Forest Without A Bear

So the new Minus the Bear leaked yesterday apparently. I've heard some of it and along with keeping in Minus the Bear's awesome sound, it sounds amazing. A little more keyboardy and slightly more instruments and it sounds great. I'm not going to go too much into detail, but the album drops May 4th. It's called OMNI. I've snagged one song that's still on Youtube but I can't guarantee it will be up for long. Check it out...Summer Angel is the name of the song.

Before an Explosion

So this is me cresting a wave, I believe. I bring to you today a band that I'm pretty sure is about to blow up. Don't count me as trendy for posting this, but these guys are worth allowing your ears some listening time. Two Door Cinema Club hail from Ireland and have been rocking since 2007. The band just realeased their debut album Tourist History in March and it has been getting some good circulation. Complete with our well known Indie stances, swaying form the hips up, suit coats and all, Two Door Cinema Club sounds like a mix of toned down Foals, The Kooks, and a little hellogoodbye for good measure. I like it. A lot. I've got two videos for you to enjoy. Pick this album up! You will not regret doing so.

Undercover Martyn


Something Good Can Work

On The Fence

So I've decided to put off writing a paper that should really already be written to update some music on here. I'm really trying to make this blog breathe once again.
Firstly comes Thao With The Get Down Stay Down. Apparently this band has been around a little while but I've only recently begun to listen to them. And I must say, I was skeptical at first; but I really like the sound now. I'm putting up a single from their 2008 album We Brave beet Stings and All.


Thao - Bag of Hammers

Next is a band on of my band mates turned me on to. Neon Trees gained some spotlight after opening a few times for The Killers. This led to a record deal with Mercury Records and finally their new album Habits. Neon Trees, from Provo, Utah has an interesting sound that make me feel like I've heard the songs before, but not in a jaded way. Definitely looking to big things for these guys. Here's their video for the single Animal of the album Habits

...Oh and hooray for female drummers!

Resurrecting The Beast

Hello there. I'm Jack, nice to meet you. Once upon a time this was my music blog. Once upon a time I lost my free time and became a slacker when it came to updating this beautiful log of great bands, but no more! I've finally found some free time (be it nearly 6 months late) and I'd like to return to the blogosphere. One of the things that caused my great crash here was the (somehow) accidental wipe out of all our mp3s. Not sure how it happened, but it did, and when they went, and when I moved into a new place with an awful internet connection, so did my ambition. But now it's back. So I hit you with this. The Shout Out Louds are a band I've recently been listening to. The Shout Out Louds are a Swedish indie-pop band that's been rocking since 2001. Their third studio album, Work debuted on February 23rd and the single Fall Hard has been making some rounds on Sirius Radio and elsewhere. I give you the video for the song here tonight as I still haven't fixed the mp3 problem. But hey, Welcome back, Hipsters.

...in conversation with Paul Shirley

So I figured we'd go with something a little bit different today. I woke up this morning, went to ESPN.com to get my morning sports news fix, and saw a link to this article, which is presented in the context of a conversation between Todd Gallagher and Paul Shirley about whether music (and, especially, popular music) today really sucks, or whether that's just an illusion.

one especially relevant five-paragraph chunk (because, obviously, anything that can't be said in five paragraphs shouldn't be argued... goodness, I'm reifying the prevailing educational structures)

My sadness, then, comes from the realization that you've given up on finding good new music. And obviously, that's where someone -- the program director at a radio station, the head of your favorite label, the manager at Best Buy -- has erred grievously. That person, or group of people, has decided that it's better to go after the dollar of the person who responds to the music of The Rolling Stones and The Kinks by attempting to reproduce their sounds. (Or by continuing to tour those acts.)

That's why the music on rock radio is made by Shinedown and Nickelback. But that's a losing battle, because people eventually get tired of Shinedown and Nickelback, throw up their hands and say, like you, that they'll be happier listening to Tom Petty.

It's nearly the same on the alternative or indie stations. The music continues to get sissified, because that's what sells, and the result is a huge gap. No one's hearing Manchester Orchestra because it doesn't sound like The Rolling Stones, and it's just a little too heavy for 14-year-old girls, so we're left with a gaping chasm that should be filled by, say, Crystal Castles.

But it won't be, because people like you -- and I'm not saying that in a condescending way; as we've discussed, you're normal -- have given up on anything new. If you hear the name Crystal Castles, you think, "Eh, never heard of it."

Don't you see, Todd?! (I'm winding down, losing steam, pleading with you.) Of course you've never heard of it. That's what makes it interesting. But you have to be ready for it to sound different, just like our forebears were, for whatever reason, ready for Chuck Berry to sound different from Glenn Miller.

I find that very interesting.

In response to one of the bands that Paul Shirley mentions here: I've heard of Crystal Castles, but I think they kind of suck; a lot of their sound feels sort of stuck in the 1980s, and I don't feel like they're really pushing anything forward or doing anything (a) innovative or (b) better than has been done before.

No music in this post, you say? Never fear! YouTube is always here!

Crystal Castles - Vanished


If you're looking for something that is pushing at the edges of rock conventionality, here's a couple of posts you might take a look at:

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

The pAper chAse

God is an Astronaut

If you're looking for music that flat-out rocks (in, perhaps, a more traditional sense), try one of these posts:

Jarvis Cocker

White Rabbits

Have a great day, everyone!

(note... I've been looking for a witty sign-off, lately. Something along the lines of "you stay classy, San Diego." Any suggestions? I don't think "life is beautiful, and so are you" has quite enough snark to it, and the "have a great day" I've been going with is a little bit conventional.)

Clock Opera. They're British.

Out of London, actually. Here's a video:

Clock Opera - White Noise from Killer on Vimeo.

I think that's pretty cool, myself. I have this hunch that the video, as of right now, is a little better than the music... then again, I'm the guy who's partial to post-rock, acoustic hip-hop, and jazz metal. So this isn't necessarily the sort of thing I usually go for. It's nice, though.

Dinner time! Have a great evening, everyone!

(note: it's frigging COLD out here! like, below 0 Celsius! wtf?! there's ice on the sidewalks! I almost busted my highly toned @55 returning from class this afternoon. It's nice, though, because there's sun. And also warm drinks. I understand now why the Russians make vodka.)

Thursday Night Spotlight: Thumbzo coming in with a longo mix

Hey y'all!

Hope you're not getting too stressed out as the end of the fall semester, quarter, period, whatever approaches...

If you are, though, here's something to cheer you right on up: a hour-plus mix from Ramsgate, UK artist Thumbzo. If y'all remember some of the remix and mashup posts from earlier this year, this has a lot in common with some of those, albeit (1) it's a bit more dancey, and (2) you probably won't recognize most of the choons. Get off your collective tails and get to dancing, eh? Burn off some of that nervous energy, get yourselves recharged and up for the weekend! And if you decide that a solo cup full of a delicious beverage should be part of that, hey, I won't hold it against you.*

*Note: By delicious beverage, I of course mean soda. We here at AAH would never, ever, ever condone the underage consumption of alcohol. Never. Of course not. We certainly wouldn't.

Party!!!!

Thumbzo-Rolldabeats 92 Hardcore Mix-October 09 by thumbzo