Genre: Indie, Shoegaze
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Slowdive, Lotte Kestner

This is the most beautiful album of all time. Formed in 1997, Trespassers William is an indie/dream pop/shoegaze band that plays ethereal, heart-wrenching music, and my god do they play it well. The gorgeous female vocals over the top of soft yet easily noticeable guitar jangles are perfect. After a few listens you cannot help but mouth the words. It's hard to explain; the music isn't catchy in the traditional sense of the word, but it is definitely accessible. The lyrics are simple but manage to convey so much because of the phrasing and emotion displayed by vocalist and guitarist Anna-Lynne Williams.

Seriously just listen to this song



ALBUM: Trespassers William - Different Stars

Genre: Folk
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Bon Iver, lo-fi Folk

My favorite thing to do when its raining out is to get snugged up in my Snuggie, make some hot tea and listen to rainy day music. This is what I chose to listen to today, and it fit perfectly with the weather. My Kappa Roots is just Pablo Clark with his haunting voice and acoustic guitar. He plays somber and absolutely beautiful lo-fi folk. Fall in love, now.

ALBUM: My Kappa Roots - The House of St Colme Burnt Down

Genre: Hardcore/Screamo
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: A Light In The Attic, The Burial Year, Neil Perry

Takaru were a politically-charged, relentlessly intense emotional-hardcore band from somewhere in the US you probably don't care about who just so happened to have a penchant for ugly album art. There Can Only Be None is their only full-length release (although you can hardly call it a full-length, it's only about 20 minutes long) and it's one short, but sweet little piece of intensity. I'm going to be hard-pressed to write anything about this band without using the word 'intense' copiously, so I'm afraid I might have to do so. So, uhh, guess what? These guys were intenssssse. I also feel like they were incredibly underappreciated, since they were a lot better than some of their peers in the screamo world yet in comparison they hardly ever seem to be mentioned at all. So change that already and check them out and proceed to think to yourself bitterly "oh awesome, SlightlyEpic is forcing another semi-mediocre screamo release upon me." Do it.

ALBUM: TAKARU - THERE CAN BE ONLY NONE

Genre: Classical/Post-Rock
For Fans Of: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mono

Cormac Mccarthy's The Road is one of the most bleak, desolate pieces of literature I've ever come across. When I heard it was being adapted into a film, I had an incredibly hard time imagining how they would retain the dark, forlorn atmosphere found within the novel as well as write a screenplay that stayed true to the linear, homogeneous nature of the plot; yet somehow, John Hillcoat and co. have succeeded in creating what will no doubt be one of the most elegant and wistful films of the year. Equally gorgeous is Nick Cave and Warren Ellis's score, which manages to capture the true essence of the story perfectly. Based upon delicate piano arpeggios and long, mournful violin lines, it's a fitting soundtrack to a particularily wonderful piece of cinematography.

ALBUM: NICK CAVE AND WARREN ELLIS - THE ROAD OST

Genre: Experimental Screamo
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Circle Takes the Square, Portrait, Saetia

This is a song that I assume was recorded to be put on the Believes In Patterns album due to its high quality. I'm surprised it didn't make it, considering it would be one of the catchier, better songs if it was on the album itself. I'd suggest downloading this to any IWSMOFFY fan, or just any fan of music in general. It's a small file, and it won't take any time out of your busy life, so why not?

SONG: I WOULD SET MYSELF ON FIRE FOR YOU - SONG 11

Genre: Shoegaze/Post-Rock
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Slint, Have A Nice Life, Sunny Day Real Estate

I saw these guys in Austin, opening for Native and La Dispute. And I must say that these guys are my favorite Post-Rock group that I've heard ever. I just wish I could've known about this album earlier, so I could fall in love with it sooner and put it in my top of 2009 list while it was still 2009. These experimental post-rockers/shoegazers are incredible, and succeed at putting as much emotion as they can in every single note they play, keeping it all genius at the same time. They must be the single greatest live performers I've seen, and a big plus is that they're fans of skramz and whatnot. Simply incredible. A definite must-listen, then please please please buy from these guys!

EP: BROTHER/GHOST - BLACK ICE

Genre: Hardcore
Website: Most Precious Blood
For Fans Of: Indecision, First Blood, Hardcore

Most Precious Blood are a Brooklyn, New York, based hardcore band. Formed from the ashes of hardcore band, Indecision (and named after the one of the former band's albums), MPB play an agressive form of hardcore which utilisates the intensity of metal and combines their onslaught with Rob Fuso's charged vocals. Fuso likes to deal with a vast range of topic from political to social, giving a decent amount of variety in the lyrics. He also used to look like and angry Carrot Top before he cut his hair.

