Justice: D.A.N.C.E.

The song is absolutely infectious, but it's just as much the video that made we want to feature Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." The video mixes live action with a barrage of T-shirt animation. It could be mistaken for a Threadless commercial. The song is uniquely organic sounding for the club/house genre. Your inclination may be to think the voices used are samples, but nay nay friend, they are indeed the real deal recorded solely for the song.It makes me want to get some groove-friendly kicks and show the youngsters what's up on the floor.

The French duo appreciates strong imagery, tapping So Me to lend well over 500 illustrations to give the video its look. Get into it, it's gonna make ya squiggle and squirm in yo seat!

Song Breakdown:

Best Place and Time to Listen:

Talk the struggling wedding DJ into getting the party started with this rambunctious jam.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Mila Kunis. Really need a why?

Justice - "Dance" - Justice

At the Drive-In: Star Slight

Just as I began to think there was nothing under the "hardcore" banner for a guy like me, Relationship of Command came out and blew my mind man! So, I devoured everything I could by At the Drive-In and it was all good. The older albums definitely had a more lo-fi, indie sound, but all the same energy and aggression with a punk rock spirit.

Star Slight is off the earlier Acrobatic Tenement and full of the post-punk sound and hook that seperated them from the pack. It's a short romp of a song, but it's not always about size.

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

Getting ready to do something ill-advised.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Max, from Where the Wild Things Are.

Starslight - At The Drive-In

Brass Castle: Hamlet

Listening to Brass Castle is like getting punched in the face . . . but a good punch in the face, you know, the kind you just might drop a Hamilton for. The two-man Atlanta-based band, traces it's roots back to some of the most caustic, interesting and epic Jacksonville bands including Gizzard and Dampading.

At time it can seem slightly in disarray, but it's truly purposeful and noisily novel. Forget White Stripe comparisons, this music is amazingly raucous and dirty. I swear to God that I smell whiskey soaked breath and cigarette smoke laden clothes from just listening to these songs. "Hamlet" is off their album Get on Fire. Brass Castle also contributed a song to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Soundtrack.

Song Breakdown

Best Time and Place to Listen:

To prep for a night you won't remember.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

George C. Scott.

Hamlet - Brass Castle

L.S.U. The Fold

L.S.U. (Life Savers Underground) was truly an enigma among CCM bands and "The Fold" may be one of the best songs that you have never heard . . . OK, I know a couple of you have, but in general. L.S.U. was mainly Michael Knott and you never really knew what to expect from album to album, and The Grape Prophet was no exception. It is a rock opera or a concept album if you will about an orange picker trying to rescue his fellow pickers from a sinister prophet.

"The Fold" encompasses a lot of sound in a short amount of time. From hair rock to indie rock and chorale conclusion, there is truly nothing else like it. Tortured vocals, howling guitars and thunderous drums eventually meet a children's choir-that's just how L.S.U. rolls. Incendiary and unforgettable, it's one of the reasons why this album is a true classic.

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

It's the perfect soundtrack for late night, in-house hide and seek . . . yes, with the lights out. It's a blast, just try it.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Nicolas Cage as Sailor Ripley in Wild at Heart.

Click Below to Listen to The Fold:

LSU - The Grape Prophet.wma

Bloc Party: So Here We Are

Fragile guitar notes layered on top of an upbeat drum line and thoughtful vocals make "So Here We Are" somehow simultaneously sentimental and cool. At its zenith, the lyrical refrain of "I Figured It Out, I Can See Again" lays a simple but meaningful proclamation of clarity over a jangly, exploratory guitar work. It's all completely endearing and it's one of those songs that has enough versatility to be fodder for teenage love mixtapes or alongside an elitist's collection of Thrill Jockey records. 

"Here We Are" is on the band's first record, Silent Alarm. 

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

During makeout club with your main squeeze.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Susan Dey.

Click Below to Listen to So Here We Are:

Bloc Party - So Here We Are.wma

Sparkle Afternoon: Gorgeous

Think you have the pulse on Indonesian pop minimalism? I thought so, but now you do! Sparkle Afternoon welcomes a concoction of shoegaze, dream pop, indie rock and small doses of brit pop. A sparse piano arrangement with delicate vocals builds into dominating guitar fuzz and drums. This BFW recording artist could just as easily have a place on 4AD's roster of shoegaze phenoms. 

