various - ed rec vol 1 & 2

pedro winter started up ed banger records in 2002. you might know him as busy p (he also manages daft punk and justice, among others). ed banger have been all over the place in 2K7, taking over magazine covers, clubs, even mtv. it's the name to drop this year, and i doubt that will change anytime soon. the gang's all here on these comps.. uffie, justice, busy p, dj mehdi, sebastiAn, so me, feadz.. and so on. put these on at your next party and act like you're in the know. you're welcome.

ed banger records.
ed banger on myspace.

download ed rec vol 1:


download ed rec vol 2:


- panda party

thrice - b-sides and misc.

i've decided to make a post in honor of the release of the alchemy index. thrice has been around for a good amount of time, and has continued to progress artistically. the power this band has is fucking beyond me. anyways, this "honorary" post includes 2005's if we could only see us now, live at aol sessions (all of the songs are off of vheissu, and theres an incredible acoustic version of stare at the sun), and some vheissu b-sides. enjoy.

and buy this album as soon as possible.

thrice on the interweb.
thrice on myspace.

download here:


-grizzly/thrice gravy train

mstrkrft - remixes

this is an excellent collection of remixes worked on by mstrkrft. they nailed a wide range of groups, anywhere from bloc party and wolfmother to polysics and even a few death from above 1979 tracks. turn that shit up.

download remixes by mstrkrft:


-grzzl(sometimes)y

this will destroy you - young mountain (2006)

don't let the aggressive name fool you. TWDY brings a beautiful, cinematic form of post-rock out of texas. sound familiar? that's because it probably is. these 4 dudes hold their own, despite the heavy comparisons to explosions in the sky. in the past year, they've gained a pretty nice following in the post-rock community, and plan to release a new record next year. it's nice to see good bands come out of texas.

this will destroy you on myspace.

download young mountain:


-grizzly

tokyo police club - a lesson in crime (2006)

straight out of canada, tokyo police club bring a very straightforward approach to indie-rock. short, concise, to the point. this band wastes no time, and with a lesson in crime (which clocks in at about 17 minutes), they bring urgency and a more (sorry in advance) punk feel to indie rock, similar to that of the strokes and the arctic monkeys. they recently signed to saddle creek, so expect big things from them in 2008.

tokyo police club on myspace.

download a lesson in crime:


-grizzly

daft punk - daft club (2004)

so this group doesn't really need much of an introduction. daft punk released a collection of remixes in 2004 (US), with the majority of the songs remixed coming off of 2001's discovery, and one off of homework. tons of artists worked on these remixes, most notably the neptunes and basement jaxx. get on it.


daft punk on myspace.

download daft club:


- grizzly

gerling - bad blood!! (2003)

life is a disco, and gerling want you to know that they're your daddy.

gerling website.
gerling on myspace.

download bad blood!!:


- panda

the ghost - this is a hospital (2002)

in this empty room, i will live with my mistakes.
hold this straw untill it's gold.. it will or i will break.

this is music at it's most urgent, raw, and sincere. i stumbled upon this album after noticing the artwork (which is incredible) at waterloo records in austin in 2002. this album went highly overlooked, as did the ghost's second album, leading the band to eventually call it quits. vocalist/songwriter brian moss is now fronting a new project called hanalei, which you can check out here. musically, the ghost set themselves apart from the contemporaries of their time by capturing an intensity on record usually only found in live shows. this album will have you drawing comparisons to bands like these arms are snakes, at the drive in, braid, and early alkaline trio. loud.. quiet.. slow.. fast.. this album will keep you guessing and have you exorcising your demons.

the ghost on myspace.
lyrics to this is a hospital (they're incredible and should be read while listening).

download this is a hospital:


- panda

lydia - this december; it's one more and i'm free (2005)

this post will be somewhat of a change of pace. lydia is a six-piece indie/rock band from arizona. if i had sum 'december' up with one emotion, it would be anxious. a lot of the songs are stripped down and straight forward, but have a sense of anxiety and emotional urgency. in comparison to other bands, i'd put them somewhere between death cab and straylight run (mainly because of the male/female vocals), but definitely give it a listen. they're currently in the studio writing their sophomore release, due out sometime in 2008.

/emo

myspace:
lydia on myspace (there's a new demo up).

download this december; it's one more and i'm free:


- grizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzly

genghis tron - dead mountain mouth (2006)

who needs ear drums really? i mean, when you think about it.. they're really not that important. with that said, i love this album. three guys, no drums, no bass, lots of electronics/synths/drum machines.. making some of the loudest, heaviest, danciest grindcore you've ever heard. destroy your senses.

genghis tron on myspace.

download dead mountain mouth:


- panduh

black star - black star (1998)

if you are a fan of hip-hop, and you haven't heard this record, then we probably hate you.

there are three reasons why you should love this record:

1. mos def.
2. talib kweli.
3. mos def + talib kweli.

this is one of the most brilliant albums of all time in any genre. two of the most ridiculously underrated emcee's working with each other on what most people would consider a classic. both jerome and i are huge fans of this record, and there is no reason why you shouldn't be either.

mos def and talib kweli are black star.

download black star:


- roshan

kissing tigers - pleasure of resistance (2004)

one reason i think kissing tigers haven't blow up with hip shaking hipsters world wide is because when you listen to who they're comparative to, they've got more in common with depeche mode and new order, than a lot of newer 'dance' acts, who just rip off each other. while obvious musical comparisons to the faint (only with brattier vocals) can be made when it comes to these guys, kissing tigers definitely hold their own and stand out amongst their peers of synth heavy indie rockers. this one will definitely have you out of your chair and getting down after the second song.. and your third shot.

new demos are up @ the band's myspace.

download pleasure of resistance:


- panda

dizzee rascal - maths + english (2007)

i like clever album titles. maths and english by british emcee/producer dizzee rascal is certainly as clever as any (with maths meaning producing and english meaning lyric writing). homeboy came with it raw on his third album. this album is full of bangers. strong electronic flourishes collide with heavy hitting beats, and rascal's grime heavy flow is as apparent as ever. his influence from american hip hop artists is a little more apparent on this album than his previous work, but his drum and bass/beat heavy british style is still very much in the mix. lily allen, alex turner of the arctic monkeys, and famed houston duo UGK all make guest appearances. grab this one and get ready to throw your hands up high. especially when "sirens" comes on.

myspace:
dizzee rascal on myspace.

download maths + english:


- raggedy pandy

120 days - 120 days (2006)

vice records is home to some big names, including bloc party and chromeo. vice is also the home to a group i feel is pretty underrated, considering their label situation. 120 days is an experimental/electro group out of norway. their self-titled record was released sometime in 2006, to favorable reviews. musically, they are more simplified than most electronic acts, but a lot of their songs are driven vocally and thrive on the climax. i caught these guys live earlier this year opening for ratatat, and they ended up stealing the show. holler.

myspace:
www.myspace.com/120days

-grizzly

coconut records - nighttiming (2007)

everyone should like jason schwartzman. i mean, he's been in about 5-10 cult classics, depending on your taste. and even phantom planet wasn't that bad. now he's moved onto a solo venture, which oddly enough is called coconut records. he began working on the record in 2006, and released it in 2007. the coolest thing about this record is that jason wrote everything, and played all the instruments. another cool thing is that he has his own record label, which he put this record out on. mike einzinger (via incubus) produced nighttiming, so that's a plus (or a minus, for the haters) too. this record isn't going to change your life, but it'll do you some good on those days where you just want to listen to some good indie-pop.

myspace:
www.myspace.com/coconutrecords

download nighttiming:


-grizzly