The Maine

Ok. So. One of my favourite bands. I found them while creeping around on buzznet.com a long time ago, they had a feature on them and they were talking about their skinny jeans (the majority of the band has unbelievably skinny legs). Anyway. They're really good. From Phoenix and are also hilarious. They are really in touch with their fans, especially Pat the drummer, the one who has the long hair and is on the left in the picture. They frequently post videos on their youtube account and on their buzznet and host live chats.

But onto the music. SO. The lead singer, and one of my future husbands is John O'Callaghan, he's the one in the front with the RayBans, that's what our children are going to be born wearing, he plays the acoustic guitar sometimes as well, but most recently stands there and acts bored (or at least he did the last time I saw them... quite disappointing, BUT they're usually very energetic). The drummer, as I said before is Pat Kirch, he is so little it's scary... he also has some weird alter ego, which is a little creepy. Behind him in the picture is Kennedy Brock, who does some of the backing vocals and plays guitar, I think he looks like a sweetheart. The number one sweetheart in the band though is Jared Monaco also plays guitar and when I went to get a shirt autographed for my sister, HE thanked ME... it was so sweet!! Now. The grand finale, my favourite person in the band Garret Nickelsen. He is a)obsessed with zombies and b) always does rock hands... which makes me very very happy.

This band lineup got together in 2007 and no one knew O'Callaghan could even sing. When they first preformed he apparently would stare at the back of the stage because he was so nervous. And his voice has improved incredibly, it's so... mature... on their new album! They've played everywhere from little bars to Bamboozle and Warped Tour, and at Bamboozle I was surprised by their amazing fan base! They're definitely a lot bigger in the states then they are here!
Their new album, is called Black and White, it came out in the summer and upon first listen wasn't as catchy as I thought it was... BUT the second time I listened to it, it was amazing! It was so far from their old stuff I was floored! Their older stuff was a little poppy, but this is more rock/Tom Petty inspired and I read an article that it was supposed to resemble some Third Eye Blind, butttt I don't hear it.

Anyway. Top 5 Songs from the album, which makes for half of the album because it only had 10 songs on it!

1. Inside of You

2. Fuel to the Fire

3. Listen to Your Heart

4. Give It To Me

5. Growing Up

1. Inside of You... this was their first single off of this album and I LOVE it. The vocals are so different from their old stuff and it really set them apart from all of their old stuff. The best part of the song is right after this huge build and the lyrics get really fast and the guitar is so sweet in it too.

2. Fuel to the Fire... I just like the idea of the song and the way the lyrics are. It's kind of a rejection thing maybe? I'm not sure I just like it it's catchy.

3. Listen to Your Heart... this is my favourite song on the album, it's so cute. He says that he wants to run away with the girl... *swoon* and he says something about finding her in a crowd if she just whispers *swoon*

4. Give it to Me... I like this song because there's a breakdown part that's so funny "...when the pretty boys try to get next to you they really just want to have sex with you... it's the way you move and the clothes you wear, the alcohol and the way that you don't care all I really want to do is get next to you, next to you..." it's just so classic 90s.

5. Growing Up... their second single off of this album... it's slower and has a piano and reminds me of Tom Petty... there's a piano twirl in it too (or at least I think that's what it's called... where you start at one end of the keyboard and go all the way down... whatever it's sweet!)

So enjoy the awesomeness that is The Maine.

The Pretty Reckless

OH MY GOD IT'S JENNY HUMPHREY!!!! And don't they all look soooo happy in the picture?! I mean they're ecstatic about being in this band... oh wait. Right, they're edgy and cool so they can't smile or even appear to be having fun in any picture... gooootttttt it.

So despite their obvious coolness, let's get the facts straight... the band is fronted by Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl (actual name Taylor Momsen) she also played Cindy Lou Who in the Jim Carey version of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. How is it possible that you don't check them out!

I was expecting them to be some horribly fronted band, with their only reason for having fans is because of her popular following on Gossip Girl... when I youtubed them to find some of their music, just to hear a sample (this was innnn January-ish) the first thing that popped up was "The Pretty Reckless Make Me Want To Die". Being completely naive to their song titles I thought that this meant they actually made someone want to die! Then I realized it was the name of the song, it was featured in Kick Ass and is SO CATCHY.

THEN. When my sister and I went to Bamboozle, she was playing... I couldn't miss her, obviously I had to see if she was for real and her voice wasn't autotuned... even if her appearance was the trashiest thing ever (seriously she's 16... or 17 now... and wears garters on stage WHERE ARE HER PARENTS! and she drops the eff bomb ever other word! but I must keep in mind that she's "edgy"). We mosey over to the stage and everyone is yelling about Jenny Humphrey, which made me feel a little bad that she's always going to be identified as Jenny... but she brought it on herself sooo I don't feel too bad. Expecting a train wreck of a performance I was going to give her 2 or 3 songs and then find some shade to sit down. BUT HOLY CRAP! The girl actually sings in key live and actually performs! I was flabbergasted! She sounds almost identical to the way she does on the recordings the only thing that was off was her background guy, he wasn't quite as in key as he is on the recording. So kudos to her for actually being able to belt it out.

As for her band... they're all significantly older than her, which also creeps me out a bit... what late 20's guy wants to hang out with a 17 year old?! But I guess it's a pretty good gig... there'll always be young little children to fall all over them. So Ben Phillips is the number one guy, he helps Taylor (we're on a first name basis) write the songs and is also her backing vocals and the lead guitar. Mark Damon (perhaps related to Matt?!) plays the bass and Jamie Perkins plays drums and other various percussion instruments... except for little shaker maraca thing Taylor Momsen OWNS that thing hahaha.

Now fastforward to the 31st of August (my sister's birthday) but also the release of this endearing album art... isn't it just so nice that this little kid can wear leather and use a zippo? I have great expectations for the youth of today. But anyway... the album is called Light Me Up.

It is actually quite good. I again was floored. The songs are pretty rock-ish, the songs are a little more mature but they're all really catchy and performed really well!!!

The guitar is super heavy in some songs but then in other songs the drums are really heavy... so it's a perfect blend. The album also has really fast dance-y songs and slower songs that are more campfire friendly. The deeper side of me will say that the album shows the complexity of life... some songs about being so in love with someone you'd do anything for them (Make Me Want To Die... while others are purely about rejection You)... overall it's a pretty decent album.

Another random note is that she did a cover of Rihanna and Eminem's Love the Way You Lie mashed with Islands... it's acoustic and surprisingly really good!!!

But... here's my breakdown of the top 5 songs from Light Me Up...

1. Make Me Want To Die

2. Goin' Down

3. You

4. Since You're Gone

5. Just Tonight

1. Make Me Want To Die... this is their "big hit"... it's ridiculously catchy, it starts with a cute little tune and then the rock sound comes in and it's so BA it's ridiculous, the lyrics are sweet too, or maybe they're a little negative... nevertheless they're catchy.

2. Goin' Down... so this song brought some controversy in a recent interview of Miss Momsen's, where she claims that the song is about priests and their molestation scandals... then she said she had slept with a priest... classy girl. BUT the song is pretty sweet, it's one of the rocky ones on the album. The best part of the song is when the music slows down a bit and she starts singing really quickly, like she's explaining something... it caught me the first time I heard the song.

3. You... this is one of the slower songs, the guitar in it is acoustic and it makes me all fuzzy inside, even if the song is a little sad. Her voice is impeccable in it too, again I was thoroughly impressed.

