The mediaf!re Thread 2010: This Time It's Personal

[JimmyJazz]

Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem

for this one, it's telling me to enter a password for the encrypted file.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EXV1NVJM

One without encrypted files.

Edit: Fixed the Cat Power link too.

[MusicScribbles]

I hope someone is interested in some Silver Jews.

Starlite Walker

Starlite Walker is a first for the Silver Jews on many levels. Not only is it the group's first full-length album, it's also the first recorded in a full-fledged studio -- Memphis' 24-track Easley Recordings -- as well as the first collection of songs penned almost entirely by Berman. The album's lyrical and musical richness comes partly from Berman's retreat to the woods of Oxford, MS in preparation for the record, and partly from the understated, intimate production. As a result, Starlite Walker collects some of the Jews' most diverse and affecting songs. Wry lyrics like "I just got back from a dream attack" from "Trains Across the Sea" and "On the last day of your life/Don't forget to die" from "Advice to the Graduate" let Berman's easygoing charm come to the front, while jangly and crunchy guitars, Malkmus' backing vocals, and Nastanovich's steady drumming punctuate his observations.

Though Starlite Walker is a more low-key, reflective affair than the Silver Jews' EPs, the album benefits from it, combining the laid-back experimentalism of the Jews' early work with more sophisticated and expressive songwriting. "Advice to the Graduate" and "New Orleans" turn from humorous to poignant with a simple chord change; "Rebel Jew" draws on the group's affection for country music; and instrumentals like "The Moon is Number 18" and "The Silver Pageant" add to the relaxed, homespun feel of the album. Repeated listening just enhances Starlite Walker's warm, off-the-cuff appeal.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?311nfujjmjh

American Water

American Water, the Silver Jews' third full-length release, reunites David Berman and Stephen Malkmus and adds new members Mike Fellows, Tim Barnes, and Chris Stroffolino. Named after a poster Berman saw at his veterinarian's office for American Water Spaniels, the album boasts some of the Jews' best arrangements and playing, from the flute and brass-tinged "Random Rules" to the driven but eloquent guitars on "Night Society" to the wah-wah friendly, '70s-style pop of "People." American Water also varies in tempo and mood more than any Silver Jews album since Starlite Walker. "Send in the Clouds" and "Smith & Jones Forever" gallop along, while "We Are Real" and "The Wild Kindness" stroll. Though most of the album's lyrics aren't as personal as those on The Natural Bridge, they still feature Berman's detailed wit, like this couplet from "People": "The drums march along at the clip of an IV drip/Like sparks from a muffler dragged down the strip." The tight, sunny-sounding production sparkles on songs like "Honk if You're Lonely Tonight," and Berman's and Malkmus' twin vocals brighten songs like "Blue Arrangements" and "Federal Dust." As with all of the Jews' best work, American Water sounds like it was made for the band's own enjoyment, and the listener is just eavesdropping on their fun.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?5zdtdivzoty

Also, Red House Painters!

Songs For A Blue Guitar

Before Songs for a Blue Guitar could appear, the Red House Painters' singer/songwriter/guitarist Mark Kozelek had to leave his old label 4AD (allegedly over a Kozelek solo album 4AD rejected), split up the band, and find a new home for his music on Supreme Recordings. Fortunately for Kozelek and his audience, it's worth all the tumult. This is the solo album Kozelek wanted to make masquerading as the Red House Painters album; no other Painters are listed in the liner notes. The benefits that resulted from his freedom from the group setting are evident on Songs for a Blue Guitar. The album compiles a diverse group of styles, including gently hypnotic folk in "Have You Forgotten" and "Trailways," and country-rock, both slow ("Song for a Blue Guitar") and fast ("Make Like Paper"), as well as a various selection of covers. Mixed with Kozelek's traditionally beautiful and sad material, Yes' "Long Distance Runaround," Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs," and the Cars' "All Mixed Up" bring light to the Red House Painters' typically shadowy songs. The deep beauty and eclecticism on Songs for a Blue Guitar make it another artistic triumph for the Red House Painters.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?92tndimuhe1

[tender]

Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
One of my favorite albums. These huns from the North rock hard.

