Joy Formidable make one epic LP with Wolf's Law

I first heard Joy Formidable after the release of their previous LP Big Roar.  That album showed great potential for the band and was definitely a more raw effort.  On their new LP Wolf's Law, Joy Formidable take a big leap into the radio ready alternative rock arena.  Wolf's Law reminds me of bands like Veruca Salt and Sleeter Kinney.  I really enjoy this album and it'll find a bigger audience because of their extra studio polish.  I'm sure there will be some music fans turned off  by their bigger studio sound.  Don't let that jade you from giving it a listen.

"This Ladder Is Ours" is one of those songs where I had that big flashback to Veruca Salt.  This is the first single from Wolf's Law and it has that radio friendly sound that will make it's way to playlists.  I like it, but don't love it.  Something about it seems a bit paint by the numbers for me.

The entire LP is currently on their YouTube channel.  I suggest going to it and checking out all the songs in high quality to make the decision for yourself. I think this LP is worth picking up.  Is it that original? No.  "Silent Treatment" is the one of the more somber moments from this album.  I like hearing Ritzy Bryan more stripped down and earnest like this.  Great song. 

I was talking about Veruca Salt so I might as well post one of their old songs.  This is classic 90's alternative at it's best.  I remember "Volcano Girl" got a lot of play on MTV back in that era.  Nothing like a rock band performing with bungee cords to say this was shot in the 90's.  Yeah kids, that was popular back then.

Wax releases another fun So Cal Hip Hop LP with "Continue"

Wax is the kind of hip hop artist you'd love to catch at a bar and have a few drinks with.  The conversation might not be filled with the greatest depth but damn it would be fun.  Continue is a hyperactive journey through the mind of a functional So Cal stoner.  The lyrics as always are extremely sharp and the beats don't fall far behind.  I actually think he's grown more in his production on this LP.  The beats seem tighter and the songs seem even more radio ready(maybe an unrated radio format).

"Lewis and Clark" is the newest single from Continue.  Wax and his partner in crime Herbal rip it up as we've come to expect.  The beat is seriously hyperactive and old school.  Reminds me a lot of a lost Beastie Boys jam.

"Rosanna" was the single he released mid 2012 and is included on the Continue LP.  The video along with the song is sexy and funny at the same time.  My inner 16 year old loves this video for many reasons.   Makes me think I should ride the public transportation in Los Angeles.  Be warned, the lyrics are explicit. Might not be office friendly.

Bastille newest song "Pompeii" is a great lead up to the LP release

Bastille has put out another solid pop effort with "Pompeii."  He's finally releasing a full album in March?  I was getting tired of the singles dropping one by one. Although, I have to say he's got some good remixes in those bundles. Anyhow,  "Pompeii" is another soulful catchy pop outing that flourishes with it's layers and chorus. 

I know I've posted his videos before but here's the track he released in November which I recommend picking up.   "Bad Blood" has a darker mood for a pop song but mixed with one catchy synth backbone.

Sin Fang perfectly layers the melodies on his new songs

I was waiting for 2013 to really kick into gear and I think it's starting.   Sin Fang just released the video for "Look At The Light" for his upcoming album and it's fantastic. I heard his song "Young Boys" on YouTube a few months back and was waiting to hear more.  It reminds me a lot of early 2012 when I first heard Kishi Bashi.  Just that sudden realization that this will be a breakout artist for the year and I'm really getting the feeling Sin Fang is on that verge.  Unlike Kishi Bashi, Sin Fang is based in Iceland making it hard to tell how well he'll mix into the musical landscape of North America. Can't wait to hear this entire LP from beginning to end.  It's that layered melody with soft moody vocals that are done so well by Icelandic artist.  I'm not sure why they're so good at it but they are. 

"Look At The Light" is the kind of song that compels you to hit repeat on YouTube till you can't sit near your computer anymore.  It's melodic and emotional without being overbearing.  Again, best similarity would be Kishi Bashi.  And this video brilliantly showcases that mood.

