Die Die Die, All Right

DIE!DIE!DIE! "Blue Skies"

DIE!DIE!DIE! "Sideways Here We Come"

DIE!DIE!DIE! "A.T.T.I.T.U.D."

DIE!DIE!DIE! Promises, Promises full ablum stream

My favorite band of thee 00s, Die!Die!Die! has a new record being released in the US this week- Promises, Promises. It looks as if this is a pretty wide release so you really have no excuse for not buying it. I've luaded praise on these guys for a long time now and its high time everyone discovers how brilliant they are as well. Go buy it, play it at maximum volume until yr neighbors call the cops, then when the cops arrive, punch the cop in the face. He'll appreciate it and agree to take you out to lunch sometime next week. This really works!

The World Is My Toilet

The Fucking Ocean "Literacy Test"

The Fucking Ocean "Adam"

The Fucking Ocean "Invisibleline"

On a drunken excursion to San Francisco once to see Die!Die!Die!, i happened upon the Bay Area's own The Fucking Ocean. Now while I was a bit too inebriated to remember much of their set, I did remember that I liked them. Rediscovering their music on emusic.com was a blessing in disguise, because while I was finding excellent new music from a band I knew little about it also brought to life my shameful behavior in the cit of San Francisco. I basically think of that city as my drunken playground. Since I'm not in Los Angeles I have free reign to do whatever I want and act like a drunken buffoon. So My apologies to The Fucking Ocean if I happened to get on stage during your set and sing the harmony parts to Journey's "Wheel In The Sky". Although, come one, that is a fucking good song, you have to admit.

Live! Live! Live!

"Out Of The Blue"

"Buzzcops"

"Maybe: Definitely"

"Ashtray! Ashtray!"

"I Wanna"

"Blue Skies"

You may remember me talking about Die!Die!Die! was performing a weekly residency here in Los Angeles at the Echo. Well, to my squealing, schoolgirl like delight they have released one of their shows as a live album entitled Spaceland & Part Time Punks Present: Die!Die!Die! at the Echo. This is just what the world needs. Despite their recordings being some of the greatest stuff ever put down to tape, the real thrill of Die!Die!Die! lies in their live performances. This searing set of face melting rock with give you an inkling of why I rave about these guys so much. Of course you haven't really experienced it until you've seen lead singer scale a twenty foot wall, fall over it and continue screaming from the other side of it.

Gored By The 'Lope Horn

Antelope "Mirroring"

Antelope "The Demon"

Antelope "Wandering Ghost"

[right click to download, ctrl or option click if yr a mac!]

If Antelopes were angular, minimalistic animals, then this band's name would be right on the money. They're not, but they decided to call themselves Antelope anyway. This Dischord band recently played up in SF with my beloved DIE!DIE!DIE!, but seeing as the D!D!D! show started at six and Antelope came on about eleven, I can't tell you much about they're performance. Let's just say it was a long night. I can offer you some of their tracks however, and curse myself for imbibing too much to enjoy this sharp minded rock.

http://www.myspace.com/ant3lop3

Last Chance To See THE!THE!THE! (If You're German)

DIE!DIE!DIE! ""Auckland Is Burning"

[right click to download, ctrl or option click if yr a mac!]

Have I mentioned DIE!DIE!DIE! lately? I know I have, less than a week ago at that. But you know I saw them in San Francisco and I have to tell you this band is among the best I've ever seen live. They're playing one more night here in Los Angeles and I compel you to go out at see them. I've mentioned many times that they're from New Zealand. Well I looked at a globe and I realized that's really far from California. From that I deducted that they might not be around again soon. Don't miss out on your chance to get rocked Kiwi style!

Everybody's Gotta Die Right

Die!Die!Die! "Blue Skies"

[right click to download, ctrl or option click if yr a mac!]

As many of you may know, I have been a huge proponent of New Zealand's DieDie!Die! ever since I saw them in Austin last year. Well they're here in the states for (what I think is) their first U.S. tour in support of their latest record produced by Steve Albini (of Page & Plant fame). I'm going up to San Francisco to see them at the Hemlock and then they're playing down here in glamorous Hollywood at the Echo. See them if you want some cream in your jeans.

The Best Of 2006, pt. 2

Disc Two of the best of 2006:


Kevin McCullough's
THE BEST OF 2006
[disc two]

01. All For U [3:28] Aceyalone w/ RJD2
from the LP The Magnificent City [Decon Inc]
02. Pittsburgh [2:55] The Lemonheads
from the LP Lemonheads [Vagrant Records]
03. Bloodhounds On My Trail [3:58] The Black Angels
from the LP Passover [Light In The Attic Records]
04. This Is A Lovesong [2:58] The Horror, The Horror
from the LP The Horror, The Horror [Tapete]
05. 155 [3:40] Die!Die!Die!
from the Die!Die!Die! Myspace page [www.myspace.com/diediedienz]
06. Wolf Like Me [4:39] TV On The Radio
from the LP Return To Cookie Mountain [Interscope Records]
07. Jakov's Suite [4:37] Tapes 'N Tapes
from the LP The Loon [XL Records]
08. Harrowdown Hill [4:36] Thom Yorke
from the LP The Eraser [XI Recordings]
09. Fairly Blacking Out [3:18] The Takeovers
from the LP Turn To Red [Luna Records]
10. Reena [3:47] Sonic Youth
from the LP Rather Ripped [Geffen Records]
11. Half Dead [3:26] The Mountain Goats
from the LP Get Lonely [4AD Records]
12. The Wolf Is Loose [3:34] Mastodon
from the LP Bloosd Mountain [Relapse]
13. Empathy On A Stick [1:10] The Ladies
from the LP They Mean Us [Temporary Residence]
14. Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby [2:31] Islands
from the LP Return To The Sea [Equator]
15. Saturday Mansions [3:02] The Doleful Lions
from the LP Song Cyclops, Vol. 2 [Parasol Records]
16. He's A Deep Deep Lake [5:02] Film School
from the LP Film School [Beggar's Banquet US]
16. Dangerous Men [1:55] John S. Rad
from the website dangerousmenthemovie.com

I Can't Drive 155

Die!Die!Die! "155"

[right click to download, ctrl or option click if yr a mac!]

