing, fuck all the bands that I like who broke up this year. Especially you, Snowing.

REVIEW: Football, etc. – "The Draft"

In my very short review of the Football, etc. EP, First Down, I was very clearly stoked on it. It was four songs of great emo music. They were coming across as one of the best contemporary bands in the genre. I still stand by that opinion, but maybe the honeymoon period is over.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this new full length is still good. The same points of praise still stand. The problem is, in full length form, it just does not feel the same. Having listened to this record many times, there is something about it that does not sit right with me. While the band is certainly adept at making great sounding 2nd wave style emo, they do not quite branch out beyond the formula of the genre. The average length of all 10 songs is about 3 minutes (shortest being 1:22, longest being 4:26. The rest all fall somewhere in the 3-3.5 minute mark). All are mid-tempo. More or less, you have 10 songs that are all pretty similar sounding. While it makes for a cohesive half hour (give or take) of music, it can also get kind of boring. Couple this with the fact that Lindsay Minton (guitar/vocals) tends to draw every word out (on damn near every song), and you have a recipe for a slightly sub-par release. My last minor gripe is the artwork. It looks ok, but kind of like someone resized the picture to LP sized on an old version of MS Paint. And, it is more than a little Cure-y

But, this is by no means a bad release. The songs are generally good. Lyrically, the band remains spot on (with the exception of Lambeau). The honesty and conviction are there, but it is tempered by the somewhat repetitious music. Of special mention, the songs “X’s And O’s” and “Hail Mary” are fantastic. “Flood” might be my favourite track on the whole record. This record is a great example of how strong lyrics can make up for less strong instrumentation.

I know this review seems kind of negative, but I don’t mean it too. This band is still very strong in regards to the music they play. It is easy to draw lazy comparisons to Rainer Maria or to the vocal stylings of Kim Deal. But, my previous statements on this band still stand. If the whole post-emo indie rock thing is your bag (as it is mine), there is no reason why you should not own this record. There are some flaws, but it is still a great record overall.

Official Site
Bandcamp Page (stream some stuff)
Count Your Lucky Stars (U.S. Release)
strictly no capital letters (Europe release)