Unblinking Ear Records

[the13thtrack]

I’d really like to thank Doug at @still-single for making me aware of this heavenly slice of throwback College Rock and in the process making my autumnal car rides to and from work infinitely the better for it.  The group in question is a Brooklyn based trio called Big Quiet they just released their debut 7″ Maura & Dana on @unblinkingearrecords.  The group managed to wrangle up legendary producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement, Ex Hex) to mix this sucker and the results are fabulous. 

The A-Side manages to exude an exuberance that gives me the kind of buzz that I used to get watching Velocity Girl videos on 120 Minutes.  Make no mistake, these guys are no one trick ponies either, their great debut cassette features plenty more to dig into. Finding the group channeling plenty of classic sounds; from early ‘80′s R.E.M. jangle to a few sly nods to stray slack era indie guitar swing, even finding a little time pay tribute to classic English pop groups like The La’s. While there is a mosaic of influences at work here and no doubt these guys know their way around a record shop; there’s also a core originality and tunefulness present here that makes these guys a can’t miss.

[still-single]

Big Quiet – “Maura & Dana” b/w “Style & Pace” 7” (Unblinking Ear)

RECOMMENDED

Chief Paul Bruno busts out the first vinyl on his Unblinking Ear label, and it’s the kind of indie pop single that would have rearranged the midday sun, moon and stars in 1993, and placed its creators in some sort of rarefied galaxy of mix tapes and scalding crushes. Somehow getting Mitch Easter involved on post-engineering production, this Staten Island trio, fronted by the wondrously-voiced Marisa Cerio, chases a Primitives-meets-Velocity Girl Vespa getaway down dream turnpikes, while “Style & Pace” goes for the sort of off-the-rails punk-pop spray of early Superchunk. Their drummer is so excited that he can’t always keep time, but the hooks here are so gigantic and the energy so palpable that you’d lose count too. Every year I would catch wind of some indie/twee fest or two happening while I lived in Brooklyn, stacked with bands that only the most ardent fans of those genres would know, most of them doing impersonations of Sarah Records groups and totally fearful and not really having fun for want of being perfect – total shushing, rules-obsessed librarians, and not the fun, heavy-drinking librarians I’d been led to believe were out in force. Big Quiet has so much more going for them than just about any of that shit based on these two songs alone, fully present and exuberant and unafraid to slop it when another huge melody is around the bend. It’s time to get excited about this sort of music again. Take off that cardigan and let loose! Rusty orange vinyl. (https://unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com) (Doug Mosurock)

[unblinkingearrecords]

Doug Mosurock gets it right as usual. Except Big Quiet is from boring Brooklyn. Not strange and exotic Staten Island.

[unblinkingearrecords]

I've been on the periphery of the music business for about 20 years and I've never received a CMJ pass. This is no different but at least there's one show I don't have to pay for admission: Unblinking Ear Records presents A Collection of Miscellaneous Jerks with SPRAY PAINT Skronk punk from Tejas GOTOBEDS Future rock stars from Shittsburgh BIG QUIET Angular jangle (Jangular?) from Brooklyn SNOWMANS OF LOVE Songwriting genius Matt Wilson backed by some mamalukes plus DJ Nate K!! and Master of Ceremonies Pat Byrne!! Saturday, October 17th Union Pool 484 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211 Doors 2pm $10

[unblinkingearrecords]

Video for SWIVS “Safe For Now” 

Animation by Tom James Hinchliffe

From the SWIVS album Free Period Blood Money available on cassette and as a “name your price” download at unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/free-period-blood-money

[unblinkingearrecords]

From Jared Leibowich's forthcoming solo debut "Welcome Late Bloomers."

Available 9/25/15 on cassette and digital download on Unblinking Ear Records.

unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com

[pbpresents]

Unblinking Ear Records is proud to present its first ever vinyl release: the debut 7" from Brooklyn trio Big Quiet! Join us, Friday July 17th at Pine Box Rock Shop and we celebrate the release of this monumental recorded artifact! With special guests My Teenage Stride Real Numbers Sunshine & the Rain Friday, July 17 Pine Box Rock Shop 12 Grattan St, Brooklyn, NY 11206 8pm $7 Stream/download “Maura & Dana” here: https://unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/maura-dana-7

[unblinkingearrecords]

Unblinking Ear Records is proud to present its first ever vinyl release: the debut 7" from Brooklyn trio Biq Quiet.

