Tuesday is my favorite day of the week. Tuesday is the day all the new music comes out and I go shopping. This past Tuesday I was excited for 4 releases. First up was All Time Low’s new album Dirty Work. This album is filled with that classic All Time Low sound of a solid bass line, guitar solo in the background, and lyrics that get stuck in your head. That’s not to say this is all the same old same old. All Time Low has added in new flairs of rock and techno into their song without going over board. I feel these guys have found that perfect balance. My favorite tracks so far are “Do You Want Me (Dead?)”, “Forget About It”, “Time-bomb”, and “Heroes”. This is definitely an album worth picking up. It is perfect for any party or car ride. These guys are going all over on tour through the summer so make sure to check them out and see if you can see these guys live. They throw one hell of a show.
Next album I bought was the 2011 Warped Tour Compilation Album. I buy these albums every year. They are usually $6 at Walmart or $8 on itunes and you get 50 different songs by 50 different artist from the Warped Tour. It is a great way to discover new music from new bands or bands you already love. This will be something for the new music lovers out there and the music hunters like me.
3rd thing I purchased was the new single from Paramore called Monster that will be in the new Transformer movie. I thought I was going to listen to the All Time Low album a lot, and I have, but I have listened to this single twice as much. I have always been a fan of Paramore’s lead singer Hayley Williams and her amazing voice. I feel this song is a great display of her vocal abilities. If you have a 1.29 to spare on itunes, I’d say use it on this single. It has a great beat you can quietly rock your head to, visual lyrics that I feel will work well in the next Transformer movie, and once again the vocals are unique and beautifully done.
The 4th thing I was looking forward to purchasing was Little Hell by City and Colour. If you have listened to it, write your own review in the comments.
The world is changing and new artists are coming from Youtube daily. It is becoming the new place to write and record your own song in the comfort of you own home and then read what people thought of it in the comments. There are so many new songs, parodies, and just songs we all love sung by someone new.
This one is by the Youtube who inspired me to start this blog, Strawburry17 and her friends doing a parody of Tonight I’m Loving You
This guy I found singing Disney songs and then found out he’s made his own songs you can buy on Youtube.
Jimmy Wong is a friend of Strawburry17 and has been making his own songs for a while.
The final one goes under the user name starryyxeyed and I found her singing this hauntingly beautiful version of Use Somebody.
Those are just a few of millions. So that is what the music world is evolving in to. Youtube is the place for rising stars and a place for people to get their name out there. I enjoy finding random videos on Youtube and then sharing them with friends as we all do. You are able to subscribe to the people you like and share it on all social network sites so you can help them achieve some form of stardom. There are amazing people out there and they deserve to be discovered and share their amazing talents. That’s why I love YouTube and its ability to bring so many new sounds, ideas, and techniques to the world. What do you think of this? Do you like that this is a new hunting ground for new music? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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LIGHTS is a Canadian girl named Lights Valerie Poxleitner (she legally changed her name to Lights) who makes some of the most soothing techno I have ever heard. According to her, she makes “intergalactic-electro music…Equal parts fantastical/epic/beautiful/emotional.” and she couldn’t be more right. It combines a simple soft beat and her high soothing voice. I feel like every music adds an image to your mind. The image that comes to my mind when listening to LIGHTS is driving along a straight stretch of road at night just letting my headlights guide me. I feel LIGHTS is appropriate for every age so don’t worry about letting younger family members hearing it. I know I am late on the draw for this amazing singer because her album The Listening came out in 2009, but I feel it is still worth mentioning. LIGHTS is to have a new album come out this summer. If you need a comparison as I know a lot of my friends do, her music sounds like a female, intergalactic version of Owl City. The two bands did go on tour together in 2009, also. She has also toured with bands like Bring Me the Horizon singing for some of their songs. LIGHTS has a very unique sound that I feel anyone can appreciate. She also uses some amazing lyrics with beautifully imagery. “Seems somebody put out the moon; and now the road is a minefield” – Drive My Soul. If you don’t like the techno aspect of it, she has also realized a just as soothing acoustic album you can also pick up. If you’re looking for just a few songs to try LIGHTS out before you go and buy the full album try Face Up, Drive My Soul, Saviour, or Ice. All four are unique and beautifully done. We are all looking for that next song, we’ll share with our friends and ask if they’ve heard it. Then, when they say they haven’t, tell them how amazing it is, and how they need to check it out immediately. Lets be honest, we’ve all done it. Let that next song be one by LIGHTS.
