Pomplamoose

I've been wondering who that band in the Christmas Hyundai commercials is for a few weeks now and via a short ironic turn of events known as facebook stalking, I saw someone post one of their videos on someone elses wall and thus the name Pomplamoose appears!

Pomplamoose is the brainchild of indie YouTube/MySpace phenoms and Cali natives Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn which started back in 2008 with their popular song, Hail Mary. This multi-instrumenal duo's version of music video's or "VideoSongs" is what makes them so interesting - nothing is left to the imagination. They want the listener to see and hear everything stripped down and raw.

They have an array of musical compilations consisting of the following

• 2009: Pomplamoose VideoSongs
• 2010: Tribute To Famous People, a compilation of covers
• 2010: 3 New Songs Woot!
• 2010: Pomplamoose Christmas

I'm sort of dieing to have the first full length album because I am loving their sound...and will probably have it in my possession by the end of the day.

Check out a couple of their songs here - Be Still, Twice As Nice, and Beat The Horse.

[This just in - I dled Pomplamoose VideoSongs and I am obsessed with it. It is cute and quirky and upbeat and everything I'm looking for in some new music. I also love that in a couple songs they include bloopers or them talking to one another into the equation. Once I find out how to play music in my entries without youtube I will add it for you who read this!]

BlogLovin'

My new favorite thing - Bloglovin! Follow all of your favorite blogs with one site.

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Vampire Weekend

Vampire Wekend is a band I've been meaning to blog about for quite some time - this upbeat, indie, and quirky foursome has 2 full length albums -Vampire Weekend & the most recent 2010 release, Contra. As of now I only own Vampire Weekend, due to my boyfriends sneaky sneaky ways of uploading music to my itunes without my knowledge, but I have to admit it's pretty great albeit choppy. It seems to somehow flow and not flow from one song to the next with fun songs like Oxford Comma leading into dance-y songs like A-Punk.

After more research I've found this band has a pretty interesting start seeing as they formed at the Ivy Leadgue school of Columbia University and got backlash for saying they were influenced by African popular music and Western Classical music - shown through songs like Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (which happens to be one of my favorite songs on their self titled album because of the upbeat melodies and drum beat).

With all of that being said - I need to get thier new album, Contra, because I do thoroughly enjoy the album I have.

Also, noteworthy, Vampire Weekend was just sued by model, Ann Kirsten Kennis, for the album cover of Contra. Kennis claims the picture was a personal picture taken by her mother in the early 80s and was sold/used without permission.

ANOTHER noteworthy thing (because I'm a nerd) one of thieir songs was featured on The Twiligh Saga: Eclipse soundtrack - Johnathon Low - Coooool.

In the end, boyfriend, if you'd like to sneak Contra onto my itunes - that'd be alright with me!

Top 25 albums of 2010

Of course many music blogs have posted the best/worst albums of 2010 and because I am so cool and in the loop (re: sarcasm) many artists and albums I have blogged about made it on those best lists...


Gorillaz - Plastic Beach, Menomena - Mines, Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More, and Two Door Cinema Club - Tourest History made it on the IGN geek site.

Delta Spirit - Bushwick Blues, First Aid Kit - The Big Black and The Blue, Menomena - Mines, made it on my favorite indie music blog, hearya.com.

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach and Vampire Weekend - Contra (Which, I haven't blogged about, but I have the CD and it's great and I need to) made it on Obscure Sound.

I've also stumbled upon two bands that have made it on all top 2010 album lists that I've come across and that is The Frightened Rabbit & Beach House - two bands I will absolutely need to check out soon.

Anyway - with all of that being said I feel the need to come up with my personal list of 10 favorite songs of 2010. Yes, songs, not albums. I haven't been at this music blog thing long enough to really get my act together on full albums, but I think songs will suffice...and maybe you will find something you like too.

Here goes nothing. Enjoy.

1) First Aid Kit - Ghost Town


2) The High Wire - It's No Secret

3) Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man


4) She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?


5) Stars - We Don't Want Your Body

6) Her Space Holiday - Japanese Gum

7) Jamie Cullum - We Run Things

8) Jamie Lidell - Little Bit Of Feel Good


9) John Butler Trio - I'd Do Anything

10) The Morrison Brothers Band - Comin' To Get Ya

The Sing-Off: Finale

I've been slacking with my posts about The Sing-Off. I think I missed 2 episodes, but it's also because I kind of stopped caring...I was also kind of surprised at how little I was into the finale last night AND how much I was NOT impressed by Ben Folds performance aside from how damn cute and nerdy he always is.

With that being said it pains me to say my favorite group of southern boys, Streetcorner Symphony, did not win. What. The. Eff, NBC. I mean don't get me wrong, I've been a fan of Committed since day 1, but I really think that the front man of SCS sealed the deal for me and Committed has kind of been going down hill. Except for their performance of Motown Philly with Boyz II Men - that was pretty awesome!

Anyway - I'm pretty glad this show is over...on to the next one, on to the next one...

SNL Digital Short - I Just Had Sex (Ft. Akon)

I'm sure everyone has heard of The Lonely Island by now, with hits like I'm On A Boat & Dick In A Box - Well, they are back with another....um....song.

Check out I Just Had Sex below, featuring Akon.



I'm not so sure it holds a flame to I'm On A Boat - but then again, not much does.

