Over the summer a handful of members on the PFW team headed into Philly to catch a glimpse of an LP Stiles recording session. Needless to say, we brought our equipment and had the cameras rolling. We plan on releasing all of the footage sometime before the end of the month, but for now, we're providing a clip of one of their live run-throughs. Keep an eye out for the full feature which includes interviews, live performances, and more studio footage.MYSPACE: myspace.com/lpstilestrio
PURCHASE: iTunes
Alyssa's Fall Tracks
1. "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" - Iron and Wine
2. "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" - Death Cab for Cutie
3. "Never Meant" - American Football
4. "Those To Come" - The Shins
5. "Science Vs. Romance" - Rilo Kiley
Most of these songs have a feeling of fall to me for nostalgic reasons. I remember hearing the first track from Iron and Wine's Shepherd's Dog for the first time two Octobers ago at a party. I remember my high school best friend and I singing "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" to each other randomly on the phone the fall after Plans came out. I won't bore you with more details but basically, these tracks are my "fall tracks" because of the images of this season they bring back whenever I listen to them.
Iron and Wine
"Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" off of The Shepherd's Dog
Joey's Fall Tracks
1. "Re: Stacks" - Bon Iver
2. "Sweet Talk" - Dear and the Headlights
3. "Choose The One Who Loves You More" - Copeland
4. "Monechetti" - Further Seems Forever
5. "Hometown Reward" - Procession Came Opposite
These aren't about Fall - just remind me of it, for one reason or another. It's probably because I picture them all wearing coats while they play. Or maybe I just love these songs year 'round and it happens to be autumn now so I'm mislead. Or maybe I'm a robot.
Copeland
"Choose The One Who Loves You More" off of In Motion
Procession Came Opposite
"Hometown Reward" off of Pillars
Nicole's Fall Tracks
1. "Sowing Season" - Brand New
2. "Sodom, South Georgia" - Iron and Wine
3. "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" - The Decemberists
4. "Shoulders" - Jacob Golden
5. "Love Love Love" - The Mountain Goats
As much as I hate for summer to fade, I always look forward to the first day of Fall. For me, it's a season of change and reflection. A season not only for colder, crisper air but for longer, quieter drives and muffled, evening conversations with close friends. The songs I chose are those that have accompanied me in such moments, whether they be from now or seasons past.
Iron and Wine
"Sodom, South Georgia" off of Our Endless Numbered Days
Andrew's Fall Tracks
1. "Broom People" - The Mountain Goats
2. "A Glance Backwards and Forwards" - Slingshot Dakota
3. "An Experiment" - Mates of State
4. "Revealing Too Much" - The Honorary Title
5. "Planetary" - Rainer Maria
For one reason or another, when I picture myself listening to music during the fall season I can't help but think back to my first semester of college and the artists I loved back then. Maybe it's because I spent more time outside listening to music my freshman year, who knows. All of these songs remind me of that point of my life, either because I don't listen to them as often these days or because that's when I started listening to them.
The Mountain Goats
"Broom People" off of The Sunset Tree
Chelsea's Fall Tracks
1. "23" - Jimmy Eat World
2. "We Looked Like Giants" - Death Cab for Cutie
3. "Cannonball" - Damien Rice
4. "Innocent Vigilant Ordinary" - The Appleseed Cast
5. "Fix You Up" - Tegan and Sara
I look forward to fall each year because it is without a doubt my favorite season. The crisp, cool air just does something to make the world seem alive despite the fact that most things in nature are slowly dying. For me, this season has always been accompanied somewhat somber, thoughtful music that makes me nostalgic of important times, people and moments in my life. The song "23" by Jimmy Eat World reminds me of the fall of my freshman year of college. I was starting a new stage in my life and the album Futures meant a lot to me during that time. It remains to this day one of my favorite songs, on one of my favorite albums.
