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My top rock albums of 2013

Published by Adam on December 31, 2013

Wow, there goes another great year of music! There were some great comeback albums (Saves The Day) and at least one big disappointment (MGMT). Today, the last day of December, I thought I’d highlight my favorite LPs of the year.

Please keep in mind this is not a definitive “Best of 2013” list since there was no way I could have listened to every single album out there. Also, my tastes are mainly within the indie and alternative rock realm. In other words, just take these recommendations!

Saves The Day

This eponymous release was the Saves The Day album I had been waiting for. Combining the bright spunk of early 2000’s hit Stay What You Are with the mature soundscapes of its underrated followup In Reverie, this is 21st Century pop punk at its best. Read my full review here.

Cloud Control – Dream Cave

Cloud Control play sunny harmonies against dark grooves on their mesmerizing second album. That might sound heavy but rock anthem highs like singles “Scar” and “Happy Birthday” prove that this is a band that wants to have fun, too

Snowden – No One In Control

Haunting synths and echoing vocals take the listener on a journey. Hope shines through the gray in the catchy and immediate “The Beat Comes.” While the brilliance fades in the second half, the strength of the first five tracks more than cover the price of admission.

Minor Alps – Get There

Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) and Julianna Hatfield (Blake Babies, Some Girls) join forces to spellbinding effect on this excellent debut. Side projects often disappoint but Get There showcases a pair of rejuvenated musicians performing at the top of their game.

The Dodos – Carrier

While they have always showed talent, The Dodos demonstrate growth through control on their most recent LP. Carrier conveys tragedy and triumph through tight guitar-and-drum rhythms and powerful lyricism.

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Music Review: Saves The Day

Published by Adam on September 26, 2013

The new album by Saves The Day might be the most fun record I’ve heard all year.

Saves The Day

On their new self-titled album, the New Jersey band brings wave after wave of infectious pop punk. On first play it’s all sunny and sweet, but repeated listens reveal honest lyrics about lost-and-found love and run-ins with racist drunks (see: “Xenophobic Blind Left Hook”).

It’s all over in just over 30 minutes, but Saves The Day pack a lot into these 11 tracks. It’s not easy to write a three-minute song that actually feels complete–with a few verses, chorus and bridge–but these boys seem to pull it off effortlessly. There’s not a dud on the record and when it’s over you want to play it again.

I hadn’t seen it before, but singer/songwriter Chris Conley reminds me a lot of John K. Samson from Canadian indie darling, The Weakerthans.  Both Conley and Samson come from a punk background, and yet both stand apart from others in the genre with clever, observational lyrics that fit big literary words around instantly catchy hooks.

As someone who first heard this band in high school (back in the early 2000s), it’s very cool to see Conley has matured so much as a songwriter. Saves The Day isn’t writing exactly the same kind of songs they used to, but they have harvested the best elements.

Some other reviewers on the Web say that Saves The Day have overdone the cheerfulness on this one, but to them I say, “Lighten up!”

It’s refreshing to hear music with such positive energy. It’s not a concept album. There’s no political agenda or “screw you” to the mainstream. It’s just a bunch of guys having fun and hoping their fans will come along for the ride.

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Top Rock Tunes Mix 2012

Published by Adam on January 1, 2013

Happy New Year! This is the time to think about the people you’re most grateful for. But rather than do that, I’m going to tell you about my favorite rock songs of the year!

I don’t do top 10 lists* so instead I’m going to give you my 2012 mix. What’s the difference, you say? Well, they are ordered by flow rather than rank — the idea being this actually works as a mix!

But enough talk! Click the links to hear the tunes yourself, then let me know what you think in the comments below.

