Song of the Day

**12/28/10
Sam Tsui - Firework & Grenade Mashup (Explosion Medley)
----------------I love Youtube sensations, mostly because of the artistic license to call your mashup an "exposion medley." Rightfully titled, because Sam Tsui performs beautifully on piano and knocks out the radio hits with a voice that puts up a great fight with Bruno Mars.

  Sam Tsui are two crooners on Youtube named Sam and Kurt. They're on iTunes, but their mashups and covers gain the most attention from over 500,000 + subscribers. Check their page out after hearing this song of the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_IWRuryzaY

Song of the Day

12/27/10
Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On
-----------------2011 is quickly approaching, which means the chance to create a mix worthy of a champagne toast at midnight (or at least a shot). Superstars will definitely feel the warm welcome of a new year with Lupe Fiasco's "The Show Goes On." Sampling the Modest Mouse hit "Float On," Fiasco has pulled off a perfect combination of indie rock and hip-hop that makes a solid radio replay. The set release date for Fiasco's new album Lasers is March 8, 2011.

http://lostinthesound.com/news/396-lupe-fiasco-releases-new-music-video.html

Song of the Day

**12/26/10
Girls - Carolina

---------------------The tropics on acid? Pretty much, and you don't even have to get sandy bottoms to hear it. Girls "Carolina" is dreamy noise with a few stark grinds and haults here and there. There's not a better compliment to the likes of Beach House and other whimsical, Sonic Youth meets the surf music than Girls new EP Broken Dreams Club.

  In the midst of blizzards and the aftermath of Christmas, all you want to do is find some warm weather and a cool drink for New Years on some deserted island, how about southern Carolina? Girls will never let you go from there.

http://www.truepanther.com/#/artists/girls

Seven Songs for Christmas

Seven Songs for Christmas Day

1. Straight No Chaser - Let It Snow
--------A little more funk and doo-wop in this rendition.

2. Mariah Carey - When Christmas Comes
--------It's not the overdone "All I Want for Christmas is You." This song off her new holiday album is romantic mistletoe R&B.

3. Kelly Rowland - Wonderful Christmas Time
---------Suited for those twenty-somethings who can't live without a phat beat during the holidays.

4.  Michael Buble - Let it Snow! 
---------Classic swing done by the crooning heartbreaker of today.

5. Relient K - Sleigh Ride
----------This will always be a must-have on my mixes - it truly rocks around the Christmas tree.

6. Maroon 5 - Happy Christmas (War is Over)
----------No kids choir, no crazy build ups. This stripped down, piano solo is enough to give you chills. Adam Levine will make this John Lennon ballad your new favorite.

7. Stephen Colbert - Another Christmas Song
----------For the politically incorrect.

Song of the Day

**12/24/10
Gagalicious Cheer.

Merry Christmas!

Top Tips for a Party Mix

Hey everyone,

  So whether you're attending a Christmas party this season or throwing one yourself, chances are the music will make or break the bash.

  If you're in charge of the music, here are a few recommendations of albums to include and the overall mood of the mix.

1. Keep it Cheerful
-----------Most Christmas carols are, so this is a pretty easy tip to follow. Avoid "missing you on Christmas" songs and lumbering church hymns.

2. Combine Old and New
----------- Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Vince Guaraldi (Charlie Brown Christmas) throw a lot of vintage jazz and big band into an otherwise traditional mix. For new stuff, the Glee Xmas album is great and your dose of diva can come from Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas II You. 


3. Shuffle the Playlist
------------ Ten Christmas songs by the same artist gets old very quickly. Set your ipod to "Shuffle Songs" in the Settings on your ipod. That way if your mix is longer than the party (usually happens), a bigger variety of songs can be heard in a shorter amount of time.


  Good luck, and happy holidays!

Song of the Day

Niki and the Dove - Mother Protect
----------------Somehow the posting has been slow but the Tweeting hasn't slowed down. Hey, sometimes its easier to just let you know what I'm listening to with an artist and song title, rather than a description. But that's what this blog is all about, and I owe it to you all.

