Till the Morning we Dream

Amy Jade Winehouse is an R&B, Soul and Jazz musician from England. Known famously for her Drug and alcohol abuse and amazing control of the Contralto.Despite her boozy persona and loose-limbed delivery, Winehouse possessess both power and subtlety, the latter an increasingly rare commodity among contemporary female vocalists (whether jazz or R&B).

Winehouse has two records out to date. The first being "Frank" in 2003 a album which instead of being programmed to digital perfection is allowed to grow on the listener. Songs like "Fuck Me Pumps," "Take the Box," and "I Heard Love Is Blind" cast a cool yet very critical gaze over the music scene and over the dating scene, and even over the singer herself. With "In My Bed," she even proves she can do a commercial R&B production, and a club version of "Moody's Mood for Love" solidifies her Jazz credentials.

Her follow up album is titled "Back to Black". Although Back to Black does see her deserting jazz and wholly embracing contemporary R&B, all the best parts of her musical character emerge intact and infact are all the better for the transformation from jazz vocalist to soul siren. As before, Winehouse writes all of the songs from her experiences, most of which involve the occasionally riotous and often bittersweet vagaries of love. Also in similar fashion to "Frank" her eye for details and her way of relating them are delightful. She states her case against "Rehab" on the knockout first single with some great lines: "They tried to make me go to rehab I won't go go go, I'd rather be at home with Ray. As often as not, though, the songs on Back to Black are universal, songs that anyone, could take to the top of the charts, such as "Love Is a Losing Game" or the title song.

Her career has been at a bit of a stall at the moment. Recent health issues emerged in 2008 which put the brakes on any further production. All the Winehouse fans(including) myself eagerly await new material from this already musical legend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll7UFxqI2pM- You Know Im No Good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll7UFxqI2pM- Rehab

Volcanoes melt me down

There's something about the Irish that I just can't resist. The accents, the pretty blue eyes, the way Damien Rice's voice makes you melt right into a puddle.
Damien Rice was named one of the 50 best Irish Acts 2009. Getting his start with rock group Juniper, he's since gone solo and his recent collaborations with Lisa Hannigan, another incredible Irish musician whose voice you will fall in love with, are a must-check-out for those who're into melodic tunes with heartfelt lyrics. If Coldplay, Keane and The Frames are your thing, then Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan will soon dominate your iPod.

They met doing gigs, staying after the show was over to play music together. They're old news now. They used to collaborate together right after Damien Rice decided to go solo and multiple hits and a failed romance later, their partnership has run its course. Hannigan has gone on to release her solo album Sea Saw.

It's not that they live the crazy celebrity life full of drama and partying and rehab trips every 5 days. They're music isn't about controversial videos and nonsensical lyrics meshed with techno bubblegum pop tunes that get stuck in your head. They music they create, both individually and apart, is all about the music itself. It's all about them, a few guitars and other instruments and the beautiful voices they've been gifted with. They reach out to the audience and make them feel their emotions.

Check out Damien Rice's album O and 9 as well as Lisa Hannigans Sea Saw.
If individual tracks are what you want check out collaborations:
9 Crimes (featured in True Blood, the best tv show ever)
Volcano

Get The Party Started (a cover of the P!NK song)

And for solo tracks:
I Don't Know - Lisa Hannigan
Lille - Lisa Hannigan
Woman Like a Man - Damien Rice

Cannonball - Damien Rice
Delicate - Damien Rice

He's also done collaborations with various other respected artists like Herbie Hancock and Ray Lamontague, so be sure to check those out as well.

In fact, just get your hands on any random track you can from them. You won't regret it as soon as you hear their sweet soulful voices.

I last drank with you in the neon glow.

