FIRST BLOG IN A WHILE/TOP 2 SONGS OF 2K8.5/OTHER THINGS

A little over 2 months since the last blog post! There are a variety of reasons for this, the main one being I haven't had reliable internet access since mid-May.

TOP 2 TRACKS OF 2008 SO FAR

Jaguar Love, "My Organ Sounds Like..."


Made up of members from Pretty Girls Make Graves and Blood Brothers, Jaguar Love is carrying the torch for what might be (probably is) my favorite genre of rock music: early-aughts art punk in the vein of At The Drive-In, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Sparta (1st album - Wiretap Scars - only), and PGMG and Blood Brothers themselves (though the latter often tended to be a little too hXc/thrashy/screamy for me). This track (released in June on a self-titled 3 track sampler EP) gets everything just right, combining strengths of both earlier acts. It’s rumored to be the closing track on their debut album, due August 19.


Black Moth Super Rainbow, "Zodiac Girls"


Black Moth Super Rainbow’s music has generally been a lot more “Super Rainbow” than “Black Moth”. Last year’s Dandelion Gum was full of song titles about lollipops, roller discos, flowers, gum, and lyrical references to "summertime" in what seemed like half (or more) of the tracks. Meanwhile, the band’s darker side has only been apparent in their public image, as the members themselves go by odd pseudonyms like Tobacco, Power Pill Fist, and The Seven Fields of Aphelion, and much of the group's other background info is kept deliberately mysterious. With “Zodiac Girls”, the band flips the musical script and for once the sound jibes with band's cryptic presentation. This track is musically menacing, with a driving fuzz that isn't far removed from the predominant sound on Dandelion Gum, but is employed to far spookier effect. Tobacco’s lyrics add to the creepy vibe, as he sings "I know about your rainy days/I'm here when you melt away/I'll sing with my broken mouth/I'll sell your dead flowers now". Like on Dandelion Gum, the tile here perfectly captures the mood of the song, making me think of a band of murderous alternative females, sort of a Manson Family for the 2000s. Will Tobacco become the indie Rob Zombie and use this track as a basis for a mumble-core horror movie?!

Last bit of news: In a month and a half I'll be moving to Columbus, OH. I'll be sure to get super lo-fi and stuff and try to get back on the blog train.