I took last week off, since I only ended up listening to one new album. For whatever reason I just felt drawn to some old music, and that is all I could listen to. Weakerthans, Rise Against, Gaslight Anthem, Bayside, and Stars all had their role to play in this distraction. That said this week's also includes less obscure musicians...for the most part.
This Week's List
The Fray's "The Fray"
Lily Allen's "It's Not Me, It's You"
P.O.S.'s "Never Better"
Two Tongues' "Two Tongues"
Christine Fellows "Paper Anniversary"
There were a couple more, but I am going to wait on them so I can find some better links, look out for a huge list next week.
So new formatting this week, I figured with a week off it's the least I could do.
The Fray's "The Fray" - Definitely better to my ears than "How to Save a Life". The piano work is much more emotive, and the album on the whole touches on a broader range. "You Found Me" is probably my favorite, followed by "Enough For Now", with "We Build Then We Break" being a dark horse due to the difference in style. The one downside is that a lot of the songs sound very similar. I don't much mind this, since the album strikes me as a story, so the continuity is welcome as to not distract from the lyrics.
Lily Allen's "It's Not Me, It's You" - I love this resurgence in anti-folk. Lily Allen is very witty and shows off my favorite new one of the week, and one that strikes me as the most upbeat female breakup album I've heard in a while. While "F**k You (Very Much)" is my sentimental favorite, due to its message:
You say you think we need to go to war
Well you're already in one
Cause it's people like you
That need to get slew
No one wants your opinion
Beyond this "Everyone's At It" and "The Fear" are smashing. "Not Fair" is that happy breakup song I was talking about, with some great background music.
P.O.S.'s "Never Better" - At first a punk rocker, his site mentions that he was
hostile to hip-hop, Alexander soon realized that rap was an alternative, valid method of expression.
Again we see my love of socially conscious hip-hop. The opening track "Let It Rattle" is very likely my favorite (maybe since he mentions a Mitch Hedberg joke), but the whole album is great. "Drumroll" shows just how fast he can go, and to my ear he rivals Eyedea for pure speed. What is it about Minneapolis that they continue to produce exceptional hip-hop in the vein of Atmosphere? "Graves" touches on another of my favorite topics: rap violence/ghetto violence.
Two Tongues' "Two Tongues" - The side project/super group of Say Anything's Max Bemis and Saves the Day's Chris Conley. They are definitely at their best with dueling vocals. Max's near snarl combined with Chris' nasally voice strangely enough is pure brilliance. It helps that Max is one of my "10 golden voices" (people who could sing the phonebook, and I would be entraced, I'll try to post the full list later this week). The best song on the album is "Tremors" with its perfect lyrics:
I knew that you could save my life,/without a words exchange
your with words, so insecure/can barely speak my name
My crumbled spine, and faulty lines/I'm sick and small and strange
"If I Could Make You Do Things" and "Wowee Zowee" are the most prominent examples of the Conley-Bemis interplay. Also "Back Against The Wall" is starkly different in style, easily the most produced track.
Christine Fellows' "Paper Anniversary" - Classic female singer-songwriter and wife of Weakerthans lead singer. There are some short songs that annoy me, not for style, just leave me wanting me. "Vertebrae" was my theme song of last week, last.fm says I listened to it 12 times, so yeah its good. Especially with this line "Why when you know you go, Is it so hard to leave?" Just like her husband the lyrics read like great prose, which is complimented perfect by her singing style. "Souvenirs" and "Face Down. Feet First." are great, but really cannot compare to "Vertebrae". Sadly I cannot find links for any these, but her new stuff on her page is also with worth a listen. There is a song there where she sings over a typewriter...brilliant.
So whats your new stuff this week?