Before they became “Beartrap” bands, Noumenon and Rooftops did a little split EP together that was self-released in 2009. The EP is now available for free download on Sound As Language! You can check that out here.
Of course, make sure you check out both bands’ brand new 2010 releases…Noumenon’s Party Mathematics (Big Scary Monsters) and Rooftops’ A Forest Of Polarity (Clickpop/Topshelf)!
WE WERE SKELETONS joins TOPSHELF RECORDS
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* Self-Titled LP / CD out June 29, 2010
* MACRoCk / Shows with Pianos Become The Teeth
* Rooftops vinyl pre-order starts April 1st
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Topshelf Records (Defeater, My Heart To Joy, Pianos Become The Teeth) is stoked to announce the signing of We Were Skeletons from Lancaster, PA. The label will release the band’s newest Self-Titled album on June 29th on LP and CD format. Look for pre-orders to begin around the first of May.
We Were Skeleton’s brand of screamy, chaotic hardcore should appeal to long-time fans of the genre. The album was recorded with Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Ampere) at Dead Air Studios and is the band’s greatest accomplishment to date. Imagine City of Caterpillar, Kidcrash, Off Minor and Hot Cross, all rolled into one breathtaking statement. This is an record that must be heard!
The band will be playing MACRoCk this upcoming weekend and also has several April shows lined up with label mates Pianos Become The Teeth.
TOUR
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APR 03 – Harrisonburg, VA @ MACRoCk – The Artful Dodger w/ Algernon Cadwallader, Native, more
APR 09 – Reading, PA @ Roop Hall (Albright College) w/ Pianos Become The Teeth, Spraynard
APR 10 – Windsor, CT @ Chris Z’s House w/ Pianos Become The Teth, Grown Ups
APR 11 – Newton, NJ @ The Farm House w/ Pianos Become The Teeth, Black Kites
APR 16 – Bethlehem, PA @ Secret Art Space w/ Gods & Queens, Drowning With Our Anchors
APR 23 – Newark, DE @ University of Deleware w/ Paint It Black
APR 24 – Frederick, MD @ Fredrock Free Music Fest
In other Top Shelf news, the Vinyl Pre-Order for Rooftops’ debut album, A Forest Of Polarity, starts this Thursday (04/01/10). No April Fools joke here!
Rooftops takes its brand of intricate math pop and layers it generously with acoustic guitars, horns, strings and percussion. The resulting arrangements create an impressive sound uniting math rock and post rock into something bold, new and exciting. The band adds vocals to the mix only sparingly but at brilliantly timed intervals for maximum effect. It is the bold, unbridled enthusiasm of math rock harnessed only by the restraints and subtle nuances of post rock. A Forest Of Polarity is the sound of two becoming one. Can you hear it?
The band is streaming songs from A Forest Of Polarity on its Myspace page. Additionally, you can download an mp3 for the song “Raft Easily” here.
SLEEP BELLUM SONNO and RAPID CITIES – On Tour
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* Two-week East Coast tour begins today (March 09 – 27)
* Sleep Bellum Sonno’s Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives … available now
* Rapid Cities’ Machinery Saints available now
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Long Island, NY’s Sleep Bellum Sonno and New Brunswick, NJ’s Rapid Cities are set to embark on an East Coast tour together starting today. The two bands are once again playing shows in support of their 2009 full-length albums, Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives, Not By How We Made Our Living and Machinery Saints, respectively.
The bands will play together from March 9th through the 20th, with Sleep Bellum Sonno continuing on for five more shows.
Sleep Bellum Sonno have composed an ambitious, conceptual record that not only stretches the limits of the artist, but of the listener as well. Recorded live, the album tells the tale of twelve characters who all intertwine into one larger story of a husband / father leaving his wife and two sons behind.To say that Sleep Bellum Sonno’s Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives, Not By How We Made Our Living is a challenging listen might be an understatement. But for those willing to indulge themselves the riches buried within are plenty.
Listen to “A House Of Spades Stands No Chance Against The Wind (Gambler)” (Free mp3)
Deliberately evoking familiar patterns of hardcore and punk rock tradition, and spitting it out with a conscious, yet subtle control of the unconventional and the dissonant, Rapid Cities accepts the challenge to take the step forward. The resulting art of the band’s debut, Machinery Saints, observes what is pleasurable about today’s living, as well as what is mundane. Rapid Cities are both a breath of fresh air as well as an assurance that truly “progressive” yet enjoyable music is still possible.
Listen to “In My Mind” (Free mp3)
You can view a tour video and download a tour poster. As always, if you’d like to attend or speak with the bands, drop me a line here.
