Be back Friday...

Hey everyone, I'm going to be gone until Friday, but keep leaving the requests and I'll try and fulfill them over the weekend. The blog reached the 100,000 hit mark this week, which is awesome. Thanks for those that have left comments and requests; each time you do, you expand my musical horizon and I've discovered a ton of cool bands and albums because of you. Blogger/DMCA have been having a field day with the blog, so any links that were taken down are now in the top right corner, as well as any broken links.

Till Friday,
Lucas

Greg Laswell - Three Flights from Alto Nido

Acoustic singer-songwriter from San Diego, California who fits in with the last couple weeks of posts on the blog. Reminds me of Matt Costa, although a little less pep and more soulful songs. Some of it borders on the edge of Coldplay-esque, but overall, he writes good stuff with catchy choruses.

1. It’s Been A Year
2. That It Moves
3. The One I Love
4. Comes and Goes (In Waves)
5. How The Day Sounds
6. Sweet Dream
7. Days Go On
8. I’d Be Lying
9. Farewell
10. Not Out
11. And Then You

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?hmqmnjzzwij

Blackpool Lights - This Town's Disaster (FIXED LINK)

I've had this for awhile now, but never really thought of posting it until today. It was actually one of the albums I spent weeks looking for, since it's basically the remnants of the Get Up Kids (minus Mr. Pryor), and I like the Get Up Kids. This album has more indie-rock elements than a pop-punk emo like the GUK (think more of a Limbeck). If you were to put an GUK-era to it, I'd say something on the lines of On a Wire would most match this album. If you're a fan of the Get Up Kids, I'd say grab this.

1. This Town's Disaster
2. Blue Skies
3. Empty Tank
4. Maybe Just Maybe
5. It's Never About What It's About
6. The Truth About Love
7. Goodnight Romance
8. Crash Sounds
9. Cursed By Yourself
10. Lost Without You
11. Unlucky

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?qm2ddto1nw2

Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise (FIXED LINK)

Sufjan Steven's highly acclaimed concept album from 2005 (He was planning on doing an album for each state of the union)...I mean, it could also double as a soundtrack to a movie about Illinois. It's essentially 22 tracks of indie-packed goodness, including some instrumentals, that carries well with his talented vocal tracks. Dig it.

1. Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
2. The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In
3. Come On! Feel The Illinoise!: Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition/Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits
4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
5. Jacksonville
6. A Short Reprise For Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But For Very Good Reasons
7. Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother!
8. One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' For The Pullman
9. Chicago
10. Casimir Pulaski Day
11. To The Workers Of The Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament
12. The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
14. A Conjunction Of Drones Simulating The Way In Which Sufjan Stevens Has An Existential Crisis In The
15. The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!
16. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!
17. Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All The Way Out In Bushnell
18. In This Temple As In The Hearts Of Man For Whom He Saved The Earth
19. The Seer's Tower
20. The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders: Part I: The Great Frontier/Part II: Come To Me Only With Pl
21. Riffs And Variations On A Single Note For Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, And T
22. Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run

Link: Working as of 12/23/2008
http://www.mediafire.com/?zjjnonkzb1m

Immortal Technique - Revolutionary, Vol. 1

As requested (and it just needed to be posted at some point), Revolutionary, Vol. 1. Underground hip-hop, and one of the best freestyle rappers I've ever heard. His lyrics are brutally honest and thought-provoking, and I highly recommend you grab this if you even remotely like any sort of hip-hop.

1. Creation & Destruction
2. Dominant Species
3. Positive Balance
4. The Getaway
5. Beef & Broccoli
6. No Me Importa
7. Top of the Food Chain [Remix]
8. The Poverty of Philosophy
9. Revolutionary
10. Spend Some Time [Remix]
11. Dance With the Devil
12. The Prophecy
13. Understand Why
14. No Mercy
15. The Illest
16. Speak Your Mind [*]

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yyjzjtzwztm

Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute

Before there was Head Automatica, there was Glassjaw, and to be honest, I haven't listened to this band since probably late 2003-ish. This was their second album, and the one right before they went on "hiatus." It encompasses a little more production quality than Everything You Wanted to Know About Silence, but still maintained the post-hardcore energy of that album. It's quick, and a great listen to get the blood moving.

1. Tip Your Bartender
2. Mu Empire
3. Cosmopolitan Bloodloss
4. Ape Dos Mil
5. Pink Roses
6. Must've Run All Day
7. Stuck Pig
8. Radio Cambodia
9. The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
10. Trailer Park Jesus
11. Two Tabs of Mescaline
12. Convectuso

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jdzixwnzhgn

Broken Links, Requests, and Updates...

