i’ll try not to talk too much and stick to the visuals.all photos © Blake Larson 2013. if you’d like to use a photo, please just email and ask me. i’m really nice about this kind of stuff if you ask. Tumblr (3.0; @blklrsn)http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/e96f2b3469d2fda363133e08f37034f4/tumblr_mh6075tecj1qf23pso1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://thearteries.blogspot.com/">the arteries</a> @ the fire.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/41419699878http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/41419699878Thu, 24 Jan 2013 23:52:00 -0500arteriesphiladelphiapunkmusicthe fire<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gZwQFgSvIEE?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<br/><br/><strong>the menzingers - sun hotel (demo)</strong><br/>off of the album <em>on the possible past</em></p> <p>this song breaks my heart every time i hear it. the final version of of on the impossible past is pretty good too, but this is a classic.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38997771782http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38997771782Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:30:09 -0500menzingersphiladelphiaon the possible pastsun hotelbest of 2012<iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pC2m2IzHPVU?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<br/><br/><strong>desaparecidos - mariKKKopa</strong><br/>off of the new EP</p> <p><br/>desaparecidos’ first album was around in 2003 to remind me that i wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable with what “progress” has come to mean in america. it’s comforting to find them in the same corner as me once again when they decide to take on the inherent racism of the way that america interacts with it’s immigrants.<br/><br/>also like 2003, the tune rips, and the sarcasm is top-notch.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38912890043http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38912890043Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:30:32 -0500desaparecidosmarikkkopabacksellbest of 2012<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wx6WrJSTvYg?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<br/><br/><strong>big eyes - back from the moon</strong><br/>off of the single of the same name<br/><br/>this song, like everything that big eyes does, is just so rock and roll. the chorus is catchy as hell, and a great use of dynamics means that whenever the cymbals are crashing and the guitar is slamming on the same chord, it just sounds so powerful.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38830219473http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38830219473Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:30:28 -0500best of 2012big eyesback from the moonseattle<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lu5_H6F0IS8?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<br/><br/><strong>the bad doctors - spit it out</strong><br/>off of <em>7” cat. no. ee05</em></p> <p>all of the best things about devo, but in 2012 and in philadelphia. the band moves like a machine and the lead singer has such a good wail.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38758143009http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38758143009Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:30:32 -0500the bad doctorsphiladelphiaspit it out7 cat. no. ee05best of 2012<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/4e7b3e0412190e9478c011c42485b885/tumblr_mfjkh7hqnM1qf23pso1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>truly you are speaking for us all. <a href="http://youtu.be/pDORhX8gMJk">the potential johns</a> make me feel a little better about that gaping hole in my life, though.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38717235482http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38717235482Mon, 24 Dec 2012 10:31:55 -0500replymind spidersmarked menpotential johnsmbest of 2012<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/5b06f3c29448b3a09b936aa937025595/tumblr_mfjk4orJQN1qf23pso1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>for real. also, only this band <a href="http://youtu.be/Sa3_-qXcyFY">could turn a sheryl crow song into a scorcher</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38716791701http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38716791701Mon, 24 Dec 2012 10:24:00 -0500replyscreamalesbest of 2012<iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_S5UpGx6470?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<br/><br/><strong>john k. samson - when i write my master’s thesis</strong><br/>off of the album <em>provincial</em><br/><br/>this is the catchiest tune off of provincial, to start, and the writing is on point, as always. it’s easy to forget that lyrics can be poetry, and john k. samson always reminds me of that with his lyrics pretty quickly, even when he’s not writing sonnets. i really like the way that he flips the whole story with the last line of the song.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38673383735http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38673383735Sun, 23 Dec 2012 20:30:16 -0500john k samsonweakerthansbest of 2012when i write my masters' thesisprovincial<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fo_gim_yl44?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<br/><br/><strong>swearin’ - kenosha<br/></strong>off of the album <em>swearin’</em></p> <p>ok, so “movie star” is probably technically a better song of of this album, but “kenosha” is my personal favorite. I love how mean it is. i love the rhyme “i hope you like/kenosha so much/you stay there forever/and we all lose touch”. i love that goofy little riff that they play after each line of the chorus. “movie star” is probably more affecting, but this song is a lot more fun.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38588153474http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38588153474Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:30:30 -0500swearin'kenoshapunkmusicbest of 2012<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NDZYm2ZhbjA?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.</p> <p><strong>mind spiders - wait for us</strong><br/>from the album <em>meltdown</em> <br/><br/>the first time i heard the mind spiders’ 7” EP, i remember thinking of it as the soundtrack to a beach vacation. all four tracks make me want to set up a hammock on a deserted island and watch the tide go out, so i was kind of confused when I heard the more psychedelic full length. it was a good album, but it wasn’t the beach music that I was looking for.<br/><br/>this is the song that revealed the mind spider manifesto to me. the mind spiders aren’t beach-combing hippies. the mind spiders are evil, calculating alien beings who have come to earth to control us all with the stupefying power of their layered psych music. this song isn’t a day at the beach. this song is the sound of a black hole eating the earth.