  Niki and the Dove is featured on Nylon Magazine's website as an artist under the radar. She's a confident lioness in the jungle of female singers (what'd you think of that metaphor? Lame? Meh). Niki and the Dove have a new-world electronica aesthetic that sounds less like M.I.A. and more Florence and the Machine on holiday. Niki and the Dove's Swedish gothic-pop music is definitely something to hear, and you can for free on NylonMag.com.

http://www.myspace.com/nikiandthedove

Free Download on NylonMag

Performance of the Week: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Vh1 Divas Salute the Troops

Images Courtesy NYDN Photos

 -------------If you watched Vh1 Divas Salute the Troops on Sunday night, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and Keri Hilson made over-the-top performances that fit their superstar personas. Good for them, but there was one other diva who stopped the show without parachutes and back-up dancers.

   Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. The New York Daily News called it a "hair-raising" performance. In a good way, of course, considering now they've topped The Beatles on the Itunes Rock Charts. No big deal.

  And following their performance they got so many hits on their website that it crashed. Also, no big deal.

  Watch It Here

  If you have only a few minutes, take a look at Grace's duet with Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart singing "Crazy on You." 

  

Song of the Day

**11/29/10
Beach Fossils - Golden Age
--------------Today's selection process was quite a challenge - I had a lot of candidates up for the vote, and I had a super difficult time figuring out who to feature today.

 To help, I turned to one of my many audio-spiritual guides: Pandora. I chose Real Estate for my station title and  was delivered a musical wonderland of surf rock, a sound that can be grainy with overdrive or calm like waves in sleepy electric guitar.

Beach Fossils were my top choice because they emphasize everything the genre can and should be. Take a listen, and you'll know what I mean.The sound is something like what you'd hear in a 1950's jukebox, but with a lot more punk and subjects that don't involve pink Cadillacs and sock hops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoyTJQk4Les

Song of the Day

**11/28/10
Nicki Minaj - Girlfriend
----------------It was hard to choose what song I liked best off Minaj's mixtape Barbie World. One run-through of the Cash Money protege's work was enough to convince me of her talent beyond the radio hits. It seems to be a reoccuring trend in hip-hop and rap that mixtapes outshine the commercial appeal of albums glittered up with pop hooks and shallow subjects.


Barbie World outshines Pink Friday without exception.When the focus is driven towards creativity in lyrics she forgoes the detour of celebrity collaborations. Her song "Girlfriend" is a friendship bracelet of Range Rovers, shopping and being badass with your BFF. It's girly with a punch, like Minaj herself. Other great songs on the mixtape include "Get Ya Paper Up" and "Getting Paid."

http://www.datpiff.com/Nicki_Minaj_Barbie_World.m92317.html

Song of the Day

**11/25/10
Real Estate - Out of Tune
---------------Today, the bird is the word. Thanksgiving is upon us and if you checked out our Twitter page, you already know what we're full of thanks for!

  Not to be denied a heaping plate of music, we'll give you one the size of a house. Real Estate have a song for any vibe and any season, and on a cool day with loved ones "Out of Tune" might be one of our favorites. The song's free-spirit blithe attitude of the instrumentals are juxtaposed with dark lyrics, like good food almost ruined by a shitty game of football or grandpa after too many drinks. Either way, "Out of Tune" is our selection for perfect harmony on Thanksgiving, or any day.

The album cover seen here is there new self-titled LP, released fall of this year. Pitchfork gave it an 8.5 out of 10. Sounds good to us!

http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/14740-out-of-tune/

Song of the Day

**11/21/10
Ice Cube - You Know How We Do
-------------Sorry guys, fell of the map over a horrendous flu and trying to make it through the week. Not a whole lot to do at the end of the week but Datpiff a bunch of rap, including N.W.A. member Ice Cube. Cube is smooth like Snoop with an effortless chill effect - like any popular West Coast MCs, the theme is relaxed with pep. In N.W.A., no matter how intense it is straight out of Compton, there's an effortless ambiance in Cube's flow.
"You Know How We Do" is the summary of Ice Cube and N.W.A.'s attitude. The Birth may be his solo album, but the street knowledge is still there.

