Minus The Bear - They Make Beer Commercials Like This (2004)

Genre: Indie/Rock
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/minusthebear

This EP just sounds right. I can't really explain it, the music just works - as a band Minus The Bear implements excellent grooves that fit together perfectly and just make for a wonderfully refreshing listen. At points it's technically challenging and definitely impressive from a musical perspective, fantastic guitarwork and a distinct groove that is just intensified by the awesome musicianship of the drums and bass. They throw the odd synth in at times, which work effectively, even if they may occasionally overpower the rest of the instruments, but really, I don't see any proper flaws in this. It's pretty much a perfect little slice of indie rock.

Link removed due to request. Sorry. ):

Trophy Scars - Hospital Music For The Aesthetics Of Language (2004)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Experimental

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/trophyscars

Hospital Music, the debut release by Trophy Scars, a band that seem to transcend musical genres and certainly don't limit themselves when it comes to experimentation. However they manage to experiment in a flowing manner that just seems right - this experimentation never becomes distracting or anything of the sort. The music itself is beautiful and melodic, yet at the same time almost painful and tortured, mainly due to the poetry of vocalist, Jerry Jones. Yes, I said poetry. His lyrics are fantastic and while I'm not the biggest fan of his voice, it certainly fits the music. Overall this is an emotional experience that ranges from epic melodic crescendoes to playful jams and even the odd breakdown, which all in all comes down to an enjoyable listen. Pretty cool, huh?

Well, yeah.

Underoath - Define The Great Line (2006)

Genre: Post Hardcore/Metalcore
Myspace: www.myspace.com/underoath

Underoath is one of my all time favorite bands. They helped usher me into what I listen to today, basically paving the way for my musical tastes. I could put any one of their albums up here and be perfectly content. They can do no wrong in my book. They are all fantastic musicians, putting out some truly amazing songs. From extremely heavy to extremely soft UO has a great handle on what they are doing. I chose Define the Great line...well for no particular reason. Eventually I will get all of their stuff up on here because it is truly that great. Define the Great Line is the heaviest UO album. It differs from their previous record because Spencer actually wrote the lyrics he would scream and Aaron wrote his singing parts, whereas on the previous record Aaron wrote all of it. Define the Great Line is really a fantastic album, and if you haven't already checked out Underoath, you will love what you are about to hear.

Perfection.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is A Dead Scene (2002)

Genre: Mathcore/Experimental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dillingerescapeplan

A 4 song EP combining the instrumental might of TDEP and the sheer vocal madness that is Mike Patton, holy shit awesome! One of the craziest bands on the planet teaming up with one of the craziest vocalists on the planet to make this little piece of madness. The riffs are all over the place, the drumming is absolutely intense and as for the vocals, well, they're just plain crazy. Mr. Patton goes from blood curdling yelps to creepy whispering in the blink of an eye and really doesn't sound at all sane, it just makes me wish he had done a full length with them - at 4 songs this is really way too short, particularly since the last track is a bit of a sub-par cover of Aphex Twins's 'Come To Daddy'. But hey, this is essential for fans of crazy music in general, I love it.

Madness.

Group X - Stepping on the Crowtche owf Your Americain Presidaint (2000)

Genre:Rap/Rock/Comedy
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/groupxarabianrapsensationsofficial

So check it. This right here is comedy music. Super funny and fucking hard to find. Group X The Arabian Rap Sensation will leave you breathless as you laugh hysterically over the course of this 19 track album. Don't worry kiddies they're not a terrorist band, just some dudes from Georgia making funny ass songs. Hit Songs such as "Johnny Poo Poo Pants" and "Pay Your Gas Or Lose Your ID" If Your Offended By This Music. Then...

EAT SHIT!!!