Jimmy Eat World
"23" off of Futures
The Appleseed Cast
"Innocent Vigilant Ordinary" off of Two Conversations
Keenan's Fall Tracks
1. "I Want Wind To Blow" - The Microphones
2. "Welcome Home, Son" - Radical Face
3. "Never Meant" - American Football
4. "This Year" - The Mountain Goats
5. "Bikes and Bridges" - Defiance, Ohio
Aside from the lyrics or the musical aspects of a song that may remind you of a particular time of the year, I find that when I first discover / listen to a song, it tends to freeze itself into that particular period in time. When any of the aforementioned tracks come onto shuffle, I almost immediately find myself conjuring up memories of where I was or what I was doing when I was first introduced to said song.
The Microphones
"I Want Wind to Blow" off of The Glow Part II
Radical Face
"Welcome Home, Son" off of Ghost
THE SKINNY: Broadcast 2000 is an indie-folk band from London. The frontman, Joe Steer, manages to write, record, and play all the instruments for the band's albums in his London flat.In August of 2008 the band released its first EP entitled Building Blocks. Steer originally recorded all of the instruments and vocals himself, although he planned on using his vocal tracks as a guide and to rerecord the vocals at a later date. The band's first full length, Broadcast 2000, is scheduled to be released in 2010, but is fully recorded and a handful of tracks are available for listen on myspace. Tom Hobden, a member of Noah and the Whale, added a few violin tracks in addition to the instruments that Steer recorded on the new album.
During live performances Steer plays with Tom Andrews (glockenspiel), Chris Banner (percussion), Pedro Del Battenberg (percussion), Louise Golbey (harmony vocals), Greg Cordez (double bass), Kelly Underdown (violin), Jade Brightwell (violin) and Alex Eichenberger (cello).
"Get Up and Go" off of Building Blocks EP
WEBSITE: broadcast2000.co.uk/
MYSPACE: myspace.com/broadcast2000
TWITTER: twitter.com/broadcast2000
PURCHASE: Amazon, iTunes
FAVORITE TRACK: "All is Said and Done"
off of Broadcast 2000
FOR FANS OF: Sufjan Stevens, Noah and the Whale
THE SKINNY: A catchy indie-pop band that knows how to put energy into its songs while maintaining a calm atmosphere.WEBSITE: thelovelyfeathers.com
MYSPACE: myspace.com/thelovelyfeathers
TWITTER: twitter.com/lovelyfeathers
PURCHASE: Amazon MP3, iTunes
The Lovely Feathers is a group out of Canada that got its big break by getting signed to Equator Records. The record label set them up on a tour with Metric, one of the projects associated with Broken Social Scene. Before getting signed to the label the band is now on, Sparks Music, they managed to share the stage with acts such as Dr. Dog, Tokyo Police Club, and The Most Serene Republic (a band talked about frequently here on PFW).
Aside from the impressive line-up of bands that The Lovely Feathers has shared the stage with, they put out some catchy tunes. They recently released a new album entitled Fantasy of the Lot, which has a very indie-folk, almost British-Pop feel to it (if there is such a thing, still). They manage to do a lot with simple guitar melodies coupled with laid back drum beats and soothing vocals. At the moment, the band is following up its release of Fantasy of the Lot with an East Coast tour in the US that you can look further into on their Myspace page.
"Lowiza" off of Fantasy of the Lot
FAVORITE TRACK: "Gifted Donald"
FOR FANS OF: Los Campesinos!, The New Pornographers, New London Fire
THE SKINNY: Up until the release of Manipulator, the band's third full-length album, The Fall of Troy had a reputation for off-the-wall guitar licks played in odd time signatures while the guitarist and bassist went back and forth screaming and singing; completely insane for only three young men. With a new line-up change, The Fall of Troy attempts to bring that insanity back with a few twists along the way.WEBSITE: thefalloftroy.com/
MYSPACE: myspace.com/thefalloftroy
TWITTER: twitter.com/thefalloftroy
PURCHASE: Amazon MP3, iTunes
The album starts off with a track that the band has had on its myspace for some time now, "Panic Attack!" It's a great opener for the CD and gives fans a taste of what's to come on the album. It's a lot heavier and in-your-face compared to most of the tracks on Manipulator, which is what I think most fans have been craving since Doppelgänger. It also showcases the band's mature sound; the side they've been trying to develop since loosing bassist Tim Ward.
