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Boys Life/Vitreous Humor - Split | Black | Crank!

This record came to me in a strange way. My friend gave me a Mansions 7″ and through in a Joan of Arc record with it because he had no use for it (didn’t like the band/got it for free/etc...). Inside of that Joan of Arc 7″ was the Joan of Arc record PLUS this record. I had never heard of either of these bands, but knew about Crank! records because of Mineral. 

Neither of these songs catch my attention that strongly. The Boys Life song sounds like it would fit on the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack. The Vitreous Humor is more “emo” sounding and it reminds me of something that I can’t exactly put my finger on. I think I’m holding onto this record right now because it came to me in a cool way. I don’t imagine listening to this all that much in the future or seeking out these bands. Maybe if the right mood strikes?

If you really want this record, you could try this shot in the dark: http://www.crankthis.com/ordering.html

#Crank! #boys life #vitreous humor #7inch #vinyl #review

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Diane Coffee - Polyvinyl 4-Track Single Series | /500 Clear | Polyvinyl

In 2014 I received a 7″ every month from Polyvinyl records. I signed up for this series because of artists like Cloud Nothings, Matt Pryor, and Into It. Over It.. Some of the records I loved and some were just ok. I did actually find out about my favorite band through this series (it’s only been a year, but it’s hard to imagine anyone taking their place...more on that when that record pops up).

I’m not sure what month this record came. It’s one that I would qualify as just ok. The A-side is the better off the two tracks. It sounds like a Hall & Oats song. The B-side sounds like psych-era Beatles, but not as interesting. I don’t really have any idea who Diane Coffee is, but this record didn’t do a whole lot to make me want to check more of their music out. I would definitely throw on the A-side from time to time, though. It’s fun.

I don’t believe there is anywhere that you can readily purchase this record.

#Diane Coffee #Polyvinyl #7inch #vinyl #review

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Empty Orchestra/The Silverbird Band - Split | White | Capeside

I was pumped about buying this for Empty Orchestra’s song “The Ballad Of Bulls Run”. I saw Empty Orchestra play a lot during the late 2000′s. They were probably my favorite Michigan band at the time and it seemed like every cool musician in Michigan had been a part of the band at one point. Plus, all the songs were great. A month or so ago I listened to Here Lies... for the first time in a while and it still holds up. This split feels like a continuation of that record.

“It’s All True” is Empty Orchestra’s other song on this split. It’s good, but suffers like a lot of songs on short releases where the other song is so so good that it relatively seems not as good. “The Ballad Of Bulls Run”, though. That’s the song. I remember watching them play it live before hearing the recording and being blown away. I feel like this band should’ve been huge. On the B-side is “Sophie Says” by The Silverbird Band. It’s a largely forgettable track that isn’t bad, but it’s kind of just there. Once again, I really just bought this for the one EO track.

I just discovered that “The Ballad Of Bulls Run” was put on a later Empty Orchestra release as well. This 7″ is out of print (I think?). You can listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_r_7T24qAw

#Empty Orchestra #Capeside Records #7inch #vinyl #review

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Porches./LVL UP - Split | /100 Coke Bottle Green | Bird Tapes/Double Double Whammy

Porches./LVL UP - Split | /300 Black | Bird Tapes/Double Double Whammy

What I remember most about ordering these was how expensive they were. I don’t remember the exact amount, but it was way more than seemed like it should’ve been. This was at a time when I wanted to variant collect for LVL UP, though. So I had to make the purchase. I didn’t really know much about Porches. before this split, but I really like their songs.

Porches. takes the a-side and starts with a stripped down acoustic track called “Strapping Young Weirdos”. I like their singer’s voice. It’s comforting. “Townie Blunt Guts” is my favorite song on this split. I don’t even know what to compare it to. I think that’s a good thing. It’s the perfect amount of fuzzy without being in your face. The riffs/leads in this song are great and the harmonies make it perfect. 

LVL UP starts off their side with “Cross The Sea”. If the last Porches. song was fuzzy without being in your face, this is the complete opposite. Once the guitars kick in, they’re almost pure fuzz. I like the way the double the vocals high and low. They use two different singers and their voices blend together nicely. “Bad Blood” is extra fuzzy as well. It doesn’t have the hook + catchiness of the first song. It’s a grower for sure. I wasn’t too fond of it at first, but I appreciate it a lot more now. When things cut back is where the strength in this track lies. The more laid back middle is my favorite and helps make the fuzzy ending all the better. 

This split is no longer available. 