-UPDATE 19 OCT: So my harddrive crashed, so I'm kinda using my backup right now. As soon as I get things fixed (probably tomorrow), I'll get albums up. Sorry and thanks for the patience. Also, I guess the track previews were set in my private folder on my host site, so I updated that to make it available to everyone. Let me know if it still doesn't work. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

-UPDATE 15 OCT: Fixed the Offspring link.

-UPDATE 14 OCT: So, as you can see, the Copeland link was deleted both by Blogspot and Mediafire. I'll see what I can do about it in the comments section below. Check back later tonight.

-UPDATE 9 OCT: Blogspot must've taken down the GCH-Quilt post, because it's nowhere to be found on my editing page but I'll put the link in the comments below. And some of the links were down because I was over my bandwidth for the month, so I bought more to rectify that situation. Everything should be good now. I also just added the new CWK album that was removed. And for the future:

ANY PASSWORD-PROTECTED ZIP FILES WILL BE: sickalbums

Hey everyone, I've been busy with the requests, so keep them coming, it makes it easier to post when people request stuff because despite the tons of music I have, it's sometimes hard to narrow it down. The Rocking Horse Winner link is fixed, and let me know either through email, reply here, or on the shoutbox if there are any other links that are broken.




...Lucas

The Weepies - Say I am You

Fulfilling a request with this one (I'll get on Illinoise ,which I thought I had, later). This is actually a perfect album to be requested since I'm heading to bed and it's a classic indie-folk album. I know, I've been posting a lot of alt-country/indie/folk lately, but I've been in the mood for it, and based on the requests, so have many of you. But yes, the husband-wife pairing of Deb Talan and Steve Tannen make a great combination of heartfelt music and lyrics that mesh together like only a married couple could produce. That being said, if you're having a crappy time with a significant other, I highly not recommend listening to this album because it will only further your depression/angst. Oh, and I put the fixed album links to the top-right to make it easy.

1. Take It from Me
2. Gotta Have You
3. World Spins Madly On
4. Citywide Rodeo
5. Riga Girls
6. Suicide Blonde
7. Painting By Chagall
8. Nobody Knows Me at All
9. Not Your Year
10. Living in Twilight
11. Stars
12. Love Doesn't Last Too Long
13. Slow Pony Home

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ievinxnkmyg

Tim Barry - Manchester

This punk-rock veteran released his solo album that moves away from the punk tempo and into an alt-country rhythm (think Rocky Votolato meets Johnny Cash). Simple and honest, his lyrics reverberate just as truthfully as Avail's as he tackles social and political problems that are running rampant throughout the world.

1. Texas Cops
2. On and On
3. South Hill
4. 5 Twenty 5
5. This November
6. Sagacity Gone
7. Ronnie Song
8. C. R. F. (Retired)
9. Tacoma
10. Tile Work
11. "222"
12. Raised and Grown

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?e0rmtnlzm0z

Ninja Gun - Restless Rubes

Rock with folk undertones, kinda reminds me of Augustana, minus pianos and more harmonica and blues/country riffs. It's really quite relaxing, a really good listen. Glad someone requested it...

1. Restless Rubes
2. Eight Miles Out
3. Red State Blues
4. Darwin was a Baptist
5. Front Yard Screamers (Kitchen Kissers)
6. Life is Loud
7. Asking Price
8. Nostradumbass
9. Security
10. The Last Cowboy
11. Permanent Press
12. Breaking Light of Day

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?nmyktwhytnw

The Ataris - Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits

I feel ashamed of myself that I haven't posted this album yet. This is probably one of my favorite albums of all-time partly because I started listening to them in high school, and all of these songs really hit home back then. Plus The Ataris/The Vandals were my first real punk show, which I was pretty lucky to be indoctrinated into the scene watching those bands live. You can get a sense that Kris Roe and company packed so much emotion and energy into this album, and hopefully you can connect to it like I did back in the day.

1. Losing Streak
2. 1*15*96
3. San Dimas High School Football Rules
4. Your Boyfriend Sucks
5. I Won't Spend Another Night Alone
6. Broken Promise Ring
7. Angry Nerd Rock
8. The Last Song I Will Ever Write About a Girl
9. Choices
10. Better Way
11. My Hotel Year (acoustic)
12. Life Makes No Sense
13. Answer:
14. In Spite of the World

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?wy2q4owmmiy

Death Cab for Cutie - Live at the iTunes London Festival

I always like listening to live recordings, because for the most part, that's the true test of a band's worth. I do understand that many go into the studio and re-do parts before putting it out for the world to hear, unless they're TRUE bootleg recordings. I have not seen DCFC in concert (I had tickets but plans fell through), but I have heard bootlegs and they're spot-on their recordings as far as tone, pitch, and timing. This is a classic example of that.

