Six Cents And Natalie- Summer's Gone But A Lot Goes On

casiotone for the painfully unknown. this is the guy from tullycraft. simple and enjoyable lonely pop tunes. definitely worth a listen. this consists of two covers, an instrumental, another instrumental that acts as a soundtrack over some odd gathering of people talking, and one original fully realized song. that song, your swimming suit, is the best track here in my opinion. but see for yourself.

tracklist:

your swimming suit
your _______
your class (bmx bandits cover)
i'm smarter than that (zaius cover)
what did they name the bike?


of some such thing that might not exist

V/A- Self-Portrait Vol 2 7"

this was released on permafrost records out of winnipeg, and it's the second (and possibly final?) volume of the self-portrait series. i have the first volume as well, and it'll likely make its way here at some point. this comp contains indie/emo numbers from four different bands. the march december swing track might be my favourite off of this, but all of the stuff is good enough to check out for sure.

tracklist:

porter hall- limo roulette
haywood- alpenland
north of america- the sneaks are everywhere!
march december swing- the joy of photography


in a field, it's humming some name

split! Boyracer / Que Possum 7"

i almost feel bad uploading this as the first boyracer post. if this is the first time you've heard boyracer, don't let it mislead you. this band put out some really amazing stuff in the 90s, and this release does not do them justice. don't really care much for any of the songs on this one aside from que possum's unrested. but check it out and if you like any hint of boyracer, grab their earlier stuff (you can't go wrong with their first two full-lengths "more songs about frustration and self-hate" & "in full colour"). part of the slew of splits with glow-in-the-dark covers that boyracer released on 555 records in 2008.

tracklist:

boyracer- faith seeds
boyracer- final day
boyracer- dark wing
que possum- listen
que possum- unrested


which stands erect without a frame

V/A- Magic Eye Single ("Blue") 7"

magic eye released four singles that featured three to four different bands, and they called each by the colour of vinyl they were pressed on. so here's blue. it was the second in the series and it came out in 1996. the insert features a photo copy of a rejection note from the silver jews about contributing a song to one of the comps, saying that they were pretty sure they were monogamous with drag city. mostly lo-fi and/or acoustic stuff. the cover for this was made from part of a coca-cola box.

tracklist:

the sonora pine- hoya carnosa
zeke fiddler- everyone eventually leaves this town
nord express- crazied
new radiant storm king- embry crossroads


slipping, it seeps beneath the door

Endive- Underlies 7"

some pretty nice female-fronted emo. a products of the mids (midwest / mid-90s). released on multipurpose records, this was one of only two things the band put out on wax. the other was a split. not necessarily immediately remarkable, but that doesn't mean it's not a solid contribution. 

tracklist:

underlies

christening day

thought sauce slops upon the floor

The Lefties- Night Flight Of The Bat Moon Dog 7"

this is one of the best 50 cent 7"s you've never bought. and it's still available too. the song movies is the fucking tops. it was covered by comet gain. and the song sexy lubey is also awesome. you've definitely got to listen to this one. 

tracklist:

sexy lubey

movies

in the court of love

some drips still drop during this drought 

Quahogs- Glaze 7"

more awesome tunes that were apart of the glory that was early 90s canadian east coast pop. this was released in 1994 by cinnamon toast records and was limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. all four tunes are pretty great. highly recommended.

tracklist:

glaze
them
cows
mary


things go in and things fall out

Lux-O-Values- Pretty And Blue EP

another project of lonnie eugene methe. this is an earlier band of his. they didn't record very much as far as i know. aside from this 7", they were also on an early comp on lumberjack (which would later become saddle creek records) with commander venus called music all over me. nice quiet, melodic indie pop. put out on rolling hills records in 1994.

tracklist:

battered and bruised
kathi
scared of the night


old hooker stares off into space

V/A- Winter's Mist 2

i've been able to get the tracks for the first winter's mist compilation (put out, as this one was, by silvergirl records), but i haven't seen the tracks for this one floating around digitally. it's not a bad record, but the only song i really care for is necklace by meek. other than that it's pretty standard stuff. not much to write home about, but it's also not offensive to the ears.

