New Music Tuesday: Holly Miranda

It's Tuesday, so you know what that means. I've gone through the list of new albums being released today (if you want to see the list, feel free to check out Hello February!) and and out of the whole bunch here's my pick for the new album that you should check out today.

Holly Miranda has a new album out today called The Magician’s Private Library. Check out the single from the album, "Waves," below.

It's just so purdy!

The Road Trip: Tennessee

This time on The Road Trip: Royal Bangs.

Royal Bangs are a indie rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee. They released their debut We Breed Champions in 2008 and their new latest release, Let it Beep came out in September of 2009.

Formed in 2005, the band is made up of Henry Gibson (bass guitar), Chris Rusk (drums), Ryan Schaefer (keyboard, vocals, beats), Brandon Biondo (guitar), and Sam Stratton (guitar).

Their sound is quite interesting, offering a mix of classic indie guitars with a bit more contemporary electro tweaks and a sense of grunge. Together, these guys represent a sound that could only be described as 21st century garage rock - the enthusiasm, energy, and rough sound - then mixed with digital elements like electronic drum kits, sampling, and personal computers.

Check out their track "My Car is Haunted." I really like it.

"My Car Is Haunted" by Royal Bangs

Gah - with pounding drums, an infectious guitar riff, crunchy bass lines, and raw energy, what more could you want or need? Just hit repeat, and it will make your day THAT much better. I promise.



Honorable Mention:
"Be Your Man" by De Novo Dahl


Thinking of a band from Tennessee that I should know? Leave it in the comments section!

New Music Tuesday: Field Music

And welcome to another Tuesday! And here it is, the album that you should check out this week: Field Music's new release Measure.


I do love hand clapping, especially when it's a team effort! I also won't lie, part of the reason I like this song is the music video...

If you want to see what else i being released today, check out Hello February! and see the full list for new releases this month.

Donora

So I realize this is a Valentine's Day type of post, which was yesterday, but bear with me (this is what I get for not checking Post Secret on Sunday).

So first of all, the video is adorable (one reason for posting) but listen to the background music and I promise, you'll love it!


The song is called "Shhh" and it's by a Pittsburgh band called Donora. What a cool group. They've also shared the stage with other cool groups like The Ting Tings, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Tokyo Police Club, Elf Power, Cracker, Walter Meego, and Dressy Bessy.

Well with this mass exposure, Donora is certainly going to blow up!

We Got You Covered: "Wolf Like Me"

Ohhhhh now it's dance-y!

"Wolf Like Me" (TV on the Radio cover) by Blondtron (opens in Mediafire to download)

Happy Saturday!

The Boombox Hearts

Hey everyone, check out The Boombox Hearts!

"Everything" by The Boombox Hearts

A band founded in March of 2009, these Danes are making some great music. As the band puts it, "We try to play: 60ies pop / melancholic lo-fi / country / indie. If we don't, we're sorry!"

Band members are guitarist Ivan Petersen (Oliver North Boy Choir), vocalist/pianist Ida Tommerup, lead guitarist Steffen Christensen, bassist Mikkel Max Hansen (Oliver North Boy Choir, Epo-555), and drummer Arne Matzen.

The Boombox Hearts aren't currently signed, but they hope to release something later this year.

New Music Tuesday: You Say Party! We Say Die!

And welcome to another Tuesday! And here it is, the album that you should check out this week: You Say Party! We Say Die!'s new release XXXX.

Check out their song "Dark Days" below.

Still interested in what else this glorious Tuesday has to offer? Check out Hello February! and see the full list for new releases this month.

Do the Doppelganger: 15 Celeb Lookalikes for Facebook

So for those of you who didn't know, this past week has been something called Doppelganger Week on facebook. And if you don't know what that means, you just find a picture of someone famous who looks like you and make it your profile picture.

Well check out this AMAZNG list I found online of some celebrities and who their Doppelganger would be.

