What I Listened to Most in January 2011

Hey, this is a toned down version of what I used to do; a monthly list of songs people may or may not like or even be aware of. Each month Ill post my favourite songs that I listened to that month (if I remember). The year, genre, release date, amount of songs, amount of artists, quality, style, etc. do not matter. It’s simply the list of songs that I listened to the most that month, and links to how you can hear the songs (mostly YouTube links). If you want any more information on any of the songs, let me know!

In no order, here are the songs I listened to the most in January 2011:

Get Busy Committee – I Don’t Care About You – I blame Blake. Listen at your own risk, as it’ll infect your brain for a while. Ridiculously catchy hip-hop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Dn1cQiGl8

Kanye West and Jay Z – H.A.M. – Vulgar as anything I’ve heard in awhile, but the beats unique/catchy, and anything Kanye does is worth multiple listens in my book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1uu16qTMKo

The Naked and Famous – Young Blood – Mix MGMT with M83 and you’ve got this song. Which is awesome. Fantasy-pop?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdO85Qf4Poc

Crystal Castles – Not In Love (FEAT. Robert Smith) – Another relentlessly catchy song that’s blowing up all over rock stations, for a good reason. Great song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32udqal_lyQ

Chiddy Bang – Opposite of Adults – Note to rappers, if you rap over an indie/rock song I love (See: Lupe Fiasco “Show Goes On”) it’s guaranteed to be a hit with me. Is there no end to the greatness that is MGMT’s Kids?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McRgkE_vgjU&ob=av2em

White Lies – Bigger Than Us – Grandiose and gothic epic rock. Think Interpol, but British and more consistent/great in the last 4 years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW0yynlDmqQ&ob=av2el

White Lies – Is Love – Bit of a slow builder, but just as great as the first single (the previously mentioned “Bigger Than Us”) – so far
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4TDe_sBSes

Finch – World of Violence – A good song by a “good at best” band, who released a great album nearly ten years ago. RIP FINCH.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opK3NoH2GwM

Glassjaw – All Good Junkies Go To Heaven – Off their upcoming album, its oddly catchy, in a weird/grating kind of way. Works for me, probably wont for most people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goOwDkaM3pk

The Hold Steady – The Weekenders – How did I sleep on “Heaven is Whenever” last year? It’s a great album and this is my favourite song off the album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=744-m7CXs6E

The Hold Steady – Hurricane J – Another great single off the album, THS are kind of like a wordier, perpetually drunk cousin of Bruce Springsteen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG4ABgTuCqA

Death Death Die – The Woodsman – It’s a shame I cannot find a link to this song. It’s the perfect synth-metal theme song for an 80’s cheesy horror film.

Death Death Die – Put Ur Balls On It – You might not get it and/or like it if you don’t listen to the “Jason Ellis Show,” but I think it’s hilarious AND catchy as hell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5X1Ex31uvg

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – In the Hall of the Mountain King – If you haven’t seen “The Social Network,” go out and do it, since the film’s great, and the score is even better. If you have seen it, then this is the song that’s over the boat race scene in London, which you’re well aware is a great scene with perfect music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPZtigbbkz4

The Damned Things – We’ve Got a Situation Here – What do you get when you mix members of Fallout Boy, Everytime I Die, and Anthrax? A great song, with a superb video- make sure to watch it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMANR-wrg7o

Cage the Elephant – Shake Me Down – Kind of tame and quiet for CTF, but its sombre tone is a change of pace, and I’ve liked this single for as long as I’ve heard it on the radio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFo28_VbQf4

Cage the Elephant – Aberdeen – More bombastic and loud then the previous track, but still as effective and wonderful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsKkb1EwzMI

My Favourite Albums and Songs of 2010!!!

Here they are. If you want anymore sort of explanation/description/questions, hit me up on my twitter.

@CANISCREAMYEAH

Thanks!

Top 25 Albums of 2010

1. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs - By far and a way the best album this year. Easily my favourite this year, and one of my favourite albums ever. You either love them or hate them, so I won't even try explaining it, either you already know how awesome it is, or hate them based on one song you heard 2 years ago. Whatever, it's perfect in my eyes. Argument starter: "The Suburbs" is their best album! GASP!

2. Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Beautiful Fantasy - Artist of the year, for sure, even for his awesome rants and twitter feed. Plus it helps that Kanye makes rap music for people who hate rap, and damn if it isn't great stuff.

3. Kid Cudi - Man on Moon 2 - It's not quite rap, not quite rock, not quite R&B. It's a hard thing to nail down, and I didnt love it at first, but it's a real grower, and an album you can listen to front to back over and over.

4. Matt & Kim - Sidewalks - Pure poppy fun. Simple, yet original. Every song is a 2-4 minute long blast of pop rock fun. Love this album, it makes me happy as a hobo in a whore-house.

5. Crime In Stereo - I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone - A hell of a swan song. CiS wrote their best album yet, and then broke up within a year of putting it out. Quiet-Loud perfection.

6. Jimmy Eat World - Invented - At this point, I love any JEW album, even if they follow a fairly strict formula. That said, the second half of this album is great, and the first part is full of great pop-rock tunes.

7. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles 2 - Give Crystal Castles a listen (any of the songs listed in my 100 songs), if you can stand more then 30 seconds, you'll love the album. If you can't, don't even bother to try.

8. Klaxons - Surfing the Void - Don't you hate asinine genres like "Nu-Rave"? Yeah me too, and so do the Klaxons. Thankfully this album is an amazing mix of prog, metal, electronic, and awesomeness. Heavy at times, catchy at others, I love it.

9. The National - High Violet - Sadness and depression never sounded so uplifting. I love the vocals, and despite being so damned sorrowful (THEY HAVE A SONG TITLED SORROW ON THIS ALBUM), it somehow lifts me up every time.

10. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record - Canada's greatest jam band, who somehow make that title not douchey and awful. Another great album in an amazing discography. You can get lost in this album, its hypnotic but somehow each song stands out on it's own. Amazing live show too!

11. Against Me! - White Crosses - Not as great as "New Wave" but no one does punk rock as rocky and poppy as AM! and I love them for that. (PS: If you liked their old stuff, then yeah, I get it, you hate me for liking this album, whatever).

12. Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life - Forgot how good this was since it came out so early in the year. They've matured into a great band, poppy and rocky, with some awesome lyrics.

13. Tokyo Police Club - Champ - Have to love it when "buzz" bands live up to the hype and turn into awesome bands who put out great albums. TPC, good work.

14. The Futureheads - The Chaos - Sometimes rock and roll should just be played fast and hard. This album is proof. Nothing fancy. Just rock and roll - done quickly.

15. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening - Doesn't live up to the perfection of "Sound of Silver", but still great nonetheless. I'm not sure if it's unique or not, but nobody else does this kind of music this well.

16. Jonsi - Go - Sigur Ros goes pop/dance. Love it. Most people won't like it. Epic yet catchy, what more could I want?

17. Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise - Grown up emo with some fire. Never been a huge fan, but this album is great, all the way through.

18. The Automatic - Tear the Signs Down - They toned down the abrasiveness and made their sound catchier and it worked out well; really enjoyable disc.

19. Vampire Weekend - Contra - See the note about Tokyo Police Club and hype, and magnify it by ten. Wanted to hate this album, but couldn't; it's that good.

20. Hot Chip - One life Stand - Consistently great band. More British electro-pop hustle and fire! (No clue what that means either)

21. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
22. Foals - Total Life Forever
23. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days
24. Mumford and Songs - Sigh No More
25. We Are Scientists - Barbara


Playlist files:

