Meet my newest obsession, Of Monsters and Men. This six-piece from Iceland makes such gorgeous music that it's almost impossible to not fall in love with them immediately. The instrumentation on their debut album, My Head Is An Animal, seamlessly transitions from melodic and soothing to crashing and then back again. Mix that with dual vocal harmonies, and you have an epically beautiful collection of indie folk pop songs. If I absolutely had to choose a favorite song, I'd probably go with "From Finner," but really, they are all fantastic. After only a few listens to this album, I knew it would be one of my favorites of the year.
The album reached No. 1 in Iceland, but it is not available in the U.S. yet, although it should be released worldwide this year. In the meantime, an EP, Into The Woods, is available now. Do yourself a favor and listen to it.
2011 was truly a great year for my music collection. A bunch of my favorite bands released new material, and almost all of it actually lived up to my ridiculously high expectations. I also fell in love with some new acts that I stumbled across. Last year, I couldn't even come up with a top ten list; this year, I can't keep it to ten, so I had to expand to twelve. Here they are, along with links to any reviews I wrote earlier.
Incubus - If Not Now, When?: If I had to
choose a favorite album of the year, it would probably be this one. So many critics and fans disliked this album, leaving me to
wonder if the rest of the world is crazy. This album is just gorgeous.
It reawakened my obsession with Incubus and I ended up spending a
combined total of approximately four months listening only to their
music. The Airborne Toxic Event - All At Once: I was originally disappointed in this album, but turns out I just needed some time to let it grow on me. TATE has to be one of the most hard-working bands I listen to, and also one of the most fun to see live. Hard-Fi - Killer Sounds: I dare you to resist busting a move while listening to this. Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials: I do still find a few songs to be a little boring, but when these songs are good, they are great. Florence Welch is a goddess. Midnight Youth - World Comes Calling: My only complaint about this album is that it is too short. These songs are so epic and catchy that I simply am not satisfied with only ten. City and Colour - Little Hell: City and Colour always puts out staggeringly beautiful music, and this latest effort is no exception. The Black Keys - El Camino: This band blew up for a reason. The album just came out so I'm still getting acquainted with it, but I knew on the first spin that this one would be constantly on repeat.
Jack's Mannequin - People and Things: This album makes me both desperately sad and insanely happy. Damn you Andrew McMahon for manipulating my emotions. Movits! - Ut Ur Min Skalle (Out Of My Head): If you're looking for a Swedish hip-hop swing jazz band that will make you dance like you're in an old school iPod commercial, Movits! is the band for you. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light: You know, I never really listened to the Foo Fighters before this year, despite my great admiration for Dave Grohl. So I can't claim to be a loyal fan, but I do love this album. U.S. Royalty - Mirrors: This was my soundtrack to summer this year. The Chevin - Champion EP: This band, formerly known as Your Vegas, did not make it easy to get this EP. Thankfully, it was worth the wait.
I waited seven years to see City and Colour live. This past Wednesday, I finally made it to see Dallas Green and friends at Terminal 5 in New York City, and they were absolutely phenomenal. There will be no dorky jokes or snarky comments in this post, because I'm still just too in awe of Dallas's voice to attempt any sort of wit.
This photo is not actually from my event, but you guys probably are not interested in the crappy cell phone picture I took myself.
It is truly an honor to watch such a gifted musician perform. Unlike many of today's famous acts, Dallas doesn't need a flamboyant costume or flashy backdrop to distract the crowd, and he certainly doesn't need Auto-Tune. All he needs is a guitar, his amazing voice, and some fellow (and also very talented) musicians to accompany him. The fans were enthralled, singing along loud enough to be heard throughout the entire set. It gave me goosebumps more than once.
During the set, Dallas thanked fans for braving the downpour of rain to come out, rather than curling up in their jammies, and then began cracking jokes about how City and Colour was pretty much the "musical equivalent of pajamas." You wouldn't know it from the music, but Dallas is a pretty hilarious guy. When a heckler in the crowd interrupted some of his goofy ramblings, Dallas sassed him right back. If his career in music doesn't pan out, I'd pay to see him do a little stand-up comedy.
"The Grand Optimist" (this one is actually from Wednesday's show):
This concert was so worth the wait. Let's hope Dallas and I meet up again before another seven years go by.
