Here's a gorgeous song by a very talented group, OneRepublic. They have a fantastic story about being completely devoted to nurturing a very strong fanbase on myspace before releasing their first studio album in 2007. The song has been used to promote several movies and shows because of its lovely sound and emotional chorus. I first heard it for promos for the Lost final season, but it never really clicked for me that this song needs to have a special place. Well I hope it clicks for you and you take this song wherever you go.

Architecture in Helsinki - Do the Whirlwind

I stumbled across an old favorite with doing some "research" for work. I need to get my but in gear, I've been too lazy about pushing myself. The band is catchy electro from Australia. They have a pretty big band so you'll hear a range of instruments like the basics plus horns and extra percussion, there will be several people leading vocals. There stuff is good, they just lack a little wow factor.

Hard-Fi - Suburban Knights

Killer song that I feel didn't get the recognition it deserved when it came out in 2007. It's a great blend of old style punk with the new. They're a British band (what's with me and all the Brits lately?) There are some reports about an album coming out later this year, I'll keep my eyes out for it. This song slips into a strange place on the punk rock scale. It sings about being bored and frustrated, nothing new. But this song really doesn't care if it means anything to you. It feels post-modern to me, the song is just meant to be a song and an expression for this band.

Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man

I've heard this song floating around over the summer and it just occurred to me, "Hey, maybe I should share this with people" It's been around the radio stations for a bit which has earned it that weird spot where it gets to be artistic but because they take that gimmeck and grind it into your ear enough that people will call into the radio stations and request it. Whatever, it's a good gimmick. You'll be humming "It was not your fault but mine, It was your heart on the line. I really Fucked it up this time. Didn't I, my dear?" Mumford and Sons are a folk rock band our of England, they've been playing for a few years and released their first album last year. I just noticed, after picking this song that it is currently the number one alternative son. Huh. Now I'm kicking myself for not sharing it sooner, better late then then never.

Holy Fuck - Red Lights

Yeah, the name of the band is a bad word. I saw them last night and they certainly drew a diverse crowd. I'm sure some of that was their naughty name. But don't ask them, they finished their set by thanking everyone for coming out to see Nickelback. There were typical hipsters and weirdly ridiculous hipsters. I'm not kidding, I overheard a conversation that went something like

I started a band, our name is Fuzzy Dice ((I don't remember exacts))
Oh cool, the name of our band is Croissant.
I thought you were in Finish.
No, that will be the next band

Wow, then on the way out another guy was saying he could do better, but at least the singer had "a good stage presence"... I also felt deeply embarrassed for the guy that was air drumming with flimsy glowsticks in the front row. Not everyone were dorky hipsters, I saw a big biker dude, bunch of frat boys, and some guy that was way too surprised to see the band offering their album on vinyl. It's cool and all, but I'm not going to announce it to the bar and jump up and down. I'm just gonna guess, but I think the last band he saw was Creed. I'm not part of the small band indie scene, either, but come on. When the singer made the uber ironic Nickeback remark I think the kid in the front row ironically jizzed in his skinny jeans

Anyway, the music is lo-fi electronica, that's just electronica with older, less mainstream stuff, no looping typically. They have a drummer and bassist, so they'll often have a familiar sound. They also try to employ some unique sounds from vintage stuff and old toy instruments. This song, Red Lights is the first track of their latest album released in May. It's got a great groove and is just screaming to be the opening song to some new TV drama, JJ Abrams reads this right? The sound in this video could be better. Check here for the entire studio album on Grooveshark.

Lissie - Bully

Lissie is an american folk singer, she just released her second album a month ago. It's fantastic, moving and original. I think it's a great piece of work. Interestingly she seems to be doing particularly well in Europe, even making a few charts with her singles off this latest album. I ran into a few problems getting videos to work for her because so many of them are blocked in the US by Sony. There's Sony, not helping their reputation as a pain in the ass record company. Lissie's style is unrushed. Her lyrics are vague yet easy to relate to. I wanted to highlight this song, "Bully" specifically because of that quality in her words. The line "Your Momma's here and your Papa too, and we are so darn proud of you." hits me hard. This is a beautiful song and worth listening to over and over. I couldn't be happier with this live video of her and the band singing on the rooftop, let's hope people will look up and listen with us to some honest music.

Here's a brilliant cover of Stairway to Heaven by Lissie. Sony's out to get it, so I'm sorry if this ends up as a dead link soon.

Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside

The album for Danger Mouse's and James Mercer's collaboration came out in March with several singles released since then. The Ghost Inside was issued as a single in June, but I never noticed what a fantastic video went along with this song. It's Christina Hendricks! She looks fantastic and fits this emotional video perfectly. All of the Broken Bells songs chill well. The entire album has been a mainstay for me this summer. They just tickle your ear and bring up some emotion that you don't know what to do with.

Plain White T's

The Plain White T's released a sweet little single last month, "Rhythm of Love". It's smooth and adorable like their big hit "Hey There Delilah". The vocals are a bit overproduced sound unnatural, but the mixture of strings more than makes up for it. The shaking rattles and twang highlights season the song well. It makes a wonderful song to end the summer with.