A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner (2005)

Genre: Punk/Melodic Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/awilhelmscream

Ruiner - an awesome offering of explosive punk from the likes of A Wilhelm Scream, this delivers the kind of super melodic, raging punk sound that they've become known for. The musicianship is ever impressive, highly technical guitarwork as well as great stuff from the bass and drums along with the punctuated, fearless vocals that make great use of multi-layering, I mean really - what's not to like about this? It has it's slower poppier moments but the majority of the time it's balls out lightning speed aggression and I absolutely love it. If you dig this be sure to check out their other albums, I'm also fairly sure they're releasing another album this year so you have that to look forward to as well!

Yay!

Brides - Ocular.Unveil (2008)

Genre: Experimental/Hardcore/Progressive
Myspace: myspace.com/bridesmusic

Brides is a very interesting band. They bring their diverse sound to hardcore and tranform the genre. The opening track is probably my favorite. It's basically an intro with light guitars, a solid drum beat on toms and snare, a beautiful piano underscore, and awesome vocals repeating the same line. Then there's a quiet area and BAM, an aggresive onslaught of melodic euphoria. And the clean vocals switch to raw vocals and it sounds sooo much like Polar Bear Club. As for the whole album, it's probably one the best cds I've heard in years. Experimental melodic hardcore rock to the max. One thing though. The 2 people singing on here strangely sound like 2 other people. Like I said, the raw vocals sound like PBC but a bit more yelly at times, and the clean vocals sound like, get ready, Fall Out Boy. BUT!!! I promise it works. Just download it please. Probably one the best cds you'll download this year, I can promise you that.

AwesomeToTheMax

Anchors For Arms - Remember Why You Came This Far (2009)

Genre: Hardcore/Rock
Myspace: myspace.com/anchorsforarms

One of my favorite pop-hardcore bands. Perfect mix of hardcore, solid rock, and really catchy hooks. And by pop-hardcore, I do NOT mean like ADTR. Anchors For Arms is completely different. From song to song, you can notice that they just wrote what they felt like. Some songs are just straight up catchy and then there are some that are a bit more heavy with sweet jams/breakdowns but still just as catchy. I really dig the vocals. Nothing outstanding but it all comes together nicely. Alot of harmony. AFA for some reason reminds me of Energy. So if you like Energy, you'll dig AFA. Get this yo.

Catchyness

Frodus - And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea (2001)

Genre: Post-Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/fci

Frodus honed a sound reminiscent to the post-hardcore of Fugazi and Refused, but taking a slightly more experimental approach to the music. There really aren't any faults with this record, the bass is always interesting, as is the guitar work, the singing ranges from resigned singing to shrill emotional yelling, and the drums lay down rhythms that make nearly every track. This is just a fantastic testament to the post-hardcore genre in general and I advise any fan of post-hardcore, or even hardcore in general, to give this a listen. Hell, Thrice even covered the track "The Earth Isn't Humming", you know it must be good.

Sweet.

Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind (2009)

Genre: Post-Rock
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/monojp

Hymn To The Immortal Wind is a beautiful piece of post-rock, with the perfect blend of layered guitar melodies and the odd piano and strings, it just all goes together so well. They've perfected the art of musical climaxes, the build-ups are just incredibly impressive and then the crescendoes themselves - the soundscapes are absolutely huge and seriously just beautiful. Even if you're not a fan of post-rock I advise you check this out, even if you just use it to chill out to, because this is simply sublime and a pleasure to listen to, none of my words can really do it justice. My favourite post-rock band ever? Quite possibly.

Epic.

Life In Your Way - Waking Giants (2007)

Genre: Melodic Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lifeinyourway

Waking Giants is a strikingly passionate melodic hardcore album, making use of bruising metalcore moments in the vein of Misery Signals and mixing it all up with the spacy melodic parts that I'm a huge fan of. A wise man once said that this sounds like the album Hopesfall never released and he was very much correct, it would fit perfectly between No Wings To Speak Of and Satellite Years. The only concern I have with this release are the clean vocals. Don't get me wrong, they sound fine, it's just they seem a bit out of place at times, although maybe that's just me. As with so many bands I start to like they've already split up, which is really lame. Enough negativity though, these guys play some really cool melodic hardcore so give them a try.

