Check out the new Single by Green Day over here: “Oh Love”
Green Day will be releasing three new albums in the next few months, and this is our first taste. To me, it sounds very much in the same vein as 21st Century Breakdown, big, Broadway style punk rock. I’ve loved their last few records, so I’m really looking forward to all the new music. Check out the artwork and album titles with their release dates below:
Here are some indie bands that I’m absolutely loving right now! Give them a look:
GOLD MOTEL
Fronted by the golden voiced Greta Morgan (The Hush Sound), Gold Motel is the kind of band you…
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Here are some indie bands that I’m absolutely loving right now! Give them a look:
GOLD MOTEL
Fronted by the golden voiced Greta Morgan (The Hush Sound), Gold Motel is the kind of band you can fall in love with instantly. Their brand of iPod friendly head boppers make for perfect summer playlists. They just released a new self-titled record that you can read more about here, but the music in the video above should speak for itself. Older tunes are available on the groups Bandcamp page, and their new record is over at Amazon MP3,.
STRAWBERRY GIRLS
I was introduced to these guys by a friend of mine, and from the first listen to their EP Italian Ghosts I was hooked. Their music gives me that exciting spark of “Where has this band been all my life?” that keeps us new music seekers forever on the hunt. Elements of progressive rock, funk, jazz, and hard rock are fused together so effortlessly, you’ll forget just how improbable these riffs and tempo changes are to pull off. The best example of their stylistic brilliance can be found in the video below, where the band covers Carly Rae Jepsen‘s omnipresent “Call Me Maybe” and turns it into a Prog-Rock powerhouse. Even if you’re so sick of that song that the last sentence made you queasy, trust me on this one and give it a listen. Also embedded above is the Italian Ghosts EP from the bands’ Bandcamp page.
THE SINISTER TURNS
This is a band that knows how to craft smart, effective, piano driven power pop that hits every time. Their records are packed full of intelligent and thought provoking lyrics, hypnotic rhythms, and tremendous guitar riffs that remind the listener that The Sinister Turns can rock you as well as move you. My personal favorite tracks are embedded above, but you can’t go wrong with any of the bands work. Pick up their stuff at Bandcamp, and if you live in Massachusetts check them out live. For tour dates and other info, hit up their Facebook.
CLARE & THE REASONS
I missed this group’s new record in my last New Music Tuesday post, so I’m making up for it here. Kr-51 is packed end to end with left of center “indie” pop that will keep you guessing as well as entertained. There is more happening in each cut then a first listen would have you believe. Their songs may sound straight forward at first, but each tune includes intriguing twists or unpredictable layers that will have you hearing something new with each listen. True “indie” music is all about the freedom to explore and execute an artistic vision to its fullest, and that exactly what you get with Kr-51. You can pick up the record at Amazon or with the rest of the bands fine work at their site’s record store.
CHAIRLIFT
Chairlift’s Something is a fantastically varied and well produced record. The above track “I Belong In Your Arms” just makes me happy. The bands sound goes back and forth between electro and more baroque styled tunes, a shift that may sound jarring on paper, but is expertly displayed on tracks like “Frigid Spring” and “Wrong Opinion”. I really love this record, and you should pick it up if you haven’t already. The bands website has links to digital and physical retailers, so whatever your preference is, Something should be added to your collection immediately.
One of my favorite records from this year is on sale for cheap! #Metric #Synthetica #AmazonMP3 #Indie #Rock #Music #Albums
Right now over at Amazon MP3, you can pick up the awesome new album Synthetica by Metric for only $2.99! If you’re a fan of Metric and haven’t picked this up yet, now is your chance!
For those who haven’t heard this band before, Metric is a solid indie rock band that has a lot of electronic influences, but still knows how to rock hard. Synthetica is a stellar record, offering up gems like the tremendous opening “Artificial Nocturne”. The track begins gently, with lead singer Emily Haines’ delivering lines like “I’m just as fucked up as they say/ I can’t fake the daytime/ Found an entrance to escape into the dark” over a bed of ethereal synths, before taking off and launching the album in dramatic fashion. Check out the track here:
Other album highlights include the punk infused stomper “Youth Without Youth”, the smooth and breathy “Breathing Underwater”, the uniquely charming “Dreams So Real”, and the theatrical album closer “Nothing But Time”. This album is one of Metric‘s best, and one of my favorites so far this year.
Hurry and grab your copy, because the $2.99 price tag only lasts until midnight PST tonight!
What a week for new tunes! Some of my most anticipated releases of the summer came out today, so lets get started!
