Top Albums:
1. Those Dancing Days - Daydreams & Nightmares
2. Charlie Simpson - Young Pilgrim
3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
4. Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
5. Eisley - The Valley
6. The Lonely Forest - Arrows
7. Drake - Take Care
8. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
9. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
10. araabMUZIK - Electronic Dream
11. Childish Gambino - Camp
12. Jack's Mannequin - People And Things
13. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
14. Laura Stevenson - Sit Resist
15. Jonathan Jones - Community Group
16. The Boxer Rebellion - The Cold Still
17. Tiger Riot - Look Up!
18. Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix
19. Summer Camp - Welcome To Condale
20. Ben Howard - Every Kingdom
21. Lights - Siberia
22. Transit - Listen & Forgive
23. Bayside - Killing Time
24. Funeral Party - The Golden Age Of Knowhere
25. James Blake - James Blake
This one is going to be tough. After raving about the Reign Of Kindo yesterday, I don't know how to follow it up. I've been searching through music today, trying to find something that fits my mood, but is also a fun summer song. After about an hour of that, I finally found that song and that band.
Hailing from Canada, Tokyo Police Club spell words like 'Favorite' and 'Color' with a 'u' in there somewhere. Now, if their song 'Favourite Colour' wasn't so damn good, this would definitely bother me, but it is. It's one of the most fun, laidback summertime songs I've heard in a while. Lyrically, it's nothing original, but you can't help but relate. Singing along with vocalist David Monks during the chorus of 'Tell me, what's your favourite colour? Tell me, how's your younger brother? What grade's he in?' is inevitable. We've all been at that point in a relationship with somebody, where it's still very early on. At this point, it's probably a late night text-messaging conversation, you're playing 'the question game,' and you have to ask first. This song is a great musical definition of a summer fling, but it's also a great example of an extremely talented indie rock band. Changing the format of the chorus three times, in just over 2 and a half minutes, this song always keeps things fresh.
Off their stellar sophomore album, Champ, 'Favourite Colour' bats second in a great 11-song lineup. Tokyo Police Club has a formula for making fun, sing-a-long indie music, and after only two releases, they've done very well at refining it. So give it a shot!
Well, I had my mind blown last night. I don't mean I heard a song and thought 'This is pretty cool.' I heard a song last night that made me stop everything I was doing and focus solely on the song; it needed to soak in. I've had this happen to me less than five times in my life. I've heard a lot of amazing music that needed to grow on me. No big, that happens all the time. Rarely, though, do I hear something one time (ONE TIME!) and immediately know it's something special. Scratch that, beyond special.
This Day & Age was a band that slipped through the cracks from 2000-2004. It's sad, yeah, but it's a way of life. Smaller bands aren't always going to make it, no matter how talented they are. Without the popularity, label backing, and funding larger bands get, it's tough making a living with music out there. Breaking up in 2004, the four original members gave it another shot in 2006, under a new (and much cooler) moniker: The Reign Of Kindo. Releasing a self-titled EP in '06, and a debut album in '08, I didn't discover this little gem until last night. Releasing their second album This Is What Happens, they start out by kicking you in the ass, as hard as they possibly can. They raise SO many questions within the first 15 seconds: 'What genre is this?' 'What do they look like?' 'How many damn hands does the drummer have?' 'Is the guitar player using a power drill with a guitar pick attached to the end of it?' It's unlike anything I'd ever heard in my life! So what genre are they, what's their 'image?' Here's the thing, they don't care! Music is their pawn, and they do what they want with it, caring not about how people view them, only focusing on making the best music they possibly can.
They don't want to be labeled 'post-modern neo-jazz,' 'indie mathrock,' or anything like that, even though both of those would fit perfectly. Here's my suggestion: '5 dudes that are talented beyond belief and just want to rock.' I think they'd be fine with that. Now, I'm going to spare the details here, and let this studio video of them speak for itself. Please, everybody! If there's any blog of mine that you read, let it be this one. Music does not get better than this! Here you go. 'Thrill Of The Fall' by The Reign Of Kindo. You're welcome.
Three days in a row, and I'm still doing these somehow. Maybe I'll be a little more consistent this time around.
Today's recommendation wouldn't have happened without Christopher Columbus. Little did he know that his journey would, 517 years later, inspire one of the most interesting & passionate concept albums in the indie world. With most people knowing him as the extremely talented, yet seemingly timid multi-instrumentalist for the band fun., it makes sense that Andrew Dost's debut solo album would go very unnoticed. With an ear for melody matching the Matt Thiessens and Andrew McMahons of the world, quirky lyrics about our country's 'founder,' and a myriad of guest spots, Columbus makes for a informative, funny, and most importantly, enjoyable experience. Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, it's a fairly common running time for an album in this genre. Complete with gang vocals, spoken word, and a great storyline, this album has a little bit of everything, and definitely something for everyone. So check it out!
As always, included are a track from the album ('Welcome To Our Native Land' ft. a guest spot from fun.'s lead singer, Nate Ruess), and a link to the album's Amazon page, if you are so inclined to purchase it. Enjoy!
Summer's just about over, but I've learned to be fine with that. The end of summer brings a lot of great things, including getting to go back to college! While that excites me to no end, the fall is also paired with a much better concert schedule. Here's mine.