Enjoy.

My Epic - I Am Undone (2008)

Genre: Alternative/Indie
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/myepic

This is a CD that requires multiple listens to quite get go grips with it's beautiful blend of guitars and violin and just plain awesomeness. Every instrument is played with passion, the guitar creates stunning atmosphere and has creative little flashes, but never goes over the top. The same goes for the other instruments, it all fits perfectly along with the vocalist, who ranges from quiet murmurs to emotional wails and everything in between, conveying all manner of emotions with intelligent, if a bit Christian, lyrics. It all comes across as really relaxing, yet emotional and moving at the same time - as the band's name suggests, this really is epic.

Yes!

The Velvet Teen - Cum Laude (2006)

Genre: Indie/Experimental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thevelvetteen

This is... kind of strange. I guess I'd call it eclectic indie stuff with electronic bits and just odd experimental sections, but don't let that put you off - it does sound pretty cool, even if it is hit or miss some of the time. The vocals are good, even if there is a weird vocal filter used at times, not the autotune kind of vocal filter but.. different. One thing I can say for sure is that the drumming is really, really cool, he has some awesome fills and stuff. If I'm honest you're better off ignoring my half-assed description and just listening to it.

Link removed due to request - you can buy the album here.

Poison The Well - I/III II/III III/III (2009)

Genre: Metalcore/Post-Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/poisonthewell

Poison The Well return briefly with 6 new songs before they release their next full-length, which I have to say I'm really looking forward to. Unlike what seems like the majority of people I really enjoyed their last album Versions, I like how it had a much darker more experimental feel. Anyway, as for this EP - it's effectively taking the sound of Versions, fast, addictive and upbeat songs with nice clean parts and well yeah, that's all there is to it really. I find this really easy to pick up and listen to, it doesn't really require much thought while listening and keeps you hooked. What more do you want out of music really? Remember to look out for their next album, titled Tropic Rot, that's set to be released July 7th!

Mhmm.

mewithoutYou - (A -> B): Life (2002)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Indie
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou

(A -> B): Life is the debut album by mewithoutYou and strikes me as being their most raw and passionate attempt. Vocalist Aaron Weiss screams out all his problems to the world, expressing all his passion and emotion with brilliantly poetic and deep lyrics, his voice on the other hand is definitely an acquired taste - you'll either love it or hate it. Musically this album takes a lot of influences from the hardcore scene with lots of indie or alternative or whatever influences on top. If I'm honest I really can't explain it, but the lyrics and sheer emotion that is conveyed here almost make the musicianship itself irrelevant. Just listen and be moved.

Clickyyy.

With Honor - This Is Our Revenge (2005)

Genre: Hardcore/Punk/Rock
Myspace: http://myspace.com/withhonorhc

This Is Our Revenge is the last of With Honor's amazing cds. And what a way to go out. This cd is superb. The one-liners in this cd are simply great. "I still believe, that faith can move the mountains." I could list a TON more, but that one always sticks in my mind. And as for the music, they can't go wrong. Melodic hardcore at its finest. With positive lyrics that could make the most depressed person feel better about their life. With Honor is just straight up hardcore, solid and true. And that's how I like my music. This is one of those 10 or so cds that I push on people to get. I'm pushing you now.

Positivity

With Honor - With Honor (2003)

Genre: Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/withhonorhc

With Honor's self-titled debut EP launched them forwards into the world of hardcore, mixing together the chaotic side of hardcore with more melodic punk sensibilites and pulling it all together with fantastic musicianship. Every song is memorable, with the music being fast and raw, yet flowing perfectly. The vocals are earnest and rage-filled, conveying raw emotion that really grips the listener and the drumming and musicianship in general is absolutely phenomenal. This 10 minutes or so of music (waaaay too short!) is nothing short of necessary for any and all fans of hardcore.

