This week's guest recommendations comes from Jon Lemay, DJ on Skidmore College Radio, WSPN and general music fan extraordinaire.
The Front Bottoms - The Front Bottoms
I discovered these guys when I saw them open for River City Extension over the summer, and what instantly stood out to be was just how crazy everyone went during their set. Kids were going nuts and screaming every lyric back at them--it was clear that this band meant a whole lot to everyone there. A couple months later, a breakup later, and a lot of listens to their self-titled debut later, and I understand everything. Maybe it's the unique combination of folk and pop-punk. Maybe it's Brian Sella's honest lyrics and quirky delivery. Or maybe it's the fact that this album ranges from really fun ("Maps") to really sad ("Bathtub"). I can't really say, but this band is making waves, and with their full length being released in May, you'd best hop on the boat.
The 1975 - Music for Cars
If you haven't heard about this UK-based quartet yet, then you will soon. The 1975 caught people's attention with their Facedown EP, released in August 2012, and then demanded attention with Sex EP released in November of the same year. And Music for Cars (released earlier this month) reinforces the fact that there's little these guys can't (and won't) do. Their brand of indie pop ranges from mellow and atmospheric to energetic and full--the kind of music that can get you dancing at a club, but also fill every nook and cranny of an arena. In a genre that's been done and done again in this past decade, The 1975 are a refreshing change of pace, and a band who I am certain will be a joy to watch as they convert new fans left and right.
I Kill Giants - We Can Live in the Exact Same Place
Let's just say you have a spare six-minutes in your day. You know what you should do with it? Throw on I Kill Giant's mathy/twinkly/whatever EP We Can Live in the Exact Same Place, which clocks in at five minutes and 56 seconds. That might sound like a silly notion, since only two of the eight songs are over a minute, but these four Berklee students (whose musicianship is as good as you'd expect) don't waste a second, as the EP is thorough and fun, leaving you wanting more in the best way possible. And with a full-length coming out this year, we'll get more soon enough. Also, if you're lucky enough for these guys to play a show in your area, get to the gig. One of the best live acts you'll see, guaranteed.
Melodrama can work, and Maximilian Hecker's brutally brooding sixth album illustrates that perfectly. Hecker's despondently crooning vocals echo as if he's alone in a large room, and his lyrics reinforce the sense of biting isolation. At times, Hecker sounds like Elliott Smith with a bad case of the Mondays, From the poetry-driven "Blue Soldier Night" to the so-sad-it's-happy ballad "The Greatest Love of All" to the sparse piano-driven "Lonely in Gold," I Am Nothing... examines the different dimensions of sadness. The sense of loss, heartache, and loneliness is beautifully established, and by the time Hecker sings "I belong here, and I always will" at the end of "Holy Dungeon," we believe him.
Old Gray - An Autobiography
This hard-hitting debut album is Old Gray's vision coming to fruition. It might be screamo release but that shouldn't deter anyone who's not a fan of the genre from listening, because there's something for everyone who claims to be a living, feeling human. There are moments of chaos and squalor; there are moments of beauty and elegance. But more than anything, there is honesty. Beautiful honesty. Whether it's the gritty and intense "The Graduate," the spoken word "Show Me How You Self-Destruct, or the ethereal closer "My Life With You, My Life Without You," An Autobiography is eight tracks in which you see three young men baring their souls to show us where they have been throughout their emotional journeys. The result is nothing short of heartbreaking and real. If you have a problem with the grit and vulnerability of the genre that Old Gray are slowly becoming champions of, then perhaps there's just no convincing you of the merits of such music; you're certainly not better off, but I can at least respect that, for everyone has different tastes. But I can't stop myself from saying that you're choosing to miss out on something very, very special.