The Seedy Seeds

These are The Seedy Seeds with Drive Me To The Center. The song is a fantastic bit of electronic folk. It’s really surprising considering the quality of this song and video that there’s very little to find out about them. All I found out in a short search was that they are out of Cincinnati, and a very informative self made travel blog. I enjoy the positive bluegrass energy.

The Wilderness Downtown

Check out The Arcade Fire's Interactive music video of The Wilderness Downtown. It's best seen with Google Chrome.


I've seen a couple interactive music videos now and this is one of the heaviest uses of original tech. I love the idea and the execution of this video. It brings in images from Google Maps and Street view to the video. The basic premise is that the user enters in their childhood home. These images naturally bring in a wave of nostalgia with the song playing in the background like a soundtrack to your own movie.

The song itself is tame compared to other Arcade Fire songs, but is still wonderful. The production is spot on. The rhythmic piano stomps throughout make this an excellent exercise tune. It feels therapeutic.

Four Songs to Listen to Forthwith - 08/12/10

Flying Lotus has been around the experimental electronic scene for a few years. One of the major things that set him apart is he blends and has influences from jazz and hip hop. He adds sounds from many different places, samples and random recordings. Listen closely and you'll hear some remixed sounds from video games. This song, And the World Laughs With You is especially trippy. It seems to fly through and is over before you know it. Thom Yorke of Radiohead collaborated with him on this track. If you liked this, be sure to check out the rest of the album which came out in May. I really liked the execution of after effects on this fan made video, the worn look fits in nicely.

This song is by a fantastic Christian singer, Plumb. Her real name is Tiffany Lee and she lives in a nice house in the suburbs with her husband and three kids. Certainly not the typical artist featured here. It was recommended (and the next one) by my good friend and cousin, Chrissy. Congratulations to her and Drew on their wedding coming up in a few weeks. This song, Only You (Blush), is put together really simply. There’s a lot of yearning in this song, can’t you just picture her singing this with her eyes closed, palms facing out? “I want another kiss that’s always new. I want to be in love with only you.”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with becoming famous. There’s no direct connection to selling lots of records and suddenly your music will become less original, but there is something special about a band’s first album. It’s made before the band knows that this is how they’ll be remembered and this is how they will make a living. The album and songs are made to share with fans or as a strange experiment to see where their crazy dreams will take them. The Counting Crows are phenomenal, they started off strong with their first album, they’ve made many great songs since then, and are still together. For me, I can hear something special in their first album, a vulnerability that many bands have in the music. It can seem like it’s just the luck of the draw at this level, what bands will become huge, and which will remain tiny. The Counting Crows deserve their success, they’re entertaining and relentless in promoting of other artists. I hope you enjoy a sweet song called Round Here, a story inspired by one of the many troubled women singer Adam Duritz comes across. “She walks along the edge of where the ocean meets the land. Just like she’s walking on a wire.”

Gold Panda are an instrumental electronic group. They’re almost dubstep, not dance music, they love to mess with you or maybe they’re honestly experimenting. I can’t tell the difference with these guys, I know little about them. They have no wikipage, or decent bio anywhere. I’ve only seen them talked about at Pitchfork. They had a song in Pitchfork’s 2009 top 100 list (something I’ve listened through a lot) This song just showed up this week I like the sound and would love for them to have more fans. There’s also this fancy new embedded player to tryout. So here’s Snow and Taxis.

Snow & Taxis by Gold Panda

Four Songs to Listen To - 08/03/10

I started listening to this girl, Jessica Grace, about a week ago. I instantly liked her because she reminds of my good friend Meredith from The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter. I dig singer songwriters. There’s something very natural and easy to like about this genre. Jess’s song “What Is It In You” exemplifies these qualities. The song comes out a little forced at times, like she’s trying harder than she needs to. The simple acoustic and soft snare taps come on and off elegantly. There are feel good familiar lyrics like “What is it in you? That I can’t find in myself?” that really make the comparison to Alanis Morriset easy, but I’m guessing she’s tired of hearing that.

Tappa Tappa Tappa Chinga Ching! This is a very satisfying song. Ramadanman - Don't Change for Me. It’s got lots of breaks, something I like in my instrumentals. The sound starts off acoustic and natural, then gets mixed up heavily after a minute. I don’t know and can't imagine what the feeling it’s trying to express is. Everytime I listen to this track I feel something different. It’s smooth, yet a little rough around the edges. What you make of it will probably depend on what mood you’re in right now. Hope you feel like some buttery dubstep.

I saw this song by Pretty Reckless, I followed up and checked out this group and was floored by there sound. It’s straight up female lead rock. This song kicks ass, solid melody, lyrics, clear and well produced. I’ve never heard of them but the youtube link shows three quarters of a million plays, so naturally I though maybe Rachel has already heard of them. I didn’t want to look around all the blogs pages, it’s getting kind of big now after a few months. I put up a list of topics in the right column to make going back or find a band you like easier. For me, it’s keeping me from doing repeats.
Anyways, this band, Pretty Reckless. Just started the band about a year, all pretty young. They released an EP about a month ago, their first studio album comes out at the end of August. I’m ahead of the curve on this one. Check out this single that they put out in May called “Make Me Wanna Die”

A bit of nostalgia and falling back a killer song that everyone should know and like. Head Automatica is a band/project by the singer of an experimental hardcore band to pursue some more pop and electronic. They released a couple solid albums in 2004 and 2006, their last album has apparently been in limbo since last year. Let’s hope we can hear more about them soon. This song is fun rock, it’s energetic and a little hard, but with a sweet easy to access message. Very catchy and listen to it enough you won’t forget it with a little tune in your head at strange times. Apparently they don’t like youtube with all the actual videos being taken down. All the existing copies are just lyrics, not that I don’t love those fan made videos, I just really want to show the full official videos whenever possible. Let’s see how the MTV embedding works out... Oh look extra links along with the video, no thanks.

