La Dispute – Rooms of the House

All the motions of ordinary love
They grow and change

It’s been a long way coming, and after post-hardcore-the-wave masterpiece “Wildlife” it was never going to be an easy one. When last year the first video surfaced showing the band dismantling the wooden remains of the album cover artwork, blogs, fans and everyone that had ever heard of the band started buzzing. Something new was coming. La Dispute were back.

Into It. Over It. – Intersections

Evan Weiss is a modern day hero for me. I am not sure how many bands and labels he introduced me to over the last two odd years. He gave me comfort when I felt bad, he was there to share some great days with me and he has the ability to almost make me cry. We share a similar soft spot for checkered shirts and shell-rimmed glasses. Every time I hear his music, I feel like I’m listening to a good friend of mine. Mind you, I’ve never met him, I live a few thousand miles and an ocean away from him. He takes me to places, no matter good or bad and stands side by side with me. He puts his arm around me and makes me feel like everything is going to be ok. He’s saying: “we’ve all been there mate”. But you know, the best part about it is, that he doesn’t even have to be there. It’s just his music, that makes all of this happen.

Kevin Devine – Bubblegum (Bulldozer)

Or we can fire up the program / let the drones do all the dirt

It’s simply one of those undisputed truths: Kevin Devine was always at his best when he was angry. Angry at the government, at some ex-girlfriend, at himself or at the society as a whole. Bearing this in mind, it is pretty good news that one out of his two new albums, “Bubblegum”, totally lives up to KD’s anger standards.

Crash of Rhinos – Knots

You’re as cold as the drink in your hand now

Knots by Crash of Rhinos

So when something like Knots happens, I tend to sit on my couch, lean back and think. I think about moments passed, about what will be, what won’t be and what could be. My eyes wander around my flat. I see my vinyl collection, I see my guitar and that itch in my fingers. I stare through the window. Is it raining? Is it sunny outside? I light a cigarette, maybe grab a cold beer from the fridge, open it, take a sip. I spent hours in the taillights, chasing highways through my mind. I can’t think of a better description of what is going on than the words used by Chris Wicky.