There's no question the lonesome crowded sound is here, but when Wolf Parade dig in and dust off their influences, the band rolls like a Ritalin-deprived power-Bowie or 70s Eno flexing piano-based hooks over Pixified rhythms. Component ingredients include electronics, keyboards, guitar, drums, and two spastically surging, forever tuneful vocalists (Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug)

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?194ewjxnalc

Oh, thanks for the second disc of Substance.
My life is almost complete.

[imagist42]

Okay, mediaf!re seems to be spazzing out again, but as soon as I can I am going to upload Jets to Brazil's Four Cornered Night, in the vain hopes that it combined with the earlier upload of Perfecting Loneliness will inspire someone to put up Orange Rhyming Dictionary.

[TrialAndTerror]

Saw a request for it in the emo thread, so I'll be putting up some Elliott soon, probably False Cathedrals. Maybe some other stuff too.

*Edit. Got back from my lectures to discover the Elliott was too big, so I'm splitting it and it'll be up shortly. For now, here's what was easily my most played album last year, if you like Saetia it might be up your alley.

La Dispute - Vancouver


http://www.mediaf!re.com/?1marbckwsfk

*Edit 2. Here's the Elliott.

Elliott - False Cathedrals


Allmusic:

Elliott is playing rock in a dramatic fashion. Having thrown typical sound mixing out the window, they have sought to transition themselves into something new and remarkable by bringing vocals, bass, and drums up in the mix and pushing the guitars down. Chris Higdon's vocals are tragic, yet reassuring; depressing, yet glorious. The bass, guitar, and drums are there, too, but the vocals are most mesmerizing. Everything flows together beautifully behind that impressive voice. Heartbreaking and expansive, Elliott's False Cathedrals grows as each song passes. Largely scoped for a darker, driven record too often wanted but not performed to quite such a degree of perfection, False Cathedrals satisfies many fans searching for something akin to Radiohead's unique creativity but in a more indie rock manner. Nevertheless, there is a secret to listening to this. False Cathedrals is made for all lonely people, it seems. For some reason, the thought of listening to it with another person seems incomprehensible. False Cathedrals displays the sadness and awesome greatness of a band like the Cure. Similar to much of the Cure's darker material, Elliott has the ability to evoke feelings and responses from painful pasts and lonely nights. Utilizing a large, rock & roll drum-driven sound, Elliott showcases a band on the verge of accomplishing great things by doing something as simple as changing the engineering of an album.

Part 1. http://www.mediaf!re.com/?awdmj1cxje9
Part 2. http://www.mediaf!re.com/?3atrm9xvzew

Elliott - Song In The Air


Allmusic:

Taking many a direct queue from The Cure, Elliott's third full-length album unleashes waves of distorted guitar intermingled with delicate, yet passionate vocals care of frontman, Chris Higdon. While the connection to previous releases is possible to see, the development of the band is also quite evident. The musical aspect laid out through the ten tracks is highly sexual, not in an overt, bludgeoning manner, rather it lulls the listener into a romantic sense of relaxation and bliss. Even with two instrumentals, the album's emotional tenderness hardly ever dissipates. The use of the strings, drum machine and keyboards creates an airy, light feel to back-up the strong presence that the distorted guitar brings to each song. While many of the lyrics are obscure, the poignant, memorable lines hit at the climax in each tune. The flow on the album never varies too much, making for a complete group of songs, instead of ten unorganized numbers. While their beginning might have had many labeling Elliott as just another emo band, the growth and beauty in their albums continues to show their remarkable resiliency and evolution.

Part 1. http://www.mediaf!re.com/?5x9dyotmysk
Part 2. http://www.mediaf!re.com/?65d1citu9ym

[imapiratearg]

Okay, mediaf!re seems to be spazzing out again, but as soon as I can I am going to upload Jets to Brazil's Four Cornered Night, in the vain hopes that it combined with the earlier upload of Perfecting Loneliness will inspire someone to put up Orange Rhyming Dictionary.

I guess I will when I get home from work, if the copy someone else uploaded way back isn't still up.

[pinkpiche]

a pack of wolves : thank you sooo much for the funeral diner!! really made my day

[Dimmukane]

I present, the new Pelican EP, After the Ceiling Cracked, freshly leaked.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?2lzubumltyl

If you like Pelican, you'll like this.  And if you haven't listened to Pelican, you should start immediately.

