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?