get out of jail free mixtape #1 | a midwest emo mixtape
47Get out of Jail Free Tape #1
By Austin Dunn (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdOYn3LtL-B5WzA3Rdzz4lQ)
Tracklist:
A1. Marquette - Parked Car (00:15)
Marquette was a band from Illinois and they put out their record Waxing/Waning in 2007. These guys were super ahead of their time. You listen to Waxing/Waning and it sounds like the twinkly Bandcamp shit that was coming out around 2011. The two guitarists from Marquette later went on to form Penpal, which is another pretty good band.
A2. Jazz Hands - I Don’t Think I’m In to Toga Parties (03:46)
This band from Ohio only ever put out one EP, The Party, in 2010, but man that record fuckin’ rips.
A3. Tamiroff - Techno and Grown-ups (06:40)
Good luck finding any info about these guys - I know they were from Rochester, NY and members went on to form Polar Bear Club. Tamiroff was doing the twinkly screamo thing before it was cool, way back in 2004. They only ever put out three EPs, but this band has such a cool sound - gruff creamy vocals with some sexy jazzy guitar licks.
A4. Cycle To - All About Fences (09:35)
I know nothing about this band other than they’re French and this song rips.
A5. Peter the Pianoeater - You Take The High Road (11:57)
Exclusive! Unreleased! Get it here folks! This early demo was recorded in 2005, before Algernon Cadwallader was a BAND band. The songwriting here clearly isn’t up to the standard they would set on their proper records, but it’s still a cool piece of Algernon lore.
B1. My Head in the Clouds - Did The Rock Go To Culinary School (15:34)
Here we enter the twinkle skramz side of the tape. MHIC were from Indiana, and they only ever released eight songs to my knowledge. This was solidly in the MySpace era around 2004-2010. I think this is my favorite song of theirs - simple, pretty, twinkly riffs with some quality screamo vocals, you can’t go wrong.
B2. Boy Problems - I Swallowed A Bug (19:12)
THIS is the fucking song. It’s not possible to write a better twinkly screamo song than this. It has everything - the Superbad sample in the intro (we all know Michael Cera is the most emo actor), the two guitars playing clean, noodly riffs, the recording quality that sounds like it was recorded in a dumpster using a Happy Meal mic, and the melodramatic screaming lyrics. “I could recite your smile from a hundred blocks away, can you say the same?”
B3. Mallard - Quack Attack (23:08)
This band was so good. Formed from the members of Footnotes and Corcovado, Mallard was notable for having THREE guitars. This shines through especially in their early songs, where the warm, clean, open-tuned guitars form a twinkly bed for your ears to rest on. This song is from their first (and best) EP, Mallard “Of The Thick” from 2010.
B4. Midwest Pen Pals - Austin’s House (25:40)
Duh, it’s Midwest Pen Pals. If you don’t know this band, they were formed from the ashes of Merchant Ships in 2009, by singer/screamer Jack Senff and guitarist Nick Stutsman, plus drummer Garrett Cabello and Kyle Wayne Luck on bass, the two of which would later comprise The Exploration and Oliver Houston. Midwest Pen Pals’ only release (Inside Jokes EP) is an essential listen for twinkle skramz fans (I’m now realizing I’ve used the word “twinkle” about 20 times in this write-up so far)
C1. Shapes Like Dinosaurs - Cotton Candy (29:29)
This band is so fun. They were from Birmingham, Alabama and played a sort of emo-adjacent mostly instrumental math rock. This song from their second EP, Cretaceous Calculus, is a good intro to the band. You hear the light, math riffs, excellent drumming, and fun vocals.
C2. Cowboys Aren’t Indians - I Found It! (33:50)
This band was from [SLC, Utah] and this song was released around 2009. I threw it on the tape cause it sounds nice between the other two songs.
C3. Joan of Arc - White Out (39:20)
D1. Pirouette - North Brandywine (43:10)
There is SO MUCH I could say about this band, but for the sake of brevity, Pirouette was a band from Philly composed of Scotty Leitch, two future members of Everyone Everywhere, and an anonymous (to my knowledge) female vocalist. They released a decent amount of material, though the only releases you’ll likely be able to find are Thinking in Subtitles and A Bunch of Sht Noone Will Ever Hear. This track is from the latter, and it’s so good. It’s everything I love about the 2007-2010 Philly emo scene - open-tuned guitar riffs, vocal harmonies, melancholic yet positive lyrics. Leitch later went on to drum for Alex G.
D2. The Brave Little Abacus - Che Guevara Didn’t Wear His Own T-Shirts (45:48)
D3. Treetops - Sun and Arms (51:09)
These guys were doing the 90’s Midwest emo revival thing before empire! Empire! And the other bands of that scene. Treetops were from Houston, TX and played a lo-fi, old-school style of emo, clearly taking a lot of inspiration from Mineral and similar bands. This 6-minute track makes a pretty good closer to my tape, and I hope you enjoy it!
- Austin Dunn
#emomix #midwestemo