4. Since You're Gone... this song reminds me of old rock... just the beat and the way that she sings. It's a faster one again and the lyrics aren't very complex, but who cares!!

5. Just Tonight... BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM, in my opinion... but of course it will never be released as a single, that's fine though I can just enjoy it all to myself. The chorus is amazing, if she wrote this I will be a loyal fan to her forever, unfortunately the information is not on wikipedia and I don't feel like looking for it right now. But seriously... I love it, I don't even care if she's talking about being drugged up in it, I like to think it's a deeper meaning, even if it isn't.

All in all... I'd say good job Taylor Momsen and Co. I thoroughly enjoyed your album! Next time don't try to be so hardcore and be more of yourself, I don't care what your publicist says, you shouldn't act like this at 17... you're not too cool for school, you should still be in it!

Peace out!

The Spill Canvas

So, after my long hiatus from pushing my music on the whole 4 people that read this... I've come back!!!! My hiatus was filled with nothing... and now that school is about to start up again, I thought HEY what a better time to start blogging again and putting off my school work even more?!

The band to bring back the assault is The Spill Canvas, those four nifty guys showing off their amazingly flexible karate kicks. (Is anyone else wondering how many tries it took them to all be relatively the same height and doing the same type of move without hitting each other?!) Anyway enough about their ninja moves and more about them!

First I should start with how I found these guys... all of the credit goes to my good friend Jeremy... upon meeting Jeremy (the first victim of my music assaults) he asked me if I had ever heard of The Spill Canvas... I hadn't, but looked into them and fell in love. The lead singers voice... just makes you fall in love with him. *Swoon*

Now upon observation only you can see that there are clearly 4 of them. The band hails from South Dakota... Sioux Falls, South Dakota (the reason I mention the city is because I read a book in grade 5 called Sioux Winter and that's what it reminds me of... maybe I should write the author and tell them to do a prequel called Sioux Fall...)

The band's lead singer is Nick Thomas, he has a gutsy voice that floors you when you see who he is. The first time I saw a music video by them I was floored that he was the singer. Joe Beck plays the drums, and gives some of their songs a heavier rock sound, especially at the beginning of some of them and he uses the high-hat!! Oh how I love it... Dan Ludeman plays guitar and also backs up Nick Thomas on vocals, he plays guitar so awesomely, from what I remember from their show he plays lead guitar so he's the cool rock part as well. It should also be mentioned right now that Nick Thomas also plays guitar along with his lead vocals gig. The final member of the band is Landon Heil. First of all... LOVE his name, I don't think I've ever met a Landon, therefore it's cool and mysterious with no bad memories attached to it... like the name Amanda (bad elementary school experience). Anyway he plays bass and was so cute at the show I saw them at... he just sways... ho hum. So cute.

Now, their most recent release was their Realities EP... which has, in my opinion their best song... or well maybe. The EP is poppy, alternative, rock and just so catchy.

One listen and I swear you'll be hooked, especially my favourite song on it... you can't help but singing along and bopping your head to it.

They've released, five full length albums and have a new one due out sometime this year.

I believe this is all I have to say about them right now... so here come the top 5 songs to download by them. But let me say that all of their songs are amazing, they do a lot of acoustic slower stuff and the songs I picked are more uppity and awake music, no going to bed music.

SONGS TO DOWNLOAD

1. Our Song

2. Polygraph, Right Now!

3. All Over You

4. Staplegunned

5. Hush Hush

1. Our Song... so this is the song that I'm obsessed with off of their most recent EP. Not only is the beat amazingly catchy but the lyrics are to die for. "We'll never be, strangers kissing the pouring rain, chasing after your leaving train, but we know that's not how our song goes..." so good! His voice in it is just right as well... he even has a gritty part that gives me chills. (it was bad when they preformed this song live, I almost jumped up on stage and that would have been bad because he's smaller than I am...)

2. Polygraph, Right Now!... ok the title of this song proves how good it is... there's an exclamation point!! It's about a break up... enough said. Heavy drums, he talks about being a king of a pitty party... I want to be at his party and make him feel better... his voice, just so good. Oh and the word whore is in it... so it makes you feel evil... hahaha

3. All Over You... THIS is the song that I first fell in love with, and saw the video and was floored by his voice and his appearance and just him (he looks much different now, the video is fairly old and he's rid himself of the beard/goatee and shaved his head). Onto the song... proclamation of love... the chorus is so catchy and the beat is addictive, the lyrics are a little stalkerish but hey who said stalking an ex girlfriend in a song was against the law right?

4. Staplegunned... again kind of a creepy song, he wants to throw his lips on a girl in an elevator but who cares!! Again, his voice is so good... this song is pretty heavy on guitar, the riff is different and shapes the song perfectly

5. Hush Hush... secrets... it's catchy and the guitar in it is soooo good. The lyrics again are creepy, but again... look past it... it's again about a cheater, I'm thinking he went through a lot of heartbreak before this album.... he does a lot of falsetto singing in this song... but it shows his range (again perfect... even live)

Now. Closing words. This band is amazing. You need to see them live if you ever have the opportunity to... I saw them at a really small venue and they still played like they were playing to a stadium and they were so nice and interacted with the crowd. So. Get their music. Get them to come up to Canada (I'm fairly sure they're HUGE in the States, but at the show I was at there were only about 40 people).

Now enjoy... and in the words of Paul the Intern (who cracks me up) "... Sleep well my darlings..."

Matt Duke

Isn't he just the cutest?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

AND he has shoes that I've attempted to buy so many times, but they never seem to have my size... SO all men who wear size 11 please stop shopping for black vans, thanks.

Also, a warning, if you google image, or even google, Matt Duke the soccer player from the UK comes up. DO NOT get them confused. The other Matt Duke is a little more, uhhh burly? And a little less uhhhh appealing? Especially to the young, non soccer crazed people out there.

Alright, alright. SO MATT DUKE. I've been quite in love with this guy for a little while. I happened across this Philadelphia native while stalking another band on myspace I think. Instantly I fell in love. He's so adorable and his voice is so good. It's just him, and his guitar, and some other backing instruments but whatever that's beside the point. HE is AMAZING.

Now, because I can't seem to find him on wikipedia, I keep getting directed to the soccer player, so I'm going to just talk about stuff that is on his myspace. Where it says he looks like a teenager but his voice is much more mature (no cracking here ladies and gentlemen!).

The, "biographer" or perhaps just the blurber says that Matt (we're on a first name basis) has the voice to play stadium shows, but is more likely found in coffeeshops. WHICH is awesome because that means that he likes smaller venues that allow for a more intimate atmosphere, and THEREFORE is about the music not the money. It also says this, and I can hear my sister crooning now, that one of his heroes is Conor Oberst.

Look at those eyes... SO CUTE. This is also where it is obvious that he's not a meesly teenager, LOOK AT THAT BEARD!!
Ok SO. Two pictures were necessary for two reasons. Number one, they're both amazing. Number two. LOOK AT THE PICTURES. Seriously, he's just so cute!!! AND THE FISH! Oh my gosh. I'm seriously just so in love with him. But soon, he will be really big and famous and then I'll find out that he's short and I'll be crushed. But to the point. SO. He released his Kingdom Underground in 2008 THEN released the Acoustic EP in 2009.

The EP is almost all of the songs from the original cd, but acoustic! (DUH!). Both albums show off his cool voice and the lyrics are so clever and good annnndd I basically crumble at the knees whenever I hear anything he sings. OH and random people have covered him, which is weird because I wasn't aware that he was that big. For example, a band called The Maine, covered him at Christmas (or maybe Valentine's Day... sometime) ANYWAY. He's good. Believe me.

