via//chicago

np: "every day is a child with teeth" - liars
most likely still my favorite of the whole arty-punk thing sweeping through music over the last couple of years. there's just something off about these guys that makes them more exciting than 95% of thier current peers. the twists and turns through each and every song, let alone over the course of an album, leave you in a constant state of anticipation. Fins to Makes Us More Fish-Like has been getting a lot of rotation lately, and it's easy to see why. a version of "Grown Men Don't Fall in the River Just Like That" that towers over the album version with it's extened coda and further sonic trickery. i am very much looking forward to anything new these guys put out.
yesterday was a decent day for some cheap Best Buy albums, Poison the Well's You Come Before You and Motion City Soundtrack's I am the Movie each for less than 9 bucks. the Poison the Well major-label debut is wonderful, striking the perfect balance between hardcore chaos and gentle melodicism. i've never been a huge fan of hardcore - especially the more recent "screamo" stuff, but PtW and Glassjaw have managed to break through the din and suck me in. i think it's the fact that both bands have loads of musical talent and are able to float between rage and calm several times over the course of a single song. i guess i just like balance. all acoustic saccharine can get boring and a full half-hour of screaming gets just plain tiresome, but a nice blend of both will keep my interest. i haven't had a chance to listen to the entire MCS album yet, but it's one of the few albums i've bough in the last several years that i bought simply on the basis of hearing one single on the radio. i've heard "The Future Freaks Me Out" several times on woxy and enjoyed it every time. i saw the album for $7.99 yesterday and figured, what the hell.