Elephant Talk: A New Kind Of Music Blog!

Interview: Tim DeLaughter of Polyphonic Spree

2012-02-09T23:07:00.004-05:00

Earlier this afternoon, I talked to Polyphonic Spree frontman Tim DeLaughter about a variety of topics, including their tour that is stopping by Atlanta at Center Stage tomorrow night.

Kevin: It's been four years since The Polyphonic Spree last toured North America. Heading into 2012, what are you most looking forward to during this stint of tour dates?

Tim: We are looking forward to a sold out show in Atlanta. We are counting on Gail Fountain, a super fan, to help us accomplish that.

Throughout your career, you have written music for television programs, movies, advertisements, and a variety of other mediums. Do you have any plans to make music across different media platforms in the future? Or are you more focused on developing Polyphonic Spree as a band?

At some point we will collaborate on another interactive app with Moonbot like we did with one of our recent singles "Bullseye" on Good Records Recordings. I will be working on The Polyphonic Spree, Preteen Zenith, and a long in the works solo album. The Polyphonic Spree will also be doing a Holiday album this year as well as a national tour of the 10th anniversary of our annual Holiday Extravaganza.

It has often been said that the live experience of Spree is one of the most surrealistic shows out there. Do you have any current day musicians that give a source of inspiration for the live performance of The Polyphonic Spree?

We inspire each other more than anything, really.

After this first batch of dates across the States, does the "You + Me" tour have any international shows in mind?

We plan to tour the UK at the end of August/September and do a New Year's Eve show in London.

In the past, The Polyphonic Spree has been featured on major music festival DVDs, such as Coachella and SXSW. Will the "You + Me" tour be documented as well?

Our percussionist Patrick Cone on this run is a filmmaker and editor. He cut the trailer for this current phase of the "You+Me" tour. He is grabbing footage while we are out so you never know. We have been documenting The Polyphonic Spree since the beginning so at some point the full story will be told.

Over the years, there have been many different members of The Polyphonic Spree. One of the most successful alumni, Annie Clark, has gone onto accomplish great things in her own right with St. Vincent. Do you still keep in contact with Annie or any other past members of the band? Would you ever consider letting them play alongside The Polyphonic Spree again down the road?

We plan to have every member that has ever graced the stage with The Polyphonic Spree join us for our 15h anniversary on July 15, 2015. It will be a memorable evening to put it mildly.

In the age of social media, many musicians have figured out how to better interact with their fans. You guys are no strangers to this, offering an innovative idea in the form of letting your fans create a music video for the latest single "What Would You Do?". What do you think of some of the videos that people have submitted thus far? Are you pleased with the response so far?

We have loved the entries so far. We are really like Pepe and Peaches the Cat so far. It is cool to see how fan's interpret the music and lyrics.

On February 10th, The Polyphonic Spree's "You + Me" tour stops by Atlanta to play a show at Center Stage. Do you have any memories of Atlanta that you could share?

We did an instore/outstore at Criminal Records. It was definitely HOTLANTA that day. We played the parking lot. We had 2-3 people pass out. I would like to think it was the music but...

A Night at The Earl with Twin Sister...

2012-02-08T18:18:00.004-05:00

Taken from: http://clatl.com/cribnotes/archives/2012/01/28/a-night-at-the-earl-with-twin-sister

Written by: Kevin Crawford
Photography by: Nikki Hagemeyer

Twin Sister and opening touring band Ava Luna played a packed house at The Earl last Wednesday night. Judging by the crowd’s reception of both bands, it was another great night for the East Atlanta venue scene.

Ava Luna got things started, a large group of seven, combining everything from James Blake-esque vocals all the way to playful electronic noise. Relying heavily on synthesizers and a soulful three woman choir, Ava Luna captivated the attention of the audience with big R&B numbers such as “Clips” and “Past the Barbary”. The group seems to be not only a throwback to the old school crooners, but also invigorates a new unique sound in the electro genre as well. Ava Luna leaves the crowd begging for more.

At around the 11:05 P.M. mark, the members of Twin Sister finally rush the stage, and start things off with some of their big time hits, including notable single “Bad Street” off their debut LP In Heaven. The Atlanta crowd is mesmerized by the killer guitar work of Eric Cardona, pulling the crowd into a dream-like frenzy with songs such as “Lady Daydream” and “Daniel”.

What sets Twin Sister apart as a live act is their ability to constantly adapt, changing how each of their songs sounds, shedding new light on their catalog every time they perform. For instance, on the big dance number “All Around and Away We Go”, vocalist Estella and bass player Gabe play off one another’s talents in perfect unison, as keyboardist Dev Gupta and drummer Bryan Ujueta provide the incredible background melodies.

The atmospheric touches are the little things that Twin Sister utilizes all too well, making them one of the most distinct up and coming bands in the indie scene to date. One moment they are playing off the crowd’s energy and building up a jam session, then the next they are making ambient soundscapes putting everyone in a calm trance. After a stunning performance, they came back to the stage for one more track entitled “Milk & Honey”, leaving the members of the Atlanta audience with something to remember for a long time to come.

Interview with Andrea Estella of Twin Sister

2012-02-01T09:55:00.006-05:00

Just a few days before their stop at The Earl in East Atlanta, I was able to get in touch for an interview over the phone with rising indie dream pop band Twin Sister's lead singer, Andrea Estella. She talked about everything from her family roots in Puerto Rico, to looking forward to checking out some whale sharks at the famous Atlanta Aquarium.

Kevin: 2011 was a big year for Twin Sister. New album In Heaven was released, tour dates all across North America and Europe. Do you have any personal memories or highlights of the year that stick out?

Andrea: I feel like I’ve had so many things happen that it’s difficult to pick out one moment. Someone actually asked me this last night. The day we were approached by Domino was definitely pretty memorable.

Kevin: Care to elaborate on how you guys and Domino got together exactly?

Andrea: I guess the best way to phrase it is…unusual? Haha. They ended up sending us a message over our MySpace page, which is pretty archaic by now. And then they started coming out to our shows, and we just really hit it off and they decided to sign us.

Kevin: As I mentioned earlier, last fall, your debut full length album In Heaven was released. As a band, do you guys feel this record changed the musical direction, or did it expand on ideas from earlier releases?

Andrea: I think it expanded on ideas because we learned a whole lot about ourselves from making this first album. It didn’t really change the musical direction, but I guess we just tried to execute things a little better. On In Heaven we figured out how to handle things differently, make it sound the way we wanted. What we did with In Heaven is we kind of wrote the songs for the album, and now that were playing them live, we’ve changed how some of the songs sound. So now we’ve started pitching new songs on the road before we record them, let them develop better.

Kevin: How much influence does the record label Domino have over the creative process when recording your material?

Andrea: They don’t really mess with that. They just sort of let you do whatever you want. They give you their opinion when it’s all done. Whether they like a certain song, they think one song should be a single, stuff like that. But they pretty much let you do what you wanna do.

Kevin: Do you or other members ever find yourself getting sick of playing the same songs live, or does it all still feel very new and current?

Andrea: Right now for this tour, it really feels good to play these songs live. One time we were practicing just before we went out on stage, just kind of cramming a bunch of new songs in on the set, so it really felt fresh. And then we also played a few songs from In Heaven that we’ve never played before, and there’s an added experience, like turning drum machines into a live drumset.

Kevin: Recently, you guys made a music video for the track “Kimmi in a Rice Field”. Can you tell us what kind of image you and the rest of the members of Twin Sister were shooting for?

Andrea: Well originally the lyrics to that were meant to be a story. And then I turned the story into lyrics, shortened them a little bit, and had them fit for the song better. And then Bryan our drummer took that story and made a few changes to it himself. It transformed into a ghost world, and we made it into a short horror film. We were really pleased with how that turned out.

Kevin: Are there any specific cities or parts of the world Twin Sister would want to tour? Any that you have yet to see?

Andrea: I really love going to San Francisco, and we will be going there very soon. As far as places we haven’t seen yet, I really want to go to Japan. I wanna see any part of Japan. Parts of China would be nice. Iceland would be cool, Italy would be cool, Australia. We’ve seen a lot of the States, as well as Europe. I actually have family in Puerto Rico, and I wonder if we have any Puerto Rican listeners, cause you never hear about indie bands being like “Let’s go to Puerto Rico and play a couple gigs,” haha. It would be so cool! I noticed when I went there, I hadn’t been there in a long time, and there were a lot of shirtless skateboarders with a tan! But on a serious note, I do have a lot of family members that listen to us down there.

Kevin: Where did Twin Sister originally form?

Andrea: We were all from Long Island, we’ve known each other since high school. We formed when we were just teenagers. Played a couple shows back home, at sports bars in front of jockey guys that don’t really care about the band.

Kevin: Do you guys have a preference of what type of venue to play? Are you more of a small, intimate kind of band, or do you enjoy more big festival shows?

Andrea: I think we prefer the more intimate kind of places. I think I like a good green room too, with my own bathroom haha. The crowds are much more spirited and seem to care a lot more at those kind of venues than say the ones at festivals. At festivals, you can sort of look down and see the crowd doing other things like checking Twitter and stuff! I actually enjoy more cramped shows where it’s like a house party.

Kevin: Do you have any current day influences that give you a sense of inspiration?

Andrea: I really like Ariel Pink and the new band that he’s in now. Hercules & Love Affair I think is really cool. Bear in Heaven, I look up to them. And Lost Boy, I love Lost Boy!

Kevin: Would you ever consider doing any collaborations with any artists?

Andrea: I’d like to play with anybody really. I just did my first big collab, a track with Wild Nothing recently, should be coming out soon. I think in the future, I’m not sure yet, I feel like it would have to come to me.

Kevin: Are there any studio recordings from Twin Sister that we should be looking forward to?

Andrea: Actually after this tour, we are taking a break, and are going to work on a bunch of new songs. I think we are going to do shows here and there, which is also a good way to try out new songs. Like I said, we wanna try playing them before full blown recording. We also like to make demos, so I’m sure a lot of those will be made.