#lvl up #porches. #bird tapes #double double whammy #7inch #review #vinyl

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Modern Life Is War - S/T | /3125 White | Lifeline 

I ordered this in 2011 when Lifeline records did a limited edition reissue of My Love. My Way. and Witness. It actually took me a really long time to get all of my records from this order. Eventually, I was told that the package had fallen behind something and was lost for a short while. I had given up on getting the records (since each were out of /150), but luck prevailed and I finally got everything. 

I don’t know if this is technically a demo or not, but it’s definitely MLIW’s first release. It’s good. It might be revisionist history in a sense, but looking back after hearing this, it makes sense as to why they blew up like they did. All 3 songs are great, but I’m partial to “Fakes Like You (Make Me Sick)”. It’s really cool to hear that Modern Life Is War sound in it’s early stages. 

You can still pick this up from Lifeline records and I suggest you do so. Melodic hardcore at its finest: http://lifelinerecords.storenvy.com/products/698408-modern-life-is-war-s-t-7-white-vinyl

#modern life is war #lifeline records #7inch #vinyl #review

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Rites of Spring - All Through A Life | Black (Reissue) | Dischord

This might be my favorite Dischord records release. I don’t know. It’s hard to choose. Like, really hard. I already regret typing that first sentence, but I’ll keep it anyway. “All Through A Life” is the song that I think of when I think of Dischord style indie/post punk/emo(?)/whatever you want to call it. So there’s that. I bought this record from Vertigo in Grand Rapids, MI when I was trying to build up the “classics” in my collection. I think that this a record that everyone should I own. There isn’t a bad song on here. I honestly don’t know what else to write about this? Guy’s voice is cool as shit? Anything else I could write feels like common knowledge to me. 

Go buy this now or pose in hell forever: http://www.dischord.com/release/022/all-through-a-life

#rites of spring #dischord #7inch #vinyl #review

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Self Defense Family/Fires - Split | /382 Clear Blue | Troubled Monkey

I bought this record off Ebay while eating falafel at a bar in downtown East Lansing, MI. I’m a big fan of Self Defense Family and I’m always trying to get my hands on their older OOP material. This one materialized for a good price, so I had to jump on it. I had no idea what their songs were like, and had never heard of Fires, but I knew if nothing else it would be interesting.

This ended up being one of, if not, my favorite Self Defense releases. “I Can’t Work A Straight Job” has a very Dischord vibe to it. The verses in this song are perfect. The way the guitars go together is awesome. I really love the repeating higher guitar. “M1911″ is just an acoustic guitar and spoken word. I honestly would love to hear more stuff in this realm. Patrick’s manner of articulation works really well for spoken word. “He tends not to think of himself as happy or unhappy, but constant and existing. He reads a lot.”

Fires track is called “Things We Lost in the Sea”. It starts with a dreamy clean guitar part with some bass notes being played underneath before the drums come in with a simple beat. I feel like I’ve heard this same song a bunch of times. Pretty much every band we played with while on tour with Things Fall Apart in 2012 had a song that sounded like this. This record came out in 2011, so it fits the time table. 

This is long OOP, but you can listen to it on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayrjruvYpzc

#self defense family #fires #troubled monkey #7inch #vinyl #review

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This Is Hell - Cripplers | /500 Clear w/ Black Splatter | Trustkill

I’m fairly positive that this is one of the first 7″s that I ever bought. I think I got it around 2008 at a Hot Topic. I’m fairly certain that I also bought Set Your Goal’s Mutiny for like $5 on sale at the same time. You used to be able to score incredible records for really cheap at Hot Topics. Now, everything is super expensive and it sucks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

A year or two prior to getting this record, I went to some mega tour (can’t remember the name of it) with like 12 bands playing at what was then The State Theatre in Detroit. It was me and 5 or so friends. GWAR headlined and we left early (what a mistake), but we didn’t feel like sitting through another band after seeing Every Time I Die (the band we most wanted to see). There were a lot of bad bands that played. Some were bad in a good way and others were just bad. BUT, to start the show off was a band I had never heard of: This Is Hell. At this time, metalcore was really popular. A good number of my friends were really into it. I preferred faster/melodic stuff. This Is Hell fit that description perfectly. I bought their album, Sundowning, and fell in love with it. I believe this record is the next bit of music they released after that. 

This record has two sides: and “F” side and a “U” side. Each side was recorded at different locations. The “F” side has a little better production, but the “U” side sounds exactly like Sundowning which has me connecting with it a little more. I don’t think hardcore always needs super well done production to sound good. Half the songs on this record are covers. This includes a version of “Fight For Your Right” by The Beastie Boys. “Double Grave” on the “U” side is probably my favorite track on the record. Overall, nothing on this really stands out as a must listen. It’s cool for the covers, but probably doesn’t hold up as a standalone release.

