One Man Band

I don't know if you can't really call one man a band, but when you are as talented as Chris Walla you can get pretty close. Best know as the guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie, Chris Walla is a man of many tricks. In addition to being a talented musician, Walla is also a noteworthy producer, having produced for such bands as The Decemberists, Hot Hot Heat, Nada Surf, and other similarly independent minded bands (including his current band Death Cab for Cutie). While Walla has written and released many songs under the name Martin Youth Auxiliary, none of them were given the studio treatment that Field Manual, Walla's first album released under his own name, was given.On Field Manual Walla really flexes his musical muscles, he wrote, played (except for the drums on most of the tracks), sang, and even recorded and mixed several of the songs.



Field Manual has a good mix of upbeat and laid back songs. It is definitely a good album to listen to when you want to relax, but it is a great album anytime. Walla's unique voice can be very soothing and almost haunting at times, which definitely makes for an interesting listen. You can check out more of the album by checking out the Field Manual e-card. There you can listen to some of the tracks from the album, see some of the art work (photos taken by Walla), and even download "Sing Again."

Favorite Tracks:
-Geometry &c
-Sing Again
-Archer v. Light

All American Rock

I think NPR got it right when they said that The Gaslight Anthem shouldn't be enjoyed while sitting in front of a computer screen, but should be heard while on the open road. That was exactly what I thought when I first heard The '59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem's second full length album.

If you looked for The Gaslight Anthem in your local record store you most likely find them in the Punk section, but if you look on their MySpace page The Gaslight Anthem classify themselves as Soul/Punk/Alternative. The Gaslight Anthem are definitely more than just your average noisy punk band, they definitely have different sound than many other punk bands. To me their sound is just plain, straight up, no nonsense rock and roll. There isn't really a better way to explain it. Its their moderate to heavy guitars, diving rhythms, and Brian Fallon's passionate vocals that The Gaslight Anthem really create their own sound.

The Gaslight Anthem's songs are often reminiscent of days gone by and missed opportunities with some deep and poignant lyrics (sometimes it seems like Brian Fallon is singing to his memories). On their second album, The '59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem drop plenty of names of famous people from the past, such as Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Miles Davis to name a few.  It sometimes seems like the band would rather be living in the past rather than the present.

Here's a video that about sums up what The Gaslight Anthem is all about:


So now go out an pick up some Gaslight Anthem get your friends together and go for  a nice long drive so you can really enjoy the music.

Favorite Tracks:
-The '59 Sound
-The Patient Ferris Wheel
-The Backseat

Dynamic Duos

It's been a while since I've posted so this week we will have two Bands of the Week to make up for it. I chose these two bands because both are similar concepts but with different resulting sounds. So here's the formula: take one singer from a successful indie rock band and one music producer/DJ and see what happens. The two bands I am referring to are the Postal Service, made up of Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello (aka Dntel), and Broken Bells, made up of James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse (who's real name is Brian Burton).The Postal Service was started mostly because of this song (which was recorded for the Dntel album Life is Full of Possibilities):

which, according to the Postal Service web site, was recorded in about one hour. Because "(This is) The Dream of Evan and Chan" was so easy to record Jimmy and Ben decided to record a full length album together. The way they recorded the album is Tamborello would lay down some electronic beats and sounds and then send a CD-R to Gibbard who would tweak it a little, maybe add some guitar, drums, and keybord, then lay down vocals and send the finished product back to Tamborello for his approval. Broken Bells came about because Mercer and Danger Mouse met at a Danish music festival and found that they were fans of each other's work, so they decided to work together.

As far as sound goes Postal Service and Broken Bells are pretty different. Postal Service has a very electronic feel. This is evident from "Such Great Heights" which starts with a series of electronic (for lack of a better word) beeps (which you probably have heard from the UPS commercials). Broken Bells has more of a synth-driven sound such as on "The High Road," the first single from Broken Bells.

