the xx

I stumbled upon this band while watching the tube and really liked what I heard. The song 'VCR' was on Fox's 'Lie To Me' a few weeks ago and that was all it took to lure me in. The band? The XX. The album? XX. I know, a little lacking in the creativity department, but their sound is almost hypnotic. There is something about those songs filled with love and longing that speak to all of us. With their steely quiet-storm sounds, billowing beats and guitar riffs that just lick the edge of the wave, it's addictive stuff, to say the least. Very simple and satisfying that rewards the more you listen. Not too hard; not too soft. Makes for the perfect background music.

kings of awesome-ness

I have dabbled around with the Kings of Leon for a few years now. A handful of songs has made their way in and out of my playlists. They've been just a little side dish... until now. When I listened to 'Only By The Night' that was released a few months ago, I was instantly hooked. At first listen I fell in love. Actually, if I'm being honest, I fell head over heels in lust with this album. Not many albums today are a start to finish listen, but you won't be able to get enough of it. As their sound has evolved and matured they have left their roots behind and embraced something beautiful. Do yourself a favor and listen to Kings of Leon.

regina

I have been a fan a Regina Spektor for several years now and love her songs. In June, she released another album entitled Far. I think it is her most complete album to date. Start to finish, it is such a solid listen, she really played to her strengths. Most tracks are just her voice and her piano. Beautiful.

owl city

One man band Owl City has caught my attention with no intent of letting go. Owl City is an electronica/pop project of Adam Young. The music is light and easy, the perfect thing to wind down the summer. Take a listen.

visual audio sensory theater

I have recently become more acquainted with VAST. A few songs have seeped into my music library over the past year mostly due to the fact that songs were used in tv shows. But I am now fully committed. VAST is one man and one man only, Jon Crosby. Crosby grew up in Humboldt County, California, and at the age of 13, was profiled as a promising guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine. He was nearly signed to the guitar-based label Shrapnel, but decided to turn it down to hone his songwriting chops. Crosby soon left high school to do home study, and set out to form a band to perform some demos he recorded all by himself, under the name VAST. Although he was able to play shows, the band was a revolving door of members, with Crosby still recording demos all the while. With its roots in Nine Inch Nails- like soundscapes and reminiscent of Type O Negative's mellower moments, the ingredient that sets VAST apart from its contemporaries is Crosby's experimentation with samples not yet touched upon in rock music. Lovers of ambient electro-rock will undoubtedly agree upon hearing Visual Audio Sensory Theater. If you're unfamiliar to VAST, One More Day, Don't Take Your Love Away, Touched and Beautiful are good ways to wet your beak.

Visual Audio Sensory Theater (1998)

Music For People (2000)

Nude (2004)

Turquoise & Crimson (2006)

April (2007)

cranberry saw us

"OK boys, show us your stuff" - that was how Dolores O'Riordan introduced herself to the Cranberries in 1990. At the time, Noel and Mike Hogan(guitar and bass) and Feargal(drums) had been looking around for a lead singer for their band but this small and frail looking girl standing in front of them just didn't look the part. Noel played her a few chords he has been messing around with and Dolores went home that night and wrote a set of lyrics for them. She came back the next day with a song called 'Linger'. They gave her the job. The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by Dolores. The Cranberries rose to international fame in the 90s with their debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, which became a high commercial success and sold over five million copies in the United States. Out of the five albums The Cranberries released, four of them went to the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 chart. They also had eight top 20 singles. The Cranberries have a sound and style all their own with lyrics full of ponderings and considerations, and Dolores' undisputed vocal ability suits the material perfectly.

Discography:

Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993)

No Need To Argue (1994)

To the Faithful Departed (1996)

Bury the Hatchet (1999)

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001)

dylan

Bob Dylan is the uncontested illustrious poet of the rock and roll era and the pre-eminent singer/songwriter of modern times. Whether singing a typical folk song, exploring rootsy rock and blues, or delivering one of his more abstract, allegorical compositions, Dylan has consistently demonstrated the rare ability to reach and affect listeners with thoughtful, sophisticated lyrics. Dylan re-energized the folk-music genre in the early Sixties; brought about the lyrical maturation of rock and roll when he went electric at mid-decade; and bridged the worlds of rock and country by recording in Nashville throughout the latter half of the Sixties. As much as he’s played the role of renegade throughout his career, Dylan has also kept the rock and roll community mindful of its roots by returning to them. With his songs, Dylan has provided a running commentary on our restless age. His biting, imagistic and often cryptic lyrics served to capture and define the mood of a generation. For this, he’s been elevated to the role of spokesmen - and yet the elusive Dylan won’t even admit to being a poet. “I don’t call myself a poet because I don’t like the word,” he has said. “I’m a trapeze artist.” On April 7, 2008, Bob Dylan was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, making him the first rock and roll musician to be accorded this high journalistic honor. The Hurricane is one of my favorite Dylan songs. It tells the story of legendary boxer Rubin Carter and his controversial convictions, and release after 20 years, for three June 1966 murders in New Jersey. The question of Carter’s actual guilt or innocence remains a strongly polarizing one. However, this much is certain: either the American criminal justice system released a triple murderer from punishment, or it wrongfully imprisoned an innocent man for almost 20 years. From what I've read about it, I think he was wrongly accused.  

the black keys

The Akron, Ohio-based duo, The Black Keys, is well known for its concentrated, hermetic approach to recording, hunkering down with rudimentary equipment in an unfinished basement or commandeering the floor of a vacant local rubber factory to create terse but soulful rock that seems to have time-traveled into the pair's amps from some long-ago radio show. The Black Keys blues rock catalogue is pure rock'n'roll goodness. The key to Auerbach's success comes from American primitivism (the genre tag applied to guitarist John Fahey in the late 50s). He has the ability to unleash passion and anger through his playing, creating a rock'n'roll aesthetic that is defined not by its purity, but rather the soulfulness and essential fun of pure, drone-heavy electric blues. A must-listen especially if you like The Stooges, The White Stripes, or The Raconteurs.

the boss

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are one of the most notoriously ripping live rock bands on the planet, legendary for their marathon performances (3-4 hours straight), mind-meld timing and brotherly vibe. Springsteen has long had the nickname "The Boss," a term which he was initially reported to dislike but now seems to have come to terms with, as he sometimes jokingly refers to himself as such on stage. The nickname originated when a young Springsteen, playing club gigs with a band in the 1960s, took on the task of collecting the band's nightly pay and distributing it amongst his bandmates, unlike members of other bands they are paid a wage by Bruce, rather than getting a share of theprofits from album sales and tours. In 1999 Bruce was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. For anyone who saw their 12 minute bash during the Superbowl halftime show knows that The Boss can still deliver. Bruce just released his latest album, Working On A Dream, and has proven that he still has what it takes to be one of the greatest rock 'n' roll artists in history.