Apes With Guns

Momentous Event: Say goodbye to This Is Bunnycore.

But reader, fear not, for we're simply going over to Apes With Guns instead, where you're guaranteed to still find an abundance of incredible music.

Awesome, huh? So check it out. And follow it. And love it. Right this second. Or else.

http://apeswithguns.blogspot.com/

Beloved - The Running (2001)

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

Beloved (now defunct) were an awesome melodic hardcore/post-hardcore band that pretty much owned face. They played their music with such passion and emotion, giving this EP a definite sense of desperation, linking in with the whole title of 'The Running' - evidently they're running away from something. Beloved were a Christian band and embraced their beliefs with open arms, which is mirrored in their music and lyrical content. Well, probably. But yeah, this is a pretty great release and almost as good as the only full length album they ended up releasing, Failure On. It really sucks that they split, definitely a band that could've gone somewhere. So give it a try. Or don't. I mean, it doesn't really affect me if you try it or not. Pretty sure you'd enjoy this all the same.

I mean, probably.

Rx Bandits - Mandala (2009)

Genre: Progressive Rock/Alternative
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/rxbandits

Rx Bandits are that one pretty cool band that used to play ska. Yeah, that one. Well, to either your joy or dismay, they don't play ska anymore. They've evolved above and beyond that, making a logical progression from their previous album ...And the Battle Begun and making a really awesome, chill record with the likes of Mandala. The guitar work is great, showcasing some progressive undertones but also sticking with some really damn catchy melodies. Yep, cool. The only thing is, the band decided to exclude the horns section from their sound, which is fine by me really, it sounds full enough as it is, I think horns might have made the release a bit too cluttered and presumably the band thought the same. Or maybe they didn't and I'm just assuming things. Anyway, this album is pretty great and will definitely receive a bunch of plays from me throughout the summer.

Part One.
Part Two.

Circle Takes The Square - As The Roots Undo (2004)

Genre: Screamo/Hardcore/Experimental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/circletakesthesquare

Circle Takes The Square. Need I really say any more? Delivering a frenzied assault of emotive hardcore, centered primarily around the dual vocals of vocalists, Drew and Kathy, As The Roots Undo is a classic screamo album, and ultimately one of my favourite albums of all time. The songwriting is incredible, the lyrics are deep and meaningful and every single song just drips with emotion. Instrumentally the album rules too, with awesome drumming and guitarwork, transitioning from slow melodic sections to a frenzied mess of aggression and managing to make it all so damn beautiful. Listen to this right now and prepare to both be lulled by the beauty and have your face torn off at the same time. This shit rules.

I know it's all been done before, I wanna do it again! I wanna do it again!

My Own Private Alaska - MOPA (2007)

Genre: Experimental/Screamo
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/myownprivatealaska

Imagine if their was a screamo band without guitars. Just piano, drums and vocalist. Where's the frustration and hell-bent screaming in that you say. Well give the disc a spin and see for yourself. The music here is very creative and the vocals are so amazing. Poetry for one's ears.

Check It Out

*shels - Sea of the Dying Dhow (2007)

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

Progressive metalcore with some heavy post-rock influence and a whole bunch of chill acoustic bits as well, I imagine there would be something for everyone here probably. I guess. Okay, maybe not. Sea of the Dying Dhow (yeah, I don't know what a 'dhow' is either) is a meticulously arranged album, everything has clearly had a great deal of thought put into it and as a whole the record flows fantastically, going from ambient sections to acoustic sections and onward to some damn heavy riffs, post-metal style. These progressions work really effectively and overall the album is really great, if at times it might drag slightly. But that's no big deal because this album is really cool and definitely worth giving a listen.

Pretty much.

Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between (2007)

Genre: Ska/Punk
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/streetlightmanifesto

It's the summer time! So, as a result I decided to listen to some ska stuff. Well, here it is. Streetlight Manifesto's Somewhere in the Between. Lightning fast chord progressions, anthemic lyrics and absolutely awesome brass and woodwind sections make for what is probably my favourite ska album of all time. What makes this album even better is how accessible it is, regardless of whether you're a ska fan or not I'm pretty sure anyone could pick this up, give it a spin and enjoy it. Infectiously catchy and a whole lot of fun, overall it's definitely worth giving a try. So I believe you should, in fact, do just that.

