Wire - "Pink Flag"

In an era of hackneyed Chuck Berry riffs, ill informed "political" lyrics, and intense amounts of self destruction, "Pink Flag" emerged as a wake up call. It was a post 70's album before the 70's even ended, a classy and loud, pissed off snarl. It packed surreal (yet oddly intelligent lyrics) with a perfectly balanced sense of production of pace. It was slow where it needed to be, fast where it needed to be, sad and happy only when necessary; it was (and still is) one of the most revolutionary albums ever made. And no-one even noticed when it was first released.
I find it really crazy that an album like this came out of the U.K right around the same time as The Clash, the Buzzcocks, The Damned, and even that dreaded bunch of posers The Sex Pistols. It makes me wonder, why didn't anyone pay attention? Why is Wire scarcely (if ever) mentioned in those retrospective music lists made by Rolling Stone or NME.com? My theory is that it was to ahead of its time. I think, in alot of ways, it still IS ahead of our time. I listen to it and parts of it make zero sense to me; and I love it for that very reason. It packs the speed and intensity that would one day become 80's hardcore with the delicacy and honesty that would manifest into "emo" music later down the line. The distortion is so crunchy and perfect sounding and then it switches to a barebones, raw, clean sound that makes you sit down and listen. It rocks, it rolls, and it speaks. It is such an important album in musical history, and it is really close to my heart. Rites of Spring, Fugazi, Minor Threat, and pretty much every local band in Calgary would not exist were it not for this band and this album. I could really rant on and on about this album but you should just check it out yourself to see what I mean. Enjoy!

1. Reuters
2. Field Day for the Sundays
3. Three Girl Rhumba
4. Ex Lion Tamer
5. Lowdown
6. Start to Move
7. Brazil
8. It's So Obvious
9. Surgeon's Girl
10. Pink Flag
11. The Commercial
12. Straight Line
13. 106 Beats That
14. Mr. Suit
15. Strange
16. Fragile
17. Mannequin
18. Different to Me
19. Champs
20. Feeling Called Love
21. 12XU

DL link here!

Deerhunter - "Halcylon Digest"

Sadness has never sounded so sublime.
This release by the noise/indie/experimental collective is one of the best things 2010 has offered us so far, blending lush sounds with spazzy noise. It brings to mind, for me, the feeling of first hearing a sound or song you really love; that moment where you forget music politics. That moment where, if the song was a woman, you'd be moving your hand up the skirt. Its intimate and stripped down and evokes feeling of nostalgia, but not nostalgia of an era or a person; of a sound and a moment that so many music groups forget as they go along. It jumps from loud to quiet over and over, blending in dozens of different instruments without ever overwhelming you and with tons of stream-of-conscience lyrics to support it all. Its post punk dissonance, shoegaze daze. For fans of Animal Collective, My Bloody Valentine, etc!

01. Earthquake
02. Don't Cry
03. Revival
04. Sailing
05. Memory Boy
06. Desire Lines
07. Basement Scene
08. Helicopter
09. Fountain Stairs
10. Coronado
11. He Would Have Laughed

DL Link here!

Titus Andronicus - "The Monitor"

I'll leave all the grand statements and rants I have about this band out for now, as I already (slightly) covered it when I previously posted them. Long story short, Titus Andronicus is the only band today that matters, and this second and most recent album of there's is no less breathtaking then the first.
This album see's the band expanding on the deeply personal lyrics of there debut and infusing it with an overall story; a rock opera, maybe, but only in the same context of Husker Du's incredible "Zen Arcade" in that, its a sloppy, hard to follow, beautiful mess. Its contradictory, bipolar, schizophrenic, freaked out and lonely music... one of the most humane albums ever written.
There's civil war themes; the album title takes its name from a battleship of the era. Sound clips of Lincoln speeches are used. "I am now the most miserable man living," easily mistaken for an over dramatic lyric, is in fact a proclamation from the president. And don't mistake this for a cliche'd politcal statement. Feelings of alienation and strife, all common throughout this period of history, serve to illustrate the lyrics and yet its not at all set during the civil war; in fact, as far as I can tell, its about an emotionally fucked up kid running away from New Jersey. Its ridiculous, a major stretch in terms of lyrical content but its all delivered with such emotional honesty and rabble rousing energy that you don't care how much sense it makes; you feel what it invokes in you and ultimately, that is the point of the album. This band is deeply thoughtful, a major rarity in punk music, and the civil war themes just further prove that.
As far as the music goes, Titus Andronicus expands on there previous work in various subtle ways. Tattered, drink-everything-but-the-carpet bar tunes that surge forward like a damn train wreck is the name of the game here. Sounding like they're just holding it together yet doing it so amazingly, Titus Andronicus plays indie music as if its an axe and punk music as if its a comforting pillow. Its flailing and jagged, buzz sawed to perfection with Springsteen inspired riffing and shoe gazing being thrown in your face. Whats interesting is the thicker sound they lay on at times, especially in the opening track; the distorted yet uplifting manner brings to mind, of all things, Dinosaur Jr... or "Pinkerton" era Weezer.
I think I've written enough. I love this band! I truly do! And I hope you do to.
Stay Free!

01 - A More Perfect Union
02 - Titus Andronicus Forever!
03 - No Future Part Three; Escape From No Future
04 - Richard II
05 - A Pot In Which To Piss
06 - Four Score And Seven
07 - Theme From Cheers
08 - To Old Friends And New
09 - ...And Ever
10 - The Battle Of Hampton Roads

DL Link here!

The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Psychocandy"

Its hard to describe this album without falling to ridiculous hyper-bole, but I will try.
Few people have ever been able to tap the conscience of man like this band. Without trying to hard or to little, this album was -and still is- incredible, blunt, raw, and yet still earnestly refined. The lyrics continue to intigue me; its the kind of stuff I could comfortably read as written poetry as well as lyrics. "Too many things move fast, I can;t quite get a grip at last" they sing on my favorite track, "Taste the Floor." And it honestly leaves me speechless, how they are able to say so much while still saying so little. Soundwise, this album is a slightly surreal blend of alt and post punk, playing a fuzzed out wall of noise that is controlled by ingenious melodies well hidden underneath all the chaos. This is an amazing album, I hope you love it.

1."Just Like Honey"
2."The Living End"
3."Taste the Floor"
4."The Hardest Walk"
5."Cut Dead"
6."In a Hole"
7."Taste of Cindy"
8."Never Understand"
9."Inside Me"
10."Sowing Seeds"
11."My Little Underground"
12."You Trip Me Up"
13."Something's Wrong"
14."It's So Hard"

DL Link here!