Ticketmaster Sweeps!

All - Ticketmaster.com recently revamped their website and if you fill out this short survey you could win a $500 giftcard!

http://www.ticketmaster.com/tmsweeps

...and then give it to me as a gift!! (JK! ....kinda....)

Wedding Mix

My coworker and friend, is getting married in the near future to a wonderful girl, who has asked me to create a wedding playlist. COMPLETELY thrilled and honored I, of course, accepted and have been brainstorming the past week for some good wedding jams.

I started out with classics - Luther Vandross: Here and Now, Bob Carlisle: Butterfly Kisses, Sam Cooke: You Send Me - Things I would absolutely want and NEED to hear at my own wedding.

Realizing I'm not planning my own wedding playlist (scary thought) I started looking at Jams I thought she and her fiance would enjoy....maybe some Usher, maybe some Boyz II Men (who doens't love them??). I have to admit I'm not 110% tuned into the R&B scene, but I'm trying my best and will have the best wedding playlist for you sometime this week (fingers crossed)! Any input from anyone is greatly appreciated!

With that being said, check out the viral JK Wedding vid....(And you better believe Chris Brown's Forever will be on the playlist!)

Congratulations guys :)

Song Of The Day

Song of the day....Weezer - (If you're wondering if I want you to) I want you to



I'm completely devestated I didn't get the deluxe version of the Hurley CD that includes this song - BUT, I can steal if from my roommate - muhahahaha.

Pretty Lights

Yesterday I fell in love with the musical enigma that is Pretty Lights. Thought up by Boulder, CO dropout, Derek Vincent Smith, Pretty Lights is a pretty imaginative mashup of techno, electronic, funk, soul, hip-hop, and jazz...mixed in with tributes to stars like B.I.G. and Etta James.

I already had their EP - Making Up A Changing Mind, given to me by a friend quite some time ago, but yesterday I downloaded albums Glowing In The Darkest Night & Spilling Over Every Side, both released in 2010. I have had Making Up A Changing Mind for MONTHS and I have no idea why I never got into it, but yesterday was my day for appreciating the art that is DJing and becoming more than a little obsessed. The song Total Fascination is what did it for me. This tune got me dancing in my seat at work and I must have listened to it about 100 times, even sending it to my boyfriend and my friend, Will, asking what they thought because I was SO obsessed.

Not only does Smith create some incredible songs, but the artwork I've found associated with this DJ is pretty awesome as well - here are a couple...



Derek Vincent Smith

This guy is absolutely worth looking into if you're into hip-hop or just looking for something upbeat and fun to get you through the work day or psyched for going out on a Friday night. If you like what you hear you can download all of his music [for free] from the link above - but I stress, please donate at least a couple bucks to him and his music because it's great and it's the right thing to do.

Here's two more to get you all motivated! - Still Night & Gazing At The Glare

Mike Relm

Another mashup DJ worth checking out...Mike Relm's "Relm and Josie" is one of my favorite songs ever!

I will write more on him later - I promise!

GirlTalk @ 930 Club

I got this email from one of the popular DC concert venues 930 Club this morning - Much better than saying "I don't understand your music taste" - hahahaha, I get that often! Anyway - don't know what to get someone for the holidays? Concert tickets or $$ to put towards concert tickets so they can go see those weird country / indie / bluesy / folky / rap-like / techno-y / jamband / pop / electronic bands they are into.

With that being said - I just found out last night that Girl Talk is going to be at 930 Club in early Feb, anyone want to come?! Prereq - You are NOT allowed to stand still if you come with me! You must dance, if not more, than you would dance at a Legwarmers show.

Girl Talk is the stage name of DJ, Gregg Gillis, a musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling of current/past/future popular music, all genres - also know by many in the music industry as a "lawsuit waiting to happen" because of his use of dozens of clips of unauthorized samples to create a new song.

I happen to just call it a dance party. Another friend of mine once called it a "sweaty, dancing mess, where everyone gets up on stage and dances like crazy!"

GirlTalk has 5 albums, all available via the Illegal Art website where he asks the listeners to pay whatever price they see fit for his music! I am debating buying all of the music he has available.

Check out one of his mashups live below...



I think the best part is he is smack dab in the middle of the crowd, or the crowd has taken over his stage - whatever! Just looks like fun!


And a couple others here....
GirlTalk - 1
GirlTalk - 2
GirlTalk - 3

The Sing-Off Ep. 3

I missed this episode and am doing a surprisingly pathetic job of catching up on it - mostly due to lack of time to watch the episode and update my blog!

First off - this episode opened with a bang (literally, no pun intended...) - Green Day: 21 Guns - which I was hesitant with because it's a great song and if anyone butchered it I would be devestated, but they pulled it off pretty nicely. It was loud, full of power, and may or may not have brought a tear to my eye.

(After hearing this I've never been so determined to see the Green Day Musical in my entire life....)