Do the Doppelganger: 15 Celeb Lookalikes for Facebook
Compiled by: Brittany Flynn, tynansanger, gcincinnati, sam the artist 

Doppelganger Week is hitting a fever pitch over on Facebook, and we're sure you've seen more than a few friends shifting their profile pictures to celebrity look-alikes. Sure, you kept your mouth shut when your not-so-bootylicious roommate tried to claim Beyoncé as her spitting image, but in other cases, they've been pretty spot on. It's enough to make us wonder what would happen if musicians changed their profile pictures. Lucky for you, we took up the task, pairing everyone from Taylor Swift to Panda Bear with their celebrity, cartoon, and comic book equivalents. Needless to say, board game princesses, hobbits, and Barbie dolls are all very much involved.

Taylor Swift / Toodles from Tom & Jerry: Coy Taylor dropped her Grammy on the ground and broke it. Much like your cat when it gets up on the mantle and breaks your fake Oscar.

Panda Bear / Dwayne Little Miss Sunshine (Paul Dano): Both scrawny dudes with almost as much hair as they have emotion.

Danzig / Nathan Explosion, Metalocalypse: The only difference between these two? Surely Nathan looms over Danzig by at least a foot.

Gucci Mane / Grimace: One of them is purple, but you know both of them are dranking and smoking the purple.

Sam Herring (Future Islands) / Jack Black: What, you thought Jack Black copyrighted those fierce eyebrows?

Robert Smith (The Cure) / Edward Scissorhands: Imagine what would happen if Edward cut Robert Smith's hair...

Mariah Carey / Dog in The Neverending Story: Those big brown eyes, that air-fluffed hair. We can see them wagging their tails in excitement.

Jon Anderson (Yes) / Bilbo Baggins: Wait, Jon Anderson wasn't actually in Lord of the Rings?

Nicki Minaj (Young Money) / Barbie: Nicki calls herself a Barbie and now we know why. They clearly shop at the same store.

Jack White (The White Stripes) / V for Vendetta: With all his side projects, when did Jack White find time to join V's side?

Dan Deacon / Tigger: Looking tigger-rific!

Hayley Williams (Paramore) / Strawberry Shortcake: Neither look natural with an ax in their arms.

Kid Cudi / Kwame from Captain Planet: If these two had a kid, it'd be Kid Kwame and he'd be rapping about saving the planet.

Dee Snider / Brock Samson, Venture Brothers: Both have indestructible hair.

Lady Gaga / Queen Frostine, Candy Land: Gaga's been to Gum Drop Mountain and back. She's like the tweaked-out version of our Candy Land queen.




I love what you can find on the internets!

Miike Snow: Silvia

Ah this song is stuck in my head!


I thought I'd share...

We Got You Covered: "Addicted to Love"

If Florence + The Machine weren’t a solid band they definitely could have been a cover band.

As I posted already, their hit song "You Got the Love" is actually a cover of a 1986 song by a group called Candi Station. And then I found this cover of "Addicted to Love," which I'll happily admit I put on repeat.

"Addicted to Love" (Robert Palmer cover) by Florence + the Machine

Florence and the Machine had a terrific 2009 with the release of the debut Lungs and the group is still riding the wave of success into 2010, releasing their next single "Hurricane Drunk" on March 1st.

New Broken Social Scene Album

Goodness gracious! On May 4th, Broken Social Scene will be releasing their fourth studio album! The release has yet to be titled, but I'm sure it'll be a work of genus (as always)!

Apparently the band is trying something new. As a core six-piece who had spent most of 2007 and 2008 on the road, Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Charles Spearin, Andrew Whiteman, Sam Goldberg, and Justin Peroff spent early 2009 working on new material in Toronto. I guess cutting down on the number of people making creative decisions worked well for them, helping to create spacious songs written as a band by a band, resulting in more cohesive, melody-driven compositions. They wrote nearly 40 songs in and out of the studio! I wonder how many of those were put together as the first new Broken Social Scene record in five years.

Obviously the band will be doing some touring to promote the album (you can find the dates on their site). During the New York date I will be in the middle of finals, but I find myself considering a road trip to Toronto in June. I mean, it would be Broken Social Scene, Pavement, and Band of Horses! Hopefully they'll add more dates instead so I won't have to drive all that way...

New Broken Bells Music Video

Gah, so excited for the Broken Bells album!

For those of you who don't know, Broken Bells is an American indie rock band featuring Danger Mouse (billed by his real name, Brian Burton) and James Mercer (the lead vocalist and guitarist for The Shins).