[amok]

Trentemøller - The Trentemøller Chronicles

Code:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9UQTOFLU

The first disc is a single .mp3 because it's mixed, although I left the .cue file in there in case anyone wants to break it up. The second disc is remixes of artists such as The Knife*, Röyksopp, Moby and various others. Enjoy.

*by far the best on there.

[onewheelwizzard]

I present, the new Pelican EP, After the Ceiling Cracked, freshly leaked.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?2lzubumltyl

If you like Pelican, you'll like this.  And if you haven't listened to Pelican, you should start immediately.

Awesome.  Thanks a lot!

Amon Duul II - Phallus Dei



The original krautrock album.

Code:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/uviuaf

[KvP]

Trentemøller - The Trentemøller Chronicles

Code:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9UQTOFLU

The first disc is a single .mp3 because it's mixed, although I left the .cue file in there in case anyone wants to break it up. The second disc is remixes of artists such as The Knife*, Röyksopp, Moby and various others. Enjoy.

*by far the best on there.

Excellent. I posted The Last Resort a month or two ago. Now all I have to do is figure out how to break up the tracks

I'll have to upload the Monks album here in a bit. Might also have a mix.

[imapiratearg]

Here it is:

Jets to Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary



http://www.mediaf!re.com/?01a94gtovmy

Listen.  Love it.

[mfpole]

Link don't work for me

[imapiratearg]

What the fuck?  I can't log in to mediaf!re.  It keeps telling me my email address isn't in their database.

[OpenJamie]

The Wolf parade link isn't working either I think mediaf!re is just being a bit wank at the minute.

[PECOAE]

Yeah, nothing is working, or I would have uploaded some of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's fusions with rock.

Ready to edit it when mediaf!re comes up again, hopefully.

[tender]

I guess the traffic is too high?
It will be back, don't worry.

[Calaveth]

Sharebee.com is another pretty good free service of the same kind. It distributes the upload to several different hosts, making it easier to find an active link. Could be worth trying if mediaf!re isn't accessible.

[amok]

Excellent. I posted The Last Resort a month or two ago. Now all I have to do is figure out how to break up the tracks

it's thanks to you putting up the last resort that I have this and am enjoying and sharing it

google 'cue splitter' if you haven't figured it out already

[imagist42]

Making good on a promise.


Jets to Brazil - Four Cornered Night

AMG: Leaving his punk roots completely behind him, Blake Schwarzenbach, former singer/guitarist for Jawbreaker, plays it very sweet on Four Cornered Night, the second record from his slightly arty indie rock project Jets to Brazil. His songs have always been melodramatic, even Jawbreaker's most fiery, emo-punk classics like "Chesterfield Kings" or "I Want You." But with Four Cornered Night, he indulges in the sort of over-the-top sentimentality that is more reminiscent of a lengthy novel by Proust than anything you'd expect from a rock band. But these ballads do rock at a lazy pace, and while "All Things Good and Nice" is too sappy and self-centered, other numbers like "In the Summer When You Really Know" and "Pale New Dawn" are lovely, heartfelt beauties and among the best tunes Schwarzenbach has ever penned. With Four Cornered Night, it is obvious that Schwarzenbach is making exactly the sort of record he wants, and though his old punk fan base has long since fled, indie kids go bonkers over his more sensitive side, as they should.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?14hemsemwzj

All 192 Kbps mp3s.

[Calaveth]

Einstürzende Neubauten - Alles Wieder Offen

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?80j1y9mm2f3

Allmusic:

...There are moments on Alles where tension escalates into something approaching chaos, and other moments where the rhythms are mechanical, but most of the album sounds like sophisticated modern composition-meets-downtrodden pop song as if leader and head writer Blixa Bargeld was working on a Threepenny Opera for the 21st century. Displaying Blixa's love of irony and wordplay, the title "All Open Again" refers to something less positive than it might sound. Being "open" to a different way of thinking comes at a cost in his songs, as if it's a burden. Key track and single "Weilweilweil [Becausecausecause]" questions the "endless set of appeasements" society offers in lieu of answers and represents them with zombie-like chanting of the song's title. "Don't take the advice of those/who've long since frittered their winter fat/of opportunities" it continues, but if principles aren't sacrificed in this unforgiving world one gets stuck in the land of "Nagorny Karabach," where Blixa lives "up on my mountain/in my black garden/the enclave of my choice." His lyrics are matched by the equally vivid music. Making great use of basslines, strumming guitars, and sometimes even breathing, Neubauten create something rhythmic instead of just percussive and drive home the solitude theme with stretches of silence. The big eruption of noise comes during the lone sociable song "Let's Do It a Dada," and then it's a slow slide down to the insular closer "Ich Warte [I'm Waiting]." "Ich Warte" waits for proof that "life is not an error, not error and music" and receives none, but when Blixa declares, "I'm waiting for the new language/That will be of use to me" he only needs to look as far as the wonderfully unique album he and his fellow musicians have created.

Say, any chance someone could upload Hearts of Black Science - The Ghost You Left Behind? It seems obscure enough to not appear on any of my usual torrent sites.

[öde]

No but I'll upload some more Einstürzende Neubauten tomorrow.

[KvP]

Here dat Monks stuff.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?bmzsdumbbge

[Trillian]

And because they make me smile:


Everybody by The Sea and Cake

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?7o4dh4fjwbz

You could call the Sea and Cake classic underachievers, since they unerringly turn out the same album nearly every time (or simply apply shadings yet more subtle with every subsequent release), but two qualities get in the way of that diagnosis. First, the four members have so many outside interests -- solo albums, production work, other bands, photography, comic books, etc. -- that they could never be called lazy. Second, the Sea and Cake have continued making records that possess an exquisite beauty, a quality their fans would never want to give up for the sake of experimentalism. All this is to say that the band has produced another gorgeous album, just like the ones that preceded it, despite the early press reports that Everybody would be a straight-ahead rock album with few overdubs. (That is quite true, but it doesn't change the sound a bit.) Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt indulge in the type of dual-guitar interplay that recalls Television more than anyone else, but the Sea and Cake's revolution was always a quiet one, and it's no different here. Waves of guitar -- fuzzy, washed, or jagged but always impeccably lean -- power the best songs: the opening "Up on Crutches," "Crossing Line," and, near the end, "Left On," where John McEntire's lively percussion serves to focus several minutes of clever guitar feedback and distortion.

[gardenhead_]

Battles - EP C/B EP
 

allmusic isn't loading, so Pitchfork's review will have to do:

There are few bands I'm more willing to give the benefit of the doubt than Battles. Luckily, I don't have to-- at least not yet. While the world patiently awaits a proper Battles full-length, the newly released EP C / B EP, their new UK-only double-disc debut for Warp Records, offers no new material at all. Instead, it compiles two of the band's previous EPs, proving the only thing stronger than their power to obliterate is their will to beguile: My copy's labels were switched, so C became B, and vice versa. Not that titles help contextualize things much-- most of them are acronyms like "SZ2" and "Tras 3" and "Bttls". For those of you wondering where A went, though, Battles have so far worked backward from C (as in cryptic), presumably saving the scarlet letter for their next Warp release.

So why do they have my confidence? Because Battles are tough without being confrontational, innovative without recourse to bells and whistles, and completely transparent in process. When they're good, they're great; when they're anything less than good, they're so thrillingly alien it doesn't matter.

This compiled material basically amounts to a black hole: 66 minutes of the most hypnotic instrumental music currently being purveyed outside techno or Japan. But whereas semi-analogous Sunn O))) and Boris administer hypnotic assaults through deep immersion in drones and brutal low-end, Battles bring the fury with rigorous, unrelenting grooves. "Tras2" hits its stride at the halfway mark, before its odd-metered drum loop starts to decay: Drummer John Stainer gradually drops pieces of the beat until there's nothing left but jerky, decontextualized snare/bass unisons. "Hi/Lo" is a lurching upbeat stomp that leaves gaping-wide chasms for keyboards to fill with carnival pinwheels.