Kevin: Do you have any plans of things to do while you guys are in Atlanta?

Andrea: The highlight of my trip this tour for me is driving out super early and going to the Atlanta Aquarium. I am so excited to see whale sharks!

Check out Twin Sister’s music video for the song “Kimmi in a Rice Field” off their latest album In Heaven here:

50 Notable Songs of 2011

2011-12-30T18:42:00.005-05:00

Instead of doing a regular top albums/top songs post and worrying about rankings and all of that,

this year, I've decided I'm just going to make a list of all the songs from the year that I've deemed worth noting. I tried not to have too many songs from one artist, and made myself a limit of three songs per act.

So withour further adieu, here it is!

50 Notable Songs

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

Austra - Beat And The Pulse

Skrillex - First of the Year(Equinox)

Little Dragon - Little Man

Cut Copy - Need You Now

Trent Reznor, Karen O, & Atticus Ross - Immigrant Song(The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo OST)

Cults - Go Outside

Does It Offend You Yeah? - The Monkeys Are Coming

Bjork - Crystalline

Starfucker - Julius

St. Vincent - Cruel

From Past to Present - Jeremy Soule(Skyrim OST)

Zomby - Natalia's Song

Battles - Ice Cream

Justice - Newlands

Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed

Bid D and The Kids Table - It's Raining Zombies on Wall St.

Mastadon - The Hunter

The Kills - Satellite

SBTRKT - Trials of the Past

Atari Teenage Riot - Blood in my Eyes

Atlas Sound - Amplifiers

Boris - Hope(New Album)

White Lies - Bad Love

Neon Indian - Hex Girlfriend

Jay-Z & Kanye West - Niggas In Paris

Tom Waits - Kiss Me

The Glitch Mob - We Can Make The World Stop

Mogwai - Too Raging To Cheers

M83 - New Map

Protest The Hero - The Reign of Unending Terror

Com Truise - VHS Sex

Little Dragon - Ritual Union

DJ Shadow - I Gotta Rokk

Panda Bear - Alsatian Darn

SebastiAn - Love In Motion

The Naked and Famous - A Wolf In Geek's Clothing

Cold Cave - Icons of Summer

Nero - Crush On You (KillSonik Remix)

M83 - Raconte-moi une histoire

Asobi Seksu - Trails

Braids - Plath Heart

Immortal Technique - Rich Man's World (1%)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie

Justice - On'n'On

Twin Sister - Bad Street

Moby - After

Kasabian - Days Are Forgotten

St. Vincent - Surgeon

SBTRKT ft. Little Dragon - Wildfire

Album Review: Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

2011-01-18T06:25:00.002-05:00

As taken from DeadJournalist.com!

http://www.deadjournalist.com/DJdc/2011/01/17/album-review-mogwai-hardcore-will-never-die-but-you-will/

Album Review: Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
By Kevin Crawford

Scottish post-rock band Mogwai’s latest offering in the form of Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Willsees the band going in a new, more electronic-oriented direction than much of their past catalog. While the core trademark melodic instrumental sound is still present, you can definitely notice a difference from previous releases such as Happy Songs For Happy People and The Hawk Is Howling.

Fans of the older material may initially be thrown off guard, but listeners will soon recognize that this is a group that is willing to try new things, which ultimately pay off.

The first new key element is the glitch sound effects followed by a synthesized keyboard/vocoder arrangement that are heard in the track “Mexican Grand Prix”. Right from the get go, its noticeable this isn’t a repeat from the past.

In another major highlight track of the record, “Rano Pano” starts off with a more traditional build-up riff, which eventually crescendos into a beautiful blend of chords that are reminiscent of the trending shoegaze genre.

One of the major selling points of Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is the variety of tempos jam packed within it. Whether it’s an upbeat, almost optimistically charged rhythm spread throughout “Death Rays” or an aggressive, calculated dynamic as heard in “San Pedro”, it truly does a great job of covering every option a post-rock band of this caliber has at its disposal.

As with a lot of bands that spawn from this genre, there are however certain points where the disc seems to drag on for just a little longer than necessary, leaving the listener with a sense that this is nothing more than background music. You don’t exactly feel captivated by certain songs, despite Mogwai’s unique efforts to do so.

All in all, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is the type of album that may in fact alienate some of the long-time members of the Mogwai fan-base. But at the end of the day, you definitely get the sense that they are putting out the best possible record that they were capable of. While this may not be ranked at the top of their discography any time soon, there are plenty of positive traits that make checking out this album justifiable.

2010 Top 50 Albums of the Year: #25-1

2011-01-01T19:45:00.033-05:00

I feel like this pretty much perfectly summarizes the best music that came out this past year. We've got everything from electronic/dubstep musicians, indie groups both new and old picking up steam, mainstream hip-hop acts, and a few surprises along the way. So here it is! The top 25 albums of the year 2010!

#25
Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

Genre: Indie Rock

Sample Songs: "Sun Hands", "Camera Talk", "Warning Sign", "Stranger Things"

#24
Glasser - Ring

Genre: Experimental, Electro-Pop

Sample Songs: "Apply", "Home", "Mirrorage", "Plane Temp"

#23
The Books - The Way Out

Genre: Electronica/Folk

Sample Songs: "I Didn't Know That", "All You Need Is A Wall", "I Am Who I Am", "We Bought The Flood"

#22
Miami Horror - Illumination

Genre: Synthpop

Sample Songs: "I Look To You", "Sometimes", "Holidays", "Illuminated"

#21
River City Extension - The Unmistakenable Man

Genre: Folk Rock

Sample Songs: "Our New Intelligence", "If I Still Own A Bible", "Today I Feel Like I'm Evolving"

*Note: I could only find live versions of these songs. The production quality on the studio album is actually quite good.

#20
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Genre: Dance, Electronic

Sample Songs: "Dance Yrself Clean", "One Touch", "You Wanted A Hit", "Home"

#19
Sleigh Bells - Treats

Genre: Noise-pop

Sample Songs: "Tell Em", "Riot Rhythm", "Crown on the Ground", "A/B Machines"

#18
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

Genre: Folk/Singer-songwriter

Sample Songs: "Burden of Tomorrow", "A Lion's Heart", "The Wild Hunt", "King of Spain"

#17
Chromeo - Business Casual

Genre: Electro-Funk

Sample Songs: "I'm Not Contagious", "Night by Night", "Don't Turn The Lights On", "Grow Up"

#16
Rusko - O.M.G!

Genre: Dubstep

Sample Songs: "Woo Boost", "Hold On", "Dial My Number", "Kumon Kumon"

#15
Caribou - Swim

Genre: Electronica

Sample Songs: "Odessa", "Kaili", "Bowls", "Leave House"

#14
Yeasayer - Odd Blood

Genre: Psychedelic, Experimental

Sample Songs: "The Children", "I Remember", "O.N.E.", "Mondegreen"

#13
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit

Genre: Black Metal, Folk Metal

Sample Songs: "Into the Painted Grey", "Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires", "The Watcher's Monolith", "To Drown"

#12
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Genre: Hip hop

Sample Songs: "Daddy Fat Sax", "Tangerine", "Be Still", "Night Night"

#11
The Glitch Mob - Drink The Sea/Drink The Sea Part 2: The Mixtape

Genre: Electronic, Glitch, IDM

Sample Songs: "Bad Wings", "Drive It Like You Stole It", "Animal Vox", "Fistful of Silence"

#10
Uffie - Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans

Genre: Alternative Dance, Electro hip-hop

Sample Songs: "ADD SUV", "MCs Can Kiss", "Difficult", "Illusion of Love"

#9
Tobacco - Maniac Meat

Genre: Psychedelic, Experimental

Sample Songs: "Fresh Hex", "Sweatmother", "Heavy Makeup", "Creepy Phone Calls"

#8
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Genre: Hip hop

Sample Songs: "Dark Fantasy", "All of the Lights", "Runaway", "Lost in the World"

#7
Girl Talk - All Day

Genre: Mash-up, Party Music

Sample Songs: "Oh No", "Let It Out", "Down for the Count", "Get It Get It"

Devo - Something For Everybody

Genre: New Wave, Synthrock

Sample Songs: "What We Do", "Don't Shoot(I'm A Man)", "Cameo", "No Place Like Home"

#5
Beach House - Teen Dream

Genre: Dream-Pop

Sample Songs: "Zebra", "Norway", "Take Care", "10 Mile Stereo"

#4
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

Genre: Punk Rock, Lo-Fi

Sample Songs: "A More Perfect Union", "No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future", "To Old Friends And New", "A Pot In Which To Piss"

#3
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Genre: Alternative hip hop, alternative rock

Sample Songs: "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach", "Superfast Jellyfish", "On Melancholy Hill", "Cloud of Unknowing"

#2
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Genre: Indie Rock, Dream-Pop

Sample Songs: "Earthquake", "Desire Lines", "Coronado", "Helicopter", "He Would Have Laughed"

#1
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles II

Genre: Electronic, Experimental

Sample Songs: "Celestica", "Baptism", "Empathy", "Intimate", "I Am Made Of Chalk"

That about wraps it up for this year in music! It's definitely been quite the exciting ride. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! Some really great stuff came out this year. I wander what 2011 has in store for us...only time will tell!

