Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start - ~s/t EP & *Girls Names EP

Name: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start
Album: s/t EP~, Girls Names*
Year: 1999~, 2006
Style: Emo, Math Rock
Similar Bands: Math the Band, Sunny Day Real Estate, Fire Theft, Dismemberment Plan
"One-Word" Review: Plucky Complexly Calculated DIY'ers
Based Out Of: Philadelphia
Label: Papermade Records~, self-released*

~Cover, Back, CDR

*Promo Cover, Back

*Promo Liner Notes, CD

~Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start (1999)

1. Song Competition 2:49
2. Working Title 3:38
3. I'm Holding Hands With Me 1:39
4. Action 4:08
5. Walked Out This Season 3:52
6. Real Philosophers Vs. The Lovers of Sights and Sounds 3:24

*Girls Names (2006)

1. Janet Bateman 1:52
2. Melanie Flury 2:13
3. Rachel Strayer 0:56
4. Robyn Fleshman 1:53

Album Rating (1-10):~7.0

*6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Steve Poponi - Vox, Bass~ Guitar* (The Jazz June, Cabana Wear, The Progress, Young Statues, Fight Amp)
• Scott Rumble - Drums~
• Jeff Mott - Guitar, Vox~ (Hands of Despair, Thrawnsunblat)
• Dave Damm - Bass* 
• Dave Dunn - Drums*
• Dave Downham - Guitar* (The Secession Movement, Kill Verona, The Progress, Cabana Wear)
• Evan Weiss - Guitar* (Damiera, Into It. Over It, Map the Growth, Pet Symmetry, Stay Ahead of the Weather, The Progress, Their/They're/There, CSTVT, Moving Mountains, Koji, The Jazz June, You Blew It!, Pacemaker, Evan Myall, Castevet, Noumenon, Chris Farren, Sincere Engineer, Lana Del Rey)
• Brian Mietz - Artwork*

Unknown-ness: I had heard the name before, but never really heard them. This goes back to the early 00's when i found a CDR of their first EP at AKA records here in Philly. Always kinda associated them with Math Rock/Emo scene, but again, couldn't say for sure, aside from other bands they were mentioned in conjunction with. So not a pure unknown band, but enough that i don't know what it's going to sound like, exactly, and if i'll enjoy it. The black EP was found out in LA at Amoeba, and was a promotional CD, produced just for journals or airplay...otherwise, it could be downloaded for free, as an internet-only release.

Album Review: Blending the concentrated Math Rock/Prog elements with emo almost needs not be separated, but they are the elements that go into the first EP. Calculated guitars that go from loud to melodic to quiet and reserved, overlayed by vocals that drone and shout like a ride on Space Mountain; where you don't know if you're going for a drop or a turn. I get a lot of the mid 90's alt-emo band influence like Sunny Day & Dismemberment Plan in the guitar work and overall production (Dis Plan & Hail Social in the lead vocals). The Girls Names EP is quite short, the songs averaging less than 105 seconds each.

It goes without saying, to most folks with even a passing interest in the band, that they take their name from the infamous Konami cheat code to score extra lives in their Nintendo games. In the spirit of "free" and "extra," both of these EPs took advantage of the internet age, where all the songs were available for free, legal download from the artist's recording studio website. Most of the band's life span between these two eps, as their career started with the self titled CDR, and their end coming less than 2 years after Girl's Names. Though it all was Steve Poponi, who still works with Gradwell House recording studio in Jersey producing albums for bands with a similar mindset, like Beach Slang (at least Downham has worked on their albums).