This epsode was a bit different from the first two, as each groupd got to perform 2 songs - a classic rock hit & a song they considered a guilty pleasure. The breakdown of the night was as follows -

• The Backbeats - "You Give Love a Bad Name" Bon Jovi & "Love Shack" B-52's
• Street Corner Symphony - "Creep" Radiohead & "Come On Eileen" Dexys Midnight Runners
• Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town - "Satisfaction" Rolling Stones & "Easy" The Commodores
• On The Rocks - "Pour Some Sugar On Me" Def Leppard & "Kyrie" Mr. Mister
• Groove For Thought - "Changes" David Bowie & "You Make My Dreams" Hall and Oats
• Committed - "Every Breath You Take" The Police & "I Want It That Way" The Backstreet Boys

I have to say Jerry Lawson KILLED IT in Satisfaction, swaying those hips in a way I didn't know someone of his age could. He seems to live and breath performing - it was perfection. And his backup singers are nothing short of fantastic as well, with all the energy of the other groups. I also can't be the only one to think that On The Rocks kind of butchered Pour Some Sugar On Me! Oh man....it was almost painful to listen to. Ouch.

HOWEVER - My favorite group of the show, Street Corner Symphony did not disapoint in the slightest. Their rendition of Come On Eileen was not only backed with talent, but it was fun & silly and I had the biggest grin on my face during the entire performance. If they don't win, I might cry. A lot.



And in a devestating turn of events...

SPOILER!!

Groove For Thought was sent home. Their rendition of Changes was a little...lacking....but I still love them.

Anyway, I promise I will be better with tonights episode - I will actually watch, listen, observe, and report. Until then....

"We've been making music all these years and we've still aint got no band!!" - JLTOTT

Last Train Home

I got this little musical tidbit from my bf who asked if I wanted to see them live at the Arlington musical hotspot of Iota - Last Train Home is a  "roots-rock" band based out of Nashville, TN - with other musical influences such as country, bluegrass, swing, blues, and folk-rock.

My first thought...My boyfriend wants to listen to THIS?

My second thought....Even if he doesn't, don't question it because you probably do!

After a bit of listening I've realized this guys voice may be a little twangy to stick with me long-term like The Morrisons Brothers Band (another band found through Iota), but it is definately worth a listen! Check out below their song Last Good Kiss.

Song of the day

I've decided I'm going to do a song of the day every Friday, since my Shuffle Mondays never really took off, we will see how long this lasts....

This Fridays song of the day is Candy Rain by Soul For Real.

Check out those dance moves!

Eric Lewis (ELEW)

"Create a whole new genre for what you do, give it a name, make it your own."

Got a great tip from a friend of mine, Will, about a new "RockJazz" musician named Eric Lewis...or ELEW. I'm still reading up on him, but I can say this - and hopefully not sound too gross - the man's got amazing finger talent. His paino skills rival Jamie Cullum's and we all know I love love LOVE Jamie Cullum - especially in You And Me Are Gone.

What Elew lacks in vocals...considering there are none...he MORE than makes up for on the jazz paino. He plays with a heavy, yet beautiful hand.

Check him out here - Especially his cover of Smells like Teen Spirit.

Thanks, Will!

The Sing-Off Ep. 2

So The Sing-Off episode 2 aired last night and I have to say, usually there is one group that stands out amongst the rest for me, but in the 2nd half of last nights episode each group kept getting better and better!

First and foremost all groups came together in the opening number - Kings Of Leon's "Use Somebody" (I could only find a small clip in the beginning of this vid...) - which was heartfelt and emotional. The theme of last night episode was popular music I believe, or top 40, or something along those lines.

Here was the breakdown -

• On The Rocks - T.I. and Rihanna "Live Your Life"
• Streetcorener Symphony - Train "Hey Soul Sister"
• Eleventh Hour - Bruno Mars "Just The Way You Are"
• Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town - Duffy "Mercy"
• The Backbeats - The Script "Break Even"
• Committed - One Republic "Apologize"
• Groove For Thought - Mike Posner "Cooler Than Me"
• The Whiffenpoofs - Michael Buble "Just Haven't Met You Yet"

In the first half I thought both On The Rocks and Eleventh Hour weren't up to par. I felt Eleventh Hour had too many holes in their harmonies and On The Rocks didn't have enough talent to back up their big stage presence. I was also a little dissapointed in the choice for Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town because it was a genre they were used to, not something out of the ordinary, although they did a fantastic job. Streetcorner Symphony has been one of my favorites from the start, mostly because I have a huge crush on the lead singers voice and one of their members looks like John Lennon - Swoon, their rendition of Hey Soul Sister was playful and inventive. No surprise to me, but....

SPOILER!!

Eleventh Hour went home.

The second half was such a close call it surprised me! All of the acts were great, but the 2 stand out performances were Apologize (Committed) and Cooler Than Me (Groove For Thought). Even now listening to Committed's rendition of Apologize gives me goosebumps! Their harmonies are impecible! I didn't think that Backbeat was able to stay while...

SPOILER!!

TheWhiffenpoofs were sent home, but alas they were. I really enjoyed their version of Just Haven't Met You Yet (this not from the actual show, but it's close enough). I thought it was fun and they had a lot of energy for some rigid choral singers from Yale.

In the end I'd be happy with either Streetcorner Symphony, Committed, or Groove For Thought winning - stay tuned to find out who it is!

The Sing-Off Ep. 1

Being the avid lover of music that I am you would think that I love all musical tv shows - not true, American Idol, has grown progressively worse throughout the years! But one show that has just started in it's second season and surprisingly does NOT suck is NBC's The Sing-Off. Bringing groups of all ages together for 3 weeks to achieve one common goal, $100,000 and a Sony recording contact. This great, feel good, and overly talented show that just started it's 2nd season last night did not disapoint.