I don’t believe this record is for sale anymore. I don’t even know if Trustkill is still a label?

#This Is Hell #trustkill records #7inch #vinyl #review

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Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)/Into It. Over It. - Split | /150 Clear | Count Your Lucky Stars

Another Into It. Over It. split from his 12 towns project. This one is with Empire! Empire! and I believe was one of the last entries in that series. I ordered this along with the IIOI/Pswinget split directly from Count Your Lucky Stars.

The Empire! Empire! track on this reminds me of some friends who told me that this was the best E!E! song. I also have a vivid memory of seeing them play it live at the Hariet Brown house in East Lansing, MI. It is a great song, but I don’t know if I’d consider it their best. I do love the outro, thought.

Into It. Over It. has two songs on his side. I could take or leave the mostly lo-fi “Buffalo, NY”, but could talk forever about “Denton, TX”. What a song. It quickly became one of my favorite IIOI songs. It was fun to play on guitar (despite definitely playing it differently than Evan does with all his different open tunings). It has awesome harmonies that are really fun to sing along. The angular lead just pulls everything together. This is a great song that I’d listen to on repeat forever and ever and ever.

This split is OOP. Sorry. Find it on the secondary market maybe?

#empire! empire! (i was a lonely estate) #Into It. Over It. #count your lucky stars #7inch #vinyl #review

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Converge - Live at The BBC | /774 Transparent Pink | Deathwish

I think live records are cool. Even though this wasn’t a normal show performance, it’s still cool to hear the songs on this record in a similar setting. Converge is an insane band and they were pretty insane the one time that I saw them play. This release is heavy with Axe To Fall songs and to be completely honest, I’m not very familiar with that album. That being said, I was familiar with “Dark Horse” which kicks of the record. One thing I love about this record/band is that the songs sound very full with only one guitar. Especially a guitar that is constantly playing cool parts and not just chord-ing it out. All of these songs sound great and it’s nice to hear them in a different setting than the studio recordings. If you’re a fan of Converge, I would recommend picking this up.

You can still snag a copy from Deathwish here: http://store.deathwishinc.com/product/DW157v.html

#Converge #Deathwish #7inch #vinyl #review

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Person L/Weatherbox - Split | /200 Blue | Youth Conspiracy

Two bands I was into before the split; two bands I continue to be into after the split. Weatherbox has put out so many great records and are a band that gets brought up all the time when meeting new bands. It’s something I’ve bonded over with so many different people across the country. I don’t think Person L is a band anymore (could be wrong?), but they also put out an incredible LP called The Positives. Being a big fan of both these bands, I ordered this right when it went up for pre-order. Couldn’t miss out.

Person L takes the a-side on this split. “OK” is the first track and kicks in with some mid-tempo guitar rock before cutting back a little into an organ-layered atmospheric verse. This sounds like it would’ve fit perfectly on The Positives. He has such a cool voice and it works perfectly for this. When he strains it in the chorus (?) it has a nice timbre to it. This is definitely their standout track on this split. “Winter Clothes” has them doing a little more experimenting, which is cool. The vocals are drenched in effects and it’s pretty much just a repeating guitar and drum part for most of the song. The drums really do a lot of the heavy lifting in this song. I think this song would be better live than on recording.

The b-side starts with “Kickflips for Weeks” which is in my top 5 favorite Weatherbox songs (if not higher). I remember hearing them play it for the first time when my band played a show with them at Woobie’s (RIP) in Flint, MI. (Funny aside: we played right before them and the first song that played over the PA when we finished/while they were setting up was “Trippin’ the Life Fantastic”. It made things a little awkward and they didn’t end up playing it live.) Either way, “Kickflips...” is a great song and I listened to it on repeat for weeks when I first got this split. “Two Seductresses” is a good song, but unfortunately suffers from having to follow an incredible song. Relatively, it just falls a little short. It’s not a bad song by any means, but I don’t know if I’d listen to it on its own. 

This split is out of print. Tough luck if you wanna buy it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#Person L #Weatherbox #youth conspiracy records #7inch #vinyl #review

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Killing Thing - Closed Casket | /150 White w/Black Smoke | Soft Speak

I ordered this record alongside Runaway Brother’s Summer Autumn from Soft Speak records. I hadn’t really listened to Killing Thing at all. I just usually try to order multiple 7″s in an order to cut down on the shipping per item cost. Plus a member of the band did artwork for the Secret Grief/Runaway Brother split LP. Figured I’d give it a shot.

