Music Related News

       You guys should have gotten your music related news yesterday, but I got caught up playing around on the new website; I cannot wait until I can share it with you guys (I love it way more than anyone should love an intangible object).

• The Royal Concept released their single "D-D-Dance" on iTunes and now I can't get enough of them; it's San Cisco meets Black Kids with an extra punch of pure youthful energy and it's a perfect mix of folk pop, dance-able melodies, and fun rhythms that has me more than a little addicted to their music.
• Hudson Taylor released their music video for "Weapons" and continued to show that they are the most amazing, and most promising, thing coming out of indie folk right now. Look for their name soon because it won't be long until you can't get away from their music. 
• Friday, February 9, marked the fifty year anniversary of the day The Beatles first arrived in the US, giving us the, much loved, phrase 'British Invasion'. The Beatles early songs weren't very thought provoking, but their music matured as their fans did and the band is a perfect example of how best to stay in the spotlight and your fan's playlists.
• It's that time of year when you can start buying your SunFest tickets again; it's not the 'best' music festival, you will have one day when you're soaked through with rain and another day where you've definitely garnered third degree burns on your hands from leaning back on the cement, but it's tradition and it's fun. Of all the festivals I've been to, none have this same sort of relaxed feel and it's awesome to be there the first three nights because it's so 'empty' on the weekdays (though it does make Sunday's crowds slightly unbearable). 
• The Colourist, the debut full length album from The Colourist, is available for pre-order now and you're going to want to grab your copy; the band is coming on to the indie pop scene strong and their songs are so fun it's ridiculous. Their only real competition, sound wise, is going to be Echosmith and, between the two, I'd put my money on The Colourist; while Echosmith has nice lyrics, the tracks feel light and the vocals could be better and The Colourist already has a fully mature sound with solid vocals that are easy to listen to, as well as some great lyrics. Check out their video for "Fix This" for something amazing.
• Broods' "Bridges" is the free single of the week on iTunes (US) this week and it's slowly building electronic beat sucks you in with its hypnotic waves and soft vocal melodies.
• Hot Chelle Rae released their latest single, "Don't Say Goodnight", and the song sounds just as fun as you've come to expect from this band. I've tried not to get addicted, but it just feels like summer and warm nights and there's no point in denying this single's greatness. 
• Justin Bieber was not smacked by NBA's Blake Griffin; it was a satire story posted by a sports site which got picked up by other news sources who ran it as truth. I can't believe I'm actually disappointed that a person was not physically assaulted. 
• Andy Blunda, former Fastball guitarist, released his second solo EP, Messages, and the songs are so great that they demand your immediate and full attention. They're truly fantastic and only get better with each listen. 
• PawnShop King's "Fall Apart" sucks you in slowly, so that you don't even realize you're hooked until you're sitting there singing the chorus under your breath and trying to figure out what it's from. You can get the single, for free, by clicking on this link now though, so do that (because I have waited so long to start getting music that is free for your personal use, not just for the site's use, and I'm super excited to share this with you).
• Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" has been resurrected by Buck 22 who took the song and made "Achy Breaky 2". I honestly can't. The video is all shades of ridiculous, the song is an average looking mess, and I kind of wish I had never listened to it, because this weird remix will be in my head for far too long now; it's as mindnumbingly unimportant as the original, with the added bonus of being just as horribly catchy (it won't leave your head and it's bad).
• Nickel Creek got back together and released "Destination" and I am super fucking excited to hear new music from them. It's been far too long since the classic folk band gave us a sweet melody to sway along to and their lyrics are just as articulate as ever. 
• Manolo Panic came out with their interactive music video for "Tiny Robots" and it's just as amazing as the song itself, plus super entertaining. 
• Skylar Grey released "Coming Home, Part II" and it's completely gorgeous and shows off the depth in her vocals perfectly while carrying over a chorus you already know and love into her latest work, making it easier for you to already be addicted to this new song. Plus the video is simple and beautiful and captures the song's sentiment with gorgeous ease.

"Coming Home, Pt. II" Skylar Grey

- E