Sorry to have quiet on the singles front for a while. Enjoy. HARMS : "Car Outside" (via Good Eye Records / Substream Magazine / Soundcloud) Via Good Eye Records: While playing with his other band, What Moon Things , Brooklyn-based artist Jake Harms began to start to feel an itch to make something wholly his own. It didn't start as a record - just a group of songs that seemed to make sense out of a fog of journal entries and scraps and demos and half-finished ideas throughout the years.  Working as HARMS , the inspiration for his forthcoming, debut EP, Aquarium , came from a poem he had previously written about the feeling of living in New York City for the first time as an adult: walking around is like being at the aquarium observing 6 tons per square meter of pressure on the glass dividing you and everything else The resulting EP finds Harms crafting pressurized dark rock fusing the goth grandeur of The Cure with the lonely indie pop of Porc...

The Common Cold : "Stop The Traffic" (via mutante-inc./ Action Records /Soundcloud) "Stop The Traffic" is the lead single from The Common Cold 's upcoming new album, Shut Up! Yo Liberals .  The album is scheduled to release May 4th and is available for pre-order at Action Records . Via mutante-inc.: Only 300 copies of the vinyl will be released and the first 100 copies include a hand painted inner sleeve, a free badge, and other goodies __________________________________________________________ Once and Future Band : "Destroy Me" (via Tell All Your Friends PR/ Castle Face Records /Soundcloud) Via Castle Face: We're happy to be able to speak of this now that the cat's out of the bag — Once and Future Band have graced us with another tasty morsel of everything they do best. Vault-dust begone; this EP deserves your attention. Rarely do the words "vitruosic" and "tasteful" collide so often in my mind as tryi...

As a perpetually bummed out teenager, I’d like to pretend that I wasn’t culling my chosen social identity from MTV’s hit parade, but that wouldn’t be true. I was as tuned in as most of my peers, especially once the channel began to venture beyond the plasticity of pop music and expose us sheltered types to the language, garb, culture, and sounds of the underground. The college set of the late 80s were already up on 120 Minutes , but us budding types were suddenly becoming hip to it as well, a younger generation now fascinated with Seattle’s dirt rockers and a sudden slew of maverick bands whose preceding years of blood and sweat was suddenly paying off. You know the rest. In 1994, the same year Green Day released its major label colossus, Dookie , I pulled the cellophane off of a CD called Stranger Than Fiction , another major label debut but from a veteran band whose origins dated back as far as 80s hardcore. The band was Bad Religion . As the majors continued to hit ...

I haven't written one of these "fond remembrance" type entries lately, having skipped all of 1995.  But, after going through the albums I'd acquired in 1996, my sophomore year in art school, I thought a couple releases would be worth addressing.  Others not so much, but I'll address them anyway. NOFX – Heavy Petting Zoo I first saw NOFX at the Trocadero the year Heavy Petting Zoo was released, the farm-animal-as-fuck-puppet theme of the album further explored via blow-up sheep, ("There's even a hole for your cock!", as I remember singer/bassist Fat Mike excitedly putting it), being volleyed and bounced throughout the audience.  And of course there was the raunchy banner of the greasy-haired 1950s looking dude on the cover in a 69 with a sheep acting as a backdrop for the band's performance.  At the time, sure it was funny.  Now?  Eh, whatever. I can't deny that NOFX was actually a solid live band and that those shows were a lot...