The Band Of Horses are a 5 piece from Seatle. The band is headed by Ben Bridwell who by all means is commander and chief. Current members include Craig Barret on the drums, Ryan Monroe on the Keys, Bill Reynolds on the bass and Tyler Ramsey on the guitar. They are very much a product of the "Seattle Pop Sound" a kind of genre made famous by the legendary Mudhoney. Bridwell is very old school musician compared by many musical critics to the likes of neil young and wayne coyne. He has a nagging ability to come up with lilting ballads.

They have 3 albums out the latter of which came out in May of 2010. Its called Infinite Arms, recorded in North Carolina by the current band line up. The album was recorded without the financial help of any recording company as Bridwell saw this as a chance for his own label Brown records to come to the forte. The album is truly a self exploring record for the band as band members switched instruments on various tracks to try their hand in other areas. Infinite arms, Evening Kitchen , Older, the afternoon delight Blue Beard and keening boot-stompers Northwest Apartments all delivered with a back porch abandon many beardos emulate, but few match.

Suddenly, the band has blossomed into something more like "a" Band, with rich harmonies even when Bridwell just multitracks his own voice and fuller arrangements. You can also hear some meloer tracks, a soft-rock shift that may bum out older fans. But for tuneful chilling out for a lovely sunny day.

I Wanna Find Myself in the Sea

The XX are a indie-rock band from london, england. The original four members meet at the Elliot School. They possess a very diverse and unique sound. Some would go as far as describing them as Electro rock. The original members include Romy Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith and Baria Quereshi. Quershi however left the band citing exhaustion as the reason.

They have only 1 album out so far and its self titled. The group produced it themselves as they felt that a personal touch was very necessary,they draw together eclectic materials from avant-garde hip-hop to R&B to pure pop.It was recorded in XL studios west london( very close to the home of W.H.F.C for all those football fans out their). The album has multiple duos in it. It is definitely one of the most "chill" albums i've prolly ever heard. I would state it as one of the top albums of the year in music period...let along the "rock n roll" genre.

The beats in this album pulse rather than crash, the guitars are more often than not artfully picked and plucked and the vocals rarely rise above a wistful sigh. This sort of restraint and sophistication by a band of young musicians make it rather more impressive. This sound definitely leaves the listener demanding a repeat.

I would suggest for anyone to go out and buy a copy of this album. It absolutely demands a listens. They are currently touring around the world at the moment and hitting up my resident toronto in april, if anyone wants to come along with me...i would be pleased to give he/she details on how to get tickets and where the show is and so forth. Recommend tracks are VCR, Heart never skipped a beat, Stars and Infinity. Cheers!

A Night of Passion

If you have a significant other that you want serenade with then just go for it, you just might make it big! Thats what Michael Angelakos did in his Emerson dorm room. Armed with a synthesizer/keyboard, he recorded an EP of 6 or 7 songs on his laptop. In 2007, Angelakos performed at the Berklee College of Music (oh how i wish i was qualified enough to attend that school) where he was approached by Ian Hultquist to form a live band for Angelakos's material.They recruited Ayad Al Adhamy, Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer.

The song Sleepyhead had gained a lot of popularity in the indie scene since the EP came out. After a few commercials featured some Passion Pit songs, the band hit mainstream success. Regardless of how successful these guys are, the songs they're putting out is basically the cutting edge of music right now. They incorporate a lot of electronic sounds with the help of synthesizers and keyboards, kind of bringing back that feeling of the 60s and 70s, when bands first started using electronic sounds in their music. Don't get thrown off by the fact that at any point in a gig, 4 of them may be playing the keyboard at the same time! My opinon of keyboardists have completely done a 180 and I understand how important having one in a band is, but having 4 guys just makes it a real treat. Each time you listen to a Passion Pit song, you'll hear a synthesizer piece you probably didn't hear the first 100 times you played the song. The layers of music that go into each song are very intricate and are placed in perfection. Don't get me wrong but they also have solid guitar and bass line woven into their songs. The vocals on their songs are refreshing to listen to because they're different from all the Jonas Brothers wannabe bands out there. They're slower ballads feel like an epic journey. Their debut album called Manners came out in 2009. And if you're still wondering, Angelakos has since broken up with his then girlfriend who he wrote the song for but have confirmed that they are still really good friends.

