caroline

caroline are an eight-piece post-rock band from London, England that began in 2017. This released their self-titled debut early this year on Rough Trade Records. This album was a long-time coming, with most songs from it having already been released in some capacity. With years of progression and evolution under each track's belt, the band finally presents them fully formed, working within the spaces of folk, midwest emo, post-rock and interpolated field recordings to construct something gorgeously layered and unique. Amidst reverberated guitars, percussion, strings, and ghostly vocals, the band has managed to strip each song back to its most minimal, actually making them more impactful in the process, feeling melancholic without brooding. Highly recommended, enjoy.

Dark blue (2020)

1. Dark blue

2. BRJ

Skydiving ono the library roof / Everything for everyone (2021)

1. Skydiving onto the library roof

2. Everything for everyone

caroline (2022)

1. Dark blue

2. Good morning (red)

3. desperately

4. IWR

5. messen #7

6. Engine (eavesdropping)

7. hurtle

8. Skydiving onto the library roof

9. zilch

10. Natural Death

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The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans were a four-piece punk/indie band from Winnipeg, Manitoba that began in 1997 and went on a Fugazi-style hiatus in 2014. The band was formed by singer/guitarist John K. Samson, who had previously been the bassist in legendary Canadian punk band Propaghandi. Joined by bassist John Sutton and drummer Jason Tait, they released their debut album Fallow in 1997. Following its release, Stephan Carroll was added as a second guitarist, and this line-up stayed throughout their two classic releases, Left and Leaving and Reconstruction Site. Greg Smith took over on bass duties prior to their last album, the also-incredible Reunion Tour.

The Weakerthans crafted a unique sound, where John K. Samson's sung-spoken vocal delivery and poetic yet personable lyrical storytelling really took the forefront. Backing them was a blend of punk, indie rock, and folk influence, with energetic and honest deliveries. They released four virtually perfect albums, all more than worth your time to check out, and have been a big influence on tons of artists, including Frank Turner and Modern Baseball. On a side note, "One Great City!" soundtracked one of the most personal moments in my life, which I won't get into, but it came to me at the exact perfect time, and for that alone I owe this band everything. Additionally, the Virtute the Cat saga is one of the most emotionally affecting things I've ever heard, with the two tracks from The Weakerthans that touch upon this being two of their best, but also the follow-up conclusion explored on two tracks from John K. Sampson's 2016 solo record Winter Wheat, which did also feature production and collaborations from other Weakerthans members (namely Greg Smith and Jason Tait). You can find the whole thing on YouTube here. Happy New Year, and enjoy!

Fallow (1997)

1. Illustrated Bible Stories For Children

2. Diagnosis

3. Confessions Of A Futon-Revolutionist

4. None Of The Above

5. Letter Of Resignation

6. Leash

7. Wellington's Wednesdays

8. The Last Last One

9. Greatest Hits Collection

10. Sounds Familiar

11. Anchorless

12. Fallow

Left And Leaving (2000)

1. Everything Must Go!

2. Aside

3. Watermark

4. Pamphleteer

5. This Is A Fire Door Never Leave Open

6. Without Mythologies

7. Left And Leaving

8. Elegy For Elsabet

9. History To The Defeated

10. Exiles Among You

11. My Favourite Chords

12. Slips And Tangles

Reconstruction Site (2003)

1. (Manifest)

2. The Reasons

3. Reconstruction Site

4. Psalm From The Elk's Lodge Last Call

5. Plea From A Cat Named Virtute

6. Our Retired Explorer (Dines With Michael Foucault In Paris, 1961)

7. Time's Arrow

8. (Hospital Vespers)

9. Uncorrected Proofs

10. A New Name For Everything

11. One Great City!

12. Benediction

13. The Prescience Of Dawn

14. (Past-Due)

Reunion Tour (2007)

1. Civil Twilight

2. Hymn of the Medical Oddity

3. Relative Surplus Value

4. Tournament Of Hearts

5. Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure

6. Elegy For Gump Worsley

7. Sun In An Empty Room

8. Night Windows

9. Bigfoot!

10. Reunion Tour

11. Utilities

Live Session EP (2009)

1. Night Window (Live)

2. Anchorless (Live)

3. Civil Twilight (Live)

4. Fallow (Live)

5. Reunion Tour (Live)

Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre (2010)