Mayflower Madame : "Weightless" (via Big Mouth Publicity/YouTube) Tacocat : "I Hate the Weekend" (via Hardly Art/YouTube) Lake Ruth : "The Inconsolable Jean-Claude" (via Lake Ruth/ The Great Pop Supplement /Soundcloud) Yardsss : " Granfalloons II" (via Us-Them Group/ SELF Group /Soundcloud) Jerkagram : "Cloud Builder" (via Us-Them Group/ Noisey /YouTube) TOMBS : "V" (via Relapse Records/YouTube) Rangda : "The Sin Eaters" (via Rarely Unable PR/ Drag City /YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Failure : "Hot Traveler" (via Speakeasy PR/YouTube) Strange Wilds : "Starved For" (via Sub Pop/ Noisey /YouTube) Chastity : "Manning Hill" (via Chastity/YouTube) Father John Misty : "I Love You, Honeybear" (via Sub Pop/YouTube) Angels Dust : "Shivers" (via FoF/ Earmilk /Vimeo) ANGELS DUST "Shivers" from Brandy Flower on Vimeo . Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Dommengang : "Everybody's Boogie" (via Thrill Jockey Records/YouTube) Mondo Drag : "The Dawn" (via Us-Them Group/ Brooklyn Vegan / RidingEasy Records /Soundcloud) Ariel Pink : "Jell-o" (via Force Field PR/YouTube) Skinless : "Serpenticide" (via Relapse Records/YouTube) The Milk Carton Kids : "Monterey" (via Big Mouth Publicity/ Rolling Stone /Anti-/Soundcloud) A Troop of Echoes : "Masnifest and Legion" (via Us-Them Group/ Exclaim! /Soundcloud) Qui : "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" (via Us-Them Group/Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

White Lung Deep Fantasy Domino Recording Company Released: 6.17.14 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Pattern Is Movement : "Climb To Me" (via Force Field PR/ Stereogum /Soundcloud) La Sera : "Losing to the Dark" (via Force Field PR/Soundcloud) Lark : "Goodbye Man" (via Care in the Community Records/Soundcloud) Kairos : "Can/Cannot" (via Fin Records/Soundcloud) Odonis Odonis : "Angus Mountain" (via Force Field PR/Buzz Records/ Noisey /Soundcloud) North : "Hiraeth" (via Earsplit PR/Cvlt Nation/Soundcloud) The Socks : "Electric War" (via Earsplit PR/ Heavy Planet Stoner Rock Blog /Soundcloud) Pontiak : "We've Got It All Wrong" (via Thrill Jockey Records/Viemo) Pontiak - We've Got It Wrong from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo . Red Fang : "No Hope" (via Relapse Records/ Gear Gods /YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Megafauna : "Haunted Factory" (via Us-Them Group/ Noisey /Soundcloud) Woods : "Moving to the Left" (via Force Field PR/ Pitchfork /Soundcloud) Tacocat : "Crimson Wave" (via Hardly Art/ Noisey /YouTube) The Shrine : "Nothing Forever" (via Tee Pee Records/ Noisey /Soundcloud) Telepathy : "Cystine Knot" (via Devouter Records/Soundcloud) Qui : "Awkward Human Interest" (via Us-Them Group/YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Sleepies Weird Wild World Godmode/16oh Released: 8.21.12 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I will be spending the weekend in Washington D.C. this weekend, so in recognition of the trip, here's some of D.C.'s finest. Enjoy. Bad Brains — "Banned In DC" Minor Threat — "Screaming at a Wall" S.O.A. – "Public Defender" The Untouchables – "Nic Fit" Government Issue – "Rock 'N Roll Bullshit" One Last Wish – "Hide" Rites Of Spring – "End On End" Jawbox – "68" Beauty Pill – "Quote Devout Unquote" Fugazi – "Furniture" Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The Thermals are releasing a new single in February and, for some reason, playing a live set on that show where George Lopez pretends to be A). a host B). funny C). a funny host. Some info regarding the single has been provided by the ever-informative Terrorbird Media and check out their video for "I Don't Believe You," off their 2010 release, Personal Life .  Carrie Brownstein from Sleater Kinney interacts with an alarm clock. Also, Pitchfork is hosting a video of another of their singles, "Never Listen To Me." Via Terrorbird: The Thermals are unstoppable! After an incredibly busy 2010 (6 tours, 4 singles and 1 LP), The Thermals are showing no signs of stopping or even slowing down! On February 1st, The Thermals will perform “I Don’t Believe You” from their awesome 5th LP Personal Life on Lopez Tonight! Check out the video for “I Don’t Believe You” staring Carrie Brownstein here: http://www.youtube.com/user/KillRockStars?blend=2&ob=1#p...

