Archive for April, 2009
Zoé’s Britpop and psychedelic influences set the band apart in its native Mexico. Produced by Phil Vinall (Radiohead), “Nada” constructs a musical bridge from Manchester to Mexico City. Comparisons to Placebo and the Cure are favorable, with moody keyboards, Duane Eddy–like guitar twang, and passionate vocals from León Larregui building to a climactic end. Let Zoé escort you down the tunnel into Mexico’s alt-rock underground. If you like the single, check out the album
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Phillip LaRue came to many people’s attention for the work he did with his sister several years back under the name LaRue. Now LaRue is back with his debut solo album and he’s got passion and songs to show for his absence. In “Chasing the Daylight”, LaRue wonders if his faith is like the wax wings of Icarus, not destined to last. You can rest assured that LaRue finds that this isn’t the case as the song builds to a glowing, ringing embodiment of alt-pop glory. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
One first glance at Empire of the Sun – from their album artwork, style, and song titles, and you won’t be sure whether or not you want to listen to them or stand in line at the theater to watch them on the big screen. They came across as either sci-fi diehards or glam rock warriors from outer space. Let it be known that the mastermind behind the group’s David Bowie-in-Labyrinth style is one Luke Steele. Steele you may know from his one man psychedelic pop project, the Sleepy Jackson. Walking On a Dream is the full-length debut from his newest incarnation. It’s a breezy mix of disco-pop, indie funk, and discombobulated yacht rock. Think MGMT, Phoenix, Alan Parsons Project, Prince – all filtered through Steele’s melody-heavy mind. Check out the title track. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
This week we’re taking a closer look at the music of Sarah Reeves, a 19-year-old vocalist from Alabama. “Come Save” is a track from her debut, Sweet Sweet Sound, and it’s a rallying, sweetly sung song of worship that addresses faith in a very direct and powerful way but also works as a showcase for Reeves as a pop vocalist. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Group Therapy is the project of Crooked I and King Tech, who work together (the former on the mic, the latter on production) honing skills and verses over claustrophobic live beats dotted with heavy synths and guitar arpeggios. Crooked I rallies against hip-hop’s current state, decrying the auto-tune (“unless it’s T-Pain”) and ringtone jams. But this cut is more than a “back in the day” ode to old-school. Group Therapy takes things forward with its dark minimalism and righteous anger.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Pedro Cruz Montesino and Chris Hierro make up the duo known as Taxi, Amarillo, named for the ubiquitous vehicles that travel throughout their home city of New York. Montesino spent years recording Cruzmonty, while Hierro has been tightening his skills as a writer and producer for just as long. Together they’ve crafted an emotional, rock-driven record tinted by elements of dance-pop and R&B. “Si, Te Amo” is the big weeping ballad that closes the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Cage the Elephant is a five-piece from Kentucky that caught our attention with this roots-y blues-rock number. Frontman Matt Shultz and his six-string-toting brother Brad display effortless chemistry on “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” with Matt riding a rousing slide-guitar lick with his slightly sneering, conversational vocal delivery reminiscent of a young G. Love. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Stockholm’s Ida Maria has a great rock ‘n’ roll voice – it occupies a kind of slurring middle ground between Joan Jett and the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. On this track – a bit hit last spring in the U.K. – Maria voices an often hard-to-face fact about relationships with punk-rock gusto, creating a jumpy pop tune that grabs you by the collar. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Band of Skulls — Russell Marsden (guitar and vocals), Emma Richardson (bass and vocals), and Matt Hayward (drums) — play a ragged, rough, and absolutely riveting take on rock ’n’ roll. Somewhere between howling, minimal blues-rock and sneering indie pop is where you’ll find this U.K. trio’s debut single, “I Know What I Am.” We’re confident you’ll fall for the band’s intertwining male/female vocals and jumpy, primal rhythms in the same way we have. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Headbangers take heed: Heavy metal vet Sacred Oath is back on the grind. The four-man Connecticut crew has been making a lot of noise since returning in 2007 from a two-decade hiatus. On “Counting Zeroes,” a sweltering guitar dissipates long enough for an impassioned Rob Thorne to sing about the shattered state of the world; then it returns for a little assault on your eardrums. If you like the track, check out the album.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