1. Everything Must Go

2. Tournament Of Hearts

3. Our Retired Explorer (Dines With Michael Foucault In Paris In 1969)

4. Night Windows

5. Reconstruction Site

6. Aside

7. Civil Twilight

8. Bigfoot

9. Plea From A Cat Named Virtute

10. The Reasons

11. Sun In An Empty Room

12. Left and Leaving

13. Wellington's Wednesdays

14. Benediction

15. Manifest

16. One Great City!

17. This Is A Fire Door Never Leave Open

18. Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure

Table Of Contents

1. My Favourite Power Chords

2. Ringing of Revolution [Phil Ochs cover]

3. Bad Time To Be Poor [Rheostatics cover]

4. Past Due [Alternate Version]

5. Confessions Of A Futon-Revolutionist (Country Style)

5. Everything Must Go [Alternate Version]

7. Utilities [Alternate Version]

8. Illustrated Bible Stories For Children [Live on CKUW]

9. The Last Last One [Live on CKUW]

10. Left and Leaving [CBC Version]

11. The Reasons [CBC Version]

12. Psalms For The Elk's Lodge Last Call [CBC Version]

13. One Great City [CBC Version}

14. Reconstruction Site [CBC Version}

15. Utlities [CBC Version]

16. Judge G [Sarah Hammer cover] (Live)

17. Swingin' Party [The Replacements cover] (Live)

Note: All credit for this unoffical compilation goes to Besides Asides

Spotify

Apple Music

ANTI-

Home Is Where

Home Is Where are a four piece emo/indie band from Palm Coast, Florida that have been around since 2017. Above all, they a testimony to emo's constant relentless revitalization. This band takes its cues from early midwest/revival and skramz bands (with some notable The Brave Little Abacus influence) and blends it seamlessly with elements of folk (harmonica included). Their energy is fantastic, songwriting is top notch, and they bring a newness to a nostalgic familiarity that reminds you why you got into this genre in the first place. Thanks to Nick for introducing me to these guys, and enjoy.

alabama / henry (2017)

1. alabama / henry

our mouths to smile (2019)

1. alabama

2. venison

3. alsace-lorraine

4. dob bylan

5. cicada summer (we were on the roof when the ufo's came)

the scientific classification of stringrays (2020)

1. the scientific classification of stringrays

I Became Birds (2021)

1. L Ron Hubbard Was Way Cool

2. Long Distance Conjoined Twins

3. Sewn Together from the Membrane of the Great Sea Cucumber

4. The Scientific Classification of Stingrays

5. Assisted Harakiri

6. The Old Country

dissection lesson (2022)

1. Home Is Where - names

2. Home Is Where - creationish (feat. Pierce Jordan)

3. Record Setter - a world without you

4. Record Setter - plain english

The Whaler (2023)

1. Skin Meadow

2. Lily Pad Pupils

3. Yes! Yes! A Thousand Times Yes!

4. Waiting For Sport

5. Everydays Feel Like 9/11

6. 9/12

7. Daytona 500

8. Chris Farley

9. Nursing Home Riot

10. Floral Organs

Bandcamp

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Giles Corey

Giles Corey is a project created by Dan Barrett, a Connecticut musician who is also known for another project of his, Have A Nice Life. This particular project, Giles Corey, has been active since 2011 with the release of a self-titled album. It's garnered nothing but acclaim over the years, and for good reason. It's difficult to figure out a place to begin in describing this album (and all his work, for that matter). For one, and this is going to sound incredibly pretentious, but Barrett creates more than music, he crafts an experience. The atmospheres he creates are lonely, desolate, and most of all, engaging. From the artwork, to the book that accompanies this album, Giles Corey is a project that requires one's full immersion in. There is a clear, personal emotional intensity here, which simultaneously explores Barrett's own psyche, while also creating something for any listener to relate and indulge in. This kind of music is for the lowest points in life, and in exploring the darkest recesses of the mind, somehow a light at the end of the tunnel is found. Or something like that. Though though certainly are philosophical and emotional elements in his work, to quickly speak on the music alone here, it's absolutely fantastic. These atmospheres created with just an acoustic guitar, layers of breathy vocals, light percussion, and some background orchestral swelling reflects the depressive nature of this music alone, without even having to explore the book or lyrical accompaniments. Just by listening, this album still takes the listener on a conceptual journey through a person's depression and brink of suicide. I honestly can't recommend this enough.

What's essential here is the self-titled album, which also includes a booklet only included if you buy it on Bandcamp (which I highly recommend doing, but I've provided just the musical portion of it here). The follow-up Deconstructionist is technically not an album, but is described as a "philosophical tool". Again, I recommend reading more into it on Bandcamp, which also includes another booklet in its download. Hinterkaifeck is a fairly straight-forward EP, and Live in the Middle of Nowhere a fairly straight-forward live album (he even does some Have A Nice Life songs). Enjoy.

