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.