When I was beginning to shortlist some albums here, I was getting worried that I wouldn’t have enough. By the time I finished, I have possibly more than ever. 2008 was a great year for music it seemed again, but it could also be due to the fact that by 2008 I was officially a complete music-obsessive, determined to hear and appreciate as music as possible – I was sick of listening to the same albums and same kinds of music over and over again, I was ready to just go out there and LISTEN. That’s not to say I didn’t do that beforehand, I just feel I was almost on somewhat of a musical auto-pilot for a few years of Prog, Metal, Alternative and Electronica. I was ready to spread my wings, and give Indie and other genres I thought “low” of another chance. This list is really in no particular order.

1) Coldplay – Viva La Vida (Or Death and All His Friends)

And if you want a good example of my previous statement, here it is. Before this album, I didn’t enjoy Coldplays musical output due to just being prejudiced against the indie-pop genre completely, however I enjoyed a few of their singles a little. This album, however, changed that view completely for me. And it’s probably in no small part due to Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins’ excellent production here. I think they made Coldplay THINK about their music, and pushing their musical talents to the limit a lot more than they were used to. They could have stuck to their arena, “adult contemporary” and radio pleasing sound, but they didn’t, something that I respect them for. Sure, a few songs still have that quality, but to me it sounds a lot better and more mature. It sounds like they’re actually putting in effort! The fact that they incorporated some odd time signatures in songs like “Yes!” and “Lost”, pleased the Prog side of me, plus the great experimental ambience heavily influenced by Eno in many of the songs introductions like in “Violet Hill”, “Strawberry Swing” and the album opener “Life in Technicolor”, while still keeping songs that can get stuck in your head AND having great lyrics too makes this album a winner for me. I think they’re going to have a hard time topping this album, but I really would like to see them try and beat it, rather than just stick to the formula that made this album great.

2) Portugal. The Man – Censored Colors

Portugal. The Man are a band I feel have improved with every album, and this album is definitely no exception. Despite this being the first Portugal. The Man album I heard, it didn’t take me long to listen to their previous albums and see what got them up to this point; and while their predecessors were good, this one topped them all. Filled with great synth work, eerie vocal effects, catchy pop style melodies complemented by John Gourleys excellent sense of lyrical cadences and a great ‘jam’ sense throughout this album with the last few tracks of the album being gapless, proves that this band are willing to push the envelope in musical experimentation, without denying their talent at writing a good song in the process. Their addition of tour keyboardist/backing vocalist Zoe Manville on this album really added another angelic, beautiful lyrical quality to this album, with Gourley and Manville complimenting each others vocal stylings so well. I had the pleasure of meeting this band earlier in the year, and they’re so humble despite writing great music and beginning to build an even bigger fan base. An all round great album from great guys.

3) Kings of Leon -  Only by the Night

Coming off of what I feel was a slightly disappointing but still enjoyable 3rd album came Kings of Leon’s magnum opus. I’ve followed this band throughout their whole musical journey so far, and supported their every move, and I must say that this album is probably one of the top albums of the decade. Their sound is slightly darker, and they’ve almost entirely removed their ‘country’ and Southern Rock influences, but at the same time, they’ve developed a good alternative sound without completely drifting away from the band they used to be. You can tell with Because of the Times that they were starting to get a darker sound, but I feel that they didn’t fully make it come together, whereas here, they perfected it. The album opener “Closer” is a fantastic opener, haunting, great use of delay and equally haunting vocals about vampires really makes you ready for the ride. Of course, they’re best known for their Grammy winning “Sex On Fire” and the ever popular radio hit “Use Somebody”, but I feel that every song on this album is damn good, whereas with their previous albums a few songs on each album were just OK to listen to. I love this album very much, and you should too.

4) Nine Inch Nails – The Slip

Many of NIN’s fans are divided on this one, personally, I love it. Sure, he’s gone for a more ‘mainstream’ sound, but is that always a bad thing? I still consider The Fragile NIN’s best work, but I find this album the most enjoyable to listen to. Reznor released this album as a ‘name your price’ online release at first, again, a bold move, but Reznor is making a good point. He wanted people to listen to this album, because in the end that’s what it’s all about, letting others hear your music. On top of that, he also released it to his online community, separated into individual tracks, allowing unlimited ways of remixing by his very own fanbase. And some of these remixes that I have heard are pretty phenomenal. He’s got some great arena filling songs like “Discipline”, “Echoplex” and “1,000,000″, and some songs that trace back to his roots such as “Corona Radiata”, “Demon Seed” and “Letting You”. It’s hard to deny that Reznor is a hard worker, before this album he also released Ghosts I-IV, a collection of instrumental works all binded together to form a seamless album ingeniously (and is in the Honorable Mentions below.)

Yes, 2008 was a great year for music, and I really had difficulty reviewing just 4 albums. So, as a possible one off, I’m going to have a Very Honorable Mentions, and the usual Honorable Mentions. So here we go…

Very Honorable Mentions

Beck – Modern Guilt
Bon Ivor – For Emma, Forever Ago
Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Demians – Building an Empire
The Duke Spirit – Neptune
Foxy Shazam – Introducing
Lady GaGa – The Fame
M83 – Saturdays=Youth
The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath
Minus the Bear – Acoustics
Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling
Russian Circles – Station
Shearwater – Rooks
Thrice – The Alchemy Index Volumes III and IV
TV on the Radio – Dear Science

Honorable Mentions

Amanda Palmer – Who Killed Amanda Palmer?
Apes & Androids – Blood Moon
Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Ben Folds – Way to Normal
City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love
Deerhunter – Microcastle
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
The Fall of Troy – Phantom on the Horizon
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords
Foals – Antidotes
The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound
Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair
Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
Innerpartysystem – Innerpartysystem
Maybeshewill – Not For Want of Trying
Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I – IV
Portishead – Third
School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

So, there you have it, 2008. We’re almost at the end of the list now, 2009 will be up before Xmas!

Iain

A lot of people are compiling their lists of favorite albums, bands, movies, television shows or whatever of the decade.  I decided it would be fun to try to get a list together for my favorite albums of the decade.  I was initially optimistic about the list, but I quickly realized how lame the past decade has been.  Anyway, these are my personal albums of the decade.  I’m sure most of you will either hate the bands or albums.   A lot of these are sort of sentimental picks.  Many these albums got me through some tough times.  Others were my introduction into whole new genres.  Some are bands that grew on me and have left a huge impression.  I encourage you all to make your own lists.  I would love to read them.