tracklist:

love bandits- love bandits theme
allen clapp- a change in the weather (lounge version)
meek- necklace
mctells- hold on
dufflecoats- don't see me soon


ripened pears like time

The V. Lake Orchestra Presents Madison Electric & Esme's Symphony / The Girl Who Stole The Eiffel Tower- Two For The Price Of One 7"

this came out on two labels (winter's mist and swing set), and the a-side features two different members of veronica lake taking a shot at creating songs with just electronic instruments. hence, "the v. lake orchestra presents" title preceding the tracks by madison electric and esme's symphony. the b-side is an enjoyable number by the girl who stole the eiffel tower. quiet indie (twee? i really dislike that classification) tunes on this one. 

tracklist: 

(the v. lake orchestra presents) madison electric- shadow of your smile

(the v. lake orchestra presents) madison electric- blue as blue

(the v. lake orchestra presents) esme's symphony- emily ryan

the girl who stole the eiffel tower- untitled

take your bargains elsewhere

Poundsign- Michigan 7"

it sucks when records you thought were pretty awesome when you first heard them age terribly. this one is sort of the opposite. wasn't all that into this when i first heard it, but a second spin years later brought a stronger appreciation for these tunes. they're nothing groundbreaking, just some good ol' melodic pop numbers with ladies singin'. both songs are good, but i think i'd take the title track for being the better of the two. released on belmondo discs in 1997.

tracklist:

michigan
rooftops


all that's gold glitters

Georgiana Starlington- Hard Grave 7"

some nice little lo-fi ditties. a take on that ol' western sound of yore. male/female vocals. enjoyable tunes. comes with a cd-r of the songs on the record. this came out on army of bad luck records in 2009.

tracklist:

Hard Grave

Comin' Down

Ode To Love

Cowboy Lullaby

you will dig 

The Crabs- Jackpot

released by k records and knw-yr-own in 1995. pretty excellent simple indie/pop tunes. at this point, the line-up was just one guy and one gal, and both share vocal duties. this is their first full-length.

tracklist:

She Is A Titan
Iron Curtain
Angeline
Goldenboy
Tsunami
Swallow The Sea
Alien Girl
Something In My Life
Sharkbite
Maxamillion
Landmine


a manual for swaying

Anni Rossi & Whitman- Collaborative 10"

this here's a minimalistic lo-fi cooperative project between anni rossi and whitman. recorded in 2004, an it's an offering of 7 songs on 10 inches of vinyl. unfortunately there's a couple of songs that seem to be throwaways of sorts (val verde, the box springs), as they're not much more than very short songs consisting of percussion and some vocals. other than that, everything going on here is just swell, and when they're at their best- see tracks different dogs, bootcamp in idaho for examples- this collaboration respectively offers songs brimming with sparse beauty and lo-fi catchiness. 300 copies on black vinyl, 200 on burgundy; you can grab this at a decent price from either people in a position to know records or folktale records.

tracklist:

now you're just a ghost
boot camp in idaho
glaciers
val verder
at the swimming pool
the box springs
different dogs


pinch the cheeks of the husky and youthful

Lonnie Eugene Methe- "Hey Jack" Plus Six Other Songs 7"

really nice, quiet lo-fi tunes from one of the fallen men that played on that simon joyner 7". if you dig simon joyner, you'll likely dig this. they teamed up again and released an LP under the name spiritual rags. lonnie eugene methe was also in a band called lux-o-values. i have a 7" they released that i'll be posting at some point too. anyway, solid stuff going on here. put out a year or two ago on unread records. it probably goes without saying, but if you like this, buy it.

tracklist:

hey jack
nine clearings
white lilac song
katherine
calendar work
wounds of winter
auburn dances


campfire crackles like cereal

Microphones, Golden Boots, Bishop Allen, And Paleo- Collaborate With A 1940s Wire Recorder 7"

so this one came and went pretty quickly. released recently, this collaboration was released by a collaboration of labels (people in a position to know, lost sound tapes, and alt.vinyl), and is all but out of print. the story, in brief, is that these bands each recorded a song to a wire recorder. this meant that the songs were recorded onto an extremely thin piece of steel wire, which isn't exactly the epitome of high fidelity. this proves to be a good thing. the warblin' wire warmly adds an authentic old-timey charm to these tunes, and the quiet background noise created by the wire recorder sounds like a westerly winter wind, adding a tone that makes the songs seem sadder, starker, lonelier. the weakest of the four songs comes courtesy of bishop allen, but even that one's not too bad. the other three are great. worth ordering some of the last copies from the uk's alt.vinyl if that's what it takes. this was limited to 600 copies, and was truthfully an awesome project.