SO. Songs to download?

Top 5 are:

30 Some Days

Sex and Reruns

I've Got Atrophy on the Brain

A Happy Hooligan

The Father, the Son, and the Harlot's Ghost

30 Some Days... ok SO this song isn't on the EP, but it's acoustic with a piano... so I guess it's not really acoustic, whatever it's mellow. It's so cute! The guitar in it kind of reminds me of Brian McKnight songs... but it's so good.

Sex and Reruns... probably my favourite song on the album. SO GOOD. It's also on the acoustic EP, but I like the non acoustic better, it has more pizazz or something... BUT the acoustic is fantastic as well.

I've Got Atrophy on the Brain... again not on the acoustic EP. But this is the song that got me hooked. The guitar in it and then there's the piano too... holy swoon. And his voice on this song is amazing.

A Happy Hooligan... this song is just fun and makes me happy. That's all that needs to be said.

The Father, the Son and the Harlot's Ghost... NOW. This song is on the acoustic EP too, and I think, I think I like the acoustic better. I don't know how else to explain it. The lyrics again are so good, a little uhh homicidal, but whatever.

And on a finishing note... SCHOOOOOOOLLLLLLSSSS OUT FOR SUMMER!

I'm so pumped. Music, music, music. Lots of concerts concerts concerts.

Zoe, Jy... next Sunday I'm going to be at a festival SO. My post will be late. EAK. I'm sure I'll have someone new and exciting to talk about after the festival, or I better.

Florence and the Machine

I have no idea what took me so long to put this band on here. They were downloaded by chance, as in with an indie/alternative playlist. AMAZING. They're from the U.K., I know... everyone awesome comes from there! They're fronted by Florence Welch (perhaps the heiress of the Welch's Juice fortune?) and she is backed by "other musicians that make up her band." Boy oh boy wouldn't you love to be one of those other musicians?!

I'm hoping that the people that are in the picture above are actually in the band, as in I love the guy that has that much food in his mouth... hahaha, too funny. I'm thinking it's a wrap or bread or something... any other guesses?

Anyway her voice, is SO COOL. It's different and the music/lyrics is so different too. For all of the dubstep junkie/techno junkies as well, because she's from the UK there are a lot of dubstep or techno remixes to her songs. Her songs range are mostly crazy upbeat ones that you can dance to, or pretend to make a music video to... kind of like this one, so crazy. And again... ok I'm obsessed with her hair... crazy red and the dance in it is so neat!!! Or not neat... but rather cool, it's just a cool video.

I also have reason to believe that she is a fellow Amazon, so that adds to her cool factor as well.

Anyway, she started in 2007 and has basically exploded over in London since then. It could have something to do with her hair... but then not everyone is as easily persuaded as I am, so it is actually probably because of her voice and talent. ALSO apparently she is phenomenal live, though she's never come to Canada so I don't know this first hand!

NOW, her latest album is called Lungs. It was released in 2009 and received great reviews AND it's no wonder. It's awesome!!!!! It has everything you could want! Mellow, dance-y, love-y, boys suck-y... just so good!! Not only is Drumming Song on this album, but Kiss With a Fist, which was featured on the Jennifer's Body Soundtrack AND Dog Days Are Over, which made it huge in the UK.

Because I'm studying and this was my study break and I should probably get back to studying, I'll make this short.

SONGS TO DOWNLOAD

Drumming Song

Kiss With a Fist

Dog Days Are Over

I'm Not Calling You a Liar

Between Two Lungs

Drumming Song... ok awesome, the drums in it are so cool. And the lyrics are also so neat and catchy annnndd ya, seriously make your own music video with this, just maybe make sure no one is home to catch you dancing like an idiot.

Kiss With a Fist... alright, so NOT backing the moral of this song. But again it's good, and catchy and makes me kind of think of Zooey Deschanel, for some weird reason.

Dog Days Are Over... a cute kind of song, again catchy and I love it.

I'm Not Calling You a Liar... slower and just as good as the other ones, the beginning her voice just rings out and then the instruments come in. So good.

Between Two Lungs... again slowerish. But soooo good and it's easy to fall asleep to, and nice as well.

Alright SO ya this is not very long and less descriptive and there is MUCH less commentary than there usually is... but unfortunately studying overrules things... school sucks.

But soon, Alice Cooper's song will ring through my apartment. SCHOOOOOOOOLLLLSSSSS OUT FOR SUMMER!

Local Natives

This band was happened up through one of my favourite things. Creeping.

While searching one of my favourite creepage sites, Buzznet. I came across an interview by this band. Intrigued, I went to their myspace. Immediately I was smitten. They're very Arcade Fire meets Fleet Foxes meets pure epic bands.

They're whimsical and enchanting. Holy. I'm so happy I found these guys.

Ok SO. They're from LA (for people bad with acronyms such as myself Los Angeles). There are five guys in the band (sidenote, how cool/quirky is that picture). Taylor Rice, Kelcey Ayer, Ryan Hahn, Andy Hamm and Matt Frazier. Their names make me wonder if they are their real names, or if they changed them... such cool spellings. Taylor Rice plays guitar and vocals, Kelcey Ayer plays percussion, vocals AND the keyboard (yes he is officially my favourite). Ryan Hahn plays the guitar as well and does some vocals. Andy Hamm plays the bass ANNNNDD Matt Frazier plays drums. Now I'm not sure who is who in the picture, but whatever it doesn't matter. They're all pretty cool!!

A little fun fact is that the band used to be called Cavil at Rest but switched their name and are now fairly big in the UK after their first full length release (below).
Alright SO. Trippy cover, eh? This is their first full length, entitled Gorilla Manor. It was released in September 2009 in the UK and February 2010 over here. The album is phenomenal. It demonstrates their harmonizations (if that's a word) and their heavy guitar (in some songs). The album reminds me of summer, for some reason but it's just so good. It's extremely chill music, and it's clear that they can actually sing and play their instruments. Which would lead me to believe that they would be phenomenal live. On this album they also have live songs, which demonstrates that they're AWESOME live!!

This is the smallest blurb possible. But I just had to blog about them because I'm so smitten right now... a week from now, I'll probably have a million more things to say about them but that's just too bad, I'm doing this NOW.

Ok so songs to download?!?

Airplanes

Who Knows Who Cares

Shape Shifter

Wide Eyes

Sun Hands

Airplanes... this is the first song I heard by them. It's so good and cutesy, talking about flying to go see someone. It starts out with them making weird airplane noises maybe? Or it could be hecklers? I'm not sure hahaha. BUT It has a piano in it, again my weakness. So good.

Who Knows Who Cares... this is a slow song. There's a piano again. I also like the name of the song... GOOD thought to shove into people's minds.

Shape Shifter... This is also one of the first songs I heard by them. It's slower again, but picks up by the chorus. And the way the chorus shows harmonizing and it's very very folksy.

Wide Eyes... this song has a really cool drum thing going on, with a weird percussion instrument, that's kind of ticking... I'm not sure what it is but it adds to the cool rhythm of the song. Again it's folksy, but soo good.

Sun Hands... apparently I have some obsession with nature songs right now. This song starts out about climbing a hill or something. I just love it. Again the chorus is a melding of everyone's voice... LOVE IT.

Ok SO. That's all for today folks.

Enjoy.