The List

1. Between the Buried and Me – Colors (2007) link
2. At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command (2000) link
3. The Mars Volta – De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) link
4. Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: III (2003) link
5. Circle Takes the Square – As the Roots Undo (2004) link
6. Muse – Absolution (2003) link
7. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American (2001) link
8. La Dispute – Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair (2008) link
9. Thursday – Full Collapse (2001) link
10. The Mountain Goats – All Hail West Texas (2002) link
11. The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Mongrel (2007) link
12. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator (2007) link
13. Café Tacvba – Cuatro Caminos (2003) link
14. The Postal Service – Give Up (2003) link
15. Three 6 Mafia – The Most Known Unknowns (2005) link
16. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (2002) link
17. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak (2003) link
18. The Blood Brothers – Young Machetes (2006) link
19. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Rodrigo y Gabriela (2006) link
20. mewithoutYou – [A-->B] Life (2002) link
21. Tenacious D - Tenacious D (2001) link
22. Paramore – Riot (2007) link
23. Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends (2002) link
24. The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower – Dissertation, Honey (2003) link
25. System of a Down – Toxicity (2001) link

Honorable Mention

• Alkaline Trio – From Here to Infirmary (2001) link
• Strike Anywhere – Change is a Sound (2001) link
• Blink-182 – Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) link
• NOFX – War on Errorism (2004) link
• Job For a Cowboy – Doom EP (2005) link
• At All Cost – It’s Time to Decide (2006) link
• The Smashing Pumpkins – Machina and the Machines of God (2000) link
• Bloc Party – Silent Alarm (2005) link
• Cursive - Mama, I’m Swollen (2009) link
• See You Next Tuesday – Parasite (2007) link
• Protest the Hero – Kezia (2005) link
• The Darkness – Permission to Land (2003) link

Thank you, Between the Buried and Me.

Augh, FML. Seriously. Why is there so much homework for me to do this weekend? Why is my freaking psych professor assigning the normal homework along with the gigantic semester paper? Totally unfair. I seriously should have made more time for this stuff during the week, but the thing is…even if I knew it was going to be like this, I guarantee I wouldn’t have worked on it before Friday at the earliest. I’m so lazy. Lol…it’s a “conditioned response.” THIS STUFF IS SO BORING. But at least I understand it a little better than some of the stuff in the textbook.

I am seriously a music downloading addict recently. Today I downloaded almost 300 songs! I got these albums off of various free (and probably illegal, l-lol) websites: Aimee Mann (Bachelor No. 2 The Last Remains of the Dodo, The Forgotten Arm, I’m With Stupid, Lost In Space, @#%&*! Smilers, and Whatever), Bob Dylan (Modern Times and Under the Red Sky), As Tall As Lions (You Can’t Take It With You), Dashboard Confessional (The Shade of Poison Trees), The Fall Of Troy (In the Unlikely Event), Franz Ferdinand (Tonight), Lenka (Lenka), Norah Jones (Not Too Late), Pat Benatar (The Essential), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), The Rolling Stones (Emotional Rescue, Goat’s Head Soup, Some Girls, Sticky Fingers, Tattoo You, and Undercover), The Strokes (First Impressions Of Earth), and Tegan & Sara (Sainthood). HOLY HELL THAT’S A LOT OF MUSIC, AMIRITE? I’ve actually been keeping a music downloads log so I can keep track of all the stuff I download.

I’m hungry but I felt kind of sick earlier, so I’m hesitant to actually eat anything.

I finished all 900 and some pages of Penny & Aggie that are up so far yesterday after school, haha. I like it a lot otherwise I wouldn’t have kept reading all of that. But yeah, it took forever.

I’ve been wanting to color I picture I drew the other day for a few days now and I just haven’t had the chance. It’s been minimized on my desktop for at least two days. I’m really tempted to color it and leave the rest of my homework for tomorrow, but I’m worried I won’t be able to get it all done. I have a math test, a psych quiz, assignment, and discussion board thing, and of course the psych semester paper. I’m thinking I’m going to try to finish part I of the semester paper and possibly the math test and then get to coloring if I have time. It just sucks ’cause what I really want to do is color. But… yeah, I need to pass. OTL I’m supposed to register sometime soon, I guess. My parents keep bugging me about it and I just feel like OKAY HOLY SHIT I WILL GIVE IT TIME.

Lily is constantly in my room with me. It’s really sweet. Haha, actually, now that I think about I think Lily has a conditioned response to “bathie.” c: She’s such a sweetie.

Umm…what else? I guess that’s it for now. BBL, wish me luck on my horrendous homework load!

Attendance at gigs no longer seems to reach the standards it once did. Whether that is concerning the economy or people’s general lack of interest in live music is hard to tell, but the fairly low attendance tonight has definitely not been affected by the hoards of teens off to see Elliot Minor.

Regardless, opening band ChickenHawk provide a welcome surprise. Combining heavy riffs and meandering rhythm, Chickenhawk powerfully open proceedings with an impressive set. At times the vocal stylings and heavy riffs have a similar sound to that of Cancer Bats before heading off into some completely unseen direction.

Having missed Twin Atlantic in favour of some football downstairs, The Fall of Troy were up next. Thomas Erak is as mezmerizing as ever, flailing guitar, hair and all while hitting every single note on his fretboard. By the end of a gig, there is not one single area of his guitar that hasn’t been played in some way or another. The band as a whole are on really good form for the small but appreciative crowd assembled. Opening with ‘Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man’s Bones’, the pace is unrelenting.

Following the recent release of latest album ‘In the Unlikely Event’, there is a decent amount of new material played. ‘Panic Attack!’ and ‘Dirty Pillow Talk’ actually sound more impressive than they do on record with a much free-er sound allowing the band to improvise at any given second. Upcoming single from the album ‘Single’ also transfers perfectly to the live stage.

It is overwhelming how good The Fall of Troy are live. Erak comments at one point how they will get around to making a video eventually, but he just wants to play shows. The practice that they have put in over the last few years and the amount of shows they have played has paid off, they really are flawless live.

The perfomance concludes with favourite ‘F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.’ before an encore of ‘Sledgehammer’, the latter ending the night perfectly with its blend of intricate chaos and awkwardly heavy breakdowns. The only restbite of the night comes in the form of a solo rendition of ‘Caught Up’.

The Fall of Troy put on a truly great performance and it is a challenge to find a band that are more talented and cram so many different pieces into songs. One second they can be threading riff over riff with different time signatures and the next playing an ambient five minute middle section. This makes them an interesting prospect to fans and even the merely curious, and they no doubt impress both sets of people.

