From the Album “And then Boom”
www.igluandhartly.com/
2. Metric – Help, I’m Alive – “Fantasies” first single, for a good reason, as it reminds me of everything why I love Metric. Dark and ominous and some points, yet poppy and dance-y at others – the perfect formula for a Metric song.
From the Album “Fantasies”
www.ilovemetric.com/
3. Metric – Gimme Sympathy – The upbeat rocker that features one of my favorite lines of 2009, “Who would you rather be – the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?” Definitely more straight forward then typical Metric, and it works brilliantly, for a song that will probably be all over Canadian radio come June.
From the Album “Fantasies”
www.ilovemetric.com/
4. The Knux – Cappuccino – Over an awesome party beat, two New Orleans MC’s rap about women and sex, using the awesome metaphor of lattes and coffee shops. Even if you hate the lyrics, it’s a great party-rap song.
From the Album “Remind Me in 3 Days…”
www.myspace.com/theknux
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero – And oddly poppy song (you don’t realize how catchy it is until it’s stuck in your head an hour later) that builds gloriously to its epic peak at 2:20 into the song.
From the Album “It’s Blitz!”
www.yeahyeahyeahs.com
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll – Dripping with synth, this dark pop track blew me away the first time I ever heard it. I’m amazed that three albums into their career, YYYs can shake things up so much, yet still sound so awesome. Song of the year, thus far.
From the Album “It’s Blitz!”
www.yeahyeahyeahs.com
7. Marianas Trench – Cross My Heart – Sure it’s got all the pop-punk clichés – whiny vocals, hand claps, the group vocal ending, etc. Even in the face of all these trappings, the songs still infectiously catchy and really forced me to love it.
From the Album “Masterpiece Theatre”
www.marianastrench.net
8. Ace Enders & A Million Different People – SOS – It starts out soft and acoustic, yet builds to a crescendo of a full band and a catchy climax, all about sending out a signal of distress. Really shows how wonderful Ace’s voice is.
From the Album “When I Hit the Ground”
www.aceenders.com
9. Ace Enders & A Million Different People – Where Do We Go From Here – Longer and more epic then SOS, it’s also more straight forward rock music, but it uses its almost six minutes length to create an athemic and awesome piece of music.
From the Album “When I Hit the Ground”
www.aceenders.com
10. Thursday – Last Call – A furious return to older sounds for Thursday, in an emo/rock song that’s equal parts threatening as it is fun.
From the album “Common Existence”
www.thursday.net/
11. Cursive – In the Now – A short and frantic bomb-burst of a song that brings lyrical punk rock fury in spades.
From the album “Mama, I’m Swollen”
www.cursivearmy.com/
12. Cursive – From the Hips – Slower than the previous song, this one builds slowly for nearly two minutes, before exploding into an upbeat and joyous conclusion, at least musically – certainly not lyrically.
From the album “Mama, I’m Swollen”
www.cursivearmy.com/
13. U2 – Magnificent – The clear winner from U2’s new album, Magnificent is every bit as great as the brilliant legacy of songs that U2 has left behind in the last 20 years. A worthy companion to “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “Beautiful Day”, which is the strongest praise you can give a U2 song.
From the album “No Line on the Horizon”
www.u2.com
14. MC Lars – True Player For Real – With an accordion assist from Weird Al, Lars kicks off his new album, explaining in epic fashion about how his life has changed since the rise of his last album, The Graduate. TPFR!
From the album “This Gigantic Robot Kills”
www.mclars.com/
15. MC Lars – Hey There Ophelia – Taking the premise of one of the most overplayed songs in the last five years, MC Lars blows it up with shredding guitars and lyrics about Hamlet. This song epitomizes the genius of Lars, no one else could write a rap-rock song about Hamlet, least not a song this great.
From the album “This Gigantic Robot Kills”
www.mclars.com/
16. New Found Glory – Listen to Your Friends – I’ve never been a big NFG fan, and this song sounds like every other thing they’ve ever done, I just enjoy how quick and frantic it is – no wasted motion/time on this track.
From the album “Not Without a Fight”
www.myspace.com/newfoundglory
17. Say Hi – Hallie and Henry – Oohs and Aahs is full of simple yet great uplifting indie pop that will not get nearly the attention it deserves. I recommend giving them a chance, if you’re looking for some new songs that definitively fit the bill of “indie rock”.
From the album “Oohs and Aahs”
www.sayhitoyourmom.com/
18. Say Hi – Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh – Over a plethora of horns, Say Hi brings us one of the years great “indie” songs. Downbeat and almost melancholy, it’s just a great song that won’t get noticed nearly enough.
From the album “Oohs and Aahs”
www.sayhitoyourmom.com/
19. The Boy Least Likely To – A Balloon on a Broken String – Essentially music for children, The Boy Least Likely recently put out their second album of nauseatingly happy songs about children’s toys. Give it at least one listen, you’ll either puke or love it.
From the album “Law of the Playground”
www.theboyleastlikelyto.co.uk/
20. The Rakes – The Loneliness of the Outdoor Smoker – Short and sweet, The Rakes throw down a quick burst of post-punky goodness. I can’t understand the lyrics, but I love the title.
From the album “Klang!”
www.therakes.co.uk/
21. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – No Spell – I’m not a big RJA supporter, it all sounds repetitive, but I really enjoyed this humming and happy track that’s worth at least one listen.
From the album “Lonely Road”
www.redjumpsuit.com/
i think we need to go see U2 in september.
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