Ruined By MTV

Goodbye (For Now?)

2011-05-01T19:06:00.000-04:00

So as you may have noticed, I haven't been posting in the past month. Life (namely the real world outside of the internet) has just gotten too busy. I'm not going to make any excuses, I am simply admitting to myself (and all of you) that I don't have enough time to really devote myself to this site as I have in the past. For now I will not be posting at Ruined By MTV. This might be till this summer, it might be till this fall, it might be till this winter, or this might not be a hiatus. At this point I really have no idea.

So thanks to everyone who has been reading. Hopefully I find more time for Ruined By MTV in the future.

-Morgan

We Got You Covered: "Use Somebody"

2011-03-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's just simply breathtaking.

Scala & Kolacny Brothers - Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover)

The Magic of Headphones

2011-03-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

Seriously though, how cool are these headphones?

The best part about them are how simple they are. They're pricey, but there's no harm in looking. My personal favorite: the "'Old Man tweed Jacket' style fabric."

If you don't like the plain birch they also have this really cool one:

Aw yeah. Cityscapes for my soundscapes. Word.

Hello March!

2011-03-01T23:16:00.000-05:00

Happy March everyone! Spring finally feels like it may be a possibility (35 degrees in Rochester, NY is VERY warm). Either way I'm very excited and can't wait for some new music from Alexander of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Lykke Li, Rural Alberta Advantage, Kurt Vile, Wye Oak, Noah And The Whale, Telekinesis, The Dodos, The Joy Formidable, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, and of course The Strokes!

Note: Unless noted, the release all dates are for the U.S.

March 1st
Aaron Lewis - Town Line
Alexander (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) - Alexander
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding
Davila 666 - Tan Bajo
DeVotchKa - 100 Lovers
Dropkick Murphys - Going Out In Style
Eisley - The Valley
Everyone Dies In Utah - Seeing Clearly
Forever The Sickest Kids - Forever The Sickest Kids
Go Radio - Lucky Street
Kopek - White Collar Lies
Linda Eder - Now
Lucinda Williams - Blessed
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Mark Ballas - HurtLoveBox
Marsha Ambrosius - Late Nights, Early Mornings
Papercuts - Fading Parade
Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer
Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing
Those Dancing Days - Daydreamers And Nightmares
Vanity Theft - Get What You Came For

March 8th
Avril Lavigne - Goodbye Lullaby
Carol Bui - Red Ship
Dam Mantle - First Wave
Dance Gavin Dance - Downtown Battle Mountain Pt. II
Dinosaur Bones - My Divider
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
Parts & Labor - Constant Future
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
Raekwon - Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang
Riley Etheridge, Jr. - Power Keg
Sara Evans - Stronger
Wye Oak - Civilian

March 15
A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Cervantine
Adebisi Shank - This Is The Second Album From A Band Called Adebisi Shank
Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now
Death Set - Michel Poiccard
Dionne Warwick - Only Trust Your Heart
J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) - Several Shade Of Why
New York Dolls - Dancing Backwards In High Heels
Nick Lowe - Labour Of Lust
Noah And The Whale - Last Night On Earth
Rise Against - Endgame
Robotanists - Plans In Progress
Smoking Popes - This Is Only A Test
Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
The Dodos - No Color
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Travis Barker - Give The Drummer Some

March 22nd
Chris Brown - F.A.M.E.
Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now
Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep
Green Day - Awesome As F**k (Live CD/DVD)
Gucci Mane - The Return Of Mr. Zone 6
James Blake - James Blake
Jennifer Hudson - I Remember Me
Josh Kelley - Georgia Clay
Soundgarden - Live on I5
The Strokes - Angels
Yellowcard - When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes

March 29th
Becoming The Archetype - Celestial Completion
Bibio - Mind Bokeh
Big Sean - Finally Famous: The Album
Boxer Rebellion - Cold Still
Britney Spears - Femme Fatale
Florence + The Machine - Between Two Lungs
Gangpol & Mit - The 1000 Softcore Tourist People Club
Generationals - Actor-Caster
Heidi Spencer & The Rare Birds - Under Streetlight Glow
Hunx And His Punx - Too Young To Be In Love
Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck
Snoop Dogg - Doggumentary
Ten After Two - Truth Is…
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers
YELLE - Safari Disco Club

The 2011 Oscars

2011-02-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

I don't pretend to know anything about the Oscars. I just know that I like movies. Want to know what else I like? Bingo.

So put those two together, baby. Thrillist decided to make a re-shuffle-able (totally a word) board for some Oscar Night Bingo, and it's hillarious.

Where else does everyone win if "Someone's impassioned mostly crazy political speech is cut off by music" or "Someone makes painful joke about their acceptance rambling being the King's Speech."

If any of that sounds appealing then you should print out Bingo cards for your own Oscar party. How can you not when the FREE square is this:
Case closed.

We Got You Covered: "The Fresh Prince of Bell Air"

2011-02-26T10:00:00.002-05:00

On one hand it's so silly, but on the other it's so beautiful.
But don't let this one song fool you - Kay Pettigrew has a lot of amazingly wonderful acoustic tunes that she wrote all on her own (though I do like the tune to Three's Company and think she could do it justice).

Go check out Kay Pettigrew's website - esecially her song "Fires." I'm swooning.

If you want to download "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" cover the link is below:
Kay Pettigrew - Fresh Prince of Bell Air

New TV On the Radio

2011-02-24T21:13:00.000-05:00

I'm in a pretty good mood right now, and TV On the Radio is definitely one reason why.

The band, which hasn't had a new album since Dear Science back in 2008, will be releasing Nine Types of Light on April 12th. And just when I was starting to worry that their year long hiatus might not be a hiatus after all (not that I didn't enjoy Rain Machine and Maximum Balloon).

SO what are you waiting for? Go listen to and enjoy "Will Do," their first single!

Lord Huron

2011-02-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you just need to take a step back, relax, and breathe. And that's exactly what Lord Huron's music does for me.

Lord Huron is the project of Los Angeles (but originally from Michigan) musician Benji Schneider, inspired by his time spent on the shore of Michigan's Lake Huron.

Check out the song "Mighty" below:
Lord Huron - "Mighty"

Even the beginning of the song sounds like rain falling outside or the wind blowing through a forest. Simply put, it's naturally beautiful. Then out of nowhere a lush guitar comes through and it's as if the old American frontier blends with a new sort of modern experimentation.

One of my new favorites for sure.

No More Guitar Hero?

2011-02-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

So if you haven't heard the Guitar Hero dynasty has finally ended. The company feels like they haven't been making enough money as they have in previous years, so they're calling it quits.

5 Guitar Hero games I totally would have wanted to play:

Guitar Hero: Covers

Ok, so you all know that I'm a cover whore, right? The possibilities here are absolutely endless. Want to hear Joan as Police Woman cover T.I.'s "Whatever You Like"? You got it. How about Rogue Wave doing the Yeah Yeah Yeah's song "Maps"? No problem. There are so many covers that it would be EPIC.

Guitar Hero: Women who Rock

This might have less of an audience because some guys think women can't properly play/sing/whatever (which is stupid) but I think it would be great to have a bunch of female artists (whether that was vocalist or an entire band) all on one game. There'd be a bunch of different genres included and decades as well - perfect for any music appreciator. Think about it: anything from Heart to The Runaways to Janis Joplin to the Go Gos to Blondie to Sleater-Kinney to Alanis Morissette to No Doubt to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. All on one glorious game.

Guitar Hero: Jack White

Hear me out for a minute. Not only would you be able to play music from the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, an the Dead Weather, all in one, but think about his collaborative/solo work. Those could be tracks that the gamer would have to unlock. That gives you songs like "Here Comes the Fuzz" with Freeway, Nikka Costa and Mark Ronson, "Little Red Shoes" with Loretta Lynn, "Go It Alone" with Beck, "Another Way to Die" with Alicia Keys, "Loving Cup" with The Rolling Stones, "You Know I'm No Good/Shakin' All Over" with Wanda Jackson, and "Big River/Wabash Cannonball" with Secret Sisters, and the five songs he did for Cold Mountain. Or if you really want songs to unlock you could have Jack White as the producer of another band's music, like with the Von Bondies, Loretta Lynn, The Greenhornes, or Wanda Jackson. There are a lot of possibilities, really.

Guitar Hero: Sub Pop

With signed bands like Afghan Whigs, Avi Buffalo, Babes in Toyland, Band of Horses, Beach House, Ben Sollee, Blitzen Trapper, Bright Eyes, Built To Spill, CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy), Cocorosie, Damien Jurado, Daniel Martin Moore, Death Cab for Cutie, Deerhunter, Dinosaur Jr, Dum Dum Girls, Fleet Foxes, Foals, Fruit Bats, Handsome Furs, Hole, Hot Hot Heat, Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse, Mogwai, Mudhoney, Nirvana, No Age, Pedro the Lion, Pernice Brothers, Red Red Meat, Rogue Wave, Sleater-Kinney, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Album Leaf, The Go! Team, The Postal Service, The Ruby Suns, The Shins, The Thermals, The White Stripes, Tiny Vipers, Ugly Casanova, Vaselines, Velocity Girl, Vetiver,Wolf Parade...I mean I didn't even list everything. Isn't that wonderfully crazy? Plus since they're all on the same label getting the rights to it would be easier.

Guitar Hero: Woodstock 1969

Like I said in the opener, I know that a lot of these artists are already featured on Guitar Hero games, but imagine if you could do the same sets as the original Woodstock - same band and song list order, same outfits, same guitars. I think there are some pretty intense music fans that would love that. Plus the music would be the likes of Joan Baez, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band, Sly & the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, The Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Jimi Hendrix. I'd buy it.

I think I have a very fun and creative mind if I do say so myself. Guitar Hero's out, but Rock band can totally hire me.

Some Really Unimportant Grammy Thoughts

2011-02-13T23:59:00.003-05:00

Hey there Little Monsters -

I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Keep reading!

So what did you think of the Grammys? I won't lie, I had to miss a lot of it, but it was definitely interesting from what I saw. An egg? Really? If she wasn't famous I think it's safe to say that Lady Gaga would be institutionalized.

I'm not a great guesser with Grammy Awards. All in all, I guessed the corrrect winner 5 out of the 26 categories from the last post (yikes!), and who I actually wanted to win won 10 out of 26 times. It's a good thing I wasn't betting.

I'm not going to go through every category, but I just wanted take a moment to mention Album of the Year. One word. SHOCKED. No, no. Let's try AMAZED. I wanted Arcade Fire's The Suburbs to win, but I never thought it would in a million years. I was sure it would be Lady Gaga, but I am pleasantly surprised. Faith in music restored. (That and the Bieber didn't win Best New Artist. With so may amazing nominees in that category I would have been upset if he had won.)

Actually, you want to know what really upset me: Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals. I hate Train. I hate Soul Sister. Over the summer I worked at a Top 40 Radio Station and it was played EVERY HOUR. I didn't really care who won this one, but I should have figured Train would come back to haunt me.

Whatever, I'm going to bed.

For all of the Grammy nominees (and winners) check out Grammy.com.

It's Grammy Time!

2011-02-12T10:30:00.001-05:00

Grammys are Sunday at 8pm so don't miss 'em! While you might be reading a bunch of blogs in the upcoming (and preceding) days that lead up to the Grammys about Valentine's Day and love songs, let's just focus on some great music, shall we?

Who I want to win and who I think will win are two very different levels...And let's face it, I could write a page on each nomination with who I want to win and why and who I think will win and why. But who really wants to read all that?

Highlighted in Yellow means who I want to win

Highlighted in Green means who I think will win.

If there's no Yellow I just don't care, and if there's no Green I have no effin' clue.

And Cyan (haha yes, cyan) means who I want to win might actually win.

Record Of The Year

B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars - Nothin' On You

Eminem Featuring Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie

Cee Lo Green - F*** You

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Album Of The Year

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Eminem - Recovery

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Song Of The Year

Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs - Beg Steal Or Borrow

Cee Lo Green - F*** You

Miranda Lambert - The House That Built Me

Eminem Featuring Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Best New Artist

Justin Bieber

Drake

Florence & The Machine

Mumford & Sons

Esperanza Spalding

SO MANY CONFLICTING THOUGHTS! I love how I said I wouldn't write anything. I won't lie, Mumford & Sons, Florence & The Machine, and Drake have all won my heart. I'm even starting to get into Esperanza Spalding. It's really a shame that out of those four, Justin Bieber probably has the biggest chance of winning. He's caused Beatle(Bieber)mania all over again. Can you really fight that?

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Sara Bareilles - King Of Anything

Beyoncé - Halo (Live)

Norah Jones - Chasing Pirates

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet

Michael Jackson - This Is It

Adam Lambert - Whataya Want From Me

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

John Mayer - Half Of My Heart

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Glee Cast - Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)

Maroon 5 - Misery

Paramore - The Only Exception

Sade - Babyfather

Train - Hey, Soul Sister (Live)

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals

B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams - Airplanes, Part II

Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare - Imagine

Elton John & Leon Russell - If It Wasn't For Bad

Lady Gaga & Beyoncé - Telephone

Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg - California Gurls

Best Pop Vocal Album

Justin Bieber - My World 2.0

Susan Boyle - I Dreamed A Dream

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster

John Mayer - Battle Studies

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Best Dance Recording

Goldfrapp - Rocket

La Roux - In For The Kill

Lady Gaga - Dance In The Dark

Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World)

Robyn - Dancing On My Own

Some of these aren't even dance music...

Best Electronic/Dance Album

BT - These Hopeful Machines

The Chemical Brothers - Further

Goldfrapp - Head First

Groove Armada - Black Light

La Roux - La Roux

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance

Eric Clapton - Run Back To Your Side

John Mayer - Crossroads

Paul McCartney - Helter Skelter

Robert Plant - Silver Rider

Neil Young - Angry World

Just so much love...

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Arcade Fire - Ready To Start

Jeff Beck & Joss Stone - I Put A Spell On You

The Black Keys - Tighten Up

Kings Of Leon - Radioactive

Muse - Resistance

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

Jeff Beck - Hammerhead

The Black Keys - Black Mud

Los Lobos - Do The Murray

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Kundalini Bonfire

Dweezil Zappa - The Deathless Horsie

Best Rock Song

Neil Young - Angry World

Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man

Kings Of Leon - Radioactive

Muse - Resistance

The Black Keys - Tighten Up

Best Rock Album

Jeff Beck - Emotion & Commotion

Muse - The Resistance

Pearl Jam - Backspacer

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Mojo

Neil Young - Le Noise

Best Alternative Music Album

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Band Of Horses - Infinite Arms

The Black Keys - Brothers

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Vampire Weekend - Contra

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

Bilal - Little One

Cee Lo Green - F*** You

Carolyn Malachi - Orion

Janelle Monáe & Big Boi - Tightrope

Eric Roberson - Still

Best Contemporary R&B Album

Chris Brown - Graffiti

R. Kelly - Untitled

Ryan Leslie - Transition

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

Usher - Raymond V Raymond

Best Rap Solo Performance

Drake – Over

Eminem - Not Afraid

Ludacris - How Low

T.I. - I'm Back

Kanye West - Power

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group

Big Boi, Bosko, Cutty & Mouche - Shutterbugg

Drake, T.I. & Swizz Beatz - Fancy

Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz - On To The Next One

Ludacris & Nicki Minaj - My Chick Bad

Young Jeezy & Plies - Lose My Mind

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

B.o.B & Bruno Mars - Nothin' On You

Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall - Deuces

Eminem & Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind

John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common - Wake Up Everybody

Best Rap Song

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind

Eminem & Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie

Eminem - Not Afraid

B.o.B & Bruno Mars - Nothin' On You

Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz - On To The Next One

Best Rap Album

B.o.B - The Adventures Of Bobby Ray

Drake - Thank Me Later

Eminem - Recovery

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

The Roots - How I Got Over

Best Americana Album

Rosanne Cash - The List

Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust

Willie Nelson - Country Music

Robert Plant - Band Of Joy

Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

Rob Cavallo

Brand New Eyes (Paramore) (A)

Hang Cool Teddy Bear (Meat Loaf) (A)

Happy Hour (Uncle Kracker) (A)

Music Again (Adam Lambert) (T)

Soaked (Adam Lambert) (T)

Sure Fire Winners (Adam Lambert) (T)

Time For Miracles (Adam Lambert) (T)

When It's Time (Green Day) (T)

Danger Mouse

Broken Bells (Broken Bells) (A)

Dark Night Of The Soul (Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse) (A)

Tighten Up (The Black Keys) (T)

Dr. Luke

California Gurls (Katy Perry Featuring Snoop Dogg) (T)

For Your Entertainment (Adam Lambert) (T)

Hungover (Kesha) (T)

Kiss N Tell (Kesha) (T)

Magic (B.o.B. Featuring Rivers Cuomo) (T)

Take It Off (Kesha) (T)

Teenage Dream (Katy Perry) (T)

Your Love Is My Drug (Kesha) (T)

RedOne

Alejandro (Lady Gaga) (S)

Bad Romance (Lady Gaga) (S)

The Fame Monster (Lady Gaga) (A)

I Like It (Enrique Iglesias Featuring Pitbull) (S)

More (Usher) (T)

We Are The World 25 For Haiti (Artists For Haiti) (S)

Whole Lotta Love (Mary J. Blige) (S)

The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine

Billionaire (Travie McCoy Featuring Bruno Mars) (T)

Bow Chicka Wow Wow (Mike Posner) (T)

F*** You (Cee Lo Green) (S)

Island Queen (Sean Kingston) (T)

Just The Way You Are (Bruno Mars) (S)

Nothin' On You (B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars) (T)

There are a lot of other great categories (folk, blues, etc.) that I overlooked. For all of the Grammy nominees check out Grammy.com.

