Thrice is easily one of the most innovative bands making music today. Their musical progression from their first album Identity Crisis to their most recent The Alchemy Index is incredible. What started as a hardcore/metal band has now evolved into a group of very talented musicians drawing from every sub genre of rock as well as blues, jazz, and acoustic folk. Aside from singer Dustin Kensrue’s distinctive voice, you’d be hard pressed to tell that Thrice are even the same band that made their first two albums. If you’re new to Thrice, here’s a short rundown of their career. The band is from Orange County, CA and started out on local label Hopeless/Sub City. After releasing two records, they signed with Island and came out with The Artist In the Ambulance. That was followed by a CD/DVD of b-sides and a documentary enitled If Only We Could See Us Now. In fall of 2005 the band released their fourth studio album Vheissu. After The Red Sky EP was released the following Spring, the band began working on what would become their fifth album. It was an ambitious idea for sure: four discs of six songs each, each of which would represent one the four basic elements of fire, water, air and earth. That’s pretty heady even for a well read band like Thrice and I figured it was going to be a hard pill for Island to swallow. Turns out it was. The band worked tirelessly to complete the album, producing and engineering it themselves. Island didn’t see it working and the band and the label parted ways. Fortunately for Thrice, Island allowed them to keep their hard work and do as they pleased with it. They were able to avoid the horror story where a label keeps a band’s unfinished record and shelves it indefinitely. Thrice fielded offers from several labels eager to be a part of the project and finally decided to release The Alchemy Index in two parts on Vagrant Records. The first portion of the album, Fire and Water were released last October. I was pleased with the results but not as blown away as I’d hoped. The album took some time to grow on me. I did not include it in my Top 10 Albums of 2007, but in retrospect I probably should have. It was at least number 11. Nevertheless I was eagerly awaiting the release of Air and Earth and last week it finally came out. Now being able to listen to The Alchemy Index in its entirety, I can say that it’s no less than a masterpiece. Thrice really show their range on Air with the soaring opener "Broken Lungs." "A Song for Milly Michaelson" (whose title is a reference to the film The Boy Who Could Fly) floats along beautifully, the music perfectly complimenting the lyrics. Earth showcases Thrice’s rootsy side, and could easily be compared to Kensrue’s 2007 solo project Please Come Home. Biblically inspired lyrics flow through “MovingMountains” and “Come All You Weary,” the latter boasting one of guitarist Teppei Teranishi’s most memorable licks. Also of note is the excellent cover of “The Earth Isn’t Humming” originally by the band Frodus. I, like lots of fans, will now have to check out the original. The standout on the final two volumes for me has to be “Daedalus” a song that is of course inspired by the tale of Daedalus and Icarus from Greek mythology. Kensrue’s lyrics and vocals bring this ancient tale new life and the band makes it the heaviest track of this collection. In short, you should own The Alchemy Index, all four volumes. Even if you don’t think you would like some of it, trust me, there is something here for everyone. Get it.
The Raconteurs are a musical supergroup of sorts comprising Jack White of the White Stripes, solo artist Brendan Benson and two members of the band the Greenhornes. Their first album Broken Boy Soldiers was released in 2006 to some critical acclaim. The first single “Steady As She Goes” saw significant airplay on radio and TV, but my favorite track was probably “Level,” guitar driven song with great back and forth vocals by both White and Benson. The band just released their second album Consolers of the Lonely. The coolest part about this release is that the band only announced its existence a week before it came out. Usually there is a several months long marketing campaign building up the release of an album. Advance copies are given to radio and journalists and more often than not the album gets out on the web before the release date. The Raconteurs circumvented that by not giving anyone the chance to get before hand, and there was no long wait. When you think about it, it’s kind of arbitrary to have to wait three months to hear a record on the release date when it’s already mastered and ready to go. I have to say I like the way this album release was handled. Now to the music. Consolers of the Lonely is a much more raucous effort than Broken Boy Soldiers. The one-two punch of the title track and first single “Salute Your Solution” right out of the gate is enough to have anyone hooked on the amazing guitar skills of the band. This is just pure rock and roll. While Benson lends his vocals to much of the album, it is quite clear that most of the music is White’s handiwork. There are some slower moments like the bluesy “Top Yourself” and there’s some Latin influence on the horn parts of “The Switch and the Spur.” The album weaves its way through thirteen great tracks that culminate in the amazing closer “Carolina Drama.” This song is quite comparable to “The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia” with it’s tale of murder and deceit in the South. It’s a perfect closer to a great record. I equally love “Consoler of the Lonely” and “Carolina Drama” so it was hard to choose which one to feature, so I give you both of them. Here is the first track and the last track from Consolers of the Lonely. Now you should go check out the whole thing.