What an awesome combo!

The self-titled debut album is due out in the U.S. on March 9, 2010. Check out the new music video for their single, "The High Road," below!

Facebook Friendly Too!

Ruined By MTV is now on facebook! Become a fan today!

New Music Tuesday: Nneka

Ah! It's Tuesday! Do you know what that means? That means that new CDs are coming out today!

As you saw from Hello February! you may be overwhelmed. Which CDs should I really check out today? Which ones are going to be crap that I'll never want to hear? It was a tough call, but if I had to pick one artist you really should check out from today's releases it would have to be Nneka's new album, Concrete Jungle.

Check out her song "Heartbeat" below.

I really love the chorus! Those drums and her voice makes it very powerful. And I think it's safe to say that a lot will be expected from Nneka in the future!

Hello February!

Here's to another great month of music! You know, for such a short month, there's going to be a whole lot of music released!

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

February 2nd
Alexander Tucker – Grey Onion
ALO – Man of the World
Blind Man's Colour – Wooden Blankets

Disco Biscuits – Planet Anthem
FM Belfast – How to Make Friends

k.d. lang – Recollection
Midlake – The Courage of Others
Mount Eerie – Black Wooden EP
Nneka – Concrete Jungle
Pierced Arrows – Descending Shadows
Skullflower – Strange Keys to Untune Gods

The Album Leaf – A Chorus of Storytellers
The Brunettes – Paper Dolls

The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack
Toro Y Moi – Causes of This
U.S. Girls – Go Grey
We Are Wolves – Invisible Violence (digital release - physical release is 2/23)

February 9th
Angelo Spencer – Et Les Hauts Sommets
Ben + Vesper – LuvInIdleness

Best Coast – “Something in the Way” 7”
David Bowie – David Bowie: Deluxe Edition
Georgia Anne Muldrow – King's Ballad

Hot Chip – One Left Stand
Kath Bloom – Thin Thin Line
Laura Gibson & Ethan Rose – Bridge Carols

Massive Attack - Heliogoland
Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise
Phantogram – Eyelid Movies

Pierced Arrows – Descending Shadows
The Besnard Lakes – “Albatross” b/w “Four Long Lines” 12”
Title Tracks – It Was Easy

Uffie – MCs Can Kiss EP
Watson Twins – Talking to You, Talking to Me
Yeasayer – Odd Blood
You Say Party! We Say Die! – XXXX

February 14th
Angels & Airwaves – Love (free digital download)

February 16th
Adam Green – Minor Love
Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La
Errors – Come Down With Me
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! – Fixin' the Charts, Volume One 

Excepter – Presidence
Field Music – Measure
Gentle Friendly – Ride Slow

Jason Falkner – I'm OK, You're OK
Jessica Harp – A Woman Needs
Juliana Hatfield – Peace and Love
Lightspeed Champion – Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor (U.S. release)
Lusine – Twilight
Peter Gabriel – Scratch My Back
Robert Pollard – We All Go Out of the Army
Tindersticks – Falling Down a Mountain
Wu-Tang – Return of the & Friends

February 23rd
Alkaline Trio – This Addiction
Balmorhea: Constellations

Butch Walker – I Liked It
Clem Snide – The Meat of Life
David Broza – Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry of Townes Van Zandt
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim – Here Lies Love
Efterklang – Magic Chairs
Eluvium – Similes
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh

Fan Death – A Coin for the Well
Fang Island – Fang Island
Free Energy – Stuck on Nothing
Fyfe Dangerfield – Fly Yellow Moon (US Release)
Groove Armada – Black Light

High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine
Holly Miranda – The Magician’s Private Library
K-OS – Yes!
LoneLady - Nerve Up
Martyn – Fabric 50
Past Lives – Tapestry of Webs
Quasi – American Gong
Rocky Votolato – True Devotion
Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
Shout Out Louds – Work
The New Loud – Can’t Stop Knowing EP
The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme
The Rocket Summer – Of Men and Angels
The Strange Boys – Be Brave

The Streets – Computers and Blues
Wolf People – Tidings
Xiu Xiu – Dear God, I Hate Myself