Tag: Restorations

YEAR END! – Top Records Of 2018

Hey, 2018 sure was thing. After almost a year away, I brought this blog back a few months ago. I plan on actually updating on a more regular schedule in 2019. But, that is a problem for 2019 Joe. Anyway, here are my top records of 2018. In alphabetical order, because it just makes sense.

BEST RECORDS:

  • Dessa – “Chime”
  • Dogbite – “True Lofi Will Find You In The End”
  • Drug Church – “Cheer”
  • Gouge Away – “Burnt Sugar”
  • Headlines – “MMXVII”
  • Heavy Mantle – “Weights & Measures”
  • Hop Along – “Bark Your Head Off, Dog”
  • Krimewatch – “Krimewatch”
  • La Luz – “Floating Feature”
  • Lala Lala – “The Lamb”
  • Late Bloomer – “Waiting”
  • Lilith – “I’ll Come Over B/W In Real Life”
  • Miranda Winters – “Xobeci, What Grows Here?”
  • Miserable – “Loverboy”
  • Mitski – “Be The Cowboy”
  • Mothers – “Render Another Ugly Method”
  • Nectar – “Knocking At The Door”
  • Ogikubo Station – “We Can Pretend Like”
  • Open Mike Eagle – “What Happens When I Try To Relax”
  • Restorations – “LP5000”
  • Tancred – “Nightstand”
  • Tanukichan – “Sundays”
  • There’s Talk – “Bathed Water Moon”
  • V.V. Lightbody – “Bathing Peach”
  • Worlds Greatest Dad – “Get Well Soon”

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Absinthe Father – “Jane”
  • Ivy Sole – “Overgrown”
  • Petal – “Magic Gone”
  • Roy Kinsey – “Blackie: A Story By Roy Kinsey”
  • Smol Data – “Smol Data: An EP”
  • Snail Mail – “Lush”
  • Steady Holiday – “Nobody’s Watching”
  • Swearin’ – “Fall In The Sun”
  • Tony Molina – “Kill The Light”
  • Young Animals – “Disposition”

All things considered, Be The Cowboy was my favorite record this year. Or, at the very least, the one I listened to the most.

So, yeah. There you go. Here’s a Spotify playlist

YEAR END! – Best Seven Inches Of The Year

These are the Top ten 7″ releases of the year.

1) Lemuria – Varoom Allure (Bridge Nine

)

2) State Lines – Self Titled (Tiny Engine

s)

3) Snowing – Pump Fake / Scherbatsky (Square Of Opposition)

4) Restorations – A/B (Tiny Engines)

 

5) Dowsing / Parker – Split (Count Your Lucky Stars)

 

REVIEW: Restorations – "A/B" (7")

Restorations self titled record was one of the best last year. A/B is their new 7″, and it is certainly a great extension of that LP. To keep this brief, we have a great 10 minutes of roots rock by way of punk.  “A” is quite reminiscent of “Neighborhood Song” (off their full length). “B” is a straight ahead rocker. You just know that song would kill live. Especially with the whoas.

Everything about the previous full length is true here. This band is still hard to peg down as being just one thing. Jon Loudon’s gruff, gravelly voice still drips with sincerity. The band, as a full unit, has made another great sounding bit of rock. And there are just enough fun little detours into post-hardcore angularity to keep it from being formulaic.

If you haven’t already checked these guys out yet, get on with it. This is a 7″ that will appeal to even the most jaded rock fan. Whether they are stoked on punk rock or not.

Restorations
Tiny Engines
Stream It (BandCamp)
Buy It

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:

  1. Restorations – S/T
  2. Boris Smile – My Love Powered by 10,000 Practice Amps
  3. House Boat – The Thorns Of Life
  4. The Copyrights – North Sentinel Island
  5. Football, ect. – The Draft
  6. Candy Hearts – Everything’s Amazing And Nobody’s Happy
  7. Andrew Jackson Jihad – Knife Man
  8. Algernon Cadwallader – Parrot Flies
  9. Into It. Over It. – Proper
  10. P.S. Eliot – Sadie  
EPS / SPLITS / OTHER:
  1. These Branches – The Payoff
  2. Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) – Home After Three Month Away
  3. Grown Ups – Hand Holder
  4. You, Me, And Everyone We Know – Things Are Really Weird Right Now
  5. Family Lumber – Look To The Sidelines
  6. Dowsing – All I Could Find Was You
  7. Dikembe – Chicago Bowls
  8. Lemuria / Cheap Girls – Split
  9. Circle Takes The Square – Decompositions – Vol I. Chapter 1. Rites of Initiation
  10. Bonjour – Motivational Suicide
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
  1. Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) – On Time Spent Waiting…
  2. Lemuria – Pebble
  3. The Horrible Crowes – Elsie
  4. Laura Stevenson and The Cans – Sit Resist
  5. Thursday – No Devolución
  6. Spraynard – Funtitled
  7. Stage Fright Therapy – Stealing Salt Shakers Again
  8. Deer Leap / The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die – Are Here to Help You
  9. Timeshares – Bearable
  10. 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: Restorations – "Self Titled"

Old punk rock fans are fickle. As more and more young bands come up, it gets harder and harder to get stoked on on them. You start off getting stoked on the energetic “three chords and the truth” type bands. As you get older, maybe the days of getting in the pit are over. I guess for every kid just finding Jawbreaker, there are a bunch of older dudes who would swear by Jets To Brazil.

This is not to say that this record is only for old, kind of jaded, punk rockers. This record will appeal to the sensibilities of anyone who is stoked on punk and indie music. Basically, Restorations is ostensibly a punk band. Their self titled record is ostensibly a punk rock record. But, there seems to be a lot more going on here though. No, you are not going to get sloppy, minute and a half songs. These are 3+ minute songs with involved instrumentation. Possibly an influence of roots Americana music. Yeah yeah, whenever someone drops the “Americana” bomb everyone automatically thinks of Gaslight Anthem or similar bands. No, this does not sound like that.

What it is is a grab bag of various things falling under the umbrella of punk mixed with 70’s rock n roll (rootsy, not arena-y). You got gruff vocals that would sound great on any post-hardcore record (Jon Loudon being ex-Jena Berlin. So, yeah, that makes sense). Extended instrumentation that would be right on with indie rock stuff.

This is a tough record to review because it does not sound like it is aping anything else. Think maybe if Jets To Brazil, Hot Water Music, and maybe Wilco (or Lucero) decided to have a bar fight (maybe with “Born To Run” on the jukebox). Yeah, sounds good.

One of the best records I have heard this year. Musically strong, lyrically strong. Fucking fantastic rhythm section. Be a bro, go get this shit. Tiny Engines has a winner here.