<br/><br/>they made a great video for the song too. i neglected to use the official version because it has a silent 2 minute intro.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38507662508http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38507662508Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:30:36 -0500mind spiderswait for usmeltdownpunkmusicbest of 2012<iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Uuu2bXidj2k?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<strong><br/><br/>screaming females - expire</strong><br/>from the album <em>ugly</em><br/><br/>this is the standout track from an album of excellently dark, brooding songs because of how well the hook matches the weird, reverb-y death-surf guitar tone. i have no idea how she plays any of these riffs while she sings.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38427234785http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38427234785Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:30:34 -0500expirenew jerseypunkscreaming femalesuglybest of 2012<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QtS83iJM5ck?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<br/><br/><strong>the smith street band - young drunk</strong><br/>from the album <em>sunshine & technology</em></p> <p>for all of the songs that punk rock has about the suburbs, none of them capture the weird isolation and nostalgia of revisiting the one that you grew up in quite like this one.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38347406889http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38347406889Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:30:14 -0500best of 2012smith street bandsunshine &amp; technologyaustralia<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mkx6f0LqFLM?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>10 best songs of 2012 cont.<strong><br/><br/>the men - oscillation</strong><br/>from the album <em>open your heart</em><br/><br/>the whole album rips, but this song stood out to me. it’s got the driving beat and wandering guitars of songs that I usually associate with lying on the carpet staring at the half-assed drywall patches on my ceiling, (that means you, potential johns “only time” and the ‘mats “seen your video”), but with none of the usual angst and self-loathing. this song sounds like a train ride through the mountains.<br/><br/>see all of my picks as I post them <a href="http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-2012">here</a>.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38282010282http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38282010282Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:25:02 -0500best of 2012the menpunkopen your heartoscillation<p>over the next 10 days, i&#8217;m going to post my 10 favorite songs of 2012. 10 albums is too tall an order for me. as a matter of fact, i couldn&#8217;t even be bothered to put these in any sort of sequential order.<br/><br/>i&#8217;ve already read a few other people&#8217;s lists and thought to myself &#8220;shit! i cant believe i forgot all about that one!&#8221;. that first single off of the new japandroids was awesome. the sickoids album is great. i didn&#8217;t realize that the tough shits&#8217; album was released in 2012, or else they might have had a place on here. i haven&#8217;t even listened to the newest white wires album, and i never gave gentleman jesse&#8217;s &#8220;leaving atlanta&#8221; the chance that it deserved. even with all of these glaring omissions on top of how cartoonishly seriously i take all of this is, i think i came up with a list i&#8217;m pretty proud of.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38281929888http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/38281929888Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:23:53 -0500best of 2012<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8492blhSm1r30zm8o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://megan-bbq.tumblr.com/post/31707977777/we-need-recent-pictures-well-more-recent-than">megan-bbq</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>We need recent pictures!</p> <p>Well, more recent than January. </p> <p>Photo credit: Blake Larson, Philadelphia Pennsylvania </p> </blockquote> <p>you know i’ll shoot any show you play in philly, or any show I can get to in MD. kilgore trout #1 forever.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/31728054136http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/31728054136Mon, 17 Sep 2012 09:41:44 -0400<iframe width="400" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-N_1LF-9yIE?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>two of my favorite things, together at last. drive like jehu and hong kong blood operas. i’ve watched this like 4 times, screaming “ROME PLOWS! ROME PLOWS!”</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/25543127841http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/25543127841Wed, 20 Jun 2012 21:11:00 -0400drive like jehuhard boiledchow yun fatvideoblood opera<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5qadkqV311qzlnkxo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>there’s more? hail satan!</p> <p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://restorations.tumblr.com/post/25246817803/taken-with-instagram-at-brunofskys-studio">restorations</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">Instagram</a> at Brunofsky’s studio</p> </blockquote>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/25251398335http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/25251398335Sat, 16 Jun 2012 18:22:11 -0400<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uOX3dZbsxVg?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>this is my favorite song right now. kind of really hoping to catch these guys in denmark, even though it doesn’t look like they have any shows that week.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/20199540129http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/20199540129Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:14:04 -0400night feverhardcorepunkmusicdenmarkcopenhagen<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1hwcmQuCU1qf23pso1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>hey maybe it’s not art, but my friends and I had a good time on nick’s south street rooftop last week. thanks for coming to visit, guys.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/19977771401http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/19977771401Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:25:47 -0400philadelphiarooftopdudessuitsduskgentlemenhanging out<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/edPzTpKrG-4?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>i’ve been starting every morning with this album straight through. sorry downstairs theo.</p>http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/19952746243http://blklrsn.tumblr.com/post/19952746243Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:57:35 -0400crusadespunkbandmusicattic