Christmas. If there's something that most of us can agree on about Christmas, it's the amount of Christmas music we don't wanna hear everywhere we go. I mean, you can't even go to the grocery store without your ears being accosted by Mariah Carey or Mannheim Steamroller 's awful, awful songs about ' the most wonderful time of the year '. And if there's one thing I've learned about Christmas music from the last 10 years, it's that ' whoaaaaa haaaa ehaaha ' is also a big part of Christmas music now... I believe that's also [...]
Named after a Konami cheat code used on retro gaming platforms, New Jersey's Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start recently called it quits. Luckily before they disbanded, they left us with the fantastic 2007 full length aptly titled 'Worst Band Name Ever'. "Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start... Why is this the worst band name ever? For so many reasons. With a band name like this you should be looking for keytar solos and overweight comic book loving super fans, [...]
>> We haven't paid much attention to the awkwardly monikered but absurdly talented indie rock act Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A B A Start since naming their Worst Band Name Ever record one of our favorites of 2007 [ list here , review here ]. So we were shocked to see the sad news at the band's MySpace dojo that Up Up Down Down will break up Aug. 16 after playing two final shows that day and the day before. The Jersey-based quintet (whose lineup has changed often [...]
While I don't get the sheer volume of some of my blogger brethren, I do get a fair amount of emails per day. Most solicited and welcome from established PR contacts, but others are unsolicited emails from bands and fans of bands or even indie PR kids with grassroots chops and a sincere desire to see their bands succeed. Both of these bands dropped into my gmail box completely unbidden, and they shone like the stars they are. When I first saw the band name, "Head of Femur" I was [...]
Ask anyone who has ever played Contra to recite the code that gives you 30 extra lives and they can all do so without hesitation. These guys from Haddon Heights, New Jersey have taken it a step further and actually named their band after the infamous code. Their new album, Worst Band Name Ever , focuses on quick catchy indie pop songs with concise lyricism and simple structures. Clocking in at only 22 minutes the album is over before you know it, but the beauty is that you can just hit play again. Apparently this [...]
"I could use a little help, please?" It's a great feeling, isn't it? Hearing a song for the first time and knowing, immediately, that it's one of your favorites... Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start (yes, seriously) has me rebuking myself for not delving into their catalog much sooner. Moreover, the band has given away every past release over their website entirely free. They've been doing it for years. For their new full [...]
>> Aloha readers. Please be advised that we're going to be off-line for the rest of June, as we've got a bit of sun and fun lined up. Don't worry, we won't be totally rock free, as we've got biographies of John Lydon and Frank Zappa already thrown in the suitcase. Expect your :: clicky clicky :: service to resume July 1. >> We've been spinning Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start 's new long player Worst Band Name Ever trying to come up with an [...]
I stumbled across this New Jersey quintet on the delightful clicky clicky blog, and was quickly hooked on "Melanie Fury." They say that brevity is the soul of wit, and "Melanie Fury" packs an ungodly amount of twists and turns in its scant two minutes and thirteen seconds. "Melanie Fury" comes from Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start 's free Girls' Names EP, which is available at the band's website . RIYL: Death Cab for Cutie (circa The Photo Album ); Texas is the Reason (circa [...]
>> The most awkwardly/awesomely named band in indie rock is about release a second full-length, and if the preview tracks at MySpace are any indication, the set is going to be superlative. Jersey-based post-emo superheroes Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start are taking pre-orders for the forthcoming set Worst Band Name Ever at a web site of the same name right here . New track "The Red Loop" in particular is hair-standing-up-on-the-back-o f-your-neck good, a serene yearner that pairs pounding toms, acoustic guitar and murmured vocals to create a [...]
>> Brooklyn-based dream-pop stars Mahogany are celebrating its brief forthcoming European tour (April 14-20) with the release of a three-song EP recorded live in the band's studio Civil Defense. The aptly titled Live At The Civil Defense is exclusively available at the septet's MySpace lean-to here , where you will also find a comprehensive list of tour dates. When in the UK the band will play on bills with post-punkers Bloc Party and electronic luminary Ulrich Schnauss -- none too shabby. We reviewed Mahogany 's most recent full-length Connectivity! [...]
This is our second annual list of records that music fans should have heard this year, or should seek out now that we've stamped them with our seal of approval. We pointedly do not dub these records "best of the year," although in many cases we feel that this is true. No, this list is created with the intention to highlight sets overlooked or ignored by the MSBM (tm), the Mainstream Blog Media. Our list, for example, does not contain the Joanna Newsom record. Or The Decemberists record. Even the excellent Asobi Seksu record [...]
... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead : 2005-09-17, San Antonio [mp3,ogg,flac] "Caterwaul" [mp3] The Carribean : "Siamese Sons" [mp3] from Plastic Explosives Erin Tobey : 2006-04-18, Portland [mp3,ogg,flac] "Secret Letters" [mp3] The Forms : "Stravinsky" [mp3] Future Tips : "Flavors" [mp3] from Girls on Wheels Patterson Hood : 2006-08-19, Asheville [mp3,ogg,flac] [...]
Violent Success
Insomnia Radio: Daily Dose
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Salad Days Music
Come Pick Me Up
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the Weekender ::: New music from Catcall // the National // Summer Camp
Ado – Pressure
KNIFE PARTY – RAGE VALLEY EP
The Inner Flame: A Tribute To Rainer Ptacek