As a sort of feature for every week, I’ll be putting together a collection of tracks for different genres from live performances. This week is the post-hardcore genre with progressive influences. All these bands have exemplified more experimentation in the post-hardcore format and stand out from the typical punk/metalcore scene that has developed over the past few years.

Progressive Post-Hardcore Live Mix by phildavis89

The Sound of Animals Fighting

The first track is from The Sound of Animals Fighting off of their live DVD, We Must Become the Change We Want to See. It was the only recorded performance of the band where they played in front of a sold out crowd at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. The Sound of Animals Fighting is a supergroup created by ex-RX Bandits member Rich Balling and features the likes of Anthony Green, the vocalist for Circa Surive, Craig Owens, the former vocalist for Chiodos, Matt Embree, the lead guitarist for the RX Bandits, Christopher Tsagakis, the drummer for the RX Bandits and several other guest appearances who showed up during the live show like Steve Choi from the RX Bandits helping on rhythm guitar and Joe Troy from the RX Bandits on bass.

The band’s sound can best be described as a fusion of the progressive punk featured in the RX Bandits with the heavier post-hardcore influence of Anthony Green’s Circa Survive and Craig Owens’s Chiodos. Their focus on more progressive scale verses is a fresh take on the power chord heavy genre.

The Fall of Troy.

The second track comes from The Fall of Troy. In early 2009, the band gave a visit to Hurley Studio in Costa Mesa, California to give a three song live set. The Fall of Troy takes a heavier approach to the post-hardcore genre, taking influences from bands like At the Drive-In and The Blood Brothers while creating crazy, technically proficient guitar riffs to drive their songs. To view the full set, click here for the video performance of “I Just Got This Symphony Going,” “Chapter III: Nostalgic Mannerisms” and the now titled “Nobody’s Perfect” (Called “Untitled” in the performance).

Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta. Picture taken by Nick Helderman.

Speaking of At the Drive-In, the last song on the playlist comes from the ashes of the highly influential post-hardcore with The Mars Volta. The performance of “Inertiatic E.S.P.” comes from the rare recorded performance of the band at the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town, England on July 9, 2003. While The Mars Volta tend to lean more on the progressive side with their music; the band’s first full-length release, De-Loused in the Comatorium, showed the band had not completely abandoned their punk and post-hardcore roots with songs like this one.

Folk, soul, blues, psicodelia, rock, indie e tudo de bom que você imaginar, é foda!

Faixas do álbum:

1. People Say

2. Work All Day

3. Lovers in Love

4. The Sun

5. The Home

6. The Woods

7. Guns & Dogs

8. Do You

9. Everyone Is Golden

10. Let You Down

11. Mornings

LINK – The Satanic Satanist

Parece com? The Sound of Animals Fighting, The Mars Volta, The Fall of Troy.

Clipe da música Do You.

Enjoy o/

Das letzte Album von The Fall of Troy warf Schatten und Licht gleichermaßen. Die Ausfälle konnten aber durch ein paar Stücke, die ganz im alten Stil waren, wieder wettgemacht werden. Trotzdem war die Erwartungshaltung für die nunmehr vierte LP, zumindest meinerseits, nicht sonderlich hoch. Spätestens als dann noch das schreckliche Artwork auftauchte, das so überhaupt nicht zur Band passen will, musste man Schlimmes befürchten. Da wo “Manipulator” zu einem Teil Neues versuchte und zum anderen Teil band-typisch klang, da hat “In the Unlikely Event” nur mehr wenig mit den Frühwerken zu tun. Sowohl die frickeligen Gitarrenarrangements, als auch die Vocal-Arbeit von Thomas Erak sind weiterhin markant, aber haben sich doch merklich verändert. Musikalisch bietet “In the Unlikely Event” eher eine Mischung aus Math- und Poprock. Die wirklich durchgeknallten Hardcore-Momente von früher, sind hier höchstens noch ansatzweise vorhanden. Wobei die Gitarrenarbeit weiterhin ziemlich technisch ist und die Songs immer wieder in eine andere Richtung treibt. Alte Fans dürften somit zumindest vom Anfangsdoppelschlag “Panic Attack!” und “Straight-Jacket Keelhauled” angetan sein. Auch “Battleship Graveyard” startet verzwackt, entwickelt sich nach nicht ganz drei Minuten aber zu einem käsigen Pop-Song. Es folgt zwar noch Geschrei und Frickelei, doch vorallem der schwülstige Gesang von Thomas Erak macht den Mittelteil fragwürdig. Das folgende “A Classic Case of Transference” ist dann ein, mehr oder minder, lupenreiner Pop-Song. Und selbst wenn er, wie so vieles auf dem Album, kitschig klingt, finde ich vorallem den Refrain ziemlich catchy. Mit das größte Problem auf “In the Unlikely Event” ist aber der Gesang. Erak war noch nie ein großartiger Sänger, aber für die beschränkten Gesangsparts der “klassischen” The Fall of Troy-Stücke reichte es immer vollkommen aus. Die neuen Songs sind anders und einfach viel stärker auf den Gesang ausgelegt. Und dem kann Erak’s Stimme einfach nicht standhalten. Vielleicht traut sich der begabte Gitarrist zu viel zu und versucht seine Stimme in Höhen zu bringen, in die sie niemals vordringen kann. Jedenfalls nervt das Gejaule des Frontmannes beizeiten gehörig und sorgt unfreiwillig für den ein oder anderen Fremdschäm-Moment. Als Tiefpunkt des Albums sei an dieser Stelle “Empty the Clip, The King has been slain, long live the Queen” genannt. Das hat nicht nur einen bescheuerten Titel, sondern auch einen Thomas Erak, der es mit seinem schrecklichen Falsett-Gesang endgültig auf die Spitze treibt. In vielerlei Hinsicht ist das neue Album also gar nicht so unähnlich wie “Manipulator” – ein Auf und Ab, mit Highlights und vielen Ausfällen. Allerdings sind die schwächeren Stücke auf “In the Unlikely Event” nicht nur vielzähliger, sondern zumeist auch komplett für die Tonne. Die coolen Gitarrenlicks, die immer wieder druckvollen Rhythmen, die paar eingängigen Refrains und das richtig gelungene “People and their Lives” können das Gesamtpaket leider nicht rausreißen. Es steht fest: “In the Unlikely Event” ist der schwächste Output des, eigentlich so talentierten, Trios. Eigentlich schade – selbst wenn man es im Gefühl hatte. 4/10

I was SO happy when I found this video. Here’s Thomas Erak from The Fall Of Troy playing “Webs” off their latest record “In The Unlikely Event”. And he’s wearing a shirt that I have too!

tuesday, september 22nd, 2009.
going offa old notes, here.