You can download this track and other for FREE at BFW's website. You'll find a fantastic collection of music in not only this genre, but ambient, experimental and electronic artists that have not cracked the surface quite yet."Gorgeous" is just that . . . even makes me think of the Tracy Shedd's old band Sella. Remember them? Those were the days, begging for rides to the OP Civic Center!

Song Breakdown:

Best Place and Time to Listen:

An open field, slightly overcast, napping in the grass.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Carol Kane.

Click Here to Listen to Gorgeous by Sparkle Afternoon

Iron & Wine: Boy with a Coin

Galvanic hand claps blended with an ethereal backward guitar loop and Sam Beam's patented, whispered vocals makes "Boy with a Coin" a big spooky delight. Off The Shepherd's Dog, a real evolution for Iron & Wine, "Boy with a Coin" possesses a snappy guitar progression and a rare danceable quality. 

While this is a departure from the hushed, understated singer-songwriter quality of earlier records, it's got the Iron & Wine stamp of sound architecture, distinct resonance and enigmatic, story-telling lyric. On that note, a lyric snippet:

Boy with a coin he found in the weeds

with bullets and pages of trade magazines

close to a car that flipped on the turn

when God left the ground to circle the world

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

Meandering, twilight drives.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Laura Harring . . . Mulholland Drive.

Boy With A Coin (Single) - Iron & Wine

Barcelona: It's About Time

I first heard this guitar hook as bumper music on a talk show and couldn't get it out of my head . . . and couldn't find it either. Until this fortuitous day! Thanks to an imeem play list, I've discovered that this fantastic hook and song is "It's About Time" by Barcelona.

"It's About Time" is an endearing song with tons of crossover potential. While this song could find a home on any modern rock radio station, it possess the elements that appeal to good indie rockers everywhere. The ethereal guitar work juxtaposed with the straightforward rock sound of the rest of the song, strong vocals and rich layers throughout have made it a staple in my rotation.

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

While Scrubs is in my television show graveyard already, Barcelona could up the ante. This is the sound bands like The Fray wish they could find. C'mon Zach, freshen it up, you know you can hear this song in an episode.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Zach Braff.

ITS ABOUT TIME - Barcelona

Modest Mouse: The World at Large

From the fanciful guitar at the beginning and the vocals delivered as if they are a conversation to the subtle string arrangements and repeated vocal refrain uh uh uh ah uh that gives the song an infectious undercurrent this song should be counted among Modest Mouse's best. "The World at Large" is the second track, first song really, off of Good News for People Who Love Bad News. The song almost feels like a proclamation, a sort of renewing, but never a complete abdication of the old.

I love what the song doesn't do. They were able to abstain from cluttering "The World at Large" with a sparse drum beat made up mainly of bass drum thuds. While The Moon & Antartica was more of their coming of age album that showed an undiscovered depth and ability to make a cohesive statement from beginning to end, Good News for People Who Love Bad News displayed the unpretentious ability that all who were fans knew Modest Mouse had, to appeal to a broader audience without sacrificing anything.

My favorite snippet of lyrics:

I like songs about drifters - books about the same.
They both seem to make me feel a little less insane.
Walked on off to another spot.
I still haven't gotten anywhere that I want.
Did I want love? Did I need to know?
Why does it always feel like I'm caught in an undertow?

Song Breakdown:

Best Place and Time to Listen:

Your next pier picnic with jug of wine in tow and legs dangling over the water.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Ferdinand Magellan.

Old School Flaming Lips (Sorta) vs. Au Courant Flaming Lips (Kinda)

In an epic battle of old and new Flaming Lips, we pit the screeching psychedelic sounds and bassy vocal hook of Talkin' Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants to Live Forever) from Hit to Death in the Future Head against the exploratory soundscapes and storytelling of Fight Test from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Yes they had four albums before Hit to Death and an album after Robots, but this is my blog. It's all undeniably Flaming Lips, but their sound took an unequivocal turn with The Soft Bulletin in 1999 (with Zareeka being the true bridge between old and new . . . in my not-so-humble opinion). Let's have a good clean fight!