Summertime.

Cursive - Domestica (2000)

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

Domestica is a concept album concerning the relationship between a couple and how it eventually crumbles away to nothing, something Cursive's vocalist would know only too well after having just divorced his wife. As a result the lyrics are intensely thought-provoking and emotional, he's pouring out all his thoughts and feelings to the world through the music. Instrumentally the album is solid too, the throbbing of the bass is audible throughout and the guitar-lines are very well written, going from heavier parts to almost lo-fi at times. Overall it's a catchy, enjoyable and ultimately thought-provoking album that ends up being a cool listen. So check it out, in case you haven't already.

Indiecore?

KRS-ONE - Return Of The Boom Bap

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/templeofhiphop

The greatest MC that has ever lived. All I have to say. Just download, it's a must have album.

Spittin Rhymes

Castevet - Summer Fences (2009)

Genre: Indie/Punk/Emo
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/romancastevet

Castevet deliver an awesome blend of indie, math rock and emo, clearly influenced by the likes of Cap'n Jazz and various other midwest emo bands like them. They have a very gruff vocalist who is only juxtaposed by the intricate, airy guitar melodies in the background that at times give a nod to post-rock. I really like how it has this really relaxing, kind of dreamy vibe, but at the same time has a bit of a punch to it. Ah, whatever, if you're a fan of Cap'n Jazz or Algernon Cadwallader you'd probably really really like this, and if not you may well like this too. So it's a win-win situation really - do yourself a favour and check it out.

'Melodic Beard Punk'

The Blue Letter - Prima Facie (2007)

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

The Blue Letter are yet another band that deliver the epic brand of post-rock influenced emotional hardcore, which, in my opinion, they just so happen to pull off pretty damn well. The guitars are used in a spacy manner, setting the whole tone and emotion of the music while the drums power over the top, moving the music along. The vocals are hoarse and raspy in the typical emotional hardcore fashion and compliment the whole textural soundscape that makes up their sound. Also the songs flow into each other flawlessly, so it all seems like one long song which strikes me as pretty cool, however my one qualm is with the 14 minute long track 'Moved in 98', it just doesn't really seem to go anywhere, but it's not too big a deal as the rest of the album more than makes up for it. Either way, emotional hardcore coming your way.

Bam!

Ceremony - Still Nothing Moves You (2008)

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

With Still Nothing Moves You Ceremony deliver 20 minutes of blistering, furious and angry as hell hardcore, proving that as a band they are very, very pissed off. I feel this album really showcases Ceremony's maturity as they evolve on from past releases, instead of playing at breakneck speed all the time they place slower droning interludes (which are still absurdly angry I might add) that flow fluidly between the more aggressive songs. They showcase furious riffs and fairly unique vocals throughout, with some really proficient basswork supporting all the other instruments. That said, Ceremony are by no means for everyone, at times their songs might seem like disjointed messes, however when it comes down to it these guys are just really passionate and clearly care about the music they make. Obviously when I say care I mean in a really pissed off, angry way. Really, really pissed off.

Rarghgsdfsdf.

So Many Dynamos - Flashlights (2006)

Genre: Indie Rock/Experimental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/somanydynamos

So Many Dynamos pretty much blend a rather impressive amount of genres into their brand of very interesting progressive indie rock. The instruments constantly shift around and develop their sound, resulting in an album that literally almost never becomes boring. Each member of the band is very talented, guitarists moving in and out of dissonant passages to atmospheric sections that draw influences from post-rock, and going on to upbeat indie rock sections as well as much more. The band even makes us of further less commonly used instruments that only add to the album's very eclectic feel. I think the vocals on this release are much more interesting than on their most recent release, The Loud Wars, switching between passionate yells, lazy sung sections and even the odd gang shout. I'm pretty sure there's something here for everyone to enjoy, so check it out.

Fun!

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar (2009)

Genre: Post-Rock/Math Rock/Instrumental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/andsoiwatchyoufromafar

And So I Watch You From Afar deliver a unique brand of, well, post-rock punk so to speak. They produce a very heavy instrumental sound almost reminiscent of post-metal but with precise almost math-rock style melodies interweaving over the top. Rather than choosing to use gentle, brooding build-ups like most post-rock ASIWYFA instead transition from section to section explosively and spontaneously, a much more jagged and immediate switch in sound, giving the album a more energetic, exciting feel. Unfortunately the album did strike me as being a bit too long, I feel they could've cut some bits out as at times it seems somewhat repetitive or incoherent but it's really not a huge problem at all. Overall this is certainly an interesting listen and a different approach to a genre that is all too full of the same old clichés. So do yourself a favour and give it a try.

