Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (2002)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Blast First bffp127cd

Allmusic:
The debut LP from Brooklyn's Liars is a churning collection of jerky punk rock, funk grooves, and computerized mayhem that oddly enough comes off quite charming. With sufficiently angular guitars, British-tinged vocals, and a truly pummeling bass presence, the group rocks with phenomenal energy and absolutely no restraint. The half-hour-long closer, "The Dust That Makes the Mud," collapses into a puzzlingly repetitive, sample-ridden hip-hop beat that ends things on a bizarre note, but the lead-up is pure rock & roll, complete with the attitude and aggression that makes for a great listen. Liars have a surprisingly unique approach that distinguishes them from other groups in their willingness to experiment with different tones, volumes, and styles, all of which make They Threw Us in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On an astounding debut. Catchy group vocals are all over the disc, and just about every chorus is instantly memorable yet still somewhat pummeling. The use of digital sounds and beats only adds to the unique properties of the record, giving it a feel somewhat akin to later Les Savy Fav records, only with a much more punk-fueled sound. Liars are something special, and when a young band puts out a record like this it is hard not to pay attention. Where they'll go from here is impossible to guess, but with a band this hyperactively creative, that seems to be the point.

Tracks
-1. "Grown Men Don't Fall in the River, Just Like That" – 3:03
-2. "Mr. Your on Fire Mr."[3][4] – 2:27
-3. "Loose Nuts on the Veladrome" – 2:19
-4. "The Garden Was Crowded and Outside" – 2:44
-5. "Tumbling Walls Buried Me in the Debris With ESG" – 4:05 (vocal cover of an ESG song)
-6. "Nothing Is Ever Lost or Can Be Lost My Science Friend" – 3:03
-7. "We Live NE of Compton" – 3:01
-8. "Why Midnight Walked But Didn't Ring Her Bell" – 0:51
-9. "This Dust Makes That Mud" – 30:07

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Liars - They Were Wrong, So We Drowned (2004)

Liars - They Were Wrong, So We Drowned (2004)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 290MB

Mute Records

Allmusic:
Not content to be just the most challenging of the crop of groups reworking dance-punk, Liars -- now consisting of founding members Angus Andrew and Aaron Hemphill and new recruit Julian Gross -- redefine their radical aims on They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. Taking inspiration from the tape-loop experiments of This Heat and the finely chopped electronica of Matmos, the Liars also draw upon the legends surrounding Walpurgisnacht, the date in German folklore when witches fly to the Brocken mountain and perform rituals that coincide with spring's victory over winter. The result is an album that, from its witch-hunt alluding title to its songs, is a riveting exploration of the dangerously seductive power of fear. Making full use of the political potency of its metaphor, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned depicts the struggle between a village of Christians and the women they believe to be a coven of witches, alternating their sides of the story track by track. According to Walpurgisnacht legend, one of the main remedies against the night's evil spirits is noise; after sunset, the boys of the villages near the mountains make as much noise as possible to drive away the witches and demons that emerge after being trapped in the earth during the winter months. Liars take this part of the legend to heart: They Were Wrong, So We Drowned is sculpted from layers of digital and organic noise that create a suffocating sense of dread. "Broken Witch" starts the album with ominous drones and stuttering drums that eventually fall into a grinding, nearly industrial rhythm. It's a deeply unsettling song, and not just because the shouted refrain "blood, blood, blood" is one of its few immediate hooks. But as challenging as the track is, it's only Liars' opening salvo: as it unfolds, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned gets progressively darker, denser, and stranger. The first time through, its mix of crushing noise and eerie negative space is equally exhilarating and bewildering, and in many ways, the album is thoroughly disorienting: its juxtapositions of modern sounds and processes, centuries-old legends, and ageless emotions create a thought-provoking cognitive dissonance. Likewise, the album's electro-noise-prog hybrid is as much of a departure from They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top as that album's smart, angular rock was from most of the work of Liars' contemporaries. Aside from both having titles that tell stories from the viewpoints of the dead and defeated, the main similarity between They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top and They Were Wrong, So We Drowned comes from "This Dust Makes That Mud," the lengthy, lock groove-like track that closes the debut album and seems to have colored the intensity of the follow-up. The tribal drums that make up the album's pulse on the musique concrète-inspired "Read the Book That Wrote Itself" and the abrasive dance-punk of "There's Always Room on the Broom" have a lot to do with its relentless thrust, but the sounds surrounding the percussion are far from primitive. Co-producer David Sitek shows why he is a forward-thinking sound-shaper repeatedly on They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, particularly on "Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway," which pairs the prettiest melody on the album with savage guitars and more of those pagan drums. This song, along with "They Don't Want Your Corn - They Want Your Kids" and "They Took 14 for the Rest of Our Lives," injects dance-punk with some of the sense of danger that punk once had. By the time "Flow My Tears the Spider Said" turns from a brooding sea shanty into a desert island of chirping birds and mysterious clanking noises, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned proves itself to be more like a force of nature than a proper album. By not just defying but denying the expectations about what their music should be like, Liars have created one of the most fascinating, confrontational albums of the 2000s.

