Friday Random Five (#9)

So you may have noticed that one of the other random things about the Friday Five posts has lately been that they occur on random Fridays-- as opposed to, say, every Friday. Apologies, though you might view it in a "glass half full" kind of way, in which case you'll be pleasantly surprised when the posts actually happen on schedule. We do appear to be starting off the month of November on a positive, however, with all brand new and upcoming selections with which to spend the weekend.


1- First off, it's music from a band I've only just come across: Tapes n' Tapes, who appear to be from the Minneapolis area. "Insistor" (MP3) is an outstanding track from their rather impressive debut full-length, The Loon, just out on Ibid Records.

2- Rocky Votolato used to front the band Waxwing, an act that the Barsuk website rightly describes as "emo-stigmatized." Votolato's third solo release, makers, is due out on Barsuk in January-- "White Daisy Passing" (MP3) is from it.

3- The band Headlights hails from Champaign-Urbana, IL, and have just had their intially self-released debut EP, Enemies, issued by Polyvinyl records. The trio's debut full-length is slated for a Spring '06 release. "Tokyo" (MP3) appears on the EP.

4- spinART records has made the first of three volumes of early Clem Snide home recordings available through iTunes. Suburban Field Recordings, Vol. 1 features mostly solo home recordings from frontman Eef Barzelay as he was laying the groundwork for the, well, snide dark humor that would later be identified in his band's songs. "A Parable" (MP3) is included.

5- Detroit's Deadstring Brothers are the newest signee to the Bloodshot records label. Starving Winter Report hits in early 2006 as the band's debut for the label, from the sounds of things further cementing previous comparisons to the likes of the Rolling Stones, The Band, Gram Parsons and the Jayhawks. "Sacred Heart" (MP3) is an early sneak peek.


enjoy. rinse. repeat.