Frank Turner- Live At Pike's Garage + 'The Road'

I'm madly in love with Frank Turner. It's no secret. His music is so relatable, catchy, intense, emotional etc.(I could go on forever). This specific recording is a bootleg of a small show he did in Beverly and it is well worth taking a listen. Not only does he play an amazing set of songs (though the set list was incredibly short) but he also plays a song from his highly anticipated new album Poetry of the Deed ("Dan's Song"). During some of the songs you can hear one of the audience member's toddler singing along with Frank but never over him (it's also one of the cutest things ever). I also added in his new single at the bottom called "the Road" which is amazing as usual. His new album comes out in September so get ready for that because it will be completely and utterly bad ass.

Link
Myspace
Track Listing:
1. Nashville Tennessee
2. Dan's Song
3. Long Live The Queen
4. Photosynthesis
5. Thunder Road
6. Ballad Of Me And My Friends

Frank Turner- The Road

Cobra Skulls- Eat Your Babies

This is the first release from Reno punk/rockabilly band Cobra Skulls and it's a hard one to pin down. First off it's a solid ep of fast-paced punk rock with a little twang mixed in. But compared to CS' full lengths, the ep lacks the spark and uniqueness that Sitting Army and American Rubicon thrive on. The band have matured greatly, both musically and lyrically, since this debut ep and at times it's a little hard to believe it's the same band. If you haven't checked out Sitting Army and American Rubicon, do so immediately because they're both great punk rock records. And if you're a hardcore Cobra Skulls fan, you'll definitely want to download this ep.

Link
Myspace
Track Listing:
1. Cobra Skulls Broadcasting Co.
2. Cobra Cougar
3. Cobra Skulls Revolution
4. Donnie Rumsfelt My Cobra Skull Ass
5. That There's Cobra Country!
6. Cobra Skulls Lockdown
7. Stick It To The Cobra

Shook Ones- Demo (2004)

This is the demo from Washington melodic hardcore band Shook Ones. With one listen to this demo, it's clear that this band was destined for greatness. Brutal verses, melodic choruses, and tempo changes around every corner make Shook Ones' demo (and their other work) fun to listen to. The quality of the recording is excellent for a demo, so no worries there. All four songs on the demo are great and definitely worth the listen, especially if you're a fan of melodic hardcore like Kid Dynamite and Paint It Black (and Shook Ones). The band just released a new album called The Unquoteable A.M.H. and even though some people are talking shit because it sounds "more poppy," the bottom line is that it's good fucking music so go buy it.

Link
Myspace
Track Listing:
1. Jersey Beach Pail
2. Panic -Attack- On The Terraces
3. Wishin Roulette
4. Attitude Is The Agent

Atmosphere- Leak At Will

Of the select hip-hop artist that I listen to, Atmosphere is definitely in my top three (my other favorites are Aesop Rock and Brother Ali). God Loves Ugly and the Lucy Ford eps are two of the greatest, most personal,emotional, and aggressive rap records of my generation. That being said, Slug and Ant have continued to progress their music away from their roots while still keeping old fans happy. This ep that Rhymesayers is giving away for free, is more to the vein of their most recent full length, When Life Gives You Lemons..., with Slug creating damaged characters with drug problems, relationship problems, social issues etc. Ant's beats are great, as usual, using random samples, upbeat tempos, and great bass lines. If you like this album, then you'll definitely like When Life Gives You.., and should definitely look into their older stuff.

Link
Myspace
Track Listing:
1. C'mon
2. They Always Know
3. The Ropes
4. White Noise
5. Feel Good Hit of the Summer Part 2
6. Mother's Day
7. Millie Fell Off the Fire Escape

Kevin Devine- The '07 Tour EP

This ep was only sold on his 2007 tour with Brand New and Manchester Orchestra (dear god what a line up). The seven song ep is compiled of mostly covers (five out of the 7 songs are covers) but with that said every single one of the covers is amazing. My personal favorites are the Elliot Smith cover ("Whatever (Some Folk Song in C)") and the Neutral Milk Hotel cover ("Holland, 1945"). Along with the covers there is a different version of the song "Wolf's Mouth" from his album Make the Clocks Move that is equally as good as the album version if not better. There is also an acoustic version of the song "You'll Only End Up Joining Them" from Put Your Ghost to Rest that is good but not as good as the album. I have always been a little bit undecided on how I feel about Kevin Devine's music and it's because I can't really get into his slow acoustic stuff but I absolutely love any of his music that is upbeat. I highly recommend you get his latest album Brothers Blood, though, because it is a masterpiece. Seriously I can't get enough of the title track.

Link
Myspace
Track Listing:
1. Wolf's Mouth (2007 Tour EP version)
2. Whatever (Some Folk Song in C) (Elliot Smith cover)
3. Joey (Concrete Blonde cover)
4. Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)
5. The Longer I Lay Here (Pedro The Lion cover)
6. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)
7. You'll Only End Up Joining Them (Acoustic)

The Gaslight Anthem- Biz Acoustic Sessions

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but I'm coming back with a vengeance (I promise). Hiroki over at bsidesrus was kind enough to up this Gaslight Anthem acoustic session (one of many that they have done since the release of their amazing The '59 Sound). The session is just Brian and his guitar playing two songs off of The '59 Sound along with a cover. The two album tracks are great as usual (although I do prefer the Alternative Press acoustic sessions to this one). The real gem here is the cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," a song that has been covered many-a-time (Shrek soundtrack anyone?) but Brian still manages make it fresh and play it delicately, and with plenty of emotion. The Gaslight Anthem have covered quite a few songs from Kelly Clarkson to Bruce Springsteen but this one just moved to the top of my favorite list of their covers (my number one favorite being their cover of the Replacements' "Left of the Dial"). One day I'll share all of my Gaslight rarities but for now this will have to hold you over.

Link
Website
Track Listing:
1. Great Expectations
2. The '59 Sound
3. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen Cover)