  1. Deep Sea Arcade – Girls
    From the first sha-la-la, this throwback to the ’60s/’70s simply rocks.
  2. Divine Fits – Would That Not Be Nice
    The guys from Spoon and Wolf Parade create a groove that sticks in your head all day.
  3. Walk the Moon – Shiver Shiver 
    Hit the dance floor and don’t feel embarrassed singing along: “Shall we get intimate, again?”
  4. Django Django – Default
    This song is catchier than is possible to describe. Just click the link above and see.
  5. Tame Impala – Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
    A bass-heavy, retro jam from possibly Australia’s best young band. Get their whole LP, “Lonerism,” while you’re at it.
  6. Bleeding Knees Club – Lipstick
    Add a lot of sarcasm and sneering to ’60s beach tunes and you pretty much get this band. If you like Wavves, you’ll like Bleeding Knees Club.
  7. Green Day – X-Kid
    Green Day’s trilogy of albums this year was mixed to say the best, but this one is gold.
  8. Bloc Party – Real Talk
    The British band, known for mixing dance-y rhythms with spiky guitars, slows things down a bit. Oh, and there’s a joke about breasts at the end (on the LP).
  9. Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know
    So this one is technically from 2011, but most of us heard it in 2012. Indie finally broke into pop radio! Even Glee covered it!
  10. Hunting Grounds – In Colour
    Straight-ahead rock from Ballarat in the style of The Vines. Try not to bang your head.
  11. The Shins – The Rifle’s Spiral
    This track opened the Shins’ latest LP and sends you straight down a hypnotic rabbit’s hole. OK, not sure what I meant by that, but the song is really good.
  12. Snow Patrol – Called Out In The Dark
    Snow Patrol can occasionally get a little sappy, but this tune is pure fun; it’s got everything I like about them.
  13. Two Door Cinema Club – The World Is Watching
    The Irish outfit, known better for dancy rock, produces epic longing — and it works!
  14. Feeder – Quiet
    Just an all-around pretty song by the Welsh/Japanese veterans.
  15. Earlimart – A Goodbye
    Heart breaking, but in a good way.
  16. Rhett Miller – Marina
    The leader of the Old 97’s has written yet another catchy-but-simple acoustic number. How does he keep doing this?

*I sometimes do top 10 lists.

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Space Rock, Grounded

Published by Adam on October 15, 2011

You might expect some serious space rock from a band called The Asteroid Shop. Song titles like “Planetary” seem to confirm the suspicion that you’re in for the kind of shoe-gazing guitar rock that might soundtrack a zero-gravity flight into the great unknown.

But band leader Eric Brendo (interviewed on this blog here) brings an earthy road-weariness to his baritone vocals and guitar work on this Austin, Texas band’s self-titled debut. While the album opens in space with the thundering “Destroyer,” by the second half The Asteroid Shop has landed in the dusty desert of the American West.  A lot of bands pick one sound and stick with it, so it’s refreshing to hear this band unplug the guitars and bring in instrumentation more common to the folk and country genres. The result is some real winners like the folksy “Ashes” and lovelorn “Silver Lane.”

The Asteroid Shop
Under the stars...

Not every song works and the album drags somewhat in the middle. The lyrics are unlikely to stick in one’s head and Brendo’s vocals are a little rough around the edges. The instrumentals are what’s compelling here. Atmosphere may be one the album’s greatest strengths, whether in the thundering bass of opener “Destroyer” or the shimmering guitar and synths of “Dandelion.”  They’re also not afraid to surprise with a quick tempo change, as they do to great effect with the groovy ’60s organ jam in the otherwise sleepy “Planetary.”  While not all the songs engage the listener, this is a promising album by a band that knows how to set a mood.

Download “Dandelion” for free right here.

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Kaiser Chiefs By Faded Wave

Published by Adam on June 6, 2011

fadedwave

One of my favorite eccentric British bands, Kaiser Chiefs, have come up with a novel concept. They have just released 20 new songs and are asking fans to pick 10 of them for their new album, The Future is Medieval.  This is no election, mind you — everyone gets their own custom mix of the CD with personalized cover art to boot!  And even more mind-blowing, everyone gets to sell their custom album to the world!

To be honest, I was actually a little annoyed when I found out about all this. It was a Friday evening after a particularly long day at work. Picking ten songs from twenty, based on mere samples of the songs, seemed like a tall order. What if I left out a great song? What if that song I thought was great actually ended in three minutes of Billy Corgan screaming the letters of the alphabet?

The Future is Medieval (Faded Wave edition)

So I decided to put off making the album until Saturday morning after I’d had a good night’s rest. The result can be streamed and purchased for download at www.kaiserchiefs.com/fadedwave.

I’m happy to report that I rather like my/their album. It’s got everything — super British pop (“Problem Solved”), synthy silliness (“Heard It Break”) and even poignant balladry (“If You Will Have Me”). I think I found a great balance between the band’s fast rockers and slow grooves. But in the immortal words of LeVar Burton, don’t take my word for it.

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Adam Bender | adambenderwrites.com | watchadam.blog