I could talk all day, especially about I.V. and ICDWIW.

Snowing was a 4 piece punk / emo band from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. They were part of the fourth of wave emo, which is another topic dear to me. Suffice it to say, Snowing is considered one of, if not the, best bands in this scene. Why? I think the songs they wrote do an excellent job of conveying the sense of angst, depression, and hopelessness felt by many teens and twenty somethings today. John Galm, the band's lead singer and primary songwriter was indeed one of these twenty somethings, and wrote primarily about his anxiety, his father's death, and his alcoholism. I know I can identify with most of these topics, so I have an easy time getting into this music. I hardly ever pay attention to lyrics when I listen to music, I prefer to just listen to the music. This album is probably the only album I know the majority of lyrics to, and I think that speaks volumes to how good the lyrics are. The actual playing is sloppy and raw, which reinforces the sense of dread, loneliness, and an intense inner emotional life. It's a relatively short album, 29 minutes, and feels even shorter when you listen to it..

DFA79 is 2 piece punk / dance band, one guy on the drums and one on a fucked up sounding guitar. IAW, YAM is essentially a self loathing breakup album. If you're not into songs about sex, with a nice dose of misogyny thrown in, stay away. That said, DFA79can write a mean hook. If you don't like Romantic Rights (imo, one of the best songs of the 00's), you're not gonna like the rest of the album. If you do, the rest of album stays essentially along this track, with a couple longer breather tracks in the middle and a nice ending come down track.

Loma Prieta is a screamo band. In fact, they are the harshest, most tortured band I have ever heard. I dig loud, angry music, and I'll take harshness over heaviness any day. Loma has been around for awhile, releasing, surprise, 3 albums before this. I.V. was a bit of a surprise in that Loma's previously thin, screamy sound had been turned into a thick, harsh, almost shoegaze like howl. I'll admit, a lot of the appeal of this album lies in that sound. Look past this, and you actually find some great songwriting chops. Fly By Night is catchy as hell, and Trilogy 6 is just staggeringly punishing. If you can get past the harshness, this is a fantastic album. However, most people won't, and I can't say I blame them. If nothing else, listen to this when you are at your saddest and loneliest.