2010 Top 50 Albums of the Year: #50-26

2010-12-29T22:54:00.030-05:00

Now that we've got the honorable mentions out of the way, it's time we get right to the meat of this list! I'm gonna start off with the first stretch of albums, and then I will finally reveal the rest New Year's Eve! So without further adieu, here are my choices:

#50
Zola Jesus - Stridulum EP
Genre: Experimental, Electronic, Female Vocalist

Sample Songs: "Night", "Run Me Out", "Manifest Destiny"

#49
CEO - White Magic

Genre: Synth Pop, Electro

Sample Songs: "Come With Me", "Illuminata", "Love And Do What You Will"

#48
Weapon - From The Devils Tomb

Genre: Black Metal

Sample Songs: "The Inner Wolf", "Sardonyx", "Towards the Uncreated"

#47
Warpaint - The Fool

Genre: Psychedelic, Shoegaze

Sample Songs: "Shadows", "Undertow", "Baby"

#46
HEALTH - DISCO2

Genre: Noise-rock, dance-punk

Sample Songs: "USA Boys", "In Heat(Javelin Remix)", "Eat Flesh(Crystal Castles Remix)"

#45
The Black Keys - Brothers

Genre: Blues-rock

Sample Songs: "Next Girl", "The Only One", "Unknown Brother"

#44
65daysofstatic - We Were Exploding Anyway

Genre: Electronic, post-rock

Sample Songs: "Crash Tactics", "Come To Me", "Tiger Girl"

#43
BT - These Hopeful Machines

Genre: Electronica, Glitch

Sample Songs: "The Rose Of Jericho", "The Emergency", "Le Nocturne de Lumiere"

#42
Alcest - Écailles de Lune

Genre: Shoegaze, Metal

Sample Songs: "Écailles de Lune - Part 1", "Percées de lumière", "Sur L'Océan Couleur de Fer"

#41
The Sword - Warp Riders

Genre: Heavy Metal, Doom Metal

Sample Songs: "Lawless Lands", "Arrows in the Dark", "(The Night The Sky Cried) Tears Of Fire"

#40
!!! - Strange Weather, Isn't It?

Genre: Dance-punk, indie rock

Sample Songs: "The Most Certain Sure", "The Hammer", "Even Judas Gave Jesus A Kiss"

#39
Das Racist - Shut Up, Dude/Sit Down, Man

Genre: Underground hip-hop

Sample Songs: "All Tan Everything", "Hugo Chavez", "Rooftop"

#38
She & Him - Volume Two

Genre: Indie Pop, Folk

Sample Songs: "In The Sun", "Brand New Shoes", "I'm Gonna Make It Better"

#37
Massive Attack - Heligoland

Genre: Trip-hop, Down-tempo

Sample Songs: "Splitting The Atom", "Atlas Air", "Flat Of The Blade"

#36
Working For A Nuclear Free City - Jojo Burger Tempest

Genre: Indie, Electronic

Sample Songs: "Alphaville", "Black Rivers", "B.A.R.R.Y."

#35
And So I Watch You From Afar - Letters

Genre: Post-rock, Instrumental Rock

Sample Songs: "S is for Salamander", "D is for Django The Bastard", "K Is For Killing Spree(An Ode To)"

#34
Crocodiles - Sleep Forever

Genre: Noise-pop, Dream-pop

Sample Songs: "Sleep Forever", "Hearts of Love", "All My Hate And My Hexes Are For You"

#33
Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy OST

Genre: Electronic, Orchestral, Movie Soundtrack

Sample Songs: "The Game Has Changed", "Derezzed", "C.L.U."

#32
Deftones - Diamond Eyes

Genre: Alternative Rock

Sample Songs: "CMND/CTRL", "You've Seen The Butcher", "Risk"

#31
The Chemical Brothers - Further

Genre: Electronica

Sample Songs: "Another World", "Horse Power", "Swoon"

#30
Sufjan Stevens - The Age Of Adz

Genre: Indie Folk, Art-Rock, Electronic

Sample Songs: "Too Much", "Vesuvius", "Impossible Soul"

*Note: Impossible Soul is split into two parts on YouTube

#29
Baths - Cerulean

Genre: Electronic, Glitch-hop, lo-fi, Ambient

Sample Songs: "Maximalist", "You're My Excuse To Travel", "Plea"

#28
Wild Nothing - Gemini

Genre: Dream-pop

Sample Songs: "Live In Dreams", "Confirmation", "Chinatown"

#27
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

Genre: Psychedelic Rock

Sample Songs: "It Is Not Meant To Be", "Lucidity", "Runway, Houses, City, Clouds"

#26
Janelle Monae - TheArchAndroid(Suites II and III)

Genre: R&B, Soul, Funk, Pop

Sample Songs: "Tightrope", "Cold War", "Mushrooms & Roses"

Hope you guys enjoy my selections thus far! There's only 25 albums left to go. Think you'll be able to predict any of em? Wanna discuss which ones you think are crap and which are awesome? Feel free to leave some comments!

2010 Top 50 Albums of the Year: Honorable Mentions

2010-12-28T06:10:00.015-05:00

2010 has been an incredible versatile year for music, and a great way to kick off the second decade of the 21st century. I decided to go big this year and move from doing a top 10 list...all the way to my top 50 favorite albums. But first before we get to that, let's take a look at some of the honorable mentions of the year:

A Sunny Day In Glasgow
Genre: Dream-pop
Sample Songs: "Drink Drank Drunk", "Sigh, inhibitionist (Come all day with me)"

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network OST

Genre: Ambient, Industrial, Movie Soundtrack

Sample Songs: "In Motion", "In The Hall Of The Mountain King", "Hands Cover Bruise"

Burzum - Belus

Genre: Black Metal
Sample Songs: "Kaimadalthas' nedstigning", "Morgenrøde"

Husky Rescue - Ship of Light

Genre: Ambient, Trip-Hop

Sample Songs: "Beautiful My Monster", "Sound of Love"

The Roots - How I Got Over

Genre: Hip-hop, neo-soul

Sample Songs: "Dear God 2.0 ft. Monsters of Folk", "Walk Alone"

Matthew Dear - Black City

Genre: Electronic, down-tempo

Sample Songs: "Honey", "Little People (Black City)"

The Seven Fields of Aphelion - Periphery

Genre: Experimental, Psychedelic, Keyboard

Sample Songs: "Michigan Icarus", "Saturation: Arrhythmia"

Jonsi - Go

Genre: Baroque pop, Sigur Ros

Sample Songs: "Go Do", "Kolniður"

Anamanaguchi - Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game OST

Genre: 8-bit, Video Game Music

Sample Songs: "Skate or Live", "Sushi Box", "Leave The Past Behind"

The Ruby Suns - Fight Softly

Genre: Synth-pop

Sample Songs: "Cranberry", "Dusty Fruit"

That about wraps it up for the honorable mentions! Stay tuned till next time! Next couple of days I'll reveal the top 50 albums of the year! I'll probably separate it into a couple posts to drag it out, but they shall be up before the year is over :)

6-24-10 Reviews: Hidden Treasures!

2010-06-24T07:17:00.010-04:00

World's End Girlfriend - Dream's End Come True(2002)
Genre: Experimental, Ambient

Another hidden treasure from about eight years ago. World's End Girlfriend is a project brought to us by Katsuhiko Maeda, who brings us some of the most beautiful, inspirational EPs that quite honestly
hasn't received the attention that it deserves. If the stunning opening track "Singing Under The Rainbow" doesn't draw out some sort of positive emotion from you, I would be absolutely shocked. The following song "Caroling Hellwalker" departs
from the violin-laid foundation, and starts to rely more on the different variety of atmospheric beats, before drawing you back in with an incredible session of ambient build-and-release. It is in the middle of the song where the chaos of this music decides to take center stage, and it can definitely be viewed as awe-inspiring. If you can be patient with your music and feel like embracing something gorgeously produced, this is another piece of work to look into.

Satanticpornocultshop - Arkhaiomelisidonophunikheratos(2010)
Genre: Electronic, Avant-Garde, IDM

In a time period where electronic music seems to be on the rise now more than ever, this is one of the most unique albums I have heard all year.
If you can get past the rather strange album name, you'll discover an array of cross-genre songs that really captivates the listener. This record expands on all kinds of horizons. One moment you'll be feeling like your listening to something you'd find off a Venetian Snares IDM soundscape, before immediately escaping into a much more surrealistic, dream-pop frame of mind.
There are several tracks that shine throughout this underground duo' newest full length release, several of which(such as "Paradise, "Nido", and "Comment Te Dire Adieu?") feature entrancing vocals.
The production here results in a fascinating blend of sounds that I Would strongly recommend just about anyone to check out.

River City Extension Review

2010-04-14T19:40:00.004-04:00

River City Extension - The Unmistakable Man (2010)
Genre: Folk, Punk, Indie-Rock
Grade: A
Release Date: May 11th
Standout Tracks: "Friends & Family", "Our New Intelligence", "South For The Winter", “Today, I Feel Like Evolving”

The release of The Unmistakable Man is not just another album that will be floating around in obscurity. This will put this New Jersey eight-piece band on the map, likely skyrocketing them to new heights they've never dreamed of before. For as much heart and soul they convey on this record, they deserve every last bit of it.

We begin with an ambient intro titled after the album's namesake, with string instruments resting on sound clips from old-timey speeches, similar to the atmospheric touch that Titus Andronicus was going for in The Monitor. However, what follows, is one of the strongest opening tracks I've heard all year, truly grabbing your attention with the storytelling lyrics.

"Friends & Family" seems to be almost a soliloquy of thoughts that not only the musicians in RCE might have, but could also be interpreted from a perspective that many people could relate to, for non-fans and long-time followers of Folk music alike. The presentation is incredible, hooking you immediately along, as if someone was extending their arm out and grabbing you aboard a train ride of an experience.
The instruments plateau to a climax towards the end of the song, as Joseph Michellini bellows out in pure emotion "Please forgive me, I wanna go home!" it is one wild, adrenaline-rush of a song.

This musical journey doesn't let up with the next track either, "Something Salty, Something Sweet" channeling the first of many orchestral harmonies and melodies to greet us along the way. It almost reminds me of a more high-tempo, cheerful Arcade Fire in certain sections. The chorus slipping out into the distance, allowing the guitars, horns, and percussion to take center stage, all the while the vocals slowly seeping back in again.