"Young Boys" is one catchy song.  Hearing this a few months back I was annoyed I couldn't get it anywhere. Glad to hear it will be on his album Flowers coming out next month.  The chorus to this song is where the magic really shines. He's so good at layering the vocals.  Unfortunately, Morr Music didn't make a video for it but just posted the single. 

Boyz Noize and Chromeo's collaborate on "What You Want"

A track with Boyz Noize and Chromeo together has to bring the funk and guess what, it sure delivers.   And for those people that suck at learning lyrics to songs, this track is for you.  "What You Want" was technically released out into the wild in 2012 but it didn't officially hit iTunes till this past week.   Now, I just hope these guys make a few more songs together.  The original track was by Boys Noize alone but the remix by Chromeo makes this song a classic electro hit for the new year.

Everything Everytihng's new LP Arc just might save my January

Last year we had a pretty strong January but this year so far seems pretty slim. Looking at the release schedules, I can't seem to find anything too exciting. I could be wrong though.  Anyhow, then came the new album Arc from Everything Everything and suddenly the month perked up.  I liked but didn't love their first album Man Alive but the singles released from Arc are great.  Another band that seems to have grown considerably since their first release.


Arc reminds me a lot of other great English bands from last year.  I remember The Maccabees came out with Given To The Wild last year around the same time.  Funny enough, this band has a very similar sound. Really full and well layered alternative rock that is hard to define.  This is the first must own album of 2013, folks.

"Cough Cough" is my favorite single so far from Arc.  The percussion at the beginning to the nicely layered vocals.  Just great.  This song has so much going on and the changes in the second half. Flawless.  It sounds like These New Puritans and Alt-J got slammed into each other in a sonic meeting.

"Kemosabe" is their most recent single and I can't say it falls too short of the standard they put out there with "Cough Cough."  This song might be more melodic than "Cough Cough" but it has just as many layers and changes. Just these two songs alone make Arc worth the purchase.  The chorus to this song reminds me of Howard Jones. Just the chorus and nothing else. And yes, I made a Howard Jones reference. 

Since I talked about These New Puritans, I'm going to introduce them to people that might not have heard their music with "We Want War." This song has such an epic feel to it.  I'm waiting for some new music from them. Their album Hidden is worth checking out.

 

First official 2013 Album review is The Last Royals

I've been waiting to stop talking about 2012 and I may still not be done with that year to be honest.  But the new release from the Brooklyn, NY based band The Last Royals, got me to review something new.   Twistification is a nice melodic indie album with really grounded lyrics.  It's more pop indie than insightful or filled with depth.  Sometimes that's all you ask for.  Although, the song "I Hate California" does a fantastic job of grounding the album. 

"Only The Brave" is the latest single from Twistification.  The entire album isn't as poppy as this song but I wouldn't say it's that much different.  It's got an Airborne Toxic Event sort of vibe to it. To me they sound more California than New York because of it.

"Always, To Belong" is one of the band's earlier singles that seemed to have found it's way on this album.  I actually think this song is a better representation of Twistification in full.  If you enjoy pop alternative, this might be your first album purchase of 2013.

"I Hate California" is my favorite track from Twistification.  There's a bit more depth and the lyrics are more visible to me.   And no, I don't hate California.  At times, I mildly dislike it.  That might make a good song title. 

Itunes 11 fixes I've found so far

So, with all the pretty bells and whistles this new iTunes comes with, there are more problems than welcome changes.   I really was fine with the previous version but thanks Apple for shitting the bed once again in the last 4 months. If your awesome maps app wasn't great enough.  Yeah, I almost missed a flight back to Los Angeles when I was working in Dallas.  You put me on an overpass 5 miles from the airport telling me clearly it's the airport. Guess what Apple Maps, it wasn't. 

Now, to the problems that seem to bother me most with this newer version and the fixes I've found on other blogs.  Because Apple seems to refuse to admit it made mistakes and didn't properly test this application.  Did quality control at Apple get buried with it's late founder?


