Me Likey

Well...another week has gone by.  I've been busy this week getting new music for everyone and I think I have found some pretty great stuff.  The first band, OK Go, is known to many by their awesome music video for the song "here it goes again."  Their third album "Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky" was released yesterday and I have to say from the moment you hear track 1 you can tell it's gonna be a completely different sound than we are used to.  The first song is a bass heavy, funky, Prince and Muse inspired gem that sucks you in and prepares you for the album to come (the first time I heard this song I was like "damn").  What follows does not have the poppy, cheerful vocals and upbeat rock music that were prevalent on the last record.  Instead we are greeted by a funky psychedelic 80s style dance record.  To some this may sound disconcerting but I assure you that Kulash and the gang pull it off nicely (think MGMT).  And, their old sound still manages to shine through this new dark and hazy sound at times.  I have included two tracks that I think will give you decent picture of the overall album.  "WTF?" is the first track that I mentioned before.

OK Go - WTF?


OK Go - I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe



The second arist this week is Peter Bradley Adams.  He is a singer/songwriter from Brooklyn with an acoustic guitar and a great voice.  Erin actually heard a song by this guy on the show Brothers and Sisters so we checked out his album.  I am only going to write one word to describe the music Peter makes on this album: beautiful.  

Peter Bradley Adams - The Longer I Run


Peter Bradley Adams - I'll Forget You


The third group is a special treat because this album isn't really out yet.  Spoon is four guys from Austin, TX who have been around playing dirty gritty fuzzed out alt rock since 1993.  They have consistently been able to progress their sound and set the bar incredibly high for all the other indie rock bands with their creativity.  This next album, titled Transference, is no exception.  The single "Written In Reverse" is an incredible piece of songwriting craftsmanship.  It has some nasty dissonant chords and some rough and stressed vocals which create this sense of urgency like you know the outcome of something and you're trying to warn someone about it.  The rest of the album is just as amazing and forward thinking.  Spoon are the epitome of cool as always. 

Spoon - Written In Reverse


Spoon - Trouble Comes Running


My band you must hear this week is The Morning Benders.  Hailing from Berkley, CA these guys have been one of my favorite bands since i first heard them.  They are an indie-pop band with great musical sense.  They write simple songs with subtle complexities and by that I mean they don't overdo production or add things that don't need to be there.  The songs have a simple sound but the subtleties in rhythm or chord progression make them interesting.  I also like that they write many different types of songs and like to play in different styles.  They have released alternate versions of several of their songs for eg.  they released the "super soul" version of Damnit Anna which slowed the song way down and gave it a little more swagger.  Another reason I like The Morning Benders is that they are influenced by, and pay homage to, some of my favorite classic bands like The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, or even Paul Simon.  I highly recommend downloading their free album "Bedroom Covers" because it is all covers of people that influenced them.  I chose the Morning benders for this week because they just released a free single from their upcoming album "Big Echo" called "Promises" so I figured I could share that with you as well as some other stuff.  Take a listen and I hope you enjoy.

The Morning Benders - Promises


The Morning Benders - Grain Of Salt


The Morning Benders - Patient Patient


I hope you liked the music this week.  Stay tuned for more.

- Emerson