1. Title and Registration
2. Cath...
3. Long Division
4. Grapevine Fires
5. Movie Script Ending
6. Soul Meets Body

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jmwfnb22bfn

The Boy Bathing - A Fire to Make Preparations

I read the review for this album on AbsolutePunk.com, and the reviewer gave it a relatively high rating, and described basically sort-of what I felt like listening to at the time. So, that being said, I decided to download it. And to steal his review, it DOES sound a lot like Bright Eyes. So if you're an indie/Conor Oberst fan, grab this album. The songs are soft, subtle, and mini-stories wrapped in a quiet record, full of different layers, but somehow does not come off as pretentious. It's actually quite good.

1. The Beaches Meet the Sea
2. The Questions Simple
3. The Apple is Sliced
4. The Miner’s Jewels
5. Thanksgiving (For Elliott Smith)
6. The Beasts Obey
7. The Leaves
8. Victory Walk
9. The Pilgrim’s Last Stand
10. Razor Blades
11. The Purpose of a Rake
12. My Parent’s Religion
13. A Fire
14. Bonus

NEW LINK (no password):
http://www.mediafire.com/?zywjt0nydyk

The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief

I found about this band from Pandora when I was listening to my Postal Service station. Sweet story, eh? In any case, yes, this bound is Post-Rock/Ambient/Electronic-ish, and I think the band has put together a smart album that's simple and full of sugary pop. And I like it.

1. It's Personal
2. Pet Grief
3. Window
4. I Wanted You to Feel the Same
5. South Side
6. Worst Taste in Music [Extended]
7. Every Time
8. What Will Give?
9. Gibraltar
10. Sleeping In
11. Tell
12. Always a Relief

Link (pw: sickalbums):
http://www.mediafire.com/?y1jqnijcjgh

A Day Away - Here We Go Again

It's pop, it's punk-y, it's pop emo-punk. Cute is What We Aim For + Simple Plan + Panic! at the Disco + Yellowcard = A Day Away. If you like any of the above, then you'll probably take a fancy to this album.

1. Here We Go Again
2. Better Off This Way
3. Call Me Crazy
4. Sorry For The Let Down
5. Her And Me
6. Tell Me, Tell Me
7. Push Her Back
8. Black N' Blues
9. Kiss And Tell
10. Dressed To Thrill
11. Feel The Rush

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yhwynzzzmnm

One True Thing - Finally...

Another request (featuring Melanie Wills of From Autumn to Ashes guest-vocalist fame) and if you're in the mood for lady-fronted albums, this complements The Rocking Horse Winner from the earlier post, so snag that one too. It took me a few hours to come up with most of the tracks, including a stop by Amazon.com, which is actually a great way to find hard-to-get albums. The bonus tracks are not really bonus tracks, but merely ones that were included on the reissue. The first 12 tracks are off the original album listing, but the reissue had the songs switched, with the addition of the "bonus" tracks, so as to not slight anyone, I included them with the original. Enjoy!

1. Monster
2. Will I Make It
3. Do You Remember?
4. Who’s Amazing
5. I’ll Wait
6. Dearest
7. In a Whisper
8. Wish I Was Everything
9. Change
10. Watch You Fall
11. Bloom
12. Believe
13. Press Conference (Bonus)
14. Everything I Am (Bonus Reissue)
15. Homecoming (Bonus Reissue)

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?crtmmfdn4tm

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's - Animal! (and Not Animal)

This is probably one of the few albums this year (along with the other posts I've already made with this exclamation) that I've TRULY been anticipating. If you read my previous post for The Dust of Retreat, that's pretty much the reasons why I think this band is absolutely resplendent. Due to a conflict between Epic and Sony that held up Not Animal's release, so they released some other tracks they had (those that they wanted to release) under Animal. I've posted both for you.



1. At the Carnival
2. O' What A Nightmare!
3. Hello Vagina
4. I Am A Lightening Rod
5. Love Song For A Schuba's Bartender
6. Mariel's Brazen Overture
7. There's Talk Of Mine Shafts
8. A Children's Crusade On Acid
9. German Motor Car
10. Cold, Kind And Lemon Eyes
11. My Baby (Shoots Her Mouth Off)
12. As Tall As Cliffs


Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?bzmln3jmxeo



1. A Children's Crusade On Acid
2. German Motor Car
3. Broad Ripple Is Burning
4. Holy Cow!
5. Cold, Kind And Lemon Eyes
6. Hello Vagina
7. As Tall As Cliffs
8. Real Naked Girls
9. Page Written On A Wall
10. The Shivers (I Got 'Em)
11. The Ocean (Is Bleeding Salt)
12. Hip Hip Hooray

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?xtibmydtgdm

American Football - American Football

Mike Kinsella, currently recording under the moniker of Owen, has had many other bands in the past, one of which (back in '99) was this band, American Football. In the style of his other projects, AF melds softer emo-rock with a post-rock/instrumental track list that will more than likely put you to sleep (which is a good thing in this case). You can really tell that this is Kinsella's transition from Cap'n Jazz to Owen, blending relying more on simple instrumentation and lyrics than a intricately mixed, band-heavy album.