Last night's 2 hour premeir featured 10 accapella groups from all over the US performing multiple different genres,

• Eleventh Hour - "Baby" Justin Beiber
• On The Rocks - "Bad Romance" Lady Gaga
• Groove For Thought - "I wish" Stevie Wonder
• Pitch Slapped - "Good Girls Go Bad" Cobra Starship
• Jerry Lawson & Talk of The Town - "Save The Last Dance" The Drifters
• The Whiffenpoofs of Yale - "Grace Kelly" Mika
• Men of Note - "The Longest Time" Billy Joel
• Street Corner Symphony - "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" Tears for Fears
• The Backbeats - "If I were a Boy" Beyonce
• Committed - "This Love" Maroon 5

Eleventh Hour really surprised me, being the youngest group on stage, and Committed's harmonies blew me out of the water, but the biggest thrill was Jerry Lawson, formerly of The Persuasions! However, I felt like I should have been impressed with Pitch Slapped, seeing as they hailed from Berklee College of Music....but their performance was a bit of a disapointment...and...

SPOILER ALERT

....they were sent home. I also wasn't surprised when Men of Note were sent home because as incredible as their lead singers falcetto was (and it was pretty amazing I have to say), he was more than a little pitchy singing in his chest.

Check out last night's episode on Hulu here - The Sing-Off Ep. 1 - And check back on Thursday for results from Wednesday night's episode!

Metric

Amazon.com is the devil - I got this email in my inbox this morning....Customers who have shown an interest in indie and alternative rock might also be interested in these $5 albums available now at Amazon MP3...and then a list of 100 albums for $5.

So far I've downloaded:

• Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D (The Energy Never Dies)
• Norah Jones - The Fall (Amazon Exclusive)
• Metric - Fantasies

Metric wasn't actually $5, it was $7 so amazon has a bunch of liars in their midst, but I bought it because I fell in love with the 3 20 second clips I listened to because they sound strikingly similar to the new Stars album, The Five Ghosts.

They have ghostly female lead vocals, complete with upbeat percussion rounding out their sound. They originated in Ontario, Canada in 2003 with Old World Umderground, Where Are You Now and have 4 albums total with their most recent, Fantasies, released in 2009. Their sound is described best as "New Wave mixed with modern dance rock" - which explains my jerky head movements with each passing song.

Anyway, they are pretty rad and if I could figure out how to have a music player on my blog I'd stream the entire album that way - but until I become blog savy I will leave you with these few youtube links.

Sick Muse

Help I'm Alive

Gold Guns Girls

BYT Fav Song of the Day: The Sunshine Underground

The Sunshine Undergroud - Put You In Your Place

Here's their recently released album Nobodys Coming to Save You...

1."Coming to Save You" – 4:28
2."Spell It Out" - 3:52
3."We've Always Been Your Friends" - 4:13
4."In Your Arms" - 3:50
5."A Warning Sign" - 5:00
6."Change Your Mind" - 4:40
7."Any Minute Now" - 3:36
8."Here It Comes" - 4:42
9."One by One" - 3:55
10."The Messiah" - 5:27

I can't say I'm the biggest fan of their music, at least not yet, but I do really like Put You In Your Place....so good call BYT.

Happy Holidays!

As we all know we are smack dab in the middle of holiday season - with thanksgiving just ending, Hanukkah beginning not that long ago, and Christmas in a couple weeks, what better post to have then some good/funny holiday tunes!

Enjoy this frosty weather and a couple sillty songs to get into the holiday spirit!

The Maccabeats - Candlelight
Adam Sandler - Hanukkah Song Pt. 1
Adam Sandler - Hanukkah Song Pt. 2

Lady Gaga - Christmas Tree
Alvin and The Chipmunks - The Christmas Song


Being primarily Jewish [however, somewhat Christian as well due to my fathers side of the family] I have always looked forward to Hanukkah because of the eight gifts, candles, and gelt splattered across eight long days, culminating in a family Hanukkah party at the chez de Devlin.

In looking for some funny Hanukkah songs to rival the internet phenom, Candlelight, that mimicks Taio Cruz's, Dynamite, I have stumbled upon gold. Jew gold to be exact. Gelt, if you will.

Songs in the Key of Hanukkah is a CD put out by the multi-musical/instrumental Eron Barron Cohen, brother of actor, Sasha Baron Cohen. Eron says "It’s a musical voyage that bears repeated listening both for adults and kids who will love to hear the re-workings of the songs they already know as well as the new, original tracks, Hanukkah has always been a kid-focused holiday so the challenge was how to transform the music so that it was cool and interesting for adults and yet something that the whole family could enjoy.” The CD was released Nov 2008, as we all as another CD released by ZOHAR, a groove band Eron is a member of [Zohar is an innovative four-piece music ensemble from Great Britain blends mystical middle eastern sounds with modern technology and dance grooves, while retaining a sense of spirituality].

I'm not sure if I would go as far as purchasing this CD, but I agree that it's fun to hear songs that I've known for ages, that I learned in Hebrew School when I was 5, such as Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah and Dreidel.

Ok - Let's be honest, I might, my family would love it.

