All the Right Moves – Self Titled

Formerly The Evermore Escape, All the Right Moves is another one of those bands (much like Go Periscope) that I simply can’t believe aren’t signed yet. Some record company is gonna snatch them right on up.

All the Right Moves is one of those bands that I hate to love. They’re not even pop-punk…they’re power-pop-punk. They try just thatmuchharder. Their debut, eponymous EP was released alllllll the way back in 2008, but the quintet from Minneapolis, Minnesota is currently working on a new album, due out sometime this year.

This album is everything you would expect a power pop album to be, but with just a little bit more. From the slightly ska-driven slash surfer rock “Wildfire” to the oh-so-painfully emo “Mona Lisa”, it’s just…fun. It’s a carefree, loose, enjoyable album. It’s cliche, it’s been done to death, it sounds like a million albums that have been out for years, and goddamn is it catchy. I just can’t help myself, but I’m a giant emo bastard. On the plus side, it’s not just a bass, a guitar, a drum set, and some kid whining into a microphone…they do apparently have some variety including piano and some kick-ass violin. I’ve heard of them referred to as a “piano rock band” and that’s a huge lie. It’s no Something Corporate, but it’ll do.

Another bonus? Solid quality. Produced by Jordan Mark Schmidt (All Time Low, Automatic Loveletter, Sing It Loud), this album is all neatly wrapped and ready for the masses and the radio stations and the screaming 15 year old girls. I have a feeling that these guys are gonna start popping up all over the place. They’ve already won some battle of the bands thing for Pizza Hut (kinda weird, I know, but hey, that’s how you get your name out there right!?), have had a few spots on the Warped Tour circuit, and have consistently stayed in the Top Ten over on Smartpunk.com. If you love shitty emo punk as much as I do, definitely check out All the Right Moves. You can get their debut EP on iTunes right now for super cheap, or you can stream it for free on their Myspace. B

“Dancer”

Broken Bells – Self Titled

So I know I’m a little late with this and have been a terrible blogger, BUT…

Dear Indie Geeks, rejoice in the knowledge that James Mercer loves you. He loves you SO MUCH.

Ever since I heard about the insane collaboration of The Shins‘ James Mercer and the utterly fantastic Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, I have been waiting not-so-patiently for their eponymous debut. Oh, how I love Danger Mouse. His collection of works, remixes, and ventures just makes me drool a little. From remixing Neutral Milk Hotel (of all bands) to Jay-Z to Gorillaz to Gnarls Barkley, the guy’s the goddamn Midas of the music industry. Add that to the incredibly talented indie-rock-god, James Mercer and it’s simply sublime.

So many people have been disappointed in this album and I’m really not sure why. Yes, it’s slightly over-produced, but it is James Fucking Mercer (that’s his real middle name in case you didn’t know) and Danger Mouse…what the hell did you expect? For them to make this album in their garage? Sorry, hipsters, that’s just not the way it works.

The blend of hip-hop roots and indie sensibility is just seamless. Who ever thought that that would come out of me? Really. It does seem that Mercer is the main attraction of this album, but you can really hear the themes of the vintage-inspired Burton. From the pop culture friendly “The High Road” to the nearly falsetto “The Ghost Inside” to the 80’s synth beat laden “October”, I love this album.

The only thing that I can possibly find to complain about is the length…at a mere 30 minutes, I just find myself really getting into the groove before the album starts over. Well, there’s rumored to be a new Shin’s album on the way, so perhaps we’ll get a larger James Mercer fix then. In the meantime, definitely take that half hour out of your day to check out this album. Absolutely incredible. B

Check out the complete album over on their Myspace.

“The High Road”

PS: Stay tuned for more ACTUAL blogs this week (I know, right!?) including Gorillaz’ new release, Plastic Beach.

Go Periscope – Self Titled

A year and a half after production began, Go Periscope has officially released their first, self-titled album! Hooray!

This album seems to begin with the songs that they’ve been pushing for months on all of their sites (see: previous blog) including “Crush Me”, “Breathe Deception”, “No Chaser” and Emily”, but dives into some totally new tracks. At least for the masses.

Even since I first covered them in November, the Seattle duo has spread like the herpes virus, popping up on Top Spot USA‘s list of breaking artists, MTV’s The Real World, and Oxygen’s The Bad Girls Club, all the while still rocking radio stations like Fusion Radio Chicago and C89.5 Seattle. Keep in mind that all this action is occurring around their first, self-released album. Imagine what’s going to happen when these guys get signed. It’s bands like Go Periscope that make me appreciate the fact that I don’t listen to the radio. I don’t want to get sick of them, and they’re an incredibly marketable band. Look at Owl City. I would hate Owl City if I listened to the radio. David Guetta, too! I don’t blame the artists, I blame the radio stations for not playing more than four tracks on a regular basis.