As with a lot of great bands, when you really listen to Big Quiet, you understand the depth of its attendant members’ music fanship. These three know their source material, whether it’s Athens, GA, in 1982, Scotland in 1988, or New York right now. The Brooklyn trio’s knowledge of indie rock and post-punk history is real, and they’ll talk your ear off about it if you ever ask. But what Big Quiet plays isn’t just some kind of stoic record-collector rock. In a live setting, you’re struck by their sheer viscerality and volume. Marisa Cerio’s Rickenbacker can scorch faces, dousing her rapid-fire strumming in treble and reverb. She belts out a song so emphatically, you’d think she’s trying to sing to the next room over. Chris Matheson’s steady, propulsive bass erupts in a gnarl at just the right moments. Stephen Perry’s drum beats are all manic bounce. You don’t take bathroom breaks during Big Quiet’s set. They’ll be onto the next song and the next idea before you get back.

Big Quiet’s debut 7” takes the melodic post-punk power-trio impact of the band’s live set and expands into a rewarding “headphone experience.” Aided by legendary producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement, Ex Hex), the band folded into the record some subtle but compelling flourishes, extra layers of vocal and instrumental melody and harmony. In the context of the record, Big Quiet’s pop chops are clear — the sound is ever so slightly sweetened in the studio, while wisely retaining the muscle that makes them such a powerful live entity.

“Maura and Dana” is available now on 7” (mutliple colors of vinyl) and digital download at unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com

[pbpresents]

Join Kerbivore as they celebrate the release of their new 5-song cassette “All Dressed” at Cake Shop on Thursday, June 18. The will be joined by special guests: THEY LIVE! SUMMER SAINTS and GENERAL MOTORS Check out “All Dressed” here: https://unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/all-dressed

8pm

$8

21+

[pbpresents]

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ROCK SHOW AND COOKOUT! It’s the unofficial start of the summer and we’ve got a whole bunch of NEW for you to kick it off. Kerbivore will celebrating the release of their new EP, All Dressed, 5 songs whose melodies are as powerful as the brute force of the band’s instrumental attack. (Yes, that’s stolen from their press release but I wrote it, so it’s OK). Cassettes will be available for purchase at the show. Check it out here: unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/all-dressed Brooklyn noise-niks Rathaus will be making both their Staten Island debut and in all likelihood, an unholy racket. Slam if you want to. Or don’t. They don’t give a flying V. rathaus.bandcamp.com We’ve also got TWO bands playing their first shows ever. Wheels on Meals comes to you from the mind(s) that brought you Brownwater, Blank Postcards, Muddy Buddies and The Grand Pantrymen. Will likely ditch their name by the time they play next so this may literally be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Stark Relief is an acoustic project featuring local legend JT (Sleeper/Serpico, Darien/Amber Jets) and local hero Jerrold Kavanaugh. Come see for yourself what Apples and (nickname redacted) have in store for you. DJs Paul Bruno and Baricuda will spinning all the songs your mother warned you about before, between and after the bands. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a cookout with food. The menu has yet to be revealed but KC Pugs has definitely got some eats up his sleeve. Hopefully not literally. This magnificent evening of entertainment begins at 7pm in the opening airiness of Mother Pugs backyard (weather permitting) and will only set you back 6 American dollars.

Saturday, May 23rd Mother Pugs 1371 Forest Ave, SINY 10302 KERBIVORE RATHAUS WHEELS ON MEALS STARK RELIEF DJs Paul Bruno & Baricuda Doors @ 7pm $6

RSVP on Facebook here. 

[unblinkingearrecords]

Next Kerbivore show! Be there!

[boaws]

Kerbivore – All Dressed (Unblinking Ear)

I really don’t think I’ll ever get tired of solidly crafted power-pop, the likes of which Kerbivore bring to the table with their five song EP All Dressed. Even as Kansas City enters the end stretch of an overcast/rainy week, this is the type of material that drastically alters bad moods. If I were to get specific, I would honestly say that the trio falls somewhere within the breezy but overpowering ways of Sugar but with a hint of a quirky side that kind of reminds me a bit of The Wrens. Primarily the vehicle for Sean Kuhl, it’s his guitar work that kind of sets things apart here, with a style of playing that is vaguely in a frenetic math-rock territory but manages to never trample over the melodic punch that is firmly in the drivers seat here. Quick and to the point, the type of tried and true music that when needing a quick injection of, serves its purpose very well.