Biffy Clyro

Ok. Now. I know that everyone must be very confused... Biffy Clyro, just one guy right? This picture is just a guy with two randoms? NO! Yes, I was fooled as well. Biffy Clyro is an awesome TRIO from Scotland. Gasps all around, I know, I know.
This band was happened across because they were listed as "one of the must have singles" from one of the bands that I listen to. Immediately I downloaded the single and was hooked. It was soooo good, I was completely smitten with this guy, later I would find out that it was a band, but whatever. The band would fit in with alternative/grunge rock. Their older stuff is more grungy and their more recent stuff is more alternative, but still has heavy guitar to give it the grunge feel. Their melodies are amazing and they switch riffs a lot, providing a "new-type" feel to the song, it's not just the same three notes being repeated for 4 minutes.
The lead singer, as well as guitarist, Simon Neil has the coolest voice. It's smooth and unique, like caramel... mmmmmm. Neil also has the dark hairy beard, he's the dark one in the picture. I've seen pictures of him with just some scruff, with a Santa beard and with it like that. Regardless of the length of his beard, his voice makes him so dreamy.... Now. He's backed by TWINS. James Johnston, who I believe is the one with long hair. He slaps the bass and backs up the Neil on vocals. His twin, Ben Johnston also does backing vocals and he plays the drums. No one has any idea how badly I would love to steal his jacket, perhaps tailor it a bit and then have my own leather jacket. Wikipedia informs me that this band is a Johnston family affair, the twins other brother is Ben's drum tech! That is what I call family support!!

The band has been active since 1995!! Neil put the band together when he was 15 and they are still trekking along! They have released a total of five studio albums, their last album (Puzzle) reaching number two in the UK and their most previous one, Only Revolutions, has gone to number eight. The new album is absolutely fantastic! It was released on November 9, 2009 and has 12 tracks... all of which have been on serious repeat on my iTunes. There are fast songs, slow songs, songs that are just right. Some are cute, some not so much. Holy it just has everything that you need!! And it's so different from everything that's being played right now on the radio. Seriously, I can't stop listening.
I'll take this next step slowly. First of all, two songs to download from Puzzle, Folding Stars and Now I'm Everyone. Now I'm Everyone is faster and has such an awesome climax. Folding Stars is more of a typical song, but I love it, it's the song that got me hooked!!

Songs to download from this album though?

Bubbles
God and Satan
Know Your Quarry
The Captain
Mountains

Bubbles--probably my favourite song on the album. It's fairly long, but you have to get through it the first time just go hear the epicness. The beginning is fairly lax and repetitive, but once you get to the first bridge, you'll be hooked. "There's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl and she's down by the river..." So good. There may be a religious undertone to the song, but whatever, it's so good.

God and Satan... now this song definitely does have a religious undertone, noted from the title no doubt. This song is acoustic and the drums slowly make an appearance. The end of the song is so good, Neil's voice gets tight and then relaxes again to end it. Amazing.

Know Your Quarry... this song begins with a piano, synth type thing (again my weakness for the piano). Then an orchestra type thing comes in later, all these instruments, with their regular guitar, drums and bass. Oh it's so cool. I love when rock bands incorporate classical instruments.

The Capitan... The opener for the album. It starts out so quietly with some sort of stomping/marching and it gets louder and there's a yell and then these amazing horns/guitar slash craziness comes in. It's definitely the best song to open the album with. The actual music is just so happy go lucky with the horns and just gives you the jolly feeling.

Mountains... back to the mellow songs. The piano starts it again (I know, it's getting annoying). His voice starts out so softly then picks up when the drums, guitar and bass come in. This song is definitely an inspirational type song. It's amazing.

Did I say that this band was amazing enough? Because they seriously are. Walk, jog, no RUN to your nearest computer or CD store and buy their music. They're so good. Wait it may be better to capitalize that. THEY'RE SO GOOD!!!
Enjoy.

In the spirit of the season???

SO. Today I'm going to break tradition and perhaps run the chance of being attacked for blasphemy? Maybe now is a good time to write my disclaimer *I do not in any way, shape or form believe that Jesus loves rap, nor do I think he traveled around with a stereo*
Now... the break with tradition writing on a Friday... oooo aahhhhhh, and also just give a playlist! Whoa, I know, I'm really stepping outside of the box today.

The playlist for today will be a playlist of "pump up"-esque songs... or songs that just make you want to jump around, dance or do both!

Alright, so some songs are poppy, some are rocky, some are weird and some are mellow with fast parts... pick and choose. Also because I'm super nerdy I also put some other good pumpy songs for the bands... YAY!

*disclaimer#2-playlist alphabetical, because that's how iTunes sorts my music*

1. Bulls in Brooklyn... The Academy Is...
- This band is amazing, this song is different from everything else, it starts heavy on the drums and bass... so good. There's even a background part "whoawhooaaaa" so good. Other songs to download by this band that are pumpy, Chop Chop and We've Got a Big Mess on Our Hands

2. Sometime Around Midnight... The Airbourne Toxic Event
-Alright so this is a super mellow song... but it's amazing. It builds so well and just bursts with the lead singer's voice... right after he says "there's a change in your emotions..." and it starts with violins, who can resist?! The rest of the songs are fairly mellow, I'm sure I'll feature them soon...but download them anyway... no real pumpy songs though... so I'll move on.

3. Godspeed... Anberlin
- These guys are more alternative/rock... but they are also amazing... fast drums, fast lyrics, fast , fast, fast. This song is ridiculously fast, or well decently fast, and has some awesome guitar and even a building "ohohhhohhhhhhh" part in it...so it's fun to sing along to. Other noteable songs... Breaking and Blame Me! Blame Me!

4. She Is Beautiful... Andrew W.K.
- He was my full on obsession in high school, much to my sister's annoyance. Again really rocky, but whatever it's awesome. The piano, the drums, the guitars... his bloody face on the album cover (not so much). He's phenomenal, actually. The lyrics are awesome too and it just makes you want to scream them out... or sing quietly so you don't get caught in a car or in public yelling them. Other awesome songs It's Time to Party and Party Hard.

5. Approach The Bench... The Audition
- My sister is or was obsessed with this band... and I will admit, this song is catchy and fast and pumpy upy!!! The lead singers vocals are so cool, he has a really uhhh I'll say gutsy voice and it's so cool. Other cool songs... Los Angeles and the Ultimate Cover-up.

6. Shattered Faith... Bad Religion
- This song was actually my favourite song, probably all through grade 8. It's old, but so good. They're more punk, but it's so cool... good message over all. I won't put any other songs, because this is the only one that really stands out.

7. Kennedy Killed the Hat... Buck 65
- This is a really weird song, but it's amazing. AND I believe he's from Halifax (ZOE!!!) He's so weird but so cool. The lyrics are ridiculous, amazing. Another good song is Devil's Eyes.

8. 27 Steps... Cartel
- Fast guitar and fast drums=willingness to dance... or attempt to make a music video for the song. This directly correlates with pump up music. Most definitely. Other songs?? Let's Go and Lose It.

9. Still Breathing... Cauterize
- So good. Fast and slow at the same time, as in the music for the chorus and is fast but then the verses are slow. They're rockish again. It's good. Other fast songs? Something Beautiful and Choke.


10. Passing the Hat... Cold War Kids
- Incredibly "indie", but still so good. This song builds so much again, and you can just hear it in his voice. Holy poop, amazing. Other songs? Hospital Beds.


