coaltar of the deepers
 

I've talked about them elsewhere on this board, but this has been one of my favorite bands for a good 6 years now. Some of their releases are heavy (in all senses of the word) shoegaze, some are more electronica-influenced JPop/death metal type stuff, but most of their stuff kind of mixes all that stuff... with some tribal and jazz influences. It's not as crazy as that description makes it sound, it's not ironic or a Mr. Bungle spazz-a-thon, the songs actually hold up really really well and aren't as crazy as that description would have you believe. Just really excellent, well-produced songs. I think they are mostly known for their Sue is Fine cover, which appeared on some MBV tribute compilation I never heard.

Anyway, here's their newest album, "Yukari Telepath":
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BMUCU6E0

Reccomended!

square with an X, eh? Damn.

Oh wait, I went to it. It's either a happy/smiley/thumbs up guy or a happy/smileymiddle finger guy.

Either way, you're welcome!

http://www.last.fm/music/Coaltar+of+the+Deepers if anyone's wondering. Didn't realize they had over 200,000 plays! Damn!

that's an index finder swinging guy that goes "ha! looks like an interesting thing you pointed us at! I must remember to check them out."

oh. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pADYa...eature=related

Honestly, if that song alone doesn't make everyone want to get everything this band has ever done, I'd be shocked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOBOb...eature=related

seriously, watch that top video.

i dont think id dig this

I think you would. It's heavy-as-hell shoegaze with some of the greatest pop hooks ever, awesome thrash parts, and electronic keyboards! Great songwriting. Just watch the vids.

More album links:

http://www.divshare.com/download/3975518-7c9
"breaststroke"

This has some of the best shoegaze songs on it ever written with some amazing riffs and great hooks. Heavy as hell. The only fault with this album is there's a song that seems to ripoff big mouth strikes again.... ?!?!?!

http://www.divshare.com/download/4011884-762
"pengiun ep"

This is straight up death metal/thrash metal with electronic parts and the occasional pop hooks. The same exact band, just sounding completely different. Great stuff.

listening to it.

it's like goofy anime music but with toned down vocals (a la mbv) and heavier production.

yeah not bad.. terible name for a band tho...

must check out the album you posted..

remindes me kinda of drop nineteens vs swirlies vs swervedriver.... reminds me of a lot of bands actually

not bad tho...

Well, the problem is, they have seriously 20 albums (like 15 EP's) and each album has a lot of AMAZING songs and some trash. I'd probably go for the "Breaststroke" album I posted above, it's more MBV-type stuff.

man, ive never heard of em until now.. 20 odd albums...
ok, im intruiged!

How come the only person I know that's even HEARD this band has been Adam? They are perfect.

It's like shoegaze made by people who grew up listening to old Morbid Angel and Death records. It's interesting watching early live videos and then newer live videos; the long hair was cut and the Ibanez's were traded for Fenders. I've heard someone say they're like the Japanese version of maudlin of the Well... I wouldn't say that since this band rock out a lot more though they both share this large musical scope.

Their earlier stuff is worse than their albums from the past 10 years mainly because the earlier albums have very monotonous rhythms and dynamics. If you listen to 'Visitors from the Deepspace', 3 or 4 songs have the exact same rhythm and drumbeat... it's weird. I still like it a lot but when they started playing more clean guitars and had female vocals I think that's when they really hit their stride.

A lot of the chords and structures seem very specific to this band. I can't really think of any band that truly sounds like them other than something like Plastic Tree (which has ripped off Coaltar of the Deepers a lot I think). I was working out the other day and decided to just play all the Coaltar albums that was on my iPod and ended up listening to them for the rest of the day. I think their best asset is piecing the parts of their songs together; often times my most favourite part is when they go into this shoegazey clean bit and then burst into a fast melodic rock passage. Wonderful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbjeCTC16Yo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pADYaKph7Uo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOi9NJQ2i8o

Actually Derek this band is pretty big. They're enjoyed by everyone into j-indie at all (which is pretty much no one on this board besides me an you, which I always found strange, since the language barrier doesn't stop people from digging Polysics or Boredoms or Acid Mothers or the non-English Melt Banana songs, etc... in other words, what makes certain J bands crossover-worthy but a lot of the more awesome ones -- Number Girl + their extended family, Metronome, Coaltar, Sparta fuckin' Locals -- are ignored?). I've been into 'em for about 10 years now, and am impressed by how much they change styles, while always having shades of 'gaze.

I go through phases where I'm just flat-out obsessed with j-indie stuff. Then I kinda just don't pay attention for a while. The main problem is that, aside from random blogs, it's hard to find information out about this stuff. Before Soulseek, finding any Coaltar before Breakstroke was downright impossible.

Strangely, Derek, Kyle is into 'em. And he'd heard them completely separate from me.

My friends Cory (Kindergarten Hazing Ritual), Matt (Bubblegum Octopus), and James Osbourne are fans and had found them all separately.

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