Aug. 14 - Lydia @ Triple Rock
Aug. 28 - You, Me, And Everyone We Know & The Graduate @ The Space
Oct. 10 - fun. @ Varsity Theatre
Oct. 14 - Ludo @ Triple Rock
Oct. 28 - Motion City Soundtrack, Say Anything, Saves The Day & Valencia @ First Ave.
It's gonna be great. Hopefully there's a few shows I can throw in between there somewhere. What are your guys' show lineups looking like? Shout it out!
What a night I had yesterday. Got to spend it with a good friend, and hang out at a bar for a while. A lot of fun. When I got back, I was in the mood to listen to some stand-up, and that is where my recommendation comes from today.
Hannibal Buress is going to blow up. I guarantee it. By the age of 27, he's been hired as a writer for SNL, done guest spots on shows such Louie & The Awkward Comedy Show, and gained a spot on Variety's 'Ten Comics To Watch In 2010' list. The best part about Buress, though? He makes you feel like you could be a comedian. He doesn't get laughs by being over-confident in his material, and being loud and obnoxious. Instead, he awkwardly tells you about sitting in the corner at a party, drinking alone and texting your friends about how shitty the party is. Haven't we all been there? His quips about the process of Obama's promotion make you wonder, 'Why am I not doing this,' and his confusion about dating in Grand Theft Auto 4 comes as no surprise to gamers the world over. His talent much outshines his fairly timid delivery. He's the every man's alternative comic, but he doesn't have to be.
Included are a Youtube video of Hannibal performing at College Humor live and, if you like him enough (which you all should), a link to an Amazon page where you can purchase his debut album, My Name Is Hannibal. Enjoy!
I know a lot of people go into these with good intentions and stop/forget about it in less than a week, but I'm going to do my best to post a daily song recommendation. I've been listening to such a wide variety of music lately, I feel like I should tell people what I'm into when I'm into it. So, without further ado, I guess.
The Juliana Theory were criminally underrated and far too short-lived, releasing only 4 albums in the approximately 7 years they were together. In honor of their upcoming reunion shows across the East Coast, I'm posting a link to the third track off their final CD together, Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat. Entitled 'Shotgun Serenade,' this song encompassed everything that was to unknowingly happen to the band months after releasing the album. A blunt, passionate song about disintegration and falling apart, 'Shotgun Serenade' opens with a beautiful acoustic guitar intro behind Brett Detar's soulful swoon, not taking long before kicking the listener in the ass. I hope you all enjoy.
Just got back from a CD sale on campus put together by our radio station. Two CD's for 5 bucks, it's hard to turn that down. What did I get, you might ask? Well, one of my favorites from 2009, and one of my early favorites of 2010, I got lucky.
The Rx Bandits have been putting together some of the best experimental, genre-mashing rock I've heard in the past five years. I've yet to get the chance to see them live, but I can only imagine, when compared to this album. Mandala is 11 songs, and 52 minutes of very ambient-feeling, yet not ambient-sounding rock. For the sake of space, I won't write a full-fledged review.
It's hard to describe Crime In Stereo with one small blog paragraph. Musically, these guys have been everywhere. Whether it's ...Is Dead, or The Troubled Stateside, CIS has touched every corner and uncovered every stone of musical genres. I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone is a bit of a gut-shot to other bands in this so-called indie-alt-rock genre. CIS, in their early years, were a straight-up hardcore band and they did it well. However, it wasn't enough, so they went completely to the other end of the spectrum. This album is basically them saying to other bands, "Hey, you guys, we got this." For such a supposed short time trying out this sound, Crime In Stereo handles it very well. Where they go from here excites me.
Needless to say, I wholeheartedly recommend both these cds to people trying to find new music. They don't disappoint.
I love all the tour updates on the main page, but it often finds me jumping from hyperlink to hyperlink, when it might possibly be unnecessary. Maybe the site already has something like this, and I'm completely missing it, but I personally think the site should get a tour page. I don't know how it would be organized, but it doesn't seem like something too complicated to be put together. Hell, if someone thought it was a good idea, I'd even be willing to put it together.
Rocking some old-school Tooth and Nail right now. Going to check these guys out when they open for Brian Welch ('Head' from Korn, what a joke) this weekend. Super excited, they're one of the best bands in the past five years, in my mind. Solid rock and roll, they remind me a lot of the Foo Fighters.
I find it hard to focus on anything music at the moment, when the home opener for my Minnesota Twins at their brand new field is today. Coverage has been on since 5 a.m., and the game starts in a few hours. I'm beyond excited. I mean, look at this place!
As far as music goes, I'm thinking about putting together my first review. I'd like to do something current, so it's between Cary Brothers' new album, and Secret And Whisper's new album. Does anyone have an opinion between those two, or another album you'd like reviewed?
I realize I'm not a controversial user with a really stoic point of view on here, but I like to think I'm a fairly popular user that quite a few people at least know of on here. As of yesterday, I'm going to start contributing to the tech round-up on this site, since Chad stopped submitting his. I also feel like trying to do some user reviews as well, to get some writing practice. I want to get more out of this site than just straight posting on threads, so I feel a blog is getting necessary.
I'll try to post something I'm into or something I want some output on from you guys every day or so (minus this one). If any of my friends on here have any ideas or suggestions for me, I'll look into them completely open-mindedly. I'll do my best to keep things consistent.
As of right now, I gotta go to four more classes today. Mondays are the worst. I'll see you guys around.
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