Ahhh, free albums. They make me feel so good inside. That tingly feeling of knowing you just got some excellent music, without paying for it, and that band is okay with it. Portland band The Taxpayers released this album for free in September of 2009 (you can get it here), and I quickly downloaded it based on a recommendation and forgot all about it until about a month ago. By then, I forgot how I came across the album, and enjoyed it for what it was. It wasn't until later that I did some reverse-engineering and found out that I hadn't paid a nickel for it. What a pleasant surprise!
The Taxplayers mostly play punk rock, but there is a definite country influence in there. I hear a little bit of extra instrumentation (saxophone on track four, "Dig Too Deep", found above), and a lot of them have movements that are akin to alt-country but at 1.5x speed. Some songs are straight punk rock, a few are ballads, and one song is ridiculously immature and downright annoying ("Montana"), but in the end, this is a really strong album with a lot of great hooks. The whole record is recorded by the band, and it shows - but I like the DIY and raw appeal of hearing unbridled creativity. Reminds me of my punk rock days. It's a short listen (28 minutes), and definitely worth your time.
It sounds like a pretty good combo - lead singer of indie pop magicians The Shins (James Mercer) teaming up with Danger Mouse, best known for making The Grey Album, producing several well-known albums (Beck's Modern Guilt, Gorillaz's Demon Days), and for being one half of both Gnarls Barkley and DangerDoom. Anyway, these two got together to create a collaborative project, and if your first thought was that they were trying to play off the success of The Postal Service, then we both had the same first thoughts. If your second thought was excitement because you really liked the song James Mercer did with Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse last year, "Insane Lullaby", then that is freaky and you shouldn't be reading my thoughts like that.
It not only sounds like a pretty good combo, it's also a pretty good album. Note the fact that I didn't say that this album is incredible, or life-changing. If you were mildly interested in Gnarls Barkley, you'll probably like this album. To me, it sounds like a Beck album but with James Mercer singing. My biggest complaint is that the collaborative aspect of this project seems to rest mostly on Danger Mouse's shoulders; there are hardly any moments where I felt that I was listening to a James Mercer song with Danger Mouse accompaniment. On the flip side, everything sounds like Danger Mouse's baby, and Mercer just laid down the vocal track. I could be way off, but I just don't hear any of the brilliance of the first two The Shins albums, or anything that matches that incredible hook from "Insane Lullaby".
There is, however, one moment of brilliance, and it isn't even Mercer at the helm; track five, "Sailing to Nowhere" (you can listen to it through the link above) has some fresh, exhilarating production. It weaves in and out of slow, downtrodden acoustic indie pop and bright, muffled 1960's AM radio pop, to incredible effect. With each listen, I'm transported to a moment that happened twenty years before I was even born.
The rest of the album is satisfying, and an easy listen. Just don't expect it to change your life.
True Devotion is the seventh album by Seattle-based folk singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato. It's hard to believe he's made that many albums, and when you consider the three albums he recorded as singer of now-defunct indie rock band Waxwing, we're looking at quite a bit of creative output in the past 10-15 years. True Devotion is a bit of a black sheep for Mr. Votolato - it's the first time he's recorded without a big-name producer (Matt Bayless, Chris Walla) in ten years, it's his longest break from songwriting (three years) since he started recording music in the late 1990s, and the majority of the album was recorded on his own, unlike the full-band release of his last record or the contributions from numerous Seattle musicians in his other work.
if you're familiar with Rocky Votolato, let me tell you how True Devotion differs from his previous canon: it isn't quite as conventional as some of his earlier albums, but rather I found it to be an elegant mix of tried-and-true stylings, the softer side of Waxwing, and a newfound embrace of what I consider a true "Seattle" sound - firm guitar downstrokes, an atypical interplay between guitar and bass, and a slight jazz undertone. Some of these songs, like opener "Lucky Clover Coin", are quiet and beautiful introspections, while songs like track three, "Red River", are busy, nearly-upbeat singles. When Rocky's tone gets a little more aggressive he doesn't get dark or violent, like in previous songs (I'm thinking mostly about some tracks on 2003's Suicide Medicine); and I always felt that his threatening voice never had a place in the sound of his music. As a downside, though, when his excited moments are without substance, they lose their bite - in the end, it sounds almost like he's braying. Luckily, these moments are few and far between.
