Intransit "Demo" cassette (self released/1999)

Why am I still up at 2:30 am?? Being unemployed makes one not only poorer but sleep deprived and a little batty...

One of the earliest post on this blog was a the self titled four song cdep from the Selden based Intransit. In that post I mentioned that the band had one other release, a previous demo cassette and that I would upload it at some point. Well that point is now. This is a five song effort showcasing five excellent mid tempo post hardcore tunes that recall the sounds of Quicksand, Hum and Jawbox. This four piece consisted of Mark Pernice (guitar/vocals), Scott Altman (guitar), Karen Ciafonne (bass) and Steve Gache (drums). Pernice and Altman went on to play in Come Down while Ciafonne and Gache went on to play in This Year's Model and Bravado, though Gache would trade in the drum kit for guitar duties in both of those bands. Anyhow, Intransit were a good band with good people but unfortunately that wasn't enough to keep the ship afloat as the band disbanded not to long after the release of the self titled cdep. Which is an absolute shame as I felt around that time the band's sound was really starting to shine and if I am not mistaken the lion's share of that material was never recorded. With those later songs I felt a strong Hum Downward is Heavenward influence especially on the guitar sounds as they were getting really thick sounding. I would almost say that there was a hint of shoegaze influence towards the end but alas some things just aren't meant to be documented, just to happen in the moment. Regardless, I feel fortunate that I got to watch the band develop in a short period of time.

I would say that on this five song demo cassette there is more of emphasis on the Quicksand and Jawbox influence, which of course is never a bad thing. It is solid. Also I am certain that the version "Netself" on this demo is the same that appears on the cdep. The one thing I will say is that I wish everyone could see the packaging/layout on this tape as I always found it very striking. Granted by today's standards no big deal but back in 1999 just about every demo or even any other DIY release looked like dog shot, so to get this demo with a full color glossy double sided j-card and printed cassette labels it was a real treat. Anyhow check out the Intransit Demo and if you missed it go back and download the self titled cdep.

Intransit Demo track listing
1. Redshift
2. Netself
3. Now You've Done It
4. Otto
5. Gestalt

Download Here

Come Down "Sender" cd (self released/2001)

Here is a band that came out of the ashes of Intransit as guitarists Mark Pernice and Scott Altmann teamed up with former On the Might of Princes drummer Nicole Keiper and Tom Mallon on bass, keyboards, and programming right around time the new millennium touched down. Come Down played moody, spacious indie rock that reminded me of a cross between The Verve, Radiohead, Spirtualized and Portishead as well as some of the slower tempo Pedro the Lion material. There is also an element of the post hardcore that most of the members played in previous bands that is evident at times but in a manner that isn't too obtrusive. Unlike, a lot of bands from the island at the time who relied on fast, aggressive bursts of distorted guitars and throbbing low end to express themselves Come Down reveled in quite the opposite as their songs were about playing at slower tempos and locking into grooves that would flow carrying with it touches of layered sounds that didn't make the presence so obvious. There was a maturity to the songwriting of Come Down where parts in songs didn't feel rushed and that was something that I wasn't exposed to a lot with most of my peers' bands.  It was most welcome. At the time it should also be noted that bands were definitely being more pronounced with their sense of dynamics thanks to bands like On the Might of Princes and Latterman, where parts and changes jumped out at you. Subtlety in songwriting wasn't the order of the day and that was something the struck me instantly about the songs Come Down wrote.
  
I only saw the band a few times and somewhere along the line I picked up a copy of the CD that I am sharing with you today- Sender which I do believe is the only release that the band had. If I am mistaken and someone does know of another recording please let me know. Furthermore, I am not very familiar if the members of Come Down went onto to pursue other projects. Once again inform me and I shall be happy to share that information here. In the meantime check out Sender.

 Come Down "Sender" track listing
1. Synesthesia
2. New Script
3. Fast Cars
4. Everyone With Guitars
5. I Drive With Closed Eyes

Download Here

Intransit "s/t" cd (self released/1999)

It is Friday and there is a lot to do but still I would like make a quick post about this excellent 4 song ep by Intransit. This fairly short lived band went on to be splintered off into This Year's Model, Bravado and Come Down but not before releasing an excellent demo tape and the 4 song ep which I am happy to share here. Based out Selden, Intransit played post hardcore that meshed together the sounds of Hum, Quicksand, and Jawbox. It was a shame that were together for only a short period of time as their songs were just fantastic and furthermore unless my memory is way off there were a few songs that they were playing around the time this cdep came out were never recorded. The live track on this ep, "Crying For Satire" was one of my favorites and as far as I know this is the only recorded documentation of the song. If I am wrong and if there was a unreleased batch of songs let me know as I'd love to here them.

A funny (well funny to me) story about this cd is that it was being pressed at the same time that I was pressing the On the Might of Princes The Making of a Conversation cd and the local pressing plant where I was doing the cd called me up and informed me that my cds were ready for pick up. A friend and I headed down there to get them. When we opened the box in the office what was in the box wasn't On the Might of Princes cds but in fact were this Intransit cd. So I was bummed that my cds were in fact not ready but I was stoked to see that Intransit had there cds done and ready to share with everyone. And honestly even though many years have passed, I am now excited once again to see Intransit's awesome tunes be shared with everyone. Now I shall work on getting the demo tape ripped and uploaded for everyone to enjoy. Also if anyone is interested in this cdep I still have a couple of copies in my distro.

Intransit "s/t" cd track listing
1. "Without Sickleave"
2. "Instrumental"
3. "Netself"
4. Crying For Satire (live at CBGB's)

Download Here