The band is supposed to be releasing their new album "Do Not Resuscitate" sometime this year after numerous delays, so for now you will have to make do with their last release, 2005's "Merciless", the opening track 'Shark Ethic' will give you a basic idea of the band's aggression and hardcore aesthetic. It'll also hand your ass to you.

ALBUM: MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD - MERCILESS

Genre: Black Metal / Folk (early), Electronic/Dark Ambient (middle), Folk/Progressive (recent)
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Arcturus, Solefald, Atrium Carceri

Ulver is a band that has evolved and reinvented themselves on every record they have released in their brilliant, flawless career.  Whether it be their early black metal days that they fused with intelligently designed folk passages, or their later electronic endeavors, Ulver has been one of Norway's most solid outfits time and time again.  It would take a massive amount of time for me to go into detail on every release...but just go ahead and check these guys out, you certainly won't regret it.  A little disclaimer though, if you don't like black metal stick with their albums 1998 and beyond...anything aside from Kveldssanger (which is strictly a folk album) prior to that has a heavy black metal influence.

ULVER - VARGNATT (DEMO 1993)
ULVER/MYSTICUM - SPLIT (1994)
ULVER - BERGTATT - ET EEVENTYR I 5 CAPITLER (1995)
ULVER - KVELDSSANGER (1996)
ULVER - NATTENS MADRIGRAL - AATTE HYMNE TIL ULVEN I MANDEN (1997)
ULVER - THEME'S FROM WILLIAM BLAKE'S THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL (1998) (PT.2)
ULVER - METAMORPHOSIS EP (1999)
ULVER - PERDITION CITY (2000)
ULVER/IMMORTAL - SPLIT (2000)
ULVER - SILENCE THE SINGING (2001)
ULVER - TEACHINGS IN SILENCE (2002)
ULVER - LYCKANTROPEN THEMES (2002)
ULVER - A QUICK FIX OF MELANCHOLY EP (2003)
ULVER - FIRST DECADE IN THE MACHINES 1993-2003 (2003)
ULVER - SVIDD NEGER (2004)
ULVER - BLOOD INSIDE (2005)
ULVER - SHADOWS OF THE SUN (2007)

Genre: Indie-Pop
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Rob Crow, Systems Officer, Three Mile Pilot

Genre: Post-Hardcore / Post-Punk
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Rites Of Spring, Drive Like Jehu, Jawbox

LEGENDARY.

ALBUM: FUGAZI - REPEATER + 3 SONGS

Genre: Post-Metal
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Mouth Of The Architect, Pelican

Sludgy, yet beautiful, What You Were is a still young masterpiece in the Post-Metal underground. Rarely do you encounter such glorious melody intertwined with such a heavy, thick sound, and almost never has it been done this well. Think Pelican but heavier, with monotone, yet excellently executed raspy vocals and you have North. They do not particularly rely on atmosphere as much as Pelican does, but they certainly carry a very large sounding presence in their music without it sounding like an impenetrable wall of sound. Easily one of the best releases of 2008, go check this out.

ALBUM: NORTH - WHAT YOU WERE

Genre: Hip-Hop/Indie/Experimental
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Why?, Doseone

It's almost 5am and I haven't slept yet. Goddamn insomnia I tell you. Gets really boring.
Anyways thought I'd introduce all ye frequenters of this majestic site to a collection of songs noble and bold.
This is some artsy as fuck hip-hop with a generous dash of indie and atmospherics for good measure. Lyrics are more abstract than a Jackson Pollock painting, but the flow and wordplay is so unique that you'll find yourself unable to stop listening. This is a cool album. Fans of Why? will like this, he's one of the emcees.

there's something to the fading of faith.
my whole childhood was the broken guitar
and my sister's silly yellow blanket.
now i carry slender and sexy curved sledge hammers
to break the bricks i bought.
i should have never went to college,
but took a trip to costa rica to cut rainforests to choke myself.

ALBUM: cLOUDDEAD - cLOUDDEAD

Genre: Hardcore / Punk
Website:Myspace
For Fans Of: Bracewar, Trash Talk, Ceremony

The newest full length release from one of my favorite bands, Outbreak. Here's a nice biography about these guys. In the Maine Fall of 2001, three friends living in dead end towns, decided it was time to start a band influenced by the fast, aggressive hardcore/punk that they grew up listening to. With no prior band experience, vocalist Ryan, guitarist Chuck and drummer Ira started practicing in Ira’s garage and later on in an abandoned house nicknamed “The Office.” Too long, didn't finish copy / pasting. Enjoy.

