Cosigner - Cosigner

Artist: Cosigner
Title: Cosigner
Release: 2000
Label: Visalian Records

Track List:
1. Soft and Drowsy Song
2. Left to the Quiet
3. Lift Me or I'll Surely Run
4. Maduro

I thought for sure this would be some kind of late 90's emo when I bought this record based solely on the cover. I was wrong, but this is still pretty good indie pop so it was 50 cents well spent.

Cosigner has a blog of their own. The last post was in April of 2009. I dunno if they just haven't kept up with it or if they're still around at all.

There's a couple of very small skips that I tried my hardest to fix. I suspect only one of them will be noticeable at all. Sadly I cannot say this is a perfect rip because I can still notice them. But I know where to expect them so you might not even hear them.

Download: Cosigner - Cosigner (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Cosigner - Cosigner (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego

Artist: The Beach Boys
Title: Getcha Back / Male Ego
Release: 1985
Label: Caribou Records, CBS

Track List:
1. Getcha Back
2. Male Ego

What's that? You didn't know The Beach Boys existed well into the 80's? Well, they in fact still exist, but without any of the Wilson brothers.

Any fan of "Full House" can tell you about the time D.J. won tickets to see The Beach Boys and had to make a tough decision on who to bring (spoiler alert, she chooses uncle Jesse). But did you know that for a brief period of time Jesse Katsopolis himself was their drummer (and sometimes guitar player).



And let's not forget the time we found out that Wilson from "Home Improvement" was their cousin.



One last fun fact. There are a mere six degrees of separation between The Beach Boys and Minor Threat.

Seriously though, this single is really bad. I'm only posting it here because it was in the stack of records my girlfriend asked me to rip (this is the last one). Just go and download their early 60's albums.

Download: The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Mates of State/Dear Nora - split

Artist: Mates of State/Dear Nora
Title: split
Release: 2003
Label: Polyvinyl Record Company

Track List:
1. Mates of State - These Days (Jackson Browne)
2. Dear Nora - Girl from the North Country (Bob Dylan)

Kansas's Mates of State joins Oregon's Dear Nora to offer up two acoustic covers. Mates of State doing Jackson Browne and Dear Nora doing Bob Dylan. I think the fuzz on the Dear Nora side is part of the recording.

As with the Rainer Maria 7" I posted earlier, this is still for sale over at Polyvinyl. Looks like they have some copies on blue. My girlfriend's copy is on a neat peach/pink color.

Download: Mates of State/Dear Nora - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Mates of State/Dear Nora - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Of Montreal - Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da

Artist: Of Montreal
Title: Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da
Release: 2006
Label: Suicide Squeeze Records

Track List:
1. Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da
2. Noir Blues to Tinnitus

From the girlfriend's collection, here's Of Montreal with Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da b/w Noir Blues to Tinnitus.

This band is a bit strange. They're from Georgia, however I reckon that has nothing to do with it. Of Montreal sometimes play fairly normal, by the standards of the genre, indie pop/twee. But they also sometimes play a mix of music that can only be called eclectic (another cliched word that I hate in the context of describing music). This 7" is more towards the normal side. It's enjoyable but not stellar. But it's far better than some of their unfortunate later material.

Download: Of Montreal - Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Of Montreal - Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Smittens/The Just Joans - split

Artist: The Smittens/The Just Joans
Title: split
Release: 2009
Label: WeePOP! Records

Track List:
1. The Smittens - What Do We Do Now?
2. The Smittens - Summer Sunshine
3. The Just Joans - Gin and Platonic
4. The Just Joans - I Hear You're the Man Now, John

I like to give my girlfriend grief about liking a band named The Smittens. She would. The truth is they're actually pretty good. Some of their material is a bit too slow and quiet for my tastes but their side of this 7" is just upbeat enough for me to really get into it (despite the depressing lyrics). I'm not so much a fan of The Just Joans' side. It's not bad, it's just not my thing.

