Cults - Cults 7"

First off, sorry I have been sucking so majorly regarding posting the past two weeks, I have been spending very little time on my computer. Hopefully I'll be back into it soon.

Cults are the latest indie pop band to sweep the internets, with their completely free Cults 7". Even with the only 3 songs on the single/EP (whichever you want to call it), they've got a great range of styles. In general, the sound is a fairly upbeat dream-pop, with harmonized, childlike vocals. "Go Outside" is built on a xylophone riff, "Most Wanted" is extremely reminiscent of "Walkabout", by Atlas Sound, and features some of the same xylophone, accompanied by a swirling bed of synths. "The Curse" switches things up and lays some reverb drenched vocals over an equally reverb drenched minor key guitar riff. It is much darker than the other two, following an almost bluesy chromatic melody.

There is very little biographical info on the band, but with the way their debut sounds, and the way it's swept through the blogosphere, these guys have a serious future. It's some of the best experimental type pop music I have heard in quite some time, and I'm excited to hear more.

Go Outside - Cults

Stream and download all three songs free on their Bandcamp page.

Click a label for related posts.

"And after changing everything, they couldn't tell we couldn't sing"

I'm not sure quite what it is, but the cadence of the vocals in this song really remind me of a very wise man telling stories, and the end seems to have a very distinct air of finality. It would be good for ending something. Not sure what, but something. Stars are from Montreal, and this is actually from their 2004 album, Set Yourself On Fire, but it recently came to my attention thanks to the fine folks at Quick Before It Melts (a truly high quality blog). They've got a new album, entitled The Five Ghosts, coming on June 22nd.

Soft Revolution - Stars

Myspace

Click a label for related posts.

(yet another) Sweet Mash-up from the Hood Internet

From the mash-up geniuses that brought us "Two Weeks of Hip Hop" and "Good Old Fashion Rump Shaker", comes "Juke This City", a mash-up of BBU, Body Language, and Shuttle. I've never heard of any of those bands, but the mash-up has a great beat, some real cool crowd-shouted vocals, and some great rap verses. Basically it's damn catchy and it puts on a great dance atmosphere.
Juke This City (BBU vs. Body Language vs. Shuttle) - The Hood Internet

Check The Hood Internet website for great new mash-ups every couple of days.

Click a label for related posts.

"Sole Brother" - Born Ruffians

"Sole Brother" consists of one part engaging lyrics and nifty wordplay (yes, nifty), one part catchy guitar hook, and one part very well delivered vocals reminiscent of Chris from the Morning Benders. "I wish, I was, a sole brother, an only child" (full lyrics). This catchy little earworm of a track comes to us as the lead single from Canadian trio Born Ruffians' upcoming album, Say It, yet to be given a release date.

Sole Brother - Born Ruffians

Click a label for related posts.

Some Links Down

Hey, I'm aware of the fact that the past 8 or so songs are down, I switched file hosting services, and it had a bandwidth limit I was unaware of that I have somehow reached. I'll be getting that resolved as soon as possible.

Click a label for related posts.

99 Songs of the Revolution, Vol. 1 on it's way

I have always been a huge ska fan, although I can't say I've ever gone particularly deep into the genre. Streetlight Manifesto have always been my favorites, and Volume 1 of 99 Songs of the Revolution, a joint project of a variety of Tomas Kalnoky related bands comes out this Tuesday. Streetlight Manifesto, Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, and two other related bands are said to be releasing albums in this 99 cover song project, and Streetlight Manifesto's Volume 1 is almost here. It's their 4th studio album, and first ever cover album. I honestly have not heard of most of the songs they are covering (tracklisting here), but one of the few I do know, Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" has been leaked and I have it here for you. Enjoy.
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (Paul Simon cover) - Streetlight Manifesto


Apology for my lack of posts this past week, I've been spending very little time at the computer (blame the book I'm reading), and consequentially have been finding almost no new music about which to post. I'm gonna be back in the coming week though, so don't worry. I also apologize for the mess of words that is today's post, I'm a bit out of it after having been gone. Better tomorrow, promise.

