STOP SLEEPING: Velocity Raptors, Walter Gross, Sleep, Mates of State, Dan Deacon, Tall Tall Trees, Digital Leather

Music bro.

For us it is more than a hobby.

It is the reason we plug infinite hours into this site, eschewing the responsibilites of our adult life to recapture just a small taste of the joy we used to feel when we discovered a life altering band during our idealistic teen years.

It is the reason we sift through piles of demos and emails sent from like minded individuals who threw themselves into their passions.

It is the reason we walk around with our ear buds pumping the new, new shit that makes our insides do flips while our face remains stone cold.

It is the reason some of us have made the unorthodox choice of throwing careers away for the chance to travel the globe and play our shitty songs to throngs of 10 or 12 people.

It is what drives us and if you are here and ignoring the scourge of our poor grammer and spelling then I assume you want the same things that we do. The chance to find new music that speaks to you and affirms your life and experience.

So with that said, dip your tip in the deep end and enjoy.

Love,

Tim

Joel says STOP SLEEPING on Velocity Raptors

So these guys say they're post-rock, but have songs under three minutes, which is the complete antithesis of post-rock because post-rock is grounded in drawn out examinations of self through the bright and dirty bro. These guys are the minutemen of fucking post-rock bro. Who would've thunk post-rock could be so succinct, yet still carry the weight of the world in its testicles? The Velocity Raptors thunks it bro bro, that's why they're the tits. With only two fucking amazing songs on their EP titled I, Donna and I want to shave off my chin strap, place the contents of my former chin strap in an embelope (yes, embelope), ship the shit parcel postz and then allow my chin strap time to re-grow so that I may repeat said process and send the shit to Del. I think you should buy this bro. Guitars that waste no fucking time in robbing your ladle bro? VELOCITY RAPTORS BRO.

Employee says STOP SLEEPING on Walter Gross

Walter Gross doesn't merely chop and screw; he gleefully slices open and powerfully Fucks away to his delight. His production bona fides rest haphazardly in the great analog/digital divide. One of his many and infamous beat tapes was put together during a hospital stay that required Walter Gross take experimental psychiatric medication (not a joke: he really made a beat tape from inside of a pseudo-mental hospital). With an allegiance to the macabre and the madcap, he painstakingly paints pastiches incorporating unearthed, excerpted sermons, sitcoms, horror movies, and sequence-raped R & B. Below is a link to Vol. 30 of his never-failing podcast series. Fuck WITH IT.

Walter Gross's Website
Walter Gross's PodOmatic

Peace,

Employee

Dick says STOP SLEEPING on Sleep

People like to throw around a lot of titles and labels when it comes to Sleep. You'll probably hear cute little phrases like "Black Sabbath-worship" or "stoner metal" more often than not. Said comparisons definitely have some truth to them, I won't argue that. I mean, I can practically see weed smoke pour out of my speaker cones whenever I cue one of Sleep's albums up. Plus, I'm not without my suspicions that my cat ate all of the tortilla chips the last time I had Dopesmoker on. Regardless, Sleep is a now-defunct band that is absolutely worth a closer look, as their output during the 90s has both shaped and been often-emulated by a plethora of currently popular groups. 

K. Love says STOP SLEEPING on Mates of State

It's almost impossible for me to explain why everyone should be listening to this wonderful band. Mates of State was formed by Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, a husband and wife duo who specializes in indie pop (and takes their children on tour with them). Although their music is poppy and happy, they never stray away from reaching deep to your core and bringing out all those hidden feelings you never knew existed. I love that i can sit at home and listen to their albums straight through and never even realize that I spent the past half hour listening to one band. Each song is different, yet a universal whole to each album they create. I know I'm sitting here waiting for the day they release their new album .. you should be to.  

Del says STOP SLEEPING on Dan Deacon

USA! USA! USA! My patriotic chants are not a product of Olympic fever. I hate that noise. It's for "America" the forthcoming album from Dan "Don't call me Ultra Mark, not fair to" Deacon. Now that is some noise I can get behind and root for. Mind you DD is an acquired taste...but if you've been bitten by the Crystal Cat like me then you'll be pretty pleased with this upcoming LP. Not only does Dan Deacon look like pre-weight loss SYFFAL founding father, Tim Baker but he rocks like him too.

Tom says STOP SLEEPING on Tall Tall Trees

I met Mike Savino of Tall Tall Trees last week at the Kishi Bashi/Givers/Passion Pit Lollapalooza kick-off concert in Chicago. Mike performed with K. Ishibashi on a couple of his tracks; he provided some smooth backing vocals and a killer jamming banjo. Tall Tall Trees have actually been opening up for Kishi Bashi in his first headlining tour. I didn't get to hear any of their songs for the Lolla kick-off concert, but Mike sent me home with their LP and I totes dig it. Because MIke played banjo I had a preconceived notion that the band was going to be super bluegrassy, but this is not the case. They have a killer folk aesthetic and Mike's vocals are light and airy. Their LP, moment reminds me of the Little Tybee album that me and Joel became obsessed with last summer. Definitely check these guys out if you are into that folky, yet chillzy, yet airy, yet pretty, yet adorablez type of thang.  

Tim says STOP SLEEPING on Digital Leather

I have screamed from the roof tops about this sensual son of a bitch, so if you have been following from the start he is not new for you. Digital Leather is the working name for this dude Shawn from Omaha. He makes music that sounds like 80s punk having rough play with 80s goth dance through an LSD filter and directed by David Lynch. His music makes me want to punch Joel in the face and then feel the hair on his arms....BRO IT IS SO SOFT!