Many Battles songs ask the same question: Can challenging, flex-your-brain-muscles music be harsh, bombastic and unsubtle as well? "SZ2"'s proposed solution calls on prog-rock chop-worship, attacking nerve centers by force of sheer volume. Check how the guitars keep three polyrhythms airborne while Stainer beats like an ogre beneath, insisting his 2/4 backbeat take primacy. "B + T", meanwhile, pivots around linear guitar/bass/drums interplay, each member handling a complex figure but never stepping forward for more than a brief flare. So many notes, yet Battles play each like a one-time shot-- a thousand winning swings at the carnival Test-O-Strength. They never flub. End of story.

The long, inchoate noise pieces that occasionally crop up here aren't meant as palate-cleansers but can serve that purpose if you insist. B, truth be told, comes padded like a rubber room-- the hushed, found-sound-sounding "Bttls" writhes like a tree full of electronic crickets for nearly half the EP's length (not counting "Tras", a carryover from the band's Tras, Fantasy single). Night-and-day comparisons become inevitable once "Dance" breaks the silence, its blippy, scat-like organ lines pushed by a hurried beat. Only eight-minute "Fantasy"-- basically a SETI-watcher's idea of a drum circle-- seems extraneous.

Of course, most of us are happy enough just rocking out, cocks optional. When the kids truly bring it, you hear about them, be they adderall-popping mall-punk naifs or tech-metal swordsmiths. But Battles start where most are content to finish; a well-toned muscular sound is their bedrock, their means to an end. Who knows where they'll take it next? Surprise has so far been their only guarantee.

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/download.php?d1h19ayvgbo

192kbps MP3s

[IronOxide]

Hey dudes, if you don't download that The Sea and Cake album, I will personally do something mean to you.

[Catacombs]

Continuing with the grunge
Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog

Featuring members of Soundgarden and what would soon become Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog's lone eponymous album might never have reached a wide audience if not for Pearl Jam's breakout success a year later. In turn, by providing the first glimpse of Chris Cornell's more straightforward, classic rock-influenced side, Temple of the Dog helped set the stage for Soundgarden's mainstream breakthrough with Superunknown. Nearly every founding member of Pearl Jam appears on Temple of the Dog (including the then-unknown Eddie Vedder), so perhaps it isn't surprising that the record sounds like a bridge between Mother Love Bone's theatrical '70s-rock updates and Pearl Jam's hard-rocking seriousness. What is surprising, though, is that Cornell is the dominant composer, writing the music on seven of the ten tracks (and lyrics on all). Keeping in mind that Soundgarden's previous album was the overblown metallic miasma of Louder Than Love, the accessibly warm, relatively clean sound of Temple of the Dog is somewhat shocking, and its mellower moments are minor revelations in terms of Cornell's songwriting abilities. It isn't just the band, either -- he displays more emotional range than ever before, and his melodies and song structures are (for the most part) pure, vintage hard rock. In fact, it's almost as though he's trying to write in the style of Mother Love Bone -- which makes sense, since Temple of the Dog was a tribute to that band's late singer Andrew Wood. Not every song here is directly connected to Wood; once several specific elegies were recorded, additional material grew quickly out of the group's natural chemistry. As a result, there's a very loose, jam-oriented feel to much of the album, and while it definitely meanders at times, the result is a more immediate emotional impact. The album's strength is its mournful, elegiac ballads, but thanks to the band's spontaneous creative energy and appropriately warm sound, it's permeated by a definite, life-affirming aura. That may seem like a paradox, but consider the adage that funerals are more for the living than the dead; Temple of the Dog shows Wood's associates working through their grief and finding the strength to move on.

Code:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/lylyii

[mberan42]