My favorite thing about each new Dirty Projectors album is that first listen. Songs jump and twist in ways you didn’t see coming, and you never know what to expect next. Frontman Dave Longstreth and company take you on an aural roller coaster ride with each new release, and Swing Lo Magellan delivers on all fronts. Elements of folk, “indie”, glam, electronica, and pop are all married together track after track in a beautiful dissonance. Animated drum loops propel playful rhythms that enhance a gentle bed of largely acoustic guitars from track to track. While never brash in tone, a casual listen may prove challenging because album tracks such as “Offspring Are Blank” and “About To Die” take unpredictable turns through varied genre conventions. The songs never feel forced or different for the sake of being different, which can happen in the hands of lesser composers. Instead, what you will get for your dollar is an extremely well arranged record that rewards with each listen. Right now, Amazon has “Swing Lo Magellan” for $3.99, as well as great discounts on the rest of the bands albums.
I have to admit, I have a huge soft spot for The Early November. They are one of my favorite bands to come out of the emo/pop-punk explosion of early to mid 2000s. While a lot of those bands focused on playing harder and louder with each release, TEN always let their melodies stand for themselves, even if that meant leaving a track acoustic or taking care to create a record as a whole rather than just a collection of 3 minute songs. After a period of hiatus, In Currents finds the band at a creative height. “Frayed In Doubt”, “Tell Me Why”, and “Guilt & Swell” are as hard edged as any of the bands previous shout-laced rockers, and “A Stain On The Carpet” and “Digital Age” showcase the band’s softer side. Though filled with individual gems, the album’s biggest strength is how all the parts come together and create a truly effective full length record, one that you should definitely hear for yourself.
Music fans who turn their noses up at hip hop have obviously never heard of Aesop Rock. Not only can he rap better than most, his production skills rank him among the top producers across all genres. While every track on Skelethon boasts his trademark rhyming, each presents its own individual world of influences. Echoes of funk, electronica, “indie” and hard rock punctuate Aesop’s beats so effectively, the record is just as strong without vocals, even taking on a slightly different personality. That being said, Aesop’s poetry over tracks like “Ruby ’81” “Crows 1” and “Zero Dark Thirty” makes Skelethon an intricately layered, genre bending gem. The album is available through Amazon MP3 here, as well as the instrumental version.
I’m not quite sure when synthesizers and drum machines became cool again in the world of indie rock, but if we keep getting records like Confess, I won’t ask anymore questions. Equally influenced by Howie Day style breathy pop, Sting influenced story telling rock, and the darkness laced bright tone of Depeche Mode, Twin Shadow presents a record full of tunes that have a smile buried deep behind the sadness. This constant juxtaposition is all over the record, especially tracks “Beg For The Night” and closer “Be Mine Tonight”. Danceable beats back calm, dark synths so effectively that the listener won’t know whether to dance or relax the night away. That may sound like a criticism, but after listening to Confess, you’ll know I mean it as a compliment to this warm and well structured album.
Even if you weren’t a big fan of System Of A Down, I’m willing to bet the solo work of lead singer Serj Tankian has something for you. Harakiri opens strong with the punishing crunch of “Cornucopia” and “Figure It Out” kick things off with a bang. Tankian has proven himself to be a strong lyricist as well as tremendous vocalist, as evidenced on the track “Uneducated Democracy” where he writes: ‘Without an education there is no real democracy/ Without an education there is only hypocrisy”. Not everything is as political in nature, but each track burns with the clear passion Tankian has for his craft. This is the first of four solo albums we will see from him this year, and her certainly whets the appetite for more with this record. Along with most of this weeks new releases, Amazon MP3 is selling Harakiri for $3.99 right now.
Other releases to check out this week:
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As well as the David Bowie documentary that has been put up on YouTube, another great BBC documentary has been put up for the whole world to watch.
Quadrophenia: Can You See The Real Me is the story of ‘the last great album the Who ever made’, as Pete Townshend puts it. In the documentary Townshend revisits the old hangouts and studios of the band in Shepherds Bush and Battersea, telling the story of how Quadrophenia was made.
Watch the full documentary below:
Really great and in depth documentary about one of the greatest albums ever. This one is definitely in my top ten.
New Blog Post! New Music Tuesday 7.3.12 #Asia #TeenageBottlerocket #ChrisBrown #GoldMotel #NewMusicTuesday
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Another week, another eclectic week of new music!
One of very few bands to boast the accomplishment of having songs on both hits of the 80’s compilation infomercials and prog-rock mixtapes, supergroup Asia packs many influences into their stellar new disc. Powered by all the pomp and grandeur of their individual members 70’s prog beginnings, tunes like the introductory “Tomorrow The World” and the triumphant “No Religion” spring to life with the kind of sharp melodic perfection you’d expect from a group of men who have spent a lifetime defining their musical chops. Asia has not grown soft with age in the least. Instead, they attacked XXX like all of their previous efforts have led to this. This is not a record by aged veterans who were just looking for an excuse to tour. Just take a listen to the spirited vocals of John Wetton and see for yourself. XXX is a carefully crafted Progressive Rock masterwork, created by some of the genre’s highest level musicians.