Both of these dynamic duos only have one album out to date. The Postal Service also has 3 EPs out, which are basically just singles for songs off their full length. Interestingly enough the Such Great Heights EP has a cover of "We Will Become Silhouettes" done by the Shins on it. It will be interesting to see if either of these groups release another album. I have my doubts about seeing another album from Postal Service just because of the time that has passed since their last album (although Sub Pop lists them as an active artist, so we'll see). It's possible that Mercer and Danger Mouse might get together for another one, but that might depend on the success of this album. Who knows what might happen, so keep an eye out for them.

Favorite Tracks (Postal Service):
-Such Great Heights
-Clark Gable
-Brand New Colony

(Broken Bells):
-The High Road
-The Ghost Inside
-October

What DID make Milwaukee famous?

Wow, so I totally forgot to write a post for last Friday, so this post is a little late. But better late then never, right? So here goes.

This week's band is What Made Milwaukee Famous, a band that takes it's name from a Jerry Lee Lewis song. These guys are one of the reasons I love indie music; What Made Milwaukee Famous is not a very well known band, but they play some awesome music. And on top of that they have some crazy music videos. Like this one with a "special guest":



On top of that these guys are so cool they even played a song on a bus.

What Made Milwaukee Famous has lots of guitar and keyboard, but Michael Kingcaid's vocals (with harmonies from the rest of the band members) are what complete their sound. So far What Made Milwaukee Famous have only released two full lengths and an EP of acoustic versions of a few songs, all played in one take, off of their two albums. Hopefully we will see a new album from them soon.

Currently, What Made Milwaukee Famous is signed with Barsuk Records, one of my favorite indie recording labels and also the former label of Death Cab for Cutie.

Favorite Tracks:
 -Trying To Never Catch Up
-idecide
-Sultan

Yar matey!

First of all, local bands are a heck of a lot of fun. They play lots of shows and tickets to see them won't cost you an arm and a leg. So to review good music + not a lot of money = awesome. Which brings us to this week's BotW, Empirates. Empirates are a local band from Provo, UT. The first time I heard Empirates play was at the BYU Battle of the Bands. While the other bands that played where good, when Empirates took the stage I said to myself, "These guys are going somewhere." With influences like Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand, Empirates bring a definite Brit-rock feel to the Provo music scene. Their rockin' guitar riffs, groovin' bass lines, and driving drum beats make the Empirates fun to listen too and a great band to see live.

Here's a little taste of what Empirates is capable of:


You can check them out on Facebook and MySpace. Also, if you ever get a chance to see these guys live, take it. You won't regret it. And make sure you watch out for Empirates because they are going to be huge.

Favorite Tracks:
-Red Light Town
-Chelsea United
-Something Close to Beautiful

Record Store Day!

BTW, tomorrow, April 17th, 2010, is Record Store Day, so go stop by your favorite local independent record store and check out all the cool stuff they have. Do it!

If you don't know where your local independent record store is go here to find out.

Twofer today!

This week you get a twofer. That's right two bands for the price of one. Ok, actually it's pretty much only one band with two different names but still... The band(s) that I am talking about is/are Feeder and Renegades. Feeder is a British (more specifically Welsh) band that was formed back in 1992, and since they they have been around a while they have a pretty good size catalog. Their sound has also changed some since they first started. For example Feeders first album, Polythene, sounds a lot like the Smashing Pumpkins, especially when you compare "Radiation" by Feeder with "Today" by the Smashing Pumpkins. But as time went on Feeder managed to find their own sound. Feeder's biggest change in sound came after the drummer Jon Lee committed suicide. Feeder released Comfort in Sound after this and as the name suggests many of the songs come from dealing with Jon's death, and many of the songs are deep and meaningful, but it is still an awesome album (and the first one I bought). With their latest album, Silent Cry, Feeder once again reinvented their sound, this time in a more up beat fashion. With fast tempos and plenty of distortion on the guitars, Silent Cry is one of my favorite albums by Feeder, and arguably one of their best albums (if you ask me).



