More new stuff, still no posts

Right now the only thing hindering uploads is the absence of my computer. Since I rip music from it, it is obviously the second most important element of the sharing process.(after the record/cd/tape, of course). But when it comes back, I'll have a lot of stuff for the summer. Lot of CD rips, and some cool vinyl rips, and a sampler from this baby-

Yep, the Dolcim LP, Guillotine Ride finally hit, just in time for tour. I spent a lot of time this weekend hanging out with my friend Jonathan and Sean(Dolcim's bass player), who is a mutual friend through different circles from many moons ago. Dolcim is heading out on their first tour(today, I think) which is also their first European tour. Doing it up Gorilla Biscuits style, I guess. Needless to say, Sean hooked us up with the CD-R of the 12", and two copies of his solo project, Kafka on the Shore, which is pretty much amazing. Its all instrumental, and is available on tape only at the moment. I'll also be posting up a few select tracks for you at a later date as well.

I also got some other cool records, such as the Urusei Yatsura Drama Special 12" from Japan. Urusei Yatsura is a much beloved Japanese anime TV show from the 80's, and if you like Japanese culture, its probably the best series representation out there. Its full of humor that most non Japanese would have no hope of comprehending if not for extensive translation notes, a familiarity with the language, and too much exposure to Japanese pop culture, history, folklore, etc. As a terminal nerdking, I can say I dig this enough to buy a mint condittion copy of the record and pay for the shiping from Hokkaido. Since there are only two tracks of music (the rest being a promotional radio drama for the second season of the show, in which the important parts of season one are recapped) I'll only be putting up those tracks. Also to come are a metric buttload of 7"s and a smattering of 12" records.

Still more exciting for me is that I am going to be doing some music stuff of my own. Jonathan came to me about two weeks ago with a plan to write and record an album of predominantly instrumental bits. I've been roughing out some guitar parts for the last week, and I think we'll have the rest of the first song written out by the weekend. I'm doing all the guitar and bass, While Jonathan will be doing some percussion, keys, and horn. We'll be bringing in some friends to help as some of the ideas are a little out of our reach as musicians. Mostly it will be some more complicated drum parts that I can write, but not perform(I honestly can't play drums at all... not one single rhythm). And since we happen to be good friends with a pretty damn talented session drummer, He'll be assisting us at points.

The project is called Imperialism After Dark, and we plan to incorporate some familiar bits of pop culture into our music as short melodic fills, modified drum beats, or just jumping off points with little to do with the original works, as has become the case of the song I'm currently churning out.

We have no idea as to when or how the release of this stuff will go down, and the planning isn't all there. Its one of those things where if we don't just get up, rush headlong into it, the thing will go on a dusty shelf of aborted projects, along with a ska punk band, a feature film, a Le Mons race team, and a zine. Its a do or die situation.

More to come-- Stay tuned

Dolcim- Demo CD-R

Dolcim is actually a newish band from my home town. Comprised of my best friend's old childhood neighbor, ex- Cease Upon the Capitol members and an ex- I, Mammoth member, Dolcim is in many ways CUTC's successor spiritually and some what sonically. I got to see them play their first show with Legacies, Monolith, and a really cool guy from Chicago doing a one man ambient experimental thing. Dolcim actually played last that night and half way through their first song blew out a guitar amp. Not to be dissuaded, the guys from Monolith unpacked and loaned a head unit. I haven't seen a band play with that intensity in a good while.

But back to the music. what we have here is the band's 4 song demo handed out at the show. The songs all are strong and I remember when I first heard them my heart was all "yesss...". I can't put my finger on why though. Maybe its hometown pride. There's a lot of melody in there with out being the twinkly guitars I grew up hearing. Don't get me wrong, there are twinkly guitars, but they don't come out that often. As with a lot of screamo, the vocals really serve more as instruments, and I honestly have never even looked at the lyrics so your guess is as good as mine.

Basically, if you like CUTC, you'll like Dolcim. Also true for fans of Envy. In fact, "Noah's Ark Was an Orgy" sounds like an Envy song with more chord changes.

The CD-R is now available from React with Protest with extra packaging and on cassette from Utarid Tapes. Or you can contact the band via Myspace and they'll mail ya one post paid. They have an LP coming out before long; the Myspace has some rough cuts from that. Also, they'll be touring Europe in summer '09.

Dolcim- Demo, Summer 2008
self release