Part One.
Part Two.

City Of Caterpillar - City Of Caterpillar (2002)

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

City of Caterpillar is pretty much what you get if you throw a little post-rock and emotional hardcore together. Now I happen to be a fan of both those genres and as a result I just so happen to be a fan of City Of Caterpillar. They implement the basic formula of long ambient spacey bits that end up building up to chaotic crescendoes and it does, in fact, work pretty damn well. From an instrumental point of view it's solid, particularly on the drumming front, and generally pretty great, but the real attraction is the emotional factor and the tense build-ups that explode impressively afterwards. Well I really enjoy it anyway, to the extent that I'd probably call this an emotional hardcore classic.

But Why Caterpillars?

Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss (2006)

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

Probably one of the most beautiful records I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, Enjoy Eternal Bliss is just an awe-inspiring album of post-rock awesomeness with extra violin to boot. I find this really mesmerising to listen to and will probably have great difficulty doing this any justice with my description. Unlike most post-rock Yndi Halda take a much happier and just generally blissful approach to the genre, using a lot of violin and the like to build up to just plain beautiful crescendoes that are simply wonderful to listen to. I'm not going to spoil anything but the end of the first track "Dash and Blast" is just amazing, seriously, it makes me want to laugh, cry and sing all at the same time whenever I hear it, it's just that good. This really holds true for most of the album and I really can't wait to see what these guys put out in the future, which hopefully should be soon since they're recording at the moment. Awesome.

Part One.
Part Two.

Skycamefalling - 10.21 (2000)

Genre: Metalcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/skycamefalling1021

10.21 is easily one of my favourite metalcore releases, coming from a band that is somewhat unheard of in the metalcore scene (as far as I'm aware). Rather than attempting to be incredibly 'brutal' Skycamefalling focuses more on memorable songwriting and pouring emotion into it, with the lyrics concerning the breakdown of a relationship. I know this might make it seem somewhat whiny and the like, but don't be fooled, it's incredibly well written and ultimately proves to be very moving. Ironically my favourite track off this is the instrumental interlude towards the end '10.21', the band choose to eschew their crushing guitar riffs in favour of acoustic guitar and piano and it works really well, displaying some Eastern influences and just proving to be a breath of fresh air. Whatever, this release is just awesome.

Yep, awesome.

So Many Dynamos - The Loud Wars (2009)

Genre: Indie Rock/Experimental
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/somanydynamos

With their new release So Many Dynamos (which in case you haven't already noticed is the same if you read it backwards) have expanded on everything they'd previously done, however at the same time have toned it down a bit. Musically they make use of less contrasting elements as they did previously, so it's not as heavy hitting and there aren't really any stark bits that stick out, instead they've combined them together subtly, the contrast is still there if you look deep enough. The vocals seem less energetic than the previous release, which I'm not really a fan of, they almost sound lazy, like the vocalist can't really be bothered - I'm not sure what's up with that, but either way this is a relaxing listen and is actually far from 'loud' as the title might suggest. Anyway, if you feel like a chill indie rock listen then hit this up.

Yeah.

The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life and Death (2009)

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

Life and Death is the third act of The Dear Hunter's ambitious 6 album concept and it's really good. Casey takes influences from all over the rock world, incorporating them into his grand scheme and managing somehow to make it all work. It sounds fantastic listening to the album all the way through, it really conveys the concept and the feel he was going for and when listened to individually each song is great too. One thing I love about Casey is how he uses all sorts of instruments and experiments with them, I find it really cool and this album doesn't disappoint on the instrument front. So really, what's not to like? I actually can't wait for the rest of the installments, listening to each album back to back from Act I through to VI would be pretty ridiculous, assuming that the future albums will be great too (which I'm sure they will be).

Part One.
Part Two.

The Syncope Threshold - Tales Of The Complex Circuit (2009)

Genre: Metalcore/Progressive/Hardcore
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tstband

Lol lame Protest the Hero worship lol. wankywankywank.

Linky.