treetops - twink-a-lee

ok, so this isn't that old or long forgotten but it is pretty obscure and you may have not been aware that this band existed. twink-a-lee was a band from Houston or thereabouts. they came along after die emperor, die! vanished, and they kicked out a sweet tape and this 6 song cdr. it is fittingly named as 'twink-a-lee', as it is all guitar twinkles and boys kissing boys, riffing off cap'n jazz and the promise ring before the world and his wife came along and had a go at it, mostly missing the point. treetops clearly got the point, this is full of ultra whiney vocals and gorgeous guitar spirals. the bass drives, the songs swirl, they wander out into a corn field in the middle of the summer and come to a sudden halt, before drifting lazily for a moment or two... then back it all comes again with a heady rush. if treetops were still around then 100 dorks on the internet would be having a massive cuddle over just how awesome this band was. i'd say this was the most midwestmo music that's been made since the rockets and bluelights 10".

anyway, i hope you enjoy these 6 songs and one day if i get my act together i will rip the tape or maybe someoene else already has, but i am not entirely certain that i know where my copy is. i have no idea what these kids are up to now, kirke was running a label that put this stuff out but i lost touch with him.

download the cd here.

the shivering - behind broken eyes

you are more than likely already familiar with the shivering, but you might not have had a chance to here their debut cd, 'behind broken eyes'. this 8 track cd was released on no! records in 2000, and was the formative sound of a band that would go on to further things. the music here is relentless, fast paced and a mix up of the rites of spring type emo and choppy pop punk not far removed from jawbreaker. it is a great clash of styles and it's probably about time another band did this. spencer's vocals are ragged and extremely hoarsely screamed, to the point that his vocals sometimes become distortion. brian gathy didn't yet play in the band at the point of this recording, and perhaps that was one of the reasons for the change in sound. these tracks didn't get on the semi-discography cd that alone later released either. i love the intensity on this record, especially in those vocals where spencer sounds utterly distraught for the most part. AND IF I FALL, WOULD YOU CATCH ME? emo as fuck.

i think this is a really good collection of songs, and it's a shame that more people who are into the band haven't had a chance to hear this as it is definitely worth your appreciation. check the album out here.