You can't help but feel the urge to sing or whistle along to the tune! "South For The Winter" gives us a look at the softer, more intimate side of the group. "Sun's gone down on every hope and dream, and I've yet to figure out just what's been eating at me / I've been seeing things fine, but it'd be fine if I could see this clear" the voice states in a hopeful, yet also melancholic demeanor. No longer than about a minute and half in the song, the tone is completely raised, capturing the audience with their presence once more. "Sometimes all I want is a job, and a god, and a wife. Lately, I've been thinking some stability would probably be nice! Another moment and I don't know what to say / I'm not in love, and I'm not inspired by today." the singer pontificates. We follow this passionate speech with powerful guitar chords, as if it was ripping into the hearts and minds of thousands of like-minded youth out there.

Clapping sound effects opens up the following track, "Our New Intelligence", which is the first of a few songs to feature a female vocalist on the album. Together, the two harmonize pleasantly. Suddenly, an almost barbershop quartet-esque chorus line is heard in the background, piercing through and captivating your interest once more. This song is the most well-executed on the entire album in the directional sense, as it's ambition allows it to really go all over the place, and boy does it deliver! The album takes a more dramatic turn after this with the woeful anthem "If I Still Own A Bible". The theatrics, the sorrow, and the bitterness that emits from this song is almost overwhelming. You can really tell that these songs must have come from the heart. "Don't put your trust in anyone or anything", states the song, followed by some very eerie feedback.

What could be the presumed single for The Unmistakable Man , "Adrianne" strikes next, which is essentially a hard-hitting tale about a woman named Adrianne who apparently knows nothing about the true nature of herself or the narrator of this song. Regardless, this is definitely a more than appropriate choice for a single. It's in your face, accessible, and for lack of a better word is really badass! An Hispanic twang obviously opens the following track "Mexico", and you can really tell everyone is just having a lot of fun in the studio at this point, a slew of feel-good moments that you could easily find yourself dancing to or bobbing your head along to in this one. The saxophonist instrumentals here are just killer, great guitarmanship as well.

Not letting up, what could easily be heard in just about any Irish pub in the Northeast, "Too Tired To Drink" is something you'd expect they got some influence from straight out of the Flogging Molly catalog. Makes sense that they'll be opening for them in a few weeks. You practically feel like your at the bar throwing down some cold ones and jamming right alongside them!

"Holy Cross" introduces us with a few stationary piano notes, before the vocals and remaining instruments follow suite. The piano guides us, as you can tell the album is slowly drawing us to the curtains closing, the final points being set in motion. "Holy Cross" seems almost haunting at times, denying the point of religion with statements like "Remember when we used to give a ****, well I don't think the lord understands." The overall message sent here seems to often be detachment from the rest of the world.

"Today, I Feel Like Evolving" is a mostly acoustic piece, continuing to reflect upon things like purpose, dreams, and why we do the things we do. "And since then I've been more careful, bout the things I do or say / I will keep my lover close to me, until I see the day / That I must answer for my words and gain perspective on my placement in the world." One of the definitive lyrics of The Unmistakable Man . The emotion soars to the highest point here, the feeling of being united by the fear of the unknown seemingly the message they are trying to get across. “Letter To Lainie” is another song with a piano introduction, the first thing that comes to mind is if Spoon did a country single, this is what it would sound like! Could definitely have some second single potential with this track.

Finally, the sound effects of what appears to be a train leaving for it’s next destination, leads to the closing song entitled “Waiting In The Airport”. It is genuine, heartfelt, and comes off as very sincere. This is the perfect ending to one of the most solid efforts I’ve heard this year thus far. Everything seems to come together in The Unmistakable Man . Pacing? Check. Authenticity? Check. Even the production value seems stellar. If this album is any indicator, expect great things to come from River City Extension for a long, long time to come.

Music Review 3-2-10: Plastic Beach Edition!

2010-03-02T19:08:00.007-05:00

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (March 2010)
Genre: Pop, Electronic, Trip-Hop, Alternative
Grade: A
Standout Tracks: "Empire Ants", "Welcome To The World of the Plastic Beach", "Glitter Freeze", "On Melancholy Hill", "Cloud of Unknowing"

One of the most anticipated releases in recent memory finally completely hit the airwaves a few nights ago via a stream on NPR Radio. It is the newest record entitled Plastic Beach from the infamous virtual supergroup Gorillaz,
and it is one HELL of a trip. Various websites, forums, and message boards all across the internet have been clammering, searching for leaks of the album ever since the tracklist hit the press. All of a sudden, people were wondering just what Damon Albarn, alongside the unique stylistic artwork of Jamie Hewlett, and the star-studded cast of collaboration artists had in store for us this go around.
And it does not disappoint one bit. Things get kicked off into gear in traditional Gorillaz style, taking a strategy out of the Demon Days playbook and opening with a beautiful orchestral track, that segways into the perfect introduction to this far off distant land that has been painted for us in "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach", which features the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble laying down some sick
horn instrumentals as only they can do, as west coast hip hop superstar Snoop Dogg kicks things into gear for us, throwing down a few trade mark laidback verses, keeping your head bobbing right along. We follow this up with "White Flag", which is another great pairing of hip-hop musician in Kano, Bashy, over the backdrop of tranquil strings from The Lebanese National Orchestra. This immeditally gives you the kind of tropical atmosphere you'd expect from an album named Plastic Beach.

Damon suddenly takes a darker, more club-music sort of turn with "Rhinestone Eyes", singing in his classic high-pitched tone striking lyrics such as "When the paralytic dreams that we all seem to keep, drive on engines till they weep, with future pixels in factories far away." Keeping the momentum going, we head to two of the songs that were released prior to the full album dropping in "Stylo" and "Superfast Jellyfish". Damon and Mos Def provide some great vocals ontop of a very heavy synthetic bassline, which ultimately leads to the legendary Bobby Womack belting a few powerful, soulful lines that just captivates your ears and leaves you wanting more. De La Soul decides to give us some comic relief in "Superfast Jellyfish", throwing down some of the wildest, goofiest lyrics you could ever imagine. But somehow, it completely works and doesn't make your interest wane, but rather keeps you guessing as to just what your in store for next.

It's that kind of unpredictability that makes albums like Plastic Beach such as a mesmerizing journey. Whereas Demon Days at times had a very cold underlining demeanor behind it, Plastic Beach seems to have more of a charming, exotic kind of mood. This doesn't let up, as you could practically imagine yourself walking along the sand, exploring some foreign, remote location in the first few minutes of "Empire Ants". This turns into a discovery of something astonishing, as the electronic beatdown strikes up with Little Dragon throw out a few R&B-esque vocal lines down in one of the shining points of the album. The surrealistic dance party doesn't stop there, as "Glitter Freeze" hits you full force, as Albarn delivers something out of the Ladytron playbook, blasting you in the face with powerful layers of sound, with Mark E Smith cackling in the background.

Finally, the track and collaboration I was most excited about, the raspy voice of Lou Reed in "Some Kind Of Nature" hits. The duo of Reed and Albarn offer exactly what you'd expect out of the frontmen from such huge acts as The Velvet Underground and Blur, and that is a fantastic quality hook-and-sinker anthem about the nature and soul of the plastic world around us. We transition to the most up-tempo, peaceful, and calming song of the entire album "On Melancholy Hill", which is just something that could easily brighten your day a little after even the most mundane of days. "Broken" keeps the carefree momentum going, the mellow setting becoming more established. The next track is entitled "Sweepstakes" and is essentially Mos Def
having the spotlight shined upon him in the one track that intially doesn't really fit in with the rest of the release, but at the same brings a very colorful ride with Def's creativity with the trumpets of the Brass Ensemble making it all groovy in the background. "Plastic Beach" the song is it's own psychedelic trip in it's own right, putting Damon Albarn back alongside Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash fame, which is almost a tribute to the their side project The Good, The Bad, & The Queen.

We finish things off with the trio of songs in the serenading ballad of "To Binge", the eerie crooning of Womack in "Cloud of Unknowing", and the gripping 70s-esque electronic breakdown "Pirate Jet", which almost feels like the perfect outro and synopsis of the ride your about to leave, as Albarn ends with a very reassuring verse.
"It's all good news now / because we left the taps, running / for a hundred years / so drink into the drink / a plastic cup of drink / drink with a couple of people, the plastic creating people. Still connected to the moment it began."
In the end, Plastic Beach is a record I will personally be listening to for a very long time, as I did with Demon Days in high school, and the self-titled in late middle school. The music of Gorillaz has progressed and evolved quite a lot over the years, and it is a real treat to always see what they're cooking up. Plastic Beach is one hell of a serving alright!

2010-02-16T14:29:00.005-05:00

Today's Featured Album:

Burial - Untrue(2007)
Genre: Dubstep, Ambient
Grade: A

First off, I'd just like to state that it is very bizarre that I am just now stumbling upon this album, which I've heard virtually nothing about until today!
Right off the bat, it starts out with some of the most unique, catchy, poppy-yet-enthralling soundscapes you'd ever think of. The London electronic and house music producer known as Burial really
gets things moving with "Archangel", which has one of the strongest useage of sampling, one example being a section from the opening video from Metal Gear Solid 2 and importing it in a well-placed backdrop behind
catchy vocals from contemporary R&B artist Ray J. This is very reminiscient of Emotional Technology era Brian Transeau work in tracks such as the surrealistic "Near Dark", the tranquil "Ghost Hardware", and the haunting "Endorphin". Will Bevan goes even as far as sampling chilling vocals from the deceased Aaliyah over a very low-cold down-tempo beat with "In McDonalds". The music may be somewhat
simplistic, but at the same time it is incredibly crafted and is something that will have you bobbing your head right before drifting off into a strange dream world. At times, it can leave you feeling very relaxed, all the while putting you into a very dancey kind of mood. Burial definitely broadened horizons not only for himself but the dubstep and electronic genres as a whole with this release. Untrue really is just the perfect kind of album to really immerse yourself into!

Music Reviews 1-30-10 Edition + Concert Calender!

