The Get Up Kids / Volcano, I'm Still Excited!! - Split 7'' (Devil in the Woods, 2004)

The Get Up Kids / Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!
Split 7''
Devil in the Woods
2004

Rating: 6 grave diggers out of 10

Man I really have a lot of these Devil in the Woods records!  It's like a surprise every time I find one.  This split finds the Get Up Kids performing a "Live In The Studio" version of their song "Wouldn't Believe It," also found on their record "Guilt Show."  I was way into these guys for a while but this track is after I sorta stopped listening - it's decent enough, catchy, but can't really speak to how different (or necessary) it is compared to the album version.   

The b-side is a demo version of "Trunk of My Car" by Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!.  They only released one self-titled record and (I'm assuming) the version found there is polished and fancy.  The music is fine, typical Elephant 6-inspired pop, but the most noteworthy thing about this band is it is fronted by Mark Duplass, filmmaker and Pete from the hilarious show "The League." 

The Rum Diary - Back in the Hardcore Days 7'' (Devil in the Woods, 2006)

The Rum Diary
Back in the Hardcore Days 7''
Devil in the Woods
2006

Rating: 6.5 consolidated contracts out of 10

I saw the Rum Diary live a whole bunch of times, my time in SF matching up pretty well with their highly active years.  These two songs ("High Hawk" being the other side) are very much in line with their other material, that being some blend of dream pop and shoegaze and post-rock and straight-forward indie rock.  At their best they were always a bit like a less-dynamic version of Yo La Tengo.  The title track is also available on their last full-length "We're Afraid of Heights Tonight."

The Cardigans / Matt Pond & Beth Wawerna - Split 7'' (Devil in the Woods, 2004)

The Cardigans / Matt Pond & Beth Wawerna
Split 7''
Devil in the Woods
2004

Rating: 6.5 mean kids out of 10

Another Devil in the Woods split - I don't know if I had a subscription to this or my friend that worked for them gave them to me, but I have a lot more of these records than I remembered.  Side A is a live version of "No Sleep" from Dansk radio, whatever that is, by the Cardigans.  Good song but not on the same level as their early, sweet pop from the mid-nineties.  The regular version is on their record "Long Gone Before Daylight," which I know from the internet because I never listened to this album.  The other side is a collaboration between Matt Pond and Beth Wawerna called "Devil in the Water."  I have no idea who Beth is, but she adds some female vocals to what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill Matt Pond indie folk dirge. 

Supergrass / Ikara Colt / Apostle of Hustle - Split 7'' (Devil in the Woods, 2005)

Supergrass / Ikara Colt / Apostle of Hustle
Split 7''
Devil in the Woods
2005

Rating: 6.5 thief codes out of 10

The draw on this seven inch split between three bands is the first track, a live version of the great "Mansize Rooster" by Supergrass.  One of their very best songs, and it's a good recording, though they do that thing I hate when I see bands live - have the crowd sing parts of the songs for them.  I'm paying to hear the band do the singing, not these dumb dipshits around me!

One the B side, Ikara Colt is totally ripping off the Fall, but you could pick worse bands to rip off, and they don't do an awful job at it.  Apostle of Hustle is...honestly, I don' have anything to say about them - boring jangly Canadian indie rock.  I guess they have some connection to Broken Social Scene.  It's not awful or anything, just meh. 

The Shins, Ramsey Kearney & Tim Oehmsen, and Denison Witmer - Split 7'' (Devil in the Woods, 2004)

The Shins, Ramsey Kearney & Tim Oehmsen, and Denison Witmer
Split 7''
Devil in the Woods
2004

Rating: 7 life goals out of 10

I honestly didn't know I had this.  I used to write show reviews for a friend that worked for Devil in the Woods, so I can only assume she gave it to me and I filed it away and forgot about it. The Shins track, "The Gloating Sun," is one of their oldest songs and was also featured on their "When I Goose Step" seven inch; from my favorite era of the Shins to be sure.  The other track on side A is "You're Not the Only One" by Tim Oehmsen with Ramsey Kearney - sort of an old school sounding country track, I want to say it is part of that whole song-poem thing that got talked about a lot a decade or so back.  The B-side is just one track, Denison Witmer performing "Worry All the Time" - mellow, morose folk, but more enjoyable than that description sounds.   A nice find in the collection, it was like getting a new record. 

Minmae - Ya Te Vas? (Devil in the Woods, 2004)

Minmae
Ya Te Vas?
Devil in the Woods
2004

Rating: 6.5 boxes of mac-and-cheese out of 10

Minmae, a musical group out of Portland, OR, are that odd brand of band who produce music that is both instantly likeable and recognizable, but you can never place exactly who or what they sound like. Alt folk, ambient drone, straight up rock…all sorts of styles run through the music. Fans of Sebadoh, Codeine, Seam, and similar mellow-but-noisy stuff should give a listen. I like this quite a bit, it sounds like a rainy Pacific Northwest day – a little morose but still beautiful.