Four Songs to Listen to Forthwith - 07/25/10

Cee-Lo Green is the face of modern contemporary soul. He has a instantly recognizable unique voice, flawless crafted delivery and insatiable productivity. He has contributed to dozens and dozens of collaborations. By finding time for himself, he has treated us to look deeper inside his emotions, instead of helping others to express themselves. He’s been the face of Gnarls Barkley providing glorious hits like “Crazy. The song “What Part of Forever” made a trip around other music blogs because of its inclusion in the new Twilight soundtrack (squeezed in a little before the end of the credits). Ignore all the preteens and middle age moms listening for a second and enjoy the song... except the best video I found was a twilight tribute... I'm gonna switch to his appearance on Lopez.
Imagine eternity doesn’t seem that hard
They say nothing lasts forever
We'll have to prove them wrong

Mark Kozelek is a talented, true-to-self singer songwriter. His music takes time to listen to, figuratively and literally, his songs often go 6 minutes plus. He doesn’t force himself onto with hooks, choruses and melodies. He’s harmonious and haunting. The songs on his latest album, Admiral Fell Promises, are very simply mostly consisting of him and his guitar. The vocals have a slight echo to add greater ambience. The song “You Are My Sun” I find especially appealing because of it’s incredible steady hand when the track changes so much, the music moves around and his volume changes. It creates a powerful buildup to the center of the song where he feels that now he can play with the song more and is free to leave breaks in the verse. And hey, check this out, since at the time of this writing I couldn’t find anyone else’s take on the lyrics, here’s what I hear for the first lines of the song. Let me know what you think!
You are my life, Dark City
You fill the lost of the day
You are my love, radiant and pretty overseas
You find ways of bringing hope on lonely nights

I don’t have a good system for picking the last two songs of this blog, I just sort of wing. Sometimes I look through other old blogs, sometimes I examine old playlists, or maybe I just scroll through my tens of thousands of songs hoping for something jump out at me. This time I was looking through old playlists. I saw two old favorites in separate lists, Elefant – Misfit and the next song you’ll read about in a minute. I was looking up some info on the songs, apparently this band had a song highlight a season finale of Scrubs and the next song was picked for the end of the series. Totally coincidence. It’s also a coincidence that Elefant broke up last month :( Oh well, they were a solid indie rock band out of New York City. Here’s a great song that’s catchy and relaxed. “Tell me your name, tell me your story, cause I’m into it. Running through life, like a misfit.” It’s so hip. Get the single version of this song, the video version here seems a bit off.

There are some songs that can really surprise when they show music is capable of. Peter Gabrial did a cover a song by The Magnetic Fields in 1998 called “The Book of Love” it is an amazing piece of art. Gabrial sings in a way that it seems like he’s sang this thousands of times and still finds ways to make it better. He's like your grandfather telling you for the umpteenth time how he met your grandma. It’s a humble song about something very powerful. Here’s a wonderful tribute video to this song. My favorite line, well…
The book of love has music in it
In fact that’s where music comes from

Four Songs to Listen to Forthwith - 07/18/10

Janelle Monae is a beautiful up-and-coming pop R&B artist. Her first full length studio album which came out in May has done extremely well. I love it, it’s absolutely packed with experimental artistic pieces. I am just really surprised by the variety on this album. The song Come Alive sat extremely well me. There’s a few killer things that I liked about this song. It’s got a catchy back beat/melody that’s carried through the bass, lead guitar and lyrics. It’s all woven together well. But she doesn’t just pick a winning melody and let it carry the song, there are breaks, strange solos, and impromptu screams. It’s full of the fun swing that made a furious come back in the late 90’s. I believe this song would make a killer addition to a wedding reception, (wink wink, nudge nudge)

Local Natives are an Indie Rock band from LA. Why do I mention LA so much? because it’s noticeable in their music. LA artists have an air of extra relaxation, smooth, easy-going, “Why does everyone look at me funny when I show up an hour late?” kind of feel to them. So the album came out last year but I’m just learning about it and this band. The song Airplanes is simple and really enjoyable to listen to. It’s recorded faux-live, something that I like when it’s done well. The song has harmonious vocals from… I don’t know… apparently everyone but the drummer does vocals. Either way, it’s a great song. The lyrics and simple and to the point “I keep those chopsticks you had from when you taught abroad in Japan; I love it all; so much I call; I want you back, back, back, you back;”

Time to take a trip back for the last couple songs of this foursome. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists have been around for a while and are still putting quality indie music. I’d like you check out this tracks, its fun, poignant and that string of lyrics in that are repeated just after the middle of the song… wow. “I asked Jerry, he told Terry, Terry sang a song just for me, Lynvall gave a message to me, Rhoda screamed and then she asked me, Where have all the rude boys gone?" That relentless string of he-said, she-said just grabs me. It’s a great band and I hope to see them some time in concert. From the video they just strike me as full of energy and enthusiasm for their music. I like songs without a beat, and I like songs with a beat. I just need to categorize things and this fits nicely into the “has a beat, you can dance to it, or don’t” drawer.