Stand Out Track: ~Working Title 

*Robyn Fleshman

Links:

Discogs

Allmusic

Chicago Reader - reunion show 2016

Bandcamp

Facebook

Gradwell House Studio

Rate Your Music

Sputnik Music

First EP on Youtube

Tasties (The) - Shy Down Girl

Name: The Tasties
Album: Shy Down Girl
Year: 1999
Style: Pub Rock, Power Pop
Similar Bands: Ween, GBV, Redd Kross, Posies, Lemonheads, Ramones, Pixies, Dramarama
"One-Word" Review: Brashy In Your Face Catchy Jams
Based Out Of: Dayton, OH
Label: Rockathon Records

Cover & Back

Lyrics, CD Back, CD

Shy Girl Down (1999)

1. Shy Girl Down 2:38
2. Lotuc House 2:14
3. It's the Love 2:23
4. Face 2:54
5. Over and Over 2:28
6. Mystery of Life 2:05
7. Laura 2:22
8. Bag 1:51
9. Mary Go Round 2:41
10. Porcelain Green 2:08
11. Collision 2:22
12. Just Like a Briar 1:08
13. Tits on Fire 2:08
14. Ooh 1:53
15. Just Call Me Crazy 2:25
16. You Against Me 3:04

Album Rating (1-10): 8.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Nate Farley - Producer
• John Shough - Producer, Engineer
• Todd Prenat - Exec Producer
• Bob Pollard - Sequencing (Guided By Voices)
• Tere Lerma - Lyrics, Vox, Bass, Guitar (Lexo & the Leapers)
• Gale Bonham - Guitar, Bass (Lexo & the Leapers, Robert Pollard)
• Luis Lerma - Drums (Rockafellas, Team Void, The Amps, Pleasures Pale, The Dates, The Breeders, Venus Love Circut, New Creatures)
• Brett Owsley - Keys (Robert Pollard)
• Randy Prenat - Photos
• Greg Holsten - Photos
• Bill Mathews - Cover Art
• Nick Kizirnis - Layout

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. When i picked it out of the dollar bin, i was assuming it was a girl-indie pop or edgy punky rock band. Like Softies or Bratmobile. And if it weren't for the pics inside and the name drop of Bob Pollard of GBV, i'd have still thought that. But i think this record is going to be more in the short, drunk rock (only 1 / 16 songs is over 3 min @ 3:04) genre. 

Album Review: The music is basically distortion heavy, fuzzy pub pop that comes off as very catchy. Plenty of influence with, of, and by Robert Pollard, as they are all from the Dayton area. Gale & Tere also back Robert Pollard in an outfit called Lexo & The Leapers. Most of the info about this record is tied to Pollard & the Lexo band, but there are some real good classic late 80's barroom rock grunge.

Stand Out Track: It's the Love (live), Porcelain Green (as used in a commercial)

Links:

Discogs

Facebook

Lexo & the Leapers All Music

Kinda Muzik - Rockathon interview
Spacebar

Portable - Secret Life

Name: Portable
Album: Secret Lift
Year: 1999
Style: Power Pop, Garage Rock
Similar Bands: Third Eye Blind, Everclear, Matchbox 20, Tonic, Our Lady Peace, Sister Hazel, Ours
"One-Word" Review: Brash, Middling Rock
Based Out Of: LA, CA
Label: TVT Records

Cover

Back, CD

Secret Life (1999)

1. What's Wrong 3:40
2. Help Yourself 2:58 (single)
3. Boy-Girl 4:40
4. medicate it 2:30
5. Redlight 4:29
6. Step On It, Go! 3:32
7. Erasable 3:04
8. Restraint 4:26
9. One Thing I Know 3:39
10. All Over Again 4:24
11. Terrible Two 4:48
12. Silence Please 4:55

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Chance Hutchison - Vox, Guitar
• Gus Cicari - Guitar
• Jeff Menke - Bass
• Brian Lovy - Drums (The Kind, Anthony Castelo, Chance, Forever Like Red)
• Terri Nunn - Vox (Berlin, Ish, Sisters of Mercy, Pino Donaggio, Khadja Nin, Dan Siegel, Pamela Moore, Mariya Takeuchi)
• Matt Wallace - Produced, Mixed
• Mike Landolt - Engineer
• Mitch Rellas - Engineer
• James Murray - Asst Engineer
• Vicky Hamilton - Career Direction 
• Warren Entner - Career Direction 
• Sean Roberts - A&R Direction

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. Based on the cover, which looks like a Warhol 4-pane color study of a speaker (hubcap? drain?) and the dudes in suits on the back, i'm guessing they are a high energy, garage rock band; even if one has a goatee /soul patch combo. But it is on TVT, so perhaps they have a darker, industrial element? 

