cleaner than the prior live version, the first single “Circles” offers a glance into As Tall As Lions 3rd Studio LP dropping August 18. the band also has an additional track titled “In Case of Rapture” which explores some great instrumental ideas, only available on their myspace. you can’t take it with you is one of our most anticipated releases of the year, stay tuned..
rating: 8.7
a true independent artist that radiates personality. the alter-ego of adam weiner delivers “tell me again” with the soul and conviction of his rockabilly, soul and folk predecessors. all while embracing his unique cabaret motif
rating: 7.8
YYYEs. The Red Rhythm is the debut full-length from atlanta’s Winston Audio. and slaves to rhythm they are on “hey ann”. mr writer why don’t you tell us like it really is???
rating: 9.3
The Most Serene Republic -”Catharsis Boo”
off their latest …And the Ever Expanding Universe, “catharsis boo” amiably mixes counter-melodies, harmonies and syncopated layers of traditionalesque instrumentation in less-traditional ways. and while sooo many others don’t, these canucks actually justify all 7 pieces of their band.. they’d make a mean hockey team my friends
rating: 7.5
Those Darlins - “Snaggle Tooth Mama”
an ode to snaggle tooth’s everywhere. you know who you are. my college roommate had a bad case of the snaggle tooth girlfriend. said it hurt like hell. from their June self-titled release, those darlins sound is unapologetic
rating: 7.5
Diving With Andy -”Sugar Sugar”
yes. and yes. “sugar sugar” is the title track off french trio Diving With Andy’s new and second full length. they’ve just became my favorite new french thing, which is good cos La Petite Boulangerie was starting to piss me off anyway. does mustard really need to go on everything? btw any translators in the house? EVERYTHING i find on this band is in french, and i’ve no idea what they’re on about..
rating: 8.5
Muse -”United States of Eurasia”
this obviously is what it is. so we wont yak about the obvious, rather we’ll yak about what it is… minus the obvious. right, so isn’t king of the hill hilarious? thx to rave for the heads up.. muse’s new track is no doubt good and f’ing rocks, but is it really theirs? something tells me The Resistance due September 14 will be a whole lot more like Black Holes and Revelations, and a lot less like Origin of Symmetry.. just a hunch
rating: 8
the deeper we dig into Fanfarlo’s debut album Reservoir, the better it gets. this UK based band simply make indie pop that does what it wants, and as contradicting of a statement as that should be, we all know what it means. they’ll be at the Troubadour in LA on September 15 and so will we.
rating: 8
Led Zepplin - “Going to California”
sounds exactly like something pj would rock nowadays. a catchy tune with a forced and fairly uncomplementary bridge. but there’s hints of improvement from their ‘06 self titled release..
so is anybody surprised that their new record Backspacer will be released exclusively through target? no?? are we suprised that there will be promotional commercials directed by none other than Cameron Crowe? nope, but we’ll definitely watch. now, are we suprised that the first we heard this song was 30 seconds during a commercial during the All Star game? nada. BUT are we surprised that this anti-establishment band hates BP Amoco. yes. my guess is that they didn’t give PJ free gas for their world tour. bastards. still, regardless of how you feel about them, eddie vedder is clearly one of the best frontmen and rock vocalists of all time. watch his performance of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” on VH1 rock honors, and tell me he’s not a natural. btw anybody know if page/plant got royalties for “given to fly”?
rating: 7.5
Mystery Jets - “Two Doors Down (Duke Dumont Remix)”
if i go crazy, then will you still call me superman?? what? seriously though, if you haven’t heard it yet, this remix is the jam..
rating: 8.2
Sergeant, you should make at least one journey across the pond. please? it’s really not that bad here… promise. shit, we’ve got beckham back.. eh?
rating: 8
The Dead Weather - “Are Friends Electric?”
the b-side from “hang you from the heavens” and the only tune we’ve heard from these guys where everyone else in the band isn’t trying to sound like multi-instrumental alter-ego’s of jack white. perhaps a direction for the next album? and without a doubt have to agree on the media shit.
rating: 7.5
Citizen Cope - “Let the Drummer Kick”
Citizen Cope is the pseudonym of Clarence Greenwood. off his self-titled debut LP in 2002, “Let the Drummer Kick” is a good example of how solid music will remain relevant. synched on So You Think You Can Dance, an Acura commercial and many others 6+ years after it was released, Greenwood is clearly an early proponent of the licensing that so many today seek. is that a bad thing? as Iggy Pop puts it, “If people want to use my songs to sell sausages, that’s fine because they weren’t made for sausages.” will this song be used for sausages? only time will tell.. but the good news is “you don’t even have to wait”
rating; 7.7
James Brown - “It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World”
“Sixteen” is the first single off The Heavy’s new album The House That Dirt Built due this october. these uk cats play a pretty mean soul on “sixteen”.. makin’ the Grandfather proud - ughh hit me!
rating: 8.8