Tracks
-01. "Broken Witch" – 6:10
-02. "Steam Rose from the Lifeless Cloak" – 2:49
-03. "There's Always Room on the Broom" – 3:05
-04. "If You're a Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?" – 2:11
-05. "We Fenced Other Gardens with the Bones of Our Own" – 5:28
-06. "They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids" – 2:38
-07. "Read the Book That Wrote Itself" – 3:09
-08. "Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway" – 4:51
-09. "They Took 14 for the Rest of Our Lives" – 4:09
-10. "Flow My Tears the Spider Said" – 6:12

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Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun (2003) (eac-log-cover)

Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun (2003)
indie, alternative, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 380MB

Matador OLE 548-2

AMG:
Three years after 2000's brilliant And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, Yo La Tengo returns with Summer Sun, an album that's as settled and smooth as the previous one was inventive and eclectic. Musically, Summer Sun continues the band's progression away from intricate, guitar-based pop both loud and soft and toward an arguably more sophisticated sound. This move resulted in masterpieces like I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, which balanced their roots and their ambitions perfectly; on Summer Sun, it feels a little bit like a retreat. This time around, the post-rock, Krautrock, and jazz influences the band introduced on I Can Hear the Heart and perfected on And Then Nothing dominate Summer Sun, giving it a hushed, polished feel. Sometimes, this approach works, as on the lovely opener "Beach Party Tonight," which sounds appropriately warm and full of possibilities, and "Tiny Birds," a droning, spiralling track that sounds a bit like a fusion of post-rock and Pet Sounds. However, the fusion-inspired instrumental "Georga Vs. Yo La Tengo" and the jammy, ten-minute "Let's Be Still" veer dangerously close to noodling and bloat the album's length to over an hour; unfortunately, there's not quite an hour's worth of interesting music here. Much of this is due to Summer Sun's arrangements and productions: tracks like "How to Make a Baby Elephant Float" and "Don't Have to Be So Sad" are based on lighter-than-air guitars, drums, and synths and topped with whispery vocals. Individually, their understated prettiness works well, but collectively, they're slightly too understated for their own good. When the band does get a little livelier, they deliver some memorable moments, such as the percolating "Little Eyes"; the cute, poppy "The Season of the Shark"; and "Today Is the Day," a Georgia Hubley song that's nearly as gorgeous as "Shadows" or "Nowhere Near." A little more variety in volume and tempo could've made this album great instead of pretty good; for the first time in years, Yo La Tengo doesn't break out the feedback and distortion anywhere on an album. Summer Sun is so mellow and pretty that it feels uncharitable to call it one of their weakest albums in recent memory; many bands would kill to make music this accomplished. But, even though Yo La Tengo can still run circles around other groups even when they're running in place, compared to their best work Summer Sun is merely pleasant.

Tracks:
-01. "Beach Party Tonight" — 3:06
-02. "Little Eyes" — 4:18
-03. "Nothing But You and Me" — 5:13
-04. "Season of the Shark" — 4:27
-05. "Today Is the Day" — 5:33
-06. "Tiny Birds" — 5:07
-07. "How to Make a Baby Elephant Float" — 3:29
-08. "Georgia vs. Yo La Tengo" — 3:56
-09. "Don't Have to Be So Sad" — 5:53
-10. "Winter A-Go-Go" — 3:21
-11. "Moonrock Mambo" — 4:49
-12. "Let's Be Still" — 10:22
-13. "Take Care" — 2:32 (Big Star cover)

Sample & buy: Summer Sun

Sufjan Stevens - Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State (2003)

Sufjan Stevens - Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State (2003)

indie, alternative | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 405MB

Sounds Familyre

AMG:
Sufjan Stevens's third album is a charming homage to his home state of Michigan. Filled with heartbreak, the album cryptically addresses Stevens' frustration with the notorious job market in the city of Flint in a lovely ballad that opens the record, and documents the depressing struggle the city of Detroit has fought to once again attain the elegance it had prior to the riots in the late '60s; however, it also touches on a brighter side, as in the cascading "Say Yes! to M!ch!gan!" Its title is a reference to the campaign adopted by the state in the 1980s and serves as the centerpiece as well as Stevens' attachment and amour for the state he is from. Musically, Stevens often plays his Jim O'Rourke and Stereolab cards, riffing along with complex polyphony in building loops and dynamics, but he also frequently imports lightly strummed guitars and stark banjo picking to break up the album and give it a rustic northern folk aesthetic. Stevens comfortably handles nearly every instrument on the album -- an impressive task that includes various keyboards, woodwinds, guitars, and percussions -- but also enlisted the help of Megan, Elin, and Daniel Smith from the Danielson Famile to help out with vocal duties, and the outcome is a haunting and hypnotic studio opus certainly worth getting lost in.

Tracks:
All songs written and composed by Sufjan Stevens.
-01. "Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid)" 3:43
-02. "All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace!" 4:33
-03. "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" 3:57
-04. "Say Yes! to M!ch!gan!" 2:45
-05. "The Upper Peninsula" 3:23
-06. "Tahquamenon Falls" 2:18
-07. "Holland" 3:26
-08. "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)" 8:20
-09. "Romulus" 4:41
-10. "Alanson, Crooked River" 1:18
-11. "Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie" 2:52
-12. "They Also Mourn Who Do Not Wear Black (For the Homeless in Muskegon)" 6:21
-13. "Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)" 9:23
-14. "Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)" 2:02
-15. "Vito's Ordination Song" 7:06

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Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997) (eac-log-cover)

Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (1997)

indie, alternative, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 430MB

Matador OLE 222-2 

AMG:
Functioning as a virtual catalog of mid-'90s indie rock trends, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One is an astonishing tour de force from Yo La Tengo, establishing their deep talents as songwriters and musicians. Although the album may run a little long for some tastes, there are very few throwaways on the record — even the shoegazer cover of the Beach Boys' "Little Honda" is a revelatory gem. But what truly impresses is the way the songs, ranging from hypnotically droning instrumentals to tightly written and catchy pop songs, hold together to form what is arguably Yo La Tengo's finest and most coherent album to date.

