Bag Of Bones - On Moving On

01. A Sunset Drive
02. Wolf's Lane
03. Elysian Fields
04. Thermal Paste
05. Interlude
06. Walk
07. Memorial Park
08. Kindred Spirits
09. Guinea Woods (Bonus)
10. Empty House (Bonus)

Fans of heartfelt midwest-style emo will no doubt know the name John Molfetas. For the unaware, he is the driving force behind Long Island band Bag Of Bones, and has also taken care of recording and mixing duties on recent releases by Oswald ('Blunders' EP - check it out!) Our Daily Fix and a 4-way split featuring bands such as Twin Lakes, Thurston, This Noisy Century and the aforementioned Bag Of Bones. This new record, 'On Moving On', has come hot on the heels of last years 'Deep Thought', which was one of my favourite albums of 2012. 'Deep Thought' was an incredible blend of twinkly guitars, introspective lyrics with some trumpets and gang vox thrown in for good measure. This new record continues in the same vein and while not a radical departure in terms of sound, I think it's a step forward in terms of production and songwriting. At first listen, John has included more instruments on this record and it has a beefier sound - I can definitely picture this record being played on stage by a full band to a gang of kids singing their hearts out, whereas 'Deep Thought' tended to sound like one guy playing all the instruments in his room. The record starts just like 'Deep Thought' did; with a sample. Whereas 'Deep Thought' began with Jesse from Brand New reminiscing about discovering Archers Of Loaf, this record starts with a sample of what I'm guessing is Johns mother leaving him a birthday message on his 19th birthday, before launching into 'A Sunset Drive' which really takes off with John screaming "Is it about time, that the universe threw something my way?" in a way that brings to mind Brand New and already I'm thinking that Bag Of Bones are going to be appearing in my top albums of the year list for a second consecutive year. The next track 'Wolf's Lane' follows a similar lyrical theme and includes one of my highlights of the album right at the 2 minute mark with some crunching guitars and an awesome vocal delivery. It's the first of many amazing moments in an incredible album. If you're a fan of bands like Dowsing, Mineral, Into It. Over it or Annabel, you'll find something to love on this record. It's available on bandcamp at name your own price, and I strongly recommend checking it out then getting everything that John Molfetas has attached his name to - you won't regret it.

Reviewed by Gary.

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Bag Of Bones - Deep Thought

01. Mana Burn
02. Mt. Vernon
03. This One Time At Fat Camp...
04. So It Goes...
05. Over It, Schmover It
06. Good And Kind And Humble
07. Just Got Back From The Discomfort (I'm Alright)
08. Orchard Beach
09. You People
10. Get Happy
11. RVR DVNG (Bonus Track)

Before I even hit 'play' I was warming to this album. The cover depicts a sleepy street at sunrise (or sunset perhaps), maybe from the American Midwest and I'm a sucker for this style of artwork. The first track, 'Mana Burns' opens with some noodly guitar and a spoken word intro. Spoken word intros on albums can be hit or miss, and often can be quite cringeworthy but this one is amazing, with some-one (perhaps John Molfetas, the one man band that is Bag Of Bones) talking about the experience of an older kid letting him listen to 'Web In Front' by Archers Of Loaf and this incident changing his whole outlook on music... the fact that I had a similar experience when I heard 'Web In Front' on the Mallrats soundtrack many years ago meant I had already connected with this album more than any other in the last year and the first track hadn't really even started yet! What follows over the course of the next 11 tracks is nothing short of breathtaking. If you like Owen, Mineral, Into It. Over It, You Blew It! or Dowsing then you are going to find something on 'Deep Thought' that will have you revisiting it on a regular basis. I personally find it hard to pick a highlight, and tend to listen to the album as a whole body of work whenever I listen to it. In addition to the amazing music, there are a number of excerpts that make their way into the songs, this is something I tend to dislike as it distracts from the music (which sometimes may be the bands intention) but John uses them to excellent effect, check out the dialogue from 'Weeds' used at the start of 'Good And Kind And Humble' which just seems to work! It reminds me of the Freaks & Geeks excerpt deployed by Dikembe at the beginning of 'Scottie Spliffen' but at this point I worry I've mentioned the artwork and excerpts more than the music - the music is what makes this album incredible, don't get me wrong. Every track registered with me, relatable lyrics delivered amazingly over twinkly guitar riffs in songs that average 3 minutes. In keeping with a recurring theme among the music I loved in 2012, there are also horns used at various points, check out 'Just Got Back From The Discomfort (I'm Alright)' for an incredible example of how the likes of trombones & saxophones can be used to amazing effect with this style of music. (If you're looking for further proof, check out Joie De Vivres album from last year, or Colossals 'Welcome The Problems' from 2004.) This is just an incredible emo album, and one of my highlights of 2012, all the more impressive when you consider that Bag Of Bones is just one dude (with some help from a few friends and family members) and it's completely free. Definitely worth checking out.

Reviewed by Gary.

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Mini Post #6

Leviathan - .

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I don't know much about this band except that they are from Italy and they play hardcore influenced screamo with really heavy sound. Listen to them!
[ listen on bandcamp ]

Bag Of Bones - Deep Thought

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Bag Of Bones is an interesting twinkly emo one-man band from Williston Park, New York, US. Strongly recommended for fans of American Football and Algernon Cadwallader.
[ listen on bandcamp ]

The Truth About Dreaming - The Act Of Falling

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Again a one-man band. Nolan from Lansing, Michigan, US plays noisy screamo/punk in the vein of Jeromes Dream, Orchid and Usurp Synapse.
[ listen on bandcamp ]