Intense.

Polar Bear Club - Sometimes Things Just Disappear (2008)

Genre: Indie/Post-Hardcore/Rock
Myspace: http://myspace.com/polarbearclub

Polar Bear Club is one of those bands that put out a cd not realizing that it is pure perfection. I imagine they enjoy their own music, but I don't know if they know that their music is completely incredible. I'm serious, this cd is flawless. So much passion and honesty. Not to mention some of the best music I've ever heard. Beautifully raw vocals and lyrics mixed with, I guess you could say, melodic punk guitar work? I can't even explain it. If Rise Against had babies with Hot Water Music and then their children had babies with Further Seems Forever, then you'd come out with something close to PBC. Sound about right? Yea, that's it.

Life Changing

Set Your Goals - Mutiny! (2006)

Genre: Pop Punk/Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/setyourgoals

Set Your Goals deliver a fresh and enjoyable pop punk/hardcore hybrid that just so happens to be catchy as balls (assuming that balls are really damn catchy). They combine the youthful, playful elements of pop punk with the conviction and dedication of hardcore, bringing together elements we've all heard a million times before in a more original way that turns out to be really, really fun. I love how energetic and full of life this is, it's just great. They use two vocalists on this release and I can't say I'm a huge fan of the whinier one, but it doesn't really detract from this at all. Oh, and the concept revolves around pirates - I mean, what's not to like?

Pirates!

Hot Cross - Risk Revival (2007)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Screamo
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hotcross

With Risk Revival Hot Cross refined their sound and made a really catchy post-hardcore-ish album that's really fun to listen to. It's not as instrumentally or musically impressive as past releases, although it is by no means bad by any stretch of the imagination. If anything this probably just adds in making the album even catchier, if it was more technical I can't see it being as much fun as it is. The vocals sound much more youthful and even hopeful in comparison to past vocal performances, which is a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately the album is a bit too long, I do struggle to get through it all as the tracks ends up blending into each other a bit, but it's fun for the odd listen so give it a try.

Clicky.

Hot Cross - A New Set Of Lungs (2001)

Genre: Screamo
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hotcross

Hot Cross, one of many bands that formed out of the ashes of the legendary Saetia, created a solid debut EP with A New Set Of Lungs. It showcases the intense chaotic screamo noise that Saetia were known for and yet also includes subtle hints of the post-hardcore influenced sound that Hot Cross would choose to take with their future albums to come. Unfortunately this EP sounds quite rough around the edges, like they were still getting comfortable with the sound they wanted, which in a way is exactly what they were doing. I have to say I do prefer the more technical post-hardcore sound they took up after this release, but this is still a solid 15 minutes of screamo and worth giving a listen or two.

Linkylinky.

La Dispute - Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair (2008)

Genre: Screamo/Post-Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ladispute

La Dispute is one of my favorite bands. Although, with extremely emotional lyrics and vocals, it may be hard for some people to get into. After getting over the initial hump, Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair (hows that for an album title) turns out to be a masterpiece. His lyrics are emotional, thought-provoking, poetic and often times cheesy. Even so, vocals take top spot on this album. Streaching from a whisper into controlled talking to heart wrenching screams, he is really able to convey how he feels with ths subtle tremors in his voice. Combined with stellar guitar work and sparratic drums La Dispute is able to produce one very solid record. Listing to them will convey some sort of emotion in you, I can guarantee it. This is one band that I highly reccomend everyone try out. Anyway La Dispute is a fantastic band and I urge all of you to open your ears and minds and give them a real chance...I'm sure you won't be disappointed. If you like it, buy it! (I did!)

Slam!