New Strokes Single!

2011-02-09T23:59:00.001-05:00

That's right, you read the title correctly: The Strokes are finally back with their new single, "Under Cover of Darkness."

I think it's safe to say that I've been waiting for this moment for far too long. In fact, almost five years. "Under Cover of Darkness" was released earlier today, and you can check it out below:

The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness
It will be available as a free download from the band's website for 48 hours. So what are you waiting for? Go download it! (The site's been a bit wonky since they made it available - thus the reason you can listen to it on Soundcloud if the server's still too busy).

And you know what this means - the band's new album, Angles, has a release date set for March 22nd (and that also mean more tour dates. Yes!)

Hello February!

2011-02-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sayumheywheredidjanuaryjustgo? But seriously....isn't February supposed to be the shortest month of the year? Why did January just feel so quick? And why are there so many releases this February? And Adele, girl, let's be real - that album should have been in stores before Valentine's day cause of your sultry, sultry voice.

Note: Unless noted, the release all dates are for the U.S.

February 1st
David Lowery - The Palace Guards
Demdike Stare – Tryptych
John Culture – Summer Friends
Kotchy - Two
Matisyahu - Live At Stubb's Vol. II
MEN – Talk About Body
Red - Until We Have Faces
Ricky Martin - Musica + Alma + Sexo
The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
The Dirtbombs – Party Store
The Go! Team – Rolling Blackouts
Todd Snider – The Storyteller
Tommy Guerrero - Lifeboats And Follies
Twitch The Ripper - Bodiless
Various Artists - Pop Ambient 2011
Various Artists - Werkschau

February 8th
And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead… - Tao of the Dead
Cut Copy – Zonoscope
Dave Hause [The Loved Ones] - Resolutions
Emily Arin - Patch Of Land
Esben & the Witch – Violet Cries
Lionize - Destruction Manual
Motorhead - The World Is Yours
Nicole Atkins - Mondo Amore
Teddy Thompson - Bella
The Babies- The Babies
Thompson Square - Thompson Square
Yanni – Truth of Touch

February 15th
Beans – End It All
Bright Eyes – The People’s Key
Brown Recluse Evening Tapestry
Cowboy Junkies - Demons
Deicide - To Hell With God
Devotchka – 100 Lovers
Drive-By Truckers – Go-Go Boots
Ginuwine - Elgin
Harald Grosskopf - Synthesist (reissue)
La Sera – La Sera
MillionYoung – Replicants
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Nelson - Lightening Strikes Twice
P.J. Harvey – Let England Shake
Rev Theory - Justice
Saigon - Greatest Story Never Told
Sonic Youth - Simon Werner a Disparu
Stryper - The Covering
Telekinesis – 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Ten - Stormwarning
The Dears – Degeneration Street
Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps
Yuck – Yuck

February 22nd
Adele – 21
Banjo Or Freakout - Banjo Or Freakout
Civet Love & War
Danielson – Best of Gloucester County
Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place
Jonny Burke – Distance and Fortune
Lauren Pritchard – Wasted in Jackson
Marsha Ambrosius [Floetry] – Late Nights, Early Mornings
Porcelain Raft – Gone Blind EP
Quarterfly - Do You Believe
Sean Rowe - Magic
Tahiti 80 – The Past, the Present & the Possible
The Caribbean – Discontinued Perfume
The Low Anthem – Smart Flesh
Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine

New Music Tuesday: Say Hi

2011-01-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Can we just talk for a minute about how excited I am for Say Hi's new album?

Say Hi is releasing a new album today, um, uh oh, and even though I have yet to hear any of it except the single "Devils" I am dying to get my hands on it. When I first started listening to Say Hi (back when he was Say Hi to Your Mom) I was a bit skeptical. The name pushed me away at first. But after 6 albums, numerous handclaps and bells, and songs like "Blah Blah Blah" it was love.

Check out their new single "Devils" below:
Say Hi - "Devils"

Like I said, their album was released today, so if you like what you hear, feel free to go out and buy the album. Hopefully I'll get to see Say Hi touring for this release!

um, uh oh Tracklisting:
01 Dots On Maps
02 Devils
03 All The Pretty Ones
04 Take Ya' Dancin'
05 Posture, Etc.
06 Sister Needs A Settle
07 Lookin' Good
08 My, How It Comes
09 Shiny Diamonds
10 Handsome Babies
11 Trees Are A Swayin'
12 Bruises To Prove it

We Got You Covered: Benefits of Lying

2011-01-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

I love Apples in Steroo and I love Bad Veins, so let's put them together, shall we?

Bad Veins - "Benefits of Lying" (Apples In Stereo cover)

Plus there are "la la las" in the background. Can you ever go wrong with that?

Hello January!

2011-01-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Decemberists? Say Hi? Cake? Cold War Kids? Broken Records? Cage the Elephant? Cloud Nothings? Iron & Wine? Oh January, you've brought your A game.

Note: Unless noted, the release all dates are for the U.S.

January 4th
Jake Shimabukuro – Peace Love Ukulele
Schiller – Breathless

January 11th
Broken Records - Let Me Come Home
Cage the Elephant – Thank You, Happy Birthday
Cake – Showroom of Compassion
Minks – By the Hedge
Nikki & Rich – Everything
Rye Rye – Go! Pop! Bang!
Steel Magnolia – Steel Magnolia
Wire – Red Barked Tree
Yo Gotti – Live from the Kitchen

January 18th
Daniel Martin Moore – In the Cool of the Day
Disappears – Guider
Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
Ian Axel – This is the New Year
Neon Quartet – Catch Me
Smith Westerns – Dye it Blonde
Social Distortion – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Steve Lukather – All’s Well that Ends Well
Tennis – Cape Dory
The Decemberists – The King is Dead
The Script – Science & Faith
Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death – Some of Us Are in This Together

January 25th
Acrylics – Lives and Treasure
Amos Lee – Mission Bell
Ben + Vesper – Honors
Brown Recluse – Evening Tapestry
Cloud Nothings – Cloud Nothings
Cold War Kids – Mine is Yours
Destroyer – Kaputt
Fujiya & Miyagi – Ventriloquizzing
Gang of Four – Content
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
John Vanderslice – White Wilderness
Phil Manley - Life Coach
Praxis [Buskethead] – Profanation: Preparation for a Coming Darkness
Say Hi - um, uh oh
Sic Alps – Napa Asylum
Sidi Toure – Sahel Folk
Thank You – Golden Worry
Wanda Jackson – The Party Ain’t Over
Young Prisms – Friends for Now

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Oh Aretha - sing it, girl!

La Sera

2010-12-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

Like the Vivian Girls? You should give La Sera a listen.

La Sera is a new band that features Katy Goodman, the Vivian Girls' bass playing vocalist. The group started forming back in February of 2010 and also features Jenn Prince (guitar, vocals) and Jonathan Weinberg (drums, vocals, keys).

In numerous interviews Goodman has said that her inspiration sprung from an attraction to early pop hits from the 1950's and you can hear it in songs like "Never Come Around" (in addition to a 60s flair). It's very Vivian girls (go figure - it is a side project after all) but wth a much less aggressive sound.

La Sera - "Never Come Around"

I just simply love the layering of tambourine, guitar, and ethereal vocals. Another track that I'm loving is "Hold" - it's slightly morbid, but it's a song about hugging each other to death (which doesn't seem like an awful way to go...).

You can expect a full length, self-titled album from La Sera on February 15, 2011 from Hardly Art.

La Sera's La Sera Tracklisting:
01 Beating Heart
02 Never Come Around
03 You’re Going To Cry
04 Sleeptalking
05 I Promise You
06 Left This World
07 Hold
08 Under The Trees
09 Devils Hearts Grow Gold
10 Dove Into Love
11 Been Here Before
12 Lift Off

Playlist: The Winter Mix

2010-12-26T17:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone and soon Happy New Year!

I love the holidays - don't get me wrong - but some things I can't handle. I drove home from school to New Hampshire for some skiing. Needless to say it was a long drive, but 4 states and a solid 8 1/2 hours later I finally made it. But for some reason I was determined to listen to raido the entire time. I drove back December 23rd, so this was a bad decision because that meant a whole lot of Christmas music. I'll be honest, if I have to listen to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" again there will be major problems.

So for those of you who love themed playlists (I know I do - my favorite time of the year is when I get to play halloween music on my radio show) here's one full of blizzards and hot cocoa and warm fires.

Au Revoir Simone - "Fallen Snow"

Banjo or Freakout - "Frosty the Snowman"
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "In This Home on Ice"

Elliot Smith - "Angel in the Snow"

Emancipator - "Soon It will Be Cold Enough to Build Fires"

Galaxie 500 - "Listen, The Snow Is Falling"

Helios - "Mountain of Ice"

Low - "The Last Snowstorm of the Year" (live)

Laura Marling - "Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)"

Los Straightjackets - "A Marshmallow World"

Mumford and Sons - "Winter Winds"

Ra Ra Riot - "Winter ‘05"
Regina Spektor - "20 Years Of Snow"
+/- (Plus Minus) - "Snowblind"
The Main Drag - "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"
The Walkmen - "While I Shovel the Snow"

White Stripes - "In the Cold, Cold Night"

Plus the East Coast is currently being attacked by a blizzard. The winter music is necessary.

Breaking Artist: Harlan Pepper

2010-12-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have a day when you wake up and everything just goes wrong? Say your alarm doesn't go off and you miss class, or you have to dig your car out from an encasement of snow, or you ate too many delicious grapes and feel slightly nauseous. Maybe, just maybe, it's a day of all of those options and more.

So when I go into my email and find a bunch of spam about how I've won a large sum of money from some dead relative and another email about the possibility of a little magic pill that can make everything bigger and better, I worry that checking my email is going to make everything even worse in Morgan's terrible, no good, very bad day.

Well, thank you, Harlan Pepper. Your picking banjos, rich vocals, and full sound have made my day (which I thought was just going to stay awful) into a good one.

Hailing from Hamilton, Canada, the four piece band isn't too far out of high school, but their sound, both musically and lyrically, make them sound like they've had years of experience under their belts.

Comprised of Jimmy Hayes (guitar, pedal steel, harmonica), Dan Edmonds (banjo, keys, vocals), Thompson Wilson (bass, vocals), and Marlon Nicolle (drums, vocals), these guys have taken folk and combined it with the best parts of blues, country, and rock, perfectly mixing soulful organ pianos, head shaking harmonicas, and creeping guitar licks.

On the band's website they write that, "We grew up listening to music on dusty record players, and hissing radios. Those sounds have been channelled into these songs. It’s an album that we think encapsulates our love for raw roots, rock country, blues, and folk music, seen through our own 21st century kaleidoscope." And I couldn't have described their sound better if I tried.

Feel free to check out their song "Great Lakes" below:
Harlan Pepper - "Great Lakes"

Is that a Phonograph?

2010-12-05T10:00:00.033-05:00

Up in the sky!
It's a bird!
It's a plane!
Actually, it's an iPod dock that looks like a phonograph!

I love the things that you can get on the internet (not that I could afford it anyway, but just look at it).

The company selling them, Science and Sons, calls this wonder the Phonofone III.

According to their website, "The Phonofone III is an elegantly designed passive amplifier crafted from ceramic and designed explicitly for iPhone. This clever device amplifies the volume emited from an iPhone internal speaker roughly 4x (approx. 60 decibels)."

The dock became available November 25th and thy are (as of right now) only selling 50 of them.

It's pricey ($195 Canadian), but it's awesome to look at. They have some other cool stuff at heir website too. Check it out!

I'm Still Here!

2010-12-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

Excuse me, it seems that I just dug myself out of all of the work I've been doing. Whew!

This is ridiculous - I only did three posts in November. It's sad really. Now let me not rant and rave because while I am doing a lot of work I'm also trying to have a lot of fun. I just didn't think that meant I would ignore this blog as a result.

Interested in what I've been doing this semester? Here's one thing I'm really proud of from my anthropology class:

College Students and Music

See, it really is all about the music!

There are some changes to the title page - it was a group project and I took out all of our names/our professor's name (and the date for some reason). It was really interesting to do, especially the interviews.

Keep an eye out - by the end of December I'll having another paper up from that class about (drum roll) music blogs and the record industry. I love college!

Who knows...late December did I say? Why, that could be the post right after this one, but I certainly hope not *shudder*

Hello December!

2010-12-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

Wow. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I hope I am just missing a lot of stuff that is coming out this month. Talk about slim pickings...Yet this tends to happen in December every year because hey, that's how the music industry works.

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

December 7th
Adam Lambert - Take Two
Anika – Anika
Celebration - Hello Paradis 
Charlie Wilson - Just Charlie
Christian Kane - The House Rules
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy (Soundtrack)
Deadmau5 - 4×4=12
Duffy - Endlessly
Einstürzende Neubauten - Strategies Against Architecture IV (Physical Release)
Hinder - All American Nightmare
Jessica Simpson - Happy Christmas
Natasha Bedingfield - Strip Me
Plain White T’s - Wonders of the Younger
Redman - Reggie
Robin Trower - The Playful Heart
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP (physical Release)
T.I. - No Mercy
The Sorrow - The Sorrow

December 14th
9th Wonder - 9th’s Opus: It’s A Wonderful World Music Group
Ciara - Basic Instinct
Crystal Bowersox - Farmer’s Daughter
Diddy and Dirty Money - The Last Train To Paris
Michael Jackson - Michael
Nas - The Lost Tapes: Vol. 2
R. Kelly - Love Letter
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - III/IV
Tank - Now Or Never
The Damned Things - Ironiclast
Young Jeezy - TM 103

December 21st
Avant - The Letter
Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now (digital release)
Ghostface KIllah - The Apollo Kids
Hex Hector - Allura
Jamie Foxx - Best Night Of My Life
Keri Hilson - No Boys Allowed
Keyshia Cole - Calling All Hearts

Cowlick

2010-11-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Until I read their email (that's right, you can submit to Ruined By MTV and I will eventually read it) I will admit that I had never heard of Cowlick. Thanks for the email guys!

Cowlick started one day in February 2006 when brothers Dylan Hudecki (formerly of By Divine Right and Junior Blue) and his younger brother Jackson Hudecki (Alive & Living) recorded some improvised bedtracks in a studio in the country. They later added friend Ian Parker and Cowlick was complete.

I am really loving their track "Wires." Full of handclaps and fuzzy guitar riffs, what's not to love?

Cowlick - "Wires"

There are so many genres influencing Cowlick's sound, anything from indie rock to folk to psychedelia to hiphop to funk to noise rock or experimental. I think that's why I'm really loving their music. Tracks like "Radio" have bluesy, thick guitar melodies; "White Russians" features Lee Reed and has true hip-hop beats and a wonky bass; "Conflict of Interest" has folky guitar strumming and (what sounds like) a lap steel guitar.

With Wires, their second album, just released this past August and a wonderful remix of it already available through their website, I'm looking forward to hearing more about Cowlick in the future.

