Well Crap...

Looks like a draft for this epic post I've been working on for the last week didn't actually get saved... which is kind of funny in a way if you know what it was about. So, as a stop-gap, here's an obscure Longwave B-Side. You're lucky it's not a drone track the way things are going right now...


Longwave - Disappointed

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You Think You Have What You Own?

I don't expect that this blog will ever be on the cutting edge of what's new and awesome. Hell, I'll be lucky enough to just stay on the bleeding edge of what I like. So, in that very spirit of blood and sharp objects, I want to take a moment to draw your attention to a record I actually picked up a few months ago. That's not to say that there's anything violent about Retribution Gospel Choir. Then again I never claimed to be a master of segue's.


Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide It Away

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Retribution Gospel Choir is fronted by Alan Sparhawk, better known as the main man behind Low. It features Low bassist Steve Garrington which leaves drummer Eric Pollard as the only member not doing double duty in Low. With all of this Low cross-pollination, you'd probably expect a very slow and quiet record. Not so here friends. This is toe-tapping, foot stomping, appendage flailing rock and roll at it's finest. These are expansive, bombastic and epic rock songs with soaring choruses to spare.


Retribution Gospel Choir - White Wolf

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These tracks come from their latest record, "2." They also have a self-titled first album that's quite good. This one's already in the running for my year end "best of" list. After all, it's already July. You have to start thinking about these sorts of things early. Anyway, pick this one up. Like you would do anything else.

Optimizing Your Assets

Hey everybody, I'm the new other half of the Ears Made Ready staff, here to contribute my two cents' worth of opinion to the (hopefully) diverse portfolio of your musical interests.

Speaking of diversity, how do you feel about bands from other countries? Bands that sing in languages other than English, I mean. When I was younger, I took a sort of secretive delight in listening to, say, Rammstein or Megaherz or Oomph! -- not only did I love the music, but searching out translations of the lyrics gave me sort of a thrill, like I'd deciphered a code, like I was privy to a secret, like I could speak German.

Oomph! - Die Maske

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Now, though, it's different. Not that I don't still enjoy the Neue Deutsche Härte (although Rammstein's career has been in the crapper for the last two albums and is, if you ask me, probably there to stay), but I feel differently about lyrics in music now. Not just non-English lyrics, either. I think my days of being "spoken to" by song lyrics are mostly over -- music just isn't the format where I find the kind of writing that really moves me, apart from the odd well-turned phrase -- and unless there's something about a song that really makes me want to sing along, I usually don't pay much attention to lyrics at all.

In a way it's also not-different, though, because I still listen to non-English-speaking bands. Today I'd like to introduce you to one of them. They're from Japan, and they call themselves Ogre You Asshole (hereafter abbreviated OYA for the sake of those of you with sensitive sensibilities).

OYA - また明日

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I don't have a lot of information about OYA because, well, the problem with Japanese bands is, their websites are frequently in Japanese, which I can't read. There's some stuff about them on Wikipedia, though.

OYA - クラッカー

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What I can tell you (and what you'll have heard for yourself by now) is that they're... sort of like... happy math rock? That's not very math-y? I don't know. I'm terrible with genre descriptors, mostly because I believe they're a lot of foolishness -- the dogma of the religion that is music -- and I think people sometimes get too bogged down in bandying around labels and forget to tell each other what the music is actually like. Anyway, I say "math rock" because I hear echoes of, say, Frodus in their rhythms and in the way the guitar parts sometimes twine around each other. Here, let me play you a Frodus song (and with my luck, probably inadvertently disprove my own point).

Frodus - Out-Circuit the Ending

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Hear what I mean? Sort of? Okay, so but I say "happy" because Frodus overall has more of an angsty sound. OYA just sound like they're having a good time. I imagine it'd be hard not to dance at one of their shows, and I'm an inveterate non-dancer. I mean, come on. If you don't at least feel your face breaking into a smile listening to these songs... invite some friends over, have a drink or two, and give 'em another spin.

OYA - ロボトミー

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I hope some of this music has moved you. If not, bear with me for a total about-face: I promise my next post'll be about moody music to sulk and stare at the wall to -- not so much because I think you do that, but because I know I do.

Updates Updates Updates!

Well, well, well. Looks like Mr. Steve Schiltz has been busy readying a new Hurricane Bells EP and that EP is going to be called "Down Comes the Rain." It's going to feature two new original tracks and three covers. The list goes something like this:


1. Make a Deal with the City (East River Pipe cover)
2. The Waiting Song
3. Into the Ocean (Blue October cover)
4. The Deep End
5. Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (Gerry Goffin & Carole King)


Now, he's been playing "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" on tour and I love it. Here's a little taste.

How's that for wonderful? Pretty stellar if you ask me. Now, I'm not going to bother embedding the original version of "Into the Ocean" because... well, it's Blue October and I promised when I started this page that I would try to steer clear of ranting about stuff I didn't like (but here's an external link if for some reason you're interested). I'll be very interested to hear how Steve makes this one bearable, although, I will admit the erhu in the original version is pretty bitchin'.  Anyway, what I wanted to do was get you all familiar-like with the original version of "Make a Deal with the City," because it's a pretty good song to begin with.


East River Pipe - Make a Deal with the City

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"Down Comes the Rain" is scheduled for a September 7th release date. Mark your calendars.


Now, Hurricane Bells news isn't the only update I have for you here. Turns out The Rosen Association just made their EP available on iTunes and Amazon, so if you're really just not that into CD Baby, you officially have no excuse for not getting this on the down load (you see what I did there?).


Thanks for reading. Always feel free to interact either here or on facebook. Chances are that if you like something you hear, I can tell you where to find more. Stay tuned for more goodness.