Captain Capa's Foxes is more emo-tronica and worth a listen

So, I'm neither a huge fan or a hater of the German band Captain Capa.  They fall in the middle of emo pop and electronica with their sound.  The lyrics definitely sound way more emo than other electronica bands but the beats are fun enough on Foxes that it becomes an enjoyable listen.   All albums aren't there to be inspected and put under the microscope.  This happens to fall under category.   Capa's first album Saved My Life was a nice guilty pleasure listen.  Foxes doesn't go much further.

Foxes is ready made for the soundtrack to a racing game on Xbox.  "The False Shepherd" is one of those standout songs that has a nice electric tempo that gets you going.  Don't ask me what the song is about, because I don't pay that close attention with this band. Again, they're German, English so lyrics not in their native tongue is their strength.

"Foxes" is the newest song released from the album.   Makes sense knowing the album is titled the same. Anyhow, this song is solid emo-tronica. Is that a genre? I bet it is.   It's not rewriting the book and maybe isn't that memorable. Like the rest of the album, it's fun music to have on in the background.  It does sound like a bad review but honestly, I like this album for a guilty pleasure.  It's just the right amount of pop without being too over produced that I enjoy.   Come on now, these guys are German.   How often do we get a fun pop band from that country? At least for us this side of the pond.

For those not familiar with the band, "Berlin Fainting" is probably their most catchy song from their Saved My Life LP.  I actually recommend both albums.  It does sound a little like Ke$ha with the opening synth.  But the similarity ends after the first 5 seconds.

Radical Face knock it out of the park with The Family Tree: The Branches

"Always Gold" became a fixture in my skull for months after it's release in 2012.   It was such a catchy and emotional song, I had a difficult time fighting the urge to give it a spin at least a few times a week.   So, when The Family Tree:The Branches was released, well I was all over it.   I had to hear for myself if this band could match or even exceed their previous album The Family Tree: The Roots.   And the answer to that question is a resounding yes.

 The Family Tree:The Branches might have even more gravity than the last album.  I think it has more subtle moments that just suck you in.  The first time I heard the song "Chains" for example, I was hooked.  The song is just a tad north of two minutes but damn is it catchy and close to perfect.  I think the song writing has gotten even tighter on this album.

This is what I like to call a complete album.  There's no one singular moment to say this is the song.  No, this is listen from beginning to end.  You may stop along the way to replay a song a few times but nothing will make you want to stop listening from beginning to end.  The composition of each song is air tight and melodies are all sweet and catchy.  This is one of October's best albums for your hard earned dollars. 

"From The Mouth Of An Injured Head" is one of the album's most toe tapping moments.  This song is perfectly layered with some nice breaks and transitions.  They jam a lot of music into a 4 minutes running time.  I love it when a song has a film like three act structure. 

"The Mute" is another favorite of mine from this album.  The opening lyrics just paint such a vivid picture.  It sounds like the first lines from a Neil Gaiman novel, "when I was a child I mostly spoke in my head, had conversations with the clouds, the dogs, the dead..."  This is songwriting at it's best.  Don't miss out on one of the year's best albums.  

Active Child comes into his own with the Rapor EP

As a fan of Active Child's first album You Are All I See,  I'm seriously impressed by his newest efforts on the Rapor EP. The album has it all.   You go from some soulful and chilling duet "Silhouette" with Ellie Goulding to a more layered synth throwback with "Feeling Is Gone."  If you've never heard of Active Child, think of him landing somewhere between Bon Iver and Twin Shadow.

The first song Active Child put out for this new EP was "She Cut Me."  It's more of an instrumental and a bit of a departure from his previous album.  I wasn't really sure what to expect from the rest of this album when I heard this.  It felt darker and even more moody.  Anyhow, the rest of the EP definitely goes with soulful lyrics and this is the album's interlude in a way.  I really dig the looped vocals and the muddy synths.

I spoke of the duet with Ellie Goulding called "Silhouette" and I think it's worth giving it a full mention.  It's one of those duets that really work. Both artist really fit so well in the vocals it's hard to think of this song done any other way.  Ellie brings a level of vulnerability to the song and Pat Grossi(Active Child) makes his vocals fit so perfectly.   This is one epic 4 minutes.  Might become one of the year's indie hits.  I wouldn't be surprised because it has mass appeal and then some.  Pick up Rapor EP and go back to get all You Are All I See if you haven't already.

Talisco and The Toxic Avenger have both put solid new singles for synth fans

Both Talisco and The Toxic Avenger are French based musicians that are signed with Roy Music indie label.  Their newest singles actually have a very similar vibe so I can see how the same label would push both bands.  The Toxic Avenger has an album out with the same name of the single "Romance & Cigarettes."  Talisco on the other hand put out their first singe from their EP My Home over the summer.

I actually ran across Talisco searching for The Toxic Avenger video to "Romance & Cigarettes" and I was quickly hooked by the song "Your Wish" from their My Home EP.  Being that Talisoc is a French based artist, I was a bit late in hearing this single.  But I think any fan of Phoenix will enjoy this song.  It's got the same catchy synth sound with pop lyrics.  If you like the song below, you can find their entire EP My Home on the Roy Music YouTube page.  I actually like the song "My Home" more than "Your Wish"but they haven't put out a video of that song.  The entire EP is worth owning.