The Wrens - The Meadowlands

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?6bjdszmgyvx

The Wrens' third album, The Meadowlands, is a sprawling, shifting affair, perhaps reflecting the fact that it took four years to create. It's easy to take the sweet, slightly alt-country "13 Months in 6 Minutes" at face value -- the song's epic feel suggests the passing of a considerable chunk of time, and at the Wrens' pace, it's possible that it did take over a year to craft. Rather fittingly, the album itself is also long, and the way that its songs jump and shift in tone and mood suggests a series of journal entries strung together, connected loosely by an overall brokenhearted feeling. A pair of bitterly pretty songs open The Meadowlands after the interlude "The House That Guilt Built" sets the tone with its early summer evening atmosphere: on "Happy," the Wrens sing "Are you happy?/You got what you want/I'm over it now," revealing their true feelings before shimmering guitars carry the song off on another tangent; "She Sends Kisses" goes from whispery, late-night anguish to high drama. Like Secaucus, most of the album trades in a classic indie rock sound -- just this side of accessible, but not overly experimental either. "This Boy Is Exhausted" and the new wavey "Faster Gun" are deceptively simple, bright, and shiny but with underlying complexities that provide a sharp contrast to the album's gentler moments, such as the shambling beauty of "Thirteen Grand" and the sweetly twangy "Ex-Girl Collection." The Meadowlands saves some of its most rock moments for the end of the album: "Per Second Second," an angular, Pixies-esque bit of punk, and the anthemic "Everyone Chooses Sides" send the album out in a blaze of glory that initially seems a little at odds with the melancholy tone of the rest of the album but, after a few listens, reveals itself as strangely appropriate. It's possible that The Meadowlands might be a "better" album if it were more focused and logical, but there's something to be said for its immersive, stream-of-consciousness approach. It's also tempting to say that hopefully it won't take the Wrens as long to make their next album as it did to make The Meadowlands, but when the results are this good, the time it took to make the album is more than justified.

If These Trees Could Talk - If These Trees Could Talk

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?1dznssmevvj

Akron's If These Trees Could Talk eschews post-rock's tendency toward roller-coaster dynamics -- as well as the slide-rule intricacy of math rock's post-punk wing -- for the moody majesty of June of 44. (Kent's Six Parts Seven also comes to mind.) While there are passages propelled by the frothy churn of loud/soft counterpoints -- as in parts of "The Friscalating Dusklight" -- the music's power is a product of the wonderful three-guitar interplay. But this isn't so much about chords as it is the jutting, slashing, slithering single-note intersections, whose combinations drive the melody as well as lending this music an oceanic quality.
Tracks such as "Signal Tree" work a hypnotic thrum, while the psychedelic "41°4'23n, -81°31'4w," in a surprisingly economical three and a half minutes, billows and swoons like the Smashing Pumpkins. This is one of ITTCT's finest traits: Songs don't overstay their welcome; instead, they work out their idea and move along with minimal wankery.

Stereolab - ABC Music: The Radio 1 Sessions

(disc one)

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?4zkzzr4namm

(disc two)

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?ctkuxijjmnz

ABC Music, the two-disc, 32-track compilation of Stereolab's BBC Radio 1 sessions from July 1991 to August 2001, is a surprisingly illuminating and listenable set. Although this may come as a shock to some casual listeners, Stereolab can be a ferocious live band, and their trademark blend of Krautrock, easy listening, and Brazilian influences (in different proportions throughout their career) usually has an added aggressiveness in a live setting. This is particularly apparent on the earliest tracks, including an outstanding version of their early signature tune "Super Electric" on which the Neu!-like motorik pulse is buttressed by some almost punky guitar work by co-leader Tim Gane. Several tracks appear in embryonic versions, with a very different early take of "Seeperbold" called "Working Title (The Pram Song)" of particular interest. The familiar songs tend to sound more stripped-down here; "International Colouring Contest" loses its samba-like beat but gains a more heartfelt vocal from Laetitia Sadier, who also steps away from her usual deadpan on glorious revisions of the rarity "Brigitte" and the 1996 single "Cybele's Reverie," which sounds just as catchy and propulsive without the studio version's full orchestral setting. ABC Music is probably not the place to start for the complete Stereolab novice, but any fan will be impressed.

[PECOAE]

Night Song - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan w/ Michael Brook



http://www.mediaf!re.com/?0mv4dnbbztf

Canadian experimental guitarist Brook and the late, "shining star of Qawwal" come together for a second time to bring the music of Pakistan into a creative new realm. If you are a traditionalist who wants nothing but Pakistani music, stay away. This album is soaked in ambient electronic guitar noises and some of Khan's most out-of-the-tradition singing. These experiments are not to be confused with lots of the electro-noodling, however. Both artists were devoted to their gods and their music, and it shows in the potency of these tracks. Brook seems to have been a natural match for Nusrat and has drawn out an unusual performance that probably fulfills the ideas that were only hinted at in their first collaboration, Musst Musst. --Louis Gibson

Traditional Sufi music with an alt.rockish twist, amazing stuff quite ethereal.