Why are you hear? Want to find new and interesting bands? Open your awareness of music? Well here’s what you want. Miyavi – Survive he’s from Tokyo. I’m drawing a blank about what else to say about this guy, I’m excited to show you this song, it kicks ass. The song is all Japanese. So I have no decent lyrics. Here, let me attempt them for you.

Hello World
Yeah! Whoo! Ha!
Cat a cigarette, all that ashes, let me see The Nile
Who the fuck is this, fugging monkey, flying a new dato
Mama, where my key move all the time, dammit find a hero
??... ??? ... ??? ?? ??? LOSER!!
Yeah, I’m sorry, I’m serving
Said sorry, yeah, I’m serving.
And you won’t! Why my Whizzo (x3)
Go! Whew! Yeah!
You need a mirror, look around, and now you get a Sega
Back when the show was new never, it’s a Nintendo
Here’s to looking new bright and anthem as an Adder
Now don’t give away an ostrich my life
Hey correct, I’m guy a screaming Alec where’s my soda?
Keith’s new dalec in a piece I love these pills in water
I so hip I show no coat my shows almost ending
I’m gonna brag all month do that LOSER!
Guido’s won’t! grab my wizard (x6)

Four Songs to Listen to Forthwith - 07/11/10

I’ve been a huge Ratatat fan for a long time. Their music is metallic and sweet. It’s like eating a brownie with flecks of iron tossed, you know, for flavor and texture. They released their forth album last month, LP4. It was made around the same time as their previous, LP3. LP3 was alright, as a diehard Ratatat fan I found it easy to like and appreciate, but I could also see the truth in many of the negative reviews. As far as Ratatat goes, it was non experimental and it seemed to lose some originality. Remember, I’m talking about Ratatat so I’m hoping you keep some perspective that this band is in my opinion, an absolute must-hear. LP4 has blown away that previous work and restored my faith in these two musical mad scientists. The entire album pulls the back of your head forward and then pushes it back with the greatest ease. You won’t know what you’re listening to, but you’ll like it. This isn’t musical that you hum to, this is music you absorb. I grabbed “Ratatat – Party with Children” because it’s a great song, simple video, and just had a party on Friday with, you guessed it, lots of kids running around.

Fol Chen are an Indie Pop band from LA. They recently released their second album. Not the stuff I normally listen to, but this song sits really well with me. Fol Chen – Cable TV. I’m not sure how to compartmentalize this song, it’s clearly trying to be pop, low synthetic base, catchy loops and generally simple lyrics. “Won’t you come away with me; The carpet’s filthy but the ice is free” This song excels at shaking off clichés. It’s like someone that hasn’t grown up in the USA is thrust into LA for a week, then this talented foreigner is asked to make their own pop song.

I dwell on contemporary bleeding edge stuff, but I grew up listening to the classic rock of my parents. Most of the arena rock was and is garbage, but along with that are strong genres about art and self expression. Psychedelic, folk, and progressive rock were doing some great things in the late 60s, early 70s. Emerson Lake and Palmer were an English supergroup, they did arena rock right, selling out ridiculously sized concerts and filling the time with beautiful, creative music that pushed rock to new places. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer – Lucky Man, it’s a sad song about a rich young man dying in war, a popular topic during 1972. The three sing the chorus with their distinct, eerie harmony. Twelve string acoustic guitars blend into rolling drums and one of the earliest songs with a moog synthesizer. One more quick fun fact, it was written by Greg Lake when he was 12 years old.

Let’s bring it down. Here’s some honest acoustic folk. I was afraid that I couldn’t find a decent link to the song Irving - Crumbling Mountain Tops. Irving has very modest popularity. I really have no idea where I first heard this song, maybe it was off a station on Launchcast or Pandora, maybe it was a Pitchfork review. I don’t know, but it’s simple and beautiful and exquisite. I love that I was the third person to see this video on youtube, not a video, just album art. There’s some artsy fan video, but I’d much rather stare at the cd jacket than whatever that other guy was doing. Where’s all the other uploads?