Must Listen Songs:

Sleepyhead

Little Secrets

Moth's Wings

*sorry for my absence!! I'll make up for it next week by having a review of a band that I'll be watching live in 6 days ;)

MC5.

Call me outdated but I have always had a penchant for all the things back from the 60s and the 70s. Yes even the crappy prog rock, the numerous "folk rock" acts and whatnot fascinated me.
The political scenario was also rife with scandal and controversy. And it was very much responsible for the birth of many bands which left their mark.

One those bands was the Motor City 5 ( MC5 ) . Like the Stooges they were very much responsible for the birth of punk and garage rock. Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith's double guitar attack just proved at that time that you don't need to play a gazillion notes or sing about flowers to make a statement. Rob Tyner had a killer way of delivering his songs. His voice had enough bite to convey the venom and angst but was catchy enough for the normal rock kids too. MC5 was legendary for their live performances and I would recommend checking out the live versions of their songs. It always fascinated me on how a band back in those days could influence a person's political views with their music. We dont really see that these days.

Their popularity waned due to numerous factors like ; - drug problems, uber radical left leaning views ( partly due to their manager john sinclair ) , lack of support from the record label. The original lineup disbanded sometime during 1972.

They have reunited though for a few times over the past few years without their original vocalist Rob Tyner who passed away.

MUST HEAR ALBUMS FROM MC5:

Kick out the James
Back in The USA
The Big Bang:Best of the MC5

Thier is a Monkey on my back and she makes me talk like that

I remember vividly when i fell in love with this band. Winter of 2006 my friend took me to check this band called " The Kills" , i assumed it was a emo- new alter band...pretty much what i dislike...thank god i had nothing to do that day.As soon the first note hit Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince stole my attention. Watching Alison Mosshart live was like having a orgasm for 2 and a half hours.This in the most literal sense is quite unbelievable. She is a mixture of Robert Plant and Mick Jagger... Jamie Hince is her perfect accomplice. His very old fashioned way of playing guitar takes you back a while. He fights with the guitar to create every note and comes out with shattering, echoing and very bluesy guitar riffs.

Their Based from London, England. They record all over the place but usually in england, they have 3 albums out and if your a follower of the underground "indie scene" you would be informed that they are all acclaimed and are all huge cult hits. The last album they had out was called " Midnight Boom", it came out in early 2008. Its a dark, sexy electro-rock album. They have the drum machine playing drums other than that its all Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince.They've never been a particularly easy band to get along with, Midnight Boom doesn't change that. But it's a record that certainly stands up to comparison with their previous outings, sometimes bettering them and, if you've been seduced by their charms in the past, be prepared to fall in lust all over again. I would usually point out this or that track to check out but fuck man, this whole album is just ridiculously good! " U.R.A fever", "Last Day of Magic", "Sour Cherry", " Alphabet Pony" are all my personal favs from the album.

Their currently working on a new album which should be out in the current year. Alison is also busy with her side project " The Dead Weather" but lets have no two ways about this..."The Kills" are definitely her bread and butter gig. Other notable songs that are recommend are "Kissy Kissy", " Black Rooster" and "Love is a Desert".Definitely on my top 5 list for active bands, so check this shit out immediately! Cheers!

Without A Voice But Not Without A Message

This band is truly unique in every way. God is an Astronaut is an Irish 3 piece, post-rock instrumental "experience" so to speak. You'd think an instrumental would contain a crazy guitar/bass/drum solo at some point in the track, but thats what these guys don't do. To have a simple sound and still be so captivating to the ears takes some serious talent.

My cousin suggested that I check out one of their songs and ever since then I've been hooked onto these guys. The trio of Torsten Kinsella, Niels Kinsella and Lloyd Hanney formed in 2002 and have so far come out with an EP, 4 full length albums and another album coming out on the 12th of February, 2010.

