Apis Bull
"To both present and future fans of AB: During a performance, do not applaud. You will want to. You must not. Open a window and clap outside the window. Run to a bathroom stall to relieve your clap happiness, but do not applaud them. You... Will... Be... Sorry..." - Red Collar
C+ Average
Everything is essentially written and recorded by Cincinnati native, Mark Hand. With drums recorded by long-time friend, Brad Mason. What began as a multi-track extravaganza has now become a full-fledged band. Mark has recruited past band mates to assemble a group to play his songs live. C+ Average only releases EPs to speed up the process of getting the music out there. Their freshman release, The Unification of Rock and Evil, is now available, and the second release, Drive Safe, is in the final stages of production.
Craig Lyons
Craig Lyons is a passionate singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and recording engineer with only the brightest of a future in store. Armed with an amalgamation of innovative alternative rock and plush melodies, woven through revealing songs, Craig continues to leave a lasting impression on fans across the country.
Craig Lyons - Moonburn demo(from his album, On Reflection)
Craig Lyons - medly (from his album, Equilibrium Theory)
Exact Match
life will never fit together in a smooth, sensible way. the best you can do is strive for perfection, and fall comfortably short.
too odd to make sense to the radio-rock clones, and too straightforward to appeal to the diehard indie crowd, exact match find themselves somewhere in the middle.
demo MP3s
Freebooter Agenda
Freebooter Agenda :: Bellows Sound Defect Cranium Contact
(Feedbacking Cincinnati to Chicago)
[Grayscale Records + Freebooter Tapes, 2007]
*Crumbling latitudes form a sonic bridge connecting Clifton, OH and Oak Park, IL. The Freebooter Agenda involves nothing more than surfing on a sonic torrent of sirens while crashing waves bring the seashell tones onto the shore. This is the distress call of a submarine crashed on the ocean floor being heard through dolphin ears. Electronics are sweating with overdrive, transcending the aural spectrum with a dew inducing haze of harsh drones. The ebb and flow of a confined stream; tranquility turned up to 11. Shimmer/shining strips of sound float through the sky. The light horn is calling. Handheld bellows drive free reed sprawls covered in pit-er-pat-blaaattt percussion. This is the kind of music you create in your head when you are sitting on the park bench and rearranging the memories of the sounds going around you. Except it is better and it is recorded. First in a series a split releases with Grayscale Records' partner in sound, Freebooter Tapes. Grayscale Records edition is in a numbered edition of 8 discs, housed in individually drawn paper jackets straight from the mind of the man behind functionbad.*
i like to imagine a midnight walk along these same shores...and stumbling upon the same iridescent shell into which these sounds were spewn...and when i bring it close to my ear, the ocean turns upside down...and all her stories come spilling out all at once in massive foaming layers of salt and muck and silt and pure enchanted noise...
--e
full MP3s
Bellows Sound Defect Cranium Contact
Freebooter Agenda - Take One - Cincy style 23,134kb
Freebooter Agenda - Take One - Chicago style 12,965kb
HIJK
Call it neo prog emotive indie math rock or call it fiddle faddle. Either way there is no denying that Hijack The Disco are doing something that few have attempted. Their live shows are bursting with energy and reminiscent of that scene in Back To The Future where Michael J. Fox says: "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are going to love it".
Japanese Sunday
Named for the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, these San Diego gentlemen have found an incredible following in their hometown and are branching out to capture the listening attention of the rest of the world. Their first full-length release - Taps, Taps, Lights Out - is available here!
Kyle
Kyle is the best at blending everything they like about music into one cohesive sound. On their debut album, you can hear elements of math rock everywhere. All of those jumpy sounds stripped from old video games combined with rocking drums beats that span every musical genre. Kyle shines with catchy melodies married to dialectually indifferent songwriting.
Loud Shops
Loud Shops Productions in full effect! Combining elements of hip-hop, funk, and jazz; Tha Drizzle unites all musical influence. G-Funk is here to stay, y'heard! Lavish Arrangements with Choirs and Horns... The Chronic meets The Love Below. Dynamic & Fresh; Languid & Bittersweet.
Tha Drizzle is a statesman, a noted philosopher, and a musical phenom. Fortunately for us, he has focused all of those talents on his love of the gangsta rap artform. The result is a magnificent opus describing Tha Drizzle's daily civic duties making dolla, taunting hos, and cappin the competition. The first album, aptly named The Premiere is ten LOUD tracks mixing rap, funk, jazz, and hip hop into a smooth original style. Keep your ears focused on the many guest appearances from Tha Drizzle's cadre of upstanding celebrity rappers.
Numbers Like Dinosaurs
Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle once wrote, "The merit of originality is not novelty; it is sincerity." Surrounded with passion, and unafraid to allow their true selves to shine through on disc and on stage, come Numbers Like Dinosaurs. Arising from the vast landscape that has incubated well regarded indie bands in the past and present, this Santa Rosa trio combine sporadic, fast paced math rock with a subtle respect for the harmonious traits of other genres. Their self-released debut EP, Scheme/Disguise, exemplifies the bands wide range of influences, while also incorporating elements that have come to be known as the Numbers Like Dinosaurs trademark: intricate guitar work, a strong rhythmic foundation, and vocals that will have you singing along…if you can keep up. The Dinosaurs are currently working on their next album which will undoubtedly showcase their ability to expand upon their own quirkiness, and are road testing it on their first west coast tour this Spring. For those of you eager to see guitars strewn across the stage, drum sticks shattering with each hit, and members lying breathless from their own duty to themselves…watch out for this band. - RH
Nice Monster
"Sometimes, when you look for good music, the search is disappointing. But other times, you find something to imaginitive and beautiful, you can't believe you haven't found it before. The exquisite music this band is capable of making is soft and light, using feather soft acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies similar to Simon and Garfunkel's body of work, but at the same time utilizing interesting and unconventional song structures and time signatures prevalent in math rock and progressive bands such as Pinback, June of 44, and Sacramento's Mister Metaphor." -Jim Ballas
The Bullet Conscience
The Bullet Conscience has always prided themselves on the blistering rhythmic structures emanating from Kaplan's madman drumming. Max writes melodic tapping parts and is increasing his focus on the subtle aspects of sound as he is currently studying formal composition at Stanford. Jon's bass playing bridges the line between melodic and rhythmic, as bass melody is a key element in a three-person instrumental band. In the end, you can break down The Bullet Conscience's playing and structures, but it defies their process. They write organic instrumental music meant to be raw and expressive.
The Listening Group
We spent a lot of the summer recording our new record with Dan Kelly. We had such a good time and had a couple friends come in and play on it. Josh played keys on several songs and Ash leant us her beautiful voice on two tracks. They both sound fantastic.
The Wire Jungle
This duo is hot out of the oven and baking more fresh beats and sounds all the time. By the time the first album was done being mastered, the third one was in the studio. Stay tuned for more songs all of the time.
Thomas and the Evil Computer
Jan Rudy is an amateur computerologist, musical-hobbyist, and discoverer of the phenomenon dubbed Thomas and the Evil Computer. In a rare instance of unbridled luck, Mr. Rudy was fortunate enough to come across the evil computer's work before it was completed. Using a series of rough musical sketches as a starting point, Mr. Rudy set about to dismantle the evil computer's music even further. What remained were vast approximations of the Evil Computer's work. Mysteriously, the results seem to reference prog, punk, pop, and electronic music in unlikely proportions.