2010-01-30T05:14:00.011-05:00

The beginning of the year is always a weird period for music for me. It allows me to get around to some stuff I kept hearing great things about though, I will give it that. Now there's also been quite a few new albums released this month, quite a few leaked ahead of time. Some great, others simply decent, and others rather boring. Massive Attack and Titus Andronicus happened to have two of the more impressive efforts I've heard this month!

Lighting Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow(2003)
Genre: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock
Grade: C+

Chaos. Vicious. Out-of-control. Just a few adjectives you could use to describe the sound of this drum
and bass guitar two piece group from Providence, Rhode Island. This record is a perfect and definitive example of just
what kind of music terms "Noise Rock" or "Experimental Rock" really are, because that's exactly what it is. A frantic recorded jam session between Brian Gibson and Brian Chippendale. These two really leave it all on the floor whenever they play, and Wonderful Rainbow shows you exactly just what kind of things they are capable of.
However, you can see that it is a bit more refined than their older material. A good solid release, but only for those with the most open of ears.

Featured Album

Massive Attack - Heligoland(2010)
Genre: Trip-Hop
Grade: A

After about a seven year abscence from seeing a studio album released by the UK trip-hop duo, we've finally got some new earcandy in the form of Heligoland.
Well in the recording process for the last four, this CD does not disappoint in the slightest. It takes everything we've grown to love from Massive Effect ever since the more jazzy days of Blue Lines, to the dark downtempo soundscapes created in Mezzannine, and proceeds to crank things up yet another notch.
The album starts off with a track featuring TV on the Radio vocalist Tunde Adebimpe, which is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the contribution list for Heligoland. It features everything from sensual trip hop british vocalist Martina Topley-Bird heard on "Psyche" and "Babel", to the recently departed LCD Soundsystem drummer Jerry Fuchs, all the way to a few synth basslines from
Damon Albarn in otherworldily songs such as "Flat of the Blade" and "Splitting the Atom". Heligoland gives you that great vibe we've come to expect from Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, and the rest of the gang over the years and that much more. Right now, it outshines every other album I've heard released this month. Definitely goes on the "you gotta check this out!" list.

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor(2010)
Genre: Punk, Shoegaze, Lo-fi
Grade: A

What do you get when indie Jersey rockers Titus Andronicus make an album with the Civil War as it's subject matter? A lot of static, old dialogue pieces you'd imagine to hear from our forefathers from the 1860s layered over some of the rawest,
most heart-felt songs wwith anthemic choruses on every other tune. This is the kind of CD you can put on and just instantly find yourself jamming and singing along to. From the hook-you-in riffs from "A More Perfect Union" transitioned to "The enemy is everywhere!" pop-esque chorus in an oldschool 80s Punk song structure in "Titus Andronicus Forever", the album immeditally captures your attention and almost never let's go of it.
The only complaint I can offer is that these guys attempt to go in quite a few different directions on this record, and while often it turns out beautifully, there are a few times(a few random moments of acoustic/ambience scattered about) it kind of leaves you feeling like there just trying a little too hard. However you can really tell their is deep rooted passion in all of these musicians, from the killer grungey vocals, to the heavy hitting rhythmic
drums and guitars, all the way to the softer melodies. In the end, Titus Andronicus knows exactly how to leave an impression with the listener!

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Twice Upon a Time: The Singles(1992)
Genre: New Wave, Alternative Rock
Grade: B+

Let me just start of by saying it's usually kind of silly just to judge a band by The Singles material(See: Nine Inch Nails), but sometimes I've found it's a very effective way to get yourself introduced to a band. Siouxsie & The Banshees is a perfect example of this.
This compilaition has some of their strongest material in the whole discography. Ranging from everything from Beatles and Dylan cover songs, to gothic sensations like "Cities in Dust" and "The Killing Jar", to violin and synthesizer centralized tunes like "Slowdive",
Twice Upon A Time gives you all the reason to be interested in this British rock band and then some. Siouxsie and the gang do not hold back one bit,
and their hits are just as strong, if not stronger, than a lot of their catalog. If you have had any interest for this band in the past or are looking for something different to try out, give this CD a shot sometime for sure!

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen - Self/Titled(2007)
Genre: Alternative Rock, Brit Rock
Grade: B+

While listening to the new Gorillaz single from their upcoming album Plastic Beach, Sylo, I happened to stumble upon a project featuring Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame alongside bassist Paul Simonon(The Clash),
Simon Tong(The Verve), and Nigerian drummer and composer Tonny Allen. Together they formed a group during 05-07 named The Good, The Bad, & The Queen and produced one hell of a CD. All of these talents mesh well incredibly, the keyboards of Tong complementing the vocals in "80's Life".
Did I mention this was all produced by the same hip-hop artist that produced Demon Days and has released some great things in his own right, Danger Mouse? That explains the catchy up tempo beats in numbers like "Northern Whale" and "Herculean" that will have you bumping and humming along to.
It really has that "Damon Albarn" kind of atmosphere about it when it really boils down to it though. Does it sound differently from some of his older projects? Sure, but not drastically. which is a good thing, because why ruin a good thing honestly? Every one of these musicians fit their roles very well and together they offer a very enjoyable listening experiance. Don't be afraid to pop this one in the car sometime!

And now, I'll leave you with a few concert events in the Atlanta area that I am looking forward to in the next couple months!

February 27th: Muse w/Silversun Pickups @ The Gwinnett Arena
March 5th: They Might Be Giants @ The Variety Playhouse
March 13th: Infected Mushroom @ The Masquerade
April 3rd: A Place To Bury Strangers @ The Masquerade
April 15th: Jedi Mind Tricks @ The Masquerade
April 27th: Porcupine Tree @ The Tabernacle

Let's not forget what else is in April...a little music festival called COACHELLA! Such a killer lineup!

Wish I could find someway to hit that up. Well, that's all for now folks. Peace!

Music Reviews 1-11-10 Edition

2010-01-11T18:30:00.008-05:00

Today's Featured Album:

And So I Watch You From Afar - Self Titled(2009)
Genre: Post-Rock, Instrumental
Grade: B+

Of all the albums to miss out on during 2009, this is one I'm kind of disappointed I hadn't heard in full earlier, simply because it's just that great.
I had heard the opening track "Set Guitars To Kill" stumbling upon it in my last.fm recommended radio player sometime last October or November I believe, but
for whatever reason, I didn't get around to listening to the full album till a few days ago. ASIWYFA is a group hailing from Belfast, Ireland that have come out swinging, leaving
a powerful impact with their first release. This is one of those records that keeps your attention the entire time. From the tremendous drumming and percussion work in songs with such titles as "Clench Fists, Grit Teeth....Go!"
you can tell that these guys are ready to melt some faces. The intensity felt during guitarist's Rory Friers and Tony Wright's united power chords makes them stand out in the
already outstanding music scene of Belfast. Take a listen to "If It Ain't Broke...Break It" and you'll see what kind of jaw-dropping stuff these guys are performing. "The Voiceless" is like a more aggressive take on something you'd hear off an Explosions in the Sky album.
For a band that's only been together for a few years, these guys have already gotten off to a damn good start.

Johnny Cash - American Recordings(1994)
Genre: Traditional Country, Folk
Grade: A

In an era where country has been seen going along a more pop-oriented route in the last 20 or so years, Cash takes us back with a much more raw, meaningful, and old school approach at things
with his 1994 release American Recordings. From putting his own proverbial flavor on tunes that were written by guys like Glenn Danzig, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen, all the way
to classic originals like "Delia's Gone" and "Drive On", Johnny Cash earned himself a Grammy for Contemporary Folk Album of the Year for American Recordings. Anytime you put a team like Rick Rubin and Cash together,
you're pretty much guaranteed something golden. This would be a foreshadowing of a series of albums that would see Cash cover quite a few popular songs in the 90's cultural scene, such as "Personal Jesus" and "Hurt".

Skinny Puppy - Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4(1996)
Genre: Industrial
Grade: D

For a two-disc compilation album that is roughly about 104 minutes long, this wasn't exactly a good offering from the influential Canadian industrial band, and doesn't really come off as anything more than a lazy attempt
to cash in on the rapid hardcore fanbase that Skinny Puppy has collected over the years. As a matter of fact, half of the live tracks from the second disc sound as if they were recorded on some pretty low-rate equipment, never really
capturing the live experiance that they were intending to capture. And that's definitely not because of faulty mp3s or anything of that nature, I double checked several times, and every time it sounded the same: static, low volume, faulty, and pretty much
unlistenable. Every now and then you'd encounter a decently produced live recording, but most of the time you couldn't really tell what cEvin Key was trying to accomplish here. The first disc is mainly just early demo instrumentals of the Skinny Puppy catalog, which once again don't
do a good job of showcasing this band's impact on electronic music. Overall, this compilation leaves a lot to be desired.

Magazine - Secondhand Daylight(1979)
Genre: British Post-Punk
Grade: B

For the brief five year period that Magazine was active between 1977 and 1981, this was often cited as one of their biggest recordings in that
time frame, and generally for good reason. It was another one of those building blocks for the type of music that would inevitably become popularized in the 1980's
in both North America and the UK, which would be wide usage of synthesized beats, vocoder darker themed vocals, and eerie lyrics. Imagine a buffer zone between The Clash, The Psychedelic Furs, and Bauhaus,
Magazine is more or less what you would get. Secondhand Daylight strongest moments are featured on songs such as "Cut-Out Shapes", "Feed the Enemy", "The Thin Air", and the nihilistic "Back To Nature".
Definitely worth checking out, as this is an album that would help lay a foundation for the new wave movement of the 80s. Unfortunately, it would be overshadowed by a slew of amazing records that would also be released in 1979, including the Pink Floyd double disc juggernaut The Wall.