Tracks:
-01. "Return to Hot Chicken" – 1:38
-02. "Moby Octopad" – 5:48
-03. "Sugarcube" – 3:21
-04. "Damage" – 4:39
-05. "Deeper into Movies" – 5:23
-06. "Shadows" – 2:27
-07. "Stockholm Syndrome" – 2:51
-08. "Autumn Sweater" – 5:18
-09. "Little Honda" – 3:07
-10. "Green Arrow" – 5:43
-11. "One PM Again" – 2:25
-12. "The Lie and How We Told It" – 3:19
-13. "Center of Gravity" – 2:42
-14. "Spec Bebop" – 10:40
-15. "We're an American Band" – 6:25
-16. "My Little Corner of the World" – 2:24

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Brian Jonestown Massacre - Give It Back! (1997) (eac-log-cover)

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Give It Back! (1997)

rock, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 360MB

Bomp! | BCD-4068

AMG:
With a name like this, it's pretty clear these guys have '60s on the brain, but as revivalist-type bands go, they're definitely above average. They could use more editing, though; this is their sixth album in about two years, and while no one complains about short value with a running time of 55 minutes, about half of this is run-of-the-mill pseudo-'60s garage/psych with too many indulgent guitar breaks. They get a lot more interesting when they slow things down to a wasted quasi-junkie folk-rock mode, similar in spirit to Nikki Sudden or early-'70s Stones. The spooky "The Devil," which sounds like a Satanic cousin to a Stones track like "Heart of Stone," is a standout in this regard; "Malela" (a close facsimile of the Chocolate Watch Band) and "Salaam" show them to be one of the few '90s bands capable of intelligent use of sitars in a rock context; and "(You Better Love Me) Before I Am Gone," for a change of pace, is a goofy (and not very good) homage to Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra's duet style. Inspired song title: "Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request."

Tracks:
01. "Super-Sonic" – 5:15
02. "This Is Why You Love Me" – 1:55
03. "Satellite" – 3:39
04. "Malela" – 3:09
05. "Salaam" – 1:44
06. "Whoever You Are" – 4:41
07. "Sue" – 8:30
08. "(You Better Love Me) Before I Am Gone" – 3:35
09. "Not If You Were the Last Dandy on Earth" – 2:46
10. "#1 Hit Jam" – 4:55
11. "Servo" – 3:23
12. "The Devil May Care (Mom & Dad Don't)" – 6:04
13. "Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request (Enrique's Dream)" – 5:35

Personnel:
* Anton Newcombe - Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards
* Matt Hollywood - Bass, vocals, guitar
* Peter Hayes - Guitar
* Joel Gion - Percussion
* Miranda Richards - Vocals, guitar
* Jussi Tegelman - Drums
* Adam Hamilton - Drums
* Raugust - Flute

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Brian Jonestown Massacre - Strung Out In Heaven (1998) (eac-log-cover)

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Strung Out In Heaven (1998)

rock, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 340MB

TVT Records | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
It's with typical perversity that the Brian Jonestown Massacre makes the leap from the indie ghetto into the majors with their least immediate, most restrained record to date; given time to sink in, however, Strung Out in Heaven proves as engaging as their past efforts, with a focus and cohesiveness often lacking from their more visceral work. Settling into a blissfully psychedelic drift, the album opts not for the Stones-inspired raunch of before but for Byrds-like guitars, muffled drums and pulsating Hammond organ lines, all topped off by Anton Newcombe's half-stoned, half-shamanic vocals; thanks to standout tracks like "Going to Hell," "Wasting Away" and "Maybe Tomorrow," the cumulative impact makes for the BJM's most mature outing yet, evoking a kind of narcotic euphoria perfectly in keeping with the album's title.

Tracks:
01. "Going to Hell" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) 2:59
02. "Let's Pretend It's Summer" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) 3:37
03. "Wasting Away" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) 3:14
04. "Jennifer" (lyrics Hollywood/vocals Hollywood/Newcombe) 3:32
05. "Got My Eye on You" (lyrics Hollywood/vocals Hollywood/Gion) 3:11
06. "Nothing to Lose" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) 2:52
07. "Love" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) 3:54
08. "Maybe Tomorrow" (lyrics/vocals Hollywood) 4:13
09. "Spun" (lyrics/vocals Hollywood) 4:15
10. "I've Been Waiting" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) 4:25
11. "Dawn (Alternate)" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) (re-recording) 2:13
12. "Lantern" (lyrics/vocals Newcombe) 3:27
13. "Wisdom (Alternate)" (lyrics/Newcombe/vocals Newcombe/Richards) (re-recording) 5:29

Personnel:
* Anton Newcombe - Vocals, guitar, bass, drums
* Matt Hollywood - Bass, vocals
* Jeffrey Davies - Guitar, organ
* Dean Taylor - Guitar
* Joel Gion - Percussion

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Brian Jonestown Massacre - Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request (1996) (eac-log-cover)

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request (1996)

rock, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 490MB

Tangible Music | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Truth in advertising: the Brian Jonestown Massacre's sophomore album does, as promised, spring forth from the Rolling Stones' long-underrated 1967 masterpiece Their Satanic Majesties Request, copping not only Mick and Keith's leering bad-boy attitude but also their their rock-and-roll-circus spirit. Opening with the brilliant "All Around You (Intro)," a tongue-in-cheek guide to the mind-altering journey ahead, the record is a kaleidoscopic, drug-fueled freakout -- like the Stones' namesake album, Second Request is painted by Eastern drones and psychedelic tangents, each track bubbling with dozens of sound effects including sitars, mellotrons, farfisas, didgeridoos, tablas, congas, and glockenspiels. Travelling through the past, darkly, the Massacre arrives on the other side unscathed; their music is too rich to be merely retro, and too knowing to be merely slavish -- the Stones themselves haven't made a record this strong or entertaining in years.