Album Review: I've listened to it once straight through, and at different points got notes of Green Day or the Strokes, but overall, this is some middle of the road rock, with some Third Eye Blind like, non-memorable vocals. The music also tries to surge, but also ends up being quite middling. Sorry to say, but this feels like the sort of music frat bros in college who have no taste in music get excited about. There's nothing either wrong nor memorable about this album. The song "Redlight" has a bit of a Muse / Ours vibe to it.

This, their debut album contains, the 5 sounds from their EP, which came out a few months earlier. Menke left the band after this record, and Sebastian Ciceri, Gus's brother, took over bass by 2000. Apparently the bland sound was left to this first record, and the second was seen as more adventurous by the band. Their third that never came to completion was on path to being much more representative to their live sound.

Stand Out Track: Step On It, Go!

Links:
Exclaim!
Discogs
Allmusic
Ink19 Levy interview
Sebastian Ciceri Wiki

Flinch! - Dyslexic Rhino

Name: Flinch!
Album: Dyslexic Rhino
Year: 1999
Style: Rockabilly, Punk, Grunge
Similar Bands: Dead Milkmen, Butt Trumpet, L7, Danzig, Misfits
"One-Word" Review: Raw Raucous Rock
Based Out Of: Gaithesburgh, MD
Label: none

Cover & Backs

Liner Notes & CD 

Dyslexic Rhino (1999)

1. Lonely Holiday 1:54
2. Kick the Can 1:33
3. Hail Bop 2:02
4. Octopus 2:48
5. Angie Speaks 2:31
6. Candle 2:25
7. Baby Said 1:50
8. Schizophrenia 3:02
9. Downtown 3:32
10. Here We Go Again 2:01
11. Expontaneous Combustion 11:04

Album Rating (1-10): 8.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Doug
• Kevin Good - Mixing
• Djodjo - Mastering, Artwork
• Melissa  - Vox
• Al - Vox
• Stephanie - Photo
• Rodrigo - Artwork
• Rossano - Artwork
• James Belmore - Vox
• Al Armbrister - Drums
• Luciano Silva - Bass
• Thomas Kendrick - Guitar

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, from the album + randomly generated title, they're about 5 years to late for the self-made alt-grunge vibe the album puts out. The poor quality photo with a "green screen" effect makes them look like the album should have been made in 1991. Adding to the dated vibe is the 11 min long track 11, which is in all likelihood, concealing a hidden track of phone pranks and fart noises.

Album Review: The songs are solid: fast and driving punk, like Hail Bop, with touches or rockabilly like on Schizophrenia, and juvenile humor. Octopus sounds like a straight up Dead Milkmen song. Candle, or the fuck you song, reminds me of The Misfits.  Three songs are fronted by female "guest vocals," guests, because none of the band members are listed on the liner notes. The final song is a 3:35 instrumental, followed at the 9:30 mark by a raunchy sexualized hidden track. 

Nothing is out there on the internet about this band, aside from a minimal Discogs page (which doesn't include this album...only a compilation of this and another one) and some download/download requests). Which is a shame, because these folks sound quite competent at what they do.

