Reggie and the Full Effect - "Congratulations Smack and Katy" (2003)

Reggie and the Full Effect began nearly ten years as the side project/alter ego of Get Up Kids keyboardist James Dewees. In 1999, their debut Greatest Hits ’84-’87 was released on the Get Up Kids label imprint Heroes and Villains. That album is a mix of tracks ranging from emo to electro pop to metal tied together with humorous interludes with titles like “Pick Up the Phone Master P.” It’s an interesting listen. Reggie continued in 2000 with their second album Promotional Copy which followed largely along the same lines musically and even introduced more sides of Dewees, such as the fake Swedish metal band Common Denominator on the song “Dwarf Invasion.” (Yes, it’s as ridiculous and hilarious as it sounds.) In 2003, their third album Under the Tray was released. This was when I first became aware Reggie and the Full Effect. Today’s song is a great slice of power pop perfection. In 2005 came Reggie’s fourth album Songs Not To Get Married To, which as the title suggests chronicled Dewees’ divorce. The album retained some of the old Reggie humor with tracks like “Love Reality” and “Deathnotronic” but also showed a more serious side with “Get Well Soon” and “Thanks for the Misery.” There are some great songs on the record, but as you can imagine, it can be a downer. I’ve yet to pick up their recently released fifth album, Last Stop: Crappytown. All of the songs on the album are titled after the subway stops that Dewees would take to get to rehab after he decided to get clean. From what I’ve read, the album is a much more serious departure for Dewees and leans heavily toward his metal influences. I’m sure there are some gems on the record, I just haven’t checked it out yet. In between recording and touring for Reggie and the Full Effect, Dewees also became a touring member of My Chemical Romance and could possibly be joining the band to record their next album. Today’s song is probably still my favorite Reggie tune. It just has a light, summer feel to it and it’s great to sing along with. Plus the video is sheer genius.


Reggie and the Full Effect - "Congratulations Smack and Katy"

Low vs. Diamond - "Actions Are Actions" (2008)

Low vs. Diamond is a cool new indie band from L.A. I say new, but they’ve actually been together a few years but have only recently released their full length debut. Their self titled album came out digitally in April and saw a physical release in late July. I’ve yet to hear the entire record but what I have heard is promising. The band recently performed the first single from the album “Heart Attack” on Letterman. Today’s song is one I heard on the local college station KXUL and it got stuck in my head. The chorus has no words and yet I can’t escape it. I found myself humming it audibly in pubic and feeling dumb about it afterwards. I also particularly like the piano in this song. Low vs. Diamond is a band I plan on checking out more of and I suggest you do the same.


Low vs. Diamond - "Actions Are Actions"

Upstairs Divine - "Come and Go" (2007)

Upstairs Divine is an exceptional indie band from nearby Ruston, LA. I was turned onto them by a friend who constantly raved about their EP and how great they were live. When I finally got Upstairs Divine's self titled EP, the first thing I told her was that they were too good to be from Ruston. Honestly, their music sounds more like something that would be coming out of New York or Seattle, not northern Louisiana. That being said, the EP is a fantastic set of six songs that showcase vocals from both Ben Jones and Bethany Raybourn. The music and vocals remind me of bands like Sleeping at Last and Eisley with equal focus on keys and guitar. I think Upstairs Divine are strongest on tracks where the duo split the vocal duties such as the driving “Prints of Whales” and the more folksy “Vienna.” Today’s song is the last one on the EP and is an epic closer clocking in at nearly eight minutes. It’s a slow building tune consisting mainly of Raybourn’s vocals and light electric guitar until the climax in the last minute and a half. This EP is the perfect soundtrack for late night driving or rainy days like we’ve been having here the last week. The band are no longer performing live, but still maintain their Myspace so perhaps we haven’t heard the last of them. At least I hope not.


Upstairs Divine - "Come and Go"

Jawbreaker - "Jet Black" (1995)

Jawbreaker was one of the most influential bands of the mid 90s emo/punk movement. Countless current bands cite Jawbreaker’s final album, 1995’s Dear You as a favorite and an influence. I’m ashamed to say that I was largely unfamiliar with Jawbreaker until last year when I came across a live recording of Brand New front man Jesse Lacey covering the Jawbreaker song “Accident Prone.” I loved his version and decided to check out the original. I was pleased with what I heard and I kicked myself for not checking out Jawbreaker sooner. I’ve read that that Dear You is the band’s most polished effort, with previous albums having lower production quality and raspier vocals from front man Blake Schwarzenbach. If you ask me, the production on Dear You is still a little rough around the edges but I suppose it gives the album a certain charm. Today’s song is another fantastic one from that album. “Jet Black” begins and ends with spoken word samples of Christopher Walken’s deranged character from the Woody Allen classic Annie Hall. To me the ending is one of the best combinations of spoken words and music that I’ve heard. Post Jawbreaker, Schwarzenbach went on to form the band Jets to Brazil, who have also been a notable influence on the current scene. Dear You was recently reissued on Blackball Records with five bonus tracks.


Jawbreaker - "Jet Black"

Paper Route - "You Kill Me" (2008)

Paper Route is a great band from Nashville that fuses rock with pop and plenty of electronic elements. I first discovered them from this feature on RelevantMagazine.com. I later checked out their Myspace and was easily convinced to pick up their new EP Are We All Forgotten. These five songs have been in heavy rotation for me for the past couple weeks. Every track is great and none of them sound too much alike either. When trying to describe their sound I can’t help but think of bands like The Postal Service, Mute Math, M83 and even Aqualung. Today’s song is probably the most epic. It just feels huge and makes great use of the strings. The lyrics are haunting and the chorus will stay in your head. I’m hoping that this EP is just a precursor to an even more amazing full length in the near future.


Paper Route - "You Kill Me"