Penfold - Amateurs And Professionals/Emo Diaries Comp [One Song] (1998)

Genre: Emo
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/penfoldmusic

This right here my friends is real emo. Penfold's songs will make the toughest hawdcore poser bow down and weep till he/she cannot weep no more. Seriously though the music displayed here is probably the most emotional music ever put to tape. Just listen to the song "I'll Take You Everywhere" and get ready to open up those tear ducts because streams of tears are going to flow. Really all I can say is play this on your first date and BAM! instant Boyfriend/Girlfriend lol. Anyways Enjoy Folks and Love Every Minute Of This Awesome Record.

Sniff Sniff Wahhhhhh

Mesa Verde - The Old Road (2008)

Genre: Screamo/Post-Rock
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mesaverde

Mesa Verde deliver impassioned hardcore music filled with emotive singing and screaming, similar to the likes of Envy with their subtle post-rock influences. The chaotic screamo sound is carefully counterpointed by the tension breaking post-rock moments, the aggressive sections of songs building up with raw anger and passion, creating an immense tide of emotion and energy that never runs dry. The 13 minute 'Post-Youth' is one of the most epic songs I've ever had the pleasure of hearing, it's fraught with energy, going through a multitude of changes until the final cries of "One day, my dreams will meet my fears", it seriously hits me really deeply. This is the definition of despair and it rules.

So damn good!

He Is Legend - I Am Hollywood (2004)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Metalcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/heislegend

This is He Is Legend before they decided to go down the path of southern rock and become kind of sucky. I Am Hollywood displays intricate guitarwork and nice use of bass as well as an even mix of singing and screaming that overall is just really fun and interesting to listen to. What's nice about it is that it's fairly short, so it doesn't feel overly long or dragged out and every track is distinct and different in it's own way - they don't all sound the same. Although this is also kind of a curse as it sounds more like a collection of songs rather than a complete album, but personally this doesn't really bother me at all because the music itself is really cool.

Fun.

The Carrier - One Year Later (2008)

Genre: Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thecarrierhc

The Carrier's debut full length album, One Year Later. Like the EP this doesn't let up on the passion one bit, you can tell these guys really love what they're doing. This results in an absolutely pounding experience of anger and rage along with a whole other range of emotion, although seeing as it's hardcore, it really is mainly anger and rage. The instrumentation is generally great and thankfully they don't rely on breakdowns too much, however the vocals do begin to grate after a while as they're kind of samey, this wasn't a problem on the EP since it was so short, but here it becomes noticeable, it's still no reason not to listen to this though. So do it!

Aggression!

The Carrier - No Love Can Save Me (2007)

Genre: Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thecarrierhc

The Carrier have poured a whole load of emotion into this 3 song EP and before you ask, no, it's not the whiny 'my life sucks' kind of emotion - it's the kind of emotion that will likely give you goosebumps, which I can't say a hardcore band has ever done to me before. The two guitar players weave through beautiful distorted riffs and the drummer has some pretty cool fills at times. The lyrics are great too, choosing to share the same deep, metaphorical mentality of Shai Hulud. I also have to say the album art is really damn cool. So yeah...

Check it out.

Young Widows - Old Wounds (2008)

Genre: Noise Rock/Post-Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/youngwidows

Old wounds is a reverb drenched piece of music, effectively taking the old 80's or 90's post-hardcore sound and adding in noisy sections, clearly displaying the band's Jesus Lizard influences. I love how huge the bass tone is, it's really audible throughout the recording which is really cool. This CD was also recorded for the most part live but with extra studio touches added on top (as far as I'm aware) and I think this is as much a part of their sound as the actual music itself. They're also made up of pretty much all the members of Breather Resist, excluding the vocalist, and although I do prefer Breather Resist to these guys it's still pretty cool stuff.

Yeah.