Rachel Rocks the Review - 7/6/10

So some music this week, how about we start off with some local guys...Standard of Living. I first heard of them a few years ago and have followed them since. Their music is upbeat and poppy and when you combine it together with some local hometown lyrics how can you go wrong. Plus since a bunch of the guys went to my high school and I know the family of one of the guys in the family...I have to plug them a little. Here's one of my favorites from them:

Next up is The Joy Formidable with The Greatest light is the Greatest Shade. I don't know much about this group other than this song. I heard it on a song of the day podcast and listened to it on repeat for most of a work day. It has a great beat and the beginning is fun and different. I look forward to seeing what else they have to offer, I feel like this is one of those groups that I really should have known for a while...in the mean time I'll leave you with this great song:

I decided a little late in the game that I was going to this years Warp Tour so I've been playing catch up on the bands that will be performing and came across You Me At Six through once again Paramore. I believe they toured a little with them in Australia for the Soundwave dates. I immediately got their most recent album, Hold Me Down, and got hooked on a bunch of the songs. They remind me a bunch of Paramore, but with a male lead. This is a great album to listen to for a quick pick me up or a running mix (as I also use it for). Some of my favorites are Hard to Swallow and Liquid Confidence but I'm going to leave you with my favorite song to listen to while running and just in general:

And finally this week I'm going to leave you with a Paramore song...why you ask...I say why not! Seeing that it's one of my favorite bands out there, it's amazing that it's taken me this long to include them into this blog. I know most people know them as that Twilight song band, if that's you then you really should take some time and look into their catalog more. Decode was a great song, don't get me wrong, but they have a lot more to offer. They've released 3 albums, their second album Riot! is certified Platinum in the US and Gold most everywhere else and their 3rd album Brand New Eyes is their highest charting album so far. As someone who's seen them live a few times (and got engaged at one of the shows) I recommend EVERYONE go see them. The spirit, sound and pure energy that they bring to the stage every night is amazing. I could go on and on about their shows and my favorite songs both live and album version but I don't want this blog entry to be 2 pages long. So I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs (both album and live) off the new album:

Rachel Rocks the Reviews - 6/29/10

This week I'm gonna start with You Say Party! (formally You Say Party! We Say Die!). In the past few months this group have faced a bunch of ups and downs. In late 2009 they released their most recent album XXXX and began touring Canada. Towards the end of the tour in their native Vancouver the drummer, Devon Clifford, collapsed on stage during the band's set and later passed away. They then took some time for themselves and with in the past two weeks announced that they will be back and will be touring. On June 22, 2010, the band announced that they are officially dropping "We Say Die" from their name, presumably out of respect for Clifford. It was also announced that Krista Loewen has left the band, while Robert Andow and Bobby Siadat of Vancouver band Gang Violence have joined, taking over keyboards and drums respectively. I'm glad that they're back, I've really enjoyed this album. One of my favorites is Cosmic Wanship Avengers but I'll leave you with this great video. Enjoy!

I recently got a mixed cd and this next song was one of the many on the cd. I immediately fell in love and needed to know who it was by. It turns out it was by Yeasayer and the song was called Tightrope. I really enjoy the lead singers singing style on this song and really enjoy to jam along to the guitar and drums. I'm excited to look more into this bands catalog.

Next up is Fences (Christopher Mansfield) with My Girl the Horse, this is a great folk/indie song. I came across this song while researching a bit on City and Colour and thought that they both were very similar and enjoyed their style of music. I've been listening to a bunch of folk music in the past few weeks and have been trying to soak up as much of it as possible. Some of my favorites have been City and Colour and Fences. I look forward to hearing a complete album from him not just he EP. Enjoy this live version of the song...

Last but not least this week is Mike Clark with Threes and Fours. I've searched high and low for a video of this on the Internet but haven't found one. This is a great folk song I came across a few months ago from a podcast that I don't normally listen to. This is one of those songs from the beginning you're immediately hooked. Even if he never sang, the guitar hook alone would be something that would draw you to this song but with the addition of the detailed and heart felt lyrics it makes you want to hit repeat and listen over and over again. Any chance I get I try to recommend this great song. I'm gonna try to set up a link so you can listen to it but I'm not sure really how to do it and since Joe is still without Internet (and the local computer genious) I'm gonna have to try to do this myself. Hopefully I don't break the blog...

http://radio3.cbc.ca/play/band/Mike-Clark/Threes-and-fours

Rachel Rocks the Reviews - 6/22/10

First up this week is Metric with one of my favorite songs, Twilight Galaxy, off their "new" album Fantasies. This song is a little slower and more mellow then most off the album or even in their catalog of songs but has a great beat to draw you in. One of my favorite things from this song is Emily Haines's voice and how hypnotizing it is. Also the background vocals and the lyrics are great. This song has been on repeat for the past month and a half and I still haven't gotten sick of it. Some of my favorites off this album are Gold Gun Girls, Help I'm Alive and the newest single Stadium Love. I recommend seeing them live, it's an amazing concert and the music is great. After all these years each one of their albums gets better then the rest. I look forward to what they have to offer next. Here's a fan made video:

Next up is fun, yep that's the name of the band. I recently came across these guys by doing some research on Steel Train. As it turns out Jack Antonoff who is in Steel Train is also in fun along with Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format and ex-Anathallo multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost. My thought is if you're going to have a band named fun, it should really be fun and a good listen. These guys do not let down. Their debut album Aim and Ignite is a great cd to listen to from start to finish. The lead singing, Nate, has a very unique and distinctive sound. One of my favorite songs off the album is The Gambler. His lyrics through out the song are so descriptive and touching then when you add together with the piano and violin parts it turns into a very lovely heartfelt song. This is a great cd and I recommend you give it a shot and listen to it all. But if you don't have all that time I recommend All the Pretty Girls, Be Calm and At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be). Here's a fan video:

Going along with slow sentimental songs I'm going to focus on a great song by Sick of Sarah called Paint Like That. I first heard of this group from a television show with a completely different type of song. But after going through their albums I came across this song and immediately fell in love with it. I'm a sucker for emotional heart felt songs that just focuses on the singer and a solo acoustic guitar. This is a great song and is totally different from anything else I've heard from them, but hope that the new album they're working on right now will contain a few songs like this. Going along with this song I'm going to offer up another one of their songs so you can see the difference. Can't wait to hear more from this band from Minneapolis.