1. The Whigs - Kill Me Carolyne (3:22)
2. Mumford & Sons - The Cave (3:38)
3. Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun (4:46)
4. Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On (4:00)
5. Kanye West - All Of The Lights (4:59)
6. Arcade Fire - Ready To Start (4:15)
7. Matt & Kim - Cameras (3:32)
8. The Automatic - Interstate (3:34)
9. Down With Webster - Your Man (2:48)
10. Crime in Stereo - I Am Everything I Am Not (3:56)
11. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio (4:36)
12. We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices (4:21)
13. LostProphets - Where We Belong (4:37)
14. Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait (5:01)
15. Broken Social Scene - Meet Me in the Basement (3:44)
16. Against Me! - I Was a Teenage Anarchist (3:13)
17. Alkaline Trio - This Addiction (2:34)
18. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business - Baby Steps (3:17)
19. Crystal Castles - Empathy (4:11)
20. LCD Soundsystem - You Wanted A Hit (9:12)
21. The Futureheads - Sun Goes Down (3:52)
22. Jimmy Eat World - Mixtape (6:31)
23. Jónsi - Around Us (5:18)
24. Klaxons - Venusia (4:07)
25. Crime in Stereo - Drugwolf (3:53)
26. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (5:25)
27. The Automatic - Sweat Heat Noise (3:20)
28. Angels & Airwaves - Young London (5:03)
29. The Chemical Brothers - Escape Velocity (11:56)
30. Linkin Park - Blackout (4:39)
31. Kanye West - Power (4:52)
32. Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man (4:07)
33. Matt & Kim - Good For Great (3:50)
34. The Gaslight Anthem - We Did It When We Were Young (4:16)
35. Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressure (5:16)
36. Sleigh Bells - Tell 'Em (2:56)
37. My Chemical Romance - Planetary (GO!) (4:06)
38. Kanye West - Runaway (feat. Pusha T) (9:07)
39. Kid Cudi - Mr. Rager (4:54)
40. Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Food (3:55)
41. Crystal Castles - Celestica (3:47)
42. The National - Sorrow (3:25)
43. Jimmy Eat World - Higher Devotion (3:02)
44. Deftones - Rocket Skates (4:12)
45. Teddybears - Chrystal Meth Christian (Feat Flaming Lips)
46. Holy Fuck - Stilettos (3:55)
47. Hot Chip - I Feel Better (4:41)
48. Anberlin - You Belong Here (4:22)
49. Arcade Fire - Rococo (3:56)
50. Kid Cudi - Marijuana (4:20)
51. 30H!3 - R.I.P. (3:44)
52. B.o.B - Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore) (3:01)
53. The Audition - The Art Of Living (3:00)
54. Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds (3:39)
55. The Futureheads - Heartbeat Song (2:29)
56. Motion City Soundtrack - Pulp Fiction (3:53)
57. Foals - Total Life Forever (3:18)
58. Kings Of Leon - Radioactive (3:26)
59. Vampire Weekend - Cousins (2:25)
60. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean (8:58)
61. Stars - Dead Hearts (3:29)
62. Tokyo Police Club - Bambi (2:46)
63. Interpol - Lights (5:37)
64. Jimmy Eat World - Evidence (4:40)
65. Arcade Fire - Half Light II (No Celebration) (4:27)
66. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (3:41)
67. Circa Survive - I Felt Free (3:56)
68. My Chemical Romance - DESTROYA (4:32)
69. Broken Social Scene - Texico Bitches (3:50)
70. OK Go - This Too Shall Pass (3:08)
71. Devo - What We Do (3:17)
72. Tokyo Police Club - Breakneck Speed (3:44)
73. Circa Survive - Glass Arrows (4:12)
74. Klaxons - The Same Space (3:11)
75. My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) (3:25)
76. Down With Webster - Miracle Mile (3:39)
77. Matt & Kim - Silver Tiles (3:36)
78. Kanye West - Lost In The World (feat. Bon Iver) (4:16)
79. Broken Social Scene - Sentimental X's (5:41)
80. Kate Nash - Paris (3:06)
81. Crystal Castles - Baptism (4:12)
82. Stars - Fixed (3:25)
83. The Bravery - Hatefuck (2:56)
84. Far - Deafening (3:10)
85. Linkin Park - The Catalyst (5:39)
86. Terrible Things - Revolution (3:30)
87. Weezer - Ruling Me (3:29)
88. We Are Scientists - Pittsburgh (4:27)
89. Forever The Sickest Kids - Do Or Die (3:17)
90. Senses Fail - Landslide (3:45)
91. Jónsi - Animal Arithmetic (3:23)
92. Jimmy Eat World - My Best Theory (3:23)
93. Kele - Tenderoni (4:32)
94. The Maine - Dont Stop Now (3:36)
95. Enter Shikari - Tribalism (5:05)
96. Foals - Black Gold (6:26)
97. Hawthorne Heights - Drive (3:06)
98. Athlete - Superhuman Touch (3:58)
99. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business - Sleep Means Sleeping (4:37)
100. Interpol - Barricade (4:10)

It's Kinda Been Awhile...