The A-side has a long intro of clean guitar with screaming overtop. I can get into that. When it kicks in, it sounds like Converge worship, which isn’t a knock. Overall, it’s a pretty cool song. The B-side has a couple tracks that have some parts that sound like Everytime I Die and some other parts that sound like all the bad metalcore bands my friends were into in high school. It seems to be well done, but this is so outside my realm right now that I don’t have a whole lot more to say. 

You can pick this record up from Soft Speak Records here: http://www.softspeakrecords.com/products/525770-killing-thing-closed-casket

#killing thing #softspeak records #7inch #vinyl #review

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Kittyhawk/Cherry Cola Champions | /175 Black | Flannel Gurl 

I picked up this split from Cherry Cola Champions when they played at The Church of Three Cats, a house venue here in Lansing, MI. If I’m at a DIY show and a band has a 7″ for sale, I will typically buy it. On top of that, I was familiar with Kittyhawk from knowing some of the people in the band (though I hadn’t listened to them at all up to this point). 

Kittyhawk’s side of the split contains three songs, albeit the second song is a short little interlude of sorts. It starts off with a song called “The Green”. I think that this is my favorite song on the record. The vocals float nicely over the instrumentation and help maintain a sense of calm. “The Rot” comes next and is a stripped down song with only organ and vocals. I wish that they would’ve fleshed it out more as it’s a really nice sounding progression. “The Red” finishes off their side. Again, the instrumentation is kind of busy, while the vocals keep it simple. I think the vocals are my favorite part of these songs 

Cherry Cola Champions offer up the tracks “Noise” and “Static” for their side. When I saw them live, they were a two piece. Their guitarist ABY’d his guitar to have some bass in there. I here some low notes on this and I wonder if that’s how he does it on recordings or if he plays actual bass. “Noise” is a quick track that ends with some noise (no surprise) that transitions into “Static”. I haven’t listened to this split since around the time I got it, but I actually remember them playing this song and it being the one that really stood out to me. Most of the songs is the one angular guitar riff repeated (or at least the chord progression for it) but they kind of play off of it and change things up. The vocals are almost talk-ish, but there’s still a little bit of melody being sung. It’s a cool song.

You can pick up this split from Flannel Gurl in their webstore: http://flannelgurl.bigcartel.com/product/kittyhawk-cherry-cola-champions-split-7

#kittyhawk #cherry cola champions #flannel gurl #7inch #vinyl #review

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Castevet/Into It. Over It. - Snack Town | 16/75 Grey (Release Show Edition) | Topshelf

Castevet/Into It. Over It. - Snack Town | 16/100 Brown (Tour Edition w/ Screen Printed Jacket) | Topshelf 

Before I write anything else, I have to just say, “Fuck, Castevet was so good.” As for these records, I ordered both of them straight from Evan who had put up his leftover copies in his online store. I was fortunate enough to meet Evan in the very early stages of Into It. Over It. when the band he was playing in at the time did a short tour with my band. It’s been really cool to see how far he’s taken his music since then. 

Castevet’s first song, “Chilsen” sounds absolutely gigantic. It starts out with a pulsing guitar that sounds straight out of an Explosions in the Sky song, but once the other instruments kick in, the song takes its own shape. At about the midway point, a build up crescendos into the gigantic sounding part that is accompanied by a cool angular lead. It’s so humongous sounding. Seriously. Then when everything cuts out hard except for the guitars...dang. Perfect. “(Get) Bucktown” is a perfect example of how good punk-influenced emo could sound. Too many bands settle for lo-fi recordings and awful singing, but Castevet says, “screw that” and in turn shows why I think their music was leaps and bounds ahead of many of their counterparts. 

The first time I heard “Summerville, SC” by Into It. Over It., I didn’t know what hit me. It was so much more aggressive than the past Into It. Over It. material and I loved it. A lot of really sweet guitar parts and feel changes in this song. I love the punk drums in the second verse. Nicely placed but not overdone. The outro to this song is also great. Drums over feedback always is cool. Especially slow/simple drums. “Pontiac, MI” is the polar opposite of “Summerville, SC”. One clean guitar (and maybe some background filler) and one voice are all that make up this track. It's more powerful that way and better matches the lyrical theme.

This split is no longer for sale and no, you can’t buy either copy from me. 

#Into It. Over It. #Castevet #Snacktown #Topshelf Records #review #vinyl #7inch

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Shores - Little One b/w Something In The Way | /??? Black | No Idea

I’ve been randomly grabbing records to write about for this. Somehow I grabbed another record that I ordered at the same time as the Paint It Black record that I just reviewed. This one is by a band from Michigan called Shores. They’re probably one of my favorite bands to ever come out of Michigan. This 7″ is two covers that they recorded while working on To Volstead.

