Monday, January 25, 2010

Suffering & The Hideous Thieves - Real Panic Formed


Suffering and the Hideous Thieves were an ensemble cast lead by the mighty Jeff Suffering formerly of 90 lb Wuss & Raft of Dead Monkeys. Though I don't think they ever really broke up, Jeff joined the band for their "first show in three years" back in January,2009. The concert was a benefit for former Raft & 90 lb Wuss guitarist John Spalding who had passed away the previous November. Since that time, some of the members are apparently still operating as a band, though the new incarnation is now know simply as The Hideous Thieves and does not feature Jeff Suffering in the lineup. The album I'm posting here, Real Panic Formed, came out in 2002 and has always reminded me of a combination of Thoroughlev-era Raft of Dead Monkeys along with the the darker, more confessional material of Pedro the Lion.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Yeek Yak Air Force


Happy new year, everybody! (especially to my one follower & to the blogs that have linked me) I, for one, am very glad that 2009 is finally over. It was a great year for personal growth but it seemed pretty destructive & sad on a global scale. Seeing as it is now January of 2010, I am reminded that the blog's been around for almost a year. It's true, I didn't get a chance to post as often as I'd have liked to but I am pleased with the handful of responses I've gotten on some of the things I've chosen to post.

I never got a chance to see Seattle's Yeek Yak Air Force live, but after reading & hearing about them for a year or two and being intrigued by the various descriptions, I decided to buy their album & give 'em a listen. I must admit, based on what I'd read, I expected a more abrasive, noisy album, but the sounds on this disc were almost anything but. I don't listen to a lot of "math rock" but YYAF are a band I can really get into. They've always kind of reminded me of a mellow version of Jawbox or Sharks Keep Moving, with vocals that make me think of the Flaming Lips... this is probably a terrible description but I'm not very familiar with many bands that sound like this. So, you should probably just do yourself a favor & check out this album

Yeek Yak Air Force