But, whatever!

Thoughts:

- Kid Cudi's Up Up and Away is easily the most fun song I've heard in ages.
- It's also the most stoner-iffic anthem that I've heard in awhile, which slightly offends me.
- Kid Cudis album is great, even if all the lyrics involve getting high, which bores me. Thats how great he is. Its barely rap, really. Just great pop. Kind of.

- I love the new Matthew Good song, I cannot wait for Vancouver to drop, since "Last Parade" sounds like Avalanche era Good, which is maybe my favourite sound ever. EVER.

- Moneen's new album "The World That I Want to Leave Behind" is probably the album of the year at this point, it's just amazing.
- Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Heads Will Roll" - I just heard them perform it on Conan, and as of right now, it's probably the best song of the year.
- Does anyone read this? Answer: NO!
- The last song on the new .M. disc is certifiably epic, which is kind of surprising. They've always been magnificent in scope, but rarely do they hit the massive heights of the "Glass House" (the last song on the new disc) . It just blows up from a punky intro to a humongous ending with choral singing that just lures you in, like a creepy guy offering candy to a six year old.

- Yes that's the worst thing I've ever written in my blog.

- Eff the haters, I really dig The Blueprint 3, by Jay-Z. Run This Town is the best summer song thats come out so far, that clearly missed the summer, since its very cool out at this point.
- I watched JayZ, Rhiana, and KANYE WEST (YO YOUR BLOGS GOOD, BUT BEYONCES IS THE BEST OF A GENERATION!) do Run This Town on Lenos debut show the other day, and honestly, it must have scared the CRAP out of a bunch of racist American mid-westerners.

- Muse are the kings of over-endulgence, which makes them awesome.
- Their new album isnt as good as Black Holes and Revelations, but its still pretty great.
- They were the only artist(s) on the MTV VMAs to actually perform rock and roll. Green Day just do watered down pop-punk. GD was still fun though.

- The new Mute Math, Armistice, is way better then it should be. Their last disc was only good because it had one amazing single, TYPICAL. Beyond that, it was boring as hell. Their new disc lacks a song as good as TYPICAL, but its leap years better as an album.

- I have no clue what the hell is going on with YACHT, but Im in Love With a Ripper, is one of this years catchiest songs. Its either sampling or straight up ripping off another OK song, but it makes it great, either way. Just straight up FUN.

- In the actual episodes, I was pretty unimpressed with the majority of the Flight of the Conchords songs, but on the album, almost all of them pop, and make for great listening. REMEMBER:
You think you know fashion- Well, fashion's a stranger. You think fashion's your friend - My friend, fashion is DANGER.

- Calvin Harrissssss album Ready For the Weekend is mildly fun, but really, its only notable due to all the BRITISH (AKA NME) HYPE! Still, its fun, and I wish it was more popular then any of those Disney Channel produced bands.

- After one great shitty pop-punk album, Brand New have turned out three amazing yet depressing 90s influenced albums. Its still great, but honestly, Im hoping for something new, other then their now-standard spiel of luring me into depression via music. Theyre still one of my favourite bands, but really, they beat the crap out of me when I listen to them.
- Knowing Brand New have put out four albums makes me feel old at this point.

- If you want to hear any of the albums or songs Im rambling about, just put any of the bands into google, and their MYSPACE will come up, and you can hear the songs. Of the 0.0111% reading this blog, approximately 0.000000% will actually do this!

On May 13th, I played "Drunken Musical Blog Twitters".

This is round two, I guess.

Jesse.