TOUR
# Sleep Bellum Sonno only
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MAR 09 – Huntington, NY @ Gramp’s w/ Balance And Composure
MAR 12 – New Brunswick, NJ @ Battle School w/ Black Kites
MAR 13 – Wilmington, DE @ Marcella House
MAR 14 – Richmond, VA @ Empire
MAR 15 – Wilmington, NC @ The Soapbox
MAR 17 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
MAR 18 – Harrisonburg, VA @ Blue Nile
MAR 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Breakfest and Dessert House
MAR 20 – New York, NY @ Tommy’s Tavern
MAR 24 – Brighton, MA @ Handsome Mansion #
MAR 25 – Worcester, MA @ Ralph’s Rock Diner #
MAR 26 – Burlington, VT @ 242 Main #
MAR 27 – Amherst, MA @ Dad City w/ Rooftops, The Americas #
TOPSHELF / CLICKPOP To Release ROOFTOPS Debut Full-Length
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* Vinyl pre-orders start April 1st from Topshelf Records
* CD to be released on Clickpop Records
* US Tour (Mar 12 – Apr 11)
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Topshelf Records and Clickpop Records are both thrilled to announce the release of A Forest Of Polarity, the debut album from Bellingham, Washington’s Rooftops.
Clickpop will release the CD while Topshelf will be handling the vinyl. All formats will hit stores around the globe on May 18th, 2010, but you’ll be able to Pre-Order the LP from Topshelf beginning on April 1st.
Rooftops take its brand of intricate math pop and layer it generously with acoustic guitars, horns, strings and percussion. The resulting arrangements create an impressive sound uniting math rock and post rock into something bold, new and exciting. The band adds vocals to the mix only sparingly but at brilliantly timed intervals for maximum effect. It is the bold, unbridled enthusiasm of math rock harnessed only by the restraints and subtle nuances of post rock. A Forest Of Polarity is the sound of two becoming one. Can you hear it?
The band is streaming songs from A Forest Of Polarity on its Myspace page. Additionally, you can download an mp3 for the song “Raft Easily” here.
Beginning next Friday, Rooftops will embark on a month-long trek across the US with The Americas. If you’d like to attend or speak with the band, drop me a line here.
TOUR
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MAR 12 – Bellingham, WA @ Plan B. w/ Dog Shredder
MAR 13 – Seattle, WA @ Ali Masterson’s House w/ Throne of Bone, Dog Shredder
MAR 14 – Olympia, WA @ Le Voyeur w/ Chung Antique
MAR 15 – Missoula, MT @ TBA
MAR 16 – Billings, MT @ TBA
MAR 17 – Sioux Falls, ID @ TBA
MAR 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Star Bar w/ Fountain Heads
MAR 19 – LaCrosse, WI @ JB’s Speakeasy w/ This Maching, Idle Ecstatic
MAR 20 – Chicago, IL @ Treasure Town (House) w/ Bad Words, Suffix, Socially Retarded, The Midwestern
MAR 21 – Chicago, IL @ Ronny’s (Logan Square)
MAR 22 – Detroit, MI @ TBA
MAR 23 – Detroit, MI @ The Berkley Front w/ The Summer Pledge, Devilfish
MAR 24 – Cleveland, OH @ The Happy Dog
MAR 25 – New York, NY @ The Delancey w/ Ghastly City Sleep
MAR 26 – New York, NY @ Goodbye Blue Monday w/ Anna Weng, Madame Beak, The Suite Unraveling
MAR 27 – Amherst, MA @ Dad City w/ Yak Snot, Sleep Bellum Sonno
MAR 28 – Boston, MA @ PA’s
MAR 29 – Philadelphia or Pittsburgh or Lancaster, PA @ TBA
MAR 30 – Bloomington, IN or Columbus, OH @ TBA
MAR 31 – Omaha, NE @ O’leavers
APR 02 – Napa, CA @ Slack Ranch w/ Goodriddler
APR 03 – Berkeley, CA @ Cloyne Co-Op w/ Goodriddler
APR 04 – Santa Rosa, CA @ North Bay Film and Art Collective w/ Goodriddler
APR 05 – Chico, CA @ Cafe Coda w/ Goodriddler, Surrogate
APR 06 – Redding, CA @ Downtown Eatery w/ Goodriddler
APR 07 – Seattle, WA @ TBA
APR 08 – Bellingham, WA @ TBA
APR 09 – Seattle, WA @ TBA
APR 10 – Portland, OR @ TBA w/ Total Bros
APR 11 – Portland, OR @ Rotture w/ Strange Holiday (ex-Tristeza), Secret Codes, Goodriddler
