This is one of my all time favorite albums. It was the first I ever heard from Tim Kasher's side project The Good Life and I have been enamored ever since. The album is mildly conceptual, with each song representing one month in a year of a failing relationship. If you have never really listened to The Good Life before, this is the album to start with. From start to finish it is a masterpiece and lives up the the title it has been given.
If you're going through a breakup or have ever been through one before, this album will be something you can relate to.
The third full-length album from the Oakland based band Subtle. Described by their members as "genreless," their sound is best explained as T.V. On The Radio with mild anti-depressants with a touch of rap. This is the third installment of the epic chronicling HourHeroYES, a bald poet with a black and white stripped face...yep. Adam Drucker a.k.a. Doseone is one strange dude; he is kind of the Kevin Barnes of the indie rap scene (except not nearly as popular). A perfect example being the fact that he intentionally removed the word I from ever lyric on the album. Weirdos aside, member Dax Pierson was severely injured in a tour van accident in 2005 leaving him confined to a wheelchair. Crippling injuries aside he still contributes to the band to this day using a special mouse and keyboard.
So I really wasn't going to post this album because I really wish you would all buy it, but like I said to AJ, its like if your drug dealer decided to stop dealing and expected you to quit buying. All you junkies can still rely on me for your fix, so here you go.
This is Oberst's first "solo" release in over 10 years, and frankly I think its amazing. While some songs bring to mind the folksy sounds of Bob Dylan, and others are reminiscent of the twangy country-rock of Tom Petty, all the sounds are 100% Conor Oberst. The album further maps the maturation of Oberst, and his definite movement away from the dark, brooding, sadness he is famous for.
If you really like the album, as goes for any of these albums you should do your part in keeping the music industry alive and buy a hard copy of the album, or a t-shirt, or make sure you see them live. Anything.
The single out right now is called Souled Out!!!, but my favorite song right now is the slow, melodious Milk Thistle which closes out the album.
This one is the newest release from the Saddle Creek veterans, Son, Ambulance. I've always been a fan of this guy's voice. There's something eerie about it. You can hear him featured in Bright Eyes' song "A Line Allows Progress, A Circle Does Not" off of the album Every Day and Every Night, also I posted the Bright Eyes/Son, Ambulance split, Oh Holy Fools, a long time ago, which is worth listening to.
Someone Else's Deja Vu, has a somewhat different sound to it, although upon the first couple seconds of listening, it is unmistakably a Son, Ambulance album. If I had to think of some sort of weird combo to describe this it would be The Shins meet Elliot Smith on a happy day, with a synthesizer being held by Andrew Futral.
So this one is being put up by request. I'm not even sure who the person who requested it is, but here ya go. Person L's first full length album Initial. I heard about Person L a long time ago, while I was still really big into The Starting Line. I feel like Vasoli just put out a more matured Starting Line album, and only like 5 years later. About time Kenny.
A special thanks to Betsy for this, she's one of the few who has beat me in the "do you know (insert obscure band name)?" game (touche Betsy). Bowerbirds are one of those bands who's sound isn't completely unique, but they set themselves above the rest of the pack by simply playing great tunes. It's like listening to the Shins sans the whining and streams of fans who still think Garden State is an indie film. Coming from Raleigh, North Carolina they have started to gain some fame while touring with Bon Iver as well as making several best of lists for 2007.
According to Paste Magazine guitarist/vocalist Phil Moore and multi-instrumentalist Beth Tacular have spent the last year building an eco-friendly house all by themselves to replace their AirStream trailer. What's not to love about these guys, recording their album almost entirely live Moore says "if you listening closely you, can hear us making the occasional mistakes."
-A.J.
P.S. I love the Shins and Garden State, this post has no intention of demeaning either.
So I was going to apologize for taking my hiatus from posting, but then I realized that you ungrateful cretins don't even care enough to take part in our reader participation posts! It makes me wonder how many of you actually read these! Only one person wished me a happy birthday on the C-box, and I don't even know who that was!
Anyways, I AM posting a Format album, but out of spite I'm posting Dog Problems, the second, and final, not nearly as good as the first album. It's still pretty good, but I find it to be a bit immature and annoying at times, although the song On Your Porch warrants a couple listenings. So, well, enjoy. You fucking assholes.
Stay Classy Fuckers, Shane B
ps: I think I only made a post at all because AJ called me out on it. pps: AJ, your friends are right, stop being a lazy fuck and write longer entries.
Sorry I haven't been posting so much, its been a hectic time over here in ShaneLand, but to repay you, my lovely lurkers, I got a leak for you of the new, yet-to-be-released Faint album, Fasciinatiion. I haven't listened to the whole thing yet because I wanted to get it out to you all as soon as possible, but I did get a good listen to a couple of tracks and here's what I thought.
It makes me a little sad that the Faint are moving away from the sounds they made on Danse Macabre, but don't get me wrong, this album still delivers, but in a more subtle way. The Faint take a more retro 80's pop style approach to the funky techno beats, and take a giant leap away from the darker sound they are known for. No more songs about erections, or at least that I have heard yet, but no worry there's still a song about birth (Fish In A Womb).
Alternative Press Magazine gave the album 2 and a half stars, but I think they were a bit harsh. I say it's at least a 3.5.
Oh also, just a bit-o-info for you, this latest album will not be released via Saddle Creek like the previous works by The Faint, but it will be released via Blank.wav records, a label the Faint themselves just created.