Bloc Party - One More Chance Video

One of the weirder/nonsensical things I've seen in awhile. No clue what's going on in this one, but I like their new song, the piano's a bit goofy, but for the most part it holds up to their other "In-between albums" singles.

Edgefest 2009

I made the trek to Toronto for 102.1 The Edge's "Edgefest 2009".

Sadly, it rained throughout the day, and it was a miserable event in terms of weather. Wind/cold/rain created a fairly unpleasant atmosphere, with a LOT of mud and dirt. As much as I'd like to say that the event was good enough to prevent the weather from ruining it, but sadly, the weather was just too unpleasant. That being said, here's my thoughts:

The Arkells - I haven't heard any of their album, and that's going to change quickly. They were really tight live, and despite the weather, created a really fun atmosphere for the people there. They're only going to get bigger and better from here on out.

The Stills - I love the Stills, but I love their debut album, Logic Will Break Your Heart, even more. Sadly, they only played one song off the album (Still in Love Song), and chose to focus on their newer songs. I really dig the new album, but a couple more cuts from their debut would have made for a better set. I think they fealt the need to play their heavier songs to fit into with the rest of the bill, and left off their slower/softer songs, which is a shame. That being said, Snake Charming the Masses sounded huge, while Being Here was suitably epic.

K-Os - I like KOS enough, but I'm not a big hip-hop fan, and don't really know many of his songs. It was exciting, as he's got a good stage prescence, but it's not really my cup of tea. Led Zeppelin sampling was cool though.

Metric - In one word? Wow. AT this point, Metric made it clear they were a much bigger band then any of the other artists, with their suitably huge and shimmering sound. They played a bunch of songs off all three albums, and it really made me appreciate them more as a band to see them live. Great songs, great set, great band.

Cancer Bats - Despite having a southern drawl despite being Canadian, they were awesome live. REally hard, really rocking, and they got a lot of people into it. They were the hardest band on the bill, and it added some nice diversity to see a band rock with so much force.

Alexisonfire - In terms of getting the crowd into it, no one could beat AOF. They rocked the place hard, and everyone loved it. Part of their live appeal is the fact that their lead screamer, George, acts as a hypeman so well. You want to love it when he's ranting on stage about anything. At this point, with their fourth album coming out, they've got a really great set, with a lot of hits.

Moneen - My favourite band was pretty decent. They played a few new songs (cannot wait for that album), but they seemed to be missing something. Maybe it's the fact that I'm used to seeing them in an intimate setting, but they didn't seem to accept the larger setting that well. That being said, with AFI blaring in the back ground and it raining, it couldn't have been easy. They're still the most underrated band in the world, and I can't wait to see them next.

After a day's worth of rain and mud, we'd had enough, so we bailed on seeing AFI and Billy Talent. I've never seen AFI, but Billy Talent is great live, so I'm sure they lived up to their headliner status.

All and all, not a bad day, that could have been way better with decent weather.

Jesse.

Link to Edge's Page About the Event, Including Video, Pictures and More:
http://www.edge.ca/ConcertsandEvents/Edgefest.aspx

Music Sales

I'm pretty fascinated by the sale of music. Specifically, I enjoy looking at the raw data of how much CDs sell on a certain basis. Which CDs sell huge their first week, which ones stick around selling for awhile.

Sadly, there doesn't appear to be much raw data on the internet for CD sales. This is because companies pay for that data, and if you can get it online for free, why bother paying for it? It's easy to find the weekly charts like Billboard, but they don't really contain much data.

A few years back I found the "Global Track Chart" which somehow manages to keep data for the top selling albums on a world wide level each week. I have no clue how accurate it is (seems silly to lie?), but the trends seem to matchup with the trends on legitimate charts. I follow it each week, and from time to time, I'm hoping to type up some thoughts about it. Here's my first crack.

Last Week's World Wide Album Sales

Dave Matthews Band debuted at number one this week. I'm not a fan of DMB, but it was pretty obvious this would debut at number one, as they're huge in North America. I am surprised to hear it's been 4 years since the last album. Seems like a long time for a band that could drop a new CD and have massive sales.

Eminem and Green Day are numbers 2 and 3, obviously.