Stand Out Track: Candle, Kick the Can

Links:

Discogs

Uniform (the) - If It Takes the Form of a Human, I'll Kick It's Ass

Name: The Uniform
Album: If It Takes the Form of a Human, I'll Kick It's Ass
Year: 1999
Style: Math Rock, Garage Rock, Punk, Noise
Similar Bands: Spoon (early), Black Rebel Motor Cycle, Shellac, 7 Seconds
"One-Word" Review: calculated speed garage
Based Out Of: Baltimore, MD
Label: Morphius Records

Cover, Record

Back, Record

If It Takes the Form of a Human, I'll Kick It's Ass (1999)

1. Ten Second History of God 1:36
2. Midget Colony 1:34
3. My Thoughtful Response to Human Behavior 1:19/
4. If It Takes the Form of a Human, I'll Kick It's Ass 1:27
5. Four Reasons Why I'm Not a Communist 1:16
6. Calling Shit Shit, When it is 1:50

Album Rating (1-10): 7.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Paul Flum - Bass, Vox (Helikopter, UV-373, Black & Vain)
• Randy Rampage - Drums (The Great Unraveling, The Thumbs)
• Christian Sturgis - Guitar (Quattracenta, Lo Moda, Advlts, Fascist Fascist)
• Colin Seven - Writer (Rogue Conjurer, Universal Order of Armageddon)

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, and apparently, according to the back this is #229 of a #350 series of this EP. Based on the year and cover art, i imagine this is a sweaty, garage & fuzzed out rocking Electric Six, Mooney Suzuki type. However, considering the less than 2 minute track lengths, they might be more of an emo hardcore/thrash band.

Album Review: This ep of six songs totaling right about nine minutes is an exploration in math rock meets speed garage. Some sites have them classified as noise (but i sense more melody than most noise outfits) and a couple of the tracks are instrumentals. The EP sounds much rawer than the songs compiled on the spotify album link, and definitely have a local melodic speed punk band quality. The title track actually remind me a little of early Spoon.

This is apparently their second release, first for the label. Flum moved to Portland, OR and has most recently been working on an experimental TV series on Youtube called "I'm Carlos Now." There is generally very little about this band out there, as none of the members went on to create anything popular enough to cause folks to dig back to this band. 

Stand Out Track: If It Takes the Form of a Human, I'll Kick It's Ass

Links:

Spotify: compilation including these tracks

Discogs

Allmusic

Bandcamp
T-DT-B
Rate Your Music

Last FM
Paul Flum's site
Sturgis's Quattracenta Bandcamp

Badawi - The Heretic of Ether

Band: Badawi
Album: The Heretic of Ether
Year: 1999
Style: Ambient, Middle Eastern, Illbient
Similar Bands: John Zorn, Secret Cheifs 3
"One Word" Review: Environmental-Gypsy-Soundtrack
Based Out Of: Jerusalem / NYC
Label: Asphodel

The Heretic of Ether - Cover & Record

The Heretic of Ether - Back & Record

The Heretic of Ether (1999)

1. Intro 1:17
2. Tired Soldiers 5:44
3. A Voice from Six Corners 2:49
4. Santur 1:16
5. Enter the Heretic 3:58
6. Fatal Confrontation "The Death of Gashka Gavor" 1:29
7. Enterance 3:23
8. Arrival 5:57/
9. Fatal Confrontation "Gashka Meets the Gate Keeper" 1:34
10. Welcoming 5:23
11. Falling 3:11
12. Fatal Confrontation "Revisited" 2:10
13. Return of the Heretic 6:11
14. Awakening 4:45

Album Rating (1-10): 5.0

Members & Other Bands:

Erik Berglund - Composer
Hank Deckon - Composer
Ralph Farris - Violin (Ethel)
Raz Mesinai - Arranger, Keyboards, Percussion, Producer (Sub Dub)
Ashton Worthington - Design
Erich Schoen-Rene - Cello
Mixture 151 - Mastering

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of Badawi. From the name alone, I’m imagining that this is going to be some sort of Hardcore. And with the name like Heretic of Ether along with the scratch font and the b/w photography, I am further convinced that this will be hard core / metal.