 The Toxic Avenger's first single from their new album is called "Romance & Cigarettes."  It's really light and fun, perfectly fit for the summer when it was released.   I think the video they put out is really fitting.  I was actually expecting heavier synth because of their previous album but was pleasantly surprised.  The French really know their synth pop.  They are in close competition with Sweden for the crown to that genre currently in my book.

Ha Ha Tonka make their best album to date with Lessons

I've been listening to a lot of synth alternative this year and there's always room for great Americana folk rock.  Not sure how else to describe the sound of Ha Ha Tonka.   They're not as folky as The Lumineers and they're not as root rock as Lucero.  Their sound is somewhere in the middle and possibly why they haven't enjoyed the success of some of those other bands.   It's actually rather sad knowing how good these guys are.

Buckle In The Bible Belt was their first album and I remember how much their song "Up Nights" sounded like Lucero.  Trust me, that's a great thing. It sounded so polished.  This little band from Springfield, Missouri really mixes up great song writing skills with a soulful backbone.

Now, I want to talk about their new album Lessons.  I think it's their best album thus far.   It shows growth and maturity from a band that's been through the ringer.  Death of a Decade which was their previous work put out in 2011 felt more rushed and disconnected.  Something about Lessons really resonates with me.

I think I've listened to the song "The Past Has Arms" at least a dozen times in the past week.  I guess it's a personal thing because I relate to the words.  "I know that the past has arms, because I feel it hold me tight." It's a simple statement but it rings so true for this moment in my life.

The rest of the album has nice highs and lows.  It's an album that's rich in sound and fully realized.  The kind you throw in and it takes you through a nice journey.   "Dead to the World" and "Rewrite Our Lives" are two of the other standout songs from this album.  Both songs are so brilliant in the lyrics and the music doesn't fall far behind.  Again, the band seems to be tackling their past in the lyrics.  When Brian Roberts sings, "I got more past now, than future in front of me, I wish we could rewrite our lives," that's one clear vision of what it means to get old.

I'm truly impressed by Lessons.  Maybe it's my own personal stage in life and that's why the lyrics by Brian Roberts hit me like a gut punch, but regardless, this is a fantastic album.  I really hope these guys get some recognition with this one.  If you like American root rock, this might be some of the best in years.  Wish they would tour the west coast more often.

Phantogram's "Black Out Days" makes me crave a full length LP

Phantogram do a great job of teasing me with their newest EP.  I listened to it at least four times in a loop the first time I played the EP.  It's so short but practically pitch perfect in it's delivery.  The band has started to evolve and really grow in the lyrical part of the songwriting process.  I was more wrapped up with the the beats on their first LP but this one has me listening closely to the words.  They have really grown on me.   If you like Chvrches, Phantogram deliver a bit darker synth vibe but just as catchy.

It's hard to pin point a clear standout track because they're all pretty damn good. In my humble opinion, "Black Out Days" might be the song that resonates with me most.    It's so good from front to back and the way Sarah Barthel sings over the piano keys at end "black out days, I don't recognize you anymore."  Can't wait for a full length EP and until then, I will be playing this EP in a loop.

Chase & Status really mix it up on their new LP Brand New Machine

Finally, a new Chase & Status LP chalked full of some eclectic dance songs.  I won't deny how much I played their No More Idols LP.   That album pretty much had anybody worth knowing in the dance and R&B scene of England.  From guest drops by Plan B to Tinie Tempah, that album had it all.  Of course, my personal favorite song from that album was "End Credits."  Plan B sings brilliantly on that haunting track from Chase & Status.  If you don't own that album yet, go out and find it today. Seriously, don't wait for the rest of this review, that album is a must own.  Here's a taste with the classic by Plan B.  It's crazy how good Plan B is on this track and how little coverage he's had here in the US.

Anyhow, let's get to their newest album Brand New Machine which was just released around these parts in early October.   The album as a whole is still growing on me but there are some really good singles tucked away on this one.  Their newest release "Count On Me" is such a fantastic throw back to the mid 90's techno scene.  It really takes me back to that era and it's executed with perfection.  I know the guys were thinking of it as a loving homage to that era more than a some sort of clone rip off.

"Lost & Not Found" is the first single from Brand New Machine and it's a nice sampling of the middle ground of the album.  It's neither slow or too hard.  Their music is always big and grand.  I think each song plays out like it's own little movie theme.  From the first time you hear that sweeping intro and the percussions drop, you are just hooked.

The rest of the album truly shows the range of Chase & Status.  From the reggae dance hall jam "International"(which blows your speakers wide open) to their dark and moody jam "Gangsta Boogie," these guys flex their producing might and show they can crank out mass hits on any level.  I actually enjoy one of their more soulful slow moments on the album with the song "Heaven Knows" featuring the vocals of Elli Ingram.  She really reminds me of Katy B on this track and wow does her vocals sound big.  Here's a little taste of the song with a preview of it from the band's YouTube page.