[Landstander]

I know we're not supposed to make requests, but I'd be very appreciative if somebody could upload some CocoRosie.

VERY appreciative, if you know what I mean.

I will have sex with you.

In exchange, Bowerbirds. Nice North Carolina folk. John Darnielle is a fan, and that should be more than enough for anyone.

Snatching their name from an Australian chirper (bowerbirds are most famous for the inverse relationship between a male's plumage and its ability to construct a mate-attracting nest), Bowerbirds' debut long player (released by Pitchfork writer Grayson Currin's label) will likely garner loads of comparisons to Devendra Banhart and Vetiver, but their brand of folk is more Appalachian than British (Carter Family over Bert Jansch), and less concerned with psychedelia than melody (think gypsy-influenced Sufjan Stevens). Opener "Hooves" starts small and modest, with Moore mewing about his mom over spare acoustic guitar ("Back when I was born on a full moon/ I nearly split my momma in two"), before the vocals double, drums kick up, and Tacular's accordion starts to whine: the track is somehow quiet and jarring at the same time, and invites all kinds of twee analogies (a family of deer darting through a clearing! Thunderclaps at night! Rainbows!).

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?acdwymb5xzj

[Liz]

Hey dudes, if you don't download that The Sea and Cake album, I will personally do something mean to you.

I already have it! Do I get a prize?

[imapiratearg]

Ditto.  What do we win?

[KickThatBathProf]

Dangit, third to the table again...


Also, thanks for all that Jets To Brazil

[Trillian]

I already have it! Do I get a prize?

Ditto.  What do we win?

Well...what do you want?  And I will see what I can do.   

And...

Making good on a promise.
Jets to Brazil - Four Cornered Night

Thank you!

[KvP]

Hey dudes, if you don't download that The Sea and Cake album, I will personally do something mean to you.

BRING IT ON MAN

[MusicScribbles]

Hey guys, if you don't download those Silver Jews albums or that Red House Painters album, I will not be angry.
I am the anti-dictator.

[imagist42]

Battles - EP C/B EP
 

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/download.php?d1h19ayvgbo

192kbps MP3s

Oh thank you thank you thank you thank-----

Also, where the heck did this Sea and Cake bit come from? Because it is grand.

[Jackie Blue]

That Wrens album totally has my seal of approval.  Definitely a usually-overlooked classic.

[Spinless]

Overlooked? The Wrens? Really? Their fanbase is very vocal about how good they are, I should know, I'm an active member.
That said, the Abbott 1135 EP? Really Great. I recall that 'North to Nothing' was probably the best Wrens song ever recorded. Shame I don't have it to upload anymore.
*hint*

[Jackie Blue]

In my experience in America very few people who should own that Wrens album actually do.

I know they have a vocal fanbase, myself included, but I'd never even heard of them until last year when a friend played me that album, and as I have established, I've heard of everything.

[gardenhead_]

Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash (2008/leak)
This album is more like Pig Lib than his last album Face The Truth in that he's playing with a live band and there are probably too many long guitar solos. Other than that, it's not a bad album.

192 kbps mp3z

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?2sozbmlmqxz

[Calaveth]

I know we're not supposed to make requests, but I'd be very appreciative if somebody could upload some CocoRosie.

VERY appreciative, if you know what I mean.

I will have sex with you.

I'll have something for you when I get back from work.

Free of charge.

[E. Spaceman]

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?3004mmhkvjc

A Spectrum of Infinite Scale by Man Or Astro-man?. This is a fantastic surf/indie/psych band recording their finest album.

[Inlander]

As promised in the Music Blog discussion thread, here is Lowlands by the Dirty Three. This was recorded around the time of Ocean Songs and was sold on the tour for Whatever You Love, You Are. For some reason discographies (and filenames!) describe it as an E.P., but at eight tracks and clocking in around forty minutes, I think we can call it a full-blown album. Beautiful mellow instrumental rock, with a more pronounced countryish vibe to a lot of the songs than is usually the case with the Dirty Three's music. Enjoy!

