Here are two new Dischord records which are pretty unrelated other than being on the same label and being comprised of a minimal lineup. First we have The Aquarium which features erstwhile DC personality Mr. Jason Hutto on keyboards and Laura Harris on drums. A whimsical ride through old tattered school filmstrips and scabbed knees with great melodies and clever lyrics. Hutto croons over his Wurlitzer and old synth bringing to mind Quasi and Sonic Youth in his vocal stylings. Here are my fave tracks: the insturmental  "Credits" and "Can’t Afford To Live Here", the latter being an ode to gentrification and the rising cost of living in Washington, D.C.. A now a little story about "Credits". I saw Aquarium play a local haunt The Galaxy Hut years ago before releasing a record. They decided to have this ridiculous old fishing reel projected behind them with an old man and his friend (son?) happily fishing in the sea. The music fit the scene perfectly with bounding waves and a happy old guy helping a younger man fishing, spotting the rod, etc… This exact scene happened to be enacted off the cuff by none other than Jason Hamacher (ex-Frodus / G. Gordon Liddy prank call fame) and Stephen Guidry (of The Cassettes as the younger fisherman). Mr. Hamacher had his shirt off and they perfectly mimiced the ridiculous fishing scene that was being projected. It truly was a ridiculous moment and perfectly executed to the laughs and smiles of the whole crowd. Perhaps this is one of those "had to be there" moments, but just try and envision this. Please.

And the other Dischord release is Joe Lally’s solo album "There To Here". An album he has been writing for the past few years which takes the weaving bass lines that you heard in Fugazi and strips them down to a simple line and vocals with minimal instrumentation on top. A challenging record which leaves your mind filling in the gaps that gets better with each listen. In a live setting Joe is backed up an always changing cast of musicians. He even had some of the Melvins back him up whilst on tour with them. Joe is a must see if he comes to your town and this record is just a taste of the rhythms and interesting compositions that Joe seems to be writing these days post-Fugazi.

[ DOWNLOAD "CAN’T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE" by THE AQUARIUM ]

[ DOWNLOAD "CREDITS" by THE AQUARIUM ]

I just had to add "GOLDEN PYRAMID" because you can’t go wrong with the lyrics "trapped inside a golden pyramid / trapped inside a decadent monolith." Whoa.

[ DOWNLOAD "GOLDEN PYRAMID" by THE AQUARIUM ]

[ DOWNLOAD "THERE TO HERE" by JOE LALLY ]

[ DOWNLOAD "LIDIA’S SONG" by JOE LALLY ]

[ BUY JOE LALLY & THE AQUARIUM FROM DISCHORD ]

Joe Lally iTunes Link | The Aquarium iTunes Link