Horror. Action. Sci-Fi. Probably get to it later after all the other cheesy zombie flicks. And a couple episodes of Dark Angel lol. My favorite movie of all time, Aliens. Happy Halloween everyone!

     Black Square are a reggae band from the island of Oahu in Hawaii. They have a definite punk attitude with their music with influences ranging from ska to hardcore and old school reggae. Black Square have released four albums since their formation which include End the Cycle (2004), One Glass of Water (2006), Onward (2008), and their latest, a self-titled album.
     Black Square have progressed musically from album to album since their humble beginnings with End the Cycle. With their latest, a self-titled record, Black Square have crafted 13 songs of fine composition through delivery of some really tight musicianship. The guitars (Josh86) and bass (Taylor) are in sync on this record, very fluid and on beat. The drums (Brian) too reflect this, with one example being the first eight bars of Slow Down. Another more sweet sounding part of the album, if not the best, is the horn section.

     Communication is a lot tighter among the players than on previous records, with more call and response between the instruments and a bit of (what sounds like) improvisation. The album's opener, Long Time Coming, is easily the best song on the record. It begins strong with the horn section leading the way, starting right where Onward left off. The horn section carries a lot more melody in the songs, and the players (T.R., Babyface, and Jared) are more courageous with their solos - that's more obvious (and the best part of Long Time Coming). The album continues with an onset of new originals including a fantastic cover of the Toots and The Maytals song, 54 46 was My Number. Other stand out songs include the upbeat, Old House, The Judge and In the Day, and the epic jam of, Soundhouse. The songs on this record are more than likely the best songs Black Square has ever written. This should hold true until the next album. 

Links:
Official Website
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     Vultures United released a new 7" not too long ago titled, To Live and Die in Gainesville, through Kiss of Death Records. It features four tracks of aggressive punk and hardcore. These songs were actually recorded in 2009 during the Savages sessions, but released in time for this year's Fest in Gainesville, Florida. The band will again participate (this weekend!) in this year's, Fest 10.

     The new record opens with the title track, which details the band's amazing first experience at Fest. Less than Jake had played before them and the Bouncing Souls right after. Along with two other originals, the record also includes a really cool cover of the Good Riddance song, Heresy, Hypocrisy & Revenge. And speaking of covers, Vultures United are still working on the Girls EP. That release will feature their own musical interpretation's of songs originally from female-fronted bands. It's a really cool idea actually. Let's hope they release that in time for Christmas.


Links:
Official Website
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    Silian Rail are a two-piece instrumental (guitar, drums) band from Oakland, California. The music is very ambient, rich in melodies, and pop-driven. It does vary between songs, wile some may take on a soft pop tune, others go into an intense rock phrase. Really enjoyable stuff and definitely worth a listen. 

     I picked up a split they did with By Sunlight released through Side With Us Records. The digital download with the record also comes with an additional song by each band. By Sunlight's side is also tight. Lots of other cool bands on the label too including, By Sunlight, The Velvet Teen, Survival Guide, and Ugly Winner.
     Another thing too is that Silian Rail has a Kickstarter going for a new album and EP. Check it out here. That project is still going on for a bit. 

Links:
Official Website
Facebook

     I saw one of these in the store the other day. The first time I used one was during my student years in Oregon. It was during freshman orientation, the week before school started. Breakfast was busy, and the table next to the breakfast line had cereal, muffins, donuts, boiled eggs and a waffle maker. Dope. I like waffles more than pancakes. I thought these things would cost as much as a vacuum or something, but no, this is really good. But I could be wrong. I have no idea what these things usually retail, but seems good enough to me. 

     Lester Freamon are a five-piece hardcore/screamo band based in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have a new release titled, Natural Police, that features four songs totaling nine minutes of some experimental hardcore and screamo scattered about.

     The first track, Shit Ray Thunder Fuck, is a good opener, very syncopated and dissonant. The guitars are doing a lot of heavy duty work with some pretty interesting chord choices. The bass is very fluid, with some smooth leads on the tracks, Hella Dudes and Oh My Goblet!. The vocals are consistently aggressive throughout the first three songs, with the heaviest being on Der Kluns. The drums are pretty loud on this track too. The closing song, Oh My Goblet!, has a slow build up before exploding into some instrumental chaos a quarter of a way into the song. The track takes another dip into a slow tempo with the bass driving the song most of the way. Not bad for nine minutes of experimentation. The record is dope.  