Playlist: Daylight Savings

2010-11-07T11:48:00.001-05:00

So today is Daylight Savings Time - don't forget to set your clocks an hour back! But then what do you do with that extra hour? How about listen to some music?

Arcade Fire - "Wasted Hours"

Belle and Sebastian - "Sleep the Clock Around"

Harlem Shakes - "Sunlight"

Irma Thomas - "Time is On My Side"

Matt & Kim - "Daylight"

Port O'Brien - "I Woke Up Today"

The Postal Service - "Sleeping In"

Rogue Wave - "Good Morning"

The Apples in Stereo - "Sunndal Song"

The Beatles - "Good Morning, Good Morning"

The Chambers Brothers - "Time Has Come Today"

The Maccabees - "Precious Time"

Ukulele Loki's Gadabout Orchestra - "Daylight Savings
Vetiver - "More of This"
We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Moving Clocks Run Slow"
Whitley - "Lost in Time"

I love extra hours in the day!

Hello November!

2010-11-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Well hello there November! What's that you say? No, I'm not just waiting for Thanksgiving turkey. But you know if it wasn't for Matt And Kim, N.E.R.D., Kid Cudi, Les Sins, The Radio Dept., The Tallest Man on Earth, Tobacco, and Bombay Bicycle Club that might be the case. Or, you know, cranberry sauce.

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

November 2nd
7 Walkers [Garetful Dead's Bill Kreutzmann & Papa Mali] - 7 Walkers
Autumn Defense [Wilco's John Stirratt & Pat Sansone] - Once Around
Barn Owl - Ancestral Star
Black Dub [Daniel Lanois] - Black Dub
Brian Eno - Small Craft On a Milk Sea
City Champs - The Set-Up
Dark Party - Light Years
Destroyer - The Archers On The Beach [EP]
Devin The Dude - Gotta Be Me
Diplo - Blow Your Head Volume 1: Diplo Presents Dubstep
Elliott Smith - Introduction to...Elliott Smith
Elvis Costello - National Ransom
Games - That We Can Play
Good Charlotte - Cardiology
Horse Feathers – “Drain You” 7”
Huey Lewis & The News - Soulville
Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party
Kelly Rowland - [Title TBA]
Koen Holtkamp - Gravity/Bees
Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas II You
Matt And Kim - Sidewalks
Mini Mansions - Mini Mansions
N.E.R.D. - Nothing
Neil Diamond - Dreams
Pitbull - Armando
Sharron Kraus - The Woody Nightshade
The 1900s - Return of the Century
The June - Green Fields and Rain 
Violens - Amoral
Weezer - Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition Reissue)

November 9th
Aaron Neville - I Know I’ve Been Changed
Alter Bridge (Myles Kennedy & Creed members) - AB III
Botany - Feeling Today EP 
Cassandra Wilson - Silver Pony
Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Cradle Of Filth - Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
David Banner/9th Wonder - Death of a Pop Star
Einstürzende Neubauten - Strategies Against Architecture IV (Digital Release)
Eleven Tigers - Clouds Are Mountains
Fenn O'Berg - Live in Japan Part One + Live in Japan Part Two
Fern Knight - Castings 
Former Ghosts - New Love
Gary War - Police Water EP
Gary Wilson - Electric Endicott
Gregory and the Hawk - Leche 
Julie Christmas - The Bad Wife
Justine & the Victorian Punks - "Beautiful Dreamer" b/w "Still You" 12''
Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager
Les Sins (Toro Y Moi) - “Lina” 12” 
Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry) - Late Nights & Early Mornings
Maserati - Pyramid of the Sun
Natasha Bedingfield - Strip Me
Nightlands - Forget the Mantra 
Orange Juice - Coals to Newcastle (Box Set) 
Place Of Skulls - As A Dog Returns
Reba McEntire - All The Woman I Am
Shigeto - Full Circle 
Supersilent - Supersilent 10
Supersilent - Supersilent 11 (Vinyl Only)
Susan Boyle - The Gift
Suzanne Langille & Neel Murgai - Wild & Foolish Heart
The Big Pink - Tapes
The Concretes - WYWH
The Greenhornes - ****
The Orb and Youth - Impossible Oddities 
The Parting Gifts - Strychnine Dandelion
The Radio Dept. - Never Follow Suit EP
The Tallest Man on Earth - Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird (Physical Release)
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt EP (Physical Release)
Tobacco - LA UTI EP 
Tyvek - Nothing Fits
Underoath - Disambiguation
Various Artists - Tradi-Mods Vs. Rockers: Alternative Takes on Congotronics 
Weekend - Sports
Wyatt/Atzmon/Stephen - For the Ghosts Within

November 16th
Annie Lennox - A Christmas Cornucopia
Bjørn Torske - Kokning 
Bombay Bicycle Club - Flaws
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise (compilation of unreleased songs from Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions)
Bryan Adams - Bare Bones
Cassidy - Cash
Crushed Stars - Convalescing In Braille
Curren$y - Pilot Talk II
D'Eon - Palinopsia
Deerhoof/Physical Forms - "Hoofdriver" 7"
Faun Fables - Light of a Vaster Dark
Hellmouth - Gravestone Skylines
Japandroids - "Heavenward Grand Prix" 7"
Josh Groban - Illuminations
Keith Urban - Get Closer
Kid Rock - Born Free
Lee DeWyze - Live It Up
Loreena McKennitt - The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Nelly - 5.0
Norah Jones - …Featuring Norah Jones [collection of collaborations]
Pink - Greatest Hits…So Far!!!
Pink Martini - Joy To The World
Rascal Flatts - Nothing Like This
Rihanna - Loud
Sharon Van Etten - "I'm Giving Up on You"
Stereolab - Not Music
The Pipettes - Earth vs. The Pipettes
The Russian Futurists - The Weight's on the Wheels
The Shipping News - One Les Heartless to Fear

November 22nd
Akon - Akonic
Daft Punk: Tron - Legacy OST
Darkwater - Where Stories End
Grinderman - "Worm Tamer" 12''
Justin Bieber - [Title TBA] – Acoustic
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Ke$ha - Cannibal [EP]
Kevin Eubanks - Zen Food
Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent
Lloyd Banks - H.F.M.2 (Hunger For More 2)
My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys
Ne-Yo - Libra Scale
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Robyn - Body Talk
Royksopp - Senior
The Alchemist - Gutter Water
The National - High Violet (Expanded Edition)

November 30th
Aeroplane - We Can't Fly (U.S. physical release)
Black Eye Peas - The Beginning
Chrisette Michele - Let Freedom Reign
Eric Benet - Lost In Time
Flo Rida - Only One Flo (Part 1)
Jazmine Sullivan - Love Me Back
Ron Isley - Mr I
Soulja Boy - The DeAndre Way
Steve Wynn - Northern Aggression

Playlist: Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T23:55:00.003-04:00

Here are my 13 (I know, such a spooky number) favorite Halloween songs. Enjoy! There are plenty of witches, werewolves, zombies, and vampires to go around!

Beach House - "Tokyo Witch"

Beck - "Scarecrow"

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Satan Said Dance"

The Flaming Lips - "Convinced of the Hex"

Friendly Fires - "Skeleton Man"

Jay Reatard - "My Shadow"

Manchester Orchestra - "Wolves At Night"

Modest Mouse - "Spitting Venom"

Ra Ra Riot - "Ghosts Under Rocks"

Say Hi To Your Mom - "These Fangs"

Spoon - “The Ghost of You Lingers"
Starlight Mints - "Pumpkin"
Sufjan Stevens - "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!"

Plus I figure the extra boost of free music will help the fact that I've only posted nine times in October. Now that's spooky...

Sonny & the Sunsets

2010-10-18T10:00:00.002-04:00

It's pretty hard to not love Sonny & the Sunsets, what with their vintage-style west coast pop and all.

Although Sonny & the Sunsets was formed in 2007, they didn't release their debut album Tomorrow is Alright until August 2010. It's interesting though - the band recorded the album on a classic 1970's 388 Tascam tape.

This track makes me think of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and you all know how much I love them!
Sonny & the Sunsets - "Lovin' On An Older Gal"

Fun fact: Sonny Smith works out of an office in the back of his friends' surf shop. How cool is that?

Sonny and the Sunsets' Tour Dates:
10/26 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall #
10/28 Portland, OR Holocene #
10/29 Vancouver, BC Cobalt #
10/30 Seattle, WA Neumo's #
10/31 Spokane, WA Stage 54 #&
11/02 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge #
11/03 Denver, CO Bluebird #
11/05 Dallas, TX Granada #$
11/06 Houston, TX Mango's #
11/09 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room #
11/10 San Diego, CA Casbah #
11/11 Los Angeles, CA Echo ^
11/12 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex *

# = w/ Best Coast
& = w/ No Joy
$ = w/ Deerhunter & Casino Versus Japan
^ = w/ Tennis
* = w/ The Pains of Being At Heart

Blonde Redhead Tour Dates

2010-10-17T23:21:00.000-04:00

Blonde Redhead has just finished up their tour of both Europe and China, and they're returning to the road October 15th for their first North American tour in over two years.

Support on most of their tour comes from Pantha Du Prince, who recently released his third album, the wonderful Black Noise, through Rough Trade. Pantha Du Prince has remixed Blonde Redhead's song "Here Sometimes" which you can download below:

Blonde Redhead - "Here Sometimes" (Pantha Du Prince remix)

Blonde Redhead's U.S. Tour Dates:

10/17 - Toronto ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
10/18 - Detroit MI - Magic Stick
10/20 - Newport KY - Southgate House
10/22 - Chicago IL - Vic Theatre
10/23 - Milwaukee WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
10/24 - Minneapolis MN - First Avenue
10/25 - St. Louis MO - The Pageant
10/27 - Nashville TN - Mercy Lounge
10/29 - Atlanta GA - Variety Playhouse
10/30 - Carrboro NC - Cat’s Cradle
10/31 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club
11/01 - Boston MA - Paradise Rock Club
11/03 - New York NY - Webster Hall
11/04 - New York NY - Webster Hall
11/14 - San Diego CA - House Of Blues
11/15 - Pomona CA - Glass House
11/16 - Los Angeles CA - The Music Box
11/17 - Los Angeles CA - The Music Box
11/19 - San Francisco CA - Warfield Theatre
11/20 - Portland OR - Roseland Theatre
11/21 - Vancouver BC - Commodore Ballroom
11/24 - Seattle WA - Showbox (at the market)
11/26 - Salt Lake City UT - The Depot
11/27 - Denver CO - Ogden Theatre
11/29 - Houston TX - Warehouse Live Studio
11/30 - Dallas TX - Granada Theater

New Fences Music Video

2010-10-08T10:00:00.001-04:00

It'll never get radio airplay in its true form, but I can't help but like this song.

Fences - Girls With Accents

It's the hooks - I can't help it!

Feel free to download below:

New Music from The Moondoggies

2010-10-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since the Moondoggies had any new music, but luckily that's changing. On October 12th, the Moondoggies will be releasing their new album Tidelands.

While the band’s 2008 debut Don’t Be A Stranger won over fans for it’s easygoing mood, Tidelands catches the Moondoggies at a more contemplative and mature moment. But don't worry, their music will still be full of great harmonies and catchy hooks.

Check out their single “It’s a Shame, It’s a Pity” below:

The Moondoggies - "It’s a Shame, It’s a Pity"

“It’s a Shame, It’s a Pity” truly is a stomping but solemn song, marked by the somber and pensive tones found throughout Tidelands.

Tidelands is now available for pre-order at the Hardly Art website, and they will be sending out a bonus Moondoggies cassette with preorders while supplies last. This limited edition tape features their 2009 Record Store Day EP on one side and their 2010 “You’ll Find No Answers Here” Tour EP on the other, and includes a free download of both releases.

Check out the tracklisting for Tidelands and tour dates after the jump!

Tidelands Tracklisting:
01 It’s a Shame, It’s a Pity
02 Tidelands
03 What Took So Long
04 Uncertain
05 Empress of the North
06 Lead Me On
07 Down the Well
08 Can’t be in the Middle
09 We Can’t all be Blessed
10 A Lot of People on my Mind

Fall 2010 Tour
10.27.10 – New York NY at the Mercury Lounge
11.10.10 – Chicago IL at Schubas
11.11.10 – Minneapolis MN at First Ave*
11.12.10 – Madison WI at Majestic Theater*
11.13.10 – Milwaukee WI at Turner Hall*
11.14.10 – Ames IA at the Maintenance Shop*
11.15.10 – Denver CO at Hi Dive*
11.16.10 – Salt Lake City at the State Room*
11.20.10 – San Francisco CA at the Independent*
11.21.10 – Santa Barbara CA at Soho*
11.26.10 – Los Angeles CA at El Rey Theatre*
11.27.10 – San Diego CA at the Casbah*
*w/ Dawes

Breaking Artist: Voxhaul Broadcast

2010-10-06T10:00:00.007-04:00

I haven't done any "Breaking Artist" segments in a while, so I knew I had to truly find a breakout artist. Good thing Voxhaul Broadcast will not disappoint.

Voxhaul Broadcast hails from sunny Orange County, California, and they can't hide that upbeat flavor in their music. The four-piece indie rock band, made up of David Dennis (guitar, vocals), Anthony Aguiar (guitar, organ, backing vocals), Phillip Munsey II (bass), and Kurt Allen (drums) just recently signed with the Agency Group.

Their debut full length, Timing is Everything will be released sometime in early 2011. Produced by Grammy Award winning producer Tom Biller (Silver Sun Pickups, Seawolf, Liars) with additional production from Chris Thorne (Blind Melon), Timing Is Everything is a culmination of everything this band has been working towards. A mix of r&b, rock, and soul, they still somehow stay true to their original sound (the band recorded and mixed their 2008 debut EP Rotten Apples live AND in one day). With influences ranging from James Brown and Al Green to The Beatles and Donovan, it's hard to not have undeniably catchy beats.

Check out their song "Leaving on the 5th" below. "The track is about meeting someone who you know you'll have to say goodbye to the next day and making the most of the time you have with them," says guitarist and keyboardist Anthony Aguiar.

Voxhaul Broadcast - "Leaving on the 5th"

Voxhaul Broadcast has showcased at SXSW, CMJ, Sundance, Noisepop Pop Fest in San Francisco, and has been featured multiple times on Daytrotter.

Here's hoping that we get to hear more about them in the future!

Oholics

2010-10-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've just time-traveled in the Delorean back to the 1960s. This six piece band definitely knows how to create psych-twinged, lush, experimental pop.

Check out "Lose It" below:

Oholics - "Lose It"

I love it. It must be the sitar.

For the Music Geek in All of Us (creepy as hell edition)

2010-10-03T10:00:00.011-04:00

I. Am. Freaking. Out. Why, you ask? Oh, read on. Read on.

Music has always been a way to express yourself, and much like how extremely (extremely) "gangsta" (yes, I did just use quotes) rappers pour a 40 for their homies, there's a whole new way to pay tribute to the dead. And it's a bit messed up.

That's where And Vinyly comes in.

Imagine: maybe it's been due to old age or maybe a terrible parachuting accident, but you've died. Instead of a traditional burial or having your ashes spread at sea, you could be turned into a vinyl record. And there you are - immortal.

Your ashes can be pressed into an actual, playable record.

Basically, the ashes are sprinkled by a person of your choosing, and baked onto a 24-minute disk, which can either be left as simple pops and crackles ("the minimal approach"), or grooved to play your last will & testament, a favorite song, or a personal message in your voice - or if your favorite song is "Stairway", both of those last two.

It gives a whole new meaning to "death metal" and "soul" genres, doesn't it?

The average ash-load can be spread out to thirty records, which, if you so desire, can even be sold under the in-house R.I.V. (Rest In Vinyl) label at stores around the world. People could buy your ashes and play you on a record forever.

The worst part? I sincerely don't think this is even a joke. Don't believe me? Check out the And Vinyly site.

What is the world coming to?

Hello October!

2010-10-01T18:24:00.006-04:00

There is so much to look forward to this October! The Corin Tucker Band! Tim Kasher! Antony And The Johnsons! Badly Drawn Boy! Belle And Sebastian! Sufjan Stevens! Keller Williams! Kid Cudi! !!! (oh wait - that was August...maybe I just have to tone down the excitement).

