Song of the Day

**10/26/10
Perfume Genius - Dreem
--------------------My lovely and wonderful boss gave me a $15 Itunes giftcard (I know, about as antiquated as the now discontinued Walkman), and I actually feel...comfortable (?) actually buying music for a change. The drawback is the selection process that takes a century, but so far I've bought one song - "Joey" by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. It's off their first LP and it's a wonderful bluesy-Janis Joplin sound.

  In my search for more, I looked at Pitchfork, which for all it's supposed indie-pompous douchebaggery-prosed  reviews finds some really great stuff. Today's Forkast featured Perfume Genius and a rare performance of "Dreem." When Pitchfork describes it as "painfully beautiful," you're convinced. Perfume Genius is for those who die over the ethereal piano in Aqualung and have Bon Iver typed into their Grooveshark accounts.
 
The video is Perfume Genius performing "Dreem" for Q TV. His new album, Learning, is available now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efGME5aCahE&feature=player_embedded

The Rest is Up to You - Enjoy the Show!

  Sometimes you'll hear a song or listen to an album that reawakens a sleeping side of you. When I listened to The Rest is Up to You, my snoozing sense of pop punk woke up with hands clapping and a best-years-of-our-lives attitude. Enjoy the Show is the premiere EP of The Rest is Up to You, a project of 21-year old Brian Fried. 
  


The Rest is Up to You promises songs that will make you want to sing-a-long, dance and drive fast with the windows down and wind in your hair. 


A Brooklyn boy based in Boone, North Carolina, Fried draws his influences from "the good old days of pop punk." He's a fan of everything from Brand New to actress Brittany Snow and Katy Perry.  From a listen to tracks like "Give it All Up," listeners of The Maine and The Starting Line will appreciate the catchy choruses and simple yet fun lyrics.  
  


Enjoy the Show! reminds me of a day at Warped Tour - there's a mix of all types of pop punk influences that fit perfectly against the other. Recorded at Misty Hill Music in Maryland, Fried's first effort brings us a relief from heavy synthesized breakdowns and any genre described with "core." And also like Warped Tour, it's killer fun. The single "Miss Jealousy" works up a full-bodied pop song with girl v. boy trust issues and "My Everything (Head Over Heels) takes over as the top track that will make you go "aawh!"


  
The Rest is Up to You puts forth a notable first effort. The EP revisits what feels like a long-lost type of original pop punk. It's great for a look back to the songs you heard in high school, and for all ages to enjoy. Somehow, even though we've heard stuff like Fried's before, we can't stop enjoying the show.







Read more:http://www.myspace.com/therestisup2you#ixzz13KXKQyBI

Song of the Day

**10/18/10
Hot Chip - One Life Stand
-----------------What to post about today? I have listened to everything from the Across the Universe to A Day to Remember to Dashboard Confessional - even the Spice Girls. Mostly crazy and unrelated, I know, but Hot Chip provided a randomly pleasant song entitled "One Life Stand" to listen to after exploring Spin.com. Nothing really incredibly insightful to report about it - just think it's a great song. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPXPIx1LlPY&ob=av2e

Song of the Day

**10/17/10
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Paris (Ooh, La) Acoustic
----------------------If you haven't heard of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals yet, you will soon. Rolling Stone called the amazon blonde's band one of the best new artists of 2010 and they're bound to headline festivals within the next summer concert season. They'll be making a quite unusual but exciting appearance in Boone, NC this Tuesday in a little venue called Legends. It only holds a thousand or so, the perfect size for an intimate concert. It's the best time to hear them, and you can start by listening to the hotel-room version of "Paris (Ooh La)." The drummer uses an ice bucket and the bassist hits everything within the tiny room. Check out the video and hopefully you'll dish out the ten bucks to see them Tuesday night.

And by the way, any chick who handles a 12-string the way Potter does deserves the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d--Q3CgXXsU

Song of the Day: Mission from Mars

**10/4/10
Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are
-----------------So, you've probably heard Bruno Mars once or twice this summer on the radio, considering "Nothing On You" wouldn't stop playing...ever. But there's more to enjoy for those who want to hear a little more from Mars. He's got a new album, Doo-Wops and Hooligans, that drops tomorrow, and even with his conveniently timed cocaine charge in Vegas, he's getting more press than ever.

  Mars has collaborated with Travie McCoy on "Billionaire" and co-wrote songs with K'naan and Ke$ha. He's  no stranger to the radio and makes girls swoon over "Just the Way You Are," released on July 19 this year. From a listen to the single, Bruno Mar's Mission to take over the charts is nothing less than accomplished. .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk

Song of the Day

**10/3/10
Leo Blais - We Must Begin
----------------This weekend I received a bunch of CDs from a radio station to hear. Free music, right?! It's not as wonderous as you may think when half of the music is as mediocre as Romeo and Juliet put on by fifth graders. But Leo Blais showed some relieving promise - it's quirky like the Format, melodic and oddly workable. For the most part, I enjoy it, particularly "We Must Begin," the third song off The Free EP. 

Take a look at his EP and if you like it, then be a guinea pig for your local radio station!

http://www.myspace.com/leoblais

Song of the Day

**10/1/10
Ryan Newson - Memories
----------------First day of October and there's freezing wind where I'm hanging out. Today, I'm listening to an artist named Ryan Newson, a guitarist from Winston-Salem. Never heard of him? It's alright - but if you do like the somber beauty of City and Color and the Nehi-sweetness of a good porch song, Newson is worth a listen. "Memories" is the first song off Newson's EP, Seeds.