Midnight Mix

**11/16/10
----------------Today there wasn't really any tune I could call the "Song of the Day." It happens like papercuts and procrastination, but I'll leave you all with a random and non-related mix for the evening.

1. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead (Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty)

2. Jimmy Eat World - Sweetness

3. Enter Shakari - Solidarity

4. Dr. Dre - What's the Difference

5. The National - About Today

6. Cat Stevens - Peace Train

7. The Scale - Interpol

Song of the Day

**11/15/10
Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La
----------------Not too many chicks would  take the experience of being thrown in the slammer. But even with frantic lyrics that beg for freedom and not to tell dad,  Dum Dum Girls make incarceration seem so tragically hip.

 Dee Dee, Bambi, Jules and Sandy hail from California, and they surround their off-color themes in sunny punk guitars and catchy choruses. They're sacred slam "Catholicked:" is nothing short of a Blackhearts influenced-anthem missing from the once-festering walls of CBGB.

http://www.myspace.com/dumdumgirls

Song of the Day

**11/14/10
Rihanna feat. Drake - What's My Name?
-----------------Rihanna's last album Rated R was kind of forced - I knooww she went through some rough times, but it wasn't much of a bounce back. But with steamy songs and tough-subject thinkers, Loud is the outrageous, red-haired scream that RiRi needed. There is (thankfully) a remix of the radio hit featuring Eminem "Love the Way You Lie," a song about sex in the air and of course, "Only Girl in the World."
 
  Lots to pick from, but "What's My Name?" is the stripped down sequel to "Rude Boy." The lyrics are plenty forward, but the beach-club friendly beat makes for a different, more romantic atmosphere.

http://perezhilton.com/2010-11-12-rihanna-whats-my-name-music-video-drake

Song of the Day

**11/13/10
Peter Bjorn and John - Nothing to Worry About
-------------In following the childhood code of no school, sugary cereal, and cartoons, Saturdays shouldn't be a day where you have to do anything but enjoy yourself. Finding that precious gift of free time might be easier today, and it could be more upbeat if you listen to "Nothing to Worry About." Peter Bjorn and John album Living Thing doesn't stick to one tempo or one theme. "Just the Past" and "It Don't Move Me" are two highlights of the album's variety. Check it out and have a great Saturday.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rIguM71LQI

Song of the Day

**11/11/10
The Nova Echo - Harps
--------------I know Asheville, North Carolina as the mountain-wrapped city of what was once The Dripolator, The Orange Peel, Moogfest and some of the best record shops in the Southeast. Never would I have guessed that Asheville is where The Nova Echo call home. Their high-energy power pop-rock is undeniably catchy and easy to get into, no matter what sort of sound you're looking for. Think Angels & Airwaves with a little more bite. Hear them in Asheville, Charlotte, or whatever venue they hit next - it's a show worth experiencing.

http://www.myspace.com/thenovaecho

Song of the Day

**11/10/10
Smith Westerns - Be My Girl
---------------There are a lot of bands out there on Last FM and Pandora and (insert name of music search engine here) that sound like a fuzzy-recording knock off of jukebox jams from chrome diners in the fifties and sixties. Lately, I've been attracted to those types of bands that would play in the dark side of a diner. Smith Westerns is a perfect example of that slightly punk-grunge tint that combines a vintage sound with other decades. If I could pay 50 cents to hear them with a burger and root beer float, I'd do it.

Smith Westerns is three guys from Chicago who apparently aren't even old enough to drink. But who knows heartbreak better than teenage boys? Be My Girl belongs on a soundtrack starring Michael Cera, maybe, but with the themes of "Be My Girl," it's nothing to pass up soon.

http://www.last.fm/music/Smith+Westerns

Song of the Day

**11/9/10
Feist  - My Moon My Man
-----------------So interesting thing about this month: it's really busy, and I've had a lot of trouble trying to find time to think creatively. Writing has been down mostly because of an obnoxious amount of applications, forms, tests, exams and projects - thus, the life of a college sophomore.