Kerbivore - Oppurtunity Costs (stream)

BUY IT!

[unblinkingearrecords]

Nice write up of Kerbivore’s EP from Built on a Weak Spot. Cassettes are available to ship today!

[unblinkingearrecords]

Though several names and lineup changes, Kerbivore's constant has been singer/guitarist/songwriter Sean Kuhl. Taking clear inspiration fromthe holy trinity of U.S. post-punk axemen –J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr), Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü) and Roger Miller (Mission of Burma) – Kuhl has long impressed New York crowds with his masterful fretwork. On the All Dressed EP, Kuhl arrives as a songwriter; 5 songs whose melodies are as powerful as the brute force of the band's instrumental attack, displaying chops that put most of the "melodic punk" crowd to shame. Equally sweet and gnarled, the effect is not unlike your favorite quirky indie band developing a sudden (unhealthy?) fixation with Killed By Death–style punk compilations. Or perhaps the groups of the Paisley Underground ditching Roger McGuinn as their guitar hero in favor of the Stooges' Ron Asheton. Fans of the Thermals, No Age and Cloud Nothings will find plenty to love in Kerbivore.

Kerbivore - All Dressed EP is available for steam and download at unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com

Cassette available for pre-orders. Ships May 12, 2015.

[unblinkingearrecords]

Swivs is the new project from Will Schalda Jr. Schalda achieved a taste of fame as a member of the Realistics, perhaps the great lost band of the early 21st century New York rock scene. Though they commanded an impressive local following, toured extensively with their contemporaries the Strokes and the Mooney-Suzuki and opened for punk icons Joe Strummer and Blondie, The Realistics sadly fizzled before gaining the recognition and success of many of their peers. Schalda spent the next several years as an in demand touring musician, lending his talents on the keys to acts as diverse as Brendan Benson, Kevin Devine and his Goddamn Band and, most recently, Charles Bradley, all the while penning his own tunes on the side. Reuniting with Realistics powerhouse drummer Dave Patrikios, Schalda finally shows the world what he's being up to all these years with Swivs' debut Free Period Blood Money: 10 songs of finely-crafted, keyboard-driven pop that may remind younger fans of New Pornographers, Spoon and Ariel Pink but are equally reminiscent of old wave legends like Elvis Costello and The Cars. From bubblegum stomps ("I Was Alive"} to video game blips ("Safe For Now") to stately power pop ("676767," "Krystina Mirrors'), Free Period Blood Money proves Schalda a tunesmith of remarkable breadth and uncommon talent.

Swivs - Free Period Blood Money is available for steam and download at unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com

Limited edition cassette available for pre-orders, 50 hand numbered copies with exclusive art by artist Tina Lugo. Ships May 12, 2015.

[bestreasonstowriterecordreviews]

BEST REASON TO WRITE A FUCKIN’ CASSETTE COMPILATION REVIEW AND DRIVE TO BAYONNE TODAY: 

Serious Rockers - An Unblinking Ear Mixtape +  3/7/15 SERIOUS ROCKERS RECORD RELEASE SHOW: NEW JERSEY EDITION!

LET THEM BRUSH YOUR ROCK & ROLL HAIR! Can’t imagine there’s more than a handful of selectaz who could pull something like this off with the aplomb of Paul Bruno. His Unblinking Ear podcast has been a reliable source of one of Fuckin’ Record Reviews’ favorite talk-over music beds (RZA’s “Samurai Showdown” instrumental) for years and yeah, he plays some pretty good tunes too.  Really though, the man’s outdone himself here: collating 28 entries of sawed off cream pop and contemporary agit rock that practically signals the arrival of a new era we never knew we needed.

Some patrons’ll no doubt be hooked by the he-man Termbo erotica of Golden Pelicans, Life Stinks, and Heavy Times, but the comp’s center of gravity is the attention Paul gives  unfettered great plains pop, as if the Embarrassment and Absolute Grey were more than just names to look up at All Music Guide (remember that?). Fer instance, I can’t imagine any card carrying total punk ginos sticking around for more than 20 seconds of Mike Pace and the Child Actors’ opener “Everyone Out Of The Car” (crazy good) or Invisible Days’ “In Your Sleep” (dreamy good), but Paul is obviously made of better stuff than most. His ecumenical vision of pop supremacy totally wins and we’ll spend the next two months (at least) following the leads Serious Rockers offers. It’s like a Tuatara or Wailing Ultimate for 2015.  