- brekky with michael: he cooked eggs and stuff – don’t remember what exactly haha! oops!
- fly in from long beach.
- meet with jericho: he picked me up from the subway station and we ate at stix — this kabob and wrap place which was pretty good!
- too late for la dispute show: it ridiculously began at 5:00pm wtf?? i called them and they were like, yeeeaaaaah a lotta our friends missed our set, too.
- go drinkin’: jericho’s neighborhood is kinda in a cool hip part of town. i forget the name of it but we went to a bar and the bartender chick made me a really yummy drink cuz the long island cost too much and i know nothing about alcohol and wasn’t sure what to order other than beers and shots and long islands, haha.
- overnight trip to detroit: not scary at all really and the people were all really normal and this is from quote unquote one of the shadiest cities in the states to an even shadier one (who am i quoting, you ask? no idea — i made up all of that completely!) but really, it feels like chicago has a mega bad reputation and i’m not sure why at all because even around the greyhound station it felt safe, and that’s practically the ultimate test, haha!

wednesday, september 23rd, 2009.
a day in detroit. i don’t have notes for detroit so i’m actually going to write it like normal-ish. got there really early and putzed around downtown. tried to find a hotel asap so i could get a map. went into mgm grand but it was fucking weird because it wasn’t really a hotel, but a conference center, so i just kinda hung out upstairs stealthily in the conference area playing around on the computer and most importantly, charging my phone!!! outside the mgm grand there were tons of “no standing” signs, which was my first time seeing them so i found them extremely funny (but since then i’ve seen them a whole bunch in other cities). eventually, as i was leaving mgm grand, i asked them for a map and got one and just walked around downtown a lot, really aimlessly, really. i think i got to detroit at like, 6:00am or something ridiculous like that, and i just walked straight down this main thoroughfare and past all these kind of ruined buildings and schools and stuff. got hit on… a lot. luckily, i could use the, “i don’t live here,” line, and i wasn’t lying. the first guy to hit on me i forgot the name of — i think it was randy. he was nice enough and i kept running into him and it was only the third time that he actually introduced himself. of course, i didn’t see him again after that. he told me to be careful down there. cute.

there were lots of really amazing victorian and otherwise-styled houses that were completely abandoned and overgrown. to be honest, i wanted to go to some more ghettoer parts of town but i didn’t feel entirely comfortable unfortunately.

there was a really old walgreen’s around, and this was their display window, full of cool medical relics and stuff. i reckon they got it from some houses around the area, but it was really fucking cool.

hung out in this starbucks for a while (blech) because it was the only coffee shop around, and it had the longest line EVER, i swear.

fox theatre.

found a falafel place and another coffee shop and kinda wanted to eat both, but i was looking for wireless and neither of them seemed to have it. eventually i was standing outside the coffee shop trying to steal their wireless when the guy in there motioned for me to come in, and i told him my plight, and even though they had wireless it wasn’t working on my ipod touch, so he lent me his laptop, which was really nice of him. he talked to me for a while and talked about this one book he was reading that said that asians had roots in africa and that’s why we tan and don’t burn and don’t need to wear sunscreen or something. he said from far away before i entered the store, he thought i was a black woman. interesting? i guess i am pretty dark right now?

random detroit tigers thing on an abandoned place next to the coffee shop.

giant general motors headquarters looms in the background.

came across the most amazing freaking store, man. it basically just stored stuff that would be put up for auction… such really, really amazing pieces in there. upholstered chairs, beautiful chandeliers, stained glass things… everything. amazing.

went towards the waterfront and there was this — the henry ford theatre, completely abandoned and falling apart in the heart of downtown. couldn’t go in, unfortunately.

waterfront. since i was in detroit for so long by myself, i sat in random places a lot. at this waterfront, i sat for a while, laughing at the guy next to me who was singing with headphones on… and singing really horribly. and rapping as well. and rapping horribly.

as i was about to leave that place, this one dude stopped me and asked me to take a pic, and i thought it meant me take a pic of him and his two friends. what he actually meant was his two friends take a pic of me. he was totally drunk even though it was the middle of the day. so i was like, whatever, and took a pic with him, and then he told me to go on a walk with him. i thought, why not, since it was the middle of downtown — what could he possibly do to me? so i went on a walk with him. he kept wanting to take photos and i kept saying no. we just walked along the waterfront a bit and then he brought me into the general motors building since i hadn’t been there yet. he asked me if i was hungry and i said not really. then he just goes to the cafe downstairs and grabs a salad and walks out. i’m thinking, wtf? but think he’s going to pay somewhere, and he doesn’t. we go upstairs and walk around and he keeps asking me what i wanna do, and i’m kinda incredulously saying that i have no idea. and then eventually we run out of stuff to do so we go upstairs to the starbucks area and he of course lets a businessman go in front of him so he can be the last one in line, then asks me if i like frappaccinos, then takes one and leaves. after this, i’m like, “i gotta go,” and he’s like, “why? do you want me to put that back?” and i’m like, “yeah,” and he’s like, “no!” and kinda grabs my hand and tries to leave. i keep insisting i have to go and am looking for an exit and we eventually exit. he’s this totally plump black dude with kind of a dirty shirt and reeking of alcohol — in comparison to these really nicely dressed businessmen and such. he’s fucking hilarious, though, on the way out he just stops by to talk to random strangers nonstop, including addressing one particular businessman as “donald trump”, which the guy found funny. amongst other similar funny things. anyway, i’m insisting that i have to go and meet up with la dispute (a lie, really, because i don’t have to meet up with them until much later) and he’s like, “well, before you leave, eat your salad,” and i grudgingly agree to do it… so we sit on a street corner and he basically watches me eat the salad. and i’m picking out the bacon and chicken, and he’s like, “why aren’t you eating that?” and i’m like, “i don’t eat meat,” and he’s basically like, “that’s why i picked this salad!” (which makes completely and utterly zero sense). after i finish eating it, i’m like, “okay, i gotta go,” and he’s like, “first drink your drink!” and i’m like, “i’ll drink some of it, but not all of it,” and i take a sip and then say i have to go. he asks me for my number and i give it to him, just for shits and giggles, really, cause even if he calls, that’s whatevers, go ahead and call. oh i should mention that throughout this time period he first starts off by calling me his girlfriend, then his wife, then his friend, then his sister. lol. hahahahahahahah. and that was his justification for being able to “borrow” food from the place — because his “sister” works there and he does that allllllllllllllllllll the time. anyway. he gives me a hug finally and says that if he calls i better pick up (he never does) and that i shouldn’t talk to ANYONE. which is hilarious.