The Fling

Thank. You. Hear. Ya.

I have nothing else to say except....

Wanderingfoot

Their sound has been characterized as "classic ’60s pop, ’90s alternative, and contemporary indie-rock clashing fluidly to create a strangely nostalgic effect." - Which explains why I felt like I was listening to something describing the Beatles meets Guster (especially with Cold Comfort). They have a CD, released Aug 2010, called When The Madhouses Appear, and I need it immediately.

*sigh* - I am in heaven.


[Edit - I finally bought the CD and it's fantastic, a total throw back to The Beatles...and everyone knows I LOVE THE BEATLES. However, itunes tells me the Genre is Rock? I'm not sure I agree with that. If you consider Bon Iver mixed with the Beatles rock, then sure.]

Swoon.

Jesse McCartney

With what I'm about to say I'm about to COMPLETELY discredit myself as an Indie music connoisseur....but, I love Jesse McCartney's new song - Shake.

He's only about 12, and looks like Aaron Carter and that new kid from Glee combined, but look at that pre-teen brooding stare. Doesn't it just get to you? Ok yes, completely laughable, but here is another one of his that I hate to love....Leavin'.

Two Door Cinema Club

With a concert coming up in Jan and a boyfriend obsessed with this band, I figure it's time to get my act together and figure out what the hype is about.

I'm having trouble finding a lot of info on these guys, but what I can see is that they are from Bangor, Ireland and started in the music industry fairly recently in 2009 as self proclaimed underdogs (And everyone, including me, has a soft spot for underdogs). They gained recognition via their myspace page for their "indie pop/electric sound", dropped out of school, and have one album, which is pretty rockin' I must say, called Tourist History that was released in the US March 2010. Also, a little funny bit of information - the reason they are called Two Door Cinema Club is because one of the band members mispronouned Bangor's, Tudor Cinema.

Here is the Tourist History breakdown...I'd have to say my favorite is "Do You Want It All". And yes, I do.

1. "Cigarettes In the Theatre" 3:34

2. "Come Back Home" 3:24
3. "Do You Want It All?" 3:30
4. "This Is the Life" 3:31
5. "Something Good Can Work" 2:45
6. "I Can Talk" 2:58
7. "Undercover Martyn" 2:48
8. "What You Know" 3:12
9. "Eat That Up, It's Good for You" 3:45
10. "You're Not Stubborn"

I also found this great remix of Two Door Cinema Club & The Twelves doing Something Good Can Work.

And this one is for you, bf, their cover of Lady Gaga's, Poker Face.

Also - trick question - What do the lead singer of Two Door Cinema Club, Justin Beiber, and I have in common? We all have the same haircut.

Darelle London

Ah! This just in! New Darelle Londonnnnn!

Work Out Fine

I love her. She is so flipping cute it kills me.

Scanners

It's been brought to my attention....time and time again....that I have not updated my blog in quite some time. Well, this is because my job is slowly (or quickly...) sucking my soul and any time I have before, during, or after work is consumed with either....work...or being tired from...well....work.

With that being said the Josh Groban CD my boyfriend got me is pretty great. I've always been amazed by the fulness and richness in his voice. "How's his CD? Aren't all his songs like...Christmas music?" asks my best friend. Surprisingly not. A lot of the songs on his Illuminations CD are love songs and some are in Italian (which, actually, I don't speak Italian, so I have no idea if they are Christmas songs). It's definately classical and one needs to be in a certain relaxed mood to listen, but if you are, I would certainly suggest listening to him. I adore him. I wish I could wrap myself up in his voice!

Here's a highlight off the album for your enjoyment....
Bells of New York City

Aside from Josh Groban, I have been GRASPING AT STRAWS for new music. I have found nothing I like recently and no desire to listen to what I already have including Miike Snow, Sara Bareilles, Passion Pit, etc...Don't get me wrong, I love them all, but I am BORED to say the least.

In a last fleeting attempt this morning to find something else I decided to check out the youtube "might we suggest yadda yadda ya, we think we know what you want, but we're usually wrong because we always suggest John Mayer" portion of my youtube account and came across a band called Scanners...and surprisingly no John Mayer.

After a short listen and some google stalking later I have found out this...

Scanners is a Alternative, New Wave, Indie Rock band from London, England who got their start back in 2004 (I'm so behind the times....). Anyway, they have 2 albums Violence is Golden (2006) & Submarine (2010).

I have a real knack for finding artists who just released albums this year. Go me.

After some more listening it's very apparent, that much like She&Him the first Scanners CD I like a lot better than the 2nd. I love their ability to jump effortlessly between genres in Violence is Golden.

Here are a few songs I found that I've liked - I hope my taste for this band doesn't fade away like my taste for The Kooks. I can't decide if I want either of their albums yet....


We Never Close Our Eyes
A Girl LikeYou
Lowlife
Baby Blue

Josh Groban

My awesome BF just got me the newest Josh Groban CD, Illuminations, and because I'm an idiot...or well...preoccupied from recent events, I forgot to put it on my itunes to listen to at work today so I don't have much to say about it.

More coming shortly.

Gorillaz

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while! I used to love them and the whole "who is who?!" and "why are they caroots?!" and "did you know they don't actually play at the concerts, just show pictures of the cartoons playing?!" - News flash...even for me....there ARE some actual band members and much like Coheed and Cambria this band derived from COMIC BOOKS! - Tank Girl to be exact.

