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May 23rd, 2006

New June Mixtape

Wow, since I’ve started my new job, I’ve had to adjust to having a lot less time to spend on stuff like posting on this site, which I apologize for. On the positive side though, I love what I’m doing and get to do the kind of worked I’ve dreamed of being able to do for a long time. So, I really can’t complain. Anyway, here is a new IndieHQ mixtape for you to listen to…

June Mixtape

Read below for some descriptions about each of the songs…

01. Monster by Uphollow from Jackets for the Trip
Uphollow is a local band from Denver that has been around for a really long time. Their sound and style have evolved numerous times and while they’ve continously put out solid records they’ve never received the recognition they deserve. This is the first track from a new full length they put out last fall and I think its an awesome song.

02. Running Red Lights by The Life and Times from Suburban Hymns
Many of you may know of the band Shiner which had a small but extremely loyal following. The Life and Times was started by Allen Epley, the major creative force behind Shiner, and his new project starts right where has last band left off. While the record is a little more straight forward, the musicianship is still top-notch. I saw these guys a few months ago in front of a dissapointingly small crowd, but they still blew me away.

03. Empathy On a Stick by The Ladies from They Mean Us
The Ladies is a two person collaboration between Rob Crow from Pinback and Zach Hill from Hella. The project is a near perfect meld of those two bands. While many of the songs are lacking a bit in structure and development, the inspired moments are amazing. Being a fan of both Hella and Pinback its pretty cool to hear the combination of these two very different styles thrown together.

04. Roses Are Black by Communique from a 2005 Demo
Communique has been around for a little while, but I never paid a lot of attention to them because I was never a big fan of American Steel. I saw these guys play last fall though and they stole the show. I’ve been hooked on them ever since.

05. Overlee (alt mix) by The Rentals from Little Russel Street
The Rentals are the brainchild of Matt Sharp. I’ve been a big fan of pretty much everything he has ever done, from the first two Weezer records to his solo acoustic material. He doesn’t have the greatest voice in the world and he’s not the best musician, but I do think he’s a great songwriter. When he recently announced The Rentals were working together again and writing a new record I was really excited. Between this and the Lifetime announcement this year, I can’t wait to see what these bands come up, though I’m also fairly scared about what might be released.

06. Far From My Hands by Reason to Believe from When Demons Dance
Reason to Believe were more or less a hardcore band from the late 80s that had a sound that went way beyond that of the typical band in the genre. I guess they were probably emo before there was emo. The guys later turned into a band called Sense Field that came really close to becoming huge, but just never quite made it. Still, they put out a catalog of great records.

07. Dark Canyon by Dartanian from Path of Glory
I feel pretty lame putting my own band on this thing, but seeing as how we just put out a record ourselves and have no real marketing power or budget, I thought I’d throw it in anyway. The record will be available through our site and iTunes in the very near future. So, if you’re feeling kind and love 80s style rock check it out. This song is about us taking a journey through a dark canyon, being eaten by a 20ft. halibut only to be saved by our robot pirate mascot, Captain Metal.

08. Intelligent Design by The New Amsterdams from Story Like a Scar
The New Amsterdams is now the full time project of Matt Pryor, since the Get Up Kids broke up last summer. This is a song from their new album, which is a decent record, though Worse For the Wear is definitely my favorite. This song is the most rocking on the record and reminds me of the way Matt use to sing for The Get Up Kids.

09. Breathe Like by Sybris from S/T
My band played a show with Sybris, a band from Chicago, last summer. I’d never heard of them before that night, but they were super nice and put on a pretty cool show. Their stuff reminds me a bit of the Pixies, though I’m not sure if that’s an accurate comparison these guys are still pretty sweet to me.

10. I Would Never Want to Be Young Again by Gogol Bordello from Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike
These guys put on the best show I’ve seen this year hands down. They were the opening act and I’d never heard of them, but they were great. Tons of energy and craziness and lots of fun.

11. Doom! Doom! Doom! by Latterman from No Matter Where We Go
My friend Stuart, who is the editor for a zine called the New Scheme, turned me onto these guys. Just a solid punk rock band, which I certainly don’t hear much of these days.

12. Mirror Kisses by The Cribs from The New Fellas
I don’t really know anything about this band, but I do really like this song. It was on a recent mix I downloaded from design/music blog Yewknee.

13. Grow Up by Self from Ornament and Crime
Self is one of my favorite bands. This is a song from an unreleased album that may never see the light of day because their old record label owns the rights to the recording and they were essentially dropped when a merger happened. If this song is any indication of the other songs, it will be a real shame if Ornament and Crime is never released.

14. Fighting Scared by Still Left Standing from S/T
Still Left Standing was a great Denver punk band from the late 90s. It was sort of an all star group of sorts at the time featuring members from much loved acts the Facet and Crestfallen. This has been a long time favorite of mine that most people outside of Colorado have probably never heard of.

15. I’m a Viking by Yngwie Malmsteen
…because everybody needs a little shredding and ridiculousness from Yngwie “Fucking” Malmsteen every once in a while.

Written by Sean Klassen