Lionheart

       SIRSY's "Lionheart" is one of the best new songs I've heard lately; with their great rock riffs, solid hooks, and verses that sound reminiscent of the lyrical greatness that was The Hush Sound (had The Hush Sound tried their hand at rock), it's impossible for this band to come up with a song that you won't fall for.

       The music video is hypnotically great; the song's constant rhythm and weaving melodies are captured perfectly by the ever changing color scheme and the continuous movement of the picture itself, taking a simple concept and turning it into a perfect visual representation of the song.

       I will be putting up more information about this band soon but, until then, check out the band here and start falling for their music (because it's pretty great).

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I Love It

       The fact that this is on the radio so often does not annoy me nearly as much as it shoud because the song itself is just so great. The lyrics are easy and fun and the beat is so damn catchy (and makes for a fairly amazing workout song); it sounds reminiscent of a modern age response to Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" (with it's total lack of fuck which is given to those who would otherwise [and may still] judge) and I cannot get enough of it.

       "I Love It" Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX

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Summer Playlist 2

       As I drive around in my gorgeous new car (it has radio and a driver's side door handle and everything!), I can't help but put together playlists made specifically for singing along and driving around town in, because my car is awesome; the playlists also work to distract me from the fact that, even though I did need a car with working brakes (that didn't need to be replaced yearly) and the ability to start (at least ninety percent of the time) late at night in nearly empty parking garages, I will, most likely, have to get a second job (.. again..).      

        Regardless, it's summer and it's time to give you a fun new playlist to dance around to (you can dance while driving [just don't get too into it]).

"Rivers and Homes" J.Viewz (The song is amazing on its own, but you should watch the video)

"Only One" Yellowcard

"Not Your Fault" AWOLNATION

"Sloppy Seconds" Watsky

"CrushCrushCrush Remix" Eppic

"Mr. Brightside" The Killers

"Love Like This" Kodaline

"I Need Your Love" Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding

"One Step Closer" Shane Harper

"Timeless" The Airborne Toxic Event

"Cruise" Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly
"22" Taylor Swift

"Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me" London Grammar

"Hurricane" Bridgit Mendler

"The Start of Something" Voxtrot

"The Kids Aren't All Right" The Offspring
"Bit By Bit" Mother Mother

"We Found Love" Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

"Anna Sun" Walk the Moon

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Bit By Bit

       Nobody does indie rock like Canada; seriously, Canada may be responsible for Justin Bieber and Nickelback, but they evened it out by also giving us Broken Social Scene, Tokyo Police Club (of all the bands I've seen live, they still have the best fan interaction and are still at the top of my 'favorites' list), The New Pornographers, Metric, Hot Panda, Fast Romantics, Apollo Ghosts, and, of course, Arcade Fire (watch it this way if you have too much time on your hands). 

       Every song from Mother Mother's latest album only further proves how great the most northern part of America is at putting together great indie rock bands, but none of their songs can make me smile and start to dance quite like "Bit By Bit" can; I adore this song.

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Momma Holler Update

       I've been neglecting this band only because their information just does not pertain to me, currently (there is absolutely no way I can afford a trip to travel anywhere out of state to see them perform live [though that is at the top of my 'things-to-do-if-I-ever-win-the-lottery-if-I-can-ever-convince-myself-that-throwing-out-one-dollar-a-week-at-my-nearest-Publix-is-a-good-investment'; you know, along with paying off my new car, magically getting through this next year without having to take out any student loans, and not working at a place where women think a $60 shirt is "reasonably priced"]), but they are, nonetheless, amazing.

       Recently, the band has been finishing up work on their first full length album, You Got What You Wanted, and, while I have no information on when it will be released (because.. I'm just tired; I cannot fathom the energy which is needed to research a release date and for that I apologize), I do know that the music these guys have been putting out has never fallen short of great.

       The lyrics are stripped to their basics with a vulnerable sort of perfection that ring so true it's as if your friends wrote them (in a good way), the instrumentation contains that sort of old-timey feel that never goes out of style and which provides the perfect background music for any night, and those vocals will never be anything less than amazing.

       If you haven't yet fallen for this band, then you're really far behind and you need to get on that check out their first EP, Pack Your Bags Junior (or at least pay attention to "Robbie Robertson", "D Train [Broke My Heart]", and "Oak Leaf"). 

        You can check out this for a quick overview of the band or, better yet, go to the band's facebook page and start falling for them, because they're pretty awesome.

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One Step Closer

       Every summer I fall into a rut where I become completely addicted to the sounds of former Disney stars (perhaps, and most likely, because their upbeat sounds and love-is-everywhere-for-everyone lyrics perfectly reflect the attitude I most associate with summer) and it just can't be helped (last summer it was Bridgit Mendler's "Ready Or Not" that did me in). 