Code:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/4fmtqi

[chamberk]

Meadowlands is amazing and pretty much everyone in the world should listen to it

[valley_parade]

Fu Manchu - We Must Obey

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?9tmvymzmxjw

In an age of increasingly short attention spans, it's no small feat for a band to arrive at the career landmark of a tenth album -- but that's where So-Cal fuzz rock institution Fu Manchu finds itself with 2007's We Must Obey. Perhaps even more impressive is how the quartet has remained remarkably faithful to their original sonic aesthetic over these many releases and 15-odd years; thereby rewarding the group with the sort of dedicated following enjoyed by other standard bearers of a particular musical footprint: AC/DC, Motörhead, the Ramones. Of course Fu Manchu don't yet share these bands' ubiquitous presence in the average music consumer's psyche (much like their closest generational parallel, Clutch), and some of their discs have been better than others, but the point of all this is that there are few things in the land of rock & roll that are as guaranteed as a Fu Manchu album. Therefore, it naturally follows that We Must Obey doesn't even attempt to break with this tradition, but rather sets right about the business of uncovering fresh new riff sequences with which to propel hard-charging fuzz rock anthems like "Knew It All Along," "Shake It Loose," and the title cut toward the mirage-like horizons capping desert highways. At the other end of the spectrum, we have slower offerings that evidently prize monolithic grooves over raw energy (witness "Lesson" and the psychedelic surf-metal of "Sensei vs. Sensei"), or minimalist dynamics that put a different kind of space in Fu Manchu's space rock (see first single "Hung out to Dry" and "Land of Giants," featuring a novel, distorted growl). And, last but not least, there's a suitably distorted cover of the Cars' "Moving in Stereo," offering the only real surprise in an otherwise perfectly expected Fu Manchu album experience -- their loyal fans wouldn't want it any other way.

[amok]

Say, any chance someone could upload Hearts of Black Science - The Ghost You Left Behind? It seems obscure enough to not appear on any of my usual torrent sites.

im on the case

[a pack of wolves]

The Hated - Everysong

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?4vy2wwuzfzj

The Hated - No More We Cry

Code:

http://www.mediaf!re.com/?1jxd4ka3jvg

From wikipedia:

The Hated was an Annapolis, Maryland punk rock band from 1985 to 1990. The original members were Mike Bonner, Erik Fisher, Daniel Littleton, and Colin Meeder. The Hated are known as one of the earliest Emo bands.

After an early start as a parody of some of the DC hardcore scene's more rockist tendencies, the band's music quickly became more serious, more musically complicated that that of many of their contemporaries and followers, including melodic basslines, vocal harmonies and guitar playing (and tunings) borrowed from folk music, and drumming often more reminiscent of Keith Moon of the Who than most punk and post-punk drumming. The lyrics were complicated as well, occasionally containing bibilical allusions or phrases in French and German.

The original line-up recorded lasted until the fall of 1985, when Bonner was replaced by Kenny Hill of the Spastic Rats and Meeder was replaced by John Irvine. This version of the group recorded two of the Hated's best known works, the "Like the Days" ep and the sessions that were later released as the "What Was Behind" lp (this lp release has since been disowned by the band, as it was mastered at the wrong speed). Irvine left the band around the beginning of 1987; he was replaced first by Erik Fisher's brother Jason and then by Colin Meeder, who re-joined in early 1988.

After the dissolution of the Hated, Littleton and Meeder went on to form Three Shades of Dirty and were members of the band Slack with Jenny Toomey. Littleton was later a member of Liquorice with Toomey and appeared on Lisa Loeb's Tails. Littleton is currently a member of Ida.

The Hated's works are currently all out-of-print. A comprehensive compilation is said to be forthcoming from Troubleman Unlimited; this has, however, been delayed for several years.

[bulldawg982]

how about i throw up some music?

Ugly Casanova - Sharpen Your Teeth



i could not get onto amg for some reason, so there is no descrition, i might edit one in later. basically this is a kickass modest mouse album before they became a really shitty band.

Code:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/eu4862

[Misereatur]

I'm planing a big upload spree this weekend.

Stay tuned.