Lester Freamon - Hella Dudes

Links:
Official Website
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     Pacifica are a five-piece rock band currently based in Orange County, California. Originally from the island of Oahu in Hawaii, Pacifica take sort of a more heavier, yet melody-filled approach to their ambient-rock music. They certainly aren't afraid to experiment with new sounds in their music, as heard on their most recent EP, The Process of Illumination (2010). The four new songs take on a more progressive tone which make for a very good follow-up.  

     Kika Diama's vocals really come out on each of these songs, probably best on We Consider Everything. Lots of range on this song, but he achieves this too on Trading Sleep. But what drives Trading Sleep is mostly Ricky Jumper's drumming. The drums on this song are so rhythmically diverse you miss out on the tight guitar work by John Mata, Jay Donato, and Ikaika Trujillo (bass). Some really cool guitar leads are on this track and on the EP's opener, Incandescent. The EP's closer, Light Thief, is the more aggressive of the four songs, but holds a pretty catchy chorus. Curious to hear more of what they can do on future releases - The Process of Illumination should suffice for now.  

     This is the music video for the song, Trading Sleep. It's a pretty dope video. Like, really dope. The band released it not too long ago. Download the EP, The Process of Illumination,  from Pacifica's website here. 

Links:
Official Website
Facebook

     Right on, Last Stand For Lucy just released a new music video for the song, Heartless Son of a Bitch. The song comes off their new EP, Dysthymia Part 1. 

     I first heard the Pettyfords on the first Hawaiian Express compilation. The song was called Dreamboat. I was happy to hear more of their stuff on their 7" and Monday Night Live set and then later on their full length. The Pettyfords are a four-piece from Mililani that started out with Jeremy (guitar, vocals), Cavan (bass), Derek (guitar, vocals), and Roy (drums). They took a break in 2001 and got back together last year. Now Steve (Buckshot Shorty, Temporary Lovers) is on drums. They also came out with a new EP called, Domesticated (2011). It's pretty rad. 

     The first and last full-length by The Pettyfords came out in 2000. The album, Aloha Means Goodbye (Woah Oh Records), featured thirteen songs of punk-pop jams about mean girls (I'd Rather Play Nintendo), dream girls (Winnie Cooper), imaginary girls (Ms. Pacman), and video games (Ms. Pacman and 8-Bit Dream). It  was a solid release by one of Hawaii's finest. Aside from the cool guitar leads, spot-on bass lines, and  tight drumming, one of the better parts of the album were the two-part vocal harmonies. The vocals were high-pitched, catchy and always full of melody (best heard on Kids and Parents Alike and 8-Bit Dream). Eleven years later, the quartet releases five new songs through the EP, Domesticated. The musicianship has matured -  there's more diversity in the guitar work, the vocals have lowered a bit, and the lyrics take on a more serious tone. But aside from these obvious (good) changes, the EP still keeps with it a very familiar, but very welcome, set of original punk-pop songs.

     The EP opener, Only the Good Die Young, starts off strong, all ready with the dual-vocals by both Jeremy Rhodes and Derek Watkins. Some pretty tight guitar work comes in during a breakdown of the song, although some of the more tighter riffs are on the second track, Midnight Walk Amongst the Weary. A solo appears half way through the song along with some dual guitar work afterward. This song also has some of the familiar whoa-oh vocal action during the chorus, but it's probably best heard on, Hank, Take Me Home. On No Man's Land, another guitar solo appears as well as some of the more diverse song writing by the band. But it is the last song, Who I Am, that showcases the band's new sound. It's a lot more dynamic in structure with lots more movement in the instrumentals than any previous Pettyfords song ever. It's the right track to close the EP. 

     The Pettyfords have come a long way musically since, Mmm...Pettyfords (Wet Noodle Records), and songs like, If I was a Girl, and Corey's Girl. Sure, the music has taken into a new direction, but the right one. The music does seem a little bit darker, but wiser. The tempo did  slow down just a little bit, but it's still consistent with melody. The whoa-oh's are still intact, and the instrumentals are full of sweet harmonies. But that's probably what counts the most, the whoa-oh's. 

     Pick up the new EP on iTunes or CD Baby.
Links:
Official Website
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     Hawaiian hardcore band, Mistermeaner, will be playing this Saturday, October 8 in Honolulu, Hi. Check here for details. 

    The show is special, one which fellow local band, Ira Hayes, will be uniting to play, along side the The Forgotten from California. Also playing are 13th Legion and Never Enough from the Big Island.  But I'm curious too, I'm trying to think where the showroom part is at Brian's. I know where the games are and the pool tables...but where is the showroom? Anyway, should be an awesome show!

Mistermeaner - 39 Dead