Giles Corey (2011)

1. The Haunting Presence

2. Blackest Bile

3. Grave Filled With Books

4. Empty Churches

5. I'm Going To Do It

6. Spectral Bride

7. Nobody's Ever Going To Want Me

8. A Sleeping Heart

9. Buried Above Ground

Deconstructionist (2012)

1. Awake Now

2. Infinite Death

3. Epsilon

Hinterkaifeck (2013)

1. Winter's House

2. Guilt Is My Boyfriend

3. Wounded Wolf

Live in the Middle of Nowhere (2013)

1. Blackest Bile

2. Grave Filled With Books

3. Guilt Is My Boyfriend

4. The Icon And The Axe

5. Deep, Deep

6. Earthmover

7. Wounded Wolf

8. Spectral Bride

Bandcamp

Bomb the Music Industry!

Bomb the Music Industry! were a punk/ska/indie band from Baldwin, New York that formed in 2004 and played their last show in 2014. This project has had a slew of members and musicians involved in it over the years, however the Mark E. Smith of the band is singer/guitarist Jeff Rosenstock. Hopefully that name is familiar, since he's put out two phenomenal solo albums in the past two years. Laura Stevenson also played keyboards and sang for them at a point, and she is probably the other most well-known member (who also happens to have some incredible solo material). BtMI! focused heavily on DIY ethics, making their name very fitting. They put out quite a few albums through their years, and I'd go as far as to say they're one of the most notable punk bands to come out post-2000. Rosenstock's songwriting skills matched with a strong, full band (including keys, percussion, and brass instruments) behind him make for some catchy, insightful, and energetic music. Don't know what else to say, just get on this if you haven't already. Enjoy.

Album Minus Band (2005)

1. Blow Your Brains Out on Live TV!!!

2. Does Your Face Hurt? No? 'Cause It's Killin' Me!!!

3. It Ceases To Be "Whining" If You're Still "Shitting Blood"

4. Big Plans of Sleeping In

5. I'm A Panic Bomb, Baby!

6. Sweet Home Cananada

7. Funcoland vs. The Southern Electorate

8. Ready... Set... No!!!

9. "I'm Too Cooooool For Music"

10. Pike St. - Park Slope (by Harvey Danger)

11. "FRRRREEEEE BIIIIIIIRRRRD!!!!!! FRRRRREEEEEEEEE BIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRDDDDD!!!!!!!"

12. Future 86

To Leave Or Die In Long Island (2005)

1. Happy Anterrabae Day!!!

2. Congratulations, John, On Joining Every Time I Die

3. Showerbeers!

4. Stand There Until You're Sober

5. Dude, Get With The Program

6. Bomb The Music Industry! (And Action Action) (And Refused) (And Born Against) Are Fucking Dead.

7. Brian Wilson Says SMiLE a.k.a. Beard Of Defiance

8. Syke! Life Is Awesome!

Goodbye Cool World (2006)

1. Old And Unprofessional

2. King of Minneapolis Pts. I & II

3. Even Winning Feels Bad

4. Side Projects are Never Successful

5. 5 Funerals

6. My Response To An Article In Alternative Press

7. Sorry, Brooklyn. Dancing Won't Solve Anything.

8. It's Official! We're Booorrrrrriiiiing!!!

9. From Martyrdom to Star(tyr)dom

10. All Alone In My Big Lonely Apartment

11. Fuck The Fans

12. Grudge Report

13. King of Minneapolis Pts. III & IV

14. Anywhere I Lay My Head (Tom Waits)

Get Warmer (2007)

1. Jobs Schmobs

2. 493 Ruth

3. Bike Test 1 2 3

4. Unlimited Breadsticks, Soup and Salad Days

5. No Rest For the Whiny

6. 25 Hour Goddamn Telethon

7. Depression is No Fun

8. I Don't Love You Anymore

9. Pizza Claus is Comin' to Town

10. Never Trust a Man Without a Horribly Embarrassing Secret

11. Get Warmer

12. The Last Party (Foul)

Bomb the Music Industry!/O Pioneers!!! (2007)

1. Bomb the Music Industry! - Save the War

2. Bomb the Music Industry! - I'm Terrorfied!!!

3. Bomb the Music Industry! - This is a Singalong

4. Bomb the Music Industry! - Ghost of Corporate Future

5. O Pioneers!!! - Punknews is Stoked

6. O Pioneers!!! - Yo Bones!

7. O Pioneers!!! - You Know That Part in Superman III, Where He Is All Bad Ass and Stuff? Yeah, I Bet That's How You Feel Right Now.