In other news, next Tuesday is your chance to pick up the new All Time Low album Dirty Work, City and Colour’s new EP Little Hell, Taking Back Sunday’s self titled album, and Simple Plan’s new album Get Your Heart On!. So go buy those itunes cards, ask for the parents credit card, or take an extra shift at work because next week will be a big week. Also make sure to look for new concerts and tours all over. Send in your pics to us and we’ll post them for you!
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If you want to check out Lights for yourself here are a few of their websites:
Janai and I have been busy all around. Janai went and saw All Time Low at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We talked a lot about how badly she wanted to see them. She took plenty of pics as you can see. These guys always put on one hell of a show based on the screams of excitement I have on my voicemail from Janai.
I am incredibly excited for their new album Dirty Work which hits stores June 7th. If you can’t wait like me, you can help ease the wait and listen to 90 second clips of all the songs on itunes. I am really excited for this album and I have a feeling you guys will love it too. All Time Low is heading out on tour and I will be seeing them when they hit up Iowa with Mayday Parade, We Are the In Crowd, and The Cab. Maybe, by some miracle, we will be able to land an interview!
Also, we won an AP Tour poster! This tour included Versa Emerge, Black Veil Brides, I See Stars, Conditions, and Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows.
Now that the summer is starting we are going to try and step up to making videos. These videos will be reviews, music videos, and just random stuff. Look for links on here, our twitter, and our facebook group. Thanks again for everyone’s support and we will continue to bring you all the great bands and music we find.
Summer is approaching and that means outdoor concerts and cranking up the music while you drive around. I’m very excited for summer to start because I feel like there are songs and bands that are better to listen to during the summer rather than winter, or even when it’s raining compared to being sunny out. I feel like every song and every band has an atmosphere that their music works better in. I listen to Way To Start This by The Maddigans and I imagine being at an outdoor concert. I listen to Armistice and imagine being in one of those cool rock clubs that have surprise concerts. Same with Late Nite Reading. The first lines of Walk of Shame by Finding the Warren are “sitting there in your track tshirt, take in the morning dusk.”. These lyrics send me back to sitting on my porch, watching the the sunrise while I listened to my ipod. I also like listening to songs that don’t fit the mood of the day. I listened to High Life Scenery by The Rocket Summer the other day while walking through the rain. I felt like the upbeat sound of the music with the calming, dreary look of the environment was some how relaxing. All these bands get me excited for the summer and I’m excited to find some new music. Who are you listening to as you roll down your windows and take off to the pool, beach, or friends house for a 24 hour call of duty marathon? Let us know. Thanks again to all of our readers. I’ll give a shout out to my fellow blogger Eric Sylvester who is moving up in the world of writing. If you haven’t checked it out and want to read some random thoughts check out Sylvester Says and another inspiration of mine, who Mr. Sylvester turned me on to, Chris Cocca. Both of these guys are quite hilarious and an inspiration to me. Check them out and check us out too. Leave a comment, follow us on twitter, like us on Facebook, and even just spread the word about us.
I know we have fallen behind on our reviews but the end of the semester means busier schedules. I also know the band I am reviewing is no longer together, but I feel like these guys still have amazing music and should be looked into. Finding the Warren is a band out of Des Moines, IA. I first saw these guys when I went to go see Cute is What We Aim For. Turns out CIWWAF didn’t show up but I saw Every Avenue and this amazing band, Finding the Warren. It was exciting to know these guys came from the heart of my home state and were performing with performing with such big bands. The thing that really stood out for these guys to me was their keyboard sound. The whole band is full of energy and gets you pumped right away. They have an EP you can listen to on their Myspace. My favorite song by these guys has been Tonight Ends with a Bang. These guys have a great sound and I wish they were still making music. Let us know other bands you like that aren’t together anymore. Maybe with enough support they’ll get back together!
Anarbor is a band out of Phoenix, Arizona. They have a killer line up of songs, bands they’ve toured with, and places they’ve been. These guys have been around since 2003 and have been moving through the airwaves ever since. They’ve toured with bands like VersaEmerge, The Ready Set, The Friday Night Boys, The Cab, and our buddies Runner Runner. They were on all of the Vans Warped Tour in 2010 and have put out 3 cds under Hopeless Records. These guys have an amazing sound. It has the rock/punk sound we know all too well but then they add in a funk to it that you can’t help but tap your toe to. They keep an amazing beat and lyrics are going to get stuck in your head. They have been all over the world and have perfected their sound. They are definitely a band you want to add to a mix in your ipod. Another great use for them is if you don’t want to listen to the fast upbeat but still want that punk rock sound. They are a band you put at the end of a cd to ease you down and give you a break from the concert feeling and singing at the top of your lungs. Highly suggest picking them up. My favorite song by them right now is Mr. Big Shot. Definitely a good beat and great guitar sound to mix the feeling of rock music and swing dancing. Free downloads on their site too. Free is always good.
