For those who like to lean back and relax to some peaceful music, Augustana is your band with their album “All The Stars And Boulevards.” They began in 2002 with Dan Layus gathering friends together to record some music, and started their band shortly after.My personal favorite is “Stars and Boulevards” (track #5), and I suggest you give it a listen. You might like this band if you listen to bands such as Snow Patrol or The Fray. I do agree that the album cover is.. different, but don’t let it dissuade you.
This style of this album varies from the other albums and artists I have posted. The band, “The Flobots”, combines Hip Hop and Rock elements. By this, I mean that they combine guitar and drums in a way that sounds like Rock, yet they freestyle the lyrics together.
One of the most important parts of any song to me are the lyrics. They have to be meaningful and inspire me in some way. This album certainly does just that with every song. My personal favorites are “Stand Up” and the more popular song “Handlebars” (you may have heard Handlebars, so check it out). The songs vary from one another in an interesting way, yet the entire album feels tied together. The Flobots give the listener the sense that they are listening to a broadcast that is taken over by some rebel group trying to get their message across to the masses. The album is certainly worth listening to, so check it out!
I was going to creatively rick roll you all today, but I got to writing the article… and it just…failed. Wasn’t worth having a low quality post just to make a joke. Instead, I’ll do a somewhat mainstream album and call it a day. Its a late post, and I apologize for that. Today has been… eventful. So instead, I’ll do an album that was released today. That album?
Yes, Owl City. The first time I gave him a listen, I didn’t really care for him. Just like other bands that have taken over my life, I’m sure this guy will too. The guy being Adam Young and his instruments. I love his synthpop/electronica/Alt Rock sound, that is unlike most mainstream music. Give them a listen, you might enjoy it. The deluxe version of the album has 19 songs total, one of them being a remix of “Hello Seattle”. If you buy the hard copy of the album, you get a picture book full of pictures of Adam and him playing.
One of my all-time favorite bands, Breathe Carolina is a mix of screamo and electronica. So for those who have listened to The Medic Droid, Kill Paradise, and Attack Attack, be prepared: you’re going to love this band. They have two published albums, however its Hello Fascination [2009] I want to talk about.
Hello Fascination is the most recent of their albums, and my personal favorite. The entire album is great, and there aren’t any songs that you won’t listen to. As with most albums these days some titles may seem strange but don’t doubt them. My personal favorite is “I Have to Go Return Some Video Tapes”. Here’s the track listing:
This week’s Album of the Week is special. I am dedicating this one to “The Rev”, or James Owen Sullivan, drummer and back-up vocalist for Avenged Sevenfold and Pinkly Smooth. He was found dead in his home this morning and natural causes were listed as the cause of death. He was 28 years old. The Rev left behind a wife, four band members, and millions of fans around the world. You will be greatly missed…
R.I.P. "The Rev"
City of Evil was released in 2005 as Avenged Sevenfold’s third album. It was their first album released with major-label Warner Bros. Records and their most popular to date. City of Evil helped Avenged Sevenfold gain mainstream success… they went from side staging to headlining The Vans Warped Tour, along with launching their own concert tour called “Cities of Evil”. The lead single “Bat Country” reached #2 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Charts and the band also took home the award for “Best New Artist” at the MTV VMA’s (Video Music Awards) beating out other nominees including Rihanna, Chris Brown, and Panic At The Disco.
City of Evil is by far my favorite album this band has put out. It is metal to the core. M. Shadows lead vocals give you goosebumps and threaten to shred your own vocal chords should you try and sing along. The lyrics are clever and catchy, but still dark and poetic. The accompanying instruments simply blow your mind away. If by some miracle you haven’t heard this band yet, I recommend them for fans of Atreyu, Norma Jean, Bullet for My Valentine, or Eighteen Visions. A few songs to download would be “Bat Country”, “Beast and the Harlot”, or “Seize the Day”.
City of Evil is only a taste of what this band has to offer. If you like what you hear, I recommend also checking out their latest album (self-titled), or their older albums Waking the Fallen, and Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.
In October 2003, Arizona natives The Format released their first studio album, Interventions + Lullabies. The album has 12 tracks, all of which were written by the band’s two members Nate Ruess and and Sam Means. It is very possible you may have already heard some songs from this album. “The First Single” was featured on One Tree Hill’s soundtrack and “Give It Up” was used on National Treasure. The album is full of cleverly written lyrics and music that is upbeat and very catchy. If you are a fan of Jimmy Eat World, Motion City Soundtrack, or The Shins, you will definitely enjoy this band! A few of my personal favorites from the album (although I can’t say there isn’t one track I DON’T like) are “I’m Ready, I Am”, “The First Single”, “Tune Out”, “Tie the Rope”, and “Let’s Make This Moment A Crime”.
The Format announced their hiatus on February 4, 2008.
Introducing “Album of The Week”. Each week we will post one album that we love that week, not necessarily one that was released that week, but its very possible that it will happen. This is the first post, so it might get changed a little bit each week, and between each writer.
This week’s Album of the Week is “Memento Mori” By the Alternative Rock band “Flyleaf”. Memento Mori is the second studio album by the band (first being their self titled), and in my opinion, is the best one out of the two. It features songs like “Beautiful Bride” and “Again” If you have an iPhone and play the game “Tap Tap Revenge”, the song “Again” is in the game to play.
The album is full of Lacey Moseley’s beautiful, original vocals, both written and sang by Lacey herself. There’s not too much about the album that is capable of being described in words, so head on over to Amazon MP3 (the link below) and listen to the samples to check them out. If you like, feel free to buy the album however you like it, whether it be the Zune Software, Amazon MP3, iTunes or your good ol’ fashioned CD Shop.