Anyway, back to the album. This is a solid freshman effort, especially for being self-released. It sounds spectacular. The only qualm I have about it is the song order. They put the majority of songs that they’ve pre-released at the beginning, leaving the new tracks at the end. What’s going to happen is that everyone who has been listening to them for the past few months are going to listen to the first few tracks, then begin the album over again. If you hadn’t listened to them in advance, this probably wouldn’t happen. I’m just hoping people listen to this album all the way through because it’s really quite good.

It’s got all the pumps, thumps, and grunts needed on the dance floor, infectious beats, just enough sex appeal without being raunchy, not to mention two adorable guys. These guys have really just…got it. I love this wave of new electronic and electronically inspired artists coming out these days! Go Periscope is on the forefront of something huge, so check ’em out! You can find their album on Amazon and iTunes right now! B!

The Soft Pack – Self Titled

Oooooooh, I know what I’ll be singing into my hairbrush and dancing like Molly Ringwald to later…The Soft Pack’s new, self-titled album released earlier this month.

Formerly “The Muslims”, looks like the boys of The Soft Pack finally grew up enough to know that controversy isn’t all that grand. Thankfully, their music hasn’t changed. It’s still that gritty “I don’t give a fuck” punk with a little bit of SoCo surfer and just a sprinkling of garage rock.

Formerly of San Diego, the Los Angeles residents seem to finally be making it to the main scene and I think the new name really helps. Post 9/11, you get a lot of ignorant assholes out there. According to the band, when they formed, the name meant “nothing to them”. Well, it certainly means something to everyone else now.

Anyway, this album’s awesome. This album reeks of cassette tapes and cigarettes and hair glue. It’s delicious. It’s got it’s poppier numbers such as the opener, “C’mon”, vaguely reminiscent of The Strokes. What ever happened to those guys, anyway? On the other side, it’s got grittier, garage rock tracks like “Answer to Yourself”.

It’s excellently…simple. It takes rock and roll to a stripped down level of just the very best parts. With basic guitars and too-cool-to-care vocals, you really don’t need much else to make a good punk album.

The quartet is currently touring over in Europe, but I’d love to catch them live. This albums seems like it would translate into a great, energetic show. The kind that makes life-long fans, even if you’ve never heard of The Muslims. Check ’em out! B

The Soft Pack’s Site

“C’mon”

Them Crooked Vultures – Self Titled

Led Zeppelin and Queens of the Stone Age have come together to have a very musically talented, if not a little deranged, love-baby. Compromised of Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), this band is…

Well, it’s three badass musicians rocking out. Three generations of rock and roll pumping directly into your brain. This album is a blend of both Zeppelin and QotSA inspired tunes, but with some decidedly original tracks thrown in there. This album is FULL of music. Every inch of space is filled with rich and expert sound. Every beat from Dave Grohl’s hands is perfectly placed. Every note from Jones’ reverberating bass is perfect. Every strum and lyric of Homme’s is wholly amazing, lilting in and out of incredibly composed pieces of music…

As for the album, self-titled and just released yesterday, it’s an ebb and flow of music. Rising and ebbing in unmatched waves, bringing you up and down just enough to keep you riveted until the very end. The bi-product of three genius minds, all equally obsessed with music.

That being said: I don’t like it.

I’ve been waiting for this album for weeks? Months? Ever since I first heard of this collaboration of hard rock glory. It was supposed to be the album of the year. The defining moment of 2009’s musical history…and I just don’t get it.

I understand where they’re trying to go with it, but I just don’t like it. I do find myself more drawn to the Zeppelin inspired tunes, “New Fang”, “Elephants”, “Reptiles”, the more trippy, 70’s inspired tracks. Some tracks on here are just plain fucking weird, though. “Caligulove”? Really?

Alright, look. I really want to like this album. I want to like all music, it just doesn’t work out that way. I’m still giving this album a B, because it IS original and it is musically superior to so much of the utter shit that the music industry churns out anymore. It’s just not my cup of tea.They look like tons of fun live though…Dave Grohl is an animal on the drums.

The Them Crooked Vultures Site

Go Periscope

Holla…where my ravers at? Meet Go Periscope…

Even their name just kinda makes me happy. This young, energetic Seattle, WA duo is preparing to release their first, self-produced,  self-titled album.

While Florin Mehedinti and Joshua Frazier began experimenting with music and production at an early age, they didn’t begin work on their first album until the summer of 2008. I’ll tell you what though, these guys have really stormed onto the music scene…already in the process of releasing an album and on not one, but two radio stations, Fusion Radio Chicago and C89.5 Seattle.