Now a more upbeat rock song, here's a fan made video for Mr Incredible:

Last but not least for this week is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Skeletons. I had been listening to the radio and had come across a song by them and thought that I was either listening to Metric or maybe even The XX. But after listening to the whole song I realized that couldn't have been one of their songs because I had never heard it before. So I waited patiently until the song came to an end and found out that the song was Heads Will Roll. I still sometimes have an issue determining if it's them at first listen but not nearly as often as I did. I got their album and immediately loved the use of the piano, drums, guitar and not to mention Karen O's vocal style. It reminded me of everything that I love about Metric. This is what Joe had said about them when I first played it for him, "she's got such great urgency to her voice and is just like here! Listen to this! Their lyrics are great and they have a signature to them that's all YYY's. Such a seductive song." I couldn't agree more.

Joe's MIA this week

So this week we had to change things up from previous weeks and that meant the posts are going to be a little different then they have been in the past also. Joe just received the keys to his new house so he's been moving in all weekend and also doesn't have Internet. Sooooo I'm here to give you an extra posting of a few songs that I'm enjoying...

So first up in the Rachel's Extra Post is Chase & Status ft Plan B with a song called End Credits. It's something I came across while looking around iTunes one day. I had been going through Prodigy's play list when I saw that another person had bought the Chase & Status song. I'm always up for new songs so I figured why not give it a try. It first draws you in with the guitar and then changes into a sort of dance song. I've really enjoy this song and the beat when it breaks into the dance part.

This next song is a favorite of mine. One of my favorite bands is Tegan and Sara so when I heard they were going to be featured on the new Tiesto album I got interested in what it could be. I was completely surprised (in a good way) by what was on the album. I'm not much of a dance/techno/rave music fan and wasn't thrilled with the previous collaboration between the two groups of musicians but this was more then I expected. The lyrics are great and the beat is amazing too. I find myself singing and dancing along more times then not (they also perform a great acoustic version at their concerts). The video is pretty awesome too...hope you enjoy!

Last but not least on this extra posting will be Uh Huh Her with Not a Love Song. I think it has a great hook and after a few listens, here's a quick heads up, will get stuck in your head. Which isn't a bad thing because it's a fun song. I have heard a bunch of songs from this record and think that their electo-pop sound is pretty good. They have been in the studio working on their newest album and I'm looking forward to hear what they came up with.

Rachel Rocks the Reviews - 6/15/10

I first heard of Civil Twilight last summer and since then have kept up to date with their music and tours. The song that originally drew me to there music was Letters From the Sky. You might have heard it on the summer mini series Harpers Island or a variety of other television shows. This song has it all, from the beginning with it's piano, to the middle where you think it might be over and then finally to the end where the combination of all the instruments come together to a finalizing jam. I look forward to more from these guys from South Africa.

A few months back I went to a concert where Steel Train was the opening act. I didn't know much about them but after listening to their music and watching them perform live and interact with each other I was immediately hooked on them. I found myself smiling through their entire act and made me want more from them. I went home got their cd, Trampoline, and immediately fell in love with it. They also performed a bunch of new stuff at the concert because they have new cd coming out at the end of the month (which I'm looking forward to getting). But from their last record I recommend I Feel Weird. This song is a great example of their harmony, amazing beats, and catchy tunes. I also will recommend Firecracker and Kill Monsters in the Rain from this cd and getting their live version of Road Song. Next month I'll be traveling to Rochester to see them perform I look forward to it and more from them. I'll let you know how the concert is!

I originally heard of Flyleaf from my fiancé. I'm a big fan of music and especially live music, but when my fiancé offered to take me to the Family Values tour with Korn I was a little nervous. It's not really my typical music scene, but I figured you only live once. They had upwards of 10 bands open and Flyleaf was one of the later bands. I immediately fell in love with the music. Joe will make fun of this about me but I seem to be drawn to girl led bands...maybe it's just that there aren't as many and as a female I need to stick up for them and support them. I was completely blown away by the music that came out of this 5' nothing woman. The power of her voice and the words she sang have stuck with me even 4 years later. One of my favorites is So I Thought, followed closely by Arise from the new album released late last year. I recommend their whole self titled first album, it won't be a disappointment. To hold you over I'll leave you with So I Thought, this is some live stuff cut together with the actual song.

Last but not least is a group that I recently just came across, The Dodos. I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed them after listen through their whole album Visiter. It's a great mix of indie and folk music, not to much or not to little of the other. The use of guitars, banjos, drums and an always must hand claps really draws you into this whole record. One of my favorites off the album is Ashley but I also recommend Walking and The Season.

