8tracks Playlist: For the Week of 3/30/09 - 4/5/09

Several months later, and I'm still mourning the digital loss of the original Muxtape site. Muxtape allowed anyone to upload songs and create a digital playlist that could be shared with friends, family, enemies, minions, etc. But alas, digital copyright laws, confusing as they are at this point in time, forced the original site to shut down. R.I.P., Muxtape.

But enough of that. 8tracks* is not my favorite thing, but it operates in the same way, though it does it legally.

So I'll be using 8tracks to share more songs both old and new, of all different genres, from artists of varying successes (and even talent, to be honest). My aim is to feature on a weekly basis a mix of songs that will make some people think, Why isn't/wasn't this a hit?

This week, there's a mix of rock (The Gaslight Anthem, Straylight Run), hip hop (Sufjan Stevens/Tor feat. Aesop Rock), indie (The Narrative), and pop (The Killers--back to their old selves!, Sam Sparro, The Ting Tings, and The White Tie Affair). I needed some variety this week. Hope you enjoy!



[*8tracks has many legal restrictions. It operates like the radio--there's a list of songs ready to be played, but they play randomly so the listener doesn't know which song plays next. For further details, check out the site's legal page.]

Band on the Bubble: Did You Hear the '59 Sound?

Rock music seems to be slowly fading into obscurity. Our generation just doesn't seem to have a defining rock sound--no Mick Jaggers, no Roger Daltreys, no Bonos to guide us. Some will argue that Coldplay and Radiohead are contenders, but then some just dismiss both bands as pretentious. But c'mon, we can't have Lil' Wayne take over rock music, especially not with his very underwhelming, and Auto-Tune heavy first rock single.

But no worries, because The Gaslight Anthem is giving the rock scene in America a much-needed jolt of life. They released their album The '59 Sound in August 2008, and the buzz about this NJ band has been growing ever since. Though they received a lot of critical acclaim (they were included in Rolling Stones' and NME's "best of" lists, among many others), the public didn't pay much attention to them.

Fortunately, those that gave The '59 Sound a chance became Gaslight Anthem converts, and the band now has a very loyal and strong fan base generating some buzz for them. It's one of the most cohesive albums to be released as of late, and each song on the CD is catchy and edgy, yet poignant and sophisticated, too. On top of being Jersey natives, lead singer Brian Fallon's gruff vocals plus the subjects of the songs he sings all hearken back to Bruce Springsteen's glory days. If you're a fan of good rock music, no band is as good as the Gaslight Anthem right now.

It's hard to choose which song to recommend for people to listen to first because they're all excellent. Embedded below is their latest music video for the single "Great Expectations".



And if you enjoyed that, or if you need a little more convincing, try: "The '59 Sound" & "Old White Lincoln" (Or just get the CD--you don't wanna miss out on "Here's Looking at You, Kid.")

Goddamnit, I LOVE this band. There. I said it. They're the only ones that can rival my unhealthy obsession with Brand New. And trust me, that's saying a lot--I actually still go out to ye olde record shoppe to buy Brand New's actual CDs.

Let My People Hear Free Music

Here's some links to great and FREE music you can legally download:

Hip-Hop and Folk music re-made: Illinoize: The Remix Tape - Sufjan Stevens/Tor (Download this NOW. An unlikely combination that works really well, and gives new life to both genres. Look out for a longer post about this in the future because it is just too damn good!)

Infectious Pop Rock: The End Is Not the End EP - House of Heroes (For those looking for some good pop rock music, along the lines of the All-American Rejects. This band can breakout onto the mainstream someday.)

I'm all for a little variety: "Pitter Pat (Acoustic)" - Erin McCarley (If you're still praying for another Lilith Fair tour, or if you remember Anna Nalick and that song "Breathe (2 AM)," then this song is for you.)

Free Download Overhaul: Bright Light Fever (Type "absolutepunk" in the space and hit "Submit." A little band that's been out for a while, but you can catch up on their music with this link. They're a pretty good rock band; "Crowded Street in May," "Lost Las Vegas," and "Telephones" from the "Rarities" collection are excellent standouts for me. Thanks to AbsolutePunk for this, by the way.)

Some of these won't be free for long, so download them before you miss your chance!

Ernest Hemingway Wishes He Wrote Songs Like This

Who needs a Kindle 2 when you can just listen to The Narrative?

Before the airwaves were conquered by breathy moaning, groaning, and "oh-oh-ohs"; or littered with countless songs bragging about money, bling, and junks in trunks, there was a time when songs told stories through music.