1. Never Meant
2. The Summer Ends, The
3. Honestly?
4. For Sure?
5. You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon
6. But the Regrets Are Killing Me
7. I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional
8. Stay Home
9. The One With the Wurlitzer

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?knmgcntyzy3

The Rocking Horse Winner - Horizon

Another request, but I'm glad to fill it because I haven't listened to this band in YEARS. Back in the day, before Meg & Dia and Paramore hit it big, Rocking Horse Winner were the staple of women-led emo pop-rock (I know...such an expansive genre). I'm going WAY back to when Chris Carrabba actually hung around after his shows to meet with fans...in any case, you don't really find many bands like this around anymore, with original lyrics and more emphasis on the melody and music than mass-production and actual emotion pouring through the speakers. It's a shame they were only around for a few years, but they left a lasting impression on the emo scene.

1. Orange Blossom
2. Error
3. Miss You
4. Horizon
5. When Songbirds Sing
6. Curable
7. Tomorrow
8. Novelty
9. Playing with Lights
10. Christmas Day

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?tzm3ntwlocy

Thursday / Envy Split EP

To be honest, I've only had very limited exposure to Envy (a few years ago when I was listening to fellow Japanese hardcore-band, Melt Banana). But everyone knows Thursday, and they deliver on this EP with a mix of screamo and rock, but also an instrumental piece that could have been on A City by the Light Divided (aptly titled "In Silence"). Envy's half of the EP is about the same: melodic screamo (albeit in Japanese). They're actually really good in balancing the instrumentation and vocals, showing their expertise in the genre that can be full of pitfalls for newer hardcore/screamo bands.

Thursday:
1. As He Climbed The Dark Mountain
2. In Silence
3. An Absurd And Unrealistic Dream Of Peace
4. Appeared And Was Gone

Envy:
5. An Umbrella Fallen Into Fiction
6. Isolation Of A Light Source
7. Pure Birth and Loneliness

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jznxgnymrdy

Caspian - The Four Trees

Everyone that frequents this blog should know by now that I love two genres of indie/punk music in particular: Post-rock and Alt-Country. Caspian has continued carrying the post-rock banner in the same fashion Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai have. Part of what I consider the newer breed of post-rockers (see also: Congratulations on Your Decision to Become a Pilot and This Will Destroy You), Caspian provides a unique lift to the the foundation that has been laid by their predecessors.

1. Moksha
2. Some Are White Light
3. Sea Lawn
4. Crawlspace
5. Book Nine
6. The Dropsonde
7. Brombie
8. Our Breaths in Winter
9. The Dove
10. ASA
11. Reprise

Link: Fixed 12/22/2008
http://www.mediafire.com/?mdyyntwdmyy

Jimmy Eat World - Futures

It seems as though media has made more indie-bands mainstream, which sort of bothers me in an elite-ist sort of way, but then again, who am I to say who can listen to what I consider great music. Jimmy Eat World is probably the epitome of one of those bands who seem to have fun making music, consistently producing great sing-along rock albums. Despite the fact that they may be more "popular," I still think Futures is a well-constructed and produced album, harking back to the early days, yet seamlessly blending experienced musicianship.

1. Futures
2. Just Tonight...
3. Work
4. Kill
5. The World You Love
6. Pain
7. Drugs Or Me
8. Polaris
9. Nothing Wrong
10. Night Drive
11. 23

Link:
Comments

Before Braille - The Rumor

Before Braille is a Jimmy Eat World-esque indie/pop/emo-rock band, also hailing from Arizona. I personally think it's a bit quieter than JEW, perhaps lending to the simple riffs and percussion. There really aren't any intricacies in the music or melodies, but there has to something said for keeping it simple.

1. Prelude: Secret No. 7
2. The Spanish Dagger
3. A Cinema Spine
4. Miracle Mile
5. Twenty Four Minus Eighteen
6. Jaws of Life
7. Goodnight Quiet Noise
8. Split Lip Envy
9. Paranoia Pays Off
10. When the Feeling Fades
11. Abracadaver
12. Low End of Luxury
13. Arrive Alive
14. After Arguments
15. Unfit

Link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?mrmtgijz2hn