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Click on the album covers to open a flash player in a separate window. Ideal for those with slow connections! (Player not available for "Glass Houses.")

WARNING: This is a heavy metal album. It may offend your indie sensibilities.

Frustrated with music and the human race, completely depressed, battling the cruel Buffalo winter, Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank began listening to Black Sabbath and Judas Priest records as he read Victorian literature and downed can after merciless can of Coca-Cola. The result is this record -- created in complete secrecy in just under four weeks. Some songs sound nothing like Hussalonia, while others sound like Hussalonia covered by a metal band.
We might lose of few of you with this one, but don't say you weren't warned.

Total Running time: 16 min. 11 sec.
All instruments and voices: Jesse Mank
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01. Consider The Implications
02. The Douglas Tragedy
03. I Digress
04. Those Were Simpler Times
05. Just Say The Word
06. Four Weeks Wrong In A Low
07. Everybody Should Stop Doing Everything
08. This is not a song, this is merely a riff
09. I'm Roaming
10. Apologies Implied

On January 16th, 2008, Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank performed on WBFO's Live in Allen Hall radio program. It's a live-to-air show that takes place in front of a live studio audience. The audio heard on this record is not the mix that went over the air, but a mix that recreates the sound heard at the spacious venue.

Jesse Mank: vocals, guitar
Vic Lazar: lead guitar
Jonathan Hughes: bass
Rob Lynch: drums, backing vocals, glockenspiel

Hosted by Bert Gambini
Executive producer: Alison Zero
Photos: Kenny MacDonald
Engineer: David Chandler
Remixed by Jonathan Hughes and Jesse Mank
Check other concerts in this series by clicking here.
www.wbfo.org/xponential

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Download all songs in a zip file by clicking this.

01. Introduction
02. Cruel and Unusual
03. Station ID
04. You Must Be a Cartoon
05. You Can't Stay Here
06. Meaning Isn't Based on the Importance of Being...
07. Baby, I'm Just Blank
08. Astronaut in Love
09. Interview #1
10. Anathema
11. If I had Told You Once
12. There's More Than That to Being Poor
13. Now I Know You're Really Gone
14. Little Richard
15. Interview #2
16. Wishing Lovers Were Better Dancers
17. This Song Won't Sell A Thing
18. Missing Persons (bonus track)

Who is Matt Barber? Matt runs a chain of bakeries in Western New York called Matt Barber Cakes (home of the Hussalonia Chip Cookie). Everyone knows what a sweet tooth Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank has, and so it is no surprise that through their mutual love of pop music and sugar, the two have become close friends. In addition to making fine cakes and desserts, Mr. Barber also happens to be the hardest hitting drummer in Buffalo and a strong supporter of independent music. (Barber regularly shows up at local shows with an arm full of cakes and cookies.) When Mr. Mank needed a drummer for these 10 no-nonsense, pop noisemakers, Barber was the obvious choice. Once the two entered the studio, they bonded over their mutual love for the Replacements, Nirvana, Superchunk, Buddy Holly and vanilla frosting. The record reflects all five influences equally. Sentimental and noisy. Sweet and nihilistic. Simple and reckless. Efficient and indulgent.

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01. Ready to lose
02. Never be famous
03. If you really wanted to see me
04. Dumb it down
05. How can I help you, Becky?
06. Don't turn here
07. You can't stay here
08. Something/nothing
09. Fools fall in love
10. Act three, scene one 

Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank had worked on this record on and off and again for 3 years. (2004-2007) If you were ever curious about why Mr. Mank releases his records for free, or why he rarely plays live shows, this record might provide some answers. Many of the songs are commentaries on popular music and its relationship to the artist and our society at large. Much of the production is a little left of center, super-produced with "bells and whistles," but often with a slightly experimental bend. Another case of Mr. Mank trying to reinvent the "Hussalonia sound." It all sounds really ambitious, but at the end of the day it's still just a pop record. Recommended tracks: 03, 04, 06, 12, 13
 
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01. These Things Cannot Be Resolved
02. Rock and Roll, You've Done Me Wrong
03. This is Not Rock and Roll, This is Retail
04. Do Not Play: This Machine Eats Tapes
05. Emile's Theme
06. Ten at Ten
07. Yes It Is
08. Emile Sings To Bobby
09. That's Why I've Been Listening To Top 40
10. Snakes and Sticks They Share a Shape, But We Avoid Them Both When We're Not Sure
11. Arthur Sullivan Responds to a Demonstration of the Phonograph
12. The Serious Life
13. For Those About to Rock, I Ignore You

Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank had worked on this record on and off and again for 3 years. (2004-2007) A bittersweet tribute to a fictitious couple. Relationships, obsession, workaholic-ism, escapism, and loss are some of the themes explored. Is it two young lovers against the world, or two young lovers against each other? Mr. Mank was often trying to write the best pop songs he thought he was capable of. Artists are rarely the best judges of their work, but songs like "Now I Know You're Really Gone," "Patience is the Cruelest Trait," and " If I Had Told You Once" are certainly candidates for the best songs he has ever written. A great pop record with nods to ELO (track 04), T-Rex (track 06), and Scott Joplin (track 01). Recommended tracks: 03, 04, 07, 08, 10

Download a high resolution, easy-to-assemble slipcase for your CD by clicking this.
Download all songs in a zip file by clicking this.

01. The Ballad of Fred & Ginger
02. Where's The Credit That I'm Not Giving Myself?
03. If I had Told You Once
04. Baby, I'm Just Blank
05. Fred's Theme
06. The Difference Between Extremes
07. I Covered This Ground Before
08. Patience is the Cruelest Trait
09. Samantha Brown
10. Now I Know You're Really Gone
11. His Girl Friday

As a participant of the RPM Challenge (a worldwide, annual challenge to write and record an album in just 28 days), Hussalonia conceived, wrote and recorded 20 tracks in the 28 days of February 2007. This 10 song disc compiles the "A-list" material. See also: "Sorry Try Again" (the B-list material) available below.

This album reveals Hussalonia at its most sentimental and vulnerable. An indication of what the cold, Buffalo winter does to one's spirits when forced to write an album. Features more piano and synth than ever before heard on a Hussalonia record. Very pretty. Highly recommended.

Download your very own easy-to-assemble paper slip case by clicking this.
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If you'd like to read the complete daily blogs written by Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank while making these 2 albums, just click on this. Many have found the blogs to be a fun and fascinating read, chronicling the ups and downs of writing and recording 20 tracks in just 28 days.

01. Cruel and Unusual
02. The Human Spark
03. Wishing Lovers Were Better Dancers
04. Little Richard
05. I Love the Idea of You
06. Anathema
07. This Goodbye Implies Forever
08. What Will I Do When This is Over?
09. Like an Astronaut in Love
10. Nothing Matters But Heat

As a participant of the RPM Challenge (a worldwide, annual challenge to write and record an album in just 28 days), Hussalonia conceived, wrote and recorded 20 tracks in the 28 days of February 2007. This 10 song disc compiles the "B-list" material. See also: "Instant Winner" (the A-list material) available above.

This one is not for everyone. Think of it as the picture of a man losing his mind in the depressingly, cold Buffalo winter, trying to write 2 albums while balancing his personal life. Showcases Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank's disconcerting sense of humor. Songs about Satan, Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears and the Blue Angel. For curiosity-seekers. Weird.

Download your very own easy-to-assemble paper slip case by clicking this.
Download a lo-res thumbnail of the cover by clicking this.

If you'd like to read the complete daily blogs written by Hussalonia founder Jesse Mank while making these 2 albums, just click on this. Many have found the blogs to be a fun and fascinating read, chronicling the ups and downs of writing and recording 20 tracks in just 28 days.

01. Send on the Professor
02. The Cartoon Always Wins
03. I Can Feel the Weight
04. Who Will Chronicle My Descent into Madness?
05. The First Time I Was Arrested
06. Death of a Socialite
07. Turn Me On Dead Man
08. Sing Sorrow
09. Love You Like a Novelist
10. Sweet Lucifer

“Pop does not mean popular” is the Hussalonia motto. But sometimes pop is popular. Really popular. Take Billy Joel for instance. I bet your mom loves Billy Joel. Why shouldn’t she? He was handsome and wrote dramatically sweet pop songs like “Piano Man” and “Just The Way You Are.” But popularity wasn’t enough for Joel; he was an angry and cynical guy like you. He was a pop music scholar, like you. He didn’t want your mom’s love, he wanted your love: you, the snobby rock-critic, with your punk and new wave records. Enter 1980’s Glass Houses. Influenced by The Jam, The Cars, Elvis Costello as well good old Paul McCartney (who just made his own “new wave” record: Back To The Egg), Joel was determined to roughen up his image and earn some street cred. Instead, he earned his first number one single and a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Sorry, Bill.