She & Him - Volume One(2008)
Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Grade: B

What would happen if you put together a pairing of the eccentric actress and musician Zooey Deschanel and popular new folk artist M. Ward?
Well, She & Him answers that question very clearly. Together they make for a rather pleasant, catchy, and just plain fun combination.
The soulful vocals of Zooey meet together with Matthew Ward's slide guitar prowess and create quite a few feel good tracks, such as "This Is Not A Test". The lyrical content is often times a sad tale, but also inspirational. Other times,
such as the down-tempo stringy ballad "Change is Hard", there is a more sorrowful, bitter, bluesy mood.
So I'll keep my head down / If you keep it quiet from now on.
/ In the halls I’d rather hear silence than the bell of new love. So don’t brag, keep it to yourself."(Lyrics featured from "Change is Hard").
They even put their own folksy spin on Smokey Robinson's "You Really Gotta Hold On Me". By the end, M. Ward and Deschanel have left us with a minimalistic throwback to a more natural, emotional kind of sound that is hard to find these days.

The Top 10 Albums of 2009!

2009-12-27T18:35:00.011-05:00

I may do an honorable mentions post later sometime just to give some input on some other big albums. These right here, however, are the cream of the crop!
Just for clarification, I won't be putting grades by these albums. Honestly, their my top
10 of the year. I'm pretty sure they all A's in my book, I'm just ranking them in terms of
which ones are my favorites!

Top 10 Albums of 2009:

#10

Circulatory System - Signal Morning
Genre: Psychedelic, Lo-Fi
Favorite Songs: "Rocks And Stones", "Solid Form Dissolving", "Gold Will Stay", "The Spinning Continuous"

If there's one thing you'll notice a lot of on this list, it's going to be very experimental, out-of-this-world kind of music. Apparently that's the next big thing on the horizon, as the psychedelic rock ensemble Circulatory System clearly demonstrates on their second full-length album, most of which is a unique meshing of acoustic, horn instruments, electronic, and up-tempo percussion tracks composed by the band's Will Cullen Hart. The most standout attribute of this album is just how well the flow of the whole CD is. The transitions are both well timed, and almost give you the sense and feel of a long elaborate psychedelic jam session. From the enchanting monotone motif established in the singles "Rocks and Stones"
and "Overjoyed", all the way to "The Spinning Continuous" which is essentially a song about how cyclical the world is. Signal Morning was a big step for Circulatory System to give themselves a very standout sound, and they just how powerful and effective a minimalistic style of music really can be.

#9

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Genre: Shoegaze, Noise Rock
Favorite Songs: "And the Hazy Sea", "Cold Spring", "Share", "What Dogs See"

Next up is a group from Staten Island's first major album Why There Are Mountains. This self released project starts off with a bang, with a song entitled "And the Hazy Sea" which is one of the strongest opening songs of the year.
It starts off with a very calm atmosphere about it complemented with soothing bass, before eventually crescendo into an explosion of percussion and emotional vocals.
We then transition into "Some Trees" which is probably the catchiest of the record, really hooking you into the ride. For their first real project these four guys seem to know all the right moves and really understand how to keep you engaged in the music. "On the way home / The empty parkway wound its way back through charred black pine / Just like a wormhole / Hickory death rattles into stagnant tracts of sky." Just some of the imagery provided on Why There Are Mountains. The peaceful, resonating familiar wall of sound is brought into a new light with the seven minute long "Share". You can really feel as if this band is pouring out their soul to make this kind of music come to life. Expect these guys to be on the radar for years to come.

#8

Between The Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect
Genre: Progressive Metal
Favorite Songs: "Obfuscation", "Fossil Genera - A Feed From Cloud Mountain", "Swim To The Moon"

Completely switching gears, Between The Buried And Me took everything they established from their 2007 release Colors, amped it up several volumes,
refined it to a tee, and came out with six intense and diverse tracks to make up The Great Misdirect. If you want heavy percussion, guitar riffs, and the sinister death metal-esque vocals, you are entitled plenty of that by Rogers and Richardson. If your looking for strange transitions in the form of keyboard intros that sound like something out of a early 20th century movie, Fossil Genera even delivers that. If you want acoustic breakdowns seething with just as much emotion as you'd expect out of a BTBAM record, look no further. Even xylophones come into play at one point!
Some portions of the long-time fan base of BTBAM may disagree, but Rogers was once quoted saying "this is some of the best material we've ever created."
This is the definition of progressive metal. They've already proven themselves to be one of the heaviest bands in their particular field. The potential
for the direction that was teased in Alaska, established in Colors, and perfected in The Great Misdirect is limitless.

#7

This was posted up my last blog entry where you can read the review in full! It was "Exploding Head" by A Place To Bury Strangers!

#6

Metric - Fantasies
Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
Favorite Songs: "Twilight Galaxy", "Stadium Love", "Gold Guns Girls", "Gimme Sympathy"

Emily Haines and the rest of the gang managed to come out with one of the catchiest albums I've heard in awhile with Fantasies.
Everything from start to finish has your attention, and you just can't help but feel the urge to dance or jam out to the majority of it! The soulful,
up-tempo, and unique vocals from Haines deliver such lyrics in one of their ballads "Did I ask you for attention when affection is what I need / Thinking sorrow is perfection, I'd wallow 'til you told me / There's no glitter in the gutter, there's no twilight galaxy". The synthesizers provided by Shaw lay down a very smooth foundation for Haines voice to really connect with. This record is simply infectious from beginning to end. Several songs could be successful singles, and "Gimme Sympathy" and "Help I'm Alive" have already proven that. Metric is quite energetic when performing the songs live, as well!

#5

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Genre: Psychedelic, Experimental, Electronica
Favorite Songs: "Gold Splatter", "The Sticky", "Tooth Decay", and "Born on a Day the Sun Didn't Rise"

Of all of the literally thousands of bands and artists I discovered over the past year, the enigmatic Black Moth Super Rainbow is easily
the most bizarre and fascinating of all of them. It's as if you took the most psychedelic acid trip of the late 60's or late 70's, put
it through a few mystical and abstract filters, spiced it up with some vocoders and oldschool synthesizers, and produced is some of
the wildest music you could ever imagine. Eating Us continues the group's trend, proving itself to be both groundbreaking for the band's popularity and
success, but also a better produced sound compared to some of the older releases in their discography. For instance, Eating Us begins with the most accessible
song of BMSR's to date, "Born on a Day the Sun Didn't Rise" which relies on a consistent pop-esque melody, whereas tracks of the past tend to go out in several different directions. Some may call BMSR minimalistic and amateur lyrically, as they choose to usually only have a few repeating choruses throughout most of their songs. However, on the contrary, it is very effective. As demonstrated in both "Gold Splatter" and "Dark Bubbles", you are immediately transported to another world altogether. The wicked acoustics combined with the most wicked synthesized beats provide for quite the surrealistic experiance. You can't help but be enchanted by the baselines in songs like "Tooth Decay" and "The Sticky", or the opening keyboards in "Twin of Myself". Eating Us is one of those albums that I can put on and immediately immerse myself in.

#4

Regina Spektor - Far
Genre: Anti-Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Favorite Songs: "Folding Chair", "Blue Lips", "Genius Next Store", "Wallet"

Probably the most successful mainstream album in my top 10 list, comes the newest release from
Regina Spektor, Far! Not only does Spektor show off some extraordinary talents over a variety of topics, often themes centered towards religion and monotony in society, but she also has quite a few notable producers along her side as well! Such as Jeff Lynne of ELO and Traveling Wilburys fame! This album received quite a bit of skepticism and mixed reviews, several critics acting as if some of the lyrics and antics are "childish" and "unbecoming". However, this is not the case. This is easily one of the most moving and inspirational albums I've heard in years. You can really feel the emotion out of her when she sings the final verse in "Blue Lips". She, the band, and the producers paint a picture of a dystopic and nihilistic future in "The Machine". You feel as if your having a relaxing time at the beach when you hear "Folding Chair". "Human of the Year" is a powerful story about spirituality misconceptions.
"Wallet" and "Genius Next Doors" are sung and performed as if they were folksy modern tales yet written ages ago. There's a down-to-earth and heartbreaking
feeling you often get from Regina Spektor that a lot of musicians simply do not know how to provide. Far is a perfect example of this!

#3

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Genre: Experimental, Psychedelic Pop
Favorite Songs: "My Girls", "Summertime Clothes", "No More Runnin'", "Brother Sport"

This is easily the most talked about album on several music sites, easily the most popular "indie" record of the year. The album leaked in December of 2008. The reception was shockingly huge. It is also one of the most hated records of the year from other sources. There seems to be quite the divide with Merriweather, and Animal Collective's music in general. You either hate it or you love it. I'm in the latter category! Furthermore, MPP is the record that opened the most doors for people to get into this group. It's widely agreed upon that it is the most accessible of all their work. As soon as singles like "My Girls" and "Brother Sport" picked up some momentum on college radio and indie sites country wide, it steam-rolled a wave of success. And as far as I'm concerned, it deserves every bit of the hype it gets. From the start of the album, "In The Flowers", you are immediately entranced by something that sounds like it came from some sort of underwater amusement park ride of instruments. From the build and mind-blowing crescendo, to one of the catchiest chorus of the year in "My Girls", the album is already off to a phenomenal start. The flow and transitioning is incredibly well executed.
By the time "Also Frightened"'s bass the vocals of Panda Bear and Avey Tare hit your eardrums, you imagine your on a ferris wheel of noise. Then comes the adventurous "Summertime Clothes" which features some of the best samples and
production values around. You are captured by the layers of beats, the whimsical lyrics such as "The restlessness calls us, that I cannot hide /
So much on my mind that it spills outside / Do you want to go stroll down the financial street? / Our clothes might get soaked, but the buildings sleep".
Just when you think you know where this journey is headed, they slow things down with a synthesized build-up and release of percussion ala "Daily Routine". The ambiance and vocals towards the end is one of the most awe-inspiring moments in music. These five tracks alone are some of the most well segwayed in recent years. The album continues through an amazing collection of songs, including the slow-tempo trippy "No More Runnin'", a playful almost love song in "Bluish", and finally comes to a close with one of the most chaotic tracks around, "Brother Sport". It makes the best use of repetition, and shows that timing is very key. Only one closing song of an album this year surpassed it. Regardless of your opinion on it, Merriweather Post Pavillion is going to be one of those albums that is associated with 2009.