11. Big Chomper, Big Chomper... Dr. Manhattan
- Probably the most "scene" song ever... but it's so good. Weird again, but so awesome. It's kind of electric-y, but this song you can actually dance to, it's awesome. The only real problem is that the lead singer has a weird punkish voice, so you have to sidestep that. What else is decent? You Put the I in Team and Gunpowder: A Ballet.


12. Southern Belles in London Sing... The Faint
- AMAZING. This is probably the weirdest thing on the list. It as an orchestra playing at the beginning, and then goes into the weirdest set of lyrics and weirdest voice... but it's still cool. If you enjoy this other fast songs by this band are Desperate Guys and Take Me to the Hospital.


13. Zelda... Farewell
- These guys are kind of awesome. I saw them live, that's how I ended up discovering them. They have fast music, clever lyrics and again are the dancey kind of rock. Other songs that are fast by them are Eighty-Eights and Stay Pretty.


14. Watch Me Move... Fefe Dobson
-Another serious obsession of my childhood. She's so cool, very in your face. Watch Me Move is a more recent song, but other awesome songs by her are Give It Up and Unforgiven.


15. Scar That Never Heals... Jeremy Fisher
- This song just puts me in a really good mood, it's very 1960s Monkees.


16. Seventeen... J.E.T.
- This band is also amazing. They're Australian, everyone knows them from the iPod commerical, but they're so much more!!! Good songs off of ther new album, She's A Genius and K.I.A. (Killed in Action).


17. Get It Faster... Jimmy Eat World
- Words cannot describe my love for this band. I won't go into detail about these guys because I could go on for days and days and days and days. Now. This song. SO AMAZING. If you want other fast songs by them, try Nothingwrong and Sweetness.


18. Ruby... Kaiser Chiefs
- This song is just really really fun to sing along with. RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY!! Another really good song by them is Na na na na, it's like you're being chased... and it's awesome.


19. Black Cat... Mayday Parade
- Bad luck right? NO WRONG! This band is crazy live and their music on their records is just as good. This song is fast and makes me want to pretend I'm in a rock band, or appearing on stage performing with them. Ya I said it. Now, other songs that are fast by them When I Get Home You Are So Dead and Walk on Water or Drown.


20. Nth Degree... Morningwood
- Ridiculous is the only word that can explain this song, but I still love it. This song is extremely dancey and makes anyone smile... because of the ways you want to dance when you hear the song. The lyrics are pretty ridiculous too. This band has a bunch of other songs, but I don't really like the other ones, this is the only really notable one.


21.Raise the Dead... Phantom Planet
- CALIFORNIA!!!! Ya the famous OC theme song is by this band. Raise the Dead is so good, and so is Quarantine and Do the Panic.


22. Ricochet... Shiny Toy Guns
- This band is awesome because they have a guy and a girl singing and that contrast is always sooo cool. This song has cool lyrics that are very uhh in your face I guess. Another awesome song by them is Ghost Town (seriously it's so fast and so good, maybe I should have picked this instead but Ricochet is still amazing), and Le Disko... this was played a lot on commercials, I can't remember which one though.


23. Painted by Numbers... The Sounds
- These guys are from Sweden and I love them. This song is so fast and so dancey, I love it. It's a little more electric than other things but still rocky. Other good songs are Ego and Tony The Beat.


24. She's the Blade... Sugarcult
-This song is so good and catchy. It follows the pattern again with it being rock, but it's so good. They were featured on one of the NHL xbox games... another really good song by them is Memory, but it's more of a slow song.. still "uplifting"


25. Chokechain... 3OH!3
- Everyone is obsessed with this band, just because they had one song on the radio... BUT they're so much better than that song. Chokechain, is awesome. It's rap, but it's so funny oh god. They're amazing. Other non radio play songs by them are Electroshock and I Can't Do It Alone.


There we go, a little bit of everything. YAY.

Every Avenue

Alright, SO. Next band is Every Avenue...

On the surface they seem like just your regular everyday pop-rock-alternative-whatever band. But oh no! They are not! I accidentally ran into these guys playing on stage... so I guess I didn't really run into them but whatever. They were awesome, as in I just stood there with probably about 10 other people and watched them play. Even with hot sauce on his mic (a prank apparently) lead singer, David Strauchman (the guy with the AWESOME socks, which I'm sure I owned) managed to sing along and have burning eyes. The best part is, they sounded possibly better than they did on their first full length release, but that was due to the mixing of their full length.

Before I go any further... I would just like to point out how funny this picture is, I'm sad that I had to stray away from the funny pictures for the past few bands. They're just so awesome! The socks, the shorts, the jumping the moustaches (which they spelled wrong... which is a pet peeve, but whatever they're a. American and b. good, so it doesn't matter)!!

Now, back to the band. They're from Michigan (almost Canadian) and started out in 2003. They released their first EP in 2003 and it all went downhill from there. There are five guys in the group, David Strauchman, the lead singer AND piano (remember my weakness) is the awesome looker up there with the socks. Josh Randall is the skinny guy jumping on the right. He plays guitar and is seriously GIANT, he holds a special place in my heart. Jimmy Deeghan, is the other guy jumping (or at least I think) he also plays guitar and adds some backing vocals, he has pretty hair. Matt Black slaps the bass and I'm completely at a loss to who he is in the picture... I'm that bad, I think it's an old picture because he does not resemble any of them in the funny one... but it was funny, so I refuse to change it. The same goes from drummer Dennis Wilson, something else I can say about him is besides Matt Black and Josh Randall, he is the only one in the band who doesn't want me to spell check his name! WOOOOO.

Time to talk about music now. Ok SO. As stated before, (ya I'm in essay writing mode right now) the band released several EPs before they released their first full length in 2008. The first full length is called Shhh... Just Go With It. It's awesome, catchy songs that are the awkward rock dance worthy and they're just so happy go lucky. The only problem with it is that some of the songs they re-recorded and the originals sounded way better (but what else is new eh?). Their most recent release is Picture Perfect, album cover above. Again, the album is SOOOO catchy and has some fast songs, some slow songs and everything in between. Now, if you like bands like All Time Low and Fall Out Boy and Boys Like Girls and all of those bands you'll love these guys. And the best part is that they aren't as big as those bands YET! They're less mainstream, now, than these bands.

Apparently I've written a lot up to now... as in my procrastination for my essay shouldn't go any longer. Onto songs to download...

Think of You Later

Where Were You

Until I get Caught Red Handed

Mindset

I Forgive You

Think of You Later... was on Shhh... Just Go With It, BUT was originally released on their EP Ah! and the version is much better on there, they did some weird mixing thing on it for Shhh... Just Go With It. Now this song, is so good, so catchy. It's a mix of fast and slow. Good, good, good!

Where Were You.. also on Shhh... Just Go With It and was also featured on an EP also Ah! again the original version is better... but the version on the full length does have an awesome backing vocals part that just goes "oooohooo" either way it's catchy and fast talks about picking up someone drunk... makes my life.

Until I Get Caught Red Handed... this is the bonus track on Picture Perfect, and is fast again. But ya, it's awesome. LOVE IT.

Mindset... now this song, is maybe my favourite on their new album. Mostly because in the song they meet by running into each other, she literally runs into him and he spills his coffee all over himself. This gives me hope that my clumsiness will lead my to a steamy lead singer... yes? AND in the song she as turquoise eyes, mine are bluey green (maybe? sometimes?) ya it's definitely happening. Anyway... the song is good and fast and catchy and makes me feel fuzzy on the inside.