tracklist:

the microphones- i lost my wind
golden boots- marie
bishop allen- ghost
paleo- jessica's wedding


belligerent to comatose at breakneck speed

split! City On Film / Kind Of Like Spitting 7"

these songs were recorded in 1998 and put out on sport records. city on film is bob nanna of friction, braid, hey mercedes, etc. kind of like spitting is pretty awesome, and i recommend checking out some of their full-lengths (nothing makes sense without it, old moon in the arms of the new, bridges worth burning). file this one under under emo.

tracklist:

city on film- portland maine and the pouring rain

kind of like spitting- there it goes, so it goes

kind of like spitting- free advice

my father was run out of this town

Simon Joyner And The Fallen Men- The Motorcycle Accident 7"

hopefully you're already acquainted with simon joyner. if you're not, do yourself a big favour and grab either room temperature or beautiful losers. two very good starting points. the second one is a collection of singles and compilation contributions. anyway, this is awesome lo-fi folk. joyner is based in omaha, and has made some incredible music. this 7" is no exception. released in 1999 on room tone records.

tracklist

thoughts of a dog 

flowers on her birthday

i ask of you these things

sad stories

tom paine #1/#2

there was a time

burning halogen lights

Nymb- Novembre 12" EP

melodic emo. this was released by static station records in 1998. easy comparison is rainer maria back when they put out some decent music (past worn searching; look now, look again). this ep good enough but not particularly special. definitely worth a listen though.

tracklist:

past, present, and what should have been
for the mrs.
waiting for the room to spin
typical love song


tinfoil valentine

Gaze- Self-Titled 7"

canadian west coast mid-90s indie. female-fronted, and i think this is their earliest release. rose melberg (of the softies) later joined the band but is absent from the line-up for this one. self-released from what i can tell. enjoyable throughout, though i'd definitely call "bob" the best track here. some of the songs on this show up on their later releases. and yes, those are sparkles glued on the cover.

tracklist:

bob
eric idol
glad we're pals
400 a.d.


disrespectful to dirt

split! Eric's Trip / Moviola 7"

thankfully, there's no shortage of places to find eric's trip tracks. they were awesome and deserve to be known. one of the best canadian bands ever and one of my personal favourites. but alas, the consistency of the quality of their recorded output, in my opinion, declined as time started to bury the 90s. in their earlier days, they were completely unfuckwithable. their recorded material up to 1994 was fucking stellar (see: love tara, peter, songs about chris, belong). their last two full-lengths (forever again and purple blue) are definitely still good, but the great songs are islands surrounded by mostly average tracks. their singles post- love tara still locked it down though. the gordon street haunting, their split with sloan, the road south, and this split with moviola are all mostly excellent. i've gone and done the opposite of what i wanted to do, which was to make sure moviola got the recognition they deserve for putting out some awesome music. they're overlooked. but they shouldn't be.

tracklist:

eric's trip- pillow (red)
moviola- payday
moviola- don't spook the horses


it ends when you say it ends

split! Everyone Asked About You / The Shyness Clinic- The Boston To Little Rock Connection Split 7"

this here's pretty good. i prefer everyone asked about you, though the shyness clinic does hold its own. everyone asked about you is pretty quiet/soft emo, and these two songs are entirely female-fronted. the shyness clinic's number is a melodic quiet/loud/quiet/repeat doozy. amulet records put this out in (i believe) 1998.

tracklist:

the shyness clinic- barcelona to madrid

everyone asked about you- a better way to a broken heart

everyone asked about you- i will wait

you were there

The Frenchmen- Powdered Blue 7"

more awesome melodic indie pop. this came out on shelflife records in 2003, and rocks all the way through. the song "unlucky day" is something else though. if you cared for the juniper 7", i definitely suggest checking this out. another one that comes highly recommended.

