The Blood Brothers - Crimes

After ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn came out, there was a lot of noise about The Blood Brothers. That album was pretty unlike anything I'd ever heard and a breath of fresh air as far as I was concerned; it was 2003 and everyone I knew was into Poison The Well (I was too) and that particular style of screamo/post-hardcore was the new cool. The Blood Brothers were heavy and loud, but with this camp edge that made them more enjoyable. The dual vocalists played off each other brilliantly in a way I wouldn't hear bettered until I finally heard Black Eyes.

(Going off on a brief tangent, I'd been introduced to Black Eyes by a friend at university - or rather told I should listen to them- something I wouldn't get round to for two years. Upon on arriving in Sydney (nearly exactly 10 years ago) I went on a slightly jet-lagged hunt for record shops. On the first day I found one of the branches or Redeye Records and bought one of the greatest finds of my life, You'd Prefer An Astronaut by Hum on vinyl for a mere £6.45, as well as a copy of The Wall on LaserDisc. A few doors up the road I found a small second-hand place where I got a copy of Black Eyes' incredible self-titled album (one of my all-time favourite Dischord releases). I listened to Black Eyes that afternoon at my friend's house and was instantly blown away. The next day I sought out the other, bigger branch of Redeye Records (which I'd learnt about from the bag my first purchase came in). In there I bought this record; it was a very good two days.)

The larger branch of Redeye Records had a huge supply of new records by loads of cool bands and I would have ordinarily bought huge amounts. I hope it is still there and that I get to return one day. However, back then term was just beginning back in Canberra and I only had so much student loan (and a lot of travelling to do). I only bought one record in the end - this one - I was excited to hear some new Blood Brothers. I'd also brought a record player with me to Australia so I could finally play the records I'd been buying over there. The fact that it was on pink vinyl probably helped too. Crimes was released on at least 13 different colours but pink definitely seems the most appropriate, especially given the colours on the sleeve. Discogs tells me that this is from the 2nd pressing and one of 510, one of the more numerous colours overall.

The album is somehow less abrasive than Piano Island, but still hits as hard. The highlight for me is the title track, which is one of the band's smoothest but also best songs - the I immediately think of the chorus when I think of this album. There are some other great songs too, like Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck (the closest they got to a hit single), Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers, Live at the Apocalypse Cabaret and the closing duo of Celebrator and Devastator.

With Piano Island, Rumours Laid Waste and Crimes in my collection, I spent a while thinking I should get their whole back-catalogue on vinyl. March On Electric Children was readily available on picture-disc on eBay but I just never got round to buying it. A couple of years later I found a copy of their final album, Young Machettes, on cd very cheaply in a record shop in Boulder (on the first national Record Store Day). I bought it (along with a copy of Rise Above by The Dirty Projectors - the guy at the counter commented on it being a strange combination, but I see them being fairly similar in certain ways). I realised that I'd kind of forgotten about my plans to buy all The Blood Brothers albums. I can't remember why I'd let that band slip, but I had somehow.

Now, many years later, they're a band I listen to often but I still haven't bought the first two albums. I wonder how they'd sound now? Maybe I'll pick them and tell you. I hope I enjoy them as much as I do their last three.

Format: 12", cd-sized booklet, 12x24" poster
Tracks: 13
Cost: £10.75 new
Bought: Redeye Records, Sydney
When: 03/02/06
Colour: Pink
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Hum - You'd Prefer an Astronaut

I first became aware of Hum the same way a lot of people did - by hearing Stars - the difference being I heard it about 10 years after everyone else. Still, better late than never. In my first year of university there were a handful of American students living in our halls and one of them was a guy called Andy who was into some interesting music. I'd just discovered The Paper Chase and was pretty impressed that he was a fan too. Anyway, at some point in the first term he burned an mp3 cd for me with a whole bunch of albums and songs he figured I'd enjoy. The highlights were The Moon and Antarctica by Modest Mouse and Stars by Hum. He'd only put that one Hum song on there and said it was great, but the rest of their music wasn't very good. He was half right, but half very wrong indeed. Of course, I've long lost touch with Andy - these were the pre-Facebook days, so I have no idea what his surname is or what he's up to know. Either way, he introduced me to Hum, which is a good thing.

So I spent the next two years loving Stars but never quite getting round to checking them out (in fact Stars has been a staple of nearly every mixtape I've made since I heard it). I'd read reviews of You'd Prefer an Astronaut (much more glowing than Andy's) but never found a copy, despite my searches. In the very long summer break from Australian uni I'd been home, visited some friends and flown back to Sydney. I was going to be staying at a friend's house for a bit, but spent the first two nights in a hostel. On the second day I'd got past my jet-lag enough to go out record shopping and see what I could find. I first found a second hand place in which I bought the self-titled Black Eyes album on cd, then proceeded up the road and found one of the three(?) Red-Eye Record shops in Sydney. I spent a while flicking through the racks and eventually stumbled across a sufficiently-mint copy of You'd Prefer an Astronaut for $15. Needless to say, the smile on my face was enormous. Finding a record you've been searching for for ages is a great feeling, let alone when its a bargain and in such good condition. So I bought it and tried to explain my excitement to my friend when I met her that afternoon (I also bought a copy of The Wall on Laserdisc - another collection of mine of old technology. That shop remains to be the only shop I've found in the whole world that sells Laserdiscs).

Listening to the record was top-priority upon moving back into my halls a week or so later, at which point I realised Andy's review was nonsense. The other eight songs on here alone are enough to class Hum as a great band. Why I Like Robins is a huge song and Suicide Machine and I'd Like Your Hair Long are both highlights. The riffs are great, but the songs are laid-back. Of course Stars continues to be incredible, but that goes without saying, and the thoughtful closer of Songs of Farewell and Departure is brilliant too. Chino from the Deftones has raved about this being one of his favourite albums, and apparently the cover of White Pony is a nod the zebra here. Hum are another band very high up on my "Bands I must see live" list, but despite their occasional shows, they've not made it to the UK in a very long time. I wanted to take a very long detour from Fest last year to Texas to see them (and Murder City Devils) at Fun Fun Fun Fest, but Sarah had to get back to work the following weekend so that idea was scrapped.

The recent excitement was that You'd Prefer an Astronaut is being re-issued by Shop Radio Cast, which I'd be very pleased about if I didn't already own a copy (any chance of a Downward is Heavenward reissue please?). Somebody posted on Facebook that he'd seen copies of this sell for US$600, which is considerably more than I paid for mine, or assumed it was worth (Discogs notes three versions of the LP, and I suspect the green vinyl goes for more). I had no idea the demand for it was so high and this re-issue will push the prices down, not that I would ever have even thought about selling my copy. Every time I put this album on I think of how happy finding this record made me, which makes it all the more enjoyable.



Format: 12", 10"x20" poster
Tracks: 9
Cost: £6.45 second hand
Bought: Red-Eye Records, Sydney
When: 02/02/06
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no