Download: The Smittens/The Just Joans - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Smittens/The Just Joans - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Betty and the Werewolves - Euston Station

Artist: Betty and the Werewolves
Title: Euston Station
Release: 2008
Label: Damaged Goods Records

Track List:
1. Euston Station
2. Wind-Up

More indie pop from my girlfriend's collection. The title track of this 7" is pretty good. I'm not so much of a fan of the B side though.

Download: Betty and the Werewolves - Euston Station (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Betty and the Werewolves - Euston Station (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Bunnygrunt - Standing Hampton

Artist: Bunnygrunt
Title: Standing Hampton
Release: 1994
Label: No Life Records

Track List:
1. Macho Beagle
2. Mississippi
3. Favorite Food
4. Cry (Raspberries)

Bunnygrunt, from St. Louis, has been around for a long time in the indie pop/twee scene. What little I know about them I know from Wikipedia so I'm afraid I have very little to add about their history.

This 7" is pretty much exactly what would come to my mind when I think of twee. Poppy but fizzy guitars, drum beats with roots firmly planted in punk rock, and vocals sung in a sing song sort of way with lots of back up harmonies. Oh and hand claps. Can't forget those. "Cry" is a top-notch cover of a song by 70's power pop group Raspberries.

I got to see Bunnygrunt in May of 2009 with Denton, TX's Fishboy (albloltross). Sadly they didn't get much of a response from the 20 or so people there despite playing an excellent set. I blame the fact that they hadn't done much of anything in a really long time. I bet most of their original fans are old enough to have better things to do than hang out in a pizza place's basement on a Friday night.

I don't remember where it was (probably in Austin) that I bought this record for my girlfriend. I'm glad I did because I enjoy it an awful lot too.

Download: Bunnygrunt - Standing Hampton (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Bunnygrunt - Standing Hampton (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Apples in Stereo/Bis - Heroes & Villains

Artist: The Apples in Stereo/Bis
Title: Heroes & Villains
Release: 2000
Label: Kid Rhino

Track List:
1. The Apples in Stereo - Signal in the Sky (Let's Go)
2. Bis - The Powerpuff Girls (End Theme)

Another 7" from my girlfriend's collection. This time it's The Apples in Stereo and Bis playing songs inspired by The Powerpuff Girls.

When I first heard The Apples in Stereo I wasn't really a fan. I suspect that was because my first experience was with their older (mid and early 90s) borderline psychedelic material. Then "New Magnetic Wonder" came out and my girlfriend made me listen to it. I became a fan after one listen. Now I regularly listen to pretty much everything they've done in the last decade or so.

Download: The Apples in Stereo/Bis - Heroes & Villains (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Apples in Stereo/Bis - Heroes & Villains (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance

Artist: Allo, Darlin'
Title: Henry Rollins Don't Dance
Release: 2009
Label: WeePOP! Records

Track List:
1. Henry Rollins Don't Dance
2. Dear Stephen Hawking
3. Heartbeat Chilli

This is not hardcore, but it is actually tangentially related. Allo, Darlin' is an indie pop/twee band from London. "Henry Rollins Don't Dance" is their second release under the name (they put out an EP as The Darlings before changing their name).

"Henry Rollins Don't Dance" is a catchy and upbeat tune that from what I can tell is about dating a dude who likes hardcore punk and just wanting to be able to dance to normal music with him. As much as I like the title track I think "Dear Stephen Hawking" is the best song on this 7". It's a little bit slower and a little bit more melancholy, but the lyrics are really thought provoking in a romantic sort of way. The last tack is just too slow for me to really get into. I like the use of the ukulele, but it's not enough to save it from being skipped most of the time.

I was lucky enough to catch Allo, Darlin' during SXSW last year. They played outside in the freezing cold on the patio of a pizza place. I don't think they were prepard for the cold at all since it was March in Austin and being from England they probably thought Texas was always warm. They're going to be back here again for Chaos in Tejas 2011. Why and how they got put on that I have no idea. Not that I'm complaining.

This rip is from my girlfriend's small but excellent record collection. I think you can easily find it elsewhere online but I wanted to post my rip here along with scans of the cover and insert.

Download: Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire