Statistics - "Final Broadcast" (2005)

The handful of you that have been paying attention may have noticed that I’ve not posted in a week. I’ve been having lots of headaches with the website I used to host the mp3s you hear here. It seems that every song I’ve posted up to this point has mysteriously disappeared. Just click on any of the play buttons and you’ll see that they don’t work. It’s quite frustrating to be honest. I could go back and re-upload the 158 songs, but then there’s no guarantee they won’t disappear again. I’ve said all that to say that I’ve decided to put an end to this. I’ve tried to find other hosting sites, but I haven’t come across any that give me what I need and are free. I really didn’t want to spend any money on this. It also seems that I’m too busy (lazy?) to post every day. I don’t want to keep doing this if it’s going to be sporadic. So now here is my final song, and a fitting one at that. The site I’m using is working temporarily so I uploaded this while I had the chance, but who knows how long it will stay there.
Statistics is the brainchild of Denver Dalley, a musician from Omaha who used to play guitar in Desaparecidos, a band fronted by Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes. Statistics have released two full lengths and an EP, the most recent being 2005’s Often Lie. The album has some great rock tunes and today’s is probably one of my favorite overall songs from the past five years. I guess I connect with it because it’s about the radio and that’s what I did all during college. This was actually the last song I played my last day at KXUL.
So here it is, the end of my blogging run. I wish it would’ve lasted a little longer, but I probably would’ve run out of songs eventually anyway. I won’t say that I’ll never pick this back up, but I’ll have to find a more stable hosting site or just get my own server or something. If any of the five of you who read this know of a good site with free storage, let me know. It’s been fun subjecting you to my taste in music and hopefully you found something you didn’t already know about. I’ll leave you with the chorus from today’s song: “This will be my final broadcast, you could say we’re switching formats. I’m signing off for one last time, so thanks.”


Statistics - "Final Broadcast"

Eyes Around - "Right As Rain" (2006)

Eyes Around is a band that is somewhat local to me. That started out in Monroe, LA playing local clubs but shortly thereafter relocated to Huntsville, AL which is now their base of operations. The band have a pretty great sound that I would say falls somewhere along the lines of The Juliana Theory. In 2004 they released a self titled five song EP which featured some great tracks like “Say What You Will” and “Empathy.” In 2006 came their first full length The Voice Inside the Voice. The album includes some upbeat rockers like the opening track “Another Source of Light.” Today’s song doesn’t rock as hard but it’s just a great tune that kind of evokes a little British rock. It’s really hard for me to see why these guys aren’t on a label. They’re easily as good as half the indie crap that gets put out these days. As far as I can tell, Voice is only available at shows or in mp3 format on their Myspace page. While your there, check out “Bloodshot America” a track that wasn’t included on the album but is probably one of their best songs. I’ve had the chance to see them live a couple of times and they put on a great show. As you can see from the poster above, they’ll be in Monroe this Saturday.


Eyes Around - "Right As Rain"

Dewey Cox - "Let Me Hold You (Little Man)" (1966)

Dewey Cox is the kind of musician that only comes along once in a generation. His songs have captured the hearts and minds of America since the mid 50s as he put his stamp on nearly every popular genre. Simply put, Dewey Cox is American music. “Walk Hard” was his most notable hit and it became his anthem as well as the anthem of the common man. He gave Johnny Cash a run for his money with the hit “Guilty As Charged” and almost made people forget about Bob Dylan with “Royal Jelly.” Who can forget “Beautiful Ride,” his outstanding work that seemed to sum up his entire life and career or his eerily prophetic take on death “(Have You Heard the News) Dewey Cox Died.” All of these songs and more have been compiled on the soundtrack to the new movie about his life Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. This collection spans his entire amazing career and even includes some tracks that weren’t outright hits. My favorite has to be this nugget from the 60s that is a commentary on the oppression of midgets in this country. Cox stands up for the little man in this song that makes me proud to say I’m an American, just like Dewey Cox.


Dewey Cox - "Let Me Hold You (Little Man)"

Further Seems Forever - "Pride War" (2003)

Further Seems Forever was a band with quite a rocky existence. The band began in 1998 after the remaining members of hardcore band Strongarm decided they wanted to keep playing together. Chris Carrabba joined the band on vocals and they began writing songs. By 2000 the band had yet to record a full length and Carrabba began work on some solo material under the name Dashboard Confessional. He released The Swiss Army Romance that year and made the decision to pursue Dashboard full time. Despite that, he still laid down the vocals for The Moon Is Down, FSF’s first record which came out in 2001. There was no animosity between Carrabba and the remaining members, but they still needed a new lead singer. In stepped Jason Gleason to fill the very large shoes vacated by Carrabba. It proved to be a great match and together they wrote and recorded their second album How To Start a Fire, released in 2003. It was like the band had a new life and even though some fans were miffed by Gleason’s presence on the mic, Further Seems Forever gained even more fans and reached new heights of popularity. Then in early 2004 after the band had recorded all the instrumental tracks for what would be their third album, it was announced that Gleason was leaving the band, citing irreconcilable differences. For a moment it seemed that FSF would be no more. After a few months of wondering what was to become of them, fans were delighted to hear that FSF would be releasing their third album, this time with vocals from former Sense Field singer Jon Bunch. Hide Nothing came out in August 2004 and so began another era of the band. But it couldn’t last for long and after seven years and three albums with three different singers, Further Seems Forever called it quits. In 2006 Tooth and Nail Records released a best of disc containing fifteen songs from their three studio albums as well as some cool rarities. In 2007 The Final Curtain CD/DVD was released which features audio and video of the band’s final show as well as some previously unreleased demos and a cover song. I love each of Further Seems Forever’s albums and each singer was great in his own way, but I think that Gleason’s voice was the best match with the band’s music. How To Start a Fire is probably my favorite of the three records. There’s a funny story about me and today’s song. In the summer of 2003 my brothers and I went to see them live. They put on a fantastic show and Gleason sang the songs from The Moon Is Down as if he had written them. “Pride War” was my favorite song on the album so when Gleason said “This is a song call ‘Pride War,’” I let out a hearty “Yeah!” from somewhere near the back of the crowd. Perhaps this would have been tolerated were I closer to the front, but standing where I was, all it got me were strange looks from the people around me. I felt dumb for a moment but that didn’t keep me from singing along to every word.


Further Seems Forever - "Pride War"

Kings of Leon - "California Waiting" (2003)

Kings of Leon are a foursome from Tennessee. These guys know how to jam and their on the forefront of making Southern rock cool again (as if it was ever uncool.) Their first release, Holy Roller Novocaine, was a five song EP released in 2003. Four of the five songs would also be included in their breakout debut Youth and Young Manhood, which came out later that year. Included on the EP and Youth was “Molly’s Chambers” an extremely catchy and short song with an outstanding riff and what would become the signature drawl/mumble of band mouthpiece Caleb Followill. He is backed by his two brothers and one cousin all of whom share the same last name. In 2005 the band released Aha Shake Heartbreak to much critical acclaim, which led to new successes for the band including opening for U2. The band followed that up in 2007 with Because of the Times, an album that proves they are here to stay, with the killer lead single “On Call.” Today’s song goes back to where it all began. If you have Youth and Young Manhood, you’ll notice that this version of “California Waiting” is different than the one that appeared on that album. Apparently the band wasn’t happy with the Holy Roller version so they rerecorded it. To me the new version pales in comparison. It’s too fuzzed out and the vocals aren’t nearly as good. So here is the first version and, in my insignificant opinion, the better of the two.


Kings of Leon - "California Waiting"

Sponge - "Wax Ecstatic" (1996)

Sponge is a band that broke onto the alt rock scene in 1994 with their debut album Rotting Piñata. That album spawned two semi hits in the form of “Plowed” and “Molly (Sixteen Candles).” Their next album Wax Ecstatic came out in 1996 and saw some success, but was somewhat overlooked. Wax Ecstatic would be the band’s last album to be released on Sony, and without the marketing push from a major label, their three subsequent albums have gone all but unnoticed. Perhaps the band would fare better if all that happened today, but the internet wasn’t what it is now back then. The band is still around and making music and just released a new record at the end of 2007. But right now you can rock out to this somewhat forgotten gem from the mid 90s.


Sponge - "Wax Ecstatic"

The Refreshments - "Banditos" (1996)

The Refreshments are an underrated and oft forgotten rock band from the mid-90s. The band hails from Arizona and they make the kind of music that would perfectly accompany a drive across the desert. Today’s song was their one semi-big single from their 1996 debut Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy. The band released another album entitled The Bottle and Fresh Horses in 1997, and that was the last anyone heard from them, aside from them contributing the theme song to Fox’s King of the Hill. I could mention here that “Banditos” is Spanish for “Bandits,” but you seem like a smart person and I’m sure you figured that out yourself. I would have to say that if I was going to pull of some kind of heist out West, this would have to be playing in the getaway car.


The Refreshments - "Banditos"

Recover - "Simple" (2004)

Recover was a rock band from Austin, Texas. After forming in 2003 the band released two full lengths and an EP. Their second album was titled This May Be the Year I Disappear and was released in 2004. This is the only album of theirs that I’ve heard and the results were kind of hit or miss. Recover could easily fall into the emo category but I think their sound had enough variety to not be pigeonholed into that genre. There are really only three songs This May Be the Year that are worth purchase price. The first is “Disappear,” a hard rocker with some nice electronic elements such as the use of the vocoder in the bridge. Also of note is “Push Push” which starts with acoustic guitar and handclaps and builds into a pretty rocking tune. The other song is today’s featured tune. “Simple” has some really nice guitar effects and some electronic beats along with some cool vocal effects as well. The lyrics are kind of a downer, but I’m just drawn to it because it rocks so much. The rest of the album is plagued by soundalike songs and needless profanity (see track 5.) This may not be a great purchase but you should definitely check out the three songs I mentioned. Especially this one.


Recover - "Simple"

Tyler Read - "January" (2006)

I was first introduced to Tyler Read nearly three years ago. In February 2005 I saw them open for Anberlin. Normally when I go to a concert where I don’t know the opening acts, I don’t pay a lot of attention. That was kind of the case, but I couldn’t help but notice that Tyler Read weren’t half bad. At that point, the band was still unsigned and they were doing supporting gigs behind their independent EP The Light, the Glass, the Transparency. I friend of mine bought the EP and I listened a few times. It was pretty good. A particular song named “New Year” stood out above the rest and remembered them playing it live. It was a very catchy tune with a huge chorus. After a while I kind of forgot about them. In late 2006, the band signed with Immortal Records and earlier this year they released their debut full length Only Rock and Roll Can Save Us Now. “New Year” was not on the new record, but it did see another form of re-release. The song was renamed “January” and was included on A Santa Cause 2. From what I remember of the EP version, this sounds like an all new recording with some added bells or chimes at the beginning. This is a great song for the New Year and I promise it will be the last Christmas/New Year’s themed song on this blog for at least another 11 months.


Tyler Read - "January"

Death Cab for Cutie - "The New Year" (2003)

I’ve featured Death Cab for Cutie before, twice actually counting the Christmas song, so this may seem like overkill, but it’s for a good reason. “The New Year” is the first song on their breakthrough album Transatlanticism. The chorus goes “So this is the New Year. And I don’t feel any different.” That kind of sums up how I’ve always felt about the New Year. Transatlanticism is a great album and easily my favorite of theirs, and I couldn’t think of a better tune to ring in 2008.


Death Cab for Cutie - "The New Year"