One Point Two
"Demo"
(Self-Released)
Before Gatsby's American Dream wowed pop-punk kids, there was once One Point Two, a band that consisted mostly of members who'd go on to Gatsby's and Casey Bates, Fueled by Ramen's producer du jour. It's pretty much in the vein of Blink 182, but there's some interesting stuff in this demo.
Download HereLabels: Indie Rock, One Point Two, pop-punk
Ras Kass
"Soul On Ice"
(Priority)
Conspiracy theorist and all-out killer lyricist Ras Kass is one of those dudes who just never caught a break. He was aligned with the well respected Western Hemisphere crew, was the strongest part of "Come Widdit" -- one of the best posse cuts of all time, started the Golden State Warriorz with Saafir and Xzibit and, for a brief spell, worked with Dr. Dre.
Ras's 12" solo debut, "Won't Catch Me Runnin'" b/w "Remain Anonymous" is one of hip-hop's best singles. His "Soul On Ice" LP is regarded as a disappointing debut, but it's actually one of hip-hop's lost gems and far more deserving than the tepid 3 mics that "The Source" gave it.
Download HereLabels: hip-hop, Ras Kass
Polar Bear Club
"Demo"
(Self-Released)
Buffalo's Polar Bear Club is having a pretty big year. First, they announced the signing to Bridge 9, then they released the fantastic sophomore album "Chasing Hamburg." Now they're on tour forever, but they've had to start somewhere.
This 2005 demo is the band's first effort and, despite the recording quality, shows the band's promise at such an early stage. Easily one of my favorite demos of all time.
Download HereLabels: hardcore, Polar Bear Club
Blue Sky Mile
"S/T"
(Ohev)
Seattle-based Blue Sky Mile was a band that couldn't really fit in a specific category. They had elements to their songs that were math-y, but they were too emo (in the truest sense of the term) for the indie rock crowd and too indie rock for the emo kids. That being said, they were probably amongst the most underrated bands in the city.
They found a home in Louisville's Initial Records, but it happened after Initial stopped growing as a label and other outlets like Fueled by Ramen and Vagrant had taken the reigns.
This is long their out-of-print debut EP on Florida's Ohev and is a split production between Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla and former Seaweed guitarist Clint Werner.
Download HereLabels: Blue Sky Mile, Death Cab for Cutie, emo, Indie Rock, pop-punk, Seattle, Seaweed
Deftones
"Back to School (Mini-Maggit)" Maxi-Single
(Mav. Germany)
Deftones get a pretty bad rap (no pun intended). It sucks that they get lumped in the same categories as disposable 90s nu-metal shit like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park or whatever other crappy bands experienced even a little bit of airplay on M2 or The Box. Unlike those other bands, the Deftones were really great at a) crafting amazing songs and b) thinking outside the genre.
Their "B-sides and Rarities" collection featured a bevy of unpredictable covers like Sade's "No Ordinary Love" and The Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want." Live, they've been known to do a medley of Ice Cube's "Wicked" along with Weezer's "Undone." This is years before the concept of "mashup" permeated popular thought.
This post is of their maxi-single of "Back To School," a song that originally appeared as "Pink Maggit" on "White Pony." The story behind the song is pretty funny, but I'll let
this Wikipedia entry say the rest. In any case, this single is pretty cool if only for the live versions of the songs, as well as a really haunting acoustic version of "Change."
Download HereLabels: Deftones, metal, nu-metal