  That being said, my mood may not be feisty but I'm in the mood for Feist. Girl calms me down, plain and simple. One of my professors put her on during class today, and I was shocked to think she was cool enough to listen to her! But hey, Feist clearly appeals to anyone with her caramel smooth voice and this OK Go inspired video.

Fun fact: Feist is a member of Broken Social Scene, and her song "Mushaboom" is on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack (my new soundtrack obsession equivalent to that of Garden State).

Here's my November 9th resolution: I will make a VERY conscious effort to post more often!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltYq-jalYm0&ob=av2e

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.

Song of the Day

**9/29/10
Ben Folds and Nick Hornby - Things You Think
---------God knows I nearly feel forward out of my swivel chair when my co-worker told me Ben Folds and Nick Hornby collaborated on an album. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a music nerd, so when you blab off titles like "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy," I know you're talking about some great hipsterature.

In "Things You Think," Fold's makes music while Hornby gripes about his lost immortality, taking the kids to school and Dickens' lifetime wordcount. So grab your classic literature and plug in to Fold's new album "Lonely Avenue."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G5JaicYuVU

Song of the Day

**9/23/10
Four Tet - Angel Echoes
---------------Something about "Angel Echoes" is completely fascinating. It could be the disjointed voice of a siren-enchanting woman, or the barely there percussion and xylophone. Whatever it is, I like it, and if you do too you can check out Four Tet at Moogfest this year. Four Tet is comprised of one man, Kieran Hebden of the United Kingdom. His music is crowded with different noises and instruments so that each song sounds like a new adventure. It's literally an adventure - take it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpe4id7cLnU&feature=related

The Roadmap of Rock

Courtesy of StumbleUpon

Song of the Day

**9/21/10
Vitamin String Quartet - Bad Romance
--------------Lots of times you hear artists pay tribute to other artists by singing their own rendition of the song. This usually means singing the lyrics, but not for Vitamin String Quartet. The string quartet has done tributes to everyone from Panic at the Disco to Imogen Heap, but this tribute to Lady Gaga is quite fantastic.

Gaga writes all of her songs on piano before bringing them to the studio, so deep within the heavy machinery sounds of her album The Fame lies a maze of classical roots. The Vitamin String Quartet performance of "Bad Romance" sounds more like a baroque classic than a new millennium hit, blending genres perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyy1JNB7ejA&feature=related

Song of the Day

**9/20/10
Working For a Nuclear Free City - Buildings
---------------Musicians or activists? When I first heard the name I thought it was the title to a Panic at the Disco album. This ambient-electronica jam band from the U.K. take on a metropolis of frantic sounds in "Buildings." The song is labor and layer-intensive, much like the rest of their material. It's one of those groups that would sound cool under the influence and would fit the bill perfectly next to Broken Social Scene at Moogfest this year. You're lucky if you live in Manchester - Working for a Nuclear Free City are O.K.'d for three upcoming shows. Hopefully, though, they'll wander their way overseas.

http://www.myspace.com/wfanfc

Song of the Day

**9/19/10
Fruit Bats - My Unusual Friend
------------Today has been a non-stop marathon of typing, researching, note-taking and other things that are completely capable of ruining the gorgeous day outside these big library windows. Sunday is never a day of rest for me - it's when I catch up on everything I didn't do while I was doing nothing over the weekend.

Well, I did do one thing: got more music. After working merch table at the Infamous Stringduster show this Thursday I loaded their entire discography (thanks, Andy Falco!) to my itunes. Then I picked up Fruit Bats' album The Ruminant Band at a local record store.

The album cover reminds me of that Nick Jr. show Little Bill that used to be on when I was younger. Maybe that's why I bought it without ever hearing of the band. It turned out to sound wonderful and I'm very happy with "My Unusual Friend." Hear it for yourself and see if you like it.


http://www.myspace.com/thefruitbats

Song of the Day

**9/15/10
Gold Motel - We're on the Run
-----------I love getting requests. In fact if you enthusiastically tweet "Hey SongsAllSeven! Check out ___!" I'll likely shove aside any idea of who I wanted to post on in favor of your interest. So, in honor of one of my favorite followers, here's Gold Motel.

