Emery - "Churches and Serial Killers" (2009)

Emery is an emo band that has been screaming their hearts out since their 2004 debut, The Weak’s End. Their sophomore effort The Question remains a favorite of mine as far as this genre is concerned. In 2007, they dropped the utterly disappointing I’m Only a Man, which left me wondering if Emery had anything left. Luckily, they proved me wrong last summer when they released In Shallow Seas We Sail, an album I would consider a return to form. I think the most noticeable difference about this record out of the gate is that there is a lot more screaming. I’m usually not a huge fan of that and yes, some of it is still off-putting, however the band seems far more confident with their songwriting now. It’s like they’ve realized what they do well and decided to focus solely on that instead of experimenting too much. Some standouts include “Butchers Mouth,” “Edge of the World,” and “Piggy Bank Lies,” which makes excellent use of the dual vocals of Toby Morrell and Devin Shelton. The album isn’t flawless, but it’s a huge improvement. That being said, you have to at least be somewhat of a fan of the genre to enjoy this record. Today’s song is one of the more melodic tracks with little screaming and even features some strings.


Emery - "Churches and Serial Killers"

Mindy Smith - "Love Lost" (2009)

Mindy Smith is an excellent alt country artist I’ve featured before, so I’ll spare you the backstory. Her third full-length album Stupid Love, came out last year and is a nice step forward for her. While still embracing her original folksy sound, Smith has found a way to branch out ever so slightly and it pays off. Little things like reverse guitar effects, quirky keyboards and programmed drum beats lift this album slightly out of what you’d expect from Smith. She got some high profile Nashville friends such as Amy Grant, Vince Gill, and Leigh Nash to lend backup vocals. Stupid Love is true to its title and is mostly a breakup album, save for the excellent “True Love of Mine,” a beautiful duet with Jeremy Lister. “Love Lost” is probably my favorite track. It features all the aforementioned elements as well as one of the strongest hooks on the record. Consider this another win for Mindy Smith. She hasn’t disappointed me yet.


Mindy Smith - "Love Lost"

The Temper Trap - "Sweet Disposition" (2009)

The Temper Trap are a fairly new indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Formed in 2005, the band released a self-titled EP in 2006, but their debut full-length Conditions, came out only last year. The album is a great 10 song collection that has a nice Brit-rock feel throughout. Lead singer Dougie Mandagi (great name) has a soaring falsetto that brings a lot of soul to each track. Album opener “Love Lost” immediately makes you want to move with a bouncing keyboard intro that gives way to a wall of guitars. Another standout is “Fader” with one of the catchiest “woo-hoo” choruses you’ll ever hear. My only complaint is that the album gets a little inconsistent in the second half. “Ressurection” sounds like a b-side at best, with distorted guitars that sound out of place compared to the chorus and delay guitars they used up to the point. Today’s song may be familiar to you if you saw (500) Days of Summer. The song was featured on the soundtrack as well as in the film itself. Conditions is a worthy purchase and a promising debut from a band I hope to be hearing more from in the future.


The Temper Trap - "Sweet Disposition"

MGMT - "Kids" (2008)

MGMT is an interesting indie rock band. The band is a duo consisting of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VonWyngarden. Am I the only one who thinks those names sound made up? In any event, the two got together in 2005 and released an album under the name The Management. Due to legal reasons, the name was later changed to MGMT. Their proper debut, Oracular Spectacular, came out in 2008 to much critical acclaim. MGMT were a band that garnered a lot of press and because of said buzz, I was skeptical about how good they might actually be. After hearing today’s song in a number of different places, I decided to give the album a chance. There are some real winners on this record such as the poppy opener “Time To Pretend” and the funkadelic “Electric Feel.” In addition to the fun funkiness of these tracks, the band also drops in some interesting songs like “Weekend Wars” that feel a lot like 70s rock. Their sophomore album Congratulations is due out in April and I’m looking forward to see which direction they’re going to lean. “Kids” remains my favorite track from this album because it’s just an incredibly fun song. From the catchy synth line to the soaring chorus and even the background noise of kids on the playground, the song is outstanding.


MGMT - "Kids"

All Get Out - "Time and Place" (2010)

All Get Out is a great indie band from Charleston, SC that I've featured a couple times before. The band has been around for a few years now, but only have only released two EPs, the second of which was just a reworking of the first with two new tracks. I really like this band, but up until now, they've only actually released seven songs. I suggest you check out their self-titled EP, because it's the best seven bucks you'll spend on music this month. The band recently announced that they will soon be heading to the studio to record their first proper full length and I am eagerly anticipating the results. As a means of tiding over their fans, they stopped by the Daytrotter studios and laid down some new tracks for our listening pleasure. I stumbled across Daytrotter.com a while back and I am greatly impressed with the premise of the site. Every day, they offer up three to four songs from a different band, all of which are recorded live in their studios with no overdubs. A majority of the bands are quite obscure, but they have had some bigger names like Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes and Thrice stop by. The tracks are available for free download and it's a great way to get some rare music from some of your favorite bands or as a way to get into new bands. In the case of All Get Out, it provided them with the opportunity to release some new music before their record gets done. The three songs from this session are outstanding and I've been humming or singing all of them at some point in the last couple weeks. Daytrotter sessions are usually quite stripped down instrumentally and theirs is no exception. All three songs feature acoustic guitar heavily and I wonder if they'll be amped up on the record. Today's song is the standout for me because the lyrics are great and the tune is infectious. So if you're unfamiliar with All Get Out, check out the EP and definitely the songs from this session. I'll let you know about the full length, as it's on my list of most anticipated records of the year.