       So, in perfect competition with today's earlier post (Lovato's "Heart Attack"), here is Harper's "One Step Closer".

       Shane Harper "One Step Closer"

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Heart Attack

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Strong As An Oak

       Have you ever done something just incredibly fucking stupid even though you know it had to be done and all you can think is "fuck it; can't go back now". 

       In keeping with my recent actions and the fact that I have, inadvertently, become re-addicted to Watsky, you can play off your Sunday morning with a pretty great song.

       "Strong As An Oak" Watsky

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5/17

"I Could Be the One" Avicii and Nicky Romero

"I Choose U" Timeflies

"Mighty Fine" Flora Cash

"That's What's Up" Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

"Love Like This" Kodaline

"Sweeter" Gavin DeGraw

"Cruise" Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly

"Media Puppet" Making Faces

"Only One" Yellowcard

"Sloppy Seconds" Watsky

"Timeless" The Airborne Toxic Event

"Recovery" Frank Turner

"Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night" The Fratellis

"With Ur Love" Cher Lloyd

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Sloppy Seconds

       Five albums and an EP later and Watsky still hasn't had a bad song. 

      I honestly really fucking love this song; it's a little close to perfection and the line "I don't care, where you've been, how many miles, I still love you" (all the lyric lines are great actually, as always), mixed with those constant piano chords and those female vocals that perfectly complement Watsky's fast lines can't be better.

       "Sloppy Seconds" Watsky

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London Grammar Update

       London Grammar released their music video for "Wasting My Young Years" and it's just as hypnotic and simply beautiful as the song itself. 

       You can get their Metal & Dust EP right now and the band will be releasing this track (through their personal label, Metal & Dust Recordings) June 16th.

       "Wasting My Young Years" London Grammar

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

       Currently, this program cannot pull up this video from YouTube but, for the time being, you can just click on the link above to watch the video until I can get it fixed.

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Timeless

       There were so many great bands at SunFest and they all gave amazing live performances (rain or shine [it poured for Yellowcard; their performance, culminating in "Only One" and, finally and of course, "Ocean Avenue", was perfection]) but the band I was most excited for was The Airborne Toxic Event. 

       No other band can create a song with as much soulful emotion dripping from every guitar riff and each lyric line like the members of The Airborne Toxic Event can; and their latest album, Such Hot Blood, is filled with as much love and loss as their first two albums and I can never get enough of their sound.

       "Timeless" The Airborne Toxic Event

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AWOLNATION

       AWOLNATION is an electronic rock band consisting of Aaron Bruno, Drew Stewart, Hayden Scott, Kenny Carkeet, and Devin Hoffman. The band was formed in 2009 when Bruno was given free use of the Red Bull recording studio and the band has since released three EP's and one full length album; they are currently working on their upcoming sophomore album and will be releasing two new singles ("ThisKidsNotAlright" and "Some Kind of Joke") from the upcoming album (you can get "ThisKidsNotAlright" on Injustice: Gods Among Us).

       AWOLNATION's first album opens with "Megalithic Symphony" and "Some Sort of Creature", setting the stage for their experimental techno rock sound before heading into "Soul Wars", a song which deserves, at least at the most primitive level of enjoyment, some sort of steady head bob for its great and solid rock beat (and if you can't appreciate that beat, you have to admit that "1,2,3 do you love me?" is a great opening line). 

       "People" comes in with a short monologue to the fans (from Bruno), followed quickly by a great beat (it's fair to say that every AWOL song has a great beat) and even better lyrics with verses that need to be danced to and a chorus that begs you to sing along with it. After lifting up the album with "People", the band continues to keep the sound upbeat (dance-able might be a better description) as they follow it up with "Jump On My Shoulders" (nothing sounds better than Bruno singing "you can jump on my shoulders" followed by the repetitive "lalala"'s that make this song irresistable) and "Burn It Down" (once again, an amazing beat from AWOL that forces you to dance and you can't deny the greatness of lyric lines like "looking through a window made of time, would you have the courage not to lie" and "some people call it crazy well I call it healing").

       "Guilty Filthy Soul" transitions from the hard rock of the previous song to a softer rock based on an acoustic guitar and reggae-ish beats, before heading into eternally great "Kill Your Heroes". "Kill Your Heroes" is one of few songs where every line is just as amazing as the last and the band cannot get enough credit for writing a song like this; lines like "never let your fear decide your fate", "I say ya kill your heroes and fly...no need to worry cuz, everybody will die", and "don't you worry we love you more than you know" are all perfect. 

