THE PHOTO ATLAS should be happy it’s 2007 and not 2003 because if it were, there’s no telling how hard it’d be for the band to standout amongst the numerous garage/dance/post-punk bands that were infiltrating radios a few years ago. You know the sound: angular/jangly/raw riffs, danceable rhythms, shouted vocals, and a sprinkle of keyboards [...]

Featuring former members of BLUE MONDAY, GO IT ALONE, and IN STRIDE, the fellas in KEEP IT CLEAR predictably pick up with the nearly the same frame of reference from the aforementioned. The flag of traditional hardcore is flying on the band’s six song demo (download it here). According to the people behind the Legitimate Bros. website, the group is currently writing material for an official 7″ release.

Here’s a tour idea that we could sponsor: “Pastepunk presents the I Love Intellectual Property Pop Punk Tour featuring THE COPYRIGHTS, THE TRADEMARK, and PATENT PENDING.” Huphup!

From the inbox:

“On Thursday August 30, 2007, Looney Tunes CDs, one of the best independent record stores in the country, suffered a huge fire. All inventory was lost, and damage to the building was extensive. Just over three months later the Long Island, NY record store is re-opening for business.

CHUCK RAGAN will kick off a week of in-store performances to celebrate the grand re-opening on Saturday, December 1 at 2PM. Other artists scheduled to perform later in the week include STEEL TRAIN, PATENT PENDING, THURSDAY, BRAND NEW and others. For a complete list of artists performing, store information and links to video footage of the re-building process, go to: looneytunescds.com“

The UK’s BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have released a brand new song titled “Scream Aim Fire.” The tune is the title track from their upcoming second full-length. You can check out a stream of the song here (windows media).

The band that never rests, Tallahassee’s LOOK MEXICO, will be forgoing an extended holiday break to hit much of the southeast with friends CHASE PAGAN and ONE SMALL STEP FOR LANDMINES. The band continues to support this year’s This Is Animal Music.

NOV 29 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits w/ Chase Pagan

NOV 30 – Gainesville, FL @ 1982 w/ Chase Pagan, Mayday Parade

DEC 01 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Beta Bar w/ Chase Pagan, Go Radio, Say it Twice

DEC 02 РPensacola, FL @ Sluggo’s w/ Chase Pagan

DEC 03 – Houston, TX @ The Mink w/ Papermoons, Chase Pagan

DEC 04 – San Antonio, TX @ Atomix w/ Chase Pagan

DEC 05 РAustin, TX @ Emo’s w/ Chase Pagan

DEC 06 – Claremore, OK @ King of Clubs w/ Chase Pagan

DEC 08 РLittle Rock, AR @ Juanita’s w/ Chase Pagan

DEC 09 – Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9 w/ Chase Pagan

DEC 18 – Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic w/ The Grabass Charlestons, One Small Step For Landmines

DEC 20 – Tampa, FL @ Transitions Art Gallery w/ One Small Step For Landmines

DEC 21 – Sarasota, FL @ Very Heavy Music w/ One Small Step For Landmines

DEC 22 – Brandon, FL @ The Porch w/ One Small Step For Landmines

The band was once on the receiving end of a Pastepunk interview earlier this year, check it out here.

CASKET SALESMEN – Sleeping Giants (Longhair Illuminati)

CASKET SALESMEN was formed in 2006 by two ex-members of A STATIC LULLABY, Phil Pirrone and Nathan Lindeman, and released their debut disc titled Sleeping Giants the same year. Needless to say, the album has been around for a while now, but I was just recently introduced to the duo. Firstly, Sleeping Giants is worlds better than anything ASL has done or will do. Pirrone and Lindeman write trippy psychedelic rock songs that fit comfortably alongside classics like PINK FLOYD and YES and contemporaries like THE MARS VOLTA and, to a certain degree, CAVE IN (some of the songs here are actually pretty heavy). Secondly, the absolute highlight comes in track four, “The Anaheimlich Maneuver,” where an atmospheric backdrop is graciously accentuated with mild keyboard touches, whispery vocals, and a rather enthused saxophone interlude. Although the album does lag at times, the band keeps the pretentious notions to a minimum. This is a very promising debut effort from the SALESMEN, and I hear a follow-up is right around the corner.

THE STILETTO FORMAL – This Is My Boomstick (Self-Released)

Also released in 2006, This Is My Boomstick is the second self-released effort from Phoenix’s THE STILETTO FORMAL. When describing the band, one really only needs to use the word “amalgamation.” They blend together musical influences such as CURSIVE, MURDER BY DEATH, and CHIODOS and mix it with a vocal performance that is dead-on AT THE DRIVE-IN. While the music definitely sounds familiar, THE STILETTO FORMAL is surely onto something here. The EP itself only has four tracks and the third one, “I Sing The Body Electric,” is a dud that relies too heavily on synth notes to be musically captivating. Other than that, Boomstick has some decent content, now it’s just up to the band to refine that content to make something a bit more long lasting.

This post from EVERY TIME I DIE guitarist Andy Williams appears to be a response to an internet backlash to Keith Buckley performing a cover of PANTERA’s “Walk” with FALL OUT BOY.

It does seem a bit surreal, doesn’t it?

Link:MySpace