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

October 5th
Abandon All Ships – Geeving
Alain Johannes - Spark
Allo Darlin’ - Allo Darlin’
Amusement Parks on Fire - Road Eyes
Apache Beat - Last Chants
Bring Me The Horizon - There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret
British Sea Power - Zeus EP (digital release])
Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Clinic - Bubblegum
Dark Dark Dark - Wild Go
David Archuleta - The Other Side Of Down
Down - Diary Of A Mad Band [Live CD/DVD]
Dustin Wong - Infinite Love
Guster - Easy Wonderful
 Gonjasufi - The Caliph's Tea Party  
Idlewild - Post Electric Blues
Joe Satriani - Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards
Julius C - OK, OK
KT Tunstall - Tiger Suit
Legendary Pink Dots - Seconds Late for the Brighton Line
Leland Sundries - The Apothecary [EP]
Mark Ronson and The Business Intl - Record Collection
Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern
Middle Class Rut - No Name No Color
New Collisions - The Optimist
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - History of Modern  
Pimp C - The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones
PS I Love You - Meet Me at the Muster Station
Raul Malo - Sinners & Saints
Royal Baths - Litanies
Shadow Shadow Shade [formally known as Afternoons] - Shadow Shadow Shade
Soft Landing - Soft Landing
Sun Araw - Off Duty
Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
The Avett Brothers - Live, Volume 3
The Corin Tucker Band – 1,000 Years
The Creepshow - They All Fall Down
The Gurus - Closing Circles
Tim Kasher (of Cursive) - The Game Of Monogamy
Toby Keith - Bullets In The Gun
Tom Zé - Studies of Tom Zé: Explaining Things So I Can Confuse You
Tricky - Mixed Race
Truckasauras – Quarters
Various Artists - Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home
Waka Flocka Flame - Flackavelli
 White Hills: Stolen Stars Left for No One EP

October 12th
All That Remains - For We Are Many
Antony And The Johnsons - Swanlights
Badly Drawn Boy - Part 1–Photographing Snowflakes
Banjo or Freakout: Way Slow 
Belle And Sebastian - Write About Love
Big Search: Lay of the Land
Blank Dogs: Land and Fixed
Blue Water White Death: Blue Water White Death
Breathe Owl Breathe: Magic Central
Callers: Life of Love
Celtic Thunder - Celtic Thunder Christmas
Cheyenne Marie Mize - Before Lately
Cloud Nothings - Turning On
Dar Williams - Many Great Companions
Darius Rucker - Charleston, SC 1966
Die Antwoord: $0$
Doug Paisley: Constant Companion
Envy: Recitation
Florence and the Machine: "Dog Days Are Over (Yeasayer Remix)”
Franz Nicolay: Luck & Courage
Gangrene [The Alchemist and Oh No]: Gutter Water
Gold Panda: Lucky Shiner
Hauschka - Foreign Landscapes
Holy Sons: Survivalist Tales!
Houses: All Night
Idle Times: Idle Times
Indigo Girls - Holly Happy Days
Jane Birkin: Di Doo Dah (reissue) 
Kedl Winter: Apple Core
Kelly Stoltz: To Dreamers
Less Than Jake - TV/EP
Lil Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being [Digital release Sep 27]
Liz Phair - Funstyle [CD release]
Meat Beat Manifesto - Answers Come In Dreams
Peter Gordon: The Love of Life Orchestra
Purling Hiss: Public Service Announcement
Silje Nes: Opticks
Simian Mobile Disco - Is Fixed
Sister Hazel - Heartland Highway
Starfucker: Julius
Styrofoam: Disco Synthesizers & Daily Tranquilizers
Sufjan Stevens - The Age Of Adz
Suuns: Zeroes QC
The Band Perry - The Band Perry
The Beets: Stay Home
The Black Heart Procession: Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit EP
The Black: Sun in the Day Moon at Night
The Dead C: Patience
The Foreign Exchange - Authenticity
The Foreign Exchange: Authenticity
The Fresh & Onlys - Play It Strange
The Orb featuring David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) - Metallic Spheres
Various Artists: From the Land of Ice and Snow: The Songs of Led Zeppelin
White Moth: White Moth
Wilson Phillips - Christmas In Harmony
Wolf People: Steeple
Yann Tiersen (Composer of Amelie score) - Dust Lane
You, Me, And Everyone We Know - Some Things Don’t Wash Out
Zola Jesus: Valusia EP

October 19th
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Autumn, Again (digital release)
Belfi/Grubbs/Pilia - Onrushing Cloud
Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964
Darkstar - North (UK Release)
Dwarr - Animals (reissue)
Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibawbaw - Mesgana Ethiopa
Elton John & Leon Russell - The Union
Erland & The Carnival - Trouble In Mind EP
Eskmo - Eskmo
House - All Night
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Acme + Acme Plus (reissue)
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Orange + Experimental Remixes EP (reissue)
Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Kisses - The Heart Of The Nightlife (UK release)
Liars - Proud Evolution EP
Liz Phair - Girlysound + Funstyle
Mount Eerie - Song Islands Vol.2 (physical Release)
Mt. Desolation - Departure
Phantom Band - The Wants (digital only)
Rod Stewart - Fly Me To The Moon…
Shakira - Sale el Sol (The Sun Comes Out)
Sugarland - The Incredible Machine
The Extra Lens - Undercard
The Phantom Band - The Wants
The Philistines Jr. - If a Band Plays in the Woods...?
The Soft Boys - A Can of Bees (reissue with bonus tracks) 
The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight (reissue with bonus tracks) 
Various Artists - Radioclit Presents: The Sound of Club Secousse

October 26th
Apparat - DJ-Kicks
 Avey Tare - Down There 
Bryan Ferry – Olympia
Coliseum - Goddamage
Comic Wow - Music for Mysteries of Mind Space and Time
Dâm-Funk - Adolescent Funk
Deluka - You Are The Night (digital release was September 28th)
Diamond Rings - Special Affections
Gary Wilson - Electric Endicott (digital release)
Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Acoustic Sessions
Juliette Commagere - The Procession
K.C. Accidental - Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub / Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills
Keller Williams – Kids
Kermit Ruffins - Happy Talk
Kid Cudi - Man On The Mon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager
Kylesa - Spiral Shadow
Lesbian - Stratospheria Cubensis
Lyrics Born - As U Were
Pepper Rabbit - Beauregard
Seeland - How to Live
Small Black - New Chain
Sun Airway - Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
Sun City Girls - Funeral Mariachi
Taylor Swift - Speak Now
The Octopus Project - Hexadecagon
The War on Drugs - Future Weather EP
Timmy's Organism - Rise of the Green Gorilla
Various Artists - Wah Do Dem OST
Viktor Sjoberg - Breakfast in America
Warpaint - The Fool
William Ryan Fritch - Music for Honey and Bile
Wolf & Cub - Science & Sorcery
Wooden Wand - Death Seat

Another Reason to Love Deer Tick

2010-09-23T18:15:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard, Deer Tick is going to be auctioning their 2009 tour bus ("The Flagship") on eBay to raise money for Pakistan flood Victims.

According to the Government of Pakistan, some 17 million have been affected by the flooding. U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, John Holmes, has called the floods "unprecedented".

"The situation over there is so critical, but it seems that very few people are aware of it," said Deer Tick frontman John McCauley. "Maybe it's the stigma with that part of the world, I'm not sure. Either way, we feel really strongly that people should be more aware of the situation and hopefully we can help with that."

The auction will be held on eBay.com and will last for 3 weeks. The eBay page for the auction can be viewed here.

"At Oxfam America, we are lucky to have some of the world's most amazing artists support our mission and campaigns," said Bob Ferguson, Senior Advisor of Music Outreach for Oxfam, "We're very pleased that Deer Tick has joined that group in advocating on behalf of our flood relief and recovery efforts in Pakistan."

Deer Tick will also be accepting donations to Oxfam at its merch booth each night during their upcoming US tour. If you can't make it to a show but still wan to donate, feel free to visit Oxfam's website.

And if that weren't enough, get a free download of some of their music below:
Deer Tick - "Piece By Piece, Frame By Frame"

Deer Tick's Tour Dates:
10/06 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
10/07 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club *#
10/08 Greenville, SC - Fall For Greenville *
10/09 Auburn, AL - Bourbon Street *
10/10 Birmingham, AL - Zydeco +
10/11 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks +
10/12 Houston, TX - The Bronze Peacock Room @ House of Blues +
10/13 Austin, TX - Emo's +
10/14 Laredo, TX - Old No. 2 +
10/16 Tempe, AZ - Sail Inn +
10/17 San Diego, CA - The Loft / UCSD +
10/19 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey +
10/20 San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom +
10/21 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom +
10/22 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret %+
10/23 Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo +
10/24 Seattle, WA - Neumos +
10/26 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
10/27 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
10/28 Omaha, NE - Bourbon Theatre
10/29 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
10/30 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
10/31 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway !
11/02 Washington, DC - Black Cat
11/03 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11/05 Providence, RI - AS220
11/06 Providence, RI - AS220 (matinee show)
11/06 Providence, RI - AS220 (late show)
11/10 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
11/11 Boston, MA - Royale
11/12 Newport, RI - Newport Blues Café
11/13 Newport, RI - Newport Blues Café

* = w/ Jason Isbell
+ = w/ J. Roddy Walston and the Business
# = w/ Blitzen Trapper & Malcomb Holcolmbe
% = w/ Phosphorescent
! = w/ Band of Heathens

We Got You Covered: I Can Change

2010-09-18T10:00:00.003-04:00

I really love covers! Whether they sound exactly alike or the covering band puts a whole new spin on it, they're just fun no matter what!

Check out See Green covering LCD Soundsystem's "I Can Change" below:

Oh covers, you make me so happy!

New Matt & Kim Album Cover and Tracklisting!

2010-09-16T10:00:00.004-04:00

Here it is, the Sidewalks album cover:
And tracklisting:

01 Block After Block
02 AM/FM Sound
03 Cameras
04 Red Paint
05 Where You're Coming From
06 Good for Great
07 Northeast
08 Wires
09 Silver Tiles
10 Ice Melts

Is that a "Silver Tiles" remake? We'll have to wait and see!

Hopefully you've heard their single, "Cameras." If not, check it out below:

It's like the 1940s had a love child with old school hip hop and spoon fed it electronica!

Don't forget - you can hear the full album before it's released on November 2nd. Listening parties will be held at every venue before every show on Matt & Kim's fall tour. The music starts when the doors open!

New Music Tuesday: Azure Ray

2010-09-14T23:59:00.003-04:00

I love Tuesdays. Tuesdays mean that there's wonderful new music being released into the world, music like Azure Ray's Drawing Down the Moon.

Azure Ray is an indie duo from Athens, Georgia made up of Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The band started in 2001, but Azure Ray disbanded in 2004. Taylor and Fink have both since (besides reuniting obviously) released solo albums on Saddle Creek Records.

Azure Ray's sound is sparse and understated, with intimate lyrics, elements of alt-country, folk, Americana, and the occasional minimalist electronica. While their music is ethereal and breezy, the duo's tracks are never fully stripped-down. With harp, bass, cello, oboe, violin, bassoon, and drums, their sound is truly multi-layered.

Download the first single, "Don't Leave My Mind," via Saddle Creek.

“Don’t Leave My Mind” is simply beautiful, all warm vocals and electronic pulses. Swoon.

And don't forget, you can check out all the music being released today in Hello September! And let me tell you, picking the one album to check out for September 14th was pretty hard!

Multiple Eargasms

2010-09-13T23:59:00.002-04:00

Yeah, you read that right. And they were fantastic!

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to get the chance to go to two amazing concerts. And the best part? Both of them were in upstate New York. When did that happen? When did upstate New York become the cool place to go? More on that another time. Back to my amazing weekend!

Friday: Vampire Weekend with Beach House and Dum Dum Girls

When you think about it, Vampire Weekend is considered, well, to be "indie darlings." What Friday night was was very un-indie indeed. I loved the crowd at this concert - it was made up of anything from drunken frat boys to hipsters sweating it out in their flannel plaid in early September. Not to make fun (hey - I'm somewhere in between and I'll admit that I went with some of my frat boy friends whilst wearing plaid) it just goes to show that you can truly be appreciated for your music. Dum Dum girls got the crowd started, Beach House mellowed everyone out, and Vampire Weekend kicked ass.

Vampire Weekend - "Giving Up the Gun"

Beach House - "Norway"

Dum Dum Girls - "D.A.L."
Saturday: Passion Pit with Busy

I went for Passion Pit (and didn't even know anyone was opening for them). At times it was like being in a dream - a synthesized electronic one. Even though this was my second time seeing the Boston-natives, I have decided that I'm going to encounter the same problems with this band every time I see them: the sound levels will never work in Michael Angelakos‘favor. That's just what happens when you have a falsetto. But that being said the music itself was surprisingly similar to their actual recordings, and the band certainly knows how to work a crowd.

Plus, they performed my favorite covers!

"Dreams" (The Cranberries) by Passion Pit

Either way, it was a fantastic weekend, and now I'm frantically trying to catch up with all of my work. Totally worth it though.

We Got You Covered: Bad Moon Rising

2010-09-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

I'm really loving this cover from 8mm. It's funny that the husband wife-duo self-describes themselves as a "trip-hop flavored pop-rock band." All I hear is folk, but hey, it works for me.

8mm - Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

Ra Ra Riot's Tour Dates

2010-09-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

I just can't seem to put down Ra Ra Riot's new album The Orchard. And out of all of the tracks, I'm really loving "Boy."

Ra Ra Riot - "Boy"

It's a wonderfully hook-laden pop jam - case closed.

Don't miss them while they're touring!

Ra Ra Riot Tour Dates:
09/18 - Geneva, NY - Cracker Factory (Three Stories Benefit)
09/21 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
09/22 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
09/23 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
09/24 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
09/27 - Northampton, MA - Pearl St.
09/28 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
09/29 - Providence, RI - The Met
10/01 - Boston, MA - Royale
10/02 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
10/03 - Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel
10/04 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
10/05 - Chicago, IL - Metro
10/07 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theatre
10/08 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
10/11 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
10/12 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
10/13 - Crystal Bay, NV - Crystal Bay Club
10/19 - Pomona, CA - Glass House
10/20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Music Box
10/21 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern
10/22 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
10/24 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbits
10/26 - Austin, TX - Emo's
10/27 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
10/28 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
10/29 - Little Rock, AR - Rev Room
10/30 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
11/01- Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theatre
11/02 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade. Hell Room
11/03 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
11/04 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
11/05 - Washington, DC - 930 Club
11/13 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore
11/17 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
11/19 - Saskatoon, SK - Louis' Pub
11/20 - Winnipeg, MB - The Garric

* Opening For Devo

Pallers

2010-09-09T14:18:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you forget that it's possible for a song to make you feel completely and totally relaxed and want to get up and dance at the same time. That's exactly what Pallers does with "The Kiss." I want to sway along with the sweeping synths, and the unfolding and hypnotic electronica just keeps building into pure bliss.

Pallers - "The Kiss' Up"

Enjoy!

New Music Tuesday: The Acorn

2010-09-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

Out of all the music coming out today, you should really get your hands on The Acorn's new release No Ghost. Trust me, you won't regret it.

No Ghost is the Acorn's triumphant return with a set of catchy and layered songs. There seems to be two sides to their sound – on one hand there’s the subtle harmonies and fine tuned guitar lines commonly found with classic folk bands – on the other hand the Acorn find a raw edginess in their sound that just screams indie.

One song I really love is "Restoration." Those clicking drumsticks and pinch harmonics just hit the spot! Check out their video to "Restoration" below:

Clearly I'm a sucker for stop motion videos this week (and, er, Canadians) but hey, can you blame me?

So there it is! Happy Tuesday everyone! And don't forget, there's a whole mess of music coming out this glorious September. If you want to check out the entire list feel free to head over to Hello September! now.

See Green

2010-09-04T13:44:00.001-04:00

It is such a beautiful day here in upstate New York, and let's face it, these days are hard to come by! I'm about to go enjoy the day, but first I wanted to share this video by See Green with you. The music just makes me feel ready to enjoy this gorgeous weather.

See Green - "Get What I Want"

Isn't it a cool video? I love the stop-motion!