Lyrically, this album has some of the clearest, well-formed phrasing I've seen from him, which is a big plus considering that some of his previous lyrics have been downright awful at times. His words in these songs are direct, sincere, and easy on the ears. Without any distractingly-bad lyrics, I'm able to get reacquainted with Votolato's raspy, intimate voice and remember why I was drawn to his music so many years ago.
As a whole, this is Rocky Votolato's strongest solo-focused record since 2001's Burning My Travels Clean. It is deft mixture of style culled from his vibrant career, and at 34 minutes, it's the perfect introductory length for new listeners.
Whether it's due to their inability to settle on a single genre, or the way that they combine samples and synth with more traditional instrumentation, there's no denying the fact that UK band Tall Ships are a somewhat unconventional band. On this, their self-titled debut EP, the band pick and choose from several genres, from indie-pop to post-rock, and throw in a curiously nautical theme for good measure. As strange as it all sounds, the result is a varied, entertaining, and vibrant experience.
With this in mind, each track on the EP has its own unique hook, such as the slow, synth build-up of opening track "Books"; the samples and charming Neutral Milk Hotel-esque trumpet on brisk post-rock oddity "Words Are Pegs Upon Which We Hang Ideas"; the quirky guitar on instrumental number "Beanieandodger"; or the slow build of closing track "Vessels", during which the bobbing, lurching instrumentation does a great job of conjuring the idea of a boat in water to the minds eye.
With this debut effort, Tall Ships have delivered something far more than ordinary; they have delivered four well-realised tracks, and have proven that they are a band with a lot of potential. Here's hoping we see some new material from them again soon.
Tall Ships EP is available from iTunes as of March 15th , or can be ordered from http://www.bsmrocks.com. If you want to check out some of the band's music, check out the track below, or visit the band's myspace page.
Last night on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon", The National debuted the opening track from their new album, High Violent, which comes out in May. The sound quality isn't the best, but it still sounds damn good. The song is called "Terrible Love".
You know what I love most about this band? Besides the music. It's the fact that the two brothers that play guitar both look like that guy from Lord of the Rings that plays Charlie on LOST. It's like having two hobbits in your band.
If you're one of our lucky readers that have followed my album reviews over the years, you might think that this album is a strange pick for me. First and foremost, this is a Portland band, and everyone knows that Oregonians are the sworn enemies of Washingtonians. Secondly, this is an electro-pop band, or new wave band, whatever you want to call it. And I'm not usually a fan of electronic-heavy rock bands, personally.
So what is it about this band that keeps me coming back? For serious. These guys almost sound like a top 40 band, and there's even times when it sounds like white boy rap, one of my most hated music genres. It's up there with rap rock.
I guess when it comes down to it, the ambiguously-named band Hockey just writes some damn catchy songs that are interesting enough to keep me from turning my iPod's click wheel. Take track one, "Too Fake". That little ditty is a mini masterpiece of aggression, indifference, and style. It sounds like The Strokes and LCD Soundsystem had a little baby and named it Phoenix.
These songs may not last me all year long, but for now, this is a light, hypnotic album that's got more hooks than a fishing store. Yeah, I made that previous line up all by myself. You can have it if you want it.
This album chugs. In a good way. Aloha is a post-rock band that's been around since the late 1990s, and I've followed them for quite some time now. They used to be "that post-rock band with a vibraphone", but they stopped using it in earnest a few albums back; now, they're just a plain old post-rock band. But the best part of this band is that they still rock like it's 2002. In other words, they've continued that layered, drifty, and unconventional post-rock sound capitalized by bands like Minus the Bear, American Football, and to a lesser extent Cursive, well after these bands disbanded or altered their sound.