Rachel Rocks the Reviews - 06/08/10

First up for this week is Ra Ra Riot with Dying is Fine. Later this summer I will be going to a concert and I wanted to get comfortable with all of the music that would be played. This is one of the groups that will be opening for the main act. After listening to a few songs I grew to like their style, it reminds me a bunch of Vampire Weekend. I then went online to find out as much as I could about them. As it turns out they are from Syracuse, New York (not that far from us here in Buffalo) and got their start doing house parties and college events at the University, again very similar to Vampire Weekend. The chorus of this song is catchy and I bet after a few listens you'll be bopping to it. Not to mention how many musical groups include a violin and cello? A good band that I look forward to seeing later this summer...I'll let you know how they are live.

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Next up is Killola. I tend to spend hours on iTunes viewing little known groups and stumbled across this group among the many. I went to the bands website and found that I could actually download both of their albums for free...how can you turn down a sweet deal like that? They released a single, Cracks in the Armor, at the end of last year that will be on their new album that they're working on/finishing now. This has become one of my favorite songs from this group and I hope that the rest of the record is just as great as this single...hopefully there is more to come from them in the future. Enjoy!

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A few summers ago I went to visit my sister in Virginia and her friend introduced me to Ballyhoo. They are very well known in the Baltimore/DC area. As I left to return home I got their cd from the friend and haven't stopped listening from that day on. One of my favorites is Cali Girl. It reminds me a bunch of 311, which always puts me in a summer mood. So I figured since the weather is getting better out and the temps are going up, why not throw in a summer like song. If you get a chance I recommend listening to I Lately Notice and Cerveza, definitely worth the listen.

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Last but not least this week is Matt & Kim. I was recently catching up on the acts that performed at Coachella this year and came across this group. I watched the whole live act and still wanted more. I picked up their latest album Grand and immediately fell in love with the first song, Daylight. The catchy piano will keep you intrigued throughout the whole song and make you want to come back for more. It was also featured in a Bacardi commercial. Plus the video is a lot of fun to watch...(you might also know them from their other video, lessons learned, were they strip in the middle of Times Square...surprisingly enough they actually played it on MTV)

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Four Songs to Listen to Forthwith - 06/06/10

You know how sometimes you put on a winter jacket for the first time in a new season and you find money from last year in the pocket? That same thing happened to me with this song, The Acorn – Crooked Legs. I first noticed this song a couple years ago when Pitchfork reviewed their album, I heard it and liked it, but never kept it around in any playlists. On Friday another great professional review site recommended a song by The Acorn, “No Ghost”, I recognized the name and knew I liked them, but couldn’t but a song to the name. A quick search in my music library and it all comes flooding back. I hope you enjoy this song, it’s a comforting long song filled with percussion and strings. Check out The Acorn for more Indie Folk Rock.

There’s going be a lot of stuff posted on here that you may not like right away, the sound could be totally new or even something you immediately recognize as something bad. Don’t worry about it, there will be other things to make up for it. But if you give these little monsters some time you may grow to appreciate their art. Sleigh Bells just released their first album this week they are loud, noisy, distorted, catchy, and different. It’s a genre Wikipedia is calling Noise Pop… it fits. No music videos from them, here’s the latest single “Tell ‘Em”.

Oh.. you’re still here… good. I’ll be nice this time. This is The Cloud Room – Hey Now Now. This song came out in 2005, that’s five years ago. This is a great song, but you probably haven’t heard it. No, I mean like a really great song, literally exactly like the kind of stuff you hear on the radio every single day, there’s no subjectivity here. If you at all identify with rock and roll, you will like this. It is approachable the first time you hear it, and after that it only gets catchier. Rolling Stones named it one of the top ten songs of 2006, it’s been used in several national commercials and made it’s time around music blogs several times. But it’s still not on the radio. It is a perfect example of how mainstream radio snubs its nose at anyone that would dare go the “indie” route.

I was talking about my taste in contemporary folk at a campfire this weekend, it’s one of my favorite genres. It’s simply refreshed folk, typically just acoustics with voice, but horns and strings are not uncommon. This song, Badly Drawn Boy – The Shining is a beautiful example of this idea. It is simple and elegant. There is a beginning, middle, and ending. Like a sweet poem it is so much more than just entertainment. This is a mood altering song.

Rachel Rocks the Reviews - 06/01/10

First up is Postcards by An Horse, I recently saw them open for Tegan and Sara in their tour of Canada this past winter. After the concert I went straight to the merch table to pick up their cd. I recommend the whole cd and look forward to the next one. While it may sound like a full band it actually just contains two members, Kate Cooper and Damon Cox. The two met while working in a record store in Australia and would jam after hours, the rest as they say is history. There are many tracks on the cd that I enjoy and one of my favorites is Postcards. They recently released a video for it...while listening to it, remember there are only two members in this group...plus they're Australian, how can you go wrong with their accent?