Review: Hot Chelle Rae - Whatever Review written for Blast Magazine
Whatever is an appropriate title for Hot Chelle Rae’s generic
second album. The Nashville-based quartet’s style of
dance-pop/wannabe-rock has been done before, and it certainly has been
done better by more talented pop-punk acts. Each track is basically just
a slight variation on the last, the lyrics are clichéd and often
cringe-worthy, and the vocals are decent at best. Yet despite the fact
that there is nothing particularly good or original about the album,
these choruses will indubitably get stuck in your head. They are just so
catchy. Ultimately though, it’s fluff — enjoyable enough for a tween
party or getting down on the dance floor, but not an album that is going
to have any sort of lasting influence.
Hot Chelle Rae released their debut (Lovesick Electric) in 2009,
but it wasn’t until the obnoxious yet also strangely infectious “Tonight
Tonight” off of Whatever started blowing up the radio airwaves this
year that they really gained popularity. An actual sample of lyrics from
this song: “I woke up with a strange tattoo / Not sure how I got it,
not a dollar in my pocket / And it kinda looks just like you / Mixed
with Zach Galifianakis / La la la, whatever, la la la.” You’ll probably
be rolling your eyes at least a few times in every song, but then the
hooks will start back up and suck you in again. It’s a vicious cycle.
Somehow,
the band managed to win the New Artist of the Year Award at the
American Music Awards last month. Snide comments about what this says
about today’s music scene aside, Hot Chelle Rae is by no means the worst
thing on the radio right now. The glossy pop is certainly a guilty
pleasure, and perfect for those who don’t look much further than Katy
Perry and Lady Gaga for their music collection. But if you’re looking
for a creative and inspiring new record to listen to, Whatever is
definitely not it.
Last week, I actually got to interview Mikel Jollett, the lead singer for one of my favorite bands, The Airborne Toxic Event. Mikel regaled me with tales of being raised by wolves and blowing up pianos. Great interview or GREATEST interview?
Here's a little sample of the completed article, and you can follow the link to read the entire piece.
Interview: Airborne Toxic Event frontman Mikel Jollett By Chrisanne Grise
After touring almost non-stop for the past few
years, the members of
The Airborne Toxic Event are understandably worn out, but that does not
stop frontman Mikel Jollett from goofing around during interviews.
“Wouldn’t it be great if I gave you a bunch of misinformation and
stuck with it?” he said, before launching into an epic (and made up)
tale of bonding over music in Bangladesh with drummer Daren Taylor.
Then, with barely a beat in-between, he switches angles: “I was raised
by wolves. We would ritualistically and tribally chant every night
before bed as a way of trying to further stay in touch with our roots.
My introduction to rock ‘n roll – it makes sense if you think about it.”
The Los Angeles-based quintet is in the middle of yet another tour
promoting their second full-length album, “All At Once,” and there is no
rest in sight. As one of the hardest working groups in the current rock
scene, fans have gotten used to seeing Jollett and his band mates roll
through town every few months. But despite being away from home so
often, the group still manages to retain that sense of humor and passion
for music, no matter what. Read more
Wow. The new Midnight Youth is not what I expected, but I love it. Somewhere between the band's delightfully catchy debut album, The Brave Don't Run, and the recent release of World Comes Calling, these Kiwis turned into rock stars. Last time, the hook-laden hits were fantastic pop singalong-starters. This round, Midnight Youth sounds ready to rock stadiums. My only complaint about the new album is that it is too short. These songs are so epic and catchy that I simply am not satisfied with only ten.
Much like the band's debut, this entire album is grandiose, with guitar solos in just about every song and dramatic choruses chock full of gang
vocals. The fierce first half of World Comes Calling is guaranteed to have fans pogoing and moshing in no time, while the second half is a bit softer and more reflective, although the hooks never stop. Midnight Youth is admirably experimenting with its sound, rather than making album after album with the same style. Some standout tracks include "The Street," "Come One Come All," and "Too Young To Wonder," but really, all the songs are great.
The New Zealand band is huge at home, but with this new album, they sound ready to take over internationally. I had to send
away to the other side of the world for the first album, because after scouring the internet, there was simply no other way to get ahold of it here in the States. This time around, I simply had to wait an extra couple of weeks and the album was available on the U.S. iTunes. I'm going to be optimistic here and assume this means the rest of the world is finally starting to catch on, albeit slowly. So really, there's no excuses now; start paying attention to Midnight Youth.
They may look tough and intimidating, but I swear, the music is really fun.
There's a version of Florence Welch that sometimes comes out during interviews, where she's soft and shy and occasionally giggly, like an embarrassed little girl. Listening to her new album, Ceremonials, I can hardly believe the woman roaring through these dark lyrics about devils and death is the same person I saw practically blushing her way through an interview on The Colbert Report last spring. You can't pin Florence down, and that's what makes her so awesome - one minute, she's an art school dropout, shrieking about cutting someone's eye out and beating up an old lover. Then, the next thing you know, she's twirling around onstage in a yellow ballgown like a fairy queen, while thousands of fans worship her every note.
That being said, I must admit that I'm not completely head over heels with the new album, at least not yet. I certainly like it; I've been listening to it multiple times a day since it came out this past Tuesday. There are some tracks that I loved immediately, like "Shake It Out" (easily the "Dog Days Are Over" equivalent this time around), "Never Let Me Go," "No Light, No Light" and "Leave My Body." The bonus tracks are also fantastic, as "Strangeness and Charm" and "Bedroom Hymns" were both two of my new favorites when I heard Florence perform them over the summer. The first album was a bit artsier and more experimental, while Ceremonials is more cohesive and robust, as though she's developed a greater sense of the music she wants to create. The music is mature and dramatic, with an even heavier focus on darkness and demons than the last time. Let's not forget those pipes, because her voice is an incredible as always. When these songs are good, they are great. This is the Florence I adore.
Florence and her many personalities, looking creepy.
But then there are a handful of tracks that leave me feeling bored. I'm mostly looking at you, "Breaking Down," "Seven Devils," and "Remain Nameless." These songs are not particularly horrible. It's just that I expect much greater from Florence, the queen of soulful verses and belted out choruses. I want epic, I want to be moved, I want goosebumps covering my arms. In fairness, there were a few tracks on Lungs that took me a while to warm up to as well, so maybe it will just take some time. I already like several songs more now than I did on the first few spins, so there's hope yet.
However, that does not address some of the overly dramatic lyrics that may cause some eye rolls. "Shake It Out" is full of so many clichés ("It's always darkest before the dawn," "It's hard to dance with the devil on your back," "Damned if I do, damned if I don't," "It's a shot in the dark," and so on) that it seems like it must be intentional. One song, "All This And Heaven Too," addresses frustration with being
unable to properly describe a feeling with words: "Words, poor language / Doesn't deserve such treatment / And all my
stumbling phases never amounted / To anything worth this feeling..." Okay, okay, we forgive you, Florence.
To be honest though, the albums will never be as good as seeing Florence and the Machine live. Her live performances never cease to amaze me, as she can make even the disappointing songs sound like the greatest music of all time. She's that fabulous.
The new Jack's Mannequin album will not stop toying with my emotions. One minute, peppy songs like "Release Me" and "Amelia Jean" are making me want to twirl in circles in the sunshine and shout about how beautiful life is. Then suddenly, the slow acoustic "Restless Dream" comes on and I'm fighting the urge to burst into tears at my desk, for no apparent reason. Then again, this is nothing new when it comes to mastermind Andrew McMahon's music, whether it be Jack's Mannequin or Something Corporate. His lyrics are both powerful and vulnerable at the same time; pair that with some piano pop and a few haunting guitar riffs and I'm a goner.
Andrew plots the next way to make me cry.
All of the songs on this album are worthwhile, but a few of my favorites are "Release Me," "Television," "Amelia Jean," "Restless Dream, " and "Casting Lines." (You don't know how hard it was to not just copy and paste the complete track list here). Plus the more I listen to it, the more I like all the songs. There are a lot of bonus tracks floating around as well, and they are just as good as anything on the official release. In fact, "No Man Is An Island," off the deluxe edition, is one of my favorite new Jack's Mannequin songs.
Andrew is a Leukemia survivor, and his determination and appreciation for life shine through every song. So despite making me desperately sad at points, People and Things mostly reminds me that it is good to be alive. Crank up the volume, dance around to this album, and be thankful for what you have (and for the existence Andrew McMahon and Jack's Mannequin, of course.)
The writers weren’t kidding about how all good things must end.
When I read this yesterday, I felt like a little piece of me died. That might sound melodramatic, but this band has been with me through high school art classes and study halls, through multiple Warped Tours, through late nights in my college dorm, through long car rides. I've waited in line during both sweltering and freezing temperatures to see them. Hell, I even named my first iPod Sisky Business, in honor of the band's ridiculously silly bassist. In more recent years, I probably haven't appreciated the band as much as they deserved, but the music will always remind me of some truly wonderful times.
From my first TAI show
I put on Almost Here, and I'm instantly 16 again, sitting in my friend Ashley's living room while she makes me watch the "Checkmarks" video over and over and over (and OVER! and OVER!) just to see the split second shot of singer William Beckett in the bathtub. Then, I switch to Santi, and I'm back in my college dorm room, rockin' out with my friends Ali and Kailani. And finally, the band's last album, Fast Times At Barrington High, and I'm at the last Warped Tour I ever went to (before the line-up became all the worst Myspace bands ever). Listening to TAI is as close to a time machine as I'm going to get. These songs will forever be souvenirs of my adolescence.