       "My Nightmare's Dream" offers a soft hook (taken from "All I Need") and a short, acoustic, intermission from the rest of the songs on the album before delving into "Sail". Everyone knows the song because it's amazing and topped the charts last summer; plus, you can't not sing along to "maybe I'm a different breed, maybe I'm not listening, so blame it on my ADD baby" (and nothing is better in a song with lyric lines like "this is how an angel dies" and "maybe I should kill myself" than an entire verse of "lalala"'s; gotta love it). 

       "Wake Up" comes in slowly, featuring female vocals and sounding, in itself, dreamlike; the song also manages to mix traditional rock sounds with the underlying beats of a traditional reggae sound (and I'm a sucker for anything that can cross those genre borders with ease). "Not Your Fault" continues with that beach-y reggae sound that was re-introduced in the last song with a great opening line ("she was built with a brain and some swagger") and an even better chorus that continually repeats "it's not your fault"; it's just as wonderfully catchy as the rest of their songs and includes the bands ever amazing ability to use great lyrics in all of their songs.

       "All I Need" is an adorable song and I'll never get tired of listening to those lyrics; lines like "all I need is you smiling at me" and "all I need is life, love with you" are only enhanced by the soft piano melody that flows throughout the song and the steady beat that carries on throughout.

       "Knights of Shame" has an opening which I, of course, love ("dance baby, dance, like the world is ending"), and is long enough to really show off the bands lyrical and instrumental skills; keeping a song going for fifteen minutes without losing the listeners interest can't be easy, but AWOL does so seamlessly (with lyric lines ranging from "but here's last kiss, all suckers, they will cease to exist" to "life is whatever you think it is, what you think this is" to "is anybody really out there" and "without you, I will die" and an ever evolving beat which takes you from a slowly building electronic rock to a sweet anthem-esque reggae-rock sound to a bit of a hip-hop beat before heading into a solid rock beat, and then coming back around again to the reggae-rock sound then heading back to that electronic rock) with the song (with it's constant lyric and genre changes) offering an overall glimpse of the complete album, in one listening.

       "Swinging from the Castles" closes the album with a soft recording of watered down rock and steady lyrics that offer a great closing with lyrics like "it's not for free, it's only fit for our survival" taking it to its end, before petering out with a soft chant of "love".

       Every song this band puts out is amazing and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us with their next album. If you don't already love them, start falling for them now because they're great.

http://awolnationmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AWOLNATION

https://twitter.com/awolnation

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Count On Me

       This is one of the most beautifully simple songs ever written and it will never get old.

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SunFest Day 5 Preparations

        Tomorrow is the last day of SunFest and I am, as always, determined to make the most of it before I have to head back to the other coast and a job and summer courses (what kind of sadistic person was like "you know what those few weeks of summer break are missing? Macro-Economics and financing, of course!"?).

       Nonetheless, I like to know a few of the songs the bands I see are going to perform and, in preparation for tomorrow's busy band schedule, I'll be listening to these artists' work on repeat. If you find yourself at any of the same shows, find me and we'll hang out (maybe.. definitely, if you bring frozen lemonade).

"Shots Fired" Future Prezidents

"Cemetery" Making Faces*

"Pinch Me" Barenaked Ladies

"You Can Get It If You Really Want" Jimmy Cliff

"Don't Start A Band" Reel Big Fish

"Just Another Romance" Set the Score

"Not Over You" Gavin DeGraw

       *If you're not excited over my night's line-up, make sure to, at least, check out Making Faces; they're pretty really great.

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"Drops Of Jupiter" Live

       Train's frontman (Pat Monahan) has to be one of the most charismatic performers I have ever seen live. He has the witty lines and the confident stage presence that only come with years of being front and center on multiple stages in front of thousands of people and I absolutely adore it.

       The band's summer tour is under way and if they come to your town, do not miss your chance to see them perform live. Each song was more amazing than the last and their clear appreciation for their fans only made the performance that much better. 

       Standing in the rain for three hours may have made my toes permanently pruny, but it was more than worth it to finally hear "Meet Virginia", "Save Me, San Francisco", and "Drops of Jupiter" live (and to see Pat Monahan's performance style; I truly cannot emphasize how amazing his personal performance was).

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"Home" Live

       The video quality may not be the best (meaning I do not have a steady hand because I can't not dance during a concert), but the sound should be good enough to show you how truly adorable this band is live. 

       Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros may be the most adorable band I have ever seen live and, if you get the chance to see them perform live, don't miss out. 

       The band is currently working on their third album, set to be released sometime this year.

"Home" Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

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"Tall and Round"

       Flora Cash's sound amazes me; it's simply beautiful and utterly fantastic all at once and I can't get enough of their folksy sound. Their latest single was released yesterday and continues to be just as great (and wonderfully catchy) as the rest of their songs. 

       Listen to their music on the duo's YouTube channel and make sure to buy their songs on iTunes (I know I can't wait for the release of their debut EP).

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