A virtual band with real members with cartoon alias's including Noodle, 2D, Murdoc Niccals, and Russel Hobbs - this eclectic enigma of a band stunned and captured the interest of the it's US listeners starting back in 1998 and still to this day.

I, for one, had both CDs Gorillaz (2001) and Demon Days (2005) - but SOMEHOW missed the most recent release of Plastic Beach in 2010. I'm not sure how seeing as it features guest appearances by several artists, including Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Mark E. Smith, Paul Simonon, Kano, and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

There isn't one particular way I would describe this band, all I know is that if I don't get the Plastic Beach CD soon my heart might burst.

Here are a couple to get you started on the trend!
Rhinestone Eyes
Pirate Jet

Broken

However, let's be honest, the best song they had, at least in my opinion, was Fire Coming Out of the Monkeys Head on their Demon Days CD.

Anyway aside from Plastic Beach - Damon, Gorillaz frontman, has come out with a single called Doncamatic, All Played Out which is pretty damn good! There is speculation they are coming out with ANOTHER CD before christmas time. Can't wait!!

Dougie

I know I've been a total slack-ass about updating my blog, but my job keeps me so busy that I haven't had time to find some new tunes. I'm also SO exhausted by the time I get home or have something else planned so I never get a chance to do it after work either.

So. Until my next [real] blog post - I leave you with this song that has been my obsession for the past few days....

Cali Swag District - Teach me how to Dougie

Also...I'm my search I leave you with these songs a la Doug Funny!

Think Big
Killer Tofu
Shout Your Lungs Out

Red Hot Organization - Dark Was The Night

I know I'm a little late to the game on this one seeing as this CD came out February '09, but better late than never!

First of all, the Red Hot Organization is a non-profit international organization spreading AIDs/HIV awareness through pop culture. They put on concerts, create amazing compilation albums, and about 80% of the proceeds (concerts, cd sales, merchandise sales, and band/listener donations) goes to funding AIDs research all over the world.

They have about 20 compilation albums dating back to 1990, with every genre of music imaginable.

For example...

Red Hot + Rio - "Contrasting with the 1996 album, Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul will contain works from Brazil's samba music heritage. The concert will benefit AIDS-related projects coordinated through the Brazil Foundation, founded in New York in 2000 to promote social development throughout communities in Brazil."

Red Hot + Indigo - "As with a trio of earlier entries from the series (Red Hot + Blue, Red Hot + Rio and Red Hot + Rhapsody), Red Hot + Indigo is a tribute to the legacy of one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century — Duke Ellington."

Amongst others...

I was fortunate enough to be given the 1st of their 2 disc compilation album, Dark Was The Night, their most recent release, and stupid enough to not appreciate it until a few months after it was in my posession. With great artists like Bon Iver, My Brightest Diamond, The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Feist, Arcade Fire, Spoon, and Andrew Bird (just to name a few) this album is an Indie music lovers wet dream. Not only is the CD great, but it's for a great cause that raised over $1.2 million for AIDs awareness.

Dark Was The Night <- check out the official page and artist listing, it's next to none!

I am disapointed I missed out on tickets for this show as I am sure it was nothing less than legen....wait for it.....dary, but I am sure to keep an eye on the Red Hot website for upcoming releases and concerts!

Burnt Sienna & Mr Greengenes

After a long and exhausting, yet AWESOME, Halloween weekend I am not happy to be back at work Monday morning. However, it gives me a bit of time to blog about every DMVers (DC, Maryland, Virginia) favorite local-ish cover bands Burnt Sienna & Mr. Greengenes, while waiting to not be the only person in the office.

Packing beach bars and non beach bars down the east coast, these 2 great bands keep the dance floor moving, the 20/30 somethings drinking, and the vocal chords straining from singing our little hearts out.

This past Saturday was no different with songs from the early 90s, 80s, and today. I heard everything from Kelly Clarkson's Since You've Been Gone, to Antoine Doddson's Bed Intruder Song, to Jay-Z, Bonnie Tyler, and T-Pain's I'm On A Boat.

If you ever have a chance to check out these 2 great cover bands, either rocking the sand bars at Dewey Beach, MD or Clarendon Ballroom in VA I would highly suggest it as they both put on great, high energy, performances.



Burnt Sienna



Mr. Greengenes

Sara Bareilles

(First and foremost, before talking about Sara Bareilles, I would just like to state how much of an idiot I am. I bought the new KOL CD before being reminded that my BF had already gotten the CD for me and uploaded it onto my phone which was 3 ft from my hand when writing my previous blog post. $10 Fail.)

Next on the agenda, Sara Bareilles. I've never been a huge fan of hers, not that I didn't like her, but just that I never got into her after the 2007 hit, Love Song....you know the one that goes "I'm not gonna write you a love song...cause you asked for it...cause blah blah blah...and some other stuff". I was asked by my room mate to pick up her new CD and honestly, never got around to it for one reason or another.

However, after hearing her song, Many The Miles, in the movie She's Out Of My League I am whistling a different tune.