They’ve also gone all Lily Allen on us…seriously, what the hell did bands do before the internets? Not matter where you are…Go Periscope is there with you on Myspace, Facebook, Last.fm, Vimeo, Twitter, AND PureVolume. I can hardly keep up with a Myspace and a blog, shit!

These guys are fresh-faced enough that they could really go either way. Currently, they’re releasing soul-pounding beats with catchy, pop-tastic vocals in a neatly wrapped, radio-ready package. What’s a label not to love? They’re definitely marketable. With their years of experience though, they could easily dive into really making this their own music and really reach the outskirts of experimentation with their beats. Use that mass-media marketability to really bring a new light to the current electronic music scene. Right now, I hear heavy influences of David Guetta and the later years of Daft Punk, as well as 80’s new-wave like New Order and early Pet Shop Boys. (Read: fun!)

Alright, first off, check out that crowd. Granted, there were other performers there, but no matter who those people came to see, they were groovin’ out for Go Periscope. They’ve certainly got a stage presence as well. I’m not gonna lie…I love the Florin fist-pump. I think the only way that you wouldn’t be dancing is if you didn’t have a pulse.

They’ve got a few tracks available on all those various sites, from the infectious “Crush Me” (above),  to the shamelessly sexy “Breathe Deception”, to the stompy “No Chaser”. Go check ’em out.

Aaaand…watch this video:

Such silly boys! Go support your emerging electronic artists!

Rhett Miller – Self Titled

It’s amazing the shit you dig up while researching for a blog. It’s like uncovering a goldmine of information on someone…you know, kind of like stalking. I guess in a way, I spent today virtually stalking Rhett Miller. I feel kind of dirty.

Old 97’s front man and Texan heart throb released his fourth solo album, Rhett Miller, yesterday, and I’m diggin’ it.

Thing #1 I found out while virtually stalking Rhett Miller: He has a solo album that I had no idea even existed, Mythologies. I would have totally said that this was his third album had I not discovered this. I’m a huge fan of The Instigator, and while it did take me some time to come around (no pun intended) to The Believer, I do enjoy that album as well. I think it was just initially a little shocking to see the difference between The Instigator and The Believer, but this album is proving to be a delightful mix of the two. It seamlessly blends acoustic tracks, smooth as silk, overlaid with Miller’s classically vulnerable vocals, to pop-wonders filled with electric guitar, wild drums, and almost 60’s pop vocals.

Thing #2 I found out while virtually stalking Rhett Miller: His grandmother died recently, as did one of his favorite authors and personal hero, David Foster Wallace. I had heard so much about DFW, and eventually bought Infinite Jest. I thought that book was terrible. Like really, really terrible. Apparently DFW committed suicide last year after decades of depression, which sucks. When I first listened to Rhett Miller, I did notice a slight darkness to this album that his prior efforts lacked. Speaking in reference to the opening track of this album, “Nobody Says I Love You Anymore”, Miller says: “…I realized every lyric in the song I could bring back to something about my relationship with [Wallace’s] work. Like the lines, “Same time tomorrow, I know where you will be/Same place as always, right here beside me.” I imagined the copy I have of “Infinite Jest,” which is held together by duct tape and sits on my bedside table. Every morning when I wake up, it’s basically the first thing I see.” I never knew Miller was such an avid reader. I think anyone who has ever picked up a book has a book like that. I remember Hunter S. Thompson dying, and Kurt Vonnegut, and feeling something inside me die a little. Like we have these emissions of light in a world so dark and poof, they’re gone. With the state of society today, will we ever have writers like that again? Will we have people willing to tell the media to fuck off and write whatever the hell they want to write? Or eventually, will all media be so censored, that we’ll never have this again? Everyone will end up too afraid to test the system.

Whoa…I got way off track there. Back to Rhett Miller…

Like I said, this album has a degree of macabre to it that I have never heard out of Miller, but it still has elements of that southern sweetness with “Like Love”, “I Need to Know Where I Stand”, “If It’s Not Love”, and “Sometimes” (which was apparently plagarized from his daughter, Soleil. Royalties anyone?).

Amid all those sweet little love songs, Miller does throw in some ones to tap your foot to, like “Caroline”, “Another Girlfriend” and “Refusing Temptation”, as well as some tracks eerily reminiscent of early Elvis Costello, like “Bonfire”, “Haphazard”, and “Lashes”.

Thing #3 I found out while virtually stalking Rhett Miller: He is doing a guest thing over at Magnet Magazine this week. Warning: extremely charming Texan. He actually says “…holla!” *snicker*

All in all, this album is good, and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. B

Rhett Miller’s Solo Site
Old 97’s Site