Playlist: Summer Mix 2010

2010-09-03T11:21:00.000-04:00

Can we just ponder for a minute?

The only question I can seem to keep asking myself over and over again is simply this: where did summer go? And as we all know there is no simple answer. Instead it's back to school and tests and papers; late nights talking and watching the sunrise. Sure, there's a lot of work, but at least it's back to being surrounded by college students, and quite frankly I wouldn't have it any other way.

But I had a great summer full of beach days, sticky ice cream cones, and bonfires. So if I ever need to pretend that I'm basking in the sun on the beach instead of stuck inside the library studying in a snow-filled Rochester, I know exactly which songs to turn to:

The Apples in Stereo - "Told You Once"

B.o.B. (feat. Haley Williams) - "Airplanes"

The Black Keys - "Tighten' Up"

Janelle Monae (feat Big Boi) - "Tightrope"

Kele - "Everything You Wanted" (RAC remix)

Local Natives - "Airplane"

Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man"

The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

Sleigh Bells - "Tell 'Em"

Tobacco (feat. Beck) - "Fresh Hex"

Vampire Weekend - "Giving Up the Gun"

I figured all the free music would make up for the lack of posts. Enjoy!

Hello September!

2010-09-01T12:13:00.002-04:00

I think this is my most complete list to date, and to be fair I'm not leaving anyone out - even if you couldn't pay me to listen to the album (I'm looking at you, Selena Gomez). So here it is, literally every album I could find coming out this September. If I'm missing any feel free to leave it in the comments section below!

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

September 7th
Electric Sunset - Electric Sunset
Gasoline Silver - Gasoline Silver
Helmet - Seeing Eye Dog
Interpol - Interpol
Jerry Lee Lewis - Mean Old Man
Kid Rock - Born Free
Kirsten Price - Brixton To Brooklyn
Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 2
Sam Prekop (The Sea And Cake) - Old Punch Card
Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart
Teddy Thompson - Bella
Tera Melos - Patagonian Rats
The Acorn - No Ghost
The Clientele - Minotaur
The Thermals - Personal Life
Unicycle - Mirror, Mirror

September 14th
Azure Ray - Drawing Down The Moon
Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth: Remixed
Bilal - Air Tight Revenge
Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle
Brandon Flowers (The Killers) - Flamingo
Chilly Gonzales - Ivory Tower
Chromeo - Business Casual
Clare Burson - Silver And Ash
Emmett And Mary - Emmett And Mary
Grinderman - Grinderman 2
James - The Morning After The Night Before
Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song
Jimmy Edgar - XXX
Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
Kim Richey - Wreck Your Wheels
Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin
Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns
Little Beirut - Fear Of Heaven
Lizz Wright - Fellowship
Lonely Drifter Karen - Fall Of Spring
Megafaun - Heretofore
Michelle Branch - Everything Comes And Goes [EP]
Nellie McKay - Home Sweet Mobile Home
Of Montreal - False Priest
Olivia Newton-John - Grace And Gratitude Renewed
Olof Arnalds - Innundir Skinni
Prince Rama - Shadow Temple
Rah Digga - Classic
Randy Houser - They Call Me Caddillac
Robert Plant - Band Of Joy
Screaming Females - Castle Talk
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
Superpitcher - Kilimanjaro
The Charlatans - Who We Touch
The Drums - The Drums
The New Czars - Doomsday Revolution
The Vaselines - Sex with an X
The Walkmen - Lisbon
Trey Songz - Passion, Pain And Pleasure
Underworld - Barking
Weezer - Hurley

September 21st
A Classic Education - Hey There Stranger [EP]
Abe Vigoda - Crush
Anberlin - Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place
Black Twig Pickers - Ironto Special
Drunken Barn Dance - Grey Buried
Flying Lotus - Pattern+Grid World
Frankie Rose And The Outs - Frankie Rose And The Outs
Future Islands - Undressed [EP]
Giving Tree Band - The Joke, The Threat And The Obvious
How to Dress Well - Love Remains
Hundred in the Hands - Hundred In The Hands
Jason Simon - Jason Simon
John Legend and The Roots - Wake Up!
Laetitia Sadier - The Trip
Liza Minnelli - Confessions
Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
Margot & The Nuclear So And So - Buzzard
Maroon 5 - Hand All Over
Matthew Herbert - One Club
Maximum Balloon[TV On The Radio's Andrew Sitek project] - Maximum Balloon
N.E.R.D. - Nothing
Ne-Yo - Libra Scale
Santana - Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time
Selena Gomez & The Scene - A Year Without Rain
Shit Robot - From The Cradle To The Rave
Siobhan Fahey - Songs From The Red Room
Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up...
The State - Comedy For Gracious Living
Vincent Minor - Vincent Minor
You Say Party - Remixxxx
Young Scamels - Tempest File 13
Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give

September 28th
Bad Religion - The Dissent Of Man
Combichrist - Making Monsters
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Doobie Brothers - World Gone Crazy
El DeBarge - Second Chance
Eric Clapton - Clapton
Gin Blossoms - No Chocolate Cake
Gucci Mane - The Appeal
Ice Cube - I Am The West
Ingram Hill - Look Your Best
Jagged Edge - Lay You Down
Jeezy - TM103
Jimmy Eat World - Invented
Kenny Chesney - Hemingway’s Whiskey
Lazerbeak - Legend Recognize Legend
Lil Boosie - Incarcerated
Mark Ronson And The Business International - Record Collection
MSWhite - Squares
Neil Young - Le Noise
No Age - Everything in Between
Pete Yorn - Pete Yorn
Phil Collins - Going Back
Seal - 6: Commitment
T.I. - King Uncaged
The Corin Tucker Band - 1000 Years
Tired Pony - The Place We Ran From
Twin Shadow - Forget
UNKLE - The Answer
Women - Public Strain
Young Jeezy - TM103

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010

2010-08-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'll admit that I have never even heard of the Fun FUn Fun Fest, but with a name like that how can you go wrong? And with bands like MGMT, Bad Religion, The Hold Steady, Dirty Projectors, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Best Coast, Deerhunter, Kaki King, RJD2, Wavves, and Yelle I'm thinking that you simply can't.

The only problem is that I would never be able to go seeing as how the festival is November 5th, 6h, and 7th at Waterloo Park in Austin, Texas.

For more information (and tickets if you can go!) check out their website: FunFunFunFest.com.

Here's the full line-up:

A-trak
Appleseed Cast
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Bad Religion
Best Coast
Big Freedia
Black Congress
Black Nasty
Butcher Bear and Charlie
Cap'n Jazz
Cold Cave (doing a live visual projection show)
Crew 54
Crocodiles
Dam-Funk
Deakin (of Animal Collective)
Deerhunter
Delorean
Designer Drugs
Devin The Dude
Devo
Dirty Projectors
DJ Bird Peterson
DJ Nick Nack
Dominique Young Unique
Dum Dum Girls
Dwarves
Eagle Claw
Floor
GWAR
Hatred Surge
High On Fire
Indian Jewelry
Invincible
Jean Grae
Jeff The Brotherhood
Junius
Kaki King
Kylesa
League of Extraordinary Gz
Magic Kids
Man Man
Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos
Mariachi El Bronx
Mastodon
MGMT
Monotonix
Mother Falcon
Municipal Waste
OFF!
Os Mutantes
Peelander Z
Pharoahe Monch
Polvo
POS
Power Trip
Ringworm
RJD2
Royal Forest
Slick Rick (performing "Great Adventures Of")
Snapcase
Strike Anywhere
Suicidal Tendencies
The Briggs
The Bronx
The Casualties
The Gories
The Hold Steady
The Vandals
Toro Y Moi
Valient Thorr
Wavves
Weird Al Yankovic
Woven Bones
Yelle

For the Music Geek in All of Us

2010-08-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

Okay let's be honest - everyone's a little geeky. Maybe you secretly love Star Wars/Star Trek/some sort of space movie. Maybe you have mastered the rubik's cube. Maybe you can create a website using only html. But usually we try to pretend that there is absoluely nothing geeky about us. Think about it. As a kid you'd do anything to avoid being called a geek. Well live in shame no more!

Admittedly geeky, but totally awesome. That's the only way to describe GeekUnique. Billed as "geekery for the masses", GeekUnique has "one-of-a-kind iPhone/iPod docks and other cool geek schwag." This includes anything from old video game cartridges to controllers.

And if you're a music geek (yes, that counts too!) some of the iPhone/iPod docks are made out of vintage 8-Track cassettes including Cheap Trick's Live at Budokan, Billy Joel's 52nd Streetlife Serenade, and Boston's Don't Look Back.

Check out some of their iPhone/iPod docks here!

New Jens Lekman!

2010-08-20T10:00:00.002-04:00

Oh hey, a free (and new) Jens Lekman song: "The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love."

It's been a while since Lekman's 2007 release Night Falls Over Kortedala. I don't think there's a nice way to say "about time!" but I'm happy to have the new track! Lekman is working on new recordings, but his manager notes, “There’s not much to talk about at the moment as we’re not sure when it will be finished.”

"Forced to Love" Music Video

2010-08-13T14:18:00.000-04:00

So trippy, but I love it!

Oh, Broken Social Scene...

New Music Tuesday: Sarah Blasko

2010-08-10T23:56:00.003-04:00

Oh this girl has got soul!

This Tuesday you should check out Sarah Blasko's new album As Day Follows Night. This Australian crooner knows just how to use her voice to make her music emotional and beautiful. As Day Follows Night has already won her the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) for Best Female Artist. Produced by Bjorn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn & John), the album uses an eclectic palette of organic instruments to create a solid folk-based album.

Check out her song "All I Want" below.
Sarah Blasko - "All I Want"

I love her almost whispery vocals and the light strokes of the drums in the background!

They love her down under in Australia, and I think everyone here in the states could fall in love with her music too. Don't you?

And don't forget you can check out all of the albums being released not only today, but this month, with Hello August!

DJ-ing 101

2010-08-08T10:00:00.001-04:00

Anyone want to teach me how to DJ? Cause videos like this totally make me want to learn!

Seriously though, how cool is that?

Free Music from Spin

2010-08-06T10:00:00.005-04:00

I love when Spin gives away free music!

Click here to download 15 tracks from Spin's August issues, including Department of Eagles, Henry Clay People, Jaill, Menomena, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Tame Impala, and Villagers.

Thank you Spin!

New Music Tuesday: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

2010-08-03T11:59:00.004-04:00

Let's be honest - I could tell you the one album you need to check out today is Arcade Fire's The Suburbs but you're going to pick it up anyway (and if you weren't planning on it well then go stream it - seriously). But the whole point of New Music Tuesday is to help you find some music you might not necessarily go to the store (or iTunes or however you get music) anyway. So all that being said, you should somehow get your hands on Where The Messengers Meet by Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band is composed of Benjamin Verdoes (guitar and vocals), the mult-instrumentalist Traci Eggleston-Verdoes (Verdoes’ wife), Marshall Verdoes (drums and Benjamin's brother), and friends Matthew Dammer (moog, guitar) and Jared Price (bass).

The band's name is a mouthful, and in a way their music is too. Hear me out - everything feels urgent and energized - but somehow it works. At times there is a lot going on from song to song, and the band takes their noodling guitar lines and complicated chunks of bass in all kinds of directions on Where The Messengers Meet. There are bouncy verses and blitzing choruses, tumbling notes and thick cymbals bridging to more stripped-down hooks. It's not punk rock, new wave, garage rock, or any other tag you can think of. Though elements of those sounds exist, they're buried under the energy. But like I said, it works.

This band clearly can’t sit still, and as you listen, you won't likely be able to either.

Where The Messengers MeetTracklist:
01 At Night
02 Leaving Trails
03 The Roof
04 Hurrah
05 Not To Know
06 You Were / I Was
07 Gone Again
08 Bitter Cold
09 In A Hole
10 Cadence
11 Messengers
12 George Clark

Coolest Drum Ever!

2010-08-02T10:00:00.002-04:00

Can you just look at this for a second, it's amazing!

It's a drum lamp! Tap the drum and it turns on, another tap and it turns off. Sensitivity control stops other noise from activating the light.

How cool is that? It would be awful if someone thought it was to a real drum set and broke it (especially since it's $850 without shipping from New Zealand, and no, that's not a typo).

Hey, if you have some sort of rich benefactor go crazy! Here's the link to buy. The site has a lot of cool (slightly more affordable - it depends) things too - anything from t-shirts and key chains to other lamps and wall decals.

Hello August!

2010-08-01T10:00:00.004-04:00

August is going to be an amazing month: Arcade Fire! Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin! Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band! Klaxons! Jenny & Johnny! The Weepies! As always, here's to another great month of music!

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

August 3rd
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Autolux - Transit Transit
Bambara - Dog Ear Days
The Black Crowes - Croweology
Buckcherry - All Night Long
Bun B - Trill O.G.
Candy Claws - Hidden Lands
David Dondero - # Zero With A Bullet
Dax Riggs - Say Goodnight To The World
Dr. John And The Lower 911 - Tribal
El-P - Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3
Ferraby Lionheart - The Jack of Hearts
Gaelic Storm - Cabbage
Gov't Mule - Mulennium [live]
Grip Weeds - Strange Change Machine
Katie Melua - House
Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Where The Messengers Meet
Rose's Pawn Shop - Dancing on the Gallows
Rusty Anderson - Born on Faith
Ryan Star - 11:59
Shapes and Sizes - Candle to Your Eyes
Squeeze - Spot The Difference
Wavves - King Of The Beach

August 10th
Black Label Society - Order Of The Black
Blake Shelton - All About Tonight
Bottomless Pit - Blood Under The Bridge
Budos Band - The Budos Band III
Cam'ron - The UN: Gunz N' Butta
Colour Revolt - The Cradle
Drums - The Drums
Emily West - Emily West
Gasoline Silver - Gasoline Silver
Grand Lake - Blood Sea Hippies Are Dead
Jon Spencer Blues... - Year One
Kathryn Calder - Are You My Mother?
Killola - Let's Get Associated
Landing On The Moon - We Make History Now
Mike Posner - 31 Minutes To Takeoff
PVT - Church With No Magic
Reporter - Time Incredible Holocene
Sarah Blasko - As Day Follow Night
Stornoway - Beachcomber's Windowsill
Titles - Dirt Bell
Toadies - Feeler
Unearthing - Unearthing (EP)

August 17th
American Hi-Fi - Fight The Frequency
Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
Camu Tao - King of Hearts
Chief - Modern Rituals
Chromeo - Business Casual
Ciara - Basic Instinct
David Gray - Foundling
Filter - The Trouble With Angels
Hey Monday - Beneath It All
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
John Mellencamp - No Better Than This
Just Surrender - Phoenix
Kem - Intimacy
Last Felony - Too Many Humans
Megan McCormick - Honest Words
NOFX - The Longest (EP)
Peter Block - Peter Block
Peter Salett - Addicted to Distraction
Shannon Whitworth - Water Bound
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let it Sway
T.I. - King Uncaged
Trace Adkins - Cowboy's Back In Town

August 24th
Brad Laner - Natural Selections
Coin Under Tongue 0 Reception
Eels 0 Tomorrrow Morning
Fantasia - Back To Me
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk
James Blackshaw - All is Falling
Jenny Wilson - Hardships!
Jesse Harris - Through The Night
Klaxons - Surfing The Void
Land Of Talk - Cloak And Cipher
Maximum Balloon [TV On The Radio's Andrew Sitek project] - Maximum Balloon
Mogwai - Special Moves [Live]
S. Carey - All We Grow
The Sword - Warp Riders

August 31st
10 Years - Feeding The Wolves
Alain Johannes - Spark
Carl Broemel [My Morning Jacket] - All Birds Say
Disturbed - Asylum
Goo Goo Dolls - Something For The Rest Of Us
Heart - Red Velvet Car
Jenny & Johnny [Jenny Lewis & Jonathan Rice] - I'm Having Fun Now
Lyfe Jennings - I Still Believe
Last Nights Vice - Perfect Little Noise
Magic Kids - Memphis
Portico Quartet - Isla
Sonny And The Sunsets - Tomorrow Is Alright
Sum 41 - Screaming Bloody Murder
Terrible Things - Terrible Things
The Weepies - Be My Thrill

New Music Tuesday: The Shimmies

2010-07-27T23:00:00.001-04:00

This New Music Tuesday you have got to check this band out! They are a rockin' indie garage group from California, and they're called the Shimmies.

