I have let this set of albums sit on my mind for long enough. As a matter of fact I couldn't wait any longer to talk about them. My fingers were itching to write about them.
You can now preorder the 10th anaversary release
of The Postal Service album Give Up from Sub Pop. It is a two CD or a three
record release. The vinyl release is on colored vinyl if ordered from Sub Pop.
I have found out that you can get the two 7” records and the
tour cassette that Golden Girrrls released as a pay what you want download from
their BandCamp web page.
You can also download a set of rare tracks from White Laces
from their BandCamp page but it will cost a minimum of nine bucks to get them.
On the plus side they have put together some bundles with that download to
sweeten the deal.
Man Or Astro-Man? have put up the tour schedule for the coming year on facebook. I feel lucky and proud that they will be coming to my neck of the woods. Tickets will not be on sale for a while yet.
Here we go...
This is the second album from Veronica falls. It was released,
officially, Tuesday the twelfth of February, 2013. There are thirteen tracks on
this album and it is a great album. Slumberland Records put out a white vinyl
version for mail orders. There have been a few different versions of the album
released for European countries including a version that comes with an
additional CD of new cover songs. They are calling this the Covers EP Vol. 2.
This will also be released through Rough Trade on vinyl in limited quantities
and as a tour CD that you can buy if you go see them play live on the new tour.
There has already been a couple of singles released from
this album. The first of those singles is called My Heart Beats. This was
released as a 7” record in the summer of 2012. I thought that this was going to
be a non-album single but it was included here on this album. I am a bit
disappointed actually because I really wanted an official release of the song
Back Page. You can only get Back Page on the US tour cassette which was limited.
My Heart Beats is a great song. From Vol. 3 Episode 13, “The A-side of the
single is My Heart Beats. This song is very happy and up beat, like most of
their songs are. To me it is about finding the right person to live your life
with. It asks questions like, “If we could dream together?” They still have
that great 40s guitar sound that drew me to them in the first place.”
Teenage is the second single released from the album. It has
gotten a physical release in the UK but Slumberland has not yet put
the 7” for this song up for sale on their sight. The single is supposed to be
up for sale on March 12, 2013. I am still waiting to get my preorder on for
this single. The song still fits in the dark style that they have been known
for but seems to be a little bit happier than anything from there first album.
This is a much welcomed change for the group. This was a song that the group
has been hanging on to for quite a while as they played it when I went to see
them about a year ago now.
Buried Alive is another track that is very single worthy.
The song was called Burry Me Alive for a long while as this is how the chorus
is sung. I actually recorded the Insound session that they did for the music
e-tailer back in 2011. I really liked this track. This is another dark track as
you can tell from the title. It is about wanting to be with the one you love so
much that you can’t live with out this person. In the lyrics they talk about
wanting to get the same illnesses as their significant others. That is
dedication to loving someone!
Last Conversation is the last track on the album. This is
another track that they have been sitting on as they also played this track at
the concert that I was at about a year ago. It is kind of a depressing song but
still has a great pop feel. The drums are simple, I really like the simplicity
of the drums too. The song is about the last conversation that a couple has had
and that they may be ending their relationship because things are pulling them
apart. The song is snot super specific about what happened but it conjures up
images of a situation where one of the two has a job that is taking them away
from the other.
Waiting For Something To Happen is the title track for the
album and has a great beat to it. I am not sure if it is single worthy but it
is a great danceable song. It seems to be about being not sure about what to do
in a given situation. The chorus sings, “ Everybody’s crazy, what’s your excuse
baby, standing in the middle, waiting for something to happen.” It reminds me
of middle school dances when they use to have video screens up. I remember
everyone dancing and I would just stand there watching some of the videos play.
All of my friends would try to get me to dance but I couldn’t really dance
anyway.
This is the third album from My Bloody Valentine. It was
released on the second of February, 2013. One can purchase the album from the
groups’ web page in three formats, CD, LP or download. The server crashed the
day the record went on sale because of the amount of people purchasing the
album. It has been about 23 years since any serious release has come from the
group. The last album, Loveless, has become an iconic release in music. This
album is not a big change from that direction. It has been only about five
years since I have been getting into this type of music but to have a major
player “come back from the dead” and release a new album that advances the
genre and validates all of the new bands that have come on the scene is amazing
to say the least.
There hasn’t been an official single released but my local
radio station has been playing the song New You. This song is a bit of a new
style for the group but still uses the sounds that fans have gotten use to. The
double eighth note on the first beat of the measures for the bass line is a
really cool style for the group to use. That bass beat is also distorted which
the group has not done before. The female vocals float like cotton candy in the
wind with this track. It is very pretty. The guitar part uses a auto tremolo
sound that grounds the vocals to the bass and drums. It is truly a beautiful
song.
My personal favorite after New You is called Only Tomorrow.
This song uses the same style vocals, well, the vocals are similar through the
whole album really. The guitars are distorted but they seem to have a fluffy
distorted sound about them sort of like the late 70s rock sounds or the some of
the 80s hair band distorted guitars. The bass on this track is just a good
solid support as are the drums. What I really like about this song is the
guitar solo that happens at the last half of the song and continues to the end
of the track. There is something cool about the sound of the solo guitar. It is
like a male vocal part as it is deep and throaty but easily followable. I
strive to make solos like this in my own music I think.
I think that this will be one of the best albums of the year
and 2013 has just started!
This is the nineth album from New Order. It was released in
January 2013. The tracks on the album were recorded during the production of
Waiting For The Sirens’ Call. The album was released after the group reformed
in 2012 and released only in the UK. Peter Hook, the original
bassist is currently not a part of the group. The album was released as a CD or
LP. The US
only saw the release of this album as an import. A CDr promo version of the
album was released in the us but the common fan would probably not have seen
that. Because the album was recorded back in 2004/2005 the album still has the
sounds that were on Waiting For The Sirens’ Call. Similar to the MBV album, the
original sound is still there, and sounds just the way that I remember. The
group has always been into adding the electronic dance feel to their music. I
love this about them along with the intensity that the group has always brought
with the tone of the vocals and the lyrical content.
There has not been an official single release from this
eight song album release, but there are some great songs contained on the
album. My favorite track from the album is called Sugarcane. It has a really
cool disco feel with a distorted walking synth bass line and drums. The guitar
is a clean sounding guitar that works well with the song. The chorus uses a
classic 80s new wave sound.
Hellbent is another track that some critics have said is a
great song. It really has a 90s alternative sound. This style has become
popular recently so this song really fits into the current environment of
music. For me, it is a good song but it just works on the album not so much as
a single.
The third song that is very good on the album is called I
Told You So. The song is driven by the drums. The guitar is monotinuous to say
the least. The bass line is what moves the song. It is a slower song that
drives on. The only other good part of the song is the guitar solo. The song
comes off as kind of a tribal beat really but is still good.
This is another good album almost better than its
predecessor.
This is the second single/7’ the group has released. The
record was pressed in limited numbers on the Night School label. You can get
this single as a download from the groups BandCamp web page.
The A side track, Beaches, has some really cool sounds. I
have always liked the female vocalist in this group but I think that the male
vocalist needs some lessons. The song has some really cool distorted guitar
sounds and really makes the song in my opinion.
The B side track, Date It, is a happy track that reminds me
of Heavenly. The call and response femail vocals work so well. The verse
section with the addition of male vocals seems to work better with this track
than on Beaches.
This is a pretty good single that probably most folks
haven’t even heard. I hope this changes for them in the future.
That is all I have for now...
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