Talkin Bout The Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues [Everyone Wants To Live Forever] (Video) - DAVE FRIDMANN

Fight Test (Music Video) - The Flaming Lips

Interpol: Public Pervert

There are really no missteps on Antics. Interpol has carved out their own sound and possess a certain swagger that moves me to designate them as modern rock's answer to Frank Sinatra. Paul Bank's delivery may not be as grandiose, but he has that unique phrasing and a certain confidence that lends itself to crooning. But chiefly, it's in the lyrics. Can't you hear and picture Old Blue Eyes with scotch in hand singing this:

Oh, so swoon baby starry nights
May our bodies remain
You move with me, I'll treat you right, baby
May our bodies remain

There is love to be made
So just stay here for this while
Perhaps heart strings resuscitate
The fading sounds of your life

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time for Listen:

Mounting up for that hot date. Yeah, you know, the cologne has been splashed, you actually ironed your date shirt and you perused the news online as to appear up-to-date with current events.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

What a stunner, Frank Sinatra.

Click Below to Listen to Public Pervert

Public Pervert.wma

Kings of Leon: Fans

Kings of Leon possess a sound that explores everything from Southern snarl and indie pop to big stadium rock and alt-country. Expanding from the earlier southern fried punk swagger of their first two albums, Because of the Times showed a nod towards bands with a massive sound like U2 who they supported on a leg of the Vertigo tour and Pearl Jam (Eddie Vedder interview: "I had disappeared onto some little island to write and surf and the only record I had besides the Pearl Jam stuff I was working on was that [Aha Shake Heartbreak]."

"Fans" is probably the most radio-friendly track to jump out of the speakers on Because of the Times with a bubbly, infectious bass line, vocals that have a Southern drawl and delivered almost as if they are a question and sparingly, but perfectly injected guitar bursts.

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

Road trip, but only when taking the scenic route.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Colonel Harland Sanders

Click Link Below to Play Fans:

Kings of Leon - Fans.wma

Atlas Sound: Recent Bedroom

Somewhere from the 4AD shoegaze movement to the ethereally intense sound of Spiritualized falls Atlas Sound and their only record Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel. This side project of Deerhunter vocalist Bradford Cox and contains obvious My Bloody Valentine influences. From The Velvet Underground die-hards to Sigur Ros fans, this big experimental sound offers something for everyone.

More gentle than Deerhunter, but as exploratory, this is a fantastic record full of blanketing fuzz and whimsical vocal stylings.

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

Take the song's title as a cue . . . after a long night of hitting the town (you know what I'm talking about you hipster), play this song, lay in bed and come back down to Earth.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Tim Burton

Recent Bedroom - Atlas Sound

Sebadoh: Magnet's Coil & Drama Mine

Yep, that's right, a two-fer. So in the spirit of getting jazzed up for the Dinosaur Jr. show, some Sebadoh today and some Jay tomorrow. Bakesale may be Sebadoh's most celebrated album, and in my opinion, for good reason. These indie angst anthems employed the Pixie's quiet - loud dynamic and lyrics of dissolution all in fuzzy guitar wrapped 3-minute indie rock gems.

Although "Magnet's Coil" possesses a more uptempo beat and poperiffic sound, it's just as angry as any of the other songs on Bakesale. "Drama Mine" (notice clever wordplay, bravo Lou!)builds on a muted guitar riff, to a simple but arresting progression to the climax where the lyric "It's like wasting everything on someone else's dream," are screamed to your heart's acrimonious content. Both songs classics off of a timeless record.

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

Anywhere you are feeling indignant and better than those phonies . . . with PBR in hand.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Dennis Hopper

Magnets Coil - Sebadoh

Drama Mine - Sebadoh

Cat Power: I Found a Reason

This song has an almost innate presence, as if it is supposed to be there. It's got this unexplainable organic quality as if its an extension of your own emotion. Chan's pacifying voice over the gentle piano arrangement creates a song that is powerful in its poignancy.

Originally a Velvet Underground song from their album Loaded, Chan lent her transformative powers to it and in that way she does, making it her own. The perfect prescription after a challenging morning of congested highways, bad radio DJs and allergies. You playing your violin for me? Pfft, I don't care, I've got Cat Power and that's all I need, and this cup of coffee, and that's all I need...the song and the coffee.

Song Breakdown

Best Place and Time to Listen:

If a vinyl copy exists, on your trusty record player, in your favorite chair consoled by a breeze from an open window.

If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:

Mother Nature. Absolutely no correlation to "Earth Day."


I Found A Reason -