Click a label for related posts.

1 rap, 3 beats

It just occurred to me the other day that I have my favorite Jay-Z song, "Encore", with 3 different beats. I have the original, the mashup with "Numb" from the mashup album with Linkin Park, and the mashup with "Reckoner", from the Jaydiohead mashup album. Of the three, the original is definitely my least favorite, but I like them all. The Linkin Park one is surprisingly good, but I think the Jaydiohead one is my favorite.

Reckoner's Encore - Jay-Z vs. Radiohead

Encore/Numb - Jay-Z vs. Linkin Park


Encore - Jay-Z




Click a label for related posts.

"I Need A Dollar" - Aloe Blacc

I have not heard of Aloe Blacc before, but damn is this a good song! It's a classic 60's soul/mowtown track, but more than that it's pure pop perfection. The song starts with a catchy little piano riff, and then sets in with a melody that I've been whistling to myself non-stop for the past two days. Throw in some "hey hey hey"s and some horns, and you've got yourself a hell of a track. It's the first single from his upcoming album, Good Times, which as of yet has no release date. You should all join me in eagerly awaiting the album, as this guy has a fantastic soul voice, and if he can write a few more songs like this one, wow.

I Need A Dollar - Aloe Blacc

Click a label for related posts.

Some food for thought, courtesy of Igor Stravinsky

"For I consider that music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all, whether a feeling, an attitude of mind, a psychological mood, a phenomenon of nature, etc....Expression has never been an inherent property of music. That is by no means the purpose of its existance. If, as is nearly always the case, music appears to express something, this is only an illusion and not a reality. It is simply an additional attribute which, by tacit and inveterate agreement, we have lent it, thrust upon it, as a label, a convention - in short, an aspect unconsiously or by force of habit, we have come to confuse with its essential being."

It's a very interesting take on music, especially from a man whose work caused fights in the audience. What do you guys think?

The Rite of Spring (excerpt) - Igor Stravinsky

Click a label for related posts.

The Luxury - In the Wake of What Won't Change

The Downhill From Here album (check post below if you don't know what I'm talking about) has really gotten me in the mood for some good rocking alternative, more mainstream than my tastes usually sway. The Luxury came along at a perfect time, because they really hit that spot. They capture the grandeur of arena rock, and the head banging sensibilities of modern alt-rock, but without the whiny vocals or overdone pretension and with a healthy dose of indie rock. In the Wake of What Won't Change is the Boston band's second self-released album, and it's certainly worth checking out. The first half of the album sticks with the indie-fied alt-rock sound, but with the second half of the album, they begin to move into a more indie-rock/pop sound. With the exception "Getaway Car", one of the top songs on the album, the second half is much stronger than the first, so if you aren't really feeling it, skip ahead to "Straightjacket" and see if you don't start liking things a little more. The first half does get a bit slow, but from "Straightjacket" on, it is nothing but very strong, very enjoyable songs. Check it out.

Getaway Car - The Luxury
012009 - The Luxury

Buy the album:
iTunes
Amazon Mp3
Physical CD (from the band's website)

And here is their Myspace.

Click a label for related posts.

Downhill From Here Review

On their self-titled debut, Davis, California band Downhill From Here have taken the best elements of rock from the past 30 years and melded them together into an album of very strong, catchy songs and very tight playing. “Like You”, along with many other songs on the album, takes the core instrumental elements of metal, but overlays them with a very strong sense of melody rarely heard in the genre. Midway through the album, they throw in “Dead Dogs”, a stadium anthem with the slightest touches of a much harder rocking (and much less pretentious) U2.

The common thread throughout the album is that every song absolutely rocks. Even when they slow things down a bit towards the end with “I’ll Go With You”, there is still a blistering guitar line and a strong urge to head-bang. It’s a short album, 8 tracks and clocking in at just over 30 minutes, but it never gets stale, each song carries over enough from the previous one to give a very good sense of flow, but mixes it enough up to keep things fresh.