abandoned.

hit up the la dispute show at nighttime, and it’s cool and stuffs. the show is good on their end but there’s an asshole next to me. such an asshole. first, his friend spits on the ground, and he’s like, “they’d cane you in cambodia,” and i’m like, thinking, dude, it’s not cambodia, it’s singapore, and then he says, “well maybe it’s indonesia, because they’re a muslim country, and muslim countries are backwards,” and he starts talking about muslims and basically how they all need to die because they’re soo backwards and in one muslim country a girl got raped and it was her who got punished not the rapist (truth, but that’s not ALL muslim countries, for starters). then he makes this joke about the dead asian girl who got killed at yale and then stuffed into a wall, and is like, “before she died she begged the killer, ‘don’t kill me, i sucky sucky for free,’” which is just in REALLY bad taste. and as la dispute are coming on stage, i pull out my dSLR, and his friend is like, “she has a dSLR,” and he’s like, “why am i not surprised?” and i was like, “you’re pretty much the biggest dumbass ever,” and he instantly fell silent. then i was just seething the whole godamn time because it’s fucking ridiculous! what’s worse — the dude isn’t even freaking godamn white. he’s like… a minority. i don’t know what minority, but what the FUCK.

anyway, la dispute’s show was fine, although their sound seemed a bit off and the main guitar wasn’t loud enough. might’ve been because i was on the left side of the stage, though. either way. after the show, i highly felt the need to tell the guy off. so i went up to him and said, “i’ve never done this before, but first off, it’s singapore, not indonesia you’re looking for,” and he kinda nodded and said okay and was really quiet and friend one kinda smirked and laughed, and then i was like, “second, not every muslim country is the same just like not every christian country is the same,” and friend two was like, “we don’t need a lecture.” lastly, i was like, “and the reason i have a camera is not because i’m asian, but because i run a music magazine,” and friend three was like, “you should put him in your magazine!” and i’m like, “what, douchebag’s corner?” and he’s like, “yeah!” and then i left. douchebags.

interviewed la dispute shortly thereafter, and it was a little teeny bit awkward because i don’t think they are the best people to interview and also, they’re young. but it was mostly fine (except i later accidentally deleted their interview in my phone in a fit of confusion and bitterness… completely unrelated, days later). but they were nice kids, for sure.

la dispute performing “sad prayers for guilty bodies.”

thursday performing “division st.”

caught part of thursday’s set and like the last some of the fall of troy’s set… then i leave before thursday finishes cause that shit is boring. CLICK HERE TO SEE REVIEW OF THURSDAY. i walk late night to the greyhound station in detroit, and it’s fine, cause really, how dangerous can it be? there’s like no one on the godamn streets.

thursday, september 24th, 2009.
- get in town at like 6:00am: take the overnight greyhound from detroit. sleep on couch pretty much right after jericho leaves his house to go to work.
- freak out jericho’s roommate’s bf: well, he woke up at 11:00am or something and was yapping on the phone and even walking back and forth from the dining room to the bathroom (and crossing where i was) and i finally stirred and he was like HOLY SHIT I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE THERE!! not the most observant feller, evidently.
- meant to wake up at 9am but phone was on silent so i woke up at noon: again, because of jericho’s roommate’s bf.

- planetarium at 3pm after bus confusion: i thought i’d miss the last showing and almost didn’t go because the place closed at 4pm, but there was actually a 3:30 showing.
- caught 3:30 showing.


- saw cool old-school diorama stuff, like a fake physics classroom from way back in the day. also, in the first pic above, a teeny tiny book galileo wrote on. it was actually legible :0 second pic above is an old school sundial.
- learned the north star isn’t the brightest; sirius is: but i actually almost fell asleep during some parts of the planetarium showcase. oops.

skyline near the planetarium.
- walked around downtown.


buckingham fountain (aka “married with children” fountain)… the first pic is supposed to be a seahorse that’s on it. hahahahhahhahah. sea horse, my ass.

cool ass art installation thing downtown.
- raining!

dinosaur!!

street puppet car or something, but i didn’t actually see the performances or anything.



- deep dish pizza!!!!! from gino’s east. SO GOOD.

jericho! yay! thanks!

- chairlift / micachu and the shapes: at schubas tavern. it was initially a close call between pizza and the show but the show ended up being later than it was originally supposed to be.
- angry heckling guy: really hated micachu and the shapes and went up to them asking them, “what is this??” and the keyboardist chick is like, “what is what?” and he’s like, “that… is that music? that’s not music.” he was really angry. i was like, “music means different things to different people,” and he said, “i’m asking HER.” ridiculous. he was such a douche. and such a douche in particular because for these situations, the band you came to see (chairlift) is the band that brought the band you hate (micachu and the shapes) so they obviously consider that band to be MUSIC. – READ MY REVIEW OF THIS SHOW HERE!

micachu and the shapes performing “curly teeth”.

chairlift performing “garbage”.
- crazy detroit sports fan: stopped us in the street after we were leaving the show and was babbling about how safe chicago was and how you couldn’t walk around at night in detroit or go jogging (a lie, really, because i definitely saw people jogging!)
- bed!!

Yeah, that’s right. This is now a classical music blog! And we’re going to start this new era of blogging by celebrating the life, music, and all-around awesomeness of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest child prodigies ever known to man. The guy had such a good ear for music that by the time he was, like, five years old he could listen to someone play a piece on the harpsichord and then sit down and play it himself note for note. That’s pretty remarkable talent, man.

Plus, you know a classical composer is awesome when he’s got movies, ’80s one-hit wonders, and Simpsons parodies of said ’80s one-hit wonders inspired by his greatness.

I LOVE YOU, DOCTOR ZAIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so I’m not actually going to start writing about classical music on this blog. It’s still the same rock/indie/metal/etc. blog as always. I’m just in a goofy mood at the moment. Not that you’d know this from looking at me, because I am sitting alone in my apartment on a Saturday night typing all this while the rest of the world is having fun without me. I’m 23 years old and I’ve already apparently forgotten what it’s like to be young… or maybe I just don’t feel like cramming into bars that are already so stuffed with people that I can’t get from point A to point B without taking a detour through points C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z, not necessarily in that order and also allowing for possible repeats.

And yes, I only named all the letters between C and Z for additional effect. Just be glad I didn’t start getting into the Greek alphabet, or all those letters Dr. Seuss made up in On Beyond Zebra.