Just take a few minutes out of your day and give "The Moment That It Stops" a spin. Really listen to it, take it in, groove to it if you feel it in you. It's a fresh song, with a catchy drumbeat you could sway to, that tells a story of a relationship in the middle of a breakdown. The song sounds like a confessional; it's almost like we're eavesdropping in on this couple.

The male-female harmonies of lead vocalists Suzie and Jessie really elevate the song, even setting it apart from all of those other indie bands experimenting with male-female harmonies. There's an exchange after the second chorus where Suzie and Jessie take turns singing some of the most honest lyrics put to music in a while:

"[Jessie] I think a change is what I need
[Suzie] I thought you needed someone you knew you could trust entirely
[J] I've always been fine on my own
[S] I thought that you were growing tired of always feeling alone"

Ouuuccchhh. If you listen really closely during this part, you can hear hearts breaking in the background. Not really, but it's hard not to feel the hope leaving Suzie's voice after each line she sings, as her pleas are shot down one after the other, and punctuated by the unaffected tone to which Jessie responds to her. He even pulls an "It's not you, it's me" kind of line. I think that qualifies him to be a "douche." Grey's Anatomy wishes they had scenes this deep.

These guys know how to write really well. The lyrics to their songs are absolute poetry. It's just as wonderful to read The Narrative's lyrics as it is to listen to their music. If one thing is for certain about this band, it's that they won't be writing the next "Popozao." And like a good story, there's a tension that rises throughout the song and is wonderfully capped off with one perfect line that serves as the emotional climax, quickly followed by a resolution...of sorts. Think along the lines of Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine" (you know you love it).

Suzie, Jessie, Charlie, and Brandon can craft songs like it's nobody's business. Their Just Say Yes EP is their first release, and it's an impressive debut. It's filled with six songs that show a lot of promise. Think Death Cab for Cutie in its early days. With this debut, The Narrative proves that they can certainly gain a following the way that DCFC has. They're a local band (as their MySpace profile says, "We live on Long Island, we live in Manhattan, we live in Brooklyn"), and I believe that they have a lot more to offer us. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them for years to come, and I'll be keeping track of them on here. According to their MySpace profile, they're still unsigned. Somebody get on that, please?

Listen to The Narrative's entire Just Say Yes EP on Facebook, MySpace, or purevolume.

The Inauguration Post: Are You Listening?

To Whom It May Concern:

Deja entendu.
It's French for "already heard," and it's also the title of Brand New's brilliant second album released back in 2003. And it's a term that can still be applied to a lot of the music out there today.

Doesn't it seem like Nickelback has released and scored hits with songs that all sound the same? From their first big American hit ("How You Remind Me") to their 2008 release ("Gotta Be Somebody"), the band hasn't showed much maturity--even though the lead singer looks like he's pushing 60 and sounds like he's been downing whiskey longer than he's had that hairstyle and goatee.

Though pop music has some saving grace, you can pretty much group all of those "pop-tartlets" together--I'm looking at you, Miley Cyrus (actually, I'd rather not). None of those young pop stars are putting out music with longevity; they're just releasing organized noise that impressionable tweens are gonna waste their money on could make money. Vanessa Hudgens, I only have one word for you, even though it really should be two: "Sneakernight."

I can still respect and enjoy the music of artists like Pink and Kelly Clarkson. And even though Lady Gaga sounds like she's having a seizure in her hits "Just-just-just-just Dance" or "Po-po-poker Face," at least she's doing something different that sets her apart from the crowd. And I have to admit that she does what she does pretty well.

I was pleased to hear Jason Mraz's catchy-as-hell "I'm Yours" finally start to get some airplay last spring/summer. A demo of the song had been floating around and had been a fan favorite for years, so it was great that it finally made it out there. It was a great single. Mraz is a gifted and skillful artist with a lot of variety that deserved to top the charts. Maybe his (creepy?) habit of eating mostly raw foods and avocados are the secret to success many of us are missing.

But this blog will not be about them. This will probably be the last time that you'll recognize a lot of the bands and artists that I'll be writing about. Because truth is, there's a lot of great music out there that's not reaching a lot of people. And I suspect that if the radio wasn't so densely-filled with throw-away music, and if people can just be exposed to some alternatives to the Pussycat Dolls (they destroyed that awesome Slumdog Millionaire song), Jesse McCartney (he's been 12 years old for ten years now), and Nickelback (if we build a fence along the Canadian border, will they stop bothering us?), a lot more of these talented and unknown musicians will succeed in reaching a wider audience.

It's quitting time for now. But I'll be back soon enough with my first post about one unsigned band, a prime example of what this blog is all about, that has single-handedly taken over my iPod.