I never realized how full of passion, effortless, and beautiful her voice is. After acquiring her newest CD, Kaleidoscope Heart, I'm still hit with the pop princess sounds of her hit Love Song - but I seem to not mind them so much because they are mixed with a grand throwback to the 70s (Read: Not Alone). I even found myself humming Hold My Heart & Uncharted at work this morning. Listening to her songs is like hearing her speak to someone directly and most subject matter is something we've all experienced. I, for one, know a few people I'd like to sing "King Of Anything" to.

So, If you are looking for something upbeat and bubbly to listen to this morning I would definately suggest getting her CD.

(Jenny, I'm burning you a copy as we speak...)

Kings of Leon

Kings of Leons new CD, Come Around Sundown, just came out (I will be purchasing this shortly...)

You can buy it either here;
http://radioactive.kingsofleon.com/

or on itunes.

I know I've posted this before, but here is one of the songs off the album - Radioactive - and if this isn't reason enough to buy the album then...I don't know what is. I have always been HUGE fans of them, not to mention they put on an amazing show. See pics below from their concert Sept 2009...

Happy Friday :-D

Recommendations For You

My favorite new thing...

Recommendations for me from itunes based on what I've already purchased? Don't mind if I do!!

But let's be honest - suggesting John Mayer because I bought Midnight in Virginia by The Morrisons Brothers Band...c'mon itunes - step it up.

Marina & The Diamonds



One track mind, one track heart

If I fail, I'll fall apart

Maybe it is all a test

Cause I feel like I'm the worst

So I always act like I'm the best

What would happen if Lady Gaga & Katy Perry got together and had a baby? Marina & The Diamonds, that's what!

Often mistaken for having a backup band (because of the name "& The Diamonds") and being similar to Florence + The Machine (whom I love), Marina & The Diamonds is a one woman rocking out machine. Her sound is upbeat, playful, fun, loud, and very colorful...something I can 110% see my girlfriends and myself rocking out to.

Marina started out early in 2005-2009 in the UK and made her debut in the US, May 2010, with the CD, The Family Jewels, which will soon be part of my music collection!

Here are a couple songs to wet your appetite...

• Oh No
• Mowgli's Road
• I Am Not A Robot (I definately found this song AGES ago, god, I need to be on top of my game!)
• Hollywood

Free MP3 Downloads

My boyfriend knows me too well. I got a text yesterday with a pic of the free music portion of amazon.com that said "There's a lot of free music for you to download. :)" and after a little searching this morning I have found there are exactly 3,554 new songs for me, and all of you, to download.

Free MP3s

Enjoy your searching...I will begin my downloading with Michael Jacksons "Will you be there" (the theme from Free Willy)...and happy Monday!

Diane Birch EP

I recently got the Diane Birch EP (LONGGGG after I got a few songs from her CD Bible Belt) and it's pretty incredible, she is so soulful and it's making me smile on this stressful work morning.

I think I've slightly touched on her in a previous post - but in so many words Diane Birch is an amazing blues/soul singer/song-writer from Michigan. Her debut album, Bible Belt, stemmed from her religious upbringing with her preacher father who did not allow her to listen to secular music growing up, her trying to overcome and be herself, and yet still holding onto her values. I can only sum up her sound in one word - Beautiful.

• Fools
• Ariel
• Fire Escape
• Nothing But A Miracle
• Forgiveness
• What Is Love <- this vid only prooves how great her voice is live

Menomena

I have the strangest ways of finding new music. For example - My thought process this morning...

"Oh! I have an e-mail. I wonder what it is! Oh, look at that...Ticketmaster AND 930 Club concert dates and ticket prices, let's see if anything is worth looking into. Bah, Ticketmaster is all sale concerts and shit I'm not interested in. AGH, even worse, the only 930 show I want to go to I can't because I'm going to ANOTHER concert that night. *about to click out of email* Wait a sec, Menomena? That sounds kinda cool, let's read the blurb. Experimental rock!? Don't mind if I do!"

After a few minutes of listening, then a few more minutes, then another 5 songs after that I've come to the conclusion that I'm obsessed with them and thier CD, Friend and Foe, which released back in 2007. And APPARENTLY, lucky for me, they have just released another album June 2010, Mines, that I have to look into.

After some searching and maybe slight stalking, this is what I have found - Menomena is an "experiemental rock band" from Portland, OR who got thier start when one of the band members programmed a digital looping recorder, packaged their songs up in the form of a flip book of the band playing live, and then released themselves (called I Am The Fun Blame Monster!) - wtf, on a freakin laptop!

I also found this cool blurb -
The band uses a com­puter pro­gram called the Dig­i­tal Loop­ing Recorder, or Deeler for short, in the song writ­ing process — it was pro­grammed by band mem­ber Brent Knopf. Drum­mer Danny Seim explains the process, “First, we set the tempo of the click, which is played through a pair of head­phones. We then take turns pass­ing a sin­gle mic around the room. One of us will hold the mic in front of an instru­ment, while another one of us will lay down a short impro­vised riff over the click track. We usu­ally start with the drums. Once the drums begin loop­ing, we throw on some bass, piano, gui­tar, bells, sax, or what­ever other sort of noise­maker hap­pens to be in the room. Deeler keeps the process demo­c­ra­tic, which is the only way we can operate”.


Anyway, have a listen. I am loving them and their weird, quirky, off-beat sound.

