Episode #37
Listen to the episode here
Click to listen to this episode
1.Last Stand For Lucy

Since last years release of their EP, Bastards of Gramercy, Last Stand For Lucy have been keeping real busy. Aside from playing shows, they've released some new demos, produced two music videos (Burn Everything and Heartless Son of a Bitch), and released a new EP, Dysthymia Part I. Instead of releasing one album, the band will be releasing two separate EP's. The new material is a lot more upbeat and melodic, but still holds true to the same heaviness that made their previous EP so good. If you were checking earlier on their Reverbnation page, they released a new tune that will be included on their next EP. Their song on this episode is titled, Burn Everything, off of, Bastards of Gramercy.
2.Nightlights

Nightlights' EP, Long Way Home, featured several new songs and a couple tracks from their previous demo. The EP was also recently re-released on vinyl format with new artwork. These Daytona Beach, Florida locals are still a fairly new band, having formed in 2009. But since the release of Long Way Home, Nightlights have gone on to sign with Eulogy Recordings. And this year, Nightlights released their first album and debut for Eulogy, So It Goes. The new album features ten songs of rock and punk tunes. The music has slowed down a bit, but it still carries a lot of melody in the guitars, especially with the second guitar playing more clean harmonies. And the vocals are still rough, maintaining that aggressive part of the music. The new album also features a nice instrumental track (There's Something in Nothing) full of distant guitars, mellow drumming and ambient noise. Their song on this episode is titled, Foxhole, off of, Long Way Home.
3.The Action Design

The Action Design's last release was a 7” record titled, Desperation. It featured two songs, the title track and Still Standing. Soon after the release of the record, the Action Design disbanded. Other projects featuring members of The Action Design include Shuteye Unison (Parks and Records) and Survival Guide (Side With Us Records). Both projects are pretty awesome. Shuteye Unison have two records out, a self-titled (2008), and Our Future Selves (2010). Survival Guide released their debut, Hot Lather Machine, featuring three songs. They also just recently released a single, One to One, and pre-orders of their 7”, Wildcat, are happening right now. Their song on this episode is titled, Still Standing, off of, Desperation.
4.Sic Waiting

Sic Waiting have been playing tons of shows throughout the year. They've also played a few acoustic shows too. Just recently they went on their 7 week Liver Die National Tour. They made their last stop in Las Vegas, playing at TheCore. EP release show alongside Holding Onto Sound, Deadhand, and TheCore. On last year's list was their album, Anchors Ashtray. It's a really tight punk album, the guitars are just lovely on it. And it was really awesome to finally see them live. The band also released a B-Side sometime after the release of Anchors Ashtray called, Last Line of Defense. It was one of those songs that didn't make it on to the album. They plan on playing some Southern California dates in January and possibly another tour of the West Coast. Check them out, they definitely put on an awesome live show. Their song on this episode is titled, Okay, I Lied, off of, Anchors Ashtray.
5.Science Fiction Theater

Last year, Science Fiction Theater released a couple singles, Broken is Art and The Wedding Song. The latter was performed on Indie Living Room (check it out here). They've kept busy this year, doing a residency at The Press in June and releasing a digital split with Indian School through Ewok Teeth Records. Their new song is titled, Taking Flight, a nice pop blend of electronics and clean guitars. The digital split is available for free on Bandcamp. Also, Mike Jimenez (vocal, guitar), released some solo material as The Happy Sadness. The song, Golden, is currently streaming on his Bandcamp. On December 20, Science Fiction Theater will be releasing a holiday surprise. Their song on this episode is titled, Broken is Art.
6.Craig's Brother

Craig's Brother released a total of three singles for a yet-to-be named album at the time. They first released the songs, Problem of Evil and Thousand Yard Stare in 2009 and the third single, The Mistake of Caring, last year (2010). Soon after, right around the beginning of the new year, Craig's Brother released their long awaited third record, The Insidious Lie. Copies of the album were released with the bonus track, Crutch, for a total of thirteen tracks. The album was also released on vinyl format. The title of the record is in reference to a blog that Ted Bond had written a while ago. He talked mainly on the state of the music industry and of the sort (I only read it once, but I'm sure it's online somewhere). I believe he recalls an audition (or performance) Craig's Brother did for some label executives. The executives had more of a concern of looks over music. It's was a pretty interesting read, and later the blog mentions an insidious lie, hence the title. The new record features some classic Craig's Brother punk rock. It's a mixture of Homecoming and Lost at Sea (my favorite being Homecoming). Their song on this episode is titled, The Mistake of Caring, off of, The Insidious Lie.
7.Journal

The number one spot on last year's Top 25 Show went to Journal with their album, Unlorja. It's a very creative album, both musically and thematically. It featured an original story of Fantasy and Adventure, told through the music on the record. The music itself is almost rhythmically unchallenged, with it's blast beats and constant meter changes. And the guitars always sound like it's in a state of chaos, but very controlled and with some really solid guitar leads. It's no wonder Journal also released an instrumental version of Unlorja. Also, at the time, Journal didn't have a lead singer, and so instead, the album features three guest vocalists. These singers are Jesse Alford (Embrace the End), Drew Winter (Fate, Shadow of the Colossus), and Akoni Berman (The Human Equation). This was a very cool approach and an awesome idea. It gave the album a very distinctive voice (three of them). The story of Unlorja features two different races, the Humans and Aeons. It centers around a group of siblings beginning as children and later grown up. One of the siblings is murdered, one seeks revenge, and later one of them finds out a way to bring the dead sibling back to life. One must enter a labyrinth in order to achieve this. And that's where most of the action begins. The liner notes come with lyrics and a complete storyline. It really is a pretty cool story. The final track on the album, Affinity, features a narration of the entire story on top of some pretty rad Fantasy compositions and excerpts of the other tunes on the album. Their song on this episode is title track off of, Unlorja.