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