First impressions are everything, from the look of the album cover to the number of followers on Twitter - and that's before you even hear their music. With Gold Motel, I had very good vibes starting with the title of their new release, Summer House. Clear, beautiful vocals from Greta Morgan and a simple pop-indie melody make this band the perfect opener for Jenny and Johnny's I'm Having Fun Now.

"We're on the run" rambles through a devil-may-care highway adventure, not caring where the hell you are and racing time. Follow today's song with "Perfect in My Mind."

http://www.myspace.com/goldmotel

AOL Music's List of "Champions"

This might be the most exciting post of all time. Ever. In the world.

AOL Radio Blog has released their 100 Worst Songs Ever list. In case you're in need of an exasperated groan or a little laugh today, this list will reach into the cellar of your musical mind and dust off some, ahem, "classics."

Just for a little tease, Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" is Number 11. Creed "With Arms Wide Open" is Number 13. Baha Men "Who Let the Dogs Out" - Number 2.

What's number one?! You probably won't guess. No really, it surprised me too.

http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/09/11/100-worst-songs-ever-part-five-of-five/

Song of the Day

**9/14/10
Superchunk - Art Class
----------Merge Records formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as did their signees, Superchunk. Traditional punk with a pop hook here and there take Superchunk to a fun and relatable status of musicianship, borne of an early 90's bed of grunge and punk making new waves out of the underground. "Art Class" is warped with a few synth bridges and ooh-aah falsettos, but the excellent lyrics poking fun at artsy-types are what wins you over. Hear more of Superchunk on their album "Here's to Shutting Up."

http://www.myspace.com/superchunkmusic

Song of the Day

**9/13/10
Linkin Park - Dont Stay
-----------I haven't heard Linkin Park since my days of shredding up my garage on...roller-skates in 7th grade listening to Meteora. It was during my angsty-I'll wear pink and black and shop at Pacsun and Hot Topic. Nowadays I don't really look for their name in the new releases list, but when I hear about their latest project, A Thousand Suns, I gave their preview song "The Catalyst" a try.

For one, it's heavier on the whirlwind fantasy-Killers aspect than I remember, and much more bent away from rap. After hearing stuff off A Thousand Suns, I typed in "Dont Stay" and everything got better. This is the Linkin Park that I remember - Overdrive weighted power-chords with underground hip-hop foundations.

No offense to the new album, but for this fan, not much beats Meteora.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKry3R8J2mQ

Song of the Day

**9/12/10
Aluminum Group - Sweet Child of Mine
-----------I always feel like a battle-hardened warrior when the weekend is over. Like many people I shove all of my plans to Friday and Saturday so when Sunday rolls around all I feel like listening to is stuff that'll help me catch up on some sleep.

Wil Brian, a good friend of mine who owns a local coffee shop takes over the house's speakers whenever I come by just so he can show me an artist I've never heard of before. Makes me feel bad for the people trying to study whenever he plays bar-drinking Irish bands and 90's Seattle punk,but it's his place and he can do what he wants.

But Aluminum Group weren't the thrashing, energy-annihilating group I prepared my ears for. Surprisingly their cover of Guns n' Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" quietly swooned over acoustic guitars and echoing vocals. Aluminum took a hard metal song of sweet devotion lyrics and took some edge off of Slash's solos and Axl's falsetto.

Here's the video for their cover. The song starts at the 0:54 mark. Thanks, Wil!

Aluminum Group Sweet Child of Mine cover

Song of the Day

**9/8/10
Chromeo - Don't Turn the Lights On
----------Chromeo claim to be "the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture." A solemn proclamation for the Montreal duo that is easily backed by their new release, Business Casual. They've play annual handfuls of festivals and always get the thumbs up from critics. But I think to like Chromeo, you have to ditch your conventional idea of club beats screaming out "SHOTS!" and booty-grinding.