The first track flows effortlessly into the second, "Straight-Jacket Keelhauled." This song is complete insanity from beginning to end. It starts off as a screaming duel between Thomas Erak and the new bassist Frank Ene and then follows with one of the best riffs on the album. From there it goes back into the duel then into a nasty solo to finish out the track. This song is extremely reminiscent of the sound that fans got used to after the first two TFoT releases.
The fifth track ("Single") is one of those upbeat, Manipulator-esque songs on the record. While it doesn't contain tons of super intricate guitar licks or many hardcore elements, it is still one of the most solid arrangements on the album. On Manipulator, many of the pop tracks sounded like they were made simply because the band was trying to branch out from what they created on the first two albums. However, the pop tracks on this album sound more controlled and have a tighter link to the sound many fans associate with TFoT.
In the Unlikely Event takes the best parts of Manipulator and ties them in with TFoT's old sound. This, in conjunction with the incredible production value of the album, makes for a more mature, larger-than-life sound that anyone in their right mind would love to listen to.
"Panic Attack!" off of In the Unlikely Event
FAVORITE TRACK: "Straight-Jacket Keelhauled"
FOR FANS OF: Previous TFoT albums, Tera Melos, The Mars Volta, Thrice
THE SKINNY: Another album from rock powerhouse Thrice. Beggars is comparable to recent efforts with a small taste of their classic sound thrown into the mix; a combo that should keep both generations of fans happy.WEBSITE: http://thrice.net
MYSPACE: http://myspace.com/thrice
PURCHASE: Amazon (pre-order), iTunes
The sixth studio album from Thrice is scheduled to hit the stores on September 15 in physical form (it is already available for mp3 purchase via above links). Beggars is the first album to follow the collection of records grouped into The Alchemy Index, a four-disc release with titles corresponding to the four elements. In my opinion, it was a decent idea that Thrice tried to do too much with and ultimately gave me little pleasure.
For me, this album is like a trip back to the band's Vheissu days: it is certainly a more toned-down, commercialized version of Thrice, but still delivers a roster of songs that keeps me interested musically and lyrically. As far as the newer (very different) catalog for Thrice goes, this is their best album to date. It seemed like they had been trying to develop a different, more mature sound but had failed to find it. I do think, however, they can finally rest easy with what they produced on Beggars.
"All the World is Mad" off of Beggars
copyright 2009 Thrice
FAVORITE TRACK: "Doublespeak"
FOR FANS OF: Deftones, Thrice fans who were not satisfied or pleased with The Alchemy Index,
THE SKINNY: The new TMSR album is a clear departure from previous works, a departure whose destination is not favorable or rewarding.WEBSITE: themostserenerepublic.com
MYSPACE: myspace.com/themostserenerepublic
TWITTER: twitter.com/tmsr
PURCHASE: Amazon MP3, iTunes
A few weeks back, The Most Serene Republic, one of my favorite artists and a group that has been featured on the site in the past, released an album entitled ...And The Ever Expanding Universe. It is the band's third full-length album and has been greatly anticipated by us here at PFW. Much to our disappointment, the album has yet to please.
The first track off the album is a solid intro. It delivers familiar vocal and instrumental styles that TMSR is known for while still sounding like a new album is going to follow. The problem is that they tried to make it sound a little too new. Most of the tracks feature very little instrumentation. The new album's sound is comprised of simple drum beats, boring vocal melodies (which don't feature Emma Ditchburn as often as Population or Phages), synth beats, and ambient noise. This album is not what TMSR is capable of producing or what fans have come to expect.
This release is comparable to Portugal. The Man's Censored Colors. It is completely different than the band's previous albums (in a negative way), I gave it a heavy listen on more than one occasion, and I probably won't listen to it again. I'm going to have to rate this release with my thumb teetering on the brink, about to drop at any minute to a solid thumbs down. (Picture the scene from Gladiator where Joaquin Phoenix is maliciously deciding the fate of Russell Crowe, it's kind of like that.)