-James
Anarbor is a band with an interesting sound. It’s a very traditional punk. Very much a vocal over music kind of feel. I can’t say that I’m a super fan of these guys but they are quite good. I really like the front vocal. He has a very warm and inviting voice that draws you to the surface of the sea of music behind him. This is the kind of music you listen to when you’re either really upset or really want to forget things and just drift. It’s defiantly a different feel. Although these guys are good, I feel like I’ve heard them all before. They seem to fade into everything. I’m not sure what the wow factor is with these guys. I really do like the vocals though. It’s feel good music. So if you down in the dumps, I’d listen to them
J -Janai
It’s true, I am a fanboy for Rise Against. The first song I heard by them was Paper Wings and I’ve loved them ever since. Rise Against just put out their new album End Game. Before diving into this, I must tell you this is not one of our official reviews. This is just me tell you my first thoughts about it before listening to it over and over. It is also not an official review because, though I will do my best not to, I will be partially biased as you can guess by the name of this post. That being said, Rise Against you’ve done it again. This album is filled with such passion and power towards rising up and standing against anything and everything wrong in the world. I’ve really got hooked on the first half of the album. Specifically the songs Make It Stop, Satellites, and Disparity By Design. These three songs keep feeling pumped. They are unique in their own way and have there own heart racing beat. I have read a few reviews and some of the negative ones have been saying it sounds a lot like the old albums combined. I found that as a good thing. It seems like they took an element of their past albums, which to me says they’re staying true to themselves and the band, and combined it with new lyrics, new meanings, and a familiar sound that stands out from the rest. These guys have time and again showed their ability to keep us on our feet. If you want an album that will get you pumped for a revolution or just to rock out to in your car with your friend air guitaring in the passenger seat and you playing drums on the steering wheel, I highly suggest picking up Rise Against’s new album End Game.
Count Me In is a new band looking to sweep the nation. As you’ve probably noticed I’m crazy about vocals. I love the vocals on these guys because, they are loud and clear. Nate (lead singer) brings it hard and up front. The music and the vocals match up crazy well. The other members of this five part band include: Mike (vocals/Guitar), Kyle (vocals/Guitar), Chris (bass), and AJ (drums). There is really nothing I don’t like about these guys. They are really hit the ground running. Releasing music that is so popular that countries around the world demanded it be put on iTunes. It’s really incredible. Keep checking in on them, because they will be releasing a new song in April. They are also starting to set up tour dates all through the south. The first one is going down on March 18, at Rocket town in Pompano, FL. So get psyched for these guys. My favorite song by them right now is She’s Got It Goin’ On. These guys have an All Time Low feel to them and I love it. So you can defiantly “Count Me In” on this band.
J -Janai
Count Me In is a great mix of new sounds and the ones we love. These guys have an alternative rock sound that really puts them in the middle of the pack. They have strong songs like She’s Got It Goin’ On which is my personal favorite. They sound like a mix of Every Avenue and The Summer Set with a hint of All Time Low. These guys will keep you on your feet, and you won’t even realize you’re tired. I played Count Me In at a recent party and got a lot of questions asking who they were. I love spreading the word on such great, new bands. They only got started a year ago, and they have a very strong head start. These guys found a great sound and I highly suggest they stick with it. They have a great line up and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them at something like Warped Tour very soon. They have new stuff that they’ve told us is suppose to be hitting stores soon so stay on the lookout. You can purchase their current cd on Itunes for just $4.95. Keep on the lookout for their new stuff soon.
We’ve all done it. We’ve picked our favorite bands and imagined what it would be like if they went on tour together. You imagine that perfect concert with you in the front row reaching out to each band. So who would you put in that perfect line up? Leave a comment picking out your perfect line up for a concert. Have an opener, 3 middle bands, and the closer. Also title your tour. Maybe you want an all female line up, maybe you want the line up that will leave you deaf for the next month, or maybe you want that mix of getting you pumped and relaxing you. Here is my line up.
I use to pride myself on how much music I had. I knew I didn’t have the biggest collection of songs but I’d been collecting them for about 7 years now. I had about 7,000 songs. Then, recently, they all became corrupt and unusable. I was upset for a while. I’m now staying positive and thinking of it as a fresh start. Being able to build from the ground up and learn from my mistakes. There were a lot of songs I didn’t even listen to anymore, I just had them to have them. I took my ipod and transferred the purchased items from it which was about 1000 songs. That’s a really great start. I’m just going to stay positive. To the readers, I want to know if you have any suggestions on what I should pick up and add to my new collections. Comment below and let me know.
stereostudies 