The Dear Hunter - Act I The Lake South, The River North

Genre: Progressive Rock
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thedearhunter

The Dear Hunter is somewhat of an anomaly in the music world. ACT I- The Lake South, The River North is the first installment of a planned 6 part series dealing with love and the human condition. Started by Casey Crescenzo and intended as a side project, as he was in The Receiving End of Sirens at the time of its creation. The Dear Hunter flourished from a few scraps of paper into a 6 Act epic. This album is unique in many ways, the easiest way for me to describe it is that it is almost written in the sense that it could be a musical. It's very story driven, and the oddities of instruments only add to the excitement. It is a fantastic album...although I do enjoy Act II a bit more.

It Awaits!

Kidcrash - Jokes (2007)

Genre: Screamo/Math Rock
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thekidcrash

The Kidcrash effectively blend the sound of every single screamo band I can think of into one lump of awesomeness. They includes bits of chaotic screamo, more math-rock influenced sections that wouldn't be amiss on a Don Caballero CD and also the more indie influenced emo sound pioneered by Cap'n Jazz that all flow seamlessly into one another. The only flaw in this album is the production, it just doesn't really suit their sound and I can't help but think this would sound so much better if it was more polished, but this isn't really a huge problem and the fantastic instrumentation and songwriting more than make up for this.

Awesome.

Genghis Tron - Cloak of Love (2005)

Genre: Grindcore/Electronic
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/genghistron

Genghis Tron fuse intense blast beats with the likes of ambient techno and at times even poppy stuff and somehow manage to make it work, I mean there's not really an awful lot more I can say about this other than that it's a really damn fun 12 minutes of music. Unfortunately it is only 12 minutes of music, so by the time you've started listening it's pretty much over, although I can't imagine you'd care too much since afterwards it would no doubt be leaving you in a trance wondering what the hell just happened. So try it.

Woah.

Misery Signals - Of Malice and the Magnum Heart (2004)

Genre: Metalcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/miserysignals

Misery Signals were formed as a result of two tragic events - the break-up of metalcore pioneers 7 Angels 7 Plagues, whom vocalist Jesse Zaraska had effectively dedicated his life to, and then the death of his bandmates in his other project, Compromise. As a result of this, his raw emotions come through and you can really feel his misery and anger in the vocal performance, which I have to say has some pretty cool layering at times. As a band Misery Signals combine heavy chugging guitar sections along with the occasional melodic section without coming across as generic, which combined with the sheer emotional factor makes for a damn good album.

Boom!

In Pieces - Lions Write History (2005)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Indie
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/inpieces

Lions Write History is an album that is neither pretentious nor conspicuously plain, it incoporates an angular rhythm section as well as very bass-driven melodies and has clearly had an awful lot of thought put into it, it's evident that every section has been carefully considered and is there for a reason. While technically they may not be the best musicians around they've certainly infused this album with a sense of humanity and feeling, particularly on the songwriting front, something that all the ridiculously technical bands around at the moment could definitely learn a lesson from.

Bam!

The Movielife - Forty Hour Train Back To Penn (2003)

Genre: Pop Punk
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/movielifethe

The Movielife was to me one of the best bands on Drive Thru Records. Pop Punk is the name of the game here and the music is just so invigorating and awesome. The way they go from the harder sound into softer moments gets me everytime. I actually cried to this album. But the songs always put a smile on my face. This is their last album on Drive Thru and the members went on to form the bands Nightmare Of You, and I Am Avalanche. I guess if you like them you will probably dig this. But even if you don't like those bands still give these guys a chance. Honest From The Heart Pop Punk.<3

Yeppers

As Cities Burn - Hell Or High Water (2009)

Genre: Indie/Rock
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ascitiesburn

With As Cities Burn's third album they have made yet another progression, this time turning towards the world of indie. It's somewhat ironic they chose to name this 'Hell or High Water' as it's probably the calmest, most cohesive record they've released yet. The musicianship is great, particularly the drumming as there are some awesome fills going on throughout and I like how the bass is audible at all times, it makes for a nice change in comparison to all the bands that decide to completely mix it out to the point where it may as well not be there. So if you feel like something that's easy to listen to without becoming boring at any point then give this a try.

Woah.