Lady Gaga at number 4, based on the strength of her first two singles I'd have to think, as any other song I've heard off the album is garbage. But, in this era two legitimately great songs is enough to have a "Great" record, so I'll give her credit.

Nana Mizuki - Ultimate Diamond is at number 7. No clue, but I notice Japanese acts tend to have one huge first week, and then die off. It's rare to see a Japanese artist stick on that chart for more then one or two weeks.

Since it is world wide, it's fascinating for me to see artists in the top 40 who I've never heard of before. Eros Ramazzotti, Paul Potts, Wisin & Yandel, Christophe Williem, and Escala are all acts I've never heard of, but apparently are doing well, interesting.

Kings of Leon at 11 is amazing. That album's been on the charts for 37 weeks, and has sold easily over 2 million albums, yet it's still selling 60K a week world wide. Good for them, as they flew under the radar in North America for a long time, but their rise from obscurity to being one of the biggest bands in the world is amazing. I wonder if their next disc will be able to live up to the hype? Like Lady Gaga, they had two amazing songs (Sex on Fire and Use Somebody), and the album's lived off those two songs. Kings of Leon's future is really interesting right now - what comes next?

Rock and Roll debuts take up the second quarter! Rancid at number 10, 311 at 12, Taking Back Sunday at 14, and Chickenfoot at 15. I wouldn't have predicted that order. The thing is, 311 and Rancid have devoted fanbases, and after they've exhausted that, they'll drop off huge. Taking Back Sunday will get a lot more radio play and attention for their album, so I'd expect that disc to have more legs then 311 and Rancid. All three are really good discs from really good bands who have managed to carve out strong niches for themselves. The Chickenfoot thing is odd, that's a good number for a band that's only market seems to be people who cannot wait for new Van Halen music, but I'd expect it to die within a month. Has anyone heard a song off that disc?

311 and Rancid both outsold The Black Eyed Peas. I know that won't last, as BEP will sell more overall, but that really makes me love the world. Odd that a new BEP disc did so poorly. Weren't they one of the biggest pop acts in the world at one point?

Pink and Beyonce have really gotten good mileage out of their new discs, but not as good as Kings of Leon, which is amazing to me.

Elvis Costello had a new album out and it debuted at 30. Seems odd, but probably not. I think Elvis was always a bit more of a cool/edgy artist compared to a lot of the people who seem to be his peers as he gets older.

If Beyonce, Pink and Lady Gaga are her peers (pop females), then Kelly Clarkson's disc has to be a disapointment. Despite being out for a third of the time, its selling way less. Sucks for Kelly.

Number 1, DMB sold almost 440 000 copies. Number 40, Phoenix (a supeb album) sold 23000. That discrepancy seems huge to me, and is really indicative of how poor album sales are. Only four discs sold over a 100K this week, and only 15 could sell over 50K.

I know this is all useless, but my brain's shot and can't think of anything better.

Jesse.

10 Things to be Happy About New Music Right Now

I'm in a bit of a pissy mood right now, so I'll take a cue from some other blogs I've seen in an effort to pick myself up a bit. Here are the ten things about new music that are making me very happy right now.

Ten Things About New Music to be Happy About!
(no real order)

10. Passion Pit's "Little Secrets" - The entire album is great, but this song is just about the sunniest and happiest song I've ever heard.

9. Patrick Wolf's "Hard Times" - While I prefer 2007's "The Magic Position" to this year's "The Bachelor", the first real song off the album is awesome. Wolf's one of the most unique and interesting people in music right now, and this song's an eclectic mix of sounds.

8. Taking Back Sunday - New Again - It's a really interesting album for a lot of reasons. It sounds like TBS, but at the same time, feels different. There's a bunch of great songs (Swing is my favourite) and it's a real evolution for the band in a lot of ways.

7. The Sounds - "Dorchester Hotel" - Off of one of the best CDs of 2009 (Crossing the Rubicon), this endlessly catchy single will blow up later this summer, when it gets a proper release, it's amazing.

6. Tommy Tutone - Jenny/867-5309 - One of the greatest one hit wonders ever; who doesn't love a chorus that is also a phone number?