#2

HEALTH - Get Color
Genre: Noise Rock, Electronic
Favorite Songs: "Die Slow", "Before Tigers", "Nice Girls", "In Violet"

You'd think that'd be #1 after that write-up, right? Not quite! There are two albums that eventually surpassed MPP in my ears, for several reasons.
For starters, Get Color probably has my favorite opening and closings of any release this year. "In Heat" is a great prelude of percussion, feedback, and distorted guitars that leads into one of the most adrenaline pumping, mandatory jam out songs I've heard in years "Die Slow". HEALTH has been one of those bands that I've always considered to be pretty creative and cool at what they do, but I think they finally found their niche, and you can really tell when the opening of "Die Slow" begins. It immediately hooks you and doesn't let go till your begging for more.
They follow it up with "Nice Girls" which is a more typical HEALTH song, with Jupiter Keyes' intense drum skills shining through. Next up is the unusual glitchy intro to "Death", which sounds like a distorted alarm sound you'd hear in some fantasy setting like a video game or movie. This odd noise leads to a complete jam session of drums, very raw synthesizers, and eerie vocals.
As if this wasn't already an astounding record, we then are taken to "Before Triggers", which has some very innovative melodies and triggers, one in particular being the up-and-down beat of percussion and monotone synthesizers playing so well off one another. It's hard to describe the atmosphere that HEALTH creates in Get Color. It's like the ethereal style of a shoegaze project meets the most savage of
punk bands. The breakdowns of pedals, cymbals, and permeating vocals in "Eat Flesh" illustrates this even further. To top it all off, we have the almost hardcore disco-esque "We Are Water" which leads into one of the best endings to
an album, "In Violet". There's something about that one pulsating guitar riff that just leaves you with a feeling of wanting more of this raw, relentless, edgy style of music. If MPP was a breakthrough album for AC, than Get Color is this Los Angeles noise band's sleeper hit of the year.

#1

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Genre: Experimental, Freak Folk
Favorite Songs: "Temecula Sunrise", "Two Doves", "Useful Chamber", "No Intention"

What a surprise this was to me! The David Longstreth fronted experimental pop group has made some incredible strides this year.
This album is the definition of the cliche line "Hard work does pay off." Bitte Orca is the best record of the year because every track seamlessly
flows into one another. It is a finely crafted, well-tuned piece that ventures off in several different directions musically. The passion of each and every band member shines through from "Cannibal Resource" all the way to "Fluorescent Half Dome." From the raspy Costello-esque vocals and rhythmic guitar riffs of Longstreth, McOmber's astonishing drum mechanics, to the angelic backing vocals of Coffman, Deradoorian, and other guest vocalists. Each role is vital to the album! This is very well represented in "Temecula Sunrise" which shows off the incredible harmonies this group can bring to the table. Not to mention some of the most peculiar lyrics, such as "I welcome the new construction roads
I see that my silhouette is golden, yeah / I know the horizon is bright and motionless / Like an EKG of a dying woman / Far away from the light of the high Temecula sunrise". The guitarmanship that Longstreth brings to the table all along the ride are unfathomably well executed. Every band member interacts and
plays off one another's strengths, as seen in the off-beat acoustic beginning of "The Bride" which eventually leads to an explosion of drums and a chorus of enchanting vocals from the likes of Haley Dekle.
Bitte Orca also features one of the strongest singles of the years, "Stillness is the Move", which features some of the incredible appearances by violinists, cellos. It is opened by one of the strongest, catchiest melodies of the record from Longstrength. Amber Coffman's passionate vocals are the focal point of this dancey hit track. It is followed by a slower tempo, melancholic, beautiful ballad sung by Angel Deradoorian entitled "Two Doves". It's the kind of song that leaves you with goosebumps. "Your hair is like an eagle / Your two eyes are like two doves / But our bed is like a failure / All day up in the family / At the waning of the light", Angel sings elegantly. As if this album wasn't already incredible, the Dirty Projectors follow this with a harmony of motifs and instruments lead by the distorted funkadelic guitar of Longstrength. The first half of this song is calm, tranquil, painting a gentle picture for your ears. At about the 2:43 minute mark, the whole pace is flipped upside down, an implosion of psychotic riffs and drum sticks flailing occurs. Then, the choir of fantastic female vocalists hits you unexpectedly, the pitches of their voice dictating the story for a little while, before Longstrength closes it with one HELL of a solo. This is followed by the remarkable "No Intention", which instantly is a song you'll almost immediately find yourself clapping along to. This is capitalized with a fantastic progressive guitar solo from the front man showing off his prowess, once more putting the proverbial cherry on top. "Remade Horizon" follows with even more whimsical harmonies, baselines, everything you'd want.
This record is off the charts from top to bottom. Words cannot describe what an outing this group has to offer here! Definitely do yourself a favor and check this out sometime!

Music Reviews 12/7/09 - 12/13/09 Plus, Top 10 Albums Countdown Begins!

2009-12-15T16:33:00.008-05:00

I'm going to be revealing my top 10 albums of the year in the upcoming days, as it looks like 2009 is just about to wrap up. Now the process
is gonna be ran a little differently. For today's post I'm gonna pick a featured album that made the list. I'll likely keep doing this till we get to the top 5, which I'll unveil one by one starting from Dec 26th to the 31st.
Figure that gives it more of an official feel!

Featured Album!

A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head(2009)
Genre: Psychedlic Rock, Shoegaze, Noise-Rock
Grade: A
Top 10 Albums of 09 Placement: #7
Favorite Tracks: "Ego Death", "In Your Heart", and "Everything Always Goes Wrong"

You wanna talk about being blown away. I have been hearing rave reviews for this album for a couple months now and I finally
got around to sitting down and giving it a proper listen. Much more aggressive feeling than their first album. Invoking both
fantastic elements of both psychedelic rock that would find itself at home in a 60's or 70's era, and combining it with the type of
frenzy you'd hear on a Sonic Youth record(minus the obscene length time that alienates some listeners), and you've basically got Exploding Head.
There are pure moments of mind-shattering noise that is thrown at you along the way as well, for instance in the opening seconds of both "Ego-Death" and
"Everything Always Goes Wrong". Expect these guys to keep making quality records for years to come, if they keep this up.

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II(2009)
Genre: East Coast Hip-Hop, Hardcore Rap
Grade: B

I digged how this CD started off by segwaying from the last track off Cuban Linx, North Star, into the intro track "Return of the North Star" which is produced by BT no less.
Very cool throwback to the original. While I must say this album seems to be getting just a bit overhyped by the usual online suspects(Pitchfork, Allmusic, etc),
it can't be denied that this is probably one of the most unrelenting most well produced hip-hop albums in ages. Raekwon and the rest of the
Wu-Tang Clan members that make appearances deliver some of the strongest rhymes they've ever come up with. While some of it is albeit a bit sophomoric
in a few songs, there are more than a few shining moments, such as the sampling of the classic mafia movie The Godfather's Theme in "Black Mozart".
Definitely worth checking out if you are a follower of the New York rap scene.

Bigelf - Cheat The Gallows(2008)
Genre: Progressive Rock
Grade: B

Easily one of the wackiest, most diverse prog rock albums I've heard in quite some time. It almost feels like an homeage to several different old
kinds of rock music, as Bigelf seems to channel everything from high-pitched harmonies and flamboyant guitar solos like something
you'd hear off of a Queen record, Black Sabbath circa Osbourne vocals, all the way to Electric Light Orchestra-esque ballads.
Cheat The Gallows's theatrics, while sometimes may seem a bit over the top, really come together and are executed very well. This is much different from any sub-par
uninspired radio rock you might encounter, and it's this kind of thing that proves that the traditional genre is far from dead. The album ends with an eleven minute track titled "Counting Sheep" which is a fitting conclusion to an album that goes all over the place.
Check it out!

Baroness - The Blue Record(2009)
Genre: Sludge Metal, Proggressive Metal
Grade: B

This band that hails from Savannah, GA is pretty much everything Mastadon wants to be.
The Blue Record has quite a lot to offer. The arrangement of these twelve powerful, often times anthemic sounding
tracks truly distinquishes itself from a lot of metal acts these days. It's got everything from Explosions in the Sky
producer John Congleton doing the mixing, capitalizing on every nook and cranny this "sludge metal" group carries under it's belt.
The acoustics, vocals and percussion on "The Gnashing" is an excellent example of a build-and-release technique leading up to one epic tale. The intro and outro for the record feature guitar solos
that hook you into quite the story before letting you go from one hell of a ride.

Fever Ray - Fever Ray(2009)
Genre: Electronic
Grade: B+

Take one half of Swedish renowned electro pop duo The Knife, Karin Dreijer Andersson, throw her in what sounds like
a dark vacation to some remote jungle full of primitive inhabitants, throw down some entrancing synthesized vocals
and you've got the self-titled release from Fever Ray. At times, it often has a sense of surrealistic ambiance about it that
you wouldn't normally hear from a The Knife record. You can see a few comparisons from Silent Shout here and there, but Fever Ray carries
a much darker more tribal connotation rather than it is poppy, so upon first listen you might feel a little alienated. However, you will sooner rather than later be engrossed into this fantasy setting.
"You speak softly, we are capsules of energy" just an example of one of the many
trippy and other-wordily kind of lyrics and beats you'll hear out of this one.

Emilie Autumn - Opheliac(2006)
Genre: Industrial, Classical, Gothic
Grade: C+

Emilie Autumn is one of the most eccentric characters I've come across in the music industry recently. She carries
a wide variety of talents, several of which are put well on display in her third full-length album Opheliac. It features everything
from a classical violin Bach cover, some very strenuous vocals, and even a bit of Autumn's poetic skills on the double-disc deluxe edition. Often
times these songs are quite chaotic sounding, such as the harsh screaming on "Liar" and "Dead Is The New Alive", as you'd expect with someone who described
this record as her "mad scene", Autumn once stated. It has a very theatrical presentation to it. Sometimes it feels rather self-absorbed at times, but overall
her talents really shine through, and ultimately outweigh it's flaws.