Their new release, titled To All Beloved Enemies, is like a wonderful combination of Grizzly Bear meets Fleet Foxes meets a Jeff Buckley-fronted Band Of Horses. High-arching guitar build-ups, resonating vocals and drum skins hit like they’re going out of fashion make their To All Beloved Enemies sound like a truly genuine and emotional take on well-written rock music.

The four-piece indie rock band consists of brothers Jimmy Galloway (guitar and vocals), Sean Galloway (guitar and vocals), Stephen Galloway (bass) and friend Jack Gingerich (drums). The band describe their music as “home-school rock”, with big emphasis on home and rock.

Check out their track "Judas" below:
The Shimmies - "Judas"

The song is wonderfully layered with beautiful harmonies, piano and guitars with some great distorted riffing and solos.

Don't forget, if you want to check out all the new music released this month take a look at Hello July!

New Blonde Redhead

2010-07-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Yay! New music from Blonde Redhead!

The New York trio will be releasing new music this fall with their album Penny Sparkle. The album was recorded between Stockholm and New York with production duo Van Rivers and the Subliminal Kid (Fever Ray, Glasser) with Alan Moulder.

You can download the album opener, "Here Sometimes," from the band’s website now.

Keep an eye out, the new album will hit shelves September 14th.

Lee Butcher

2010-07-23T19:35:00.002-04:00

I don't know about where you are, but it has been raining a lot in Massachusetts! Well, this seems like perfect rainy day music to me.

Lee Butcher - "The Acrobat"

Maybe I've just been in a folk mood lately, but something about "The Acrobat," a track from Butcher's newest debut All in Good Time really hits the spot.

Enjoy!

New Music Tuesday: Frazey Ford

2010-07-20T23:56:00.003-04:00

If you want to see the other options feel free to peruse Hello July!, but this week you definitely should check out Frazey Ford's new release Obadiah.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because the singer-songwriter is a member of The Be Good Tanyas. And if you’re a fan of the new folk sounds of the Vancouver group, then you’ll absolutely love Ford's debut. Frazey’s voice can handle soulful melodies and easily offset twang and back porch sing-alongs. Without a doubt, Obadiah is a collection of charming and soulful songs. She’s more than just another talented folk singer.

And you can download the single "Firecracker" below for free!

It's just folk the way it should be!

What Would You Do With Only 1000 Minutes of Music?

2010-07-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

This is another cool thing to enjoy on your (hopefully) relaxing Sunday.

The website is called Tympanogram, and it's creators, Andy and Dave, had one cool idea.

The idea is simple – we’re both stranded with an mp3 player that never needs charging and can never be updated again. These players hold exactly 1000 Minutes of music – bit rates and file size don’t matter.

It must be hard (but fun) to do! I can't imagine only taking 1000 minutes of music. My iPod currently holds weeks of music in it, let alone minutes! Neither of them have decided what they will do with all of their minutes yet, so you can still follow along with Andy's list or Dave's list (or you know, both).

Cruel Black Dove

2010-07-12T10:00:00.003-04:00

I really love this song! It's chock full of blues, a crunchy rift, and thick layers. It's been stuck in my head for days!

Cruel Black Dove - "Love Song"

Hopefully you enjoy it too.

The Fun Theory

2010-07-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

This is cute in so many ways!

We have one of these at the Museum of Science in Boston, but I wish it was everywhere (like in the subway) too. It was always my favorite part of the museum as a little kid.

Check out TheFunTheory.com for a lot of other great videos (my other music related favorite being the Scratch Mat. As the video creators put it, "Most people enter a building without cleaning their shoes, often resulting in dirt all over the floor. Could this nuisance be removed by making the activity fun to do? We think so.") The site's actually pretty cool. It's dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better.

A Letter to Kele Okereke

2010-07-07T23:22:00.002-04:00

Dear Kele,

How are you? I hope all is well. Now, I understand that you are going solo. I understand that “Kele” is not Bloc Party, but I still don’t know what to do here. I’ve been with you since the start with the Bloc Party EP, welcomed your crunchy guitars in Silent Alarm, felt that incredible emotional connection in A Weekend in the City, and I even stuck by you through Intimacy when fans said that Bloc Party had moved in a new direction (and not necessarily in the best of ways).

Kele, I'm not totally against the more electronic direction. I think it's important for you to do it, but I still don’t know exactly what to think with The Boxer. And although I understand that this is a solo album and has absolutely NOTHING to do with Bloc Party (and I am glad that you are is experimenting with your own sound), I can’t help but have certain Bloc Party-esque expectations.

In a way at the end of the day I’m glad that you got this out of your system. I guess I’ve been expecting this, Kele. You’ve been acting out for a while now. Somehow you went from guitar frontman to king of the dance floor. I saw the signs, but I let them slide because at the time the crunchy guitar rifts and the electronic elements worked. In almost every interview I’ve read you always talk about how you love dance music and how you wanted to release a dance album. (That and that “I never listen to indie anymore, I find it boring.” Pot. Kettle. Black. But we can save that for another time).

From the opening 10 seconds of “Walk Tall ” I realized that we needed to sit down and talk. It was a cry for help from the start. I’m listening to the lyrics, Kele, and I understand. “Rule number three, forget where you've been,/ Cut your ties to the past and wave them goodbye.” But maybe that’s not the best road to go down, friend. And either way, let’s face it: you’ll never fully be able to separate yourself from Bloc Party.

My favorite thing about you has always been your voice, Kele, and what do you do? In “On the Lam” you change the pitch of your voice (your beautiful voice!) into something unrecognizable and processed. The emotion feels gone. Stick to what you know, and we both know what an amazing voice you have. Like in “Tenderoni” ou really showcased your vocals, but I liked the music better when Bodyrox did it.

 I feel like “New Rules” had promise, but you should have kept it simple. On one hand the plucked strings are beautiful, but the repeating sample of a robotic telephone operator repeating the phrase “please hang up and try again” ruined it for me. “Rise” could have been a standout track as well. The song used dance beats without being cliché, and then, out of nowhere, the gem is ruined by female vocals chanting “I’m taking over.” Kele, you could have handled those vocals!

As for “All The Things I Could Never Say ” - well I honestly don’t know what to think about it. The song has some beautiful layering, but I don’t know how to feel about the female vocals. Maybe it’ll grow on me.

Kele, I’m sorry for being so negative. I hope you aren’t mad at me and we’re still good friends. All these comments aren’t meant to be harsh or mean that I hate the album. I actually enjoyed “On The Other Side.” It was a win win really – I still got a forceful guitar rift (even if it is sampled) and you got to make a dance track with exotic percussion like claves and agogo mixed with a rumbling synth bass. “Yesterday's Gone ” is another track that meets me somewhere halfway with the synth melody and the beat shifting to an R&B pattern. To be honest, I think it would have fit perfectly on Intimacy.

I also really thought you did a great job with “Unholy Thoughts.” The brooding track made me think of “Hunting for Witches,” one of my favorites. And then I also really enjoyed “Everything You Wanted,” probably because it also sounded similar to Bloc Party. This could even be the second single! I’m digging the kiddie piano, that’s for sure, and the chorus is simple but perfect. “Everything You Wanted” really brings Boxer's best elements together all at once: mournful lyrics, a massive chorus, and real feelings that work with the electronic background.

I can tell you had fun with The Boxer, Kele, that’s for sure. It seems like you were able to do all of the things stylistically that you were trying to fit into the last Bloc Party album. But at the same time each song was such a hodgepodge mish-mash of styles and influences. It feels like you were trying to cram way too many (electronic) genres into one record. You had a rave with your computer, sampling synthesized backing yelps, annoying samples of automated phone messages, and every other shiny plaything in the toybox. But can we go back to Bloc Party now?

Hopefully by getting the chance to finally make the dance album that you always wanted you will be able to create a more focused Bloc Party album in the future. I know that I would sincerely appreciate it.

Forever Yours,
Morgan

New Music Tuesday: The Chap

2010-07-06T21:41:00.001-04:00

It's the first official Tuesday of July! How exciting! To check out all of the albums being released this month check out Hello July! But if you don't want the overwhelming list, well New Music Tuesday is here to help you figure out which album you must must must listen to for the week. And for this week you should really check out Well Done Europe by the Chap.

I'll admit that I had never heard of the band before, but when it comes to the Chap's new release Well Done Europe, well I am liking what I am hearing! As the Chap puts it, "[the album] contains 12 top notch pop tunes about love and death and bars and arts funding and stuff like that. there are also several i-phone solos and at least one guitar solo." Ahaha I love that there is an iPhone solo. I'll have to find out which track that's on.

Check out their catchy single "We Work in Bars" below:
"We Work in Bars" by The Chap

It's the group's fourth album, so I'll have to check out their earlier stuff as well. Enjoy!

Well Done Europe Tracklisting:
01 We'll See To Your Breakdown
02 Even Your Friend
03 We Work In Bars
04 Obviously
05 Gimme Legs
06 Well Done You
07 Nevertheless, The Chap
08 Pain Fan
09 Torpor
10 Maroccan Nights
11 Few Horoscope
12 Chalet Chalet

New Music From Carl Broemel

2010-07-05T18:44:00.000-04:00

This is exciting news!

Apparently Carl Broemel (guitarist from My Morning Jacket) is going to release a solo album! His solo debut, titled All Birds Say will hit shelves August 31st via ATO Records.

The album will be a contemporary folk album, feauting instruments like the auto-harp, pedal steel, and dobro. What makes For All Birds Say even more interesting is the fact that Carl Broemel's father, Robert Broemel (a former musician in the Indianapolis Symphony) contributes clarinet, baritone sax, and bassoon to the record.

Tracklisting For All Birds Say:
01 All Birds Say
02 Life Leftover
03 In The Garden
04 Carried Away
05 Enough
06 Heaven Knows
07 Questions
08 Different People
09 Sunday Driver
10 On The Case
11 Retired

Hello July!

2010-07-01T15:45:00.000-04:00

Holy shiz, there will be a lot of releases this July! I don't know what I'm most excited for, there are so many options. Here's to another great month of music!

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

July 6th
Au Revoir Simone - Night Light
Fol Chen - Part II: The New December
How To Destroy Angels [Trent Reznor, Mariqueen Maandig and Atticus Ross] - How To Destroy Angels [EP]
Kelis - Flesh Tone
Ed Kowalczyk [Live] - Alive
Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite
Robert Pollard - Moses On A Snail
The Chap - Well Done Europe
Thieves Like Us - Again & Again

July 13th
Admiral Riley - I Heart California
Crowded House - Intriguer
Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
The Love Language - Libraries
Tony Lucca - Rendezvous With The Angels
The Maine - Black & White
M.I.A. - /\/\/\Y/\
Mystery Jets - Serotonin
Panda Bear - Tomboy
P.S. I Love You - Starfield
School Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
Wavves - King of the Beach

July 20th
Sheryl Crow - 100 Miles From Memphis
Department Of Eagles - Archive 2003-2006
Frazey Ford - Obadiah
The High Confessions [Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, Chris Connelly of Ministry, Revolting Cocks] - Turn Lead Into Gold With High Confessions
Honor Bright - Action! Drama! Suspense!
Lower Dens - Twin-Hand Movement
Max Richter - Infra
These United States - What Lasts

July 27th
Best Coast - Crazy for You
Dean & Brita - 13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests
Menomena - Mines
Red Wanting Blues - These Magnificent Miles
The Shimmies - To All Beloved Enemies

New Music Tuesday: Wolf Parade

2010-06-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

It's time for New Music Tuesday! And as always, if you want to see all of the albums being released this month check out Hello June! But out of that list, you certainly can't go wrong with Wolf Parade's latest release, Expo 86.

It's hard not to love Wolf Parade (or any of their side projects for that matter - Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes, Handsome Furs, Swan Lake, you name it). And no matter which band they're working with, Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug pour everything onto the track. And while there are many differences between the two of them, they seem to have come together to make Expo 86 a really cohesive album. With booming drums, guitar distortion, and reverbing vocals, this is a true rock album through and through.

Expo 86 Tracklisting:
01 Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
02 Palm Road
03 What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)
04 Little Golden Age
05 In the Direction of the Moon
06 Ghost Pressure
07 Pobody's Nerfect
08 Two Men in New Tuxedos
09 Oh You, Old Thing
10 Yulia
11 Cave-o-sapien

Tegan and Sara on Mamma Yamma

2010-06-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I wonder why I'm not a child now. In the past year, I've been shown Pancake Mountain, Yo Gabba Gabba!, and now in the past week I've seen Mamma Yamma. If they can entertain a 4 year old, their parents, and me, these shows are obviously doing something right!

Check out Tegan and Sara performing "Alligator" on Mamma Yamma below. It's really adorable!

We Got You Covered: Dreams

2010-06-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Okay EVERYONE is currently freaking out about Passion Pit's cover of the Smashing Pumpkin's hit "Tonight, Tonight." Well I'll be honest - I'm not a huge fan. I love Passion Pit and I love the Smashing Pumpkins, but putting them together just does not work for me. Maybe it's because I actually like Billy Corrigan's vocals. Maybe I'm missing the grungy guitar. But hey, Corrigan himself approves of the track, so who am I to judge? It's growing on me I guess.

Want to hear a truly great cover? Check out Passion Pit covering the Cranberries' "Dreams" below.

"Dreams" (The Cranberries) by Passion Pit

Now that's a track that shouldn't be overlooked!

Matt & Kim Touring!

2010-06-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ok so do you all remember that during the school year I'm stuck in upstate NY? Well if you didn't I'm telling you and if you forgot then I'm reminding you. Why is this important? Why, because for once I atually get one of my favorite bands coming my way: Matt & Kim!

They'll be starting off September 15th in Syracuse, NY and going everywhere from The Fillmore in San Francisco to the Starlite Ballroom in Philadelphia to the House of Blues in Boston.

And if you didn't know, Matt & Kim are also headlining the annual Siren Music Festival on July 17th in NYC (which I'm totally going to try to go to) and they will perform at Lollapalooza on August 6th in Chicago.

And if this wasn't grand enough (See that? See what I did there?) Matt & Kim are putting the final touches on their third full length album, set for release this fall on FADER Label.

Check out after the jump to see Matt & Kim's North American Tour dates!

September
15th - Westcott Theater - Syracuse, NY
16th - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
17th - Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH
18th - Majestic Theater - Detroit, MI
19th - Metro - Chicago, IL
21st - Majestic Theater - Madison, WI
22nd - First Ave - Minneapolis, MN
23rd - Granada - Lawrence, KS
24th - Ogden Theater - Denver, CO
27th - The Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC
28th - Showbox - Seattle, WA
29th - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
30th - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA

October
1st - House of Blues - San Diego, CA
2nd - Henry Fonda - Los Angeles, CA
6th - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
8th - House of Blues - Dallas, TX
9th - Austin City Limits - Austin, TX
12th - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
13th - Club Downunder - Tallahassee, FL
14th - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
15th - State Theater - St. Petersburg, FL
16th - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
17th - Exit In - Nashville, TN
19th - Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
20th - Cats Cradle - Carrboro, NC
21st - The Canal Club - Richmond, VA
24th- Starlite Ballroom - Philadelphia, PA
28th - Water St. Music Hall - Rochester, NY
29th - Phoenix Theater - Toronto, ON
30th - Le National - Montreal, QC
31st - Northern Lights - Clifton, NY

November
2nd - Higher Ground - Burlington, VT
3rd - Port City Music Hall - Portland, ME
4th - House of Blues - Boston, MA
5th - Toad's Place - New Haven, CT
6th - Pearl Street - Northampton, MA

What's in a Name?

2010-06-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

Well remember how back in May I wrote a post about the Top 10 Awful Band Names? Well it appears that You Say Party! We Say Say Die! have changed their name because of the recent death of their drummer, Devon Clifford.

The whole situation is terrifying. Clifford suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and collapsed onstage in the band’s hometown of Vancouver in April. Stephen O'Shea, the group’s bassist, told CMJ that following their son's death, Clifford's parents encouraged the remaining members to continue with their music. And the name change was actually suggested by Clifford's mother. "There was no question among us, shortening the band name was the right thing to do," says O'Shea.

The band will tour and make music under the new name, but Krista Loewen has decided to leave the group, and tour-mates Robert Andow and Bobby Siadat from the band Gang Violence have joined the band as keyboardist and drummer.