Next up is The Submarines, I didn't know much about them. I had heard a few of their songs in different tv shows and movies. But recently I was watching a video on youtube and this song was playing in the background. Again I pulled out my handy dandy iphone and used shazam to find out what song it was. It immediately grabs you with its bubbly pop, great chorus and a great combination of musical instruments. It'll put a smile on your face and after just few listens, start to sing along. I plan on getting their albums to get to know them better because what I've heard so far I've really enjoyed.

After researching a little more about last weeks group, Now Now Every Children, I came across One For The Team. Both groups were at one time signed to Afternoon Records. I went to look up some of their music on youtube (my go to site) and Garden was the first song to come up. I LOVED this song...the harmonies, guitar and video made me more interested in finding out more about this group. After spending a few hours on youtube and iTunes collecting as much info and music I can now say I'm a fan and am excited to get to know their music even more.

Last but not least, Helicopter by Bloc Party. I recently rediscovered my Bloc Party cd and put it in and immediately began dancing to this tune, not to mention it's also one of my favorite songs to play on Guitar Hero On Tour (for the Nintendo DS). The guitar riff grabs you from the beginning and keeps you on the edge of your seat for the rest of the song. Not to mention the lyrics and bass guitar aren't to shabby either. It's an oldie but still a great song to have on any summer mix. Enjoy!

Four Songs to Listen to Forthwith - 05/30/10

Two Door Cinema Club are a young british band. They're new and fresh, a great personal favorite of mine. Watch out for this band, I've got a good feeling about them. Their sound is original yet familiar and catalog has been built up well. As much as I want to begin with a buried track, I'd rather introduce you with something that's fun and easy to listen to. This song, "I Can Talk" puts together novel sounds with energy and feeling. It seems styled and polished, but I get the sense like they aren't trying too hard. I don't say that to be mean, they're just honest, excellent musicians.

The Bird and the Bee are a duo from CA with a sound to match. They're indie synthpop. One half the band, Greg Kurstin, is an accomplished producer and it shows in here. The songs are polished pretty and really feel complete. The vocalist, Inara George, brings sugar and and a surreal environment to the listener. Her voice is familiar and comforting. They recently released a cover album for Hall & Oates. Which is full of great stuff, but I'd rather start them off with a single for you. Here's "My Love". (Strange video source because embedding wasn't allowed from Youtube for this video.)

Synth Punk is fantastic. To me, many other genres have flowed naturally into the newest trends of mixing and electronic sounds. But not punk, despite it's hardcore anarchistic roots there's a defined sound that makes up "punk." It's difficult for me to imagine what I would have come up with if someone asked me to put together synthetic sounds with punk culture, luckily I didn't and Mindless Self Indulgence did. The song "Never wanted to dance" has the punk attitude with some crazy beats and melodies. It will pick you up, shove you around, and leave you wanting more.

Ida Maria came out hard a couple years ago. She had a few singles that were pushed, she did great in Europe, not so much here in the States. She's Punk Rock Alternative and definitely has the flavor of European style rock. I don't know why there's such a divide in tastes across the pond, maybe she's not more popular because her songs are considered precarious and a bit vulgar? She uses risky words like "naked" and "God" Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. Here, have a listen and don't worry, its SFW.

Rachel Rocks the Reviews - 05/25/10

I came across this band on one of my many adventures online. Paramore is one of my favorite groups to consistently listen to and always enjoy their music. I was researching bands that have opened for them in previous years, they are notorious for including new and up in coming bands. Now Now Every Children recently opened for them (along with Paper Route, which I talked about last post) during their recent European tour. Friends with my sister was the first song I came across and immediately fell in love with the style and the music. Their cd Cars has been in my car cd player on constant repeat for a week straight, and I'm still not tired of it. If you're interested in this band, I recommend you check out their MySpace account or their YouTube account...from there you can watch their own home movies and really get to see what they're like behind the scenes.
Live in Europe:

I had heard many artist speak of the XX and decided I would check them out. I decided to not wait for the cd and to go ahead and look them up on YouTube. The first video that popped up was Island, the video concept and the catchy song were what drew me to the rest of the cd. They remind me a bunch of Metric, Phoenix and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I recommend listening to the whole disc, it's well worth your time.

I had heard of Dallas Green (City...Colour...get it) from many artists through out this year. This is such a contrast from Alexisonfire(Green's main project), which is a heavy darker sounding screamer/metal hybrid while the majority of his solo project is driven by singing and acoustic guitar, although once in a while you'll hear a piano or violin. If you're looking for relaxing music and beautiful lyrics then I suggest you pick up City and Colour's album Bring Me Your Love. Sleeping Sickness is one of my favorite off the album (although it was tough to choose), enjoy!

Last but not least, after hearing about the untimely death of Slipknot's bass player, Paul Gary, I think it's only fitting to focus on one of the many great songs from the Slipknot (you know the group with the creepy masks) catalog. I know you're probably surprised to see after all my other musical selections that I enjoy them. But after seeing Stone Sour (lead singer, Corey Taylors side project) in concert I became more interested in all of his music and have grown to really enjoy them not to mention it's my fiances favorite band. One of my favorites, Snuff, is off of the most recent album. It always amazes me the range that this group is capable of doing. If you're looking for a good rock out jam with great lyrics and amazing guitar then I suggest you take some time to listen to this song.
(song with lyrics)