5. cky's return to form on "Carver City" - After a dissapointing album in An Answer Can't Be Found, and a few years of near breakups, Philly's CKY fired back with an awesome album (Carver City), that recalls the sound that made them so original/great to begin with, yet adding some new elements to make it seem new and fresh.

4. Edgefest - Billy Talent! Moneen! AFI! Metric! The Stills! Alexisonfire! - I don't go to many concerts anymore, and go to even less festivals, but I'm thoroughly excited for this one.

3. Free music! - As the last post indicated, more and more free tunes are showing up online, as a lot of bands are finally realizing how useful giving away music can be.

2. Moneen's new EP "Hold That Sound" - After a lengthy wait for new material, one of my favourite bands is coming back, and the EP is just the appetite for the impending new album!

1. The return of Muse - After releasing the best album of 2006 (the epic Black Holes and Revelations), Muse finally returns with a new album this September. Entitled "The Resistance", there's not much information available right now, but I'm still ridiculously excited thinking about it.

Jesse

Free Music!

Finch recently put up their 2008 return EP (featuring the awesome Chinese Organ Thieves) and its worth a download if you haven't heard it yet. It was a really good return to form for one of my formerly favourite bands. Below is the link to the EP, as well as some other free music goodness that I've stumbled upon recently.

Finch - Finch EP (mp3 format)
- For other formats (AAC, WAV LOSSLESS) click HERE

Spinner.com Free MP3 of the Day Archive - A free mp3 a day, legally, from a variety of awesome bands. Worth book marking. Some highlights:

Andrew Bird - Oh No
Iron and Wine - Belated Promise Ring
Gnarls Barkley - Mystery Man
The Sounds - Dorchester Hotel (one of my favourite songs right now)
Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood
Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire (Great song!)
Rancid - Last One to Die
Thermals - Now We Can See (Great Song!)
Maximo Park - Wraithlike
Miike Snow - Animal (Song I'm currently obsessed with)


Last.FM Free MP3 Download Archive (Some great songs from artists like Late of the Pier, NIN, and many more)

Moneen, one of my favourite bands, recently put their new EP up for streaming. I've embedded the player below, and as always with Moneen, it's worth your time.



Moneen are probably the most underrated band of the last five years, so give them a chance! It's FREE!

Jesse

MGMT - Kids

MGMT takes 2008's sunniest and most upbeat song and turned it into one of the weirdest and most disturbing videos of 2009. Creepy stuff.

The Best Songs of May 2009

---Top 20 Songs for May 2009---
(No Order)

1. The Sounds - Nobody Sleeps When I’m Awake – The Sounds first album was a wonderful debut surprise, and with this powerful and instantly catchy first single, their second album is looking to be just as good as their first.
From the Album “Crossing the Rubicon”
http://the-sounds.com/

2. Maximo Park - the Kids Are Sick Again – Usually good for one or two great songs per CD, Quicken the Heart is no exception, with this slow burning, but explosive-ending song. The last minute of the song is an excellent piece of music, especially after building slowly for the first two minutes of the song.
From the Album “Quicken the Heart”
http://www.maximopark.com

3. Taking Back Sunday - Sink Into Me – Snappier then their previous stuff, it looks like TBS is going to break the mold on their new disc, thankfully, it’s instantly recognizable as TBS, yet new enough to be fresh.
From the Album “New Again”
http://www.takingbacksunday.com/

4. Evermore – Everybody’s Doing It – Truth of the World is by far the biggest surprise this year, as it’s a nearly perfect album from start to finish. This is my favourite song on the album, from the starting synth intro, through the explosive ending, and the quiet outro, all about political propaganda.
From the Album “Truth of the World”
http://www.evermoreband.com/

5. Evermore – Hey Boys and Girls (Truth of the World Part 2) – More instantly likeable then the previous song, its also really diverse, with hand claps, Muse-like guitars, and a great choral sing-along breakdown and ending.
From the Album “Truth of the World”
http://www.evermoreband.com/