tracklist:

powdered blue
unlucky day
hey amelia
nar vs the ramones



music to melt your ice cream to

Tom LoMacchio- The Deadwood Divine 2x7"

acoustic emo. a little over-the-top at times, but definitely still enjoyable. this dude fronted the band plunger, i believe. anyhow, this is four cuts spread across two slabs. songs were written in '95 and '96, and bloodlink records put this out. songs XVI and XVIII (which has a bit of surface noise for about the first minute) are the clear winners, with the other two songs being good enough to listen to.

tracklist:

XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII


emotive softcore

Juniper- Think and Die Thinking 7"

the a-side on this thing is a perfect piece of female-fronted noisy indie-pop. velocity girl at their best is still not a good enough description. a black tambourine reference here seems appropriate.  the b-side is good too. this came out on fantastic records in 1996. highly recommended.

tracklist:

think and die thinking

summer on my mind

almost want to try, want to die

Ramon Speed- Effulgence and Alacrity EP 7"

a really great slab of lo-fi pop from unread records here. limited to 300 copies, and when unread is done with that hiatus i recommend picking up a copy. see why for yourself...

tracklist:

amputee
36,000 feet
diet of worms
upstate



traffic moving well beyond

split! Kiss Me Deadly / Spengler 7"

surprisingly good canadian emo. kiss me deadly does the boy/girl vocals with a bit of screamin',  and they're the better side of the split i'd say. spengler does the indie/emo thing and is still worth a listen. this came out on blue skies turn black records.

tracklist:

kiss me deadly- everyday in the sun
kiss me deadly- peindre la noir coeur
spengler- by the minute
spengler- face the bassface


nobody loves milhouse

Moon Socket- Spaced-Odd-Ditties 7"

never knew this 7" existed until i got it. released on sappy records, and apparently it came out in 1993, which means it would be one of the earlier releases on the label. sappy records was (and still is) a label done by julie doiron of eric's trip. moon socket is chris thompson, also of eric's trip; and of all the parallel and post-eric's trip projects any of the members took on, moon socket sounded the most similar to E'sT.  so now you know that this is solid stuff. not as great as some of the stuff thompson would later release  under the same moniker, but definitely worthy of ears doing what ears do.

tracklist:

bad time to care
runaway
find your way
stereophonicfeedback
double-dare
all of three
another girl



alone and warblin'

Stairwell- Whispers of Farewell 7"

this came out on no compromise records in 1998. they totally overdid it with the titles for the songs and ep, but if you can look past how much of an effort they made to pigeonhole themselves tightly into the odd niche that was late 90s emo, you'll hear some decent enough tunes.

tracklist:

chance (could be the one)
...just a thought



over the top, one under par

Charlie McAlister- Wheel of Fortune 7"

from what i can tell, this is the first time mcalister's recordings made it to vinyl. it was released in 1996 by little mafia records. lo-fi weirdo folk stuff. real good-like.

tracklist:

lack the floatation
my gambling days are over
it's raining again
black market (m. dietrich)


out where no one lives

Schatzi & Hazeltine- Happy Birthday Baby 7"

released on burger records a little while ago. think this was limited to 500 copies. they do the whole reverb-laden 60s girls group pop thing that was popular as all get-out for the last couple of years. this single isn't remarkable, but it's definitely fun enough.

tracklist:

happy birthday baby
when yr alone


bee's knees

The Best Of Bossy LP

future vivian girl sings in a band with much more pop sensibility. pop-punk sensibility, if you will. good stuff here. definitely ought to check this one out.

tracklist:

who loves you more
california big deal
walk around
hey hey my my (neil young cover)
the monster
no life
staring contest
dirty fingers
who loves you most


in rod we trust

Boyracer- Racer 100 12" EP

half the songs on this were released under the same title (racer 100) on a 7". those songs plus 5 others make up this release which came out on blackbean & placenta club as a one-sided 12". not boyracer at its best, but decent enough nonetheless. their early LPs and 7"s are where it's at. untitled and cindy w. are pretty much write-offs though, so you really get about three extra songs on this version.

tracklist:

your unspoken desires
boxing day
baleen
re-run
untouched by conversation
bee to honey
when do you realise this isn't what you hoped for?
untitled
i can't hold onto anything worthwhile
cindy w.

downhill