Aussitot Mort - Montuenga (2008)

Genre: Screamo/Post-Metal
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/aussitotmort

Aussitot Mort are yet another band in the wave of french screamo, however unlike their peers they take a different approach to it and together with abundant use of the delay pedal this has made for a very interesting album. They tend to avoid the sweet guitar melodies that french screamo is known for and instead prefer to crush away in a post-metal fashion, clearly incorporating a whole range of influences but still keeping one foot firmly planted in their hardcore roots. This is pretty damn cool.

Linky.

Daggermouth - Turf Wars (2007)

Genre: Pop Punk/Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/daggermouth

Daggermouth, one of many bands that mix pop punk with hardcore, yet Daggermouth are one of the only ones that have done it properly. Every song on this wonderful piece of plastic will have you instantly singing along, really the only thing I can say is listen for yourself. A perfect album in my opinion.

Enjoy.

Portishead - Dummy (1994)

Genre: Trip-Hop
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/portisheadalbum3

Everyone has that album that redefines your life and way of thinking. Portishead's Dummy is one of mine. Beth Gibbons voice is haunting and angelic at the same time creating an awkward atmosphere where you aren't sure if you should be happy or scared. The songs will rip you right out of whatever is going on in your life, and you can almost literally feel the music moving through your body. Portishead makes excellent use of guitars, drums and samples, as well as Beths one of a kind voice. I probably shouldn't have picked this as my first post here on Bunnycore, because...well its just so hard to explain what makes this album great. It is like nothing you've ever heard before... I can promise you that.

Boo-Ya!

Beloved - Failure On (2003)

Genre: Melodic Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/beloved

Beloved combined a melodic hardcore sound with a few elements of metal to create the little slice of awesome that is Failure On. The vocals are great, with a nice mix of hardcore screams and pretty singing too and great musicianship from the bassist and drummer to boot, but what really makes it for me is the stunning interplay between the three guitarists - I'm a sucker for melodic guitarwork. Unfortunately these guys split after releasing just one album and an EP, which sucks because I think these guys could've got really big. Oh well, give this a try and enjoy.

Nice.

Dance Gavin Dance - Happiness (2009)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Experimental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dancegavindance

Dance Gavin Dance's new record has a more experimental aspect to it than past albums, but still retains that signature DGD sound. They've definitely varied things up more on this in comparison to previous releases which just makes it all the more fun to listen to and somehow still manages to maintain the awesome catchyness that they had. The vocals sound much the same as they did on the last release, however one of the guitarists has taken up the role of screaming now and he has a much more raw and visceral scream than the previous guy. The guitarwork is absolutely mesmerizing, I actually could listen to the track 'Carl Barker' on loop for the rest of forever. So good!

Sweet.

Moving Mountains - Pneuma (2007)

Genre: Post-Rock/Indie
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/movingmountainsmusic

Moving Mountains combine post-rock along with a twist of ambient to create a beautiful, albeit at times haunting, album. They incorporate piano and make use of xylophone very effectively, also including vocals on almost every track and using this to their advantage through touching lyrics. I'm not entirely sure how to go about describing the overall sound other than that it's catchy, infectious and is definitely beautifully written, so to get the idea you're probably better off checking it out right this minute.

Yeah.

Of Machines - As If Everything Was Held In Place (2009)

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Experimental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ofmachines

Of Machines take the normal sing/scream post-hardcore formula but vary it up to create an album that is entertaining from start to finish. They incorporate a variety of different vocal styles and spice things up with the odd electronic interlude and also make use of beautiful, melodic guitar parts that flow together wonderfully. It does sound a bit overproduced at times, as seems to be the trend recently, but I enjoy listening to this and look forward to what they have to offer in the future. So if you're in the mood for some catchy post-hardcore stuff then give this a go.

Linky.

Mind = Blown

Head over to Mind = Blown and give them the support they deserve because the new site is looking totally awesome!

Mind = Blown