It's been a while since my last Die!Die!Die! post. If you don't remember, let me bring you up to speed. They're a three piece from New Zealand who create the sound of pure energy, and although their recordings are superb (their debut LP was produced by infamous dickhead Steve Albini), they pale in comparison to their live performance. Unfortunately they spend most of their time touring the other side of the planet, so I don't get a lot of chances to see them.

Two new songs have been added to Die!Die!Die!'s Myspace page, one being "155", a frenzied 3 minute 40 second attack, and the other being "Blue Skies", which I remember hearing them play live and wish to obtain the mp3 of but unfortunately I can't download it from Myspace. I suggest you go over there right now and listen to it, because it's fantabulous.

What's up with that? Am i the only one who frequently has trouble downloading songs from that site even though it says they're downloadable? Okay well they don't use the word "downloadable". That's just a word I use that doesn't make sense. Like "unpause". As in "Asshole why did you unpause it?!? I was on the phone!".

MEOWR!

Meneguar "House Of Cats"
Meneguar "Kids Get Cut"
Meneguar "The Temp"

If you know me, you know that there's one fad of music I simply cannot abide. "Emo". First of all, it's the lamest term that the hype machine has ever invented. Second of all, suburban white boys with skinny, attractive (this is a prerequisite) whiny singers do NOT ROCK. I repeat, this is not rock n roll. These are simply trendsetters. If being a jock was still cool (it's coolness seems to be declining in lieu of being a homosexual in high schools across america). then they would be jocks. If being in the drama club was cool then these kids would all be wearing cardigans and quoting Samuel Clemens to one another. The deepest musical roots bands like Dashboard Confessional and Fall Out Boy have are Green Day and Blink 182. I'm going to stop listing reasons why I hate "emo" now, because I'm getting mad. I just may transform into the Hulk.

Meneguar is pretty damn close to being "emo", i admit. But they teeter just close enough over to the edge of originality so it's okay. I'll embrace it. They hail from Brooklyn and their singer is not whiny. Meneguar write intelligent songs with building progressions and interesting lyrics. Overall, they ROCK. "Emo" does not rock. See what I'm getting here?

I have seen Meneguar perform once. Yet again, I discovered them at SXSW. What can I say? There were NO BAD BANDS there. I did, however, miss the presence of NECROPHAGIST. Maybe next year. Meneguar rocked out in the backyard a shady mexican bar on a stage that appeared to be held up by old filing cabinets. They were playing "House Of Cats" as we walked in. That stage was later rocked by Die!Die!Die!.



I attempted to see Meneguar twice when they were recently in Los Angeles and failed. The first attempt failed because the band apparently got lost on the way to the club (Hello Cleveland!) and we got tired of waiting for them. We also grew tired of downing eight dollar beers at the bar of the venue. The second time we wasted too much time dicking around before leaving for the show and were late.

I can relate to the song "House Of Cats", because I live in one. Seriously, I have two cats who shed like crazy, and my entire life seems to be devoted to cleaning up after them. I know this is not what the song is literally about, but to me it is.

Dammit. To ME it is.

Shyness Will Get You Nowhere

Die!Die!Die! "Shyness Will Get You Nowhere"

[right click to download]

McCULLOUGH's MP3 OF THE WEEK 007: 04.03.2006

Title: "Shyness Will Get You Nowhere"
Artist: Die! Die! Die!
Album: Die! Die! Die! LP
Year: 2005

Of all the magnificent things I heard and saw at this year's South By Southwest in Austin (and there was a LOT), Die! Die! Die! is the band that stood out most to me. They're the only band i saw twice at the festival, once in the backyard of some shitty hole in the wall bar, and again at their showcase on the patio of some hip hop club. I guess they got the short end when it came to venue selection, but these places actually suited their style well. Their performances were raw and unpredictable, at one point the singer climbed over a ten foot wall and continued singing from the other side.

A New Zealand three piece band, they looked to me to be about seventeen years old, which would explain the energy these guys have. I was so impressed that i went to (what i think is) the only place to buy their records, smokecds.com, a New Zealand site for buying local artists's stuff. I paid an arm and a leg to have it shipped halfway around the planet, but it was worth it.

Their LP, Die! Die! Die! (I also bought an EP of the same name, these guys need to start naming their albums) was produced by Steve Albini (?!), and it captures the passion and energy of their live performance. There isn't a song on here that goes over three minutes, and i like that. Everything is powerful and concise. Wasted time on things like song structure and meandering guitar solos are absent from this record. My guess is that these kids listen to alot of Fugazi and Nirvana, but their Myspace page cites The Fall, The Smiths, Led Zeppelin and The Dead C as influences. Fair enough. They also listed Leo Sayer! Just kidding. Or am i?

The song here, "Shyness Will Get You Nowhere" is a good example of what's contained in the record. Although it just may be the "lightest" song on there. Something about this song struck a cord in me. I guess i've encountered a few people in my life that i'd like to scream "I DON'T TRUST YOU!" in their face. Simple is the best way to convey an emotion, especially when there's distress and desparation in it. This record sets its cruise control at 180 mph, and never lets up. Perfect for high school kids everywhere.

Die!Die!Die! Myspace