Album Review: So I’ve researched and read upon this artist, and understand that this is nothing like Hard Core. It is instrumental Middle Eastern and Yiddish themed world music with a very ambient production, as it was recorded live in studio minus turntables or samples, according to Allmusic. Along with the artist’s background in dub step and reggae DJ, it should be an interesting listen. And since it is a themed concept album, I’m going to review it minus the tracks, pointing out highlights and notable sections.

Humming and what sound to be bagpipes start out the album. The composition is already a very atmospheric humming, like flying around clouds at a 15 frames per second scene. The repetition and grueling progress of the Middle Eastern instrumentation weaves an overworked web: “Tired Soldiers” works well as the title. The hum and intensity grow and show no end in sight. A deep cello finishes out to be followed by a buzzing bee sound. Beautiful and exotic Arabian picking echoing with a natural imperfect warbling follows, which is transplanted with calculated yet frantic piano playing on the next track. Rapid driving percussion begins and subsides leaving room for electronic, static bass and more Middle Eastern melodies, reminding me of something I could expect from Mike Patton (as I have a very small frame of potential comparison for this musical genre). Rapid and rolling tribal steel drum percussion makes up the next track. What feels like a reprise of the album’s buzzy beginning takes the record in a gyrating, and pressure building direction, like tension before an explosion. Sad violins take over, but the background hum/buzzing still remains. This has created the mental image of finding a rotting corpse of a loved one lying next to an open street gutter down a disused back alley in a foreign village.

Bongos of different percussive sounds rapidly beat to begin side two in a swirling rhythm that feels it may teeter over at any second. When it ends, deep warbling strings are played. There is a fine line here between Middle Eastern stand up bass and Mexican sixth string guitar play, and I can’t figure out which it sounds more like at various points, but either way it is a very percussive dance. I’ve never thought that Mexican and Arabic music could be similar or indistinguishable until now. Out of nowhere is a beautiful and magical tubular or xylophonic bell. This ends quickly, and is followed by a growing feedback of a violin string sound. In other words, more of the building buzzing sound. The final “Fatal Confrontation” succeeds, and as all the predecessors, it is all a rapid percussive dance. Following the dance is a gloomy castlevania-esq gothic string section, which, when added to with a steady, repetitive heavy bass beat and bongo percussion, takes a turn toward gypsy style. As this song nears the end, there is some sort of keyboard instrumentation that demands an anger and urgency, which stops abruptly and allows the record to finish in a sad story told by a violin.

"Stand-Out" Track: Enter the Heretic

Links:

Raz Mesinai

The Agriculture
Last FM
FB
Asphodel
Wiki
allmusic

Gay Dad - Leisure Noise

Name: Gay Dad
Album: Leisure Noise
Year: 1999
Style: BritPop
Similar Bands: Radiohead, Suede, Big Star, Grandaddy, Travis
"One-Word" Review: 70's-reincarnate-brit-splosion
Based Out Of: London, England
Label: London Records, Sire

Leisure Noise - Cover, CD, Back (Advanced CD)

Leisure Noise (1999)

1. Dimstar - 5:14
2. Joy! - 5:00
3. Oh Jim - 2:46
4. My son Mystic 3:26
5. Black ghost 7:35
6. To Earth with Love 5:05
7. Dateline 4:43
8. Pathfinder 3:57
9. Different kind of blue 4:51
10. Jesus Christ 4:16

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:Cliff Jones - Guitar, Vox (Brutus)
Nicholas "Baz" Crowe - Drums (Brutus)
Charley Stone - Guitar (Salad)
Nigel Hoyle - Bass (Brutus, Gramercy)
James Riseboro - Keys
Tony Visconti - Producer (David Bowie, T-Rex)
Mark Firth - Engineer, Producer
Gary Langan - Producer, Sound Engineer (Art Of Noise)
Chris Hughes - Producer / Sound Engineer (Adam & The Ants)
Peter Saville - Artwork

Unknown-ness: I don’t remember when I got this CD, but I know I got it on the cheap as an advanced CD. I probably heard the hype that the band generated, while following bands like Blur, James, and the Lightning Seeds, and then found it in a used bin somewhere. Also adding to the appeal is the sleek, clean “road sign” artwork. I do not remember what it sounded like, or if I ever listened to it really, so it will be all new experiences this run through.