Via Forcefield PR: DESCENDENTS UNITE TO HEADLINE FUN FUN FUN FEST 2010, MORE BANDS ANNOUNCED ADD'L BANDS INCLUDE: CULTS, WASHED OUT, NORTEC COLLECTIVE, THE ANTLERS Full Schedule: http://funfunfunfest.com/events Nov. 5, 6 & 7 at Waterloo Park, Austin, TX Austin, Texas (October 29, 2010) - Fun Fun Fun Fest is proud to announce the addition of The Legendary Descendents to the lineup of the 5th annual music and comedy event in Waterloo Park November 5-7, 2010. The reunion show of this elusive and world renowned pop punk act will replace the Sunday headlining spot previously held by Devo . The Descendents' performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest this year marks their first with the full band in almost a decade. The Descendents will be joined by the late additions of Nacional Records' Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible ; the melodic and chillwave sounds of Washed Out ; the subdued indie sounds of The Antlers ; and the indie break-out band, Cults . ...

Toxic Lab Rats Intoxicated Spectre Records Released: 4.6.10 Stereokiller review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The Thermals Now We Can See Kill Rock Stars Released: 4.7.09 Rating: 8.25 out of 10 Sometimes I don't mind “fun” being injected into music. Like everything, it just has to be done right. The anthemic joyfulness that pervades Now We Can See , fourth album from Portland pop punk trio, The Thermals, is undeniably infectious, catchy to the point of necessary and involuntary physical movement. With no conscious effort on your part, your foot taps, your head nods, your fingers drum… you just can’t help it. Though typically and vehemently opposed to anything remotely pop punk, (feigning distrust of government, authority and conformity while sounding as controversial or dangerous as a clean napkin), I can get behind The Thermals, specifically because they don’t disguise what they do with any hint of rebellion, unless you consider the album’s evolutionary bent a blasphemous smiting of your possible creationist belief system. As singer Hutch Harris loses his spine in order to turn fishl...

Pansy Division That’s So Gay Alternative Tentacles Releases: 3.31.09 Rating: 5.5 out of 10 The first lines you hear are these: “He’s in his PJs/Giving BJs/To the DJs/Who play what he likes…” …and it’s exactly what you’d expect from an album entitled, That’s So Gay . The sixth album to emerge from San Franciscan Queercore pioneers Pansy Division , That’s So Gay ’s giveaway of a title is meant to ironically disparage the usage of the word “gay” as a euphemism for “lame,” “stupid…” etc. The title track attempts to make a serious case ( “I heard what you said/I'm not stupid you know/What do you take me for?/Hetero?...” ) while not being THAT serious ( ”I’ll show you what it’s like to be gay” ). Thusly, you have the plot. With poppy punk-infused rock n’ roll sort of gallivanting about its 14 sung treatises on promiscuity (“Twinkie Twinkie Little Star”), sex (“Ride Baby,” “Dirty Young Man”), attached prostitution (“It’s Just A Job”) and the celebratory battle cry of self (“20 Years Of ...

Born “Radical”? Friendly Foes Born Radical Gangplank Released: 1.13.09 Rating: 5.75 out of 10 In the post-9/11 landscape, there’s no shortage of synonyms for “radical,” as news anchors have been spewing them non-stop for the last five years. We’ve all come to understand “radical” as more than just a SoCal-sun fried loosely enunciated term used to enthusiastically bolster the esteem of highly crested waves or new varieties of Sun Chips. Now, “radical” spells “danger,” and one that embodies “radical” characteristics can be coined “insurgent,” “subversive,” “rebel,” “fundamentalist,” “extremist…” You’ve heard them all. To hear such a word applied to Born Radical , debut full-length by Thunderbirds Are Now! sideshow, Friendly Foes , “radical” takes the form of Disney-level adolescent tales of staying out past curfew because “fuck my parents…I mean, my parents don’t understand me,” or starting food fights in the cafeteria because “fuck authority…Oops, I mean, my teachers don’t underst...