8. O Pioneers!!! - Bad Scene, Aaron's Fault 

Scrambles (2009)

1. Cold Chillin' Cold Chillin'

2. Stuff That I Like

3. It Shits!!!

4. Fresh Attitude, Young Body

5. Wednesday Night Drinkball

6. 25!

7. $2,400,000

8. Gang of Four Meets the Stooges (But Boring)

9. 9/11 Fever!!!

10. (Shut) Up The Punx!!!

11. Can I Pay My Rent in Fun?

12. Saddr Weirdr

13. Sort of Like Being Pumped

Others! Others! Volume 1 (2009)

1. This Graceless Planet (We Versus the Shark Cover - 2005)

2. Tell My Boss, "I Hate You" (2005)

3. This Year For Presidents' Day, I'm Giving Up on Rock and Roll (2006)

4. 4 Inches! (Rick Johnson Rock and Roll Machine Cover - 2006)

5. Come On, This Shit Is Getting RIDICULOUS. (2006)

6. If Assholes Got Awards, I'd Have A Trophy Case (but with some different words) (Infamous Jake Cover - 2006))

7. All Alone In My Big Empty Apartment (Demo - 2006)

8. This is a Singalong! (Original Version - 2006)

9. The Soul Crushing Northeast (2006)

10. D13 4 YR G0V3RNM3NT (Anti-Flag Megamix - 2007)

11. Little Brother (Andrew Jackson Jihad Cover - 2008)

12. Pog (Demo - 2008)

13. Gold Soundz (Pavement Cover - 2008)

14. (jeff disapproves of this bonus track) SUPERTALK! (2005 - 2008)

Bomb the Music Industry!/Laura Stevenson & The Cans (2009)

1. Bomb the Music Industry! - THERE'S My Bailout!

2. Bomb the Music Industry! - A Shine To It (Laura Stevenson cover)

3. Laura Stevenson & The Cans - Halloween One and Two

4. Laura Stevenson & The Cans - It Ceases to Be "Whining" if You're Still "Shitting Blood" (BtMI! cover)

Adults!!!: Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited by Nothing!!!!!!! (2010)

1. You Still Believe In Me?

2. Planning My Death

3. Slumlord

4. All Ages Shows

5. Big Ending

6. The First Time I Met Sanawon

7. Struggler

Vacation (2011)

1. Campaign For A Better Next Weekend

2. Vocal Coach

3. Everybody That You Love

4. Sponge Board/Baby Waves

5. The Shit That You Hate

6. Hurricane Waves

7. Sick, Later

8. Why, Oh Why, Oh Why (Oh Oh Oh Oh)

9. Savers

10. Can't Complain

11. Everybody That Loves You

12. Sunny Place Shady People

13. Felt Just Like Vacation

Scott & Aubrey's Wedding 7-Inch (2012)

1. The Forecast - The Reasons (The Weakerthans cover)

2. Into It. Over It. - Need You Around (Smoking Popes cover)

3. The Swellers - El Scorcho (Weezer cover)

4. Bomb The Music Industry! - Punk Rock Girl (Dead Milkmen cover)

Ramshackle Glory

Ramshackle Glory were a punk band from Tucson, Arizona that were around from 2011 to 2016. The band was primarily a new project by folk-punk superstar Pat The Bunny. This band came after his mostly solo projects, such as Johnny Hobo & The Freight Trains and Wingnut Dishwashers Union. Even though there's a fuller sound backing him, Pat does what he does best here: personal reflections done in upbeat punk songs. Anarchy never sounded more fun. The band's debut, Live The Dream, is particularly fantastic. They also put out a split with Ghost Mice, who are another great band. In 2016, Pat The Bunny announced he was retiring from music, since he didn't feel like punk rock fit him like it used to. As expected, Ramshackle Glory also called it quits too, but at least got a farewell show and a final album out there. Enjoy.