ALBUM: OUTBREAK - OUTBREAK

Genre: Hardcore
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Product of Waste, Palehorse, New Lows

Massachusetts Hardcore band signed to Rock Vegas Records. A new EP entitled Snitch will be released soon by Double Or Nothing Records. They have released a full length entitled “Illegal Exhibitions Of Speed,” the “Is This My World?” demo, a split with CT hardcore heavyweights Palehorse, and are featured on the RVR comp “Our City Is Burning.” Also this past August they released a new full length “Pain Machines” that features all their songs that were vinyl exclusives as well as a full live set from The Tiger’s Den.  That's the Last.FM biography.  Pain Machine is their discography, obviously.  Enjoy guys.

ALBUM: COLIN OF ARABIA - PAIN MACHINE

Genre: Melodic Hardcore
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Dead Swans, The Ghost Of A Thousand, The Carrier

This is arguably the best album in Have Heart's catalog, and one of my favorite albums of all time. It is an album dripping with emotion and raw energy that will put a stranglehold on you every time you listen to it. "Songs To Scream At The Sun" is melodic hardcore the way it was meant to be played. Lyrically, I feel that no one is better in the genre, no one, and it is miserable to see them go after putting out such a stellar release, because I was really looking forward to seeing where they would go from here. If you don't like this there is something absolutely wrong with you. Download this now.

ALBUM: HAVE HEART - SONGS TO SCREAM AT THE SUN

Genre: Lo-Fi / Indie / Surf Rock
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Best Coats, Ducktails, Julian Lynch

Real Estate is a psychadelic surf pop band hailing from New Jersey, now based in Brooklyn, N.Y.  I don't feel like typing much, someone edit my post and review this shit.  Thanks.  It's good stuff.

ALBUM: REAL ESTATE - REAL ESTATE

Genre: Emo/Screamo
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Comadre, Loma Prieta, Prawn

Ever been to Portugal? Me either, seems like a cool place to live though... Adorno hails from this coastal country, and they have a melodic hardcore record here that you're gonna like. They've leaned more towards the hardcore/screamo end in the past, but Said And Unsaid has them melodic and a bit softer- a better sound for them if you ask me.

EP: ADORNO - SAID AND UNSAID

Genre: Post-Punk/Jazz
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: The Blood Brothers, Bloc Party, Past Lives

These dudes are an experimental Post-Punk band that pulls their inspiration from all over the music spectrum. From Post-Hardcore, to Jazz, to even Noise Rock, this DC quintet is actually simply incredible. They're also known for their dual vocal system, not unlike the Blood Brothers. With one vocalist who has a high, screechy voice, and the other having a more yelly, masculine voice, and they pull it off amazingly. They have two full length albums. The first being their self-titled albums, which is amazingly good, with incredibly catchy songs like 'Deformative' and 'King's Dominion'; but then they went in a direction that used less noise and poppiness and more Jazz influence when they released their second album, Cough, two months after their disbanding. It's a difficult listen at first, but when you ease into it, you see how incredible it is.

ALBUM: BLACK EYES - BLACK EYES (2003)
ALBUM: BLACK EYES - COUGH (2004)

Genre: Indie/Experimental
Myspace: Myspace
For Fans Of: Lion Choir, Biclops, Maudlin of the Well

I received this album in the mail back in 2006 when I was reviewing for the now defunct webzine "Metal Coven" and it is still in regular rotation for me. Typically we only reviewed death metal and black metal stuff there, but this was certainly a pleasant and welcome surprise, albeit a little misplaced at that particular zine. I had never heard of the band before which kind of surprised me seeing as they all lived literally approximately 30 minutes from me. Anyway, enough back-story, go download this EP. It's full of complex melodies, emotional vocals (both clean and screaming á la Gaza), and an abundance of awesome hooks throughout this short little gem. Day Without Dawn are no more sadly, but have moved on to form Biclops and East Of The Wall. Both are recommended to check out as well, even if this is still the most solid work from the members, at least in my opinion anyway.

EP: DAY WITHOUT DAWN - DAY WITHOUT DAWN

Genre: Hardcore/Screamo
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: One Eyed God Prophecy, Shikari, His Hero Is Gone

Union of Uranus were a Canadian screamo/hardcore band that were around during the early to mid 90's. Apparently they pretty much started the whole DIY scene over in Canada (I have no idea what kind of DIY scene Canada actually has or if this is even true) and members also went on to play in the infamous His Hero Is Gone and subsequently Tragedy. To This Bearer Of Truth is the discography release of the band, but don't be intimidated by the 'discography' label since it's actually pretty short. As far as the sound of record is concerned this is a lot heavier and thicker sounding than most screamo, taking a hefty amount of influence from the likes of crust and 90's metalcore and ultimately resulting in a noisy hardcore release for you to get your teeth into.

ALBUM: UNION OF URANUS - TO THIS BEARER OF TRUTH