Not pictured: Spazz, Floob, Zatz, Jogg, Flunn, Itch, Yekk, Vroo, Hi!, and that one that combines all 26 "normal" letters.

Anyway, now that I’ve gotten my little mini-rant about the College Park bar scene off my chest, it’s time for my not-so-weekly Picks Of The Week! You can find them all after the jump.

Phoenix, “1901″

Not too long ago I picked up a copy of Phoenix’s album It’s Never Been Like That. I got it on the strength of songs like “1901,” which isn’t even on that album — it’s on their new one, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. That’s how good this song is — it’s made me check out albums from this band that didn’t feature this song before picking up the one it’s actually on!

In all seriousness, though, “1901″ is pretty much a perfect indie-pop song, and it comes courtesy of a band that specializes in creating really good indie-pop songs. It’s so freaking catchy that it will burrow into your brain like –  to borrow a phrase from U2 — a MOLE digging in a HOLE, digging in your SOUL. Or something like that. Easily one of my favorite singles of the year so far.

Hopefully Cadillac won’t ruin this song for me the way they almost ruined Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll.” And don’t even get me started on how sick I still am of John Mellencamp’s “Our Country.” I was damn near ready to boycott everything that guy’s ever done because of one really annoying Chevy ad campaign. Over the course of one football game, you’d hear that freaking song enough to last you two years. Now lather, rinse, and repeat that for every football game and any other sporting event you may have watched.

Grizzly Bear, “While You Wait For The Others”

Speaking of bands who have developed a knack for crafting perfect indie-pop singles, here’s Grizzly Bear, whose “Two Weeks” was featured in my last Picks Of The Week post. “While You Wait For The Others” is more guitar-driven and features a change in lead vocalists than Veckatimest’s other single (“Two Weeks” had Ed Droste on lead vocals, while Daniel Rossen handles them here). It still showcases their Beach-Boys-esque flair for vocal harmony arrangements and also features highly hummable hooks (oh, the alliteration!), especially in the verses.

The Fall Of Troy, “Single”

This song has a pretty well-chosen title for a number of reasons. First, as singer/guitar virtuoso Thomas Erak explains, “Single” is a song about… well, being single. He also says it’s the first single from their new album In The Unlikely Event. It’s probably one of their catchiest and most instantly accessible songs to date, though my favorite part of this song is that muted guitar line Erak plays during the verses.

Another early favorite from this album is “Nobody’s Perfect,” which also features a memorable verse guitar melody and accessible vocal hooks. Then it suddenly morphs into a dark and angry breakdown-filled scream-a-thon.

Interpol, “Rest My Chemistry”

Our Love To Admire is generally considered Interpol’s weakest album by a pretty considerable margin, but it’s still got plenty of quality songs that make it worth a listen. “Rest My Chemistry” is probably my favorite of the bunch, primarily due to its simple yet incredibly infectious guitar work. I really like that jangly, shimmering guitar sound that Interpol gets in just about all their songs, but for some reason it sticks out to me even more with this one. It’s even more likely to stick in my head than the vocal melody in the verse, which I like a lot as well. Also recommended from Interpol is “C’Mere,” a single from Antics that gets stuck in my head whenever I hear it, though I haven’t listened to it in a while.

Minus The Bear, “Into The Mirror”

Cue the Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing”: I want my… I want my… I want my MTB! NEW MINUS THE BEAR! WOO-HOO!

“Into The Mirror” wasn’t actually supposed to be released until the end of this month, but then the song popped up on Imeem a week or two ago. It’s like an extension of their Planet Of Ice sound, which is good news if you’re like me and you LOVE Planet Of Ice. The new MTB album comes out in early 2010 and frankly it can’t get here soon enough.

And as if that wasn’t awesome enough, they’ll be playing a show in West Chester, Pennsylvania on November 14. Why is this awesome, you ask? Because that’s where I’m from — the city that gave you Bam Margera, Viva La Bam, CKY (Bam Margera’s brother’s band), and… um… other things that may or may not be associated with Bam Margera. Oh, and guess who owns the venue MTB will be playing at in West Chester? That’s right… Bam Margera. The place is, like, ten minutes down the road from where I live.

So that about covers all my Picks Of The Week for this week. See you the next time I feel like picking some more songs, because given the history of this feature, it sure as hell won’t be next week.

Written By: Pablo Cortez
Photo Credit: Dustin Roe

See all of Dustin’s Dear Hunter/Fall of Troy photos here.

I had a chance to catch up with the guys from Fall of Troy at their October 15th show at the Knitting Factory. The show itself was classic FoT; loud, fast and frenetic. The crowd knew who they were there to see, and added to the energy of the place by singing along and moshing it up. We managed to snag some time with the trio backstage pre-show for the following interview.

PC: How do you guys go about writing your music?

Andrew: Lyrics are pretty strictly him (Thomas). He brings us the guitar outline and then we all hash it out.

Andrew: We all make sure to say, “What’s the best thing that this could be?”

PC: You’re all from up north right?

Thomas: Yes.

Frank: I’m from San Diego (via San Jose).

Thomas: We’re from north of Seattle.

PC: What’s the scene difference from up there to down here (Los Angeles) as far as your fan base? Do you see a big difference?

Thomas: People treat us more like we are more…

Andrew: Cool.

Thomas: Yeah, people like celebrity down here more, so we kind of get treated that way a little bit more. It’s interesting, it’s weird to come here and have people recognize you, talk to you and want to hang out with you.

PC: You guys were kids when you started right? How old were you?

Thomas: Me and Andrew were 17 and 16.

Andrew: I was 16. I had just gotten my license, and I got in that accident on the way to practice.

Thomas: Pretty much since I was 18. It’s been a progressive coming-together since then.

PC: Frank, how you get involved with the band, did you get a call?

Thomas: Yeah, he got a call!

Andrew: Oh, he got a call! “Hey Frank, we’re having a really bad time. You want to play bass?”

Thomas: Frank was like, “Well, I’m working at UPS, yeah I’ll play.”

Frank: Loading trucks, dealing with dicks or play bass with these guys.

Thomas: You’re still loading trucks and dealing with dicks, but at least you get to play music now.

Frank: Minimal breaks, minimal money, minimal hours, minimal everything.

Andrew: Basically, we saved his life. No, I’m just kidding. We gave you so much more stress.

Thomas: Frank, you always wanted to play music, be in a band.

Frank: No, no. Stress… I can handle the stress. As long as I can get some girls, some gigs and a giggle.

PC: (To Frank)Was it easy to get into playing with these guys?