Album review: “Dimstar” quietly begins with a fade into an echoey dripping effect that places us in a cave, and a mystical synthesizer adds to the atmosphere. The Brit Pop guitars begin soaring and the driving drum beat takes us to the song proper. The vocals are smoothly gliding and moodless in pitch. Sort of like Radiohead or Suede without Yorke or Anderson’s unique voice. In the breakdown, the vocals become more shreikly spoken than sung, and the result offers a hard rock metal tone for the brief section. Fuzzed guitar ends the track and transitions right into “Joy!” which sounds muted after the guitars end. Again the vocals swoop across the instrumentation, and don’t precisely match up, but offer a good combination. This is as close to the Lightning seeds dance pop as they get, with the drum beat and electronic samples. Out of nowhere comes the chorus, completely different in style, production, and emotion from the rest of the song. His vocals are supplemented by harmonizing female vocals. The chorus is quite catchy, but the verse is what commands the song, and gives it an overall spacey feel. The vocals in the breakdown at the end of the song remind me of something that Blur might choose. “Oh Jim” starts as an acoustic lullaby, and then launches into a grand Big Star sounding chorus. “My son Mystic” is a straightforward, almost a throwaway brit-pop number, with forgettable melodies that you might expect to find on typical Gin-Blossoms radio. “Black ghost” is an epic 7.5 minute song that slowly creeps up from the beginning with its simple drum beat and guitar work. Synthesizers add to the mix, but they are straightforward single notes meant for melody rather than extravagance. The light vocals begin and the result is a light and airy psychedelic atmospheric piece. The song is more reliant on the musical sections and droning vibe that is created, rather than the 70’s rock feel that the vocals offer. The way that the vocals and music are combined reminds me of Grandaddy minus the electronics. A long quiet fade out ends the song.

“To Earth with Love” is the single that brought fame to the band, over a year before the album came out. The vocals are whiney to aggressive, and the song is a driving pop-rock tempo. It sounds a lot like U2. It has some catchy parts, but over all, it sounds very commercial. There is one saving aspect of the song, which are the backing vocals to in the chorus. The song feels a bit structureless, which may be a good, appealing thing, but it feels like a clips song of a Broadway show. “Dateline” is a strong, driving brit pop song with rushing guitars and great echoing keyboards. Unfortunately the vocals are a bit too shrill and 70’s in style for my liking. They are even a bit like Billy Corgan’s voice at times. The singer recaps his life in a timeline in the lyrics to the song. The musical breakdown features a piano and a very slowed down tempo from the rest of the song, and lasts for the remaining 1.5 minutes of the song. “Pathfinder” reverts back to the smooth vocals, with instances of the nasally sound. It is a quiet and feels like a very sentimental song. The smoothness in his vocals is abandoned for an Ours or Muse like propelling vocal. But it ends in the quieted smooth vocal sound. “Different kind of blue” starts off with a marching drum only portion and then adds light instruments, including a hushed vocal performance again. The production picks up in spurts, but over-all, it is a quiet, introspective song. He picks up the emotion and energy to his singing at to end the song, as the music soars up to a climactic and chaotic ending. “Jesus Christ” is a drum and piano inspirational tune sung like something from Travis. There is no tongue in cheek humor; it is a straightforward religious hero song. This is very much a downer to end the album on, even if the song is meant to be good. Okay, it sounds too much like a Christian rock song, I gots to turn it off.

Stand-Out Track: Joy!

Links:Wikipedia
Allmusic
Myspace
Guardian Article
Headcleaner Single Review
Epinions
Hip online
NME page
High Beam Article
Rate Your Music