Fixing the Play Count

Some of you may have noticed the play counter not properly counting the amount of times you listened to a track.   Yes, the new iTunes doesn't count your plays properly.  I actually enjoy going back after a month and seeing what new music I seem to have played the most.  And sometimes doing that through out the year to pull up older songs I liked but haven't played recently.  It's a useful tool for us music junkies.

If you have crossfade on, like most of us do because it's the default setting, then it will not count the plays of all the tracks past the first played.  The fix:  Go to Preferences.  Select Playback.  Click off "crossfade."  Problem solved. Below is the screen grab if you have trouble figuring it out.

Fixing Problems With Adding New Songs

The other problem I've come across recently is simply adding songs to iTunes.  Something as simple as dragging songs into the iTunes library now is a task.  Thanks again Apple. The problem seems to stem from Apples want to track all your purchases with it's store.  I suggest going in and turning off anything that helps Apple keep tabs of you in iTunes. Most importantly, if you turn off all the things that communicate directly with the iTunes store it seems to solve the problem. Some people on message boards have suggested that it still doesn't fix the issue.  It seemed to do the trick on my end.  Basically do as I did below if you have that issue of adding songs that weren't bought in the iTunes store itself.

Hopefully that helps all the iTunes users out there and music lovers.  I don't blog tech things on here but hey, this is music related, folks.   If you have any other fixes, please post them on the site to help others and me as well. Thanks.

Canterbury LP Heavy In The Day is another LP I missed in 2012 list

Another perfectly crafted alternative pop rock LP from England.  This time it's from a band called Canterbury.   They have a really familiar sound.  They sound more American oddly enough.  Canterbury sound like a less emo version of The Juliana Theory.  Juliana Theory's album Love and this release from Canterbury are definitely in the same playground. Most probably haven't even heard about the band I'm referencing since they were a small emo band that had a minor rise during that early 2000's era of alternative.  Needles to say, this Canterbury album is heartfelt and fun release from these guys.

Heavy In The Day has releases that were originally put out in 2011 and maybe that's why it sounds so diverse.  You can totally see growth in song writing as you listen to this album from beginning to end. 

"Savior" is one of my favorite songs from Heavy In The Day.  It has that perfectly blended Brit-rock sound I enjoyed in 2012 from bands like Spector.

"Gloria" was their last official video. You can really see my reference to the 1990's alternative rock sound on this track.  It has a lot of the same hooks.

"Ready Yet" was the bands first single of 2012.  This LP is worth picking up and adding it to that 2012 list. 

I mentioned The Juliana Theory and I think it's worth posting a track from them.  These guys were just in the wrong genre and poorly marketed in my eyes.  I think they were better than a lot of other emo bands from that era.  Their album Love really was an ambitious effort from the band.  It had this arena rock vibe that probably made them grow further from that core emo audience of the day.  Here's a track from Love.  "Repeating, Repeating" is one hell of a track.  Wish the sound quality was better on YouTube, because this song has such a polished studio recording.   

Haim has all the ingredients to break big in 2013

Checking out Haim's video, you can clearly see them having a decent size fanbase quick.  Three hipster sisters that play catchy alternative pop.  Solid gold. Their tracks have a level complexity but with enough sugary sweetness for a larger audience. Think of them as the hipster Wilson Phillips with a lot of talent.  And you really have to watch the video made about them by Red Bull Music Channel.  It showcases how hard these sisters have worked to get to where they are.  I think with that kind of preparation and talent they should be here to stay. At least we can hope the music business pays of those attributes and it's not all Justin Bieber.

"Don't Save Me" is their latest video.  It not only shows their pop chops but their basketball skills as well.

The Redbull Soundstage background video of the band is great.  Really recommend watching the video below before you come up with an opinion of this band. It made me want to see them live.  Their first EP Forever came out in October. Now, when are we getting the full album?