Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (2011)

Pretty much anyone who loves BTBAM/prog metal is going to love this new EP. Just doing what they do best.

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The Replacements - Let It Be (1984)

Just a classic. If you don't have this, then get it now.

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Lungs - The Two Chief World Systems (2010)

Fast and thrashy melodic hardcore from Sydney band Lungs. These guys have supported pretty much every major international punk band in the past few years, so I'm surprised they haven't gotten a larger international following by now. Check it out.

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The Hated - No More We Cry 7" (1985)

Radcore '80s punk/emocore (whatever the fuck that means) from Annapolis, Maryland. Fits in nicely with the whole Revolution Summer in retrospect, even though they weren't really a part of it. Fuzzy and rad and all the jazz. This best be checked out.

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Circle Takes the Square - Circle Takes the Square EP (2002)

The first EP from Savannah, GA band Circle Takes the Square. Just as good as their album debut As the Roots Undo, the band does what they do better than anyone else. Even though their new album is pretty much another Duke Nukem Forever, I'm still keen as mustard.

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Earth Crisis - Firestorm EP (1993)

Straight outta Syracuse comes a legendary EP of awesome straight edge metallic hardcore from one of the best in the business. For some reason any "violence against violence" mentality coming through in music form is just too badass.

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Made Out Of Babies - Coward (2006)

Radical female fronted sludge/noise rock from Brooklyn. Had heard about these guys a while back but only recently decided to check them out and I was suitably impressed. Really awesome noisy and sludgy sound without getting too rough and mudded up. Frontwoman Julie Chistmas' vocal performance really shines on this badboy. Check it.

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Dayglo Abortions - Feed Us a Fetus (1986)

Awesome Reagan-era album from this Canadian punk band from back in the day. Crass, offensive and hilarious. If the cover alone doesn't sell it to you then I don't know what will.

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Midwest Pen Pals - Inside Jokes EP (2009)

A really cool EP that sounds pretty much like a Cap'n Jazz tribute album that never left 1995. Really smooth and melodic playing and almost math-rock leanings make for a familiar, yet refreshing sound. They released this one for free, so go and check out what they may or may not be releasing in the future.

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Gospel - The Moon Is A Dead World (2005)

So this is basically a more progressive and even slightly psychedelic Circle Takes the Square, but a lot heavier. Vocals are infrequent, and what's most obvious from the get-go is the incredible drumming. I am really struggling to describe what it sounds like, but my flatmate just said that one of the tracks sounds like Honey Bucket by Melvins. Let's go with it sounding like a psychedelic Melvins playing screamo. That sounds kinda cool...

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The Haverchucks - Demo (2010)

A Canadian pop-punk band in the style of Screeching Weasel with a Freaks and Geeks related name? Check. I really don't know what else there is to explain. If you are the kind of person who wouldn't enjoy it you probably stopped reading after the first line anyway...

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Codeine - The White Birch (1994)

Opener 'Sea' instantly evokes the sound of the Slint's masterpiece Spiderland, and this instantly won me over. This quiet and almost haunting sound continues throughout the album. While often compared to other early '90s slowcore bands such as Red House Painters and Low, I always thought of Codeine as more reflective of the sounds and feelings of bands such as Slint and June of 44. Dig it.

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Milk - Jason's Song (2002)

Basically running on the awesomeness that is The Knife Song, known to many by being featured in Jason's Lee's part in the legendary Blind Video Days skateboarding video, Milk were a band featuring future Big Brother magazine editor and Jackass creator Jeff Tremaine on vocals. It's a cool collection of songs, and is worth it for The Knife Song alone. Perfect for fans of lo-fi early '90s alt-rock.

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Dead Ringer - Demo (2010)

A youthfully exuberant '90s pop/skate-punk throwback from these youngn's from New Jersey. Maybe my mind has just been warped by Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, but I just gotta love that warm fuzzy familiar feeling from this kinda jazz. Kinda makes me wonder why Screeching Weasel were never on a THPS game...

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Tiltmeter - Second Chance Draw (2002)

A short and catchy three track EP (or maybe it was meant to be a single) from the early 2000s Melbourne pop punk band Tiltmeter. Free from the trap of glossy overproduction that makes any kind of melodic punk start to sound like a Simple Plan album, the playing is tight and is essentially a live in the studio sound. I would upload a picture of the front cover, but my scanner isn't working at the moment.