Kevin Devine is a solo artist from Brooklyn that I’ve featured before. He’s released four albums since 2002 and before that he played in the band Miracle of ’86, named after the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets. His style is somewhat standard singer songwriter fare. He’s heavy on the acoustic guitar for the most part, but he does rock out from time to time. His fourth album Put Your Ghost To Rest originally came out in 2006 on Capitol Records. It was surprising to me that an indie artist like Devine would be signed to a major label, especially since he doesn’t have the marketability of a John Mayer or Howie Day or Jack Johnson. The label dropped him last year and in early 2008 he became the first signee to Procrastinate! Music Traitors, a label founded by the members of Brand New, who are good friends of Devine. The label’s first order of business was to re-release Put Your Ghost To Rest. In honor of that, I’m featuring my favorite song from that album. “Just Stay” is Devine at the top of his game. I especially dig the organ parts in this song.
Band of Horses are an indie band from Seattle on Sub Pop Records. They released their full length debut Everything All the Time in early 2006. At that time, I was ready to dismiss them as another buzz band that wouldn’t last. I heard a couple of tracks and wasn’t too impressed, so I didn’t think too much more about them. Last fall, Band of Horses put out their second album Cease To Begin. I was seeing it in all the music magazines and it was getting favorable reviews. I still didn’t want to like them, but I don’t really know why. Finally, I heard the lead single “Is There a Ghost?” on the local college station and was immediately impressed. Somewhere along that time, I saw this commercial and I really dug the song. After a little research, I found that it was the Band of Horses track “The Funeral” from Everything All the Time. I was doubly intrigued and in January, I picked up both albums. Band of Horses have been compared to My Morning Jacket several times and I can see why, with the similar guitar tones and the way Band of Horses singer Ben Bridwell’s voice is at times not unlike Jim James from MMJ. That’s not to say, however, that Band of Horses somehow rip them off. No they are definitely their own band and both albums are excellent. Bridwell is originally from South Carolina and some Southern influences show through.“No One’s Gonna Love You” was released as the second single from Cease To Begin back in February.
Secret Machines are a rock band from Dallas that have somewhat of an old school sound. The band originally consisted of brothers Brandon and Benjamin Curtis who sang vocals and played guitar respectively. They were joined on drums by Josh Garza. The trio released their debut album in 2004 entitled Now Here Is Nowhere. The album garnered favorable critical reviews and saw the release of a few singles, most notably “Nowhere Again.” 2006 saw the release of their sophomore record Ten Silver Drops. The album was in much the same vein as their debut but didn’t see as much commercial success. Later that year Benjamin announced he would be leaving the band to pursue his new band School of Seven Bells. The band’s sound harkens back to rock pioneers like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. I’m not saying they’re as good as those bands or that they even sound exactly like them, but there is a definite influence. The two remaining members are working on an as yet untitled third album. Today’s song come from Ten Silver Drops and has a definite old feel to it.
Manchester Orchestra is probably my new favorite band as of late. After getting their album I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child last year, there has seldom been a week that I didn’t listen to it. Musically, the band is mainly a guitar rock band with some cool piano and organ thrown into the mix. Singer Andy Hull’s lyrics are sometimes hard decipher but most always contain some sort of spiritual introspection. Before the release of Virgin, the band released a verbosely titled EP called You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, but Brilliance Needs a Good Editor. But even before that they recorded an album called Nobody Sings Anymore, which has never seen an official release. Despite that, the album can be found online if you look hard enough. Hull has said that it wasn’t released because some of the band lineup changed and they took a bit of a new musical direction. It does sound a little different, but not that much in my opinion. If it ever is released, I’ll definitely buy it, but until then I’ll have to make due with this. Today’s song is a standout track on Nobody Sings Anymore. It’s a tale of a woman trying to escape an abusive relationship. Hull has stated before that Built To Spill are one of Manchester Orchestra’s major influences and it really shows in this song. The jangly lead guitar sounds exactly like something Doug Martsch and co. would turn out. Manchester Orchestra is working on a new album hopefully to come out before the end of the year, but most likely it will be 2009. Perhaps closer will be the release of their short documentary film What’s Left Behind. You can see the trailer for that here.
Twothirtyeight was a great indie rock band on Tooth & Nail Records. Along with Further Seems Forever, Twothirtyeight got me interested in Tooth & Nail and I’ve been a fan ever since. Today’s song comes from Twothirtyeight’s final album You Should Be Living, which came out in 2002. This song was playing in heavy rotation on KXUL when I started working there in December of 2002 and it immediately hooked me. I got the album for Christmas and loved it. I went back and got all of the band’s previous work, but I still have to say this album is their best work. The band parted ways sometime in 2003, but front man Chris Staples didn’t stop making music. He released a few solo acoustic EPs under his own name and in 2005 released the album Psychology under the name Discover America. You can hear a song from that album here. Staples is still working on new music as Discover America, but hearing today’s song again makes me wish Twothirtyeight would make another album together. I guess I can only hope.