Today, Poor Billy Joel is pretty much retired. He gave up trying to please you fickle bastards. He caved in and spent the 90s pandering to the adult contemporary scene. And time hasn’t been kind to his street cred. It’s less cool now than it ever was to listen to Billy Joel. We here at Hussalonia Lo-Fi Solutions might be inclined to feel sorry him, if he weren’t so fucking rich and well loved by our moms. Nevertheless, we’re offering this: a song-for-song cover of Glass Houses. We feel that Glass Houses represents the struggle between low and high pop culture. And Hussalonia resents that struggle. We hate and love all pop music equally. So what can you expect from our version of Glass Houses? It’s lo-fi, raw, unhinged and full of musical in-jokes. Maybe it will inspire the kids to reassess Billy Joel’s career. Have we lost our minds? Is this a joke? A tribute? A parody? Are we going to get sued? Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe!

Drums: Richard McCarthy
Everything else: Jesse Mank

LEGAL NOTICE: These songs were written by Billy Joel, a very talented and successful songwriter. Everyone should go buy the real Glass Houses CD. No one’s making any money here, so we don’t want to get sued. If you represent Billy Joel’s publishing company and would like these songs removed from the website, please contact us and we will gladly do so. 

Special thanks to Brian Ibbott and Coverville for hosting the files!
1. You May Be Right
2. Sometimes a Fantasy
3. Don't Ask Me Why
4. It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
5. All for Leyna
6. I Don't Want to Be Alone
7. Sleeping with the Television On
8. C' Etait Toi
9. Close to the Borderline
10. Through the Long Night

Download your easy-to-assemble cover by right-click saving this.

The Public Domain EP is a 4 song EP that's being released, you guessed it, directly into the public domain. This means that the songs and recordings are not subject to federal copyright laws. You are free to copy, distribute, sample and/or create derivative works. Mr. Mank waives his right to royalties, effectively making these works ideal for use in film, television, video and/or any other commercial application. By publishing the files on archive.org under the public domain, Hussalonia founder has agreed to the following terms:

"Dedicator recognizes that, once placed in the public domain, the Work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and in any way, including by methods that have not yet been invented or conceived."

John Lennon once said, "Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think they own it."

That didn't stop him from cashing his royalty checks. Hussalonia has put their money where their art is.

The Public Domain EP comes with an easy-to-assemble downloadable slip cover to house your burned CD. All you need is a printer, scissors and glue. Also included is a song booklet with the full lyrics and guitar chords for those of you who wish to record your own version of the Public Domain EP.

You are the public, these are your songs.

1. Meaning Isn't Based On The Importance Of Being, But On The Relationships In Between
2. Like Tetanus In A Wound
3. There's More Than That To Being Poor
4. This Song Won't Sell A Thing

I might also add, just in case you decide not to download the cover artwork, that this EP could not have been possible without the talents of :
Jonathan Hughes : bass, keyboards,  engineer, co-producer
Rob Lynch : drums
Tommy Stanford : saxophone, backing vocals
Don "butter" Jones: trumpet
Janet McNally: backing vocals
George Skaros: backing vocals

Yes, what better way to ring in the summer than to listen to love songs that explicitly deal with death! Whose dying, you say? We're all dying! Yup, enjoy the summer kids, because this is the only summer of your life that you will be the age you are right now. But don't fret. Hussalonia's decided to sugar the pill by offering the 4 Pop Songs About Death EP. It's loose and a little frantic and filled with sunny, summer harmonies. It's just another way for us to show our passive-aggressive love.

1. Death is Imminent
2. If I Let You Live
3. I Die Everytime I Die
4. You Make Me Want To Kill Myself (and take others with me too) .

Download a high-quality cover you can print out and put in a jewel case by clicking on this .
(Some assembly required.)

Download a hi-resolution jpeg thumbnail of just the cover, if that's what turns you on, by clicking on this .

And if it still ain't enough, click here to download an alternate version of Death is Imminent .

Released in the final month of 2005 by Beat The Indie Drum, It features 4 cover versions of songs written by comrades of Hussalonia. Melancholic in tone and beautifully lo-fi, it comes with elegant artwork for you to print out and make your own professional-looking, tangible CD with. Please visit their netlabel for other fine (and free) releases!

1. Future Apartments (written by George Skaros for The Dollar Canon )
2. Persuasion (written by BitShifter 's Josh Davis)
3. Me (written by milf )
4. Your Black Umbrella (written by Hussalonia Lawyer Finney Jean Soda Esq.)