It's refreshing to hear a band further refine a sound that's been relatively abandoned. Second track "Moonless March" is the perfect example of Aloha sticking to their guns to dramatic effect. The song starts out fast and continues the pace throughout, while changing melodies often and with a deft precision. For a band whose members live in different cities scattered throughout the East Coast, this is a concerted and carefully orchestrated effort, and it's my favorite album by them in several years. Every track has something worth paying attention to, be it an interesting vocal hook or their always-excellent instrumentation. If you're looking for something a little off the beaten path, but rewarding nonetheless, you'll probably like Home Acres.
Everybody Was In the French Resistance…Now! is a band name that I can tolerate saying aloud every once in a while. Like, once a year. It's funny, because this album is something that I could probably only tolerate listening to about once a year, too. The band (no, I'm not repeating the name, thankyouverymuch) features two people - Eddie Argos (lead singer of Art Brut) and a girl from a band I've never heard of, Blood Arm. The songs themselves are "answer songs" - blatant responses to other songs and pop culture events - and were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. As someone who wasn't alive then (come on, I'm old, but not that old), I just don't see the point. I'm all for cultural reference, but when the content of your product is the response to other product, I'm grasping to find a reason for this band to exist.
The songs themselves are sweet, bubblegum pop ditties, usually the product of just a couple melodic ideas done to death. What's funny is that this is the exact replica of what Argos' day-job band Art Brut does, but they do it to stunning effect. Art Brut has an insightful bite to it, thanks to its crunchy guitars and laissez-faire approach to song construction. It's a bite that's ultimately harmless, but fun to experience. By contrast, this record is like being licked by a dirty, lazy dog.
I was driven to get this album by sheer curiosity, but eventually repulsed by its shallowness and inanity. If you're a fan of Art Brut, wait for the next Art Brut album.
White Marks on a White Wall is the second album by criminally-unsigned indie rock band Linus. I've had the pleasure of following them during their entire 10+ years of existence, and it's been a wild ride. Their debut album, The Construction, was released in 2005 and featured two distinctive elements: an undeniable potential, and poor production that never gave these exciting songs justice. The Construction showed a young band that had the makings of the next Weezer, while hinting at a depth that Weezer only dreamed about reaching. It was full of catchy vocal melodies that were complemented by bright, colorful bass trimmings and and emerging guitar prowess. Lead single, "Arrivals and Departures", was features on Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 on the Xbox 360, which was ridiculously cool.
Despite its double-reference to something brighter, I had first considered White Marks on a White Wall a dark spot on their decade of music making. Linus set out to record these songs even before The Construction released, and it took five years for them to finally surface. The delay is the result of near-obsessive recording sessions, lineup changes, periods of inactivity and some navel-gazing introspection. I feared that by the time this album finally hit the streets, it would have lost its relevancy; I'm happy to say that in the end, this is a complicated and conflicting record that simply isn't showing any signs of age.
Upon initial listen, the individual tracks don't stand out as much as the classics on their first album, but I'm floored by what they did with them. White Marks on a White Wall features top-notch production taste and a perfect mix. Singer/guitarist Dave Neely's guitar chops have exploded, while showing a restraint that keeps each track from meandering. Gone are the pop leanings of Weezer (other than on track nine, "SoSo"), and instead we see a band that's grown exponentially in other directions; they've taken onboard the dance-stylings of bands like Franz Ferdinand and Hot Hot Heat but on their own terms, ratcheting the intensity back a hair and adding a jazz influence a la The Sea and the Cake or The Whitest Boy Alive. The end product is an album that's wholly listenable in several settings.
There are a couple tracks that are worth skipping, but all in all I'm enjoying this album much more than I expected to be. What's even better is that their most recent songs take their sound even further; if they can get those out soon, they'll have the world at their feet.
During the course of 2009, I became a huge fan of Frightened Rabbit; so much so that I named their excellent second album The Midnight Organ Fight my top "Found Sound" album of 2009. Their mix of dense, layered instrumentation and complementary/contradictory vocal melodies sit just right with me. Each song had its own merit - be it some insightful lyrics, a killer guitar riff, or a perfect marriage of melody - and should stand the test of time. I was hoping for the same from The Winter of Mixed Drinks, and in some ways I have. Unfortunately, in many ways it also fails to live up to its own hype.