Tracks:
01. "All Around You (Intro)" – 5:35
02. "Cold to the Touch" – 3:20
03. "Donovan Said" – 4:42
04. "In India You" – 3:40
05. "No Come Down" – 5:48
06. "(Around You) Everywhere" – 0:56
07. "Jesus" – 6:30
08. "Before You" – 1:59
09. "Miss June '75" – 7:33
10. "Anemone" – 5:34
11. "Baby (Prepraise)" – 0:30
12. "Feelers" – 5:27
13. "Bad Baby Intro" – 0:24
14. "Bad Baby" – 7:58
15. "Cause, I Lover" – 1:17
16. "(Baby) Love of My Life" – 1:06
17. "Slowdown (Fuck Tomorrow)/Here It Comes" – 6:46
18. "All Around You (Outro)" – 4:48

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Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000) (eac-log-cover)

Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)

alternative, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 490MB

Matador | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
After years as one of indie rock's standard-bearing groups, Yo La Tengo surpasses itself with And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. A culturally literate, emotionally rich album, on songs like "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House," "The Crying of Lot G," and "The Last Days of Disco," it alludes to The Simpsons, enigmatic author Thomas Pynchon and independent films while exploring the comforting, confining, complex aspects of relationships. "Our Way to Fall" sets Ira Kaplan's recollection of falling in love to a dreamy, down-to-earth backdrop of gently brushed drums, luminous organs and vibes; "The Crying of Lot G" transforms the syrupy sweetness of '50s ballads into a monologue about a relationship's shortcomings. "Madeline"'s shimmery indie bossa-nova and the countrified ballad "Tears Are in Your Eyes" showcase Georgia Hubley's buttery, empathetic voice; her singing makes these vignettes universal as well as personal. Like mature indie rock records such as Pavement's Terror Twilight and Jim O'Rourke's Eureka, And Then Nothing... favors mellow songwriting, detailed arrangements, and eclectic influences, such as the Silver Apples-like drum machines and doo wop backing vocals that adorn many of the songs. The wintry, implosive "Everyday" uses both of these elements, along with a plaintive guitar and hushed, hypnotic vocals, to begin the album on a surprisingly somber note. Similarly, the off-kilter beats, odd piano bursts, and harmonies on "Saturday" add to the song's awkward, uneasy beauty. Finally, nine songs into the album, Yo La Tengo breaks out the whammy and feedback action on "Cherry Chapstick," their most incandescent song since "Sugarcube." Easily one of 2000's most accomplished albums, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out isn't as immediate as some of the group's earlier work, but it's just as enduring, proving that Yo La Tengo is the perfect band to grow old with.

Tracks:
-01. "Everyday" – 6:31
-02. "Our Way to Fall" – 4:18
-03. "Saturday" – 4:18
-04. "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" – 4:59
-05. "Last Days of Disco" – 6:28
-06. "The Crying of Lot G" – 4:44
-07. "You Can Have It All" – 4:36
-08. "Tears Are in Your Eyes" – 4:35
-09. "Cherry Chapstick" – 6:11
-10. "From Black to Blue" – 4:47
-11. "Madeline" – 3:36
-12. "Tired Hippo" – 4:45
-13. "Night Falls on Hoboken" – 17:42

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Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone (1995) (eac-log-cover)

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone (1995)

rock, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 425MB

Bomp! | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
While Brian Jonestown Massacre have since become known for their wasted Stones take on music (in any number of permutations), when the debut album Methodrone finally surfaced after months of delay (to the point where a side project album by ImaJinary Friends actually came out first), there was an easy, one-word reaction: shoegazers. Redolent with the spirit of such high priests of effects and delay as Loop, Spaceman 3, and My Bloody Valentine, not to mention a fair dollop of the Jesus and Mary Chain (sample song titles: "That Girl Suicide," "Hyperventilation," "She's Gone"), Methodrone clearly is the sum of its influences. Thankfully BJM does a very solid job with them throughout the album's course of over 70 minutes. Anton Newcombe favors breathy, sighing vocals over post-Jagger drawls, understandably ("Crushed" is as perfect an example of American Anglo singing as it gets), while the seven other rotating bandmembers whip up a good amount of machine-like chugging and rave-up bliss as they go. Part of the reason why it all works so well is Newcombe's impressive abilities to actually perform rather than pose. "Wisdom," for instance, isn't very complex, but it successfully creates a psychedelic haze. While assembled from a variety of different sessions and about seven different engineers, Methodrone feels like a unified collection. Newcombe is due further credit for ensuring that his own particular (if second-hand) vision is carried throughout. The album closes on a spectacular high, with the wafting feedback prettiness of "Outback" followed by the majestic drone of "She's Gone," armed with a stunning guitar line, then wrapping up with an untitled bonus track that assuredly builds to a strong end with quirky touches. Though the band never returned to this sound in full, Newcombe and BJM as a whole have nothing to be ashamed of here.