Fuckin’ Record Reviews had the good fortune and sense to be present at the 2/7/15 Serious Rockers  showcase with Invisible Days, Big Quiet, Snowmans Of Love, Scupper and FRR faves Lame Drivers (from whom we received a nice pen), but that was then and this is now…

TONIGHT 3/7/15 SERIOUS ROCKERS RECORD RELEASE SHOW: NEW JERSEY EDITION!

If you always figured Bayonne was a Weird New Jersey myth-to-drive-by on your way to the Princeton Record Exchange, then here’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to realign your thinking, gas up and greet the town’s indigenous tribes. Or, as Paul writes, “Come for the cheap gas and cigarettes. Stay for the live music and buy some tapes.”

One major highlight is certain to be a rare sighting of 12xurecs artist Carolee, whose 2011 splatter cracked EP1 was totally fuckin’ awesome. PLUS:   

KERBIVORE http://kerbivore.bandcamp.com/

NO OTHER http://no-other.org/

SUNSHINE & THE RAIN https://www.facebook.com/sunshineandtherain

SLANG KING slangking1.bandcamp.com

CAROLEE http://carolee12xu.bandcamp.com/

[unblinkingearrecords]

Saturday, March 7th Lot 13 Longbar & Restaurant 169 Ave E, Bayonne, NJ 07002 4 blocks from 22nd Street Light Rail Station 5 minute drive from Bayonne Bridge 5 minute drive from NJ Turnpike

Unblinking Ear Records presents: SERIOUS ROCKERS RECORD RELEASE SHOW: NEW JERSEY EDITION!

Come for the cheap gas and cigarettes. Stay for the live music and buy some tapes

Kerbivore kerbivore.bandcamp.com

No Other no-other.org

Sunshine & the Rain facebook.com/sunshineandtherain

Slang King slangking1.bandcamp.com

Carolee carolee12xu.bandcamp.com

Stream/purchase Serious Rockers here: unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com

Doors at 8pm. First band on at 9. $7 21+

RSVP on Facebook here.

[unblinkingearrecords]

Saturday, February 7th Pine Box Rock Shop  (12 Grattan St, Brooklyn, 1 block from the Morgan L stop)

Unblinking Ear Records presents: SERIOUS ROCKERS RECORD RELEASE SHOW! We've got tapes. They are for sale. Come get one. And see these bands: Invisible Days http://invisibledaysmusic.com/ Lame Drivers http://lamedrivers.com/ Big Quiet http://bigquiet.bandcamp.com/ Snowmans of Love http://mattwilsonmusic.bandcamp.com/ Scupper http://scupper.bandcamp.com/ Stream/purchase Serious Rockers here: unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com Doors at 8pm. First band on at 9. $7 21+

RSVP on Facebook here.

[unblinkingearrecords]

Serious Rockers: An Unblinking Ear Mixtape is a available now!

Serious Rockers is the first release for Unblinking Ear Records. The Unblinking Ear began life a music blog in 2007 before eventually morphing into a podcast. During that time, its proprietor, Paul Bruno, also began volunteering at WFMU, becoming a fill-in DJ and the associate producer and booker for The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T.

It's in the spirit of his podcast and radio show that Bruno has assembled the Serious Rockers compilation, a 28-song, 28-band mixtape. Most of its contents (over 20 tracks) are exclusive to this release. The collection features former members of Black Hollies (Sunshine & The Rain), Oxford Collapse (Mike Pace & The Child Actors), and Lynnfield Pioneers (Scupper) commingling with bands both rising to national attention (Gotobeds, Heavy Times, Literature) and making their debuts (Big Quiet, Slang King, Snowmans of Love). The comp has already gained positive notices from the likes of Brooklyn Vegan, Gimme Tinnitus and F**kin' Record Reviews for its adventurous mix of indie rock, garage punk, lo-fi, noise pop and however else you'd like to classify modern guitar rock.

Serious Rockers is available on limited edition cassette and digital download at: unblinkingearrecords.bandcamp.com