This song is, in all respects, a lame takeoff of a 1980s trying-too-hard-to-be-sexy anthem. Like a trendy prom dress you'll regret wearing 20 years from now, Chromeo "Don't Turn the Lights On" is a discotechque mash of Casio electro-beats and laser energy. A rave mix in need of a little dance-off humor would appreciate this for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrv-f2zfyvA

Song of the Day

**9/7/10
Megafaun - Volunteers
------------If you're one of those fun in the sun types of people who could stand with winter being kicked out of the season quartet, you might like music like Megafaun. On their day-old release album, Heretofore, the trio from Durham (that's DUR-em, not dur-HAM) North Carolina are ready to face any season with front-porch folk. They sing about dogwood trees and swings in "Volunteers," a lazy, sweet ballad that perfectly ends the final days of summer.


http://www.myspace.com/megafaun

Song of the Day

**9/6/10
Helen Schneider with The Kick - Weekend
------------So I caved in and listened to some of the new record I got on a completely non-vintage, non-cool site called Youtube.Uuugh (monstrous, tragic groan)I KNOW! How not hip of me! Who can forGIVE me?!
Yeah, uuhm, no I'm impatient. So I listened, and I liked. Weekend is the perfect blend of fun and forgetful, Idontgivvaf*ck taken hold of by early 80's synth that's actually popular nowadays with the more Pitchfork-y crowd. What we can only assume is that Helen Shneider partied like we do now, even back in the rad 80's with that bitchin' cover!...ok, I'm done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ev-y1sCl-o

New Vinyl

Went to FatCat's music today in Boone, NC. They've got a bunch of used LPs for about three bucks, some even for 50 cents. The left album I bought solely for the cover art - I'm thinking about removing the big ass Mirage Records sticker at risk of pulling up some of the album art. But isn't that an awesome looking cover for 1981? It's very 2010 at the same time, just shows you what goes around comes around.

The second one is obviously John Lennon and Yoko Ono's love project Double Fantasy. I'm interested to hear the rest of the album other than "Watching the Wheels."

Tomorrow's release day for tons of albums. Get excited!

Song of the Day

**9/4/10
Freedy Johnston - The Kind of Love We're In

------------Bad news, people, my record player broke. A certain relationship status of mine accidentally dropped it while moving in and now the needle is about as straight as spaghetti. Even though these things can be fixed, it happened right around the time I bought Ratatat on vinyl and I'll have to be patient until I get it fixed.

Current location: coffee shop. Song riding the steamy, deep smells of espresso: Freedy Johnston. It fits the breezy Saturday I'm finishing up and what better way than some jazzy, cabanna type guitar and one dude singing to a bobble-head puppy. Take a listen from his new album, Rain on the City.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1U6UhPHoA4

Alexis Worthington at Legends

A Look at Alexis Worthington

Take a look at Alexis Worthington when she's onstage. She's got a Fender on her shoulder, microphone in front of her and not an ounce of nerves shown on her face. Most artists have to fake this kind of composure through backstage ritual or pre-show freak-out.

"Usually I take an afternoon to myself, maybe nap, just chilling," she admits after her set. "If anything I make the set list, but sometimes I just wing it." Based on Worthington's effortless ability to share her music, you'd think she was playing for her best friends instead of a crowd of 200 strangers.

Worthington began writing music as a senior in high school. "At the time I was going through a lot of stuff, family and spiritual," she said. "It was a lot about finding myself and being O.K. with everything going on."

Though Worthington channels the acoustic-rock sounds of Colbie Caillat, Worthington takes on an unexpectedly thoughtful voice, particularly in her subject matter. What may seem sunny and bright instrumentally take on darker lyrics, like "Make You Disappear" and "City Lights."

As a senior Music Industry major in college, Worthington is anxious and excited to take her music to a professional level; recording. She and her three-piece band will begin recording a five or six-song EP at Fool on the Hill in Tennessee.