The Front Bottoms - The Front Bottoms
I discovered these guys when I saw them open for River City Extension over the summer, and what instantly stood out to be was just how crazy everyone went during their set. Kids were going nuts and screaming every lyric back at them--it was clear that this band meant a whole lot to everyone there. A couple months later, a breakup later, and a lot of listens to their self-titled debut later, and I understand everything. Maybe it's the unique combination of folk and pop-punk. Maybe it's Brian Sella's honest lyrics and quirky delivery. Or maybe it's the fact that this album ranges from really fun ("Maps") to really sad ("Bathtub"). I can't really say, but this band is making waves, and with their full length being released in May, you'd best hop on the boat.
Key tracks: "Flashlight," "Swimming Pool," "The Beers"
If you haven't heard about this UK-based quartet yet, then you will soon. The 1975 caught people's attention with their Facedown EP, released in August 2012, and then demanded attention with Sex EP released in November of the same year. And Music for Cars (released earlier this month) reinforces the fact that there's little these guys can't (and won't) do. Their brand of indie pop ranges from mellow and atmospheric to energetic and full--the kind of music that can get you dancing at a club, but also fill every nook and cranny of an arena. In a genre that's been done and done again in this past decade, The 1975 are a refreshing change of pace, and a band who I am certain will be a joy to watch as they convert new fans left and right.
Key tracks: "Chocolate," "Me," "Head.Cars.Bending"
I Kill Giants - We Can Live in the Exact Same PlaceLet's just say you have a spare six-minutes in your day. You know what you should do with it? Throw on I Kill Giant's mathy/twinkly/whatever EP We Can Live in the Exact Same Place, which clocks in at five minutes and 56 seconds. That might sound like a silly notion, since only two of the eight songs are over a minute, but these four Berklee students (whose musicianship is as good as you'd expect) don't waste a second, as the EP is thorough and fun, leaving you wanting more in the best way possible. And with a full-length coming out this year, we'll get more soon enough. Also, if you're lucky enough for these guys to play a show in your area, get to the gig. One of the best live acts you'll see, guaranteed.
Key tracks: It's under six minutes; listen to the whole thing, you lazy bugger.
Maximilian Hecker - I Am Nothing But Emotion, No Human Being, No Son, Never Again Son
Melodrama can work, and Maximilian Hecker's brutally brooding sixth album illustrates that perfectly. Hecker's despondently crooning vocals echo as if he's alone in a large room, and his lyrics reinforce the sense of biting isolation. At times, Hecker sounds like Elliott Smith with a bad case of the Mondays, From the poetry-driven "Blue Soldier Night" to the so-sad-it's-happy ballad "The Greatest Love of All" to the sparse piano-driven "Lonely in Gold," I Am Nothing... examines the different dimensions of sadness. The sense of loss, heartache, and loneliness is beautifully established, and by the time Hecker sings "I belong here, and I always will" at the end of "Holy Dungeon," we believe him.
Key tracks: "Holy Dungeon," "The Greatest Love of All"
Old Gray - An AutobiographyThis hard-hitting debut album is Old Gray's vision coming to fruition. It might be screamo release but that shouldn't deter anyone who's not a fan of the genre from listening, because there's something for everyone who claims to be a living, feeling human. There are moments of chaos and squalor; there are moments of beauty and elegance. But more than anything, there is honesty. Beautiful honesty. Whether it's the gritty and intense "The Graduate," the spoken word "Show Me How You Self-Destruct, or the ethereal closer "My Life With You, My Life Without You," An Autobiography is eight tracks in which you see three young men baring their souls to show us where they have been throughout their emotional journeys. The result is nothing short of heartbreaking and real. If you have a problem with the grit and vulnerability of the genre that Old Gray are slowly becoming champions of, then perhaps there's just no convincing you of the merits of such music; you're certainly not better off, but I can at least respect that, for everyone has different tastes. But I can't stop myself from saying that you're choosing to miss out on something very, very special.
Key tracks: "Emily's First Communion," "I Still Think About Who I Was Last Summer," My Life With You, My Life Without You"
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