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Cage The Elephant are "coming to your town", and they're "gonna burn that motherfucker down". The debut, self-titled album from these Kentucky natives is rock and roll. Not only is it rock and roll right now, it's the future of rock and roll. You get the impression that this is a group of generation X former juvenile delinquents. They're not particularly angry, or melancholy...they're not particularly anything. There is just a sort of withdrawn, yet introspective quality throughout the album. The opening track, "In One Ear" is a volatile and mildly offensive message to their critics letting people know just how they feel about "creative criticism". The album does touch on themes of disdain, truth, irony, and the seedy nature of humanity. The lyrics are smart and they're piercingly sharp. You may even begin to wonder, "where did these guys come from?". Regardless, you will have no doubt that they love the music they're making and if you don't, they will not care. They are due to release their second album titled "Thank You, Happy Birthday" early next year.

RedletterDaydream

Past Works:
N/A

Track:
In One Ear
 
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I know....you're probably thinking "The Prodigy"...really? Yes. I'm very serious. I'm not a big electronica/house/trance fan or whatever hell it is called these days, but The Prodigy on the other hand, I've always been and will always be a fan of. With their melodic rhythms and their furious beats nothing can come close to the perfection in this f***ing album. Get the 90's out of your head and don't think you're too good for something like this because The Prodigy is better than you and if you listen to the album you will agree that you're insignificant. But in all honestly Liam Howlett and his band have really outdone themselves on this one. This is a perfect album for any occasion, and you always feel good listening to it. Most of the techno and trance bands out there have a certain repetition and most of the songs on an album, you can't tell them apart at all. The Prodigy does more than just hit a button on their keyboard and let it play, they play their own shit and they play it well. The Prodigy in my book have officially been called musicians from here on out. I can't say enough about this album and I get too excited explaining to people, all I say is "Please listen to it". And that is what I'll end with you.

LoopedEyeless

Past Works:
Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
Fat Of The Land
Music For The Jilted Generation
Experience

Track:
Stand Up
Track:
Invaders Must Die
 
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The wildly popular band, Train, released their first album in 1998. Nine years and two Grammy's later, the band found themselves on a break and pursuing individual projects. For lead singer, Pat Monahan, "Last of Seven" was it. Being the youngest of seven children, Monahan used his position in the birthing order as an album title. The 41 year old from SanFrancisco via Eerie, PA brings a laid back Northern California groove to his first and only solo album. Monahan is a romantic, which becomes the prevailing theme on this album, perhaps on no other track more than "Her Eyes", an ode to a woman in the singer's life with a carefree and optimistic outlook.  The whole album, however is not so upbeat and 'pop'. The track "Two Ways to Say Goodbye" in addition to being the most popular single off this album, is more about the hardest part about relationships; breaking up. Monahan writes, "One way is holding on. One way is being strong, there's two ways to say goodbye. Your tears are made of pride. My tears have all been cried...". The band got back together and this is likely to be his only solo work, atleast for the time being.

RedletterDaydream

Past Works:
N/A

Track:
Her Eyes
Track:
Two Ways to Say Goodbye
 
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There is no shortage of rock bands from California. There is a shortage of bands from anywhere that bare the substance and character borne by Augustana. "Can't Love, Can't Hurt" is lyrically heavy. This is a band that writes with a remarkable passion, and there is such gravity to their work. Lead vocalist, Dan Layus, delivers a powerful yet jaded sound. One would not need to read an article about him to know a lot about his past, it all comes out in the music. This album is about being consumed by feelings of loss and longing. There is a deep seeded theme of disdain throughout this work as well; disdain for a world that would allow one to feel this way, and also for people who somehow never turn out to live up to your expectations.

Redletter Daydream

Past Works:
All The Stars & Boulevards
Mayfield EP
Midwest Skies & Sleepless Mondays

Track:
Twenty Years
 
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This is one of my favorite albums of all-time.. Battles is an experimental math rock group from New York that has one of the oddest and most haunting sounds I've ever heard. Irregular beats and asymmetrical time signatures (7/8, 11/8 13/8, and 5/16.) are used.  Guitars are utilized for creative sounds, awkward measures, and dissonant chords. They take chances with quick pace changes. Intrigued? Trust me on this one. When you give it a listen, you may feel a little uncomfortable with how the songs and vocals are arranged (he sings through a wah pedal) but let it play and turn it up because these songs will be stuck in your head for a long time. You might remember a song in a game called "Little Big Planet." This game featured  their song "Atlas."  This song in particular, along with "Tonto" and "Leyendecker," happens to be a key track on the album. Give these tracks a few run throughs and then tell me if I'm wrong. Battles has changed the way I look at the experimental music genre. Rather than getting doped up  and hitting the record button, Battles has actually used mathematical musicality to enhance their genre.

LoopedEyeless

Past Works
Tonto+
EPC
B EP
EP C

Atlas