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Jawbreaker - Live at CBGB's (1993)

A great bootleg recording of Jawbreaker in what was arguably their post-throat surgery prime. A nearly flawless setlist, with some of the earliest performances of 24 Hour Revenge Therapy tracks, which the setlist is largely dependent on. The playing is tight as always and features a much stronger voiced post-op Blake Schwarzenbach. Sound quality is near perfect, and really captures the rawness that made Jawbreaker what they were.

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NoMeansNo - Live + Cuddly (1991)

An excellent live album of an excellent band in their prime. Recorded in Vera, Groningen and Effenaar, Eindhoven, Holland, Spring 1990, following the release of their classic album Wrong, this album is flawless performance. Definitely a good starting point for those new to NoMeansNo.

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Mega City Four - Tranzophobia (1989)

A solid power-pop/rock album from English band Mega City Four. I first discovered these guys in Poison City Records in Melbourne, when the guy behind the counter was playing them. I liked what I heard and proceeded to download what I could find. The album is a similar to the general late '80s pop-punk/power-pop, such as Doughboys, Big Drill Car and Senseless Things. A great sound comes through in this vinyl rip.

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Unfun - Pain Prescription (2010)

With an overt Jawbreaker reference in their name, I was clearly excited when I first read about this Canadian punk band. Standing on the building blocks of what's essentially three decades of this kind of melodic, yet gruff brand of punk (think Husker Du, Jawbreaker, Hot Water Music), Unfun prove that one does not need to reinvent the wheel to put out a fantastic release. This is one band to keep an eye on.

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Big Drill Car - Batch (1987)

A solid album from Californian pop-punk/rock band Big Drill Car. Fitting into that late '80s/early '90s pop-punk sound, but with a strong emphasis on tight musicianship and more of a general rock sound, much like their peers Down by Law, ALL and Chemical People. A fun and enjoyable album with plenty of catchy tracks and tight as hell performances. Features a neat cover of Devo's Freedom of Choice.

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The Nils - The Nils (1987)

All credit for bringing this forgotten piece of awesomeness has got to go to icoulddietomorrow.blogspot.com, where I found this album. The Nils were a Canadian power-pop/alt-rock band, in a similar vein to Husker Du, but with a much more polished sound more akin to The Smiths or REM. Understandably, there is little on this album that hadn't been done before, but what is clear is that this is a very solid album from start to finish. I am completely confident that had this been released by an already established and acclaimed band, such as The Replacements, it would have been heralded as an '80s alt-rock classic.

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John K. Samson - Slips & Tangles (1993)

In 1993, John K. Samson, while a member of the up and coming Propagandhi, and later to be the driving force in The Weakerthans, released a cassette of solo acoustic recordings. What makes this album so memorable and special to me is how the lo-fi recording quality, most likely recorded in his bedroom, gives such a large sense of insight and essentially voyeurism into what was just a 19 year old guy by himself many years ago. Never reprinted, actual copies are essentially non-existent. What really makes me wonder is the fact that this fantastic album would have likely never been heard by anyone out of John K. Samson's immediate circle at the time had Propagandhi/The Weakerthans never achieved popularity, let alone being listened to by some guy in Australia 18 years later. An excellent album of the earliest known John K. Samson written material.

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Screaming Females - Castle Talk (2010)

After being recommended this album by a friend I had little idea of what to expect from this New Jersey band I had never heard of. The name and knowledge of a female vocalist instantly evoked thoughts of a Soviettes style Screeching Weasel knock off band, but I was definitely off the mark. What the album does entail is a blend of indie rock, punk and fantastic guitar work and vocals (courtesy of frontwoman Marissa Paternoster). Excellent raw and lo-fi (but not obnoxiously so) production and excellent performances from all three members both go hand in hand to make this one of my favourite albums of 2010.

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Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out (1997)

The best album from a band I have only recently fallen in love with, Sleater-Kinney's Dig Me Out is often lumped in with the rest of the early '90s Pacific North West riot grrrl scene, but is so much more. I'd already listened to pretty much every band of note from that scene years back in the inevitable 16 year old riot grrrl phase, but had somehow missed Sleater-Kinney on the way. Probably just figured they were some hipster band that could never entertain me like the hardline yelling and carrying on of Bikini Kill. Anyway, upon finally listening to Dig Me Out it was clearly evident the scope of what I had been missing. An instant classic for me, and an indie rock staple of the '90s.

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