The A-side contains the track “Little One” which was originally by a band called Twelve Hour Turn. I’m unfamiliar with the band and the song, so I’m not sure how true this cover stays to the original. To me, it sounds like it could be a Shores song. I love their singer’s voice. It is perfect for this kind of music. They do the clean guitar with a slow drum build better than any band and it’s on display all throughout this song. 

The B-side is a cover of “Something In The Way” by Nirvana. While this song is by no means a “hit” by Nirvana standards, I think it’s one of their best songs. Shores cover of it stacks up well against the original. They somehow manage to make it even more melancholy, but in a hauntingly beautiful type of way. This version is missing the cello throughout the choruses, but they also “rock out” the ending a little more than in the Nirvana version. I like that. Again, this sounds like it could be a Shores song even while staying pretty true to the original piece. 

If you like Shores, you should definitely pick it up. It’s available in No Idea Records webstore: http://store.noidearecords.com/products/shoreslittleonebwsomethingintheway

#Shores #No Idea Records #vinyl #7inch #review

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O’Brother/Sainthood Reps - Split | 172/500 (Random Colors) Blue Marble | The Ambitious Guest 

Many moons ago, my band received an e-mail asking if we wanted to open up a show for a band called Sainthood Reps. We were told that it was a new band featuring the touring guitarist of Brand New. Being big Brand New fans, we gladly accepted. A band called All The Day Holiday, who I knew from them staying at my house/playing with them previously, were also going to be on the show. It was a no-brainer. Sometime between confirming the show and actually playing it, something happened and I ended up playing a solo set at the show. That was kinda lame, but what can you do?

This was still in the days of Myspace and before Bandcamp had really taken off, so I listened to the tracks that Sainthood Reps has up on their Myspace page. The only one that really stood out was a track called “Condor”. It was a great song that definitely peaked my interest in the band. It was also the only song they played live that I could get into. A few months after that, it was announced that Sainthood Reps would be putting out a split with O’Brother and that “Condor” would be the track that they would be supplying to it. Of course I had to order it. 

“Condor” is technically the B-side of this release, but it’s the first song I listened to. It’s just as good as I remember it: Hauntingly beautiful clean guitars that explode into a huge sounding chorus. It definitely sounds like it could be a Brand New song, but I’m not sure it would be any better if Brand New was playing it. You can hear the beginning of the sound that they developed on Monoculture. Since this was technically part of their demo, I guess that makes sense. I do remember hearing at one point they were going to do a double EP of half loud rock songs and half quiet instrumental songs. That would’ve been cool, but they’ve put out enough quality music since then that it doesn’t really matter.

The A-side, “Lay Down”, by O’Brother is sweet. For some reason, I’ve never dove into O’Brothers discography. I’ve played a few shows with them, but have never really checked out their recordings. My internet research tells me that this song was also on their first full length. I wonder if it’s the same recording? The tones on this are insane. Everything just sounds so good. It’s like 5+ years down the road, but this has made me want to check out their other music. Ideally, that’s what you want from splits/singles like this. 

This split is no longer available for purchase. You can listen to “Condor” by Sainthood Reps here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=royyTuQpNXU

#Sainthood Reps #O'Brother #The Ambitious Guest #vinyl #7inch #review

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Paint It Black - Invisible | /500 White | No Idea

This record came out in 2013 and I ordered it straight from No Idea Records in a pretty hefty mail-order package. I’m a very passive hardcore fan at best. I appreciate the genre and a lot of its bands, but I’ve never felt a strong connection with the hardcore scene. For this reason, most of the hardcore bands I listen to are fairly well known and/or accessible. There aren’t a whole lot of deep cuts in my collection. 

Paint It Black is one of my favorite hardcore bands with CVA being one of my favorite records. I listened to that record and New Lexicon a lot in my early 20′s.   Invisible definitely sounds like a Paint It Black record, but it just doesn’t have the memorable and anthemic songs of past releases. The last two tracks, “D.F.W.” & “Invisible”, are my favorite songs on this. I really like the lyrics at the end of “Invisible”: Ice will melt. Seas will rise. Iron will rust. Fire will fall from the skies. Hearts will break, but ours will mend, once we’ve spent all that we can spend. We will turn against ourselves, we will feel fear. We are a moment, and we will disappear.

I will continue to buy anything Paint It Black releases. Even on a “down” release like this, I still think they’re better than most other bands. I’m not sure when or if new material will come, but until then I’ll throw this record on from time to time. 

This record is available from No Idea Records. You can order it here: http://store.noidearecords.com/collections/no-idea-records/products/paintitblackinvisible

#Paint It Black #Invisible #No Idea Records #vinyl #7 inch #review