Another very strong point is the amount of sheer talent the band displays. Jacob Cross on drums and Simon Rothenberg on bass run one of the tightest rhythm sections I’ve heard in a while, giving each song a rock solid basis. From the hard rocking riffs to the scorching solos, guitarist Nate Cenzer is always on the absolute top of his game, and singer Nat Lefkoff’s tremendous melodies and soaring vocals finish out the sound.

While it may not be bringing anything particularly new to the table, when you need an album that straight up rocks and wastes no time going about it, this CD is exactly what you’re looking for.

They have self-released the album, so if you want a copy, email me at timnuoa@yahoo.com and I will put you in touch with them.

I'll Go With You - Downhill From Here
One Step - Downhill From Here



Click a label for related posts.

Weekend Concert Preview

Sorry I've been gone so much, its been a somewhat hectic week. Anyway, there's a lot of great shows this weekend, so enjoy. As always, all shows are all ages unless otherwise noted, and bold shows are the ones I recommend. Genre descriptions refer to the bands in the order that they were listed.

Friday:

Elephant Micah (go to Last.fm to stream stuff), Oh Foot. Some somewhat dark, very good folk music, and some light, peaceful folk from a Davis band. 1430 Alice St. (Davis), 7pm. Free.

David Bazan. Kind of a mainstream alternative singer-songwriter guy. Blue Lamp (Sac), 9pm. Price uncertain, 21+.

Breathe Owl Breathe, Sea of Bees. Standard folk, and some hazy, slightly trippy folk. Luigi's Fungarden (Sac), 8:30pm. $6.

Deke Dickerson, Mae McCoy and the Neon Stars. Surf country and some staight country. Old Ironsides (Sac), 9pm. $12, 21+.

Blue Cranes, Elders, Brittney & Zach. Jazz show, pretty experimental sounding stuff, if you are into that kind of thing, should be a great show. 209 2nd St. (Davis), 8pm. $7.

Ten Mile Tide, Thaw Jack Frost. Folky bluegrass, and some jammin' blues rock. Marylin's (Sac), 9pm. $8, 21+.

Saturday and Sunday after the jump!

Big Echo Streaming in Full!

Rough night, so I'm gonna keep it short, but The Morning Benders are streaming their new album in full on their website! I haven't had a chance to give it more than a cursory listen, but I like the sound of it so far. Definitely check it out. Click here for earlier posts about the first two tracks (including mp3s).

Click a label for related posts.

Ha Ha Tonka - "Caney Mountain"

"Caney Mountain" is a song by the band Ha Ha Tonka, and even though was on their debut, which came out 2 1/2 years ago, I felt the need to post about it. It's an absolutely blistering piece of southern rock, but with a unique touch that Ha Ha Tonka always bring to their songs. My favorite version comes from a Daytrotter session they did back in '08.
Caney Mountain (Daytrotter Session) - Ha Ha Tonka

That ain't all. They made a video for the song, and it has some of the coolest animation I've seen in a music video for quite some time (beat only by this one), in addition to just being downright creepy.


Here's the link on iTunes in case you want to pick up the album version of the song, or check out more of their stuff.

Also, if you like what you're hearing, check back tomorrow, I'm gonna review New Sounds From the Noveau South, their 2009 (and best) album.

Click a label for related posts.

The New Pornographers - "Hands (Together)"

I've heard the name thrown around a lot, so it pains me a bit to admit that I know exactly nothing about The New Pornographers and their music. That said, I am familier with A.C. Newman and Neko Case, who are apparently members. As for their music, my knowledge is limited to this song, the first sample of their upcoming album. It's called "Hands (Together)", and it's the best sounding piece of prog-rock to come out since The Hazards of Love. The center-piece of the song is a crunchy power chord guitar riff straight out of the 70's, and its topped with some great layered vocals from the band's dual vocalists. It rocks big time, and it makes me want to go listen to Jethro Tull, Thick as a Brick perhaps. The album, titled Together, drops this May. I'm for sure gonna check it out, and on the strength of this track, so should you.
Hands (Together) - The New Pornographers

Click a label for related posts.