With the release of of Silent Cry Feeder's contract was up and the Echo label was dissolved and the future of Feeder seemed some what up in the air. However, with this free time, Grant Nicolas, the lead singer and guitar player, went back to writing music on his own and he, along with Taka Hirose the bassist from Feeder, formed a side project call Renegades. They have released two EPs, one for each leg of their tour, and they are currently on the second leg. Too bad they are only playing in the UK. It seems that this side project is only temporary and Feeder should be back in action, possibly on their own label, Big Teeth Music. Currently you can download the Renegades' song "Sentimental" from Feeder's Web site.

Favorite Tracks:
-Sonorous
-Radiation
-Yesterday Went Too Soon

Don't Lose Color

Every once in a while you stumble across a band that you instantly fall in love with as soon as you hear one song by them. For me the Republic Tigers, this week's BotW, was one of those bands. I discovered them through the wondrous land of Daytrotter. Daytrotter is an amazing site that invites bands to come and record four songs to post on Daytrotter. All of the songs are recorded live and in one take, which makes for pure awesomeness. You can check out the Republic Tigers session here. The best way to describe the Republic Tigers is "layers." All of their music is pretty complex with different layers of guitars, keybordy/electronicy sounds, and vocals. All of their songs have lots of vocal harmonies that contribute to the Republic Tigers' unique sound. So far the Republic Tigers have only released a self-titled EP and Keep Color, their one and only full length. Keep Color is a solid album and very well put together.


The Republic Tigers - Buildings & Mountains

the Republic Tigers | MySpace Music Videos

"Buildings & Mountains" leads off the album and with its electronic intro sets the pace for the rest of the album. It would definitely be worth your time to check these guys out. Oh, and by the way, I would totally like to take a bike ride with a jet pack on my back.

Favorite tracks:
-Buildings & Mountains
-Golden Sand
-Made Concrete

Pick Up Some Silversun

The BotW for this week is a newer band, they only have two full length albums and a few EPs, but they are definitely a band to watch. Silversun Pickups made their debut in 2005 with the Pikul EP and followed that up the next year with their first full length, Carnavas, the next year. Their latest full length Swoon was released in April of last year. The first song that I heard by Silversun Pickups was "Well Thought Out Twinkles," which is a good song, but I wasn't too impressed. Then I heard "Lazy Eye," which made me more interested in the Silversun Pickups. 



I recently picked up Swoon which is an amazing album. "Panic Switch," the first single off of Swoon, shows, in my opinion, how much the Silversun Pickups have improved their sound over their last album. I would describe their sound as "perfectly complex." The way all of the different layers of distorted guitars, keyboards, vocals, drums, and other sounds fit together makes the Silversun Pickups sound amazing. They are definitely worth a listen. Or two. Or three.

Favorite tracks:
-Panic Switch
-Substitution
-Lazy Eye

First Band of the Week!

This week's BotW is Thrice. I chose them first because I have been listening to them a lot recently. Thrice is an interesting band. They started out as a straight-up punk band, but over the years their sound has evolved into a more post-punk type sound. I like both their older stuff and their new stuff, but I have to admit I discovered Thrice when they had already made the switch to the post-punk genre. My favorite album by Thrice is probably The Artist in the Ambulance which is their last real punk album before they started their switch to post-punk with Vheissu, which is another solid album. After Vheissu, they released The Alchemy Index, which is a collection of four EPs each with a different theme based on the four elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. It's a very interesting concept, but honestly I haven't had the chance to listen to all of the songs. Thrice's latest album Beggars continues with  their new progressive sound, and adds a kind of bluesy feel to some of the songs. Over all Thrice is a great band and has something to offer for almost everyone.

Favorite tracks:
-The Artist in the Ambulance
-Image of the Invisible
-At the Last

About my blog

Welcome to my blog. I plan on using this blog to let the world know about some of the cool stuff that I like. Also, because I like music so much, I plan on selecting a "Band of the Week" and writing about it every Thursday (hopefully). These bands will be selected by me mostly at random. They probably won't be selected because they won some award, but because I have been listening to them a lot or just because I like them. I will probably post my thoughts on some other cool things throughout the week as well.