Their special brand of music takes the listener to a world of his own. No, you don't have to be high to listen to this shit but it'll probably make it an even better experience. The same song will have a different meaning to each listener. Their music is like a template, allowing the listener to add his or her own thoughts, feelings and emotions to come up with a truly unique interpretation of each song. Even though most if not all their tracks are worth listening to, "All is Violent, All is Bright", "Radau", "Echoes" & "Zodiac" are tracks definitely worth a listen. You can check these out on their myspace page, youtube or just download their whole discography off of torrents.

These guys try to paint a visual picture using extravagant lighting in their live shows to go with the mood of each song. Since they don't venture out of Europe that often, the best way to experience this band in my opinion, is to turn off the lights in your room, set an awesome visualization on your monitor, just sit in a corner and go through a whole album from start to finish.

Sex Sweat, Bourbon breath, Gun smoke and Guitar Sleaze

This Band has bad ass written all over it. Formed in early 2009, an American Supergroup from Nashville, Tennessee called The Dead Weather composed with members from The Kills, The White Stripes,Queens Of the Stone Age and The Greenhornes. With elements of Neo physchedila and Indie Rock its a very fresh sound in a very congested alternative scene. It However, has Jack white written all over. Playing Both Drums and Guitar in the band...his unique style can be realized very early into the album.

Their only released album is called HoreHound. Recorded in Jack Whites Personal studio,in a span of 3 weeks.From the opening cockroach scatter of Jack White's rim shots on "60 Feet Tall" to the western saloon tinged piano on the album closer "Will There Be Enough Water?", this album hit all the right notes as a classic rock album. Tracks such as "Hang You From the Heavens"and "Bone House" make you want to keep coming back for more.

The rumor mill has it they have a new album on the way which will be followed up by a massive tour. Sources say the first single will be called "Blue Blood Blues." If you've got any bourbon lying around just pour yourself the peg and pump this band on the stereo trust me its definitely worth the while.Cheers!

That Will be the Day

I think it was John Lennon who once said that the early Beatles were basically playing the same music that Buddy Holly and the Crickets were playing but with different vocals. So all of us rock aficionados must keep in mind how important Buddy Holly was to the development of rock music.

Here is one of my favorite tunes from Buddy Holly. It's one of those love songs which were his trademark and it's called " That Will Be The Day".

The Stooges

(From l-r :- Scott Asheton, Ron Asheton, Dave Alexander, Iggy Pop)

I have been doing a lot of reading as of late and the last book which I read was "Open Up and Bleed" which happened to be a detailed biography of Iggy Pop's life. It was one heck of a read!!
So I wanted to start this blog by posting a couple of songs from one of my most favorite bands ever - Iggy Pop and the fucking Stooges! The band which gave birth to a whole new generation of punk rock musicians. Not only that but they have had a major influence on contemporary musicians like Jack White( The White Stripes), Kurt Cobain(Nirvana) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, The Stooges were unique during their time.
The Stooges have had a marvelous comeback over the past decade. Before the start of the current decade, The Stooges were all but forgotten by the modern generation of rock fans. But a reunion tour, an album and renewed interest by fans worldwide shot them back to prominence. This has culminated in the band being nominated for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame( even though it's BS! ask the sex pistols..haha) !!

The band was recently set back by the death of Ron Asheton ( RIP ) in early 2009. They rehired James Williamson( from their Raw Power lineup ) back and plan to tour in the future.

These two tracks are from the album Raw Power. The mix is kinda fudged but I love it! Raw as fuck!

01 Search and Destroy.wma

05 Raw Power.wma


p.s - click on the link and then save the files.

WELCOME!!

Hello everyone.
I would like to welcome everyone to our new blog. We are just a couple of bored rock n roll fans and thought that maybe we could like share some good music with everyone out there.

Peace.