My My

Muscle n Flow

The Pelican

And another from their new album - Five Little Rooms

Wild Nothing & Stars Concert @ 9:30 Club

STARS. WAS. AWESOME.

That basically sums it up. Honestly. This show just about rocked my socks off...and I hate (and by hate I mean love) using cheesey lines like that.

Without getting too far ahead of myself with excitement, let me start off with the opening band - Wild Nothing - a band I was not insanely impressed with. Don't get me wrong, they weren't bad. In fact, a few times I found my foot tapping along to them, but after a song or two I realized I was listening to the same thing over and over again. Everything sounded the same. And it never got worse or got better.

And of course - one of the only good pictures I got during the night with my craptastic iPhone was of them, so thank you for that, iPhone.

Anyway, you're welcome to listen to them for yourself. Like I said, they aren't bad - They just aren't great. They are just kinda...there.

Wild Nothing - Live In Dreams (I think they played this at the show, but I'm not sure, could be one of the other 5 that sounded just like it.)

Now on to the main event - STARS really stole the show! They put on a really fun and entertaining show - from the crazy lights blazing behind them and the light up construction hat the drummer wore to the crazy amount of energy they had from start to finish. How the female lead vocalist, Amy, jumped around for 2 plus hours in 4 inch patent leather heels is beyond me, but I give the girl props!

They played about 75% of thier new album, The Five Ghosts, which I loved! And the audiance was treated to a giggle when the male lead vocalist, Torquil, asked if it was ok that it was more upbeat and his counterpart, Amy, responded with "It may be upbeat, but the lyrics are still depressing as all hell, so you can jump around and dance and cry all at the same time!". She then preceded to jump around the stage for a good minute, fake crying. Hilarious!

Speaking of thier new album, they played my favorite song off it and I just about went nuts - We Don't Want Your Body was crazy, and upbeat, and weird, and loud, and GREAT to hear & see in person!

They also played a couple of old fan favorites like The Night Starts Here & Your Ex Lover Is Dead which were instant hits with the audiance who sang along loudly.

I wish I got a couple of better pictures - but with the ones I got, you can get the jist of how psychedelic the show was. Not to mention them blowing bubbles out into the audiance was a super fun touch.

Take a look.

I highly suggest seeing a show of theres if you want to have a great night of dancing your little {or big} hearts out. Thank you again, boyfriend, this really made my week, and being a half asleep zombie all day at work today was totally worth it!

Angus & Julia Stone

I wish I had a mango tree


In my backyard


With you standin next to me


Take the picture


From her lips I heard her say,


Can I have you?


Caught up on what to say,


I said you do.

 I think there is a really good chance I've already blogged about this particularly heart wrenchingly amazing brother/sister duo, but in case I haven't, I'm here to introduce them to you.

First and foremost I believe I need to thank Perezhilton for introducing them to me. I still can't believe I take music advice from a gossip blogger...but, alas, I do.

Anyway.

Angus and Julia are from Sydney, Australia and grew up in a musical family, facilitating their present musical talent. Not only do they both sing and write all of their music, but they play all of their instruments as well. Their sound is, of course, folky, soulful, and poignant.

They have 2 CDs - A Book Like This, their debut album, came out in 2008, while their second album, Down The Way, came out recently in March 2010. I have to admit I am a much larger fan of Down The Way. I find it to be more cohesive as an album, while A Book Like This, has a much more upbeat and choppy sound. However, both are DEFINATELY worth a listen.

A couple songs to note -

Mango Tree <- Favorite song on A Book Like This

Big Jet Plane <- Favorite song on Down The Way

Stars

My wonderful boyfriend got us tickets to see Stars at 9:30club next week and I couldn't be more excited!!

I first got into stars, (duh, an indie pop band from Ontario, Canada), about 3 years ago when a friend of mine introduced me to their CDs Set Yourself On Fire and In Our Bedroom After the War and I was instantly captivated with the song Your Ex-Lover is Dead...partially because the lyrics spoke to my life and my dating realtionship at the time...

"I'm not sorry I met you, I'm not sorry it's over, I'm not sorry there's nothing to save...I'm not sorry there's nothing to save..."

...and partially because I have a soft spot for bands with both female and male talented lead vocalists. This band is no exception with the lead female vocalist - she is wonderful. Aside from their vocal talent, I really love their use of slow, ghostly, melodies mixed with the upbeat sounds of the background instruments (The Night Starts Here).

The band has 6 CDs & 5 EPs and I am saddend to say I only own 3 of theses 11 masterpieces. One of which is their most recent CD, The Five Ghosts, released June 2010. This CD has some pretty noticable differences from the other two I have, first and foremost it is A LOT more upbeat and I would even go as far as saying some songs are even dance-able...take We Don't Want Your Body for example. I would have to say this is a personal fan favorite for me. But don't worry, they have not lost sights of their roots and the ghostly sound is introduced in the very beginning with Dead Hearts.

The Five Ghosts

• Dead Hearts
• Wasted Daylight
• I Died So I Could Haunt You
• Fixed
• We Don't Want Your Body
• He Dream's He's Awake
• Changes
• The Passenger
• The Last Love Song Ever Written
• How Much More
• Winter Bones

With all of that being said I'm hoping the concert will not disapoint, I'm not sure how it would.

Thank you again, Stephen!