Twothirtyeight - "The Sticks Are Woven In the Spokes"
Taxpayer is an indie rock band from Boston. They released their debut full length Bones & Lungs in late 2005. The band have since released a couple EPs and are currently in the studio working on a new album. Every American of legal age knows exactly what today is. Tax day is a day that makes some people very happy and some sad. I would have to fall in the latter category. It sucks to know that even when you make below the national average, you still have to have to write on check on April 15. I’m not complaining about taxes per se. They are a necessary evil if we are to have a successful society, which for the most part we do. It just seems easier when it’s held out of your check and you never see it to begin with. For some reason writing out a check for a lump sum, even though it may be small by your standards, peeves me just a little. That’s enough Free Enterprise for today. I chose this song mainly because of the band’s name but also because it rocks quite handily. So enjoy this while you reluctantly make out your check.
David Crowder Band is a band I’ve featured before. In that post I noted how they always bring something new and fresh to the genre of worship music. I had the pleasure of seeing these guys at the Passion conference in Atlanta this past weekend. It was an amazing time of worship and teaching from the word of God. If you’re not familiar with Passion, you can check them out at 268generation.com. (268 is derived from Isaiah 26:8) They’ve been around for eleven years now, leading conferences putting out CDs and as leader Louie Giglio puts it “making the name of Jesus famous.” They’ve been getting bigger every year and this year they will be heading out on a world tour that will span six continents, going to cities like Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as well as Mexico City and Tokyo. You can also keep up with them on the 268 Blog. (I’ve added it to my sidebar as well.) In addition to David Crowder Band, there was also amazing music from Chris Tomlin and Charlie Hall. While they did a great job, I have to say that Crowder was definitely my favorite musically. There were several songs that I was hoping they would play live and some of them they did, but the one I really wanted to see was today’s song, from their 2005 album A Collision. During their second set, they played it and it was absolutely amazing. The build up in this song is excellent and when you hear the bridge, imagine 10,000 people humming along with the violin melody.
Aimee Mann has been in music for quite a while. Her first success was in the mid 80s as the singer of the band ‘Til Tuesday. After they parted ways she began working on solo material and released her solo debut Whatever in 1993. After another solo album, Mann composed the bulk of the songs for the soundtrack of director Paul Thomas Anderson’s third film Magnolia. While it’s not technically an Aimee Mann solo album because it features a few other artists, the Magnolia soundtrack is usually considered one of her albums. Magnolia is one of those movies that is great but not for any reason that I can explain to you. It’s been some years since I’ve seen and I need to re-view it, but much like Anderson’s 2007 Oscar nominee There Will Be Blood, Magnolia is long and slow moving but has some great performances and very engaging characters. Aimee Mann has since released three more solo records, the most recent being 2005’s The Forgotten Arm which from what I’ve heard is quite good. Her next album Smilers is due out on June 3rd.
The Frames are a cool rock band from Ireland. I can’t really claim to know that much about them other than they’ve been around since the early 90s and have released several albums. I know they are a favorite of one of my favorite singer/songwriters Damien Rice. Today’s song comes from their 2004 album Burn the Maps. “Fake” is a standout song on this record because it is probably the most rocking and the catchiest as well. The lyrics are great and I think you’ll really dig it. At the end of last year, it seemed every film critic was raving about a little Irish movie named Once.As I looked into that movie I learned that it was directed by ex-Frames bassist John Carney and the star of the film is none other than Frames lead singer and songwriter Glen Hansard. As you may know, Hansard and co-star Marketa Irglova recently won the Oscar for best original song from a motion picture for the track "Falling Slowly." Once has been on my list of movies to see for a while now and I’m definitely going to have to check it out.
I featured Nada Surf in a previous post and talked all about their rise to popularity in the mid 90s due to the success of their single “Popular” and how they somewhat fell into obscurity afterwards. With their third album Let Go and fourth album The Weight Is a Gift, Nada Surf proved that they should be taken seriously as indie songwriters. I was eagerly awaiting their fifth album Lucky and when it hit stores in early February, I got everything I expected and more. The album kicks off with the excellent “See These Bones” which seems like an open letter to young bands warning them that fame is fleeting. It’s an outstanding track with guest vocals from Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, whose voice meshes so well with Nada Surf singer Matthew Caws that I had to hear it a few times to tell who was who. Other standouts include “Beautiful Beat,” a poppy treatise on the power of a good song and “Weightless,” one of the album’s heavier tracks. I chose today’s song because it’s probably the one that grabbed me the most on my first listen through Lucky. This is an excellent album and will probably be on my list for best albums of 2008. I would suggest looking for the special edition that features a bonus disc with four extra songs including two acoustic versions and the excellent track “I Wanna Take You Home” which probably should have been included on the album.
One new song everyday until I get tired of doing it again. Click on the artist's name to get more information about them. Click on the album art for purchase information. Click on the play button to listen for yourself. Enjoy.
Thrice is easily one of the most innovative bands making music today. Their musical progression from their first album Identity Crisis to their most recent The Alchemy Index is incredible. What started as a hardcore/metal band has now evolved into a group of very talented musicians drawing from every sub genre of rock as well as blues, jazz, and acoustic folk. Aside from singer Dustin Kensrue’s distinctive voice, you’d be hard pressed to tell that Thrice are even the same band that made their first two albums. If you’re new to Thrice, here’s a short rundown of their career. The band is from 