Frank: I was really familiar with their songs, so it was just like the act of covering notes and playing.

Andrew: You’re a phenomenal player.

Thomas: I think more than anything it was him (Frank) going from being a guitar player to a really good bassist.

Frank: It could have been me just playing with them, but you have to care about something, you got to love what you’re doing.

PC: Do you guys have a favorite track on the new album?

Andrew: I like them all, but the one that’s different for me is “Nature vs Nurture.”

Frank: “The Classic Case of Transference.”

Thomas: “Battleship Graveyard” is probably my favorite. “Dirty Pillow Talk” is pretty good too.

PC: Do you have a certain inspiration you guys look to?

Thomas: I think we all have different inspirations we look to.

Andrew: First and foremost, what we want to listen to. We all have our personal influences per our instruments.

PC: Seems you guys bring a lot of different stuff together.

Thomas: That’s the point.

Andrew: It’s the meshing of the parts, the sum is greater than the parts in this band.

Thomas: The whole is bigger than the piece.

Andrew: That’s what I just said, exactly.

Thomas: But I said it in a different way.

Andrew: Cheers to that!

PC: That’s pretty much all I have for you guys. Anything you’d like to add for the fans?

Thomas: Go check out the new record and come out to a show.

Andrew: Definitely.

Check out CWG’s review of “In The Unlikely Event“

Look everyone! I’m still alive, and I haven’t completely forgotten about this blog!

Sorry I’ve gone an eternity or two (closer to two at this point) without updating anything. I’ve kind of been busy — papers to write, midterms to prepare for… you know, college stuff. As a result, I haven’t really been in the mood to write much lately. College would be so much better without all that crap, wouldn’t you agree? (And yes, I know that would completely defeat the purpose of college. This does not change the fact that midterms and essays suck ass.)

Anyway, my birthday was a few weeks ago and I turned — gulp — 23. (My youth is all but officially over and I don’t even feel like it’s started yet. Can I get a do-over on this whole “life” thing? No? Well, that sucks.) I got some presents — as of September 27, 2009, I officially became multi-instrumental when I got a bass guitar — and some money to spend. Which means it’s time for another Colin’s Collection post! Yay!

I don't know how to use Photoshop, so just pretend this is my face and "COLIN FRATTURA" replaces "JIM CARREY" and the tag line reads "HOLY CRAP, THAT'S OLD."

All the albums I’ve recently added to my collection can be found after the jump. Check it out! THAT’S AN ORDER, DAMMIT!

RX Bandits: Mandala

• I looked all over the place for this album all summer long, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. My parents were kind enough to track it down on Amazon and send it to me for my birthday. (Thanks Mom and Dad!)
• The Bandits’ newest album finds the progressive-ska-rockers completely hornless for the first time in their career. Not that this ends up being a detriment to their sound, because the rest of the band is still there and the awesome guitar work remains completely intact.
• I’m pretty sure “Hope Is A Butterfly, No Net Its Captor, She Beats Her Wings And Softly Sings Of Summer Scent And Children’s Laughter (Virus Of Silence)” takes its title from a famous poem, but I can’t remember where I think it comes from and I can’t find such a poem anywhere. I guess that means I’m wrong and the Bandits made the title up, but still… it sounds so familiar.

“March Of The Caterpillar”

Muse: The Resistance

• An interesting variety of tunes on this one. Songs like “Uprising,” “Undisclosed Desires,” and “I Belong To You” continue in the poppier direction of “Supermassive Black Hole” from Black Holes & Revelations, so if you liked that one, you’ll like this. Meanwhile, “United States Of Eurasia” (SIA! SIA! SIA! SIA!) is a big theatrical orchestra-driven Queen-like epic, while “Unnatural Selection” sounds like Queens Of The Stone Age covering Muse’s own “New Born” and is made of pure awesome. And then there’s the “Exogenesis Symphony,” which I played in full on my show a couple weeks ago.
• With “Uprising,” “Undisclosed Desires,” “United States Of Eurasia,” and “Unnatural Selection,” I’m pretty sure Muse has set the new world record for the most song titles that begin with the letter U on a single album. I have no idea who previously held this record, but something tells me it was Prince. Call it a hunch.
• Saw these guys opening for U2 on 9/29/09 at FedEx Field and they sounded great. I just wish the stupid “claw” design of U2’s 360 Tour stage didn’t almost completely block my view of them! Also, they need to go on a headlining tour of the US some time. That would be pretty sweet.

“Unnatural Selection”

Thrice: Beggars

• Quite an interesting career path these guys have taken. They started off as “melodic hardcore” (that’s Wikipedia talking right there), then started getting a little more experimental with their later albums, and on The Alchemy Index they tinkered with cold electronics and acoustic folk-rock. Their newest album Beggars is a pretty solid collection of straight-up alternative rock tunes.
• The physical release of Beggars comes with a link to a website where you can download five bonus tracks, including two B-sides, two remixes, and a cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.”
• Fun fact: the first I heard of these guys was in Madden NFL ‘04 — their song “All That’s Left” is featured on that game’s soundtrack.

“In Exile”

Phoenix: It’s Never Been Like That

• I haven’t been able to stop listening to “1901,” the hit single from their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and the new Cadillac jingle (just as I was starting to be able to listen to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll” without thinking of those freaking cars).
• I also haven’t been able to find Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix anywhere just yet — or at least not now that I’m interested in getting it. Figures, huh?
• Phoenix have been popping up all over the place lately now that they’re starting to hit it big here in the States. They’ve performed on every late-night show on American television except for Carson Daly’s show and Jay Leno’s new show. You can also hear “1901″ and “Lisztomania” in several film trailers and TV shows. Talk about a meteoric rise to fame — even though Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is actually their fourth album.

“Courtesy Laughs”

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

• That’s right, I finally decided to grab a copy of the album that spawned my favorite song of the summer and one of the songs in my last Picks Of The Week post, “Two Weeks.” I still can’t stop listening to that one, and it’s been nearly two months since the first time I heard it.
• Grizzly Bear, as I’m sure everyone knows by now, will have a song called “Slow Life” featured on the soundtrack to the new Twilight movie, which comes out next week and basically features a who’s who of current indie and alternative stars. The soundtrack also includes songs from Death Cab For Cutie, the Killers, Muse, OK Go, Bon Iver, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and some guy named Thom Yorke.
• These guys recently earned themselves the adulation of none other than fellow Brooklyn native Jay-Z. Who knew Hova was so into this kind of music? Then again, he did say he gave Radiohead fifty bucks for In Rainbows, so I guess it’s not too surprising.