I Forgive You... ok SO... I changed the last song abruptly... there are just so many catchy good songs by them, the reason why I chose this song over the other ones is simply because it says "... please forgive me while I laugh my ass off" And because I love laughing, I chose it... bad reason? I don't care. It's about a break up slash liar and he's gotten over it and maybe forgiven her... who cares I love it. Especially the chorus! WEOOOO.

Now GO download or youtube or whatever.

My love for them has grown since re-listening to them... excuse my while I have a dance break, further procrastination on my school work.

Automatic Loveletter

Next, is Automatic Loveletter...
The first thing that needs to be done is.
Wait for it.
Look at how awesome the lead singer's hair is! She is SO COOL. Her name is Juliet Simms.
A closer look you say... why SURE.
LOOK at how wickedly awesome her hair is. Oh my god, when she did this I actually almost peed my pants from excitement, it's so cool!!
How I wish I could pull of this look, butttt I have a feeling my wavy locks would look horrible like this. Ya. She just oozes coolness and I'm so tremendously jealous of her for solely that reason. AND this is my first, uhhh feature I guess you could call it, on a female fronted band!! I listen to few actually which is sad... but nevertheless they're fantastic!
Alright so on with the band. But one quick look at her hair again. Sigh.
Here we go.
SO. Automatic Loveletter. AMAZING. Lead singer is Juliet Simms, she's very Janice Joplin esque and is phenomenal. The lyrics she sings hit home and her voice just rings though every song. The drummer is Daniel Currier, lead guitarist is Joe Nelson and the bassist is Sean Noll. Oh and Juliet also plays some guitar too. The band has recently made new additions, with Tommy Simms, Juliet's brother I believe, and he plays guitar as well as some backing vocals. The other addition was James Bowen, who plays rhythm guitar. Now back to her vocals, they're seriously so good. She's made "guest appearances" on songs with bands such as All Time Low (ya love them) with Remembering Sunday, Cartel (love them too) with Lose It, Secondhand Serenade (kind of love) with Fix You and a bunch of others. She's a hot commodity in the music world!
Pictured above, op no not her awesome hair again. BUT The picture directly above is their most recent album... which you can download on iTunes! Actually that's a picture of the EP but they're the same cover. The EP is called Recover, released in 2007 and the Automatic Loveletter EP was released in 2009. Both EPs have pretty much the same playlist, with some random additions to the later versions and sometimes re-recordings of the songs.
NOW. BOTH are amazing, filled with everything nice. Some songs are simple and acoustic and others are fast and ballad worthy (but a rock type ballad). They have a new CD, entitled Truth or Dare, due out on June 8 2010. BOY am I pumped.

Now, you ask... as you do every week. WHAT SONGS CAN I DOWNLOAD?!
Here we go.

The Day That Saved Us
Hush
Just Keep Breathing
Parker
Make Up Smeared Eyes

The Day That Saved Us... upbeat and a rockish song. Holy I love her. Her vocals are fantastic on this. Seriously, I love her.

Hush... so good, I like the old version better BUT the new one is also amazing! Jealously.. everyone experiences it right? Or is it just me and Juliet Simms that does? hahaahahaa...

Just Keep Breathing... this is my number one favourite Automatic Loveletter song. It's slower and acoustic again her vocals are fantastic. And the lyrics in it are so good too. But I won't spoil it. AMAZING.

Parker... when I listen to this song I imagine screaming it at someone.... mostly because the chorus goes "PARRRRRRKKKKKEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR... do you remember..." this one is faster but still so good.

Make-up Smeared Eyes... again a slower acoustic type song... a break-up song I guess... or maybe just a realization of how crappy the relationship was? But holy.. again phenomenal, and makes you remember that you shouldn't cry or throw a tantrum if you have a lot of eye make-up on... because your eyes will become make-up smeared.


And that's all folks.
But one last time. LOOK AT HER HAIR AND HOW AWESOME SHE IS!! That's it. Really.

The Almost

This is for my one and only religious reader... Zoe. SO hopefully you like them!!!
Anyway... THE ALMOST!!! (Isn't that picture so cute, they're all laughing and having a good time!)
They're absolutely amazing! The quintet are from Florida and most likely love oranges (haha get it?) The front man, Aaron Gillespie is originally the drummer from Underoath. He is lead vocals for The Almost and also plays guitay, keyboards AND percussion... I know HOLY CRAP! Now I know everyone (yes you Zoe) are wondering, how the eff is the drummer so good at singing, WELL let me inform you! He even sang for Underoath, providing them with the "actual singing", he's the voice that isn't screaming throughout all of Underoath's songs... cool fun fact eh?! Oh and he's the one with the florescent red hair, I love gingers!!
So now that I've given a crazy amount of information about the lead singer, I'll inform about the rest of the band. The lead guitariest is Dusty Redmon. Jay Vilardi plays guitar and back up vocals. Alex Aponte plays bass and Joe Musten plays the drums. NOW, when they're touring, they have Matthew Schwartz (like the hot dogs!!) play keyboards, extra percussion and also backing vocals. Lots of stuff going on with this band.

Ok SO... above is the cover of their most recent album Monster Monster which came out in 2009. It's filled with catchy lyrics and Gillespie's enrapturing voice... ya it's that good, try singing along to some of the songs, the key is impossible!! Their debut album, Southern Weather, was released in 2007 and is also AMAZING... it's a little bit of a mix of everything and some songs are kind of Goddy but still I love it. Between the two full length albums they released two eps, which are short but sweet. Again, catchy catchy lyrics, some dancey songs and some mellow slow cute songs. Almost (hahah) all of the songs are full of awesome guitar, the ones that aren't are filled with awesome acoustic guitar and Gillespie's vocals fill the void of the other instruments. The slow songs also take the old root of starting acoustic and bringing in other instruments, according to my History of Led Zeppelin prof, this is called eclecticism and cohesion!

Now, SONGS TO DOWNLOAD... I'll only give a few but pretty much everything by them is worth a listen.

Monster Monster
Monster
Amazing Because It Is
Say This Sooner
Hands

Monster Monster: obviously the title track of their most recent album... holy, ok it's so fast and so catchy and I love it. It's a little more rockish than the other stuff... but the lyrics are so good n it!!

Monster: ok this is an example of a slower song, the exact opposite of Monster Monster, coincidence I THINK NOT! It is phenomenal so cute and again catchy, even though it's slow. AND it brings in all the other instruments at the climax of the song. Holy, getting chills... ya so good.

Say This Sooner: From Southern Weather... this is the song that I first heard by the band. It's catchy, fast and you can kind of dance to it... or well I can. Kind of an in your face type song. It was my obsession for a while.

Amazing Because It Is... again a slower song, no real pick up of beat in it though, just a chorus that comes into the background that gives you the chills. This is the Goddy song... but whatever you can apply any meaning you want to it. Regardless, it's so good.

Hands: Ok SO. I'm obsessed with the beginning of this song. The echo is so cool, the rest of the song is ok, kind of uplifting and inspirational... but the beginning/chorus is so good.


And there you have my procrastination post.
That and I have way too many bands to give out. AND MORE COME TO ME EACH DAY!! So everyone will be well informed.