Tracks:
01. "Evergreen" 3:24
02. "Wisdom" 5:20
03. "Crushed" 6:08
04. "That Girl Suicide" 3:41
05. "Wasted" 4:21
06. "Everyone Says" 4:15
07. "Short Wave" 2:47
08. "She Made Me" 4:42
09. "Hyperventilation" 9:53
10. "Records" 1:50
11. "I Love You" 4:11
12. "End of the Day" 5:09
13. "Outback" 4:07
14. "She's Gone" 7:18
15. "Untitled" 4:52

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Brian Jonestown Massacre - Thank God for Mental Illness (1996) (eac-log-cover)

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Thank God for Mental Illness (1996)

rock, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 405MB

Bomp! | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
At the risk of further belaboring a rather obvious point, with Thank God for Mental Illness, their third collection of absolutely stunning music in less than a year, the Brian Jonestown Massacre parallels the prolific and effortless brilliance of the Rolling Stones at their fevered late-1960s peak; the sheer scope of their achievements is stunning -- rarely are bands quite so productive, or quite so consistently amazing. Thank God is the BJM's down-and-dirty country-blues outing, all 13-odd tracks supposedly recorded on a single July day at a cost of just $17.36; while it lacks the blistering immediacy of their previous material, the album swaggers and struts with all of the group's usual attitude intact, coming complete with a loose, offhanded feel perfectly accenting the overall atmosphere of debauchery -- "Too Crazy to Care," "Sound of Confusion" and "Talk Minus Action Equals Shit" aren't just song titles, they're words the band lives by.

Tracks:
01. Spanish Bee (3:48)
02. It Girl (2:11)
03. 13 (2:34)
04. Ballad Of Jim Jones (2:14)
05. Those Memories (2:01)
06. Stars (3:15)
07. Free And Easy, Take 2 (2:28)
08. Down (3:52)
09. Cause I Love Her (1:14)
10. Too Crazy To Care (1:21)
11. Talk-Action=Shit (2:06)
12. True Love (3:31)
13. Sound Of Confusion (33:02)

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Brian Jonestown Massacre - Take It From The Man (1996) (eac-log-cover)

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Take It From The Man (1996)

rock, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 530MB

Bomp | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
The Brian Jonestown Massacre's obsession with the Rolling Stones continues unabated on the brilliant Take It From the Man!; where the group resurrected psychedelic-era excesses on the previous Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request, here they jump further back in time to the Stones' mid-'60s period, with even more superlative results. From the opening "Vacuum Boots" onward, Take It From the Man! is gritty, swaggering R&B-influenced rock, delivered with remarkable assurance and attitude; singer Anton Newcombe is half madman and half shaman, and he commands each delirious moment with absolute mastery, emerging not so much a disciple of Mick Jagger but as a serious threat to the throne. Tracks like "Who?," "(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six," and the epic finale, "Straight up and Down," are simply amazing, evoking rock's golden age without ever disintegrating into slavish devotion -- clearly, the BJM is a group that believes in killing their idols, and their intensity begs the question: just who is the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band again?

Tracks:
-01. "Vacuum Boots" – 3:02
-02. "Who?" – 2:54
-03. "Oh Lord" – 3:20
-04. "Caress" – 2:30
-05. "(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six" – 3:24
-06. "Straight Up and Down" – 4:30
-07. "Monster" – 3:16
-08. "Take It from the Man" – 2:40
-09. "B.S.A." – 4:32
-10. "Mary, Please" – 4:10
-11. "Monkey Puzzle" – 4:03
-12. "Fucker" – 2:12
-13. "Dawn" – 2:00
-14. "Cabin Fever" – 7:56
-15. "In My Life" – 2:22
-16. "The Be Song" – 3:26
-17. "My Man Syd" – 1:50
-18. "Straight Up and Down" – 11:07

Personnel:
* Anton Newcombe - Guitar, bass, drums, vocals
* Matt Hollywood - Bass, guitar
* Dean Taylor - Guitar
* Jeff Davies - Guitar
* Brian Glaze - Drums
* Joel Gion - Percussion
* Mara Keagle - Guitar

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Jose Gonzalez - Veneer (2003) (eac-flac-cover)

José González - Veneer (2003)

alternative, indie, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 160MB

Peacefrog | RAR +5% recovery

AMG:
Don't let the name fool you; singer/songwriter José González is a Swedish-born and -raised son of Argentine parents. His debut album, Veneer, is a striking collection of hushed and autumnal indie pop bedroom songs that reside on the hi-fi end of the lo-fi spectrum. González is definitely a member of the "quiet is the new loud" school as founded by Elliott Smith and the Kings of Convenience. Veneer is about as intimate as they come; it sounds like he is sitting right on the end of your bed singing just for you. At times, González is a little more forceful than most of his schoolmates, often working himself into a tightly spinning ball of emotion (as on the driving "Lovestain" and the bluesy "Hints"). At these moments his voice is reminiscent of Mark Kozelek, only without the wild flights of pretension. Mostly though, he is content to cruise along on mellow vocals double-tracked behind gently plucked and strummed acoustic guitars. The beautiful "Heartbeats," "Deadweight on Velveteen," and the gently rollicking "Stay in the Shade" are the high watermarks of a remarkably focused and promising debut. González is a welcome addition to the q-school of indie pop.