New Music Tuesday: Stars

2010-06-22T23:36:00.000-04:00

Ah yes, another New Music Tuesday! And even though there are many albums being released today (check out Hello June! to see them all) Stars newest release The Five Ghosts is clearly the album that you should check out today.

Now I'll admit it, I'm a complete sucker for Stars, but who wouldn't be? Their music always has this dreamy, synth feel to it. And without a doubt The Five Ghosts is elegant, passionate, emotional, and yet upbeat. That's what's been missing in music lately, and Stars have packaged it for you: pure and simple happiness. And while this may not be the same Stars that you remember when you first picked up Nightsongs, the band hasn't lost their depth or originality.

Check out the music video for "Fixed" below:

The Five Ghosts Tracklisting:
01 Dead Hearts
02 Wasted Daylight
03 I Died So I Could Haunt You
04 Fixed
05 We Don’t Want Your Body
06 He Dreams He’s Awake
07 Never Been Good With Change
08 The Passenger
09 The Last Song Ever Written
10 How Much More
11 Winter Bones

We Got You Covered: Sing Me To Sleep

2010-06-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

If you haven't noticed, we love covers here at Ruined By MTV, so of course this really puts a smile on a face! (Only made better by the fact that they're calling these covers "Kindie" music, aka kid indie. Love it!)

American Laundromat Records recently released its latest compilation, Sing Me To Sleep: Indie Lullabies. The 14-song album features classic and modern-day children’s lullabies. While the tracks range from recognized classics like The Muppet Movie's "Rainbow Connection" sung by a sweet-toned Trespassers William to Breakfast at Tiffany’s “Moon River” softly rendered by Tanya Donelly, the album’s novelty also lies in the unexpected choices. For example Stars’ cover of the Smiths’ "Asleep” or Casey Mecija’s iteration of the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence.”

"’Rainbow Connection’ is such a beautiful song, both sweet and sad, which is the best kind of song,” said Anna-Lynne Williams of Trespassers William. “It really appealed to me, to record something that was meant to be listened to by both children and adults.”

Yeah, it appeals to us too! Check out one of the songs, "Making Me Smile," below:

"Making Me Smile" by Dean & Britta

And if we didn't love it already, all proceeds from the album’s sale will go to The Valerie Fund, a non-profit group that benefits children with blood disorders.

Sing Me to Sleep Tracklisting:
Listed alphabetically below as full track listing (original artist) - Artist performing

Note: Starred tracks only appear on the exclusive limited-edition first-pressing CD/vinyl package

Asleep (Smiths) - Stars
Boys Of Summer (Don Henley) - Papercuts*
Can't Get It Out Of My Head (ELO) - Telekinesis
Cloudbusting (Kate Bush) - Neil Halstead
Dear Prudence (Beatles) - Casey Mecija (Ohbijou)
Dream A Little Dream Of Me (Traditional) - Dala
Edelweiss (The Sound of Music) - Laura Gibson*
Gymnopédie No. 1 (Erik Satie) - Coctails*
Have You Forgotten (Red House Painters) - Jenny Owen Youngs
Inchworm (Hans Christian Andersen) - The Leisure Society
Kafari (Original) - Sigur Rós [bonus 7" vinyl only]*
Kiss Off (Violent Femmes) - Say Hi*
Little Boxes (Malvina Reynolds) - The Real Tuesday Weld
Making Me Smile (Jack Early) - Dean & Britta
Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany's) - Tanya Donelly
Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany's) "Blue Mix" - Tanya Donelly [bonus 7" vinyl only]*
Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) - The Rest
Rainbow Connection (The Muppet Movie) - Trespassers William
Strings That Tie To You (Jon Brion) - Julie Peel with Field Mouse & Hailey Wojcik*
The North Wind Doth Blow (Traditional) - Snowbird
The Sounds Of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) - The Abbasi Brothers*
You And Your Sister (This Mortal Coil) - O+S
You Are My Sunshine (Traditional) - Peter Broderick*

This Movie Is Broken

2010-06-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

This Movie Is Broken is the latest film from Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo, The Tracey Fragments) and it stars Broken Social Scene, who were filmed at last summer's legendary Harbourfront show.

Sure, it's probably a predictable romance flick, (it's about a guy who's trying to have one last chance to make his crush into something more) but I still can't help but think how cute it looks. Hey, you know that at the very least the soundtrack will be unbelievable! Check out the traier below!

If you live in New York or Toronto there will be special screenings tonight! The movie will also open June 25th in both Toronto and Vancouver, For more information you can visit the movie's official website, thismovieisbroken.com

New Music Tuesday: We Are Scientists

2010-06-15T23:56:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately I've been slow on my posts for the past week, but I couldn't ignore a New Music Tuesday, not when there's always great music coming ot every week (feel free to check out Hello June! and you'll agree!) We Are Scientists released their newest album, Barbara today and I have to say I am loving what I am hearing!

Plus it helps with the music video is pretty eye catching as well! But the best part has to be their description of the video.

***SK8 OR DAIEEEEEE!!*** That's the theme of this badass motherfucking video. To make it, Keith pulled some of the dopest, most dangerous sk8 moves of all time, breaking many world sk8 records. Meanwhile, Chris risked his life filming these moves through whatever means were necessary, which included sk8ing around with a camera on his shoulder -- WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU SAW THESE TWO FUCKING MADMEN SK8ING AROUND TOGETHER?!?! Duck and cover, is all you really could do. Call FEMA. (Shot, chopped, & cropped by We Are Scientists)

Haha I love it. Check out the video for "Nice Guys" below:

[garbled]

Against Me!'s New Music Video

2010-06-09T09:30:00.001-04:00

Below is Against Me!'s new music video for "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" off of their newest release White Crosses (which was just released this past Tuesday, 6/8).

Is anyone else dying to know what this kid did to get the crap beat out of him? Really, that's all I want to know...

New Music Tuesday: Delta Spirit

2010-06-08T09:00:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I hate making decisions (especially when there are a lot of options) but when it comes to music I think I'm okay with that. I mean there are so many albums being released just today! (Just check out Hello June! and you'll see what I mean.) But after a lot of contemplating, I'd have to say, you're going to want to give Delta Spirit's History From Below a try on this glorious Tuesday.

Delta Spirit is a band from San Diego, and they certainly bring that awesome sunshine feel straight into their music. Jut check out their preview for History From Below...uh...below:

And if you haven't heard of Delta Spirit you will soon enough. They've opened sold out shows for bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cold War Kids, and Dr. Dog, as well as performed in national festivals like Austin City Limits, Noise Pop and Sasquatch.

David E Beats

2010-06-03T09:00:00.003-04:00

I am really loving David E Beats right now!

Check out “Over Here” below. It's an awesome hip hop song with mesmerizing guitar solos and violins.

So good!

New Music Tuesday: Tift Merritt

2010-06-01T23:51:00.001-04:00

New Music Tuesday, so you know what that means - a new album to check out for the week. There are a bunch of new releases out this month (Hello June! will give you the low-down) but this lovely June 1st I'd go with Tift Merritt's new release, See You On the Moon.

Personally, I'm not a huge country fan, but Merritt bends the genre so that it mixes pop, rock,
alternative, indie, and americana.

Check out the cool preview below!

See You On the Moon Tracklisting:
01 Mixtape
02 Engine to Turn
03 The Things That Everybody Does
04 Six More Days of Rain
05 Feel of the World
06 Neer Talk About It
07 All the Reasons We Don't Have to Fight
08 Live Till You Die
09 Papercut
10 See You on the Moon
11 Danny's Song
12 After Today

Hello June!

2010-06-01T09:00:00.003-04:00

Not a bad way to start off summer, if I do say so myself. Here's to another great month of music!

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

June 1st
Born Ruffians - Say It
Futureheads - Chaos
Hawthorne Heights - Skeletons
Jack Johnson - To The Sea
Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation
Quitzow - Juice Water
Setting Sun - Fantasurreal
Taio Cruz - Rokstarr
Tift Merritt - See You On The Moon

June 8th
Against Me! - White Crosses
Angie Mattson - Skeleton Arms
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitti - Before Today
Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer Of The Void
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Deer Tick - The Dirt Sessions
Delta Spirit - History From Below
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Here We Go Magic - Pigeons
Hot Hot Heat - Future Beeds
Iggy Pop - California Hitchhike [Live]
Kaiser Cartel - Secret Transit
Nada Surf - If I Had A Hi-Fi
Olafur Arnalds - & They Have Escaped The Weight of Darkness
Rooney - Eureka
Sia - We Are Born
Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
The Cringe - Play Thing
The Roots - How I Got Over
Tokyo Police Club - Champ
Travie McCoy [Gym Class Heroes] Lazarus
Uffie - Sex Dreams & Denim Jeans
Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
We Are The In Crowd - Guaranteed To Disagree [EP]

June 15th
Cowboy Junkies - Renmin Park
Foals - Total Life Forever [Digital: May 11th]
Laurie Anderson - Homeland
Rasputina - Sister Kinderhook
Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 1
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo
We Are Scientists - Barbara

June 22nd
Automatic Loveletter - Truth Or Dare
Chemical Brothers Further
Front Line Assembly - Improvised. Electronic. Device.
Herbie Hancock - The Imagine Project
Kele Okereke [Bloc Party] - The Boxer
Ozzy Osbourne - Scream
Pierce The Veil - Selfish Machines
Semi Precious Weapons - You Love You
Sia - We Are Born
Stars - The Five Ghosts
The Constellations - Southern Gothic
The Derek Trucks Band - Roadsongs

June 29th
Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs Of Love
A.R.E. Weapons - Darker Blue
Blue Six - Noesis
Delphic - Acolyte
Ernie Halter - Franlin & Vermont
Jackie Greene - Til The Light Comes
Katzenjammer - Le Pop
Scissor Sisters - Night Work
STS9 - Axe The Cables
Wolf Parade - Expo 86

Numbers and Facts About the Music Industry

2010-05-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder how much piracy really effects the music industry? (I mean, let's face it, you probably came to this blog because you saw that you could get a free MP3.) Head over to Geekologie and see some real numbers. It's actually pretty interesting.

And can we just pause for a second to look at the Top 10 Digital Songs of 2009:

ARTIST	TITLE	SALES (millions)
Lady Gaga	Poker Face	9.8
Black Eyed Peas	Boom Boom Pow	8.5
Jason Mraz	I'm Yours	8.1
Lady Gaga	Just Dance	7.7
Black Eyed Peas	I Gotta Feeling	7.1
Taylor Swift	Love Story	6.5
Beyoncé	Single Ladies	6.1
Soulja Boy Tell'Em	Kiss Me Thru the Phone	5.7
Kayne West	Heartless	5.5
Britney Spears	Circus	5.5

Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas worked it. Not to mention that you can insert some Kanye jokes.

We Got You Covered: Keller & the Keels

2010-05-29T09:00:00.002-04:00

(Admittedly) I've been pretty bad with the We Got You Covered segments in the past couple of weeks, but I think an entire album devoted to covers should make up for it.

Thief is Keller Williams' 15th album release (crazy, right?) and the second collaboration with the "out-of-sight" husband and wife duo of Larry and Jenny Keel. Keller and the Keels went into the studio for a few days in December 2009 and crafted a masterful follow-up to their 2006 album Grass. Comprised entirely of unique bluegrass renditions of songs originally written and recorded by a diverse group of musicians such as The Butthole Surfers, Ryan Adams, Amy Winehouse, The Raconteurs, Marcy Playground and many others, Thief is sure to surprise you in the most foot-stomping and knee-slapping way.

Give "Sex and Candy" a listen below:

"Sex and Candy (Marcy Playground)" by Keller & the Keels

Get yourself a copy of Thief and rediscover how, regardless of whether a song is penned by Keller or The Presidents of the United States of America, it somehow becomes its own.

Thief Tracklist::
01 Don't Cuss the Fiddle (Kris Kristofferson)
02 Uncle Disney (Patterson Hood)
03 Rehab (Amy Winehouse)
04 Get It While You Can (Danny Barnes)
05 Cold Roses (Ryan Adams)
06 Mountains of the Moon (Grateful Dead)
07 Teen Angst (Cracker)
08 Wind's On Fire (Yonder Mountain String Band)
09 Switch and the Spur (The Raconteurs)
10 Sex and Candy (Marcy Playground)
11 Pepper (Butthole Surfers)
12 Bath of Fire (Presidents of the United States of America)
13 The Year 2003 Minus 25 (Kris Kristofferson)

Regina Spektor at the White House?

2010-05-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Another how cool is this moment for the week!

Today Regina Spektor will perform at the White House as part of the first ever White House reception in honor of Jewish-American heritage. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be having many different guest — community leaders, prominent Jewish-Americans, Olympians, members of Congress and military veterans — as they celebrate "the range and depth of Jewish-American heritage and its contributions to American culture." What makes Spektor's performance even more amazing is that she is a Jew who moved to America from Soviet Russia over twenty years ago.

Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Rodrigo y Gabriela, the cast of Glee and now Regina Spektor? I guess the White House is a really cool venue! After all, only a couple of days later Jack White, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, and other performers will be at the White House for a concert in honor of Paul McCartney.

I mean really, how cool is that?

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down's New Music Video

2010-05-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

How cool is this?

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down have a new music video for "Body," directed by Dianna Agron (aka Quinn Fabray from Fox’s “Glee”). (Yes, I'll admit that I am a Gleek.) The music video premiered at Oxfam America’s website and also features a very funny three-minute intro from Dianna and Thao, giving fans some insight into their friendship, Thao’s work with Oxfam, and how the video came to be.

As Thao explains:

Last winter, Dianna contacted me to see about directing her first music video for my band. I so readily agreed, the internet could not deliver my consent fast enough. We met one day on Skype while I was on tour in Europe and Dianna was on set. "Body" (from the band's latest record Know Better Learn Faster) was shot on Valentine's Day on Dianna's bed. Dianna and I offered the exclusive premiere to Oxfam America in hopes of directing traffic to Oxfam's site and encouraging action to support Oxfam's efforts, particularly on behalf of the world's poorest, who are hit hardest by the effects of climate change.

Check out the video below:
I really love the video!

Thao has worked with Oxfam America for more than 3 years and is an ambassador for the Sisters on the Planet Campaign.

New Music Tuesday: Beach Fossils

2010-05-25T13:34:00.000-04:00

You all know how much I love Tuesdays! Who wouldn't love new music galore (as you can see in Hello May!). This week you should really check out Beach Fossils new self-titled album.

The Brooklyn music scene really has made a splash even in just the past couple of years with bands like Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Fang Island, Crystal Stilts, and the Morning Benders. The latest Brooklyn-based group to be making waves in the music scene's echo/pop stronghold are Beach Fossils.

Beach Fossils offers warm and inviting melodies that evoke the haunted sounds of another era, music that the band itself describes as "Sun drenched riffs, kaleidoscopic rhythms and hazy lyrics." It all comes together to make the perfect soundtrack to an endless summer afternoon.

Head over to their Myspace page to check out their music!

Beach Fossils Tracklist:
01 Sometimes
02 Youth
03 Vacation
04 Lazy Day
05 Twelve Roses
06 Daydream
07 Golden Age
08 Window View
09 The Horse
10 Wide Awake
11 Gathering

Horse Feathers

2010-05-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

I love driving around during summer and finding that perfect summer song. And for right now, the song that I can't seem to stop playing when driving on warm summer nights is Horse Feathers' "Thistled Spring." It's wonderfully textured and I love how violinist Nathan Crockett, cellist Catherine Odell, and multi-instrumentalist Sam Cooper inertwine throughout the music. Plus I love Ringle's fragile sounding voice!

Download "Thistled Spring," below:

"Thistled Spring" by Horse Feathers

It's simple piano melody truly makes it a great summer song!

Playlist: Bonnaroo 2010

2010-05-23T11:06:00.000-04:00

Can't go to Bonnarro this year either?

Spin is nice enough to be giving away a Bonnaroo 2010 sampler with bands like The National, Manchester Orchestra, Kings of Leon, Local Natives, Blitzen Trapper, Phoenix, and Mumford & Sons, among others.

Here's the link so you can get the music. Enjoy!

New Music Tuesday: Janelle Monáe

2010-05-18T22:19:00.000-04:00

Ah there's new Janelle Monáe!