People who have read this blog in the past may be shocked to see this disc among my picks for this week. The reason I chose this record is simple: Despite the headlines, the hashtags, his personal life, and whatever your friend heard about him that one time, Chris Brown is making some of the most exciting and enjoyable Top 40/Hip-Hop/R&B out there today. Yes, he has all the best songwriters and all the best producers to help him, and yes he has all the major label money to broadcast his mug throughout the stratosphere, but he also has one of the strongest male voices in pop today. Before the “YIKES!”, he was poised to take over the mantle of “King Of Pop” and on Fortune, he reminds us why. Forget your preconceptions. Do as he says on the album’s dance hall anthem and just “Turn Up The Music“.
Remember when you were a kid and all music did was make you happy? There was no pretension, no search for a personal philosophy, no “Scene” influencing your opinion. Tunes just made you wanna dance your ass off. Well, Teenage Bottlerocket has crafted just the record to help you recapture that time of your life. Freak Out! is chock full of slick pop melodies and dirty punk rock riffs that feel exciting and fresh for a genre that has been dissected and twisted a million different ways. If the titles to songs like “Necrocomicon”, “Punk House of Horror”, and “In The Pit” make you smile, then the music that accompanies them will be stuck in your head for weeks. This is the kind of pop-punk that was blaring in your friends ninety degree basement when you had your first adult beverage and never wanted the summer to end. Pure, BS-less, and just plain fun rock and roll.
Fans of the currently on-hiatus band The Hush Sound should be ecstatic that Greta Morgan (formerly Salpeter) is still making the kind of ernest, bouncy alt/pop that made that band stand out among the quickly crowded Fueled By Ramen roster of the mid to late 00’s. Morgan’s charm as a singer songwriter is matched evenly by her male counterparts on this self-titled sophomore record. I dare you to listen to the shimmering jangle pop of “Your Own Ghost” or sixties girl group inspired “These Sore Eyes” and not fall in love with this records warm embrace. Hipstery enough for those with ironic facial hair, inviting enough for the general audience, Gold Motel is a melodic gem from any perspective.
This is a great week for major label and indie releases! Here are my picks:
Sunny guitars, playful rhythms, and dreamy pop make up this joy of an album. The nostalgic clean riffs echo a simpler time, when music could simply be enjoyed for what it is without all the over-analyzing and deconstruction of today’s jaded listener/reviewer. Oshin glides along each of its thirteen tracks at a relatively even pace, picking up steam as it goes. The album is a highlight as a whole, but the album’s closing third contains the stand out tracks “Oshin (Subsume)” and “Doused”, a one-two punch that breaks the mood a little and helps bring the record home. DIIV have crafted a fine debut record, and it can be purchased here.
What is there left to say about The Flaming Lips? Titans of psychedelic laced folk influenced genre bending rock, they never seem to disappoint when it comes to a new set, and The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends is no exception. The big story for this former Record Store Day exclusive is its list of likely and somewhat unlikely collaborators. Names like Bon Iver, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes, Nick Cave, Jim James (My Morning Jacket) will get fans excited, and rightfully so. Those tracks are fantastic, but for the fans who revel in the Lips’ ability to mix things up and make the abnormal seem normal, check out “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” which features Erykah Badu, and the kickstarting beat thumping opening track “2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)” which boasts spirited performances by Biz Markie and Ke$ha. All in all, The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends is a fantastic sonic journey that will take you all over the map. Check it out here.
I happened upon this record when looking into today’s new releases, and I’m definitely happy I stumbled upon it. Echo Lake’s brand of breathy, ethereal shoegaze makes for a delightful record. The band combines the usual genre trappings with the reverbed 60’s throwback vocals akin to artists like Best Coast. Wild Peace is an apt title, as most of its tracks have a bright, relaxing tone. Every now and then the vibe is shaken up, as on the brash-in-a-good-way “Young Silence”. If you plan to chill out and tan on the beach or your friend’s backyard this summer, Wild Peace would be a great record to augment that mellow experience. Pick it up from Amazon and check out their other releases on bandcamp.
I have a lot of respect for Linkin Park. Despite constant pigeonholing by reviewers and fans alike, the band continues to push boundaries and reinvent themselves with each new record. Living Things finds the band channeling every influence they’ve picked up along the way and focusing them into one 37 minute powerhouse. Tracks like “Vitctimized” and “Burn It Down” may tread familiar territory, but thanks to the electric co-production of Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, they never feel forced or stale. People often mistake maturation in songwriting for ‘playing it safe”, and Living Things is anything but a safe record. See for yourself by checking it out on Amazon MP3.
So Andyway..... 