Worthington admits she doesn't have any idea what to call her upcoming release. "It's been such a long process, I should just call it 'Here It Is!'" Whatever Worthington's music is called, we'll be excited to pick it up.

Albums I'm Excited to "Buy"

**9/1/10
-------------Happy September, everyone! Man oh man, you know I'm excited for...more classes? Either way, the number of albums I'm waiting to (ahem) "purchase" are astronomical and I'll never decide on even my top four. If there was any doubt that this summer's concert season was anything but awful, then at least you can hang on to some great fall albums coming your way. The reviews of many are already posted on SPIN.com and the like, but I've decided to save you some extra typing on the search bar and list some right here.

1. Of Montreal - False Priest Sept. 7

2. Chormeo - Business Casual

3. The Thermals - Personal Life Sept. 7

4. Anberlin - Dark is the Way, Light is the Place Sept. 21

5. Maroon 5 - Hand All Over Sept. 21

6. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest Sept. 28

7. Jimmy Eat World - Invented Sept. 28

8. Megafaun - Heretofore - Sept.7

My reviews of these albums (whichever ones I select) are not going to be enormous, just a little blurb about whatever is going on in the album and how badly you must buy them. Believe me, you'll want all of these. Mmk?

Song of the Day

**8/31/10
Jonas Sees in Color - Luck and Love
-------------This Thursday I'll be seeing Jonas Sees in Color for the first time, and I'm pretty excited to find out what they sound like live. If bands have more than roughly five members, I'm always interested in stage dynamics and how they all mesh together. Judging by their sound and their lineup of shows this fall, I have high hopes. "Luck and Love" drew my attention because of the chorus, mostly because it makes you stop and listen. Jonas has that grab effect - once you start listening you want to hear more.

http://www.myspace.com/jonasseesincolor

Song of the Day

**8/25/10
Baths - Hall
-----------With all of the squeaks and blurbs and blips, Baths couldn't be classified in one specific genre. Their formula seems to be melodic and distorted, which happens to sound pretty creative in an ambient sense. The band from Chatsworth, California make music that evokes some of the same whimsical qualities of MGMT and the Flaming Lips (the lead singer sounds exactly like Wayne Coyne). They're going to be on tour throughout the U.S. and will even make a stop at a little local venue I used to frequent all the time. Check out their dates and their music.

http://www.myspace.com/bathsmusic

Song of the Day

**8/24/10
Gucci Mane - It's Gucci Time
--------------Believe it or not, but SPIN magazine named Gucci Mane's upcoming release, The Appeal, as one of the 25 Albums that Matter Most this fall. If you like hearing hard, dirty south rap and prefer your rappers straight out of prison, this is an album for you. The beat of "It's Gucci Time" is minimal and pop-driven, which can be expected throughout the album. It matters because Mane has grown out of just doing party tracks, even though "It's Gucci Time" says otherwise.It includes collaborations with Pharrell, Rick Ross and Swizz Beatz and goes on sale September 28.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr7_RfYSSB8

Song of the Day

**8/23/10
Colder - To the Music
--------A friend of mine who gets a weekly load of new music for his coffee shop introduced me to Colder this afternoon. It's catchy electro-pop is a product of French DJ and graphic designer, Marc Nguyen Tan. Take a listen to any tracks off Heat, especially "To the Music" and "Fade Away." Tan's music may attract fans of Joy Division and the like. Check it out on this shortened version on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX2OQktqkMQ

Where We Are Now

This is where we are now.
After a couple of days of moving and exploring my new home. Being a student affords me the opportunity to always move around and find new people to meet who have tons of new music. Lately I've been channeling my decorating skills and catching up with old friends.
Soon I'll be back to working shows and figuring out who's new in the music biz. I'll keep up with posting more frequently.

Song of the Day

**8/20/10

Marvin Gaye - Distant Lover

---------------Surprise, surprise, Marvin Gaye is responsible for more than just one song that makes girls scream so loud their vocal chords blister and snap. Gaye could very well be responsible for half of the procreation of the seventies with his hits. But why would today, a random August morning, be a day to recognize his music?