That about wraps it up for today's post! I'd like to remind you guys that my sister, Sara Crawford, just put out her first debut album "Unsent Letters" out today!

It is available for both digital and physical purchase at http://saracrawford.net/music and you can even preview the tracks on her website. She also has a 21 and up CD Release Party for it December 18th at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta. So if anyone's interested or wants to support local music, be sure to check it out!

All that being said, I'm going to leave you guys with one of my favorite songs off the featured album of today. Here's "Everything Always Goes Wrong" by A Place To Bury Strangers!

Introduction Post, Latest Albums, and a look back at the Metric Concert!

2009-12-03T16:38:00.031-05:00

Hello everyone! This is the first edition of what will hopefully be an ongoing project of mine. I'm going to attempt to update this at least once a week! My goal here is mainly to get the word out about a variety of all kinds of music and to offer a new perspective on things. Hopefully I can expose some people to some interesting bands and artists! It is also to incite discussion about genres, albums, occasional concerts, and anything else you can think of encompassing music. So, without further ado, I’ll go ahead and get started with a few reviews…

Today’s Featured Band:
Gospel Gossip

Gospel Gossip – Milkshake EP(2006)
Genre: Shoegaze, Alternative
Grade: B+

Up-tempo three-piece shoegaze act’s first four-track release highlighted with some very laid back, but incredibly catchy guitar and drum work, as noted in the opening track “Shadows Are Bent”(Milkshake Version). You can really hear the passion shine through in the second song entitled “Out West”, the vocalists Ollie Moltaji and Sarah Nienaber and the instrumentals hitting some well timed and well built crescendos in the last minute or so. This release sounds almost like some sort of dream-pop scenarios at times, especially in the beginning of “Stopped I Didn’t Move” but it slowly transgresses and ends with some glitch-esque noise, like something you’d hear off of a 65daysofstatic record. The production value for such a low-budget project from a basement in Carleton College’s Concert Hall is kind of astonishing. You really get the feeling these three bring a lot of energy to the table in the closing song “Maybe Next Fall”, which has everything from a keyboard section, tambourines, smooth baselines, to a full on forty five or so second long breakdown to wrap things up.

Gospel Gossip – Sing Into My Mouth(2007)
Genre: Shoegaze, Alternative
Grade: B

Soon after the 2006 EP Release, Minneapolis label Guilt Ridden Pop signed these guys on a contract, which lead to their December 07 release. The record starts off leading you in with the tradition wall of sound you’d expect out of the shoegaze genre, before some computerized vocals utter the words “Home is Where The Hibah Is”, followed by a loud, amped up, entrancing harmony between all three musicians. You immediately notice the “studio vibe”, however the rawness of the band is still present. What follows is probably the most accessible song on the record, “revolutions in physics”. This feels like something you’d hear from a less-depressing sounding M83 “Saturday = Youth” track. The lyrics on this album paint you a very nostalgic feeling picture, describing a lot of random childlike scenarios in nature and urban playgrounds. The vocals remind me a bit of Alec Ounsworth of folk band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah fame. A few of the interlude tracks feel a little forced and kind of random segway pieces, but overall they don’t detract from the overall album very much. The high point of this album arrives in the form of a song that goes a little over the eight minute mark, entitled “Lucky Lemmings”. Some incredible build-up, reminiscent of quite a few successful shoegaze acts of the past, but with their own definitive spin on it that makes them stand out. These guys are something I’ll likely be tuning into more often!

Blakroc – Blakroc(2009)
Genre: Rap Rock, Blues, Alternative
Grade: A
Take several of the biggest names in Hip-Hop and R&B including Raekwon, Ludacris, Mos Def, Q-Tip and more. Now, combine them with the bluesy rock duo The Black Keys and you’ve got one hell of a collaboration project, which is exactly what Blakroc is. There is something incredibly fresh about this sound, every single track telling a certain story from those particular points of views and styles. In a cross genre that usually comes with plenty of criticisms, the efforts by everyone involved here make for something not only unique and creative, but great to blast on a pair of speakers as well.

Felix Da Housecat - He Was King(2009)
Genre: House, Electronic, Electroclash
Grade: B+
This has been getting heavy rotation on Album 88.5 recently, and for pretty good reason. The Chicago DJ has really outdone himself here, with a great collection of songs full of the usual suspects in electronic music. And by usual suspects I mean satirical lyrics and epic amounts of bass! Not exactly the most complex music in the world, but hot damn is it catchy and probably full of club hits, which is rare because it’s sometimes hard to find good dance/house music these days that isn’t painfully generic. He Was King is here to prove otherwise! Easily one of the strongest electronic releases all year even, I’d say.

Fugazi – Repeater + 3 Songs(1990)
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Punk
Grade: A
If you wanna hear Punk done right, listen to this album. It had been a few years since I picked this up, recalling checking it out during high school at some point, so I stumbled upon it and decided to give it another play through just to see if it was still as good as I remember. I think I enjoyed it even more so this time! This album is pretty much the definition of unrelenting, attacking a wide amount of issues such as capitalism. The guitar work between MacKaye and Piccioto here is full of innovative rhythm throughout the CD. Definitely recommend checking this one out sometime.

Russian Circles – Station(2008)
Genre: Post-Rock, Instrumental Rock
Grade: C
Generally I enjoy most bands that come from this genre, I really do. And half of this album is incredible, very powerful stuff. Mogwai, eaststrikewest, God is an Astronaut, This Will Destroy You, plenty others. I actually really like a couple other Russian Circles albums(particularly their latest one, Geneva). However when you start to feel drained from the music, and begins wondering just where a song is going, it definitely detracts away from its value. There are times where this music screams via drum build-up sequences and cold slick solos, however in the end a lot of it just doesn’t really connect.

The Dutchess & The Duke – Sunset/Sunrise(2009)
Genre: Folk
Grade: B
If your looking for thoughtful lyrics about struggling to find one’s self, along with such instruments as organs, violins, pianos, and minimalist guitar strums(“Scorpio”) to compliments the vocals of Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison, you’ve come to the right band. “Let It Die” is a perfect example of the sort of reluctant acceptance of the life they have chose for themselves, often singing “I don’t wanna be here no more.” The title track and "New Shadow" contain simply haunting endings. The Dutchess and The Duke weave together some impressive material here.

Featured Concert!

Band: Metric(w/ Band of Skulls)
Date: November 28th 2009
Venue: Center Stage, Atlanta GA
Setlist: 1. Twilight Galaxy
2. Help I’m Alive
3. Poster of a Girl
4. Satellite Mind
5. Handshakes
6. Gold Gun Girls
7. Empty
8. Gimme Sympathy
9. Sick Muse
10. Dead Disco
11. Stadium Love
Encore:
12. Monster Hospital
13. Combat Baby(Acoustic)

This show was one of the more spontaneous concert decisions I’ve made recently. I learned these guys were coming to Atlanta a good month or so before the show, but completely forgot about it until I was browsing local shows literally like a few hours before it started! I’m very glad I stumbled back upon this, as it was pretty fun, energetic gig. When I got inside the venue, I took notice of the crowd. Probably about 75% of them were chicks in plaid flannel, indie-esque attire, a funny shift when compared to the audience from the last show (Skinny Puppy) I went to. The opening band, Band of Skulls, was pretty damn cool. Not exactly what I expected to open for a more electronic act in Metric, these guys were all about a more gritty side of tunes, often going off on 4 or 5 minute guitar solos in at least two or three songs, and pulling it off to come off badass and intimidate sounding instead of just plain old wankery. Needless to say, I approved of these guys and will have to give their debut record a listen in the future.

(Band of Skulls)

About half an hour after the Band of Skulls set finished, Emily Haines and the rest of the group from Toronto hit the stage, to a pretty major reaction from the audience! The place was pretty electric all night. “Did they tell you, you should grow up, when you wanted to dream? Better warn you, you should shape up, if you want to succeed? I don’t know about you, who are they talking to? They’re not talking to me” Haines states pleasantly as their first number, a pretty softer tune “Twilight Galaxy” begins to play. There was a nice live spin on this song however, the ending of it being a breakdown of synthesizers, cymbals, and some satisfying baselines. They followed this up with the main single off Fantasies, “Help I’m Alive” as well as a slew of other songs off their newest record, all of which sounded fantastic live. Metric always reminded me of a sort of mellower, electric-toned version of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs for some reason, and seeing them live kind of reinforced this opinion for me. Especially the Haines/Karen O comparison. Everyone in the band had a great deal of energy though, and Haines definitely knew how to work her crowd.

The songs that got the biggest reactions from the crowd would probably have to be “Gold Guns Girls”, which I believe was actually featured in the Zombieland OST. The crowd really got behind the two encore songs “Monster Hospital”(a personal favorite of mine, love the original and the MSTRKRFT remix.) and most of all, an acoustic version of one of an older Metric hit “Combat Baby”, which resulted in a pretty big sing along out of the audience. The show had a couple of surprises though, one where a song was interludes by Haines going off and starting up the verse “You gotta fight! For your right! To party!” ala Beastie Boys, which was kind of random, but they made it badass. The other little shock was a really cool performance of Neil Young’s “Hey-Hey, My My” right before they transitioned into one of the stronger tracks from Fantasties, “Gimme Sympathy”. After they closed, I rushed over to the merch table and picked up a cool autographed tour poster for 15 bucks, not too shabby. Overall, I’d say I give this show a B! Quite a lot of fun indeed, but somewhat of a short set compared to some of the concerts I’ve seen throughout the year. That’s about the only complaint I really have. And with that, I’m gonna leave all of you guys with a video from the show!