6. The Thermals – Now We Can See – Despite being very upbeat and summer-y, this song’s also got a real edge to it, with the lyrics sounding almost angry. It’s contradictory, but it makes for a great song, with an easily catchy chorus.
From the Album “Now We Can See
http://www.thethermals.com/

7. Phoenix – 1901 – One of my favourite songs of the year, it’s just a simply great upbeat song; it all comes down to great songwriting in the end, and Phoenix nailed it with 1901.
From the Album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
http://www.wearephoenix.com/

8. Phoenix – Rome – From start to finish, this is another startling good album, with every song a pop rock gem, as Rome further illustrates.
From the Album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
http://www.wearephoenix.com/

9. Sonny Moore – Gypsyhook – From the former singer of screamo band From First to Last, Gypsyhook is the weirdest pop song that you’ll ever here, despite the absolutely filthy lyrics.
From the album “Gypsyhook EP”
http://www.sonnymoore.org/

10. Silverstein – Apologize (One Republic Cover) – One of the few songs worth hearing off the abysmal Punk Goes Pop 2 album (most of the bands are more pop then punk), Silverstein knock this cover out of the park, making the song their own, yet keeping it recognizable.
From the album “Punk Goes Pop 2”
http://www.myspace.com/punkgoespop2

11. The Tragically Hip – Coffee Girl – We Are the Same is a great album, but it’s very moody and sad, with a lot of droning and down-beat songs. Coffee Girl is my favourite off a great album from a band that shouldn’t be making such great music this far into their career.
From the album “We Are the Same”
http://www.thehip.com/

12. Japandroids – The Boys Are Leaving Town – Despite being sludgy and lo-fi, Post-Nothing is really vibrant through its simplicity and cranked up guitars. Hard to describe, but it’s worth more then one listen, as it’s a real grower.
From the album “Post-Nothing”
http://www.thehip.com/

13. The Streets – David Hassles – I’m pretty sure the beast is from the “People Getting Punched” digital short from SNL. What more could you want?
From the album “Twitter EP”
http://www.the-streets.co.uk/

14. Tinted Windows – Kind of Girl – What do the bands Cheap Trick, The Smashing Pumpkins, Foutains of Wayne, and Hanson have in common? Members of the Tinted Windows all came from those bands, to create the weirdest supergroup in awhile. The album’s too repetitive and too over sugary pop to be good, but this first single is a fun listen.
From the album “Tinted Windows”
http://www.tintedwindowsmusic.com/

15. NOFX – We Called it America – Taking a cure from Bad Religion, NOFX crank up the straight forward political punk, for a quick yet intense song.
From the album “Coaster”
http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/

16. NOFX – Creeping Out Sara – The funniest non-parody song I’ve heard in awhile. If you know who Tegan and Sara are, this song will make you laugh and cringe at the same time.
From the album “Coaster”
http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/

17. The Audition – Sign. Steal. Deliver – Fun little pop-punk song that’s only punk in its genre’s name.
From the album “Self-Titled Album”
http://www.myspace.com/theaudition

18. Gallows – Death Voices – 90% of people won’t like Gallows, but the 10% who do will adore them. Grey Britain is the angriest and darkest album I’ve heard in a long time. Apparently Britain’s a cesspool, and Gallows are letting out their aggression on this amazing album.
From the album “Grey Britain”
http://www.myspace.com/gallows

19. Gallows – The Vulture (Acts 1 and 2) – More instrumental then Death Voices, it documents the diversity of the album, as its not just all screaming and hard guitars. The haunted singing and acoustic guitar is just as dark as the enraged screaming and thrashing guitars that follow it up.
From the album “Grey Britain”
http://www.myspace.com/gallows

20. Attack in Black – Leaving Your Death in a Flowerbed – AIB dropped all of their hardcore influences for this album, and it turns out those influences were the only thing making AIB interesting. This is the best of the bunch off a really boring album, and its decent at best.
From the album “Years By One Thousand Fingertips”
http://www.attackinblack.com/

21. Flo Rida – Gotta Get It (Dancer) – To cleanse to pallet, how about yet another song about strippers from the master of writing about strippers.
From the album “ROOTS”
http://www.officialflo.com/