FAVORITE TRACK: Bubble Reputation
FOR FANS OF: A toned down, lazy version of TMSR
THE SKINNY: The Mars Volta recently put out a new album that delivers the same intensity and complexity that fans are used to while still creating something that is not a photocopy of previous works.WEBSITE: themarsvolta.com
MYSPACE: myspace.com/themarsvolta
TWITTER: twitter.com/themarsvolta
PURCHASE: Amazon MP3, iTunes
The Mars Volta, a band that is known for its intensely driven progressive music and wild live performances, recently released its fifth studio album. Octahedron hit the stores on June 23 and, like the band's past few albums, has received mixed reviews. Personally, I think it's time for fans of De-Loused to open up their ears and fully take in The Mars Volta for all they have to offer. I'm not saying that De-Loused isn't a great album, because it most certainly is. Some fans are just expecting the same old thing over and over again and I just don't see the fun in that.
Cedric and Omar really deliver on this new album. Each track has certain elements that are signature of The Mars Volta: some intense songs, some mellow songs, complex arrangements, soaring high-pitched vocals, and a vast amount of instrumentation.
As fans of The Mars Volta know, not every album has the same group of musicians playing on it. Octahedron did not follow that usual course of action. Many of the key players in The Mars Volta Group that played on The Bedlam in Goliath are back for this album as well. There is a handful of other musicians on Octahedron, but all the heavy hitters are still in place: Thomas Pridgen on drums, Juan Alderete on bass, Isaiah Ikey Owens on keyboards, and John Frusciante on guitar.
The album starts off with the slow-building track "Since We've Been Wrong" which is reminiscent of "Televators" on De-Loused. The next few songs go over a few highs and lows until the album reaches "Cotopaxi" and takes off into the intense craziness that most listeners are usually expecting. From there, "Desperate Graves" takes over with a gentle guitar solo at the beginning. The song then takes off into what is probably the most solid track on the album. The next two songs close out the album by taking it back down and then blasting you with the outro of "Luciforms", which concludes with a bit of their signature "noise" that The Mars Volta is known for.
"Desperate Graves" off of Octahedron:
FAVORITE TRACK: "Desperate Graves"
FOR FANS OF: Previous Mars Volta Albums, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Tool
MYSPACE: myspace.com/wakinglights
PURCHASE: iTunes
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/jennygillespie
Jenny Gillespie is a Folk-Pop artist who was submitted to us via the Submit A Band page. She lives in Chicago, but the bulk of her shows are nowhere near The Windy City. One of the things that caught my eye on her MySpace are these great distances she regularly travels for performances: Minnesota, Kentucky, California. It's incredible how much traveling she's able to withstand; not a normal human quality. So, aside from her pleasantly inviting songs, this struck me as a very respectable and inspiring quality in a musical artist: shows a lot of commitment.
"Vanishing Point"
As far as Jenny's sound is concerned, I wasn't initially swept off my feet. That's not to say that she's not talented or hard on the ears, but her catchy, folk style has little in common with the rest of my library. After a few listens, however, it definitely grew on me. Her songs are consistently pleasing and can undoubtedly branch out to a vast audience. The instrumentation is as follows: simplistic guitar, piano, and percussion. And, all of these pieces are beautifully put together. Each song's respective movements flow into the next, elegantly. Also, a few of Ms.Gillespie's songs feature stringed instruments, which is always a plus when done tastefully (Gillespie's strings are tasty).
Last, the vocals can't go without mention. Plain and simple: she has a beautiful singing voice and knows how to use it. And, despite its delicate, passive nature, I found it, along with her songs on the whole, to be both entertaining and extremely soothing.
THE SKINNY: Simplistic folksy pop music with soothing vocals and beautiful arrangements.