My first Warped Tour with TAI
While I'm extremely saddened by the end of TAI, I'm even more grateful to have had these experiences in the first place. There will always be a very special place in my heart for The Academy Is, and all the band members can count on my support in whatever endeavors the future holds for them.
The writers weren't kidding but the good things will live in our hearts.
So I interviewed a Swedish hip-hop jazz swing band called Movits! for Blast Magazine. Seriously.
I've actually become a big fan of these guys now, and not just because they look snazzy in their matching suits and bow ties. Their music is ridiculously catchy, so much so that I can barely control the urge to bust a move in the middle of my office whenever I listen to them.
So do yourself a favor and check out Movits! - I guarantee they are better than whatever other Swedish hip-hop jazz swing bands you listen to.
I remember standing in the record store with my precious babysitting money clasped tightly in one hand, and a copy of Morning View in the other. I was pretty sure I would like the album, but at 14 years old, I was just barely starting to develop a taste in music other than the Backstreet Boys, and to be honest, I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t like the album enough to justify spending the only cash in my possession. Little did I know that almost ten years later, I would still consider the album one of my top five favorites of all-time. That’s more than I can say for Millenium, anyway.
I was lucky enough to attend two Incubus concerts recently – September 3rd at Jones Beach in NY, and September 9th in Mansfield, MA. These shows were incredible. Both were outdoors on comfortably cool evenings. The wind was weaving through my hair, as I sang along with hundreds and hundreds of other fans. One of my favorite parts was in Mansfield, during “Drive,” when Brandon stepped back from the mic and the band stopped playing to listen to the crowd shout back the lyrics. I never get tired of those moments, when everyone is connected by a single song. That’s my kind of religious experience. These were the type of shows that reminded me not just why I love Incubus, but why I love music in general.
Someone else's surprisingly good quality video of "Drive" from the Mansfield show
When I first started writing this post, it was just supposed to be a review of those shows. But as I put words onto paper (yes, I handwrote a rough draft because I’m old school like that), I quickly realized that a brief summary was not enough to describe how emotional of an experience seeing Incubus is for me. In fact, there are a lot of artists that I love dearly, but none have changed my life the way Incubus has. I actually realized I’d like to go into journalism after reading an article about the band many years ago. I was so jealous of the reporter who got to talk with the band, and then it dawned on me that I could interview brilliant and fascinating people some day too.
It was actually this issue of YM, which wasn’t exactly the high standard of journalism I’m shooting for, but hey, at least it gave me the idea.
Aside from setting me on my actual career path, Incubus is entwined throughout hundreds of my memories from the last decade. Important memories, like the second concert I ever went to. It was at the Worcester Centrum, and I went with my friend Sammi. To this day, when I hear the opening riff to “A Certain Shade of Green,” I am instantly 15 again, shuddering and thinking “OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO DIE” as a bunch of bros break out moshing all around us. For the record, we did get crushed, the crowd broke down the barricade a few minutes into the set, and as I recall, Sammi lost her shoe for a while, but we ultimately had the time of our lives.
Then there are the less vital memories that make up my every day life, like the high school German exchange student presenting me with her Incubus poster because it wouldn’t fit in her suitcase home. She promised me if I didn’t take care of Brandon’s picture, she’d “come back and kick my ass.” (Don’t worry Minh, it still hangs on my wall even now, and it is in great condition. Although I have occasionally considered taping a picture of Ben Kenney over Dirk Lance). I remember sitting in my friend Veronika's basement, not caring about the dude in Final Destination 2 trapped in his burning apartment because “Vitamin” was playing in the background. (If you have to die like that, at least be glad you’re dying while good music is playing, amirite?) I remember listening to Light Grenades over and over during my first year of college. The list goes on for pages. And now I can look back on the past couple nights spent with my pal Ali, obsessing over the music and eventually suffering through the inevitable post-show depression together. These songs are my souvenirs of amazing times with friends and hours spent screaming myself hoarse at concerts. I realize now that I grew up with Incubus, and as a result, when I look back on my life thus far, I see the band at every step.
"Wish You Were Here" live is just perfection.
I don’t know that I will ever be able to fully express how much this one band means to me in words. I hope some day I can thank the members in person. Until that day, this little love letter will have to do. Thanks for some great shows, guys. Now hurry up and come back soon before I waste away from withdrawal.