Tracks:
1. "Slow Moves" – 2:52
2. "Remain" – 3:45
3. "Lovestain" – 2:18
4. "Heartbeats" (The Knife) – 2:40
5. "Crosses" – 2:43
6. "Deadweight on Velveteen" – 3:27
7. "All You Deliver" – 2:20
8. "Stay in the Shade" – 2:23
9. "Hints" – 3:52
10. "Save Your Day" – 2:30
11. "Broken Arrows" – 1:58

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Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (2007) (eac-flac-cover)

José González - In Our Nature (2007)

alternative, indie, rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 215MB

Mute Imperial | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
José González earned himself a lot of fans with his first album, Veneer. Songs from it were placed in TV shows and featured in ads, he appeared on Top of the Pops and played festivals, and became a sought-after guest vocalist for electronic artists (Zero 7, Savath & Savalas, Plan B). His intimate, tender sound featuring just his voice and a skillfully played acoustic guitar struck a chord all around the world. The long lag between the recording of Veneer (which was originally released in Sweden during 2003 and only widely available in 2005) and the release of the follow-up, 2007's In Our Nature, might lead fans to think that time might bring about a change in González's sound. Those fears prove to be groundless. Despite teasing some changes with a fuller, more arranged sound featuring a backing band on the 2006 EP Stay in the Shade, In Our Nature is a near sonic clone of Veneer, right down to the cover of a classic electronica track (this time it's Massive Attack's "Teardrops"). This is great news for people looking for more of the same quiet, stark, but beautiful songs and performances, but if you were looking for some kind of change or progression, you're out of luck unless you listen quite intently and get past the smooth surface. What you'll find are more political lyrics (like on the opening "How Low," which shoots verbal daggers at war-mongering world leaders), more passionate vocals, some more forceful guitar playing, and a general sense of urgency and unease bubbling underneath the prettiness. It may take a few listens before the record reveals itself as a relative cauldron of restrained emotion, but it's worth the effort. Or you could choose to let the moody songs and melancholy atmosphere relax and sooth you. Either way the record is sure to please the fans who latched on to Veneer.

Tracks:
1. How Low
2. Down the Line
3. Killing For Love
4. In Our Nature
5. Teardrop
6. Abram
7. Time to Send Someone Away
8. Nest, The
9. Fold
10. Cycling Trivialities

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Dandy Warhols - Earth To The Dandy Warhols (2008) (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols - Earth To The Dandy Warhols (2008)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 475MB

BTW | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
On ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols..., Courtney Taylor and company do indeed seem to be a little more down to earth than they were on the very uneven Odditorium or the Warlords of Mars, debuting their own label with a much more consistent collection of songs. That's "consistent" in terms of quality -- the Dandy Warhols always seem the most comfortable when they're hopping from sound to sound, mood to mood, instead of sticking with just one approach for an entire album. If their eclecticism can be considered a signature Warhols sound, then ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... has it; it often feels like an update on Thirteen Tales from Modern Bohemia. The band roams from driving, psychedelic rock on the opening track, "The World the People Together (Come On)" -- which, with its trippy strumming and lyrics like "The love that you give is exactly the love that you take," sounds like a '60s love-in shot into space -- to "Mission Control"'s blobby synth rock to "Beast of All Saints," a massive, empty-hearted ballad that shoots past the band's own "Godless" to rival Spiritualized's interstellar brooding. The band even does its best impression of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You" on "Welcome to the Third World," although Taylor's borderline-obnoxious vocals and attitude undermine some of the song's cool. Attitude also reigns on the stylishly tongue-in-cheek "Talk Radio" and more flamboyantly on "The Legend of the Last of the Outlaw Truckers aka the Ballad of Sheriff Shorty," a psychobilly-tinged rocker embellished with strings and gunfire. However, the camp factor is surprisingly low on most of ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols..., as is the number of songs about frenemies and drugs. The band focuses on love, rather than friendships, gone wrong on the deconstructed chamber pop of "And Then I Dreamt of Yes" and "Now You Love Me"'s minor-key brooding and bragging. Toward the album's end, however, the band's restraint unravels, with mixed results: "Mis Amigos," which is as much about hanging out with friends as it is about pot, is a gleeful, red-eyed fiesta; "Valerie Yum" starts out as stomping pop, then falls into an aptly slowed down, spoken word section before revving up again; and the final track, "Musee d' Nougat," a 15-minute trawl through French-accented vocals and formless synth drones, seems to be where the Dandy Warhols put most of their annoying ticks on this album. Before that song, though, ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... finds the band breaking some new ground with "Love Song," a bit of futuristic Americana with intricate fingerpicked guitars and banjos buffeted by keyboards, and "Wasp in the Lotus," an electro-psych epic swathed in massive feedback squalls. The best moments of ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... rival the Dandys' finest work, and despite some weak spots, it's a giant leap in the right direction.

