I'm on a roll! (No jinxing!) EPISODE 69 is now available! Listen to it HERE or download it HERE
It is also available on iTunes.

     I forgot Record Store Day was this weekend. I didn't pick up a damn thing. Aside from sales, every day is record store day! I wish...Any good pick ups out there? I saw a couple cool postings on 'gram.

     For today's episode, I reach the end of my Top 25 list and play tracks from the Top 10 portion of the list. Last year showcased a whole bunch of amazing debuts. A lot of them instant favorites, and quite a few of which were a long time coming. And a couple of them were great follow-ups to previous awesome albums. Last year definitely was a great year in music. And this year looks equally promising.
     Opening this show is Brooklyn's own, Safety, who released the EP, Congratulate Me, I've Lost My Mind, which was released through Community Records. The comes after the band's 2012, Night Lights, also released through Community Records. It's a great EP, 5 tracks total. It has a big sound, with lots of great punk-pop and familiarity. Safety's BANDCAMP.
     Following Safety is a track called Disparity from Svalbard, a four-piece from the UK. They released their debut full-length, One Day All This Will End, through Holy Roar Records. It's an amazing mix of punk, metal and hardcore. A bit of ambiance hovers over each track, intentional or not, but it sounds pretty amazing. The guitar harmonies are lovely, and almost a bit relaxing. It does slow for a little, on the last track, Lily, but it keeps a consistency of heavy sounds throughout. It's what I love most about this album. What an excellent debut. Svalbard's BANDCAMP.
     Another great debut, from Syracus, New York's, Bleak, is titled, We Deserve Our Failures. It is 7 tracks of pure chaos, from start to finish. Violent sounding and heavy, and it stays that way until the closer, Eternal Silent Darkness. The sound ventures outward into some sludge doom metal, and layers of creepiness. The good stuff. Stream the album on Hex Record's BANDCAMP. Bleak's BANDCAMP.
    The Doped Up Dollies launched a Kickstarter campaign in February 2015 and made their goal and more in the 2nd half of March. They recorded the album and even made a music video for the track, Me, Fireman & Lion (watch it HERE). Later, they finally released the album, The New Way Out, through Strictly Rude Records. It's a mix of Stroll, Hopscotch, Ska, and Reggae. Very upbeat, with both slow grooves and jumpy tracks. I first heard of the Dollies on the opening track of Fluent in Stroll by Big D and the Kids Table, and later again on Stroll when both Stomp and Stroll were released as two separate albums (also funded through a Kickstarter campaign). The album also features some familiar artists on select tracks including Maddie Ruthless and Dave McWane. The track I play on the episode, Be Free, features Coolie Ranx. The Doped Up Dollies on FACEBOOK.
     It's been a while since the Kumbskulls released new material, the last being Positive Mechanism in 2001. They've grown a lot musically since then, updating and revising a lot of their old material. I was able to catch a show of theirs during a Once a Month Punk event and noticed some of those new changes in a few select tracks. They played with the same high energy and it was exciting to hear these songs I grew up listening to years later. Their new album, Untold Classics explored a lot of their previous songs and turned them into something entirely new. It's hard to believe a few of these songs were once punk rock anthems and now a couple of them turned into acoustic tracks and big sounding rock jams. It's a refreshing take on these songs of yesterday. The Knumbskulls' FACEBOOK.
​     Several EPs and a couple singles later, Survival Guide finally releases a proper full-length, Way to Go, through Side With Us Records. Fronted by Emilly Whitehurst, Survival Guide had all ready performed a lot of the new material at shows before the release of the album, so I was familiar with a couple of tracks (I heard them on YouTube). Several of the tracks too appeared on previous EPs (Prohibition appeared on WildCat, but still easily one of the best songs on the album). The album is a really nice blend of electronica and pop, each track more wonderful then the next. And always, pristine vocal work by Whitehurst. Survival Guide's BANDCAMP.
     So my favorite album of 2015 goes to Senses Fail's, Pull the Thorns from your Heart. It really is a banger of a record, and easily the best material by the band so far. But it is almost a different band, consisting of entirely new members, and the only original one remaining being singer, Buddy Nielsen. The music is explosive, very heavy and aggressive, and powerful. It's a good direction, musically, I feel, and I hope the band keeps moving forward this way. I've been listening to them for a long time and have yet to see them live. Check out the record, it's that good. Senses Fail's TWITTER.

