Like Merriweather Post Pavillion, except it's good

Most people know that noise is caused from vibrations in the air. At least, that's what the Magic Schoolbus taught me. So, if you want to be a pretentious asswad, just go around telling everyone that music is just organized vibrations. Noise-pop bands seem to be aware of this, as they base their material off of organized chaos. I mean, hell, Merzbow made 248 albums by shitting on a Speak'n'Spell.

All joking aside, noise-pop can be pretty good. Ribbons and Bows proves this by releasing the White Light 7", a two-track record sampling what's to come by Rs&Bs. The titular track starts out with a crunchy beat, and an extremely lo-fi guitar lick separates the transition from beat-and-lyrics to full band. TV has an insane drumbeat, but starts out with a somewhat smooth techno beat (though still crazy. Think of something from Bomberman.) And then: SQUEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAVUYCVIYTGCYDCUTRXUTRXAYUYWDUYWDGCVCV~~~
The vocalist proceeds to chant "CHAOS" over and over again.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY DO I LOVE IT SO MUCH?

Calling all plucky artists!

Do you have a band or solo project that needs a little publicity? I'll listen to it! Send me a MediaFire link to your EP, LP, demo - whatever - on last.fm. Just private message my account. You can also contact me on FaceBook. I have about five bands that sent submissions, but I'm always ready to accept more. Reviews will be on an every-other-day basis, but I might do some daily. Yes, I'm still going to post-actual-release albums, but this keeps things fresh.

SO I DON'T BELIEVE IN, DON'T BELIEVE IN, EVER AFTER

Jeremy Enigk is a born-again Christian. Will this affect SDRE's new album?

Also known as Sunny Day Real Estate. This was a demo-tape released in 1992, when they were on shaky ground with their band name. Also, this was before Jeremy Enigk (future frontman of SDRE) joined the band, so the vocals are considerably different.

Demo '92 also draws more from SDRE's grunge/hardcore influences. This was also changed in favor of what is now known as "genuine" emo when Jeremy Enigk joined the band. A change for the better? That's up to you to decide. (The answer is yes, but Chewbacca Kaboom is still fucking awesome)

christopherwalken (http://www.last.fm/music/christopherwalken)

I live in a small village. In England. You'd think that I would be involved in some sort of music scene/genre that's on the rise, but no, no I am not. Maybe if it was 1996 right now I would have just come back from a concert in hopes that the local brocore band Prize Crane will make it big time (and release that fucking EP Paul was talking about). No, there is no such genre as brocore. There is no Prize Crane. This is no Paul, and there is no EP. The closest thing I've seen in England that even faintly resembles a "music scene" is a bunch of long-haired college-bound street performers that cover 70s pop songs - but I digress.

This brings me to christopherwalken, an offshoot of a bunch of college kids who "have more dreams than talent". They've released a demo (fucktheworlddemo) and a three-song EP (Winter Songs). So how's the music? Well, it's pretty garage. The main atrraction, so to speak, is the vocals, but they're drowned out by the drumming. In fact, the drumming drowns out the guitar as well, which is a shame considering it's very surf-rockish. They show promise, and underneath the fuzz they're actually quite good.

Fortunatley Winter Songs fixes these problems. They ditched the garage-rock undertones for a sound that's hard to describe. It's almost like they have some personal demons that are only being articulated halfway through. It really leaves you asking for more, and it's hard to imagine a band making so much progress in, what, half a year? Colour me impressed.

WINTER SONGS
FUCKTHEWORLDDEMO

Three more favorites of mine

Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West

When I was told Good News... wasn't an accurate repesentation of Modest Mouse, I was intrigued. Well, not really, seeing how it took me a fucking month to actually download The Lonesome Crowded West. Man, I was missing out on so much. The opening track Teeth Like God's Shoeshine is erratic, noisy, and a representation of what to expect from the rest of the album. Best Tracks: Trailer Trash, Heart Cooks Brain, Cowboy Dan, Convenient Parking,

Lounge (Closing Time)

oh my god elephant - Five Song EP(?)
"Real" emo with math-rock undertones. That's all I can say about them, besides "FUCK YEAH". Oh, and they changed their name to Rainbow Tornado. Best Tracks: Dan Dan Dan Dan, Evan Tuckerman

Ape Up! - Demo '09

Judging by the title of the band and the cover of the album, you'd think the guys behind Ape Up! are total assholes. I guess that's plausible, but their demotape (released earlier this year) is really good. I believe the singer is the same bro behind Snowing (I don't really know, all I have to go off of them is their MySpace page), so you can expect God-tier vocals. Top tracks: Two Tickets to Stink Town, Nice Marmot, Rudich Ranch