All Get Out - "Time and Place"

Lovedrug - "Pink Champagne" (2010)

Lovedrug have always been a favorite of mine since their 2004 debut Pretend You’re Alive. Being on The Militia Group label, they always seemed to get lumped in the emo category which I think is terribly unfair for such a great rock band. Their sophomore record Everything Starts Where It Ends was just as impressive, adding a even a bit more guitar crunch. In 2008 came The Sucker Punch Show, Lovedrug’s darkest album to date. The album had an ominous feel throughout with lots of piano and some crushing guitar licks. The lyrics bordered on cynical to say the least and it left me wondering just what kind of mental trauma front man Michael Shepard had endured. Early last year, the band released online Sucker Punched: The Alternate LP. It was a complete reworking of The Sucker Punch Show. Faster songs were stripped down, slower songs were sped up, piano replaced guitar and vice versa. It was an excellent reimagining of an already amazing record. Lovedrug showed off their true talent and musicianship. Then in November, they posted 5 new songs on their Myspace. According to the band, these were “crap demos we recorded on our 16 track.” Nevertheless, the songs are quite impressive. For a time, they were available for download from Purevolume.com. Luckily I snapped them up and have been listening non-stop. According to a blog entry from the band, the songs are a preview of a new EP that should be coming out soon. Three of the songs are available on Noise Trade for free (provided you tell five friends about them.) I would suggest checking it out. I can’t wait for the EP, but until then I’ll be enjoying the demos, especially today’s song which boasts some great guitar work and an amazing hook; one of the best I’ve heard from Lovedrug in a while.


Lovedrug - "Pink Champagne"

Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes" (2010)

Surfer Blood are new band hailing from West Palm Beach, Florida. Their surroundings no doubt inspired their name and probably even the album art for their debut Astro Coast. As for their sound, it seems inspired by any number of 50s and 60s surf rock artists. There’s a definite Beach Boys vibe to some tunes on the record. The guitars take precedence on most tracks with waves of distortion and effects sometimes seem to wash out the soaring vocals of front man John Paul Pitts. Astro Coast has a fun vibe throughout and it feels like a summer record. Surfer Blood have garnered a lot of buzz in the last month or so, making them one of the bands to watch in 2010. While the record is enjoyable, I don’t really see what all the fuss is about. They sound similar to many other indie bands that are out right now. I’m not saying I don’t like it, but I’m not going to label them the saviors of rock and roll just yet. Astro Coast is only $5 at Amazon mp3 and it’s definitely worth the price. So go ahead and check out Surfer Blood for yourself so you can say you were listening before they show up on a million critics’ best of lists at the end of the year.


Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes"

Phoenix - "1901" (2009)

Phoenix is a French indie band that has seen a rise in popularity in the States in the past year. Their first album United came out 10 years ago. They saw a little success with the single “Everything Is Everything” from their sophomore record Alphabetical in 2004. Last May, they released their fourth album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix to much critical acclaim. The album is a pretty fun collection of 10 tracks that showcase Phoenix’s excellent pop sensibilities. First single “Lisztomania” starts off the record and immediately gets your toes tapping. Keyboards are prominent throughout the record as well as some additional electronic elements, mainly on the instrumental “Love Like a Sunset Part I.” The record ended up on many critics best of 2009 lists but I guess I was a little late to the table when it came to this record. I do enjoy it and I can see the appeal, but my only complaint is that a lot of the songs have a sameness about them that make them difficult to distinguish from one another. Frontman Thomas Mars doesn’t offer much variety in his vocal delivery and even some melodies seem recycled from earlier tracks. The album is still worth checking out however. Today’s song was the second single released. You may have seen them performing it on late night TV and I think it’s even in a car commercial.


Phoenix - "1901"

Moneen - "Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do" (2006)

Moneen is a guitar heavy rock band from the Great White North. They’ve seen more popularity in their native Canada than they have here in the U.S. but there’s really no good reason for that. The band recently released their fourth full length entitled The World I Want To Leave Behind. I haven’t had a chance to check out that record yet. Today’s song come from their 2006 album The Red Tree. Moneen has a knack for excessively long song titles, like the title track from the 2003 record Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now. Today’s song is no exception. If you’re a LOST fan, you already know why I chose this song for today. The song is named for John Locke, a character on LOST who doesn’t really enjoy being told what he can and can’t do. Tonight marks the season premiere of the final season of LOST and even though the lyrics have nothing to do with the show, I thought this would be quite fitting for today.


Moneen - "Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do"