I saw an editorial in Elle magazine featuring Justin Beiber on holiday with a slightly older woman, a.k.a. Kim Kardashian. And while Gaye wasn't a small teenager when he made his name in the biz, the shrieks from his audience and Beiber's are one in the same, just different generations.

"Distant Lover" is a quintessential romantic slow-dance. Gaye croons and swoons over the woman that probably doesn't know he exists, and honestly, what better way to connect with the socially insecure thoughts of a teenage girl than nonexistence? The Beibs and Gaye totally get the ladies, no matter how old or young they may be.

More new things coming soon! I'll be getting into more concerts this fall and the drought of concert photography will be quenched soon.

Song of the Day

**8/17/10

Flogging Molly - Sentimental Johnny

------------I'm chalking the reasons for this post up to the fact that I just saw a program on PBS entitled "Celtic Thunder." I thought it would be some kind of MMA match filmed in Ireland or something, but it was a concert by the group, well, Celtic Thunder. They had mossy green digi-fog going over the stage and extremely attractive Irishmen singing about nautical metaphors and love.

So I dug around for my Celtic-inspired blog post and fell on Flogging Molly. They're from L.A. but their loud yells and outrageous energy keep crowds going as if they were bred and borne on Guinness. Get "Sentimental Johnny" from their debut album, Swagger.

Song of the Day

**8/16/10

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

------------If my posts sound a little rushed and happen after 10:00 p.m., I apologize - I'm in the process of moving and it's been an extremely consuming task. But Jenny Lewis' "Acid Tongue" is a fantastic unravelling of my nerves.

Acid Tongue is the slow-dance after the more uptempo sounds of Rilo Kiley. The album characterizes Lewis as an open-diary-with-extreme-metaphors kind of gal. Her voice epitomizes the lyrical fluency of a songbird, and each note is a lullaby that indie folk babies would totally dig over Mozart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvn28_tsyfg

Song of the Day

**8/15/10

Yashin - Get Loose!

----------------Take a look through AlternativePress.com's AP&R section and you'll definitely find some hit and miss acts making their way through free shows in church halls and local gigs. Depending on your mood or what you haven't heard in a while, you could find some nifty treasures.

Yashin sounds as if the music beeps like an orchestra of robots and has an interestingly pretty indie girl at the mic, but not quite. The six-piece shredders from the U.K. have a dynamic sound incorporating anthem-friendly guitars and intense, energetic vocals. Yashin have released a full-length entitled Put Your Hands Where I Can See Them. Check them out and give us your thoughts.

And by the way, their album cover looks like my blog background...odd.

http://www.myspace.com/theyashin

Black, White, and Hova All Over

Even with all of the new music picked up at the library a few days ago, today was a day for vinyl shopping. I explored a little outside of my usual section which should be called "Anything Older Than 1983," in favor of a newer artist. That usually means spending more on the record and surprisingly fewer options, but it's a risk worth taking if you find the perfect missing piece to your collection. And today it was a corner piece: The Black Album.

This is the only the third album I've bought wrapped up and scratch-free. Sometimes I can't understand why a $23 new album could be pitted against an $8 copy that's been opened and played once. But Jay-Z's Black Album was offensively on sale, and it seemed too easy to pass.

The top pictures are pulled from the photo collage included in the album. Seems a little cheesy for Jay-Z, a little too thug-scrapbooky, but appealing to dweebs like me who want to know more about the people behind recording and producing.

Middle pics: the list. With the help of Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Hova produced one of his most successful and appreciated albums of his career. You might recognize a couple of hits with "Change Clothes," "99 Problems" and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," which make any hit off "The Blueprint 3" seem like mixtape throwaways.

But the real stuff, typical with any rapper, is found on B-sides. "Justify My Thug" and "My 1st Song" along with "Lucifer" are some of Jay's crowning achievements. Take a listen to the whole album, including interludes. The progression is remarkable, the themes dark and unashamed.