"Self destruction is oh so romantic" - Latterman

News item the first: Despite being charged with reckless driving in Hanover County, I had a blast in Richmond. Thanks to all the cool kids I met, thanks to Miles for the beer, and thanks to Cristina and Landis for letting me crash there.

News item the second: Hipster fashion in a nutshell? Yes. http://www.wondermark.com/d/188.html

Latterman are one of those bands that I feel are unjustly overlooked in the scenes that spawned them. Like the Lawrence Arms or the Thermals, it boggles my mind that Latterman are not one of the most popular bands in the underground.

I guess being signed to that post-emo/hardcore/whatever sinkhole that is Deep Elm Records has something to do with it. Every time I pick up an album and it has the Deep Elm logo on the back, I assume it's just dull, directionless noodling from guys who like Rites of Spring way too much.

Emerging from the basements of Long Island, Latterman released the decent Turn Up the Punk, We'll Be Singing, which showed chops and passion but was lacking in the distinctive songwriting department. It received pretty much no attention from people who don't spend all day trying to find new bands on the internet so they can trump their friends.

That changed with 2005's No Matter Where We Go!, which found them channeling their Hot Water Music infatuation into shotgun blasts of gang-shout choruses, dueling guitars, hooks galore, and the kind of lyrics that make connecting with other human beings sound like something appealing. (Besides, any band who titles a song "Video Games and Fantasy Novels Are Fucking Awesome!" and avoids making it jokey pop-punk or whiny emo irony deserves a medal.) And while bands singing about their convictions make me roll my eyes and file under "Against Me! wannabe basement show freaks," you can tell these dudes fucking mean it, man. Besides, they aren't shoving it in your face; they just wanna be friends with you, is all.

They just (okay, August) put out a new record called We Are Still Alive, which isn't bad. A little filler, but destined for honorable mention on my end-of-the-year list at Racket.

For all the people who still believe and the ones who wish they could believe again.

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/6470025/Latterman_Doom_Doom_Doom_.mp3.html

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/8629355/Latterman_Fear_and_Loathing_on_Long_Island.mp3.html

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/1985102/Latterman_Water_Manes_At_the_Block_s_End.mp3.html

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/8903963/Latterman_This_Basements_Is_Giving_Me_a_Fucking_Headache.mp3.html