emily k(nits, watches, and writes)

So back at some point in the past, Step Forward Look West and Fork Knife Spoon planned on releasing a split 7″. It just kind of never happened, and at some point Eric Snyder (guitarist for SFLW) gave me a cd with the unreleased songs on it. Last week while I was back home visiting for spring break I met up with Ryan from SFLW/The DuPage Collective and picked his brain about it. Apparently they were going to outsource the pressing of the vinyl, but the guy they gave their money to disappeared. With the money. And this was after recording and printing the covers. But with the dude gone and the money also gone they forfeited the venture. I also believe not long after/during/whatever was when SFLW parted ways.

But.

Here are the tracks SFLW recorded for the split, posted with permission from the band. Enjoy!

We May be Old but You’re Fucking Boring:

If at First you Don’t Succeed, Keep Fucking Stabbing:

Song about Video Games.:

Four out of Five Indie Rockers Agree We Have no Fucking Talent:

If I had a Body like that I’d Bury it Out Back with the Rest:

Until next time.
ek

I believe this is a 7″ that would be considered ‘self-titled,’ though there is something of a subject line underneath the band name on the record sleeve:

front sleeve

Oh and in case you couldn’t tell, this is a music post.

Ahem.

Step Forward Look West was a band out of the glorious DuPage Hardcore days, though towards the end of it. Well, at least the end of my time involved before I ran off to get numerous college degrees in other states (how dare I?!).

I seriously enjoy this record, still. I think it came out in 2002 at some point, and was recorded in November 2001. I know this because of the rockin’ silk-screened poster that came with buying the 7″. It’s seriously amazing, though too large for me to scan and share. Maybe I’ll take a horrible picture of it someday so you can see it in all its glory.

The names of the songs may very well be the best part of the record.

back sleeve

Now, prepare yourself for fast and loud. Explicit lyrics warning. And it’s probably worth saying that these tracks were ripped from a 7″ record using an ion usb turntable. And not ripped all that well, either. Well, that’s not true. They sound alright.

Side A-

1. a name on the board with three checks only means i can fuck up twice without getting in trouble.

2. you can’t spell “goonies” without the word “go!”

3. a disfunctional family is any family with two or more members.

4. one two three not it!

5. it’s open season on crybabies and you’re fucking next.

Side B-

1. i never thought i’d say the words “i hate you” and fucking mean it.

2. jesus, elvis, and the easter bunny walk into a bar.

3. alice don’t surf.

4. the tcri strikes again!

5. it’s like pissing in a shower with a slow drain and standing in a stagnating pool of your own urine.

Interesting how I believe I completely avoided using any profane words on this blog until this very post. And those profanities coming from just the titles of the songs.

Anyway, listen and enjoy.

Until next time.

The DuPage Collective

This is the best time of the year. The leaves are changing color, the hoodies are coming out of storage, and The Casket Lottery is in heavy rotation. I don’t know what it is about fall, but I always break out Survival is for Cowards and play it nonstop. You should too.

But this post is about a band that gave a live show for Halloween back in 2002. That band is called Alkaline Trio. They used to be a Chicago pop/punk band, but now they live all over the country and who knows what the hell they do now. The last four years of their output hasn’t been all that interesting. (Though I still like[love] them enough to have a related tattoo.)

Anyway.

At that show in 2002 they gave out a little orange plastic disc.

Sleeve Front

Sleeve Back

On that disc were two Misfits covers: “Halloween” and “Children in Heat.” For your listening pleasure, here they are!

Side A

“Halloween”

Side B

“Children in Heat”

Enjoy, and happy haunting.
ek

The Beatles

Happy 9 9 9!

The long-awaited Beatles Remastered albums are being released today, as well as The Beatles: Rock Band! Hot damn am I excited for both of these. I’ll be at Best Buy when the doors open to pick up my copies.

In honor of this momentous date in history, I am going to share one of my favorite Beatles songs ever, and one of my favorites Beatles covers ever. Check it.

“Rain” was the B-side of “Paperback Writer”, their 11th single released. The songs were written while the band was recording Revolver in 1966. Beyond it being a great song (with a tiny bit of social commentary), it carries the distinction of being one of the first pop songs to include tape manipulation. At the end of the song, Lennon took part of the group singing and played the tape backwards. This happens all the time now, but back in the 60s recording techniques of this nature were still being developed.

“Rain” by The Beatles

And here’s a fantastic cover (recorded live) by of Montreal:

And just for kicks, here are some more Beatles covers by of Montreal:

“Nowhere Man”

“Hey Bulldog”

“I Will” (Kevin Barnes)

Enjoy, and spread the Beatlemania.
ek

The Beatles

If you’re a Beatles aficionado like myself then you have definitely checked out Love. It’s this crazy CD where various Beatles songs are stripped down, mashed up, and blended together in crazy ways. A lot of the songs are totally trippy if you’re familiar with the majority of their catalog, and this one always gets me good when I listen.

Drive My Car The Word What You’re Doing

For those following along at home, it starts as “Drive My Car” (Rubber Soul, 1965) then goes to the into the main verse of “What You’re Doing” (Beatles For Sale, 1964). And then at the end it’s a free-for-all of with those two tracks mixed with the organ riff and chorus tag from “The Word” (Rubber Soul). It just blows my mind. The tempos weren’t altered. The pitch wasn’t raised or lowered. These three songs just fit together absolutely perfectly. I’m not sure if it’s a testament to the amazing song-writing abilities of Lennon/McCartney or aural proof that they had a specific formula for a percentage of their tracks. Either way it’s a fun listen.

ek