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means: new music comes out today! (Feel free to check out the new releases for the entire month of May in Hello May!) And you should definitely check out Janelle Monáe's new album The Archandroid.

This is what should be blasting all over Top 40 radio - let's face it, it's catchy and would do well on the pop charts, but at the same time it could certainly (and does) appeal to more than just a Top 40 crowd. It's pop, indie, soul, funk, and alternative packaged wonderfully together. And I just can't get enough of her voice!

Check out her new music video below for "Tightrope" below:

It's already stuck in my head!

Top 10: Awful Band Names

2010-05-12T10:00:00.003-04:00

No one ever said it was easy. Not only does the name have to be original, but it also has to try to convey what kind of music you play and, better yet, intrigue people who have never heard of you to pick up your CD. That being said, just because it’s a difficult process doesn’t mean that anything goes.

So yesterday I was trying to figure out which album to feature as the CD you should check out for New Music Tuesday. And let me tell you, all I could think of was why would you name a band "Holy Fuck?"

Now keep in mind I like their music, and I have no problems with profanity (in music, TV, anything really), but why Holy Fuck? Automatically, you can't really advertise any of your stuff on the radio, TV, magazines, etc. because of profanity, let alone get your music played in a bunch of different situations. I mean I guess they could say "Holy Eff," but what's the point really?

The true problem is that a band can have good music, and then people just can't get past the bad band name. Both parties lose. It really got me thinking about bad band names.

As such, here's my Top 10 List of Really Awful Band Names:

10 MGMT

MGMT itself isn't a bad band name, but here's the problem with it: hipsters. Hipsters get snooty and can ruin anything. Today some people pronounce MGMT as em-gee-em-tee and some people say "management" (think MSTRKRFT - they were just missing the vowels). And then every once in a while you get that jerk who goes, "Um NO ACTUALLY, they USED to be called Management but now they're called Em Gee Em Tee because the old name conflicted with another band's name, so there! I knew them way back then, BEFORE they were cool." It makes me sad on the inside.

09 The The

You're listening to this and a friend goes, "What is this?" Your response? "The The." Their response - "The what" (They assume that you have a stutter.) You'd be playing who's on first for at least 20 minutes. Plus there's just no imagination really.

08 Holy Fuck

As already stated, it's just a bad idea to have a swear in your name, and I honestly think it limits you in too many ways.

07 You Say Party! We Say Die!

Only made worse by the fact that the drummer for this band did in fact just die. Too soon to make a bad joke? Yeah, too soon.

06 Say Hi To Your Mom

This takes your mom jokes to a whole new level of embarrassing. How many times do you think someone said "No, you say hi to YOUR mom?" Recently the band has changed their name to simply Say Hi, but we will forever know their mistake. It's a shame, especially since they're in my top artists at Last.fm. It's actually good music!

05 Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

Listen, I can appreciate Natalie Portman just as anyone else (and to be honest she's one of the few people who can actually pull off a shaved head), but no. If you’re not a fan of bright colors and are prone to epileptic seizures I also recommend avoiding the Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head’s MySpace page. You're forewarned - Myspace page not safe for those susceptible to seizures.

04 !!!

You're probably wondering how to say this band's name. In the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, the clicks in the Bushmen's native language were represented with exclamation marks in the subtitles. The band thought that was cool, apparently, and named themselves three clicks. And that's all it is. !!! can be said by clicking your tongue three time or by simply saying chk-chk-chk (aka chick chick chick). See, I just confused you even more...

03 Butthole Surfers

It sounds like some four year old's attempt at raw toilet humor, which doesn't please anyone who isn't, well, a four year old. You say, "Hey Dad! Can I have $50 to go see a cool band?" He asks, "What concert are you going to go see?" At that point you can forget getting the money, let alone the approval to go to the show. Even your parents will judge you (and who can blame them, really?)

02 Shitdisco

Last year when I was bored during finals and needed a study break I came across this music video. I actually really enjoyed both the video and the music, and then I found out the band name and kind of stopped listening. Imagine if that comes up on iTunes shuffle and someone really likes the song. "Who is this? I like it!" *beat* "Shitdisco..."

01 Test Icicles

Do I even need to describe why this is an awful band name (or an amazing one, if you're a 12 year old boy)? The band even came up with some excuse that their name was really about cavemen testing icicles so they wouldn't fall through and die. Whatever, no one is buying that. They clearly just named their band after balls, and that has to be worse than any nonsense words, pop culture references, misspellings, and references to poop that somehow end up in a a band name.

And there you have it, but those are just my two cents. Whatever, I'm naming my band Sonic Death Monkey.

Feel free to leave more awful band names in the comments section!

New Music Tuesday: Sleigh Bells

2010-05-11T10:50:00.001-04:00

It's Tuesday, so do you know what that means? Why, it's New Music Tuesday! And today was yet another hard decision. Feel free to head over to Hello May! to see all the albums that were released today.

But the album you should give a spin today is Treats by Sleigh Bells.

Made up of guitarist Derek Miller and singer Alexis Krauss, the duo make urgent, grungy, dance pop.

The album itself is quick (the entire minute count is only 32:05), but I loved every second of it. With thumping drums, crazy guitar licks, and Alexis Krauss’ vocals, I didn't want anything else in the world. Thank you, because this is what noise rock is supposed to sound like.

Treats is just a whole lot of fun to listen to. It will certainly be the soundtrack to my summer, windows-down, music going on the car stereo.

And once again, thanks to NPR, you can stream Treats in it's entirety here.

And don't worry, your speakers will be ok, they just sound like they might implode...

Treats Tracklist:
01 Tell ‘Em
02 Kids
03 Riot Rhythm
04 Infinity Guitars
05 Run the Heart
06 Rachel
07 Rill Rill
08 Crown On the Ground
09 Straight A’s
10 A/B Machines
11 Treats

Quasi's Music Video for Repulsion

2010-05-05T10:00:00.002-04:00

Oh I like I like I like!

Check out Quasi's music video for "Repulsion" below:

Hell, I'll even give you the mp3 with the deal!

"Repulsion" by Quasi

Enjoy the wonderfully fuzzy guitar!

New Music Tuesday: Broken Social Scene and the New Pornographers

2010-05-04T12:02:00.008-04:00

This New Music Tuesday left me with a lot to choose from. (For reals, check out Hello May! There are a lot of albums coming out this month from a lot of amazing bands and artists).

And when it came down to it, I still couldn't choose only one. So, Canada, I thank you. Today, the two albums you really need to check out are Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene and Together by the New Pornographers. Neither band is new to the music scene by any means, and as any music lover knows, they certainly know how to make a fantastic albums! You don't need me to tell you to check out these two bands, I'm sure you already have anyway.

For one thing, both bands have noteworthy lineups. Depending on the album, Broken Social Scene can have as few as six and as many as nineteen members. For Forgiveness Rock Record, the group is on the "smaller" size, still boasting 7 members: Kevin Drew (KC Accidental), Brendan Canning (By Divine Right, Blurtonia, Valley of the Giants, hHead), Charles Spearin (The Happiness Project, Do Make Say Think), Andrew Whiteman (Apostle of Hustle, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir), Justin Peroff (Junior Blue), Lisa Lobsinger (Reverie Sound Revue), and Sam Goldberg. Past members make appearances on the album as well. This will be the fourth studio album for the band, who has also released Feel Good Lost (2001), You Forgot It in People (2002), and Broken Social Scene (2005).

And if it weren't enough that they're making beautiful music, they're giving it away for free! Head over to Broken Social Scene's Myspace to Download "World Sick"

On the other hand you have the New Pornographers. The band has released four albums to date: Mass Romantic (2000), Electric Version (2003), Twin Cinema (2005), and Challengers (2007). And the band has an amazing lineup with lead vocals from A.C. Newman (besides solo work, also of Superconductor and Zumpano), Dan Bejar (Destroyer, Swan Lake, and Hello, Blue Roses) and Neko Case (besides her solo work, also of Maow, The Corn Sisters, and Cub). Other members of the band also include Kathryn Calder (Immaculate Machine), John Collins (The Evaporators), Kurt Dahle (Limblifter, Age of Electricz), Todd Fancey (solo artist as Fancey, Limblifter, and Blaine Thurier. And if that weren't enough, the album also features guest appearances by musicians such as Zach Condon (Beirut), Annie Clark (also known as St. Vincent), Will Sheff (Okkervil River), and the horn players from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Clearly the New Pornographers aren't holding anything back!

So stream them online (Broken Social Scene here, New Pornographers here) at NPR, then go out, buy them, and support good music!

Check out the tracklistings for both albums after the jump!

Broken Social Scenes Forgiveness Rock Record Tracklisting:
01 World Sick
02 Chase Scene
03 Texico Bitches
04 Forced to Love
05 All to All
06 Art House Director
07 Highway Slipper Jam
08 Ungrateful Little Father
09 Meet Me in the Basement
10 Sentimental X's
11 Sweetest Kill
12 Romance to the Grave
13 Water in Hell
14 Me and My Hand

The New PornographersTogether Tracklisting:
01 Moves
02 Crash Years
03 Your Hands (Together)
04 Silver Jenny Dollar
05 Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
06 My Shepherd
07 If You Can't See My Mirrors
08 Up in the Dark
09 Valkyrie in the Roller Disco
10 A Bite Out of My Bed
11 Daughters of Sorrow
12 We End Up Together

Hello May!

2010-05-02T12:32:00.001-04:00

Once again, not the most punctual of months, but here it is!. And as always, here's to another great month of music!

Note: Unless noted, the release dates are all for the U.S.

May 4th
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Justin Currie - Great War
Deftones - Diamond Eyes
The Fall - Your Future Our Clutter
Free Energy - Stuck On Nothing
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
Greg Laswell - Take A Bow
Minus the Bear - Omni
New Pornographers - Together
New Young Pony Club - The Optimist
Lisa Papineau - Red Trees
Mike Patton - Mondo Cane
Josh Ritter - Runs the World
Walter Schreifels - An Open Letter To The Scene
The Shondes - My Dear One
Tonic - Tonic
Wake Up Lucid - Look Alive People

May 11th
Crash Test Dummies - Oooh La La!
Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards
Stephen Egerton - The Seven Degrees Of Stephen Egerton
Jessica Harp (of the Wreckers) - A Woman Needs
Holy F*** - The Latin
Indian Jewelry - Totaled
Kaskade - Dynasty
Keane - Night Train
Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
The National - High Violet
Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Stereophonics - Keep Calm And Carry On
Thee Oh Sees - Warm Slime
UNKLE - Where Did the Night Fall
Woods - At Echo Lake

May 18th
Audio Bullys - Higher Than The Eiffel
Band Of Horses - Infinite Arms
The Black Keys - Brothers
Club 8 - The People's Record
The Depreciation Guild - Spirit Youth
Macy Gray - The Sellout
John Hughes - Reset The Warehouse
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Jamie Lidell - Compass
Janelle Monae - The Archandroid
Not An Airplane - Things And People
The Poison Control Center - Sad Sour Future
Tracy Thorn [of Everything But The Girl] - Love And Its Opposite
Woven Bones - In And Out And Back Again

May 25th
Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils
Andy Bell [Erasure] - Non-Stop
D.M. Stith - Heavy Ghost: Appendices
Far - At Night We Live
Leela James - My Soul
Marina And The Diamonds - The Family Jewels
Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots
Tomorrows Bad Seeds - Sacred For Sale
Widespread Panic - Dirty Side Down
Keller Williams - Thief

Sparrow and the Workshop

2010-04-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to share a band with you guys: Sparrow and the Workshop. The band, made up of Jill O’Sullivan (vocals/guitar/violin), Nick Packer (guitar/bass) and Gregor Donaldson (drums/vocals), might be folk but there's certainly nothing traditional about them. They are clearly making music that reminds listeners of another era, yet it never feels dated. Instead, it actually makes it hard to put a finger on what exactly the band sounds like.

Sparrow and the Workshop released their debut album Crystals Fall on April 19th. Ten of the tracks have appeared on previous EPs, but three of them are brand new. I am definitely feeling the new tracks though, what with their boy-girl vocals, slide guitar, and rustic drums. All of the tracks have been reworked and remixed.

I am really loving their track "The Gun" – the tappity-tap of the percussion and the gentle guitar are as simple but lovely. There are a lot of times when the acoustic guitar seems to be doing the job of the rhythm section and the drums have actually take the lead. And the lead singer's voice is amazing - I like how airy it is.

"The Gun" by Sparrow and the Workshop

Crystal Falls is certainly an impressive debut. Sometimes it’s very crunchy folk-rock while sometimes there’s a big country feel. The band's eccentric mix of styles has already won them acclaim from various sources. The Guardian say they are "ethereal and electric", the Sunday Times, Word, Pitchfork have all vouched for their retro-sounding country and bluesy folk sounds which conjures up comparisons to Fleet Foxes, Fairport Convention, and Nancy Sinatra, though O'Sullivan swears "nothing is contrived or planned to sound like anything in particular."

New Music Tuesday: The Mynabirds

2010-04-27T23:35:00.000-04:00

Ah, it's the last release of April, and May is right around the corner! (Check out all th releases for this April here, at Hello April!)

But today, you should really check out the newest release from The Mynabirds: What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood.

Laura Burhenn, the woman behind The Mynabirds, has realized an amazing debut album! She succesfully blurs the lines between rock, blues and soul to create a sound with some wonderful texture.

This is just the album that I needed for my awful week! Listen to "Let the Record Go" and you'll see why. It's got a great back beat, , a roaring piano, bluesy riffs, and soulful vocals. It'll make your toes tap and your head bob, that's for sure!

"Let the Record Go" by The Mynabirds

You can stream the entire album from Saddle Creek.

What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood Tracklist:
01 What We Gained in the Fire
02 Let the Record Go
03 Numbers Don't Lie
04 Give It Time
05 Ways of Looking
06 LA Rain
07 Wash It Out
08 We Made a Mountain
09 Right Place
10 Good Heart

Stream The National's Entire New Album!

2010-04-23T08:30:00.002-04:00

Head over to the New York Times Magazine right now to stream The National's new album!

Since this morning at 8:30AM EST, The New York Times Magazine has been streaming The National's new album, High Violet, in it entirety! And what could make it even better? Why, that they will be streaming the entire album until April 27th.

High Violet won't be released until May 11th (in the U.S.), so I am looking forward to the stream!

Go figure, the album has already leaked online, but that's why the band is having the entire album streaming, revealed the album artwork, and shown the track-listing, as well as given away a free MP3 single.

"Bloodbuzz Ohio by The National

Hey, as long as you're going to hear it anyway, I think it's great that the National is at least making it so that fans can hear High Violet in high quality. I'm sure that their fans are certainly thankful.

High Violet Tracklist:
01 Terrible Love
02 Sorrow
03 Anyone's Ghost
04 Little Faith
05 Afraid of Everyone
06 Bloodbuzz Ohio
07 Lemonworld
08 Runaway
09 Conversation 16
10 England
11 Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

New Apples in Stereo Music Video

2010-04-21T10:23:00.000-04:00

Well this is just another reason to love Elijah Wood!

Apples in Stereo - "Dance Floor"

Oh, and I guess Apples in Stereo too :) Plus, if you got to their official website you can get a free download of "Dance Floor."

New Music Tuesday: Blunt Mechanic

2010-04-20T20:30:00.001-04:00

If I had to give you one CD to check out today, it would definitely be World Record by Blunt Mechanic. (Feel free to check out the list of a bunch of CDs coming out this April in "Hello April!," but if you're a fan of Kind of Like Spitting, well read on.)

Ben Barnett, who has released eight albums, six singles, and five splits as Kind of Like Spitting over the past decade, has a new band: Blunt Mechanic.

And Ruined By MTV has an exclusive! You can download "Aluminum and Light" below for a taste of the new album.

"Aluminum and Light by Blunt Mechanic

The song certainly is full of charming guitar hooks, heart-wrenching vocals, and brilliant turns of phrase and vocal/instrumental interplay that collectively define the new album.

World Record Tracklist:
01 Gear Check
02 Thrown Out at Third
03 Proof
04 Aluminum and Light
05 Is or Isn't ALl the Same
06 Our First Brains
07 Pop Song
08 "Getting It"
09 Why Can't This be Canada?
10 Enough
11 Song 4
12 Get Home Safe

Can I just comment that I love how "Song 4" is actually track 11...