I’d like to think that every day’s home-office soundtrack is the result of painstakenly created playlists and great game plans, but more often than not, it pretty much follows the path of dog sniffing things off the sidewalk in an early morning walk. Using a service like Rdio only makes the diversions and splintering more likely. Here’s a look into today’s selections…

• 1. Early Monday morning. Kids are off to daycare and it’s time to mosh into the work week with EARTH CRISIS’ Neutralize The Threat.
• 2. Environment saved. Hamstring suddenly a bit sore. Let’s try Rdio’s EARTH CRISIS radio station…
• 3. Not a bad start, the first three songs are from STRIFE, SNAPCASE, and 108.
• 4. And the next three songs are from STRIFE, SNAPCASE, and 108.
• 5. Ooooh, a FREYA track (said no one, ever). Bonus: a different FREYA – light fluffy female folk stuff. Next track please.
• 6. And we’re back to STRIFE. Rdio’s radio function could use some work. Time to bail.
• 7. TIGHT FIGHT – Floral Green. For the fourth straight listen, I don’t look at the track listing until it’s already song seven.
• 8. After the clicking the Side One Dummy catalog link on Rdio… searching, searching, searching…
• 9. Case docket looking ugly, need infusion of Swedish happiness – hello, THE SOUNDS!!! If I was 13 again and the bratty child of obscenely wealthy parents, I’d demand that my father pay bribe band into playing my Bar Mitzvah.
• 10. Case docket looking uglier, Swedish immersion continues with THE HAUNTED’s One Kill Wonder. Docket not amused.
• 11. Gotta bring things down to a calmer level before lunch with the lush, new-wavish rock of WILD NOTHING’s Nocturne.
• 12. Lunch consumed. Kicking things off with a bang again: mid 90s chugging hardcore – OVERCOME’s Blessed Are The Persecuted.
• 13. Spent the next 15 minutes sorting through various Tooth and Nail and Solid State titles, tripping over memories and a lot of loud, but crudely recorded hardcore titles.
• 14. Docket getting friendly… which naturally calls for soaring leg kicks and simple-as-a-rock youth crew drum beats, yes, we’re talking about the WIDE AWAKE 25 Song Discography on Smorgasbord Records.
• 15. Afternoon coffee brewed. Slogging through a digital wasteland. Applications crashing. Grumble, grumble. Uplift me Rdio, uplift me! MIXTAPES ‘ Companions. Ten minute reboot complete.

- I never realized how much this band sounds like BY A THREAD on this song (and BRAND NEW too, but not quite in the same way). Pick up their new full-length “Safe For Now” if you haven’t already made that move.

- This short EP (only 11 minutes) features a killer closing song in “Remedy”. It’s the kind of tune where you envision yourself listening to it as an old-timey music executive, sporting a finely tailored dark suit, chomping on a giant cigar, and telling a bunch of henchmen, “boys – find these guys and sign them, and do whatever it takes!”. Heck of a single in “Remedy”…

- New label sampler from Germany’s Take It Back Records. Broad mix of hardcore styles the seemingly spans 20 years of contemporary development, but most within a NYHC grasp. Having not been terribly familiar with the label before coming across this, it looks like I have a few more bands to research and check out. Standouts: ANIMAL INSTINCT, STATE OF MIND, UPRIGHT.

- This is a melodic metal “Collaboration Special” featuring members of SOILWORK, THREAT SIGNALS, MUTINY WITHIN, SACRED MOTHER TONGUE and VEXT. All of the guest vocal/lead guitar pairings can be found on the band’s Bandcamp page.

AS I LAY DYING are a technically passionate band. I have yet to find myself screaming out lyrics from an AS I LAY DYING song while pacing around with outstretched arms. But I have taken to nodding in assertive appreciation of their songwriting talents, and modest headbanging is generally on the table. So goes the [...]

From the inbox:

UK pop-punk act SAVE YOUR BREATH will be teaming up with Australia’s MONUMENTS for a limited edition 7″ vinyl, released through Hindsight Records 26th October 2012.

Since releasing their debut album, Vices in 2011, SAVE YOUR BREATH have established themselves as one of the scene’s hardest working bands, slotting tour spots throughout the UK with heavyweights such as New Found Glory, Man Overboard and The Story So Far and recently wrapping up a string of headline shows throughout Europe.

Sharing a similar work ethic, Perth lads MONUMENTS have spent the most 2012 playing an array of shows. After releasing their debut EP The Only Way We Know in January 2012 and completing a national tour with label friends Milestones, MONUMENTS have created quite the resume supporting bands such as Transit, Break Even, Miles Away and Deez Nuts.

The split release will include two new tracks by both bands. Two songs from the EP can be streamed below. Pre-order packages can be found here.

- Two bands that have no shame in wearing in their contemporary influences because they know they do it very well. This is the kind of split the $2 digital download was made for (if you’re not a rabid vinyl collector).

- The track “I Am Love” came across my iTunes random play earlier today, reminded me how this band has pretty much never put out a bad release or written a bad song. Hopefully they will compile all of their 7″s into a CD w/ detailed artwork at some point. Stream and download (for free) all of their recordings from their Bandcamp page.