'Last one out of the city, burn it down."

Hopefully, with it being a new year (or, so I've been told), this little corner of the nobody-readsasphere will get updated with a little more regularity. I know I have no one to blame but myself for this, and for that I will give myself the requisite forty-lashes. Unless you'd prefer a good, ol' fashioned Singapore caning - I can do that, but somebody is going to have to provide said cane.

Anyways, with this first post of the new year, I'd like to add a couple of local Chicago bands and their albums to the list I made in the last post of the old year. The reason for this being; I heard them too damn late. One album arrived at my door on New Years Eve and the other I downloaded the very last day it was available for free. (Sorry. I felt like I needed to rub that in.) After listening to both extensively I feel like they probably would of made my top 10 list, but that's the extent of it. I'm not going to try and figure out where they belong and who gets knocked out, I don't care that much for pointless lists. Instead, I'm just going to call them numbers 10.2 & 10.3.

#10.3) The Rikters - The Rikters

This album as gotten shit from other people and it's quite undeserved. Yes. It seems to be stuck somewhere in mid-tempo for most of it, but, if you can get past that, you'll find a beautifully rocking album full of love and lost.


#10.2) Kid, You'll Move Mountains - Loomings

I don't know why I hadn't heard of this band or album. The simple description; melodic indie rock filled with clever lyrics sung with cohesive male/female vocals. The complicated; Buy it & come up with one yourself.


There you go, with that done, be on the lookout for more posts on varying topics, anywhere from the educated and artistic circle of society to plain, unadulterated stupidity. Trust me when I say there will probably be a lot more posts on one of those subjects than the others.

Oh! And special thanks to Leon from The Gasoline Brothers (Their album, Tsk! is available now, for free!), for taking time out of his busy schedule to not only look at this POS site, but to comment on it as well. Let's see Katy Perry or Miley Cyrus do that.

Seriously. I know it sounds sarcastic. But, that would actually be pretty cool if they did that. I'm not too proud to beg.

Let me say first; The person you met that night wasn't me. Physically, it was. Spiritually, I'd already stamped my ticket to hell for a myriad of different reasons. I'll see you there.

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Now playing: Kid, You'll Move Mountains - An Open Letter to Wherever You're From
via FoxyTunes

"This will be a better year."

It's obligimatory list time. Best of's and what not. So, because no one demanded it, the ten albums you should have listened to this year and some EP's as well, since they're cheap (half of them are free to download). Half of these bands are probably unheard of and the other half I've probably already covered, but you'll find that out for yourself as I start with #10 and work my way up.

#10) Brand New - Daisy

Excessively loud rock that is surprisingly contagious and accessible. Not their best effort ever, but still better than a lot of what was released this year.

#09) Aimee Allen - A Little Happiness

Melodic and mellow change of pace for this singer/songwriter. A great voice & just enough touch keeps every track sounding unique, but slightly similar.



#08) Eyedea & Abilities - By the Throat

Not a thing like what was expected from them. Such a great and bold decision by a group who knows what making music should be about.



#07) Killing Jazz - 12 is Enough (Free)

This band no longer exists, but they delivered one hell of a going away gift. This is a really fun jazz/blues album that you'd really should of had to pay for.



#06) The Patinettes - The Patinettes (Free)

A fantastic mixture of surf rock and folk, this is an album to remind you of summer. These Spaniards really nailed an oft-forgotten part of our music.



#05) Chewing on Tinfoil - Get Rich or Try Dyin' (Free)

Ska is being revived again and this is the band leading the charge. A wonderful debut album with a nice bouncing sing-along quality to it.


#04) The Gasoline Brothers - Tsk! (Free)

Indie rock that's all of great and unpretentious. This combination being a nice, strange, and incredibly welcome change of pace to the genre.



#03) Ike Reilly - Hard Luck Stories

Good ol' fashioned rock and roll mixed with a little country. Some of the best musicianship and song writing out there today all on one album.



#02) The Taxpayers - A Rhythm in the Cages (Free)

Punk mixed with folk, a lead singer/screamer that's both melodic and raspy. Everything you could want in an album mixed together perfectly.



#01) Cheap Girls - My Roaring 20's

I figure this should be number one since I've listened to it everyday for two months now. Fuzzy, catchy and beautiful, listen to this and I seriously doubt you won't want to sing along.


EP's (Alphabetical order, clickable = downloadable)

Farewell Continental - Farewell Continental, Hard Girls - Hello, I Fight Dragons - Cool Is Just a Number, The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat and Tears, The Micah Walk Band - Goodbye, Austin, Oh NO Its POk - Oh NO It's SHITE, Plugs - Rock 'n' Roll Zombie

Here's to 2011.

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Now playing: Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game

via FoxyTunes