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Poor Aim: Love Songs is resilient electro-pop music that can be lovingly devoured by people of all ages and coolness factors. Already, the songs have fallen into a beloved repeat-play position in many a heart (and cell phone, as ring tones!). In their experiment, the two challenged each other with stringent requirements: Jona insisted that the rhythms couldn't be redundant; Khaela guaranteed that the lyrics held sentences worth repeating. They succeeded. The songs are catchy as hell, and rise to meet all of the duo's snobby music standards. With sing-along-when-you-think-you're-alone types of refrains, it's as if the oldies station on the car stereo is playing at the same time as the urban party music station, with the occasional interfering sonic sway of an eighties keyboard refrain. That mash of sounds would come closest to describing Poor Aim's productional pitch, the sound of feeling fun and desperate and bravely romantically unsuccessful all at once; easy listening for difficult feelings.

The Blow is Jona Bechtolt and Khaela Maricich. The two have been working together as The Blow since 2004 when they recorded a limited edition EP called Poor Aim: Love Songs It quickly became clear that the results of their combined forces flexed with a muscle that had a range far beyond the limited edition market. United by a shared affection for the sparkling production styles of mainstream radio, and both raised with deep roots in the DIY scenes of the Pacific Northwest, the duo makes fractured pop chart toppers to seduce all manner of hearts out of their cases, onto the floor.

This album is from the Blow archives, originally released under the full band name Get the Hell Out of the Way. The Blow is Khaela Maricich, who recorded these songs in her bedroom on a cassette four track and reel-to-reel eight track for release as a cassette. It was packaged in a hand silk-screened and letter pressed cover and sold at the merchandise table on Khaela's first tour, with Jason Anderson in March, 2001. The packaging has been redesigned by Khaela for the CD version, with one of her drawings featured prominently on the cover. In recent years, Khaela's drawings have been featured on K releases by Yume Bitsu, the Microphones, Mirah and the Blow. The songs included on Everyday Examples of Humans? are the first songs Khaela wrote using a guitar, as soon as she figured out a guitar playing method that suited her artistic temperament. They are simple, intimate songs, with very interior lyrics. They were recorded by Khaela with no guest artists, Khaela playing guitar and keyboard. These songs are still featured occasionally in the Blow's live performances; "Nothing" was re-recorded at Dub Narcotic studio last year and included on the Blow album The Concussive Caress (KLP153).

Khaela Maricich is the Blow, also known to some as Get the Hell out of the Way of the Volcano, also a member of the Dub Narcotic studio gang. She makes many arts in the various tents, forts and caves she has built there. Her last album was the Bonus Album (KLP143), also recorded in a cave; it made a simple case for living. Now we have the more complex examination of the human condition post-American century style. Yes, The Concussive Caress is an affirmation, but only after trial by fire. A bold move was made, evolutionarily, out of the cave and over to the Dub Narcotic 16 track tape deck, where Khaela recorded this entire album, producing it herself, with guest appearances by a few friends: Susan Ploetz, Anna Oxygen, Mirah, Nora Danielson, Jason Anderson and Jenn Kliese. There is a narrative hidden in the string of songs that comprise The Concussive Caress. It is the stories of various people, the songs these characters sing to themselves that usually don't make it out of their heads. Like secret mantras, these are adult versions of children's rhymes adapted for more complicated situations, songs people want to sing for their loved ones, but probably never will.

The LP format of The Concussive Caress is limited to 500 copies and packaged in a cover specially designed for the LP format by Khaela, hand silk-screen printed by her with the help of the K summer interns.