Tracks:
01 - The World The People Together (Come On
02 - Mission Control
03 - Welcome To The Third World
04 - Wasp In The Lotus
05 - And Then I Dreamt Of Yes
06 - Talk Radio
07 - Love Song
08 - Now You Love Me
09 - Mis Amigos
10 - The Legend Of The Last Of The Outlaw Truckers aka The Ballad Of Sheriff Shorty
11 - Beast Of All Saints
12 - Valerie Yum
13 - Musee D'Nougat

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Dandy Warhols - The Black Album / Come On Feel The DW (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols - The Black Album / Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols

alternative, indie | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 820MB

Dandy Warhol Music | rar +5% recovery

Wikipedia:
The Black Album was originally recorded in 1996 by The Dandy Warhols as a follow up to their debut album, Dandys Rule, OK?, but was rejected by the band's label Capitol Records. The songs "Good Morning", "Minnesoter" and "Boys" (as "Boys Better") were later rerecorded and appeared on the …The Dandy Warhols Come Down album.
After many years of being traded by fans, the album was officially released by the band on their own Beat the World Records label in 2004, available exclusively from their official website, as part one of a two disc set along with the B-sides compilation Come on Feel the Dandy Warhols.
The name of the album is a reference to the Beatles' album "The Beatles" which is more widely known as The White Album. Taylor-Taylor has said in many interviews that he is a big Beatles fan.

disc 1: The Black Album (47:10)
1. Appreggio Adaggio
2. Crack Cocaine Rager
3. Good Morning
4. Head
5. White Gold
6. Boys
7. Shiny Leather Boots
8. Earth To The Dandy Warhols
9. Minnesoter
10. Twist
11. The Wreck

disc 2: Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols (72:47)
1. Not If You Were The Last Junkie In Tony's Basement
2. Retarded
3. Free For All (Ted Nugent)
4. Dub Song
5. Call Me (Blondie)
6. Relax (Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
7. Head
8. Thanks For The Show
9. Lance
10. Ohio (Neil Young)
11. One Saved Message
12. Hell's Bells (AC/DC)
13. The Jean Genie (David Bowie)
14. Stars
15. Dick
16. One Ultra Lame White Boy
17. We Love You Dick
18. The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot)

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Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (2005) (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (2005)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 445MB

Capitol/EMI | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Although Dig! covered the symbiotic, love-hate relationship between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre more than thoroughly enough, more proof that the Dandies still want to be taken as seriously as the Massacre's misunderstood genius Anton Newcombe arrives with Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, an album that's half-inspired, half-embarrassing, and completely self-indulgent. As if the title weren't enough warning, Odditorium's opening track, "Colder Than the Coldest Winter Was Cold" -- in which A&E announcer/journalist Bill Kurtis explains how the Dandy Warhols invented rock & roll "after the great war" -- gets things off to a strange start. Unfortunately, in this case strange doesn't mean interesting or good. Odditorium is bookended by two of the most meandering, pointless tracks the band has ever recorded. "Love Is the New Feel Awful" is merely a song that could've been good if it weren't bloated with several minutes' worth of fruitless noodling. It's the closer, "A Loan Tonight," with its irritating, oddly strangled vocals, clunky keyboards, and listless guitars that go on and on for nearly 12 minutes, that is so infuriatingly bad you wish you could somehow un-hear it, and maybe the rest of the album while you're at it. Which is a shame, because the middle stretch of Odditorium has more than a few tracks that rank with the band's best work. "Down Like Disco" and "All the Money or Is It the Simple Honey" show off their skills as a smart, satirical pop group, while moody, hungover ballads like "Holding Me Up" and "Everyone Is Totally Insane" make emptiness seem profound. Meanwhile, "Easy," a slinky, hypnotic track that builds on a simple groove, and "There Is Only This Time," a spacious meditation with close harmonies and brass flourishes, balance the Dandies' pop and experimental leanings far better than anywhere else on the album. Taken as a whole, Odditorium is scattered and half-baked (in more ways than one), but its best moments are ripe for adding to play lists and mixtapes. Something this indulgent could only be a labor of love, but even die-hard Dandy Warhols fans might find embracing this album to be too much work.

Tracks:
01 - Colder Than The Coldest Winter Was Cold
02 - Love Is The New Feel Awful
03 - Easy
04 - All The Money Or The Simple Life Honey
05 - The New Country
06 - Holding Me Up
07 - Did You Make A Song With Otis
08 - Everyone Is Totally Insane
09 - Smoke It
10 - Down Like Disco
11 - There is Only This Time
12 - A Loon Tonight

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Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkey House (enhancedCD) (2003) (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols  - Welcome to the Monkey House (enhancedCD) (2003)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 425MB

Capitol | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Over the course of their career, the Dandy Warhols alternated between slick, smart, slightly smirky pop singles like "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" and "Bohemian Like You" and the ambitious yet somehow empty-sounding tracks that made up the rest of their albums. With their fifth album, Welcome to the Monkey House, the band capitalizes on their pop sensibilities and even manages to turn their prior weaknesses into strengths, resulting in a collection of gloriously blank, cleverly stupid neo-new wave songs. It's true that, once again, the Dandy Warhols look to other people's music for direction, but this time around, the new wave and synth-pop revivals that inform the album sound so natural that it's hard to imagine the band in any other incarnation. Welcome to the Monkey House's glossy mix of synths, guitars, and drum machines -- aided and abetted by co-producer Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran -- are the perfect complement to Courtney Taylor's knowing, flip outlook. The album gets off to a strong start with sharply crafted songs like "We Used to Be Friends" -- which feels a little bit like a follow-up to Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia's "Bohemian Like You" -- and "I Am Over It," a slice of electronic pop that's delivered in appropriately blasé, mechanical fashion. Not surprisingly, most of the album's best songs revolve around emptiness, drugs, and narcissism, such as "The Dope," an electro-inspired number that could give Fischerspooner a run for its money when it comes to jittery, vocodered trendiness. "I Am a Scientist" is the album's trashy zenith; a hybrid of sleazy beats, breathy samples and a rather nihilistic celebration of science's lack of emotion (not to mention its contributions to recreational chemistry). "You Were the Last High," however, confuses drugs and girls in an unusually bittersweet way. Some shades of paranoia and existential crisis creep into the album from time to time, more playfully on "Plan A" and more seriously on the brooding "Insincere Because I," giving a what-goes-up-must-come-down balance to party-hard odes such as "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone" and "Hit Rock Bottom." Like any party, things start to fall flat toward the end of Welcome to the Monkey House; "Heavenly," "I Am Sound" -- an "Ashes to Ashes" homage -- and "You Come in Burned" provide a sluggish comedown to the rest of the album's go-go pace, although they're not as distinctive as what came before them. Ultimately, in general and on this album, the Dandy Warhols work best when they don't try to inject weighty matters like meaning and substance into their jaded pop confectionery. Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia might still be the band's most accomplished album, but by embracing their emptiness and stylishness on Welcome to the Monkey House, they've crafted an album that is no less enjoyable because of its disposability.