House of Fools

Alright, can we first recognize that in this picture of the band there is ONE guy not looking at the camera... why would they use this?! Couldn't they have been like "hey Jim! Look at the stupid camera please... no one is going to care if you're looking at a squirrel over on the side!!"
Anyway... this band is House of Fools... I stumbled upon them about three years ago when they first released their album. It's weird... but I love it.
So the band is from North Carolina. There are SIX, count'em SIX guys in this band. Josh King is the vocals of this band and he has a kind of mellow voice put to rockish happy -go-lucky music. David McLaughlin (I don't think there's a relation to Sarah McLaughlin) plays lead guitar and backing vocals. Joel Kiser (pronounced like the bun?!) also plays guitar. Matt Bowers, probably my favourite in the band... plays keyboards (ya I know the obsession with piano deepens and deepens). Now. A very cool thing about this band... which I've started to notice a fair amount of bands do is THEY HAVE TWO DRUMMERS!! I know so cool.. anyway. Their two drummers are Jordan Powers (who used to play for another awesome band called Far-less) and Phil Bell, who makes me wonder if he also is good at playing Cow-bell... just because of his last name... it's a legitimate question right? Wouldn't that be cool.... Phil Bell plays the COW-BELL!!
Their songs are filled with awesome hidden meanings and metaphors and a cool spin on life too. The lyrics and melodies are super catchy and, if you feel like singing like a weirdo, you can sing along easily!! The best part!
NOW. The picture above, is the cover of their latest album. Called Live and Learn. It's old, released in 2007, but according to my wicked friend, Wikipedia, they're trying to release their most recent album, it's done but there are some troubles with putting it out or something. They also attribute the forever-ness between albums to their constant touring. Which they do all the time BUT I have yet to see them and everyone who has seen them I am incredibly jealous! Youtube videos lead me to believe that they put on a really good show!

Now, songs to download by this awesomely mellow band?

I Heard a Rumor
Pour Me Out
Live and Learn
Kiss the Haze
Coke and Smoke

I Heard a Rumor... AMAZING. The end is so epic so climatic and his voice is so cool and different. Best line is ANYTHING WORTH SAYING IS BETTER OFF UNSAID! Oh god. In such an awesome voice. Holy poop. It's love.

Pour Me Out... ok so trying to find the underlying meaning of this, I'm going to say it's about love? Maybe... either way it's so good.

Live and Learn. The title track. Enough said. It's awesome. Holy.

Kiss the Haze. It's upbeat and has King's mellow voice to a upbeat background...

Coke and Smoke. Not for the morals of the title of this song, but that's beside the point. But it's good. It's sort of acoustic, as in there's more acoustic guitar than the other songs and kind of makes me feel all fuzzy on the inside. YAY!

Barcelona

SO. Barcelona, not the city, the wicked awesome band. Now, I'm sure Barcelona is awesome, never being there... when I went to Spain we went to Madrid for some random reason instead of Barcelona. Anyway that's beside the point. This band... is... AMAZING! They were one of my many random downloads a little while ago and I put one of their songs on a playlist and one morning ended up waking up to the song and BAM. The love began.
The band hails from Seattle, Washington (think they're fans of Starbucks? Or get asked that a lot?) There are three guys, as you could have gathered from the picture, in the band and they ooze awesome piano rock. I may be in love with them because of the piano, but seriously who can resist some piano?! It just brings everything together and adds class right?
So, the people in the band. The lead singer, Brian Fennel, is the pianist, therefore my love in the band. He has a voice of an angel, or that could be the piano talking... nevertheless he does have a good voice. The guitarist is Chris Bristol who also does some vocals and the drums are played by Rhett Stonelake (Lesley, think he could be some distant cousin, and you family built a bridge over the lake so changed your name?!). Not that it matters but I kind of like the name Rhett... it's interesting, therefore like this guy!

NOW, their album is called Absolutes. They released it themselves, THEN re-recorded it when they were signed to Universal Midtown. When they re-recorded it they added some tracks, BUT in my opinion some of the re-recorded songs are better on the original album, but that's me.
Songs to download you ask? Or the top 5 songs in my opinion?
Let me tell you!

Response
It's About Time
Colors
Please Don't Go
Lesser Things

Response... so, THIS is the song that sucked me into the band. Not only are the lyrics oh so captivating, and Fennell's voice just sucks you in but there is my newest obsession in music. Song breaks, or at least I believe that is what they're called. But oh so good.

It's About Time... again amazing lyrics and they have a video for this song, which adds to it's appeal when you're searching for it sometimes, the video is a little weird... but hey whatever floats your boat. This song is kind of upbeat about a depressing thing in lurve, not being yourself. and it's oh so catchy.

Colors... it urks me to spell it the American way... ewww... BUT another cute song, this is the one that sounds almost live on the re-recorded one... the original is much better.

Please Don't Go... this song is a really really slow love song. Best lyric in it is, "get these left handed lovers out of your way..." holy gives me the chills everytime--not just because I'm left handed either.

Lesser Things... it's a mix type song some of it starts out slower and builds. And again the original recording, in my opinion is way better.. but both are good. And of course, lyrics my favourite part of the song are clever... though these ones are more direct than the other lyrics, no masking meanings through metaphors here.

So go download... seriously.

Mother Mother

Mother Mother... different, Canadian, and lead singer hotness all in one. But hey most lead singers have that certain je ne sais quoi about them, eh?
As I said they are Canadian, coming Vancouver and they are phenomenal. The lead singer, Ryan Guldemond came into one of my classes to talk about songwriting... and since then my obsession for them has increased two fold. Not only because he was SO SMART but because he had a very "meh" outlook about the record industry and seemed to just want to write music and share it with people. On top of this, he wrote all of the music himself! Ya, I know everyone is swooning now.
The rest of the band is made up of his sister, Molly Guldemond who also fills vocals and their new addition is Jasmin Parkin, who plays keyboards and also vocals. The drummer is Ali Siadat and the bassist is Jeremy Page. Page fits the typical bassist role, he appears calm cool and relaxed the entire time they are playing.

Alright, so their most recent album is O My Heart. It came out last September and is awesome. They toured with Matthew Good this past fall and seemed to fly into success. They even got considerable radio play on their song, Body of Yours so WOO for that.

Now... I'm not going to ramble about the different aspects of the album, just know it's different and it's good. In other words... it's love!
Songs to download by Mother Mother?
Ghosting
O My Heart
Hayloft
Arms Tonite
Sleep Awake

Ghosting... is slow and cute and I'm so in love... SO IN LOVE with it. And it mentions Halloween in it and that's my favourite "holiday" sooo ya it gets bonus points for that

O My Heart... obviously the title track... catchy and fast and dancy. Therefore, gets kudos from me.

Hayloft... this song is super super alternative, it's so weird and I love it for that and the lyrics make me chuckle.

Arms Tonite... even though tonight is spelled incorrectly I still love this song, it is yet again a cute song.

Sleep Awake... NOW this song... Ryan Guldemond said was his favourite on the album... and it's awesome. Have I mentioned that I love him?

Oh yes, I love him.
Enough said.
Download them, they're good and Canadian and awesome and I love him.