Let me break it down for you: there are four outstanding tracks on this new album, and the rest are skippable. First standout track is the single "Swim Until You Can't See Land", which showcases a slower, poppier side to the band without compromising on their trademark cynicism. Its chorus line is so catchy that they repeated it on track seven. Next up is track three, "The Loneliness and the Scream", which starts out somewhat muddled but hits its stride about two and a half minutes in, with the best vocal counter-chorus on the record. "Nothing Like You" is the next keeper, which is probably the most readio-ready single on the album, with a chugging mid-tempo pace and ultra-catchy verses. Finally, track five, "Skip the Youth", has a sufficiently long buildup and vocal intro, but does run a little bit stale in its six-plus-minute runtime. Closer "Yes, I Would" is remarkable for its unique falsetto vocals, but it just doesn't quite hit home as well as the four tracks mentioned above.
The rest of the album is decent, but it simply doesn't hold a candle to their previous effort. That's not to say this is a bad album; when a band follows up the album of their career with a serviceable album, that's a win in my book.
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Ahhh, free albums. They make me feel so good inside. That tingly feeling of knowing you just got some excellent music, without paying for it, and that band is okay with it. Portland band The Taxpayers released this album for free in September of 2009 (you can get it 
It sounds like a pretty good combo - lead singer of indie pop magicians The Shins (James Mercer) teaming up with Danger Mouse, best known for making 
True Devotion is the seventh album by Seattle-based folk singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato. It's hard to believe he's made that many albums, and when you consider the three albums he recorded as singer of now-defunct indie rock band Waxwing, we're looking at quite a bit of creative output in the past 10-15 years. True Devotion is a bit of a black sheep for Mr. Votolato - it's the first time he's recorded without a big-name producer (Matt Bayless, Chris Walla) in ten years, it's his longest break from songwriting (three years) since he started recording music in the late 1990s, and the majority of the album was recorded on his own, unlike the full-band release of his last record or the contributions from numerous Seattle musicians in his other work.
Whether it's due to their inability to settle on a single genre, or the way that they combine samples and synth with more traditional instrumentation, there's no denying the fact that UK band Tall Ships are a somewhat unconventional band. On this, their self-titled debut EP, the band pick and choose from several genres, from indie-pop to post-rock, and throw in a curiously nautical theme for good measure. As strange as it all sounds, the result is a varied, entertaining, and vibrant experience.
If you're one of our lucky readers that have followed my album reviews over the years, you might think that this album is a strange pick for me. First and foremost, this is a Portland band, and everyone knows that Oregonians are the sworn enemies of Washingtonians. Secondly, this is an electro-pop band, or new wave band, whatever you want to call it. And I'm not usually a fan of electronic-heavy rock bands, personally.
This album chugs. In a good way. Aloha is a post-rock band that's been around since the late 1990s, and I've followed them for quite some time now. They used to be "that post-rock band with a vibraphone", but they stopped using it in earnest a few albums back; now, they're just a plain old post-rock band. But the best part of this band is that they still rock like it's 2002. In other words, they've continued that layered, drifty, and unconventional post-rock sound capitalized by bands like Minus the Bear, American Football, and to a lesser extent Cursive, well after these bands disbanded or altered their sound.
Everybody Was In the French Resistance…Now! is a band name that I can tolerate saying aloud every once in a while. Like, once a year. It's funny, because this album is something that I could probably only tolerate listening to about once a year, too. The band (no, I'm not repeating the name, thankyouverymuch) features two people - Eddie Argos (lead singer of Art Brut) and a girl from a band I've never heard of, Blood Arm. The songs themselves are "answer songs" - blatant responses to other songs and pop culture events - and were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. As someone who wasn't alive then (come on, I'm old, but not that old), I just don't see the point. I'm all for cultural reference, but when the content of your product is the response to other product, I'm grasping to find a reason for this band to exist.
During the course of 2009, I became a huge fan of Frightened Rabbit; so much so that I named their excellent second album The Midnight Organ Fight my 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!