Tracks:
1. "Welcome to the Monkey House" – 1:04
2. "We Used to Be Friends" – 3:20
3. "Plan A" – 4:01
4. "The Dope (Wonderful You)" – 4:37
5. "I Am a Scientist" (Taylor-Taylor/Bowie) – 3:13
6. "I Am Over It" – 3:50
7. "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone" – 1:54
8. "Insincere Because I" – 3:49
9. "You Were the Last High" (Taylor-Taylor/Dando) – 4:46
10. "Heavenly" – 3:36
11. "I Am Sound" – 4:00
12. "Hit Rock Bottom" – 2:53
13. "You Come In Burned" – 7:24
"I Am a Scientist" contains a sample of "Fashion" by David Bowie.

Enhanced CD Content
The enhanced CD contained the short film "The End of the Old as We Know It," written and directed by Courtney Taylor-Taylor, and a link to The Odditorium, a (no longer active) website "where fans can see band web casts, play games, and download exclusive music and mayhem."

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Dandy Warhols - The Dandy Warhols Come Down (1997) (eac-log-cover)

Dandy Warhols  - The Dandy Warhols Come Down (1997)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 450MB

Capitol | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Power pop bands are often caught in a quandary. Their core audience praises them for their classicist approach, but if they ever want to break out into a larger audience, they have to modernize their sound, which makes their cult angry. The problem is especially difficult for bands that came of age in the early '90s, since they were weaned on not just the Beatles and Beach Boys, but also the Pixies and Sonic Youth. As a result, bands like the Dandy Warhols are restless, anxious to make catchy pop songs while keeping indie cred, and that's why their major-label debut, The Dandy Warhols Come Down, is so uneven. The band has talent for not just punchy hooks, but for layered sonics as well, but they don't know how to meld the two together. As a result, the most immediate moments on the record are awash in a sea of feedback, which can't be trance-inducing since its spell is punctured by pop hooks. And while those pop songs are good, they aren't enough to prevent Come Down from being a frustrating listen.

Tracks:
1. "Be-In" – 7:00
2. "Boys Better" – 4:31
3. "Minnesoter" – 3:03
4. "Orange" – 5:41
5. "I Love You" – 4:12
6. "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" – 3:11
7. "Every Day Should Be a Holiday" – 4:02
8. "Good Morning" – 5:01
9. "Whipping Tree" – 3:49
10. "Green" – 3:10
11. "Cool as Kim Deal" – 3:03
12. "Hard On for Jesus" (Taylor/Holmstrom) – 4:36
13. "Pete International Airport" (Taylor/Holmstrom) – 5:57
14. "The Creep Out" (The Dandy Warhols) – 8:59

Personnel:
* Courtney Taylor-Taylor – vocals, guitar
* Zia McCabe – keyboards, bass (synthesized)
* Peter Holmstrom – guitar, vocals
* Eric Hedford – drums, vocals
* Tony Lash – keyboards, percussion

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Dandy Warhols - Dandys Rule OK (1995) (eac-flac-cover)

Dandy Warhols - Dandys Rule OK (1995)

alternative, indie | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 505MB

Tim Kerr Records | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
The Dandy Warhols seem like they should be a great band — they bring together shoegazing, Brit-pop, lazy grunge, and Velvet Underground-style grittiness, all with a wicked sense of humor. Despite all this — and despite the fact that Dandys Rule OK? is fairly well written — their songs tend to slip by unnoticed, never really leaving an impression. The band seems to be at its best when it parodies other bands: "Lou Weed," "Ride," and "The Coffee and Tea Wrecks" are all affectionate pastiches of their namesakes, and "The Dandy Warhol's T.V. Theme Song" is a fine bit of bouncy pop. Unfortunately, none of the album's more clever segments stand out, buried as they are in a murky mess of forgettable material.

Tracks:
01. introduction by young tom
02. the dandy warhols' t.v. theme song
03. ride
04. best friend
05. not your bottle
06. (tony, this song is called) lou weed
07. nothin' to do
08. the coffee and tea wrecks
09. genius
10. dick
11. just try
12. nothing (lifestyle of a tortured artists for sale)
13. grunge betty
14. prelude: it's a fast-driving rave-up with the dandy warhols sixteen minutes
15. it's a fast-driving rave-up with the dandy warhols sixteen minutes
16. finale: it's a fast-driving rave-up with the dandy warhols sixteen minutes

Total Length: 1:13:50

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