Live The Dream (2011)

1. First Song

2. More About Alcoholism

3. We Are All Compost In Training

4. From Here Till Utopia (Song For The Desperate)

5. Never Coming Home (Song For The Guilty)

6. Vampires Are Poseurs (Song For The Living)

7. Of Hallots And Harricades

8. Bitter Old Man

9. Your Heart Is A Muscle The Size Of Your Fist

10. First Song, Part 2

Who are your friends gonna be? (2012)

1. Introduction

2. Last days (goddamn)

3. Who are your friends gonna be?

4. Gospel music for the coming Social War

5. The club hits of today are the show tunes of tomorrow

6. Fuck everything

7. Exploration of coercion in everyday life

8. Song for next May Day

9. Last song

Shelter (2013)

1. Ramshackle Glory - Eulogy for an adolescence shattered against Elliot Street Pavement (here's to being young!)

2. Ramshackle Glory - Any place (growing up)

3. Ramshackle Glory - Love song for the birds in our back yard

4. Ramshackle Glory - No Shelter

5. Ramshackle Glory - Punk is the worst form of music, except for all the others

6. Ghost Mice - House On Fire

7. Ghost Mice - House Of The God Of War

8. Ghost Mice - House On Wheels

9. Ghost Mice - House Of Chaos 

10. Ghost Mice - House Of The Undying

One Last Big Job (2016)

1. Junk Bones

2. Collapse Fury Redemption Loss

3. Broken Heart

4. Homeward Bound

5. War on Christmas

6. Die Alone Live Together (Born to Lose)

7. Into the Wind

8. Face the Void

9. The Hand You Reach Out Is Empty (As Is Mine)

Bandcamp

Pygmy Lush

I can't deny this one is LONG overdue. As you may know, Pygmy Lush are a folk/experimental band based out of Sterling, Virginia that formed in 2004 in the wake of pg.99's demise. 4 out of 5 of the guys in this band appeared on Document #8, to put it in perspective. Thus, Pygmy Lush are the true heir to pg.99's throne as the greatest band of all time, though they took a radically different approach to their sound. Like I said earlier, Pygmy Lush experimented heavily with folk influence, often creating long, drawn-out and melancholic acoustic pieces with breathy vocals and somber tones. On occasion though, they still would break into their old frenzies, particularly on their debut album Bitter River. But for the most part, they're more "my blood barely flooooooows" than "FUCK YOU JESUS".  And just as a disclaimer, I don't mean to continually emphasis the relation to a certain other band, Pygmy Lush are certainly their own project and have established a ton of amazing material and a dedicated following on their own, separate of what its members had been active in prior.

If you're familiar with the pg.99 family then you're definitely already familiar with this band, and if you're a fan of dark, acoustic-based music you will definitely dig this band. They craft some incredibly music as haunting as it is beautiful that you'll have a tough time turning off. Enjoy.

Bitter River (2007)

1. Nonsensical Tremor

2. Hurt Everything

3. Universal Order At 0mph

4. Slave To A Teenager

5. Big Black River

6. Send Bombs

7. Headless

8. Foul Mouth Mother

9. Red Room Blues

10. Malady Savvy

11. Hurt Everything

12. The Baptism Of Isa Lee

13. Send Bombs

14 .The Boys Of Sweet Creek Reservoir

15. Untitled

16. Throw The Jockey

Mount Hope (2008)

1. Asphalt

2. No Feeling

3. Dead Don't Pass

4. God Condition

5. Red Room Blues

6. Mount Hope

7. Frozen Man

8. Hard To Swallow

9. Concrete Mountain

10. Dreams Are Class

11. Butch's Dream

12. Tumor

Untitled (2008)

1. Asphalt

2. Dead Don't Pass

3. Throw The Jockey

4. Headless

5. No Feeling

6. Butch's Dream

7. Hard To Swallow

8. Untitled

9. The Lonely Waltz Of Leonard Cohen (pg.99 cover)
10. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (The Ramones cover)

Pygmy Lush/Turboslut (2009)

1. Pygmy Lush - White Oblivion

2. Pygmy Lush - Proud King Of The Doomed

3. Pygmy Lush - Affluence At The Altar

4. Pygmy Lush - Rut Gluttony

5. Pygmy Lush - It's A Good Day To Hide

6. Pygmy Lush - Black Liver Blues

7. Pygmy Lush - November Song

8. Turboslut - Speed

9. Turboslut - Exorcism

10. Turboslut - Roadkill

11. Turboslut - Eulogy

12. Turboslut - Invoking

Cold World / Guilt (2011)

1. Cold World

2. Guilt

Old Friends (2011)

1. Yellow Hall

2. Chance

3. Good Dirt

4. In A Well

5. Night At The Johnstown Flood

6. I'll Wait With You

7. Penny On My Deathbed

8. A Weird Glow

9. Admit

10. Old Friends

11. January Song

12. Pals

In Utero, In Tribute, In Entirety (2014)

1. Serve The Servants (Nirvana cover)

Whatever Nevermind (2015)

8. On a Plain (Nirvana cover)

Facebook

Bandcamp (contains old demos)