Manchester Orchestra

Next band is Manchester Orchestra, they didn't really have any really funny pictures to follow my previous pattern but oh well, this picture will have to do.
Now, I happened by this band purely through accident. My friend, the one who is obsessed with Juliet Simms, sent me a link telling me to watch a video, but this video was also on the page. Long story short I watched the wrong video but FELL IN LOVE!
This group comes from Atlanta, Georgia and formed back in 2005. According to wikipedia, they are an "indie rock group". I group them more of alternative rock, the only reason they've been smooshed over to "indie" is because they are on an indie label.
The group is headed by Andy Hull, who is lead vocals, plays guitar, piano and is the group's songwriter. It's from him that we get all of their metaphoric lyrics, which at sometimes are a little twisted but hey who isn't at some point in their life. He also has a pretty wicked beard that I believe many men would be jealous of. Jease I'm even jealous of it!
The lead guitarist in the group, playing all the wicked melodies and putting you in the rocking out mood is Robert McDowell, who also adds some backing vocals.
Another backing vocals guy is keyboardist Chris Freeman, who is secretly my favourite... as I said before, I'm a sucker for a piano. He does some additional percussion too... so oooo ahhh a pianist who is multi talented, dream come true.
Bass is played by Johnathon Corley, he's just cool. I love his hair and if I ever meet him, will ask how he gets it so silky smooth looking!
Finally the drummer is Jeremiah Edmond, he just plays the drums so quickly and well, I love him. He looks like he's a wee little guy (as in really short) BUT still... I may let it slide. Evidence of his drumming is seen in the video I happened across when I first found them. (Link below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCttzQSsdWc

On to the music, the music, the music. Now their most recent album, Mean Everything to Nothing, is above. It was released in 2009, and is AMAZING.
It's filled with crazy guitar, Andy Hull's soft voice and deep lyrics and just oozes pure awesome.
Before this they released an album called I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child, which was also sooo good. BUT I'm much more in love with Mean Everything to Nothing.
Currently, everytime I need to get "pumped up" I listen to their music... as I said before filled with awesome guitar that's hard rock-esque and then Hull's voice comes through and it's calming, then right back into the chorus filled with guitar and drums and piano and bass and everything that's right. The lyrics echo in the back of your head and in almost song there's a crazy climax that's every bit as satisfying as the rest of the song.
Holy, I am obsessed with this band right now.

As per usual, songs to download

Now That You're Home
Golden Ticket
Everything To Nothing
I Think I saw You
My Friend Marcus

Now That You're Home: three syllables A-MA-ZING. This is the song that has that amazing climax that I was talking about, the entire song builds to the last minute and then the lyrics, the music EVERYTHING becomes the most amazing thing you've ever heard, or one of the most amazing things.

Golden Ticket: this song is a bit slower and not as rocky BUT the best part of the song is the echo or far away voice that comes in the middle saying "I've lost my golden ticket back home". Just reminds me of Willy Wonka... and Wizard of Oz, or an sweet combination of the two.

Everything to Nothing: the song that I first heard by them. Again, it's epic... the lyrics make it sound like a hate filled song, but it's not really right? You mean everything to nobody but me, and again... builds to the end and is phenomenal. Holy.

I Think I Saw You: kind of slower and cute and just adorable. It's off of the first album and has references to other songs on the album, but is so good.

My Friend Marcus: this is kind of a mash of a bunch of songs, it contains part of Everything to Nothing but is it's own song. And I have an uncle named Marcus, so it kind of hits home... kind of?

Seriously, download them. They're epic and awesome and I need to see them live!
Friends said they didn't really like them live, but they're folksy people... if you like to rock out then these guys are a must! (Based on watching their live footage on youtube).

All Time Low

I know I originally stated that I was going to post once a week, but I have found inspiration!! And am also sort of procrastinating, but that's beside the point.

Anyway, my new inspiration is an old favourite of mine. All Time Low!

These guys fit in with all of those pop punk/alternative/indie/rock/pop bands, BUT something about them just gives me the chills! Maybe it's because their songs are relentlessly catchy and the lead singer, Alex Gaskarth is just soooo dreammmyyyy, or because guitarist Jack Barakat is so goofy? Or maybe because bassist Zack Merrick always plays topless with his dreamy six pack? Or because Rian Dawson has the nicest teeth anyone has ever seen!? Regardless, I love them.

This quad hails from Baltimore and are just filled with cute, catchy lyrics that you just want to dance to! Their first album, The Party Scene came out in 2005, and was good but was not as good as the band would get! It was followed by their sophomore album So Wrong, It's Right! This album, just rocks your socks off. Filled with cute lyrics, dancey tunes and just gushes amazingness. The album, though a pop punk album doesn't seem to conform to mainstream music. Though, they had some hits off of the album that were played on MTV!

This is what made the band fly into popularity and it seems that now TONS of people show up at their shows! (Just this past summer I saw them for the 4thish time at Warped Tour and it was PACKED!!!)

Last summer, or springish, they released their third album, Nothing Personal. Though it's still amazing, it has kind of conformed to pop music, which sucks BUT it's still filled with catchy lyrics, cute songs and of course some humour!

They were also featured on the Jennifer's Body Soundtrack. Now, I haven't seen the movie and have heard that it was horrible, but the soundtrack was pretty good so get that instead. All Time Low's song was called Toxic Valentine and was an original song that they had written for the movie, so it was a bit more conformist than their usual stuff but whatever, still filled with the amazing voice of Alex Gaskarth.

Now that I've rambled on forever, you're probably wondering, why oh why are you posting this about All Time Low?

Well my friends, I shall tell you! The reason IS the new Alice and Wonderland Soundtrack, which is supposed to be out March 2 and will be epic!

Now still wondering... here is the inspiration for the post. All Time Low HAS A SONG ON IT!

My curiosity got the better of me and I youtube'd it...

The song is called Painting Flowers, it's a little weird when you listen to it at first, but I promise it grows on you. You just have to listen to the lyrics and it takes you away to paradise. (Again, I blame Alex Gaskarth and his dreaminess). Now because I suck at technology and have no idea how to get a video on here... here is a link to the song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqCfAulTuVM

Via the video you also get to experience the four best things about the band! The dreaminess, the goofiness, the shirtlessness and the teeth!!

So maybe it's time I tell you other songs to download by this awesome group?

Also I should note that Painting Flowers shouldn't be your first impression of the band... there are much better songs by them, even though I'm slightly obsessed with this song now.

Anyway, here are my top 5 songs to download by them (again with an explanation below)

Lost in the Stereo

Remembering Sunday

Stay Awake (acoustic) or even regular

Six Feet Under the Stars (acoustic)

Hello Brooklyn

Lost in the Stereo; this is kind of my anthem... the chorus "SHE'S DANCING ALONE, I'M READY TO GO, BUT SHE'S SO LOST IN THE STEREO" yes I'm obsessive... but it's catchy, dancey and just full of awesomeness (it's on Nothing Personal)

Remembering Sunday: features Juliet Simms from Automatic Loveletter, who my friend Jeremy is seriously obsessed with, but it's so cute and has the acoustic but not feel about it, leading this to be a twist for them. (this one is from So Wrong, It's Right)

Stay Awake: now I'm obsessed with the acoustic version of the song because I'm obsessed with his voice, but the regular version is good too. And as he says "Dreams only last for a night..." ahhh swoon!

Six Feet Under the Stars: again, obsessed with acoustic, and regular version is good too!! It's a regular cute catchy pop song... one of my many guilty pleasures.

Hello, Brooklyn: again catchy and dancey AND they shout out to Toronto, along with a bunch of other cities but whatever that's why I love it.

Ok and I know I said six BUT Coffeeshop Soundtrack, from their first album is also pure greatness, and I realized it halfway through typing this. It has a super long intro that's more "punk-esque" but holy love it so much and the music video for it is pretty epic, again link posted below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrqNvnPkYmw

ENJOY! Oh and also... see them live, they banter back and forth all the time and it's hilarious. Just another reason to love them!