“Ready, Able” (live on The Late Show with David Letterman 7/16/09)

Well, that about covers it for now. I’ve still got my eye on a few albums that I haven’t found anywhere just yet, including two Cave In albums and the new Fall Of Troy album In The Unlikely Event, which just came out last week. See you next time my lazy ass gets around to updating this blog!

Release Date: 2003
Similar Artist:The Thirty Years War, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Tera Melos
Genre: Progressive / Experimental / Mathcore
Myspace: The Fall Of Troy

1. ROCKSTAR NAILBOMB!
2. Spartacus
3. The Circus That Has Brought Us Back to These Nights (Yo Chocola)
4. Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles
5. The Last March of the Ents
6. F.C.P.S.I.T.S.G.E.P.G.E.P.G.E.P.
7. Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man’s Bones
8. Reassurance Rests in the Sea
9. The Adventures of Allan Gordon
10. I Just Got This Symphony Goin’
11. What Sound Does a Mastodon Make?

Download

Release Date: 2009
Similar Artist: The Thirty Years War, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Tera Melos
Genre: Experimental / Hardcore / Progressive
Myspace: The Fall Of Troy

01. Panic Attack! ( 3:34)
02. Straight-Jacket Keelhauled ( 2:23)
03. Battleship Graveyard ( 5:10)
04. A Classic Case Of Transference ( 4:42)
05. Single ( 3:05)
06. Empty The Clip, The King Has Been Slain, Long Live The Queen ( 3:17)
07. People And Their Lives ( 6:18)
08. Dirty Pillow Talk ( 4:17)
09. Nobody’s Perfect ( 4:43)
10. Webs ( 4:17)
11. Walk Of Fame ( 5:19)
12. Nature Vs. Nurture ( 5:42)

Download

If you don’t already know, The Fall Of Troy have been my favourite band since the first time I heard “I just got this symphony goin’” featured on their self titled album.

Here’s an old Fall Of Troy article I like. When Tim Ward was still part of the band/ before his departure…

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/putting-the-fall-in-the-fall-of-troy/Content?oid=207324

Tim Ward currently has some demos of music he’s been making over here on his MYSPACE

Here are this week’s new music releases:

Todd Agnew – Need
Air – Love 2
The Aliens – Luna
Rusty Anderson – Born On Earth
Arch Enemy – The Root of All Evil
Backstreet Boys – This Is Us
The Black Hollies – Softly Towards the Light
Luke Bryan – Doin’ My Thing
Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
Brandi Carlile – Give Up the Ghost
Rosanne Cash – The List
Exene Cervenka – Somewhere Gone
Vic Chesnutt – Skitter on Take Off
The Cinematics – Love And Terror
The Clientele – Bonfires on the Hearth
Mike Doughty – Sad Man Happy Man
Elliott Brood – Mountain Meadows
Tinsley Ellis – Speak No Evil
Bill Engvall – Aged And Confused
Everclear – In a Different Light
The Fall of Troy – In the Unlikely Event
Fool’s Gold – Fool’s Gold
Lita Ford – Wicked Wonderland
The Gossip – Music For Men
Calvin Harris – Ready for the Weekend
Hawk Nelson – Live Life Loud
Hockey – Mind Chaos
HORSE the band – Desperate Living
The Irish Tenors – The Irish Tenors Christmas
Jamie T. – Kings & Queens
Daniel Johnston – Is and Always Was
Toby Keith – American Ride
Blake Lewis – Heartbreak On Vinyl
Mission of Burma – The Sound, the Speed, the Light
The Mountain Goats – The Life of the World to Come
Maria Muldaur – Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy
N’dambi – Pink Elephant
Me’Shell NdegeOcello – Devil’s Halo
Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring
Nick Oliveri – Death Acoustic
Joe Perry – Have Guiar, Will Travel
Port O’Brien – Threadbare
Powerman 5000 – Somewhere on the Otherside of Nowhere
The Raveonettes – In & Out of Control
Redemption – Snowfall on Judgment Day
Relient K – Forget and Not Slow Down
Steel Panther – Feel The Steel
Sufjan Stevens and Osso – Run Rabbit Run
Tiësto – Kaleidoscope
Tokio Hotel – Humanoid
The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa
Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy
BeBe & CeCe Winans – Still
WOW Hits 2010 compilation album
The xx – xx

First let me start by saying this is probably the best Tuesday of this year as far as new releases go.  So much excitement! I am going to start marking all the releases I am buying with an asterisk so you know if I am willing to pay money for said album.

Air – Love 2 [Unlikely to admit it openly (I guess I just did) but I am quite interested in this one]*

Backstreet Boys – This Is Us [ Thats right people- Backstreet's back. . .alright]

Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy [SO EXCITED!!]*

Mike Doughty – Sad Man Happy Man [Also extremely exciting]*

Everclear – In A Different Light [Less interesting than the Backstreet Boys if thats possible]

The Fall Of Troy – In The Unlikely Event [Pumped enough to have purchased it]*

The Gossip – Music For Men [Maybe someday I will give this a chance]

Kiss – Sonic Boom [...]

The Mountain Goats – The Life Of The World To Come [w00t!]*

A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head [Shoegaze isn't my thing and I bought this anyway]*

Sufjan Stevens – Run Rabbit Run [Who doesn't want more Sufjan]*

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane [I am intrigued but not enough]

That is all,

–Ben

Hit the jump for this week’s new releases.

• Mayday Parade – Anywhere But Here
• Relient K – Forget And Not Slow Down
• Strike Anywhere – Iron Front
• Lights – The Listening
• The Fall Of Troy – In The Unlikely Event
• Blessthefall – Witness
• Racing Kites – Right Here, Right Now
• HORSE The Band – Desperate Living

Am 6. Oktober ist es endlich soweit, das neue The Fall of Troy Album kommt raus!

Ich hab ja schon lang darauf gewartet wieder ein Album von TFOT zu kriegen, hier ist ein kleiner Sampler (die Qualität ist mäsig aber was solls)

Hab auch schon 3 Titel heruntergeladen, die klingen wunderbar, ich nehm an das Album wird insgesamt ein Burner. Sobald ichs hab werd ich bisschen was drüber schreiben.

This Tuesday October 6th, The Fall of Troy are unleashing their new full-length album In The Unlikely Event.

Find In The Unlikely Event on sale at Target next week for only $8.99. It will also be available digitally, and everywhere else music is sold. As always, you can order the CD direct from the band.

Catch The Fall of Troy playing songs from all five of their releases on tour now with Thursday.