     All right that is it! Hope you enjoyed these past few episodes. It was nice to reflect back on these releases. These albums are still fresh and wonderful. I hope you found something new. Maybe a new favorite? YES!
Now back to the regularly scheduled program. And TAXES! oh geez.
​Please check back sometime for the next new episode. It'll be a good one. And as always, thanks for listening. 

What is this? A new episode? YES!

Feel free to stream the episode HERE or download it HERE. It's also available on iTunes to subscribe to.

     Did you know it's Math Awareness Month? Earth Month? Well, I had to look it up on wikipedia. I know April is a couple things. I think it's Tsunami Awareness Month here on the island too. But it's also Jazz Appreciation Month. Cool huh? It took me a bit for my ears to desensitize to the unique sounds of jazz and all it's various sub-genre's - Cool, Bebop, Swing, Hardbop, and whole bunch of others, but I finally "heard" it. Or at least I think I did. It was refreshing and unique.

     Continuing with tunes from my favorite records to come out last year. This episode features a bit more punk-pop sounding tunes, a couple heavier tracks and some punk rock, all good music in my opinion.

     On this episode is Pope, a three-piece currently based in New Orleans. The album, Fiction, is full of great noise-pop, lo-fi, indie rock. Every time I listen to it, I think of Mall Rats or Clerks. It has a bit of a mid to late 90's emo-punk sound to it. It's an addictive sound. Pope's BANDCAMP.
     Lowbrow is a band I found out about, thanks to a random follower/friend on Bandcamp (I have no idea who this person is, but we have similar tastes according to our collections). Excellent punk-pop from southern California. They released their latest album independently, Insert Brain Here. The title track is the opener, and it's the track that got me hooked. And they have some pretty wicked solos spread through the album. Lowbrow's BANDCAMP.
     Spraynard's newest album, Mable, released on Jade Tree, has some of the best punk rock tunes to come out last year. Each track is anthemic in its own terms, whether it's the jumpy opener, Applebee's Bar, the bass-driven and deliciously written, Lost Boys (easily my favorite song of 2015), or the bittersweet, Out of Body. This record rocks socks. Spraynard's BANDCAMP.   
     Clowns, a four-piece, come from Melbourne, Australia. Their tunes are one part punk, one part thrash, and a whole lot of rock n' roll. The album is Bad Blood, and from start to finish, it's fourteen tracks of high energy rock and attitude. A very aggressive exterior sound for sure, but one hell of a party at the core. Clowns' BANDCAMP.
     Santa Clarita, California quartet, Tidedmouth, released their debut album, Velvet & Stone, on Melotov Records. It's a great debut, one worth the wait since the band's last release, 2010's, What I Meant to Say. The band has progressed musically, writing darker tunes with a fresh mixture of goth, punk and hardcore. They keep it heavy and honest, all the while exploring new territory with their sounds. And whaddaya know? They all ready have new music. Tidemouth's BANDCAMP.
     I'm so happy a new project has emerged since Sonh's demise. Well, who's to say they'll never get together and play again? That would be cool. But I was glad to hear member's from Sonh's are now playing in the recently formed, PINKO. Almost a bit similar sounding, although PINKO, from San Antonio, Texas, pack a lot more fuzz in their sound in addition to their all ready aggressive hardcore. It's exciting, it's loud, and it kicks. It kicks lots of ass. The new EP is Oedipus Sex and available from the band. Hard copies available from The Ghost is Clear Records. PINKO's BANDCAMP.
     The last album from Sic Waiting was 2010's, Anchors Ashtray. It was a killer record, one that also made my Top 25 list at the time (check it out HERE). Since then, a solo acoustic project came about, Dead Frets (check out this EPISODE to hear a track), and now 6 years later, the band release Derailer. Out on Felony Records, the album carries with it the same energy as before, although this time, a little more mature (musically that is) and with some killer solos to prove it. Hopefully we won't have to wait as long for the next album. Sic Waiting on BANDCAMP.

     Hope you enjoy today's episode. The next show should conclude it for my Top 25 list, and I'll be switching back to a 5 song format. Enjoy the weather, it's been cool lately here on the island. Happy Sunday ya'll. And thanks for listening!