FAVORITE TRACK: Vanishing Point
FOR FANS OF: Feist, Emily Haines, Devendra Banhart
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/wesleyjeremiah
A band that was featured in the past, Wesley Jeremiah, is on our list of artists to be included in our extremely exclusive Video Interview Series. Somewhere in the near future we hope to attend one of their performances to film them playing live and get an interview with the band. In the meantime, they are playing a handful of shows in the NY/North Jersey area. I urge people in the area to attend; they put on a magnificent show. Below is a list of their updated performance schedule, and remember to keep an eye out for their episode in the Video Interview Series.
Friday 6/12 9PM Otto's Shrunken Head, NYC
Thursday 6/25 8PM Kenny's Castaways, NYC
Tuesday 6/30 8PM Beantowne Gourmet, Allendale, NJ
Wednesday 7/15 10PM Resonance Series at Bar Matchless, Brooklyn, NY
"Flowers in Your Hair"
WEBSITE: http://www.trophyscars.com/MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/trophyscars
PUREVOLUME: http://www.purevolume.com/trophyscars
According to Andrew: For the past few years I've been an avid listener of Trophy Scars, but can honestly say that their new album, Bad Luck, is by far my favorite work of theirs to date. Every part of the record shows maturity while still staying true to their sound and keeping the same lyrical and instrumental style that I've grown to love.
Favorite Song: "El Cowboy Rojo" from Bad Luck
According to Joe: Having only limited listening experience with the band I can tell you this: Trophy Scars put out some heavy, heavy records that I found to be lacking melody initially, but the guys are real musicians and they completely changed my opinion of them when I saw them live (twice) in May of '09.
Lead singer, Jerry Jones, has a signature almost growled vocal style that can take some getting used to - as his vocals have grown on me, and they really have, it's apparent that the real treat is lyrical. Jerry talks a bit about this in the interview, but Trophy's most recent album is a story, start to finish, about a couple who find their lives falling apart. They blame their problems on external causes when in reality their situation is a direct product of each of their decisions.
It's this story-telling lyrical style, beautiful guitar work by guitarists who are clearly learned on their instruments, fat and full-bodied bass playing, and some seriously powerful gang vocals that make Trophy Scars stick out in an often repetitive and overdone genre of music. See them live to understand.
THE SKINNY: A group with a knack for story-telling lyrics, intense gang vocals, and intricate guitar work blended into a bluesy, soulful, and often hardcore melting pot.
FAVORITE TRACK: El Cowboy Rojo
FOR FANS OF: The Fall of Troy, Anatomy of a Ghost
DISCOGRAPHY: Bad Luck (2009), Alphabets. Alphabets (2006), Goodnight Alchemy (2005), Hospital Music (2004)
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/themostserenerepublic
The Most Serene Republic, a group that was covered a few weeks back, has recently released a short EP entitled Digital Population. The aptly named EP is a collection of five songs off their previous full length, Population, that have been turned into digital representations of their original versions, sans vocals. They offer the remix of "The Men Who Live Upstairs" as a free download to fans who sign up for the Army of the Republic (the name given to their mailing list). I recommend the EP for avid fans of TMSR and those who enjoy synth and digital music.
The band also has another up-and-coming full length entitled ...And the Ever Expanding Universe. The date set for the release is July 14. I can't say that I know much about the album, to be honest, except that it has 11 tracks. I'm sure the songs won't be much of a departure from their old sound (even though the DP EP certainly is). They do, however, have a track off of this album available for download as well. You can find a link at the top of their myspace. It is, again, available only through their mailing list. Remember to mark your calendars: July 14, 2009.
Now, Now Every Children is a relatively new band from Minneapolis that consists of Cacie Dalager (vocals, guitar) and Brad Hale (drums, back-ups). Since they signed onto Afternoon Records in 2007, they've managed to release two EP's and a full length album. (Not to mention some heavy tours they've been on; Now, Now really likes to keep busy.)
While the band only consists of Dalager and Hale, they drag a variety of musicians along with them on tour. This lends to their show big-time because guitar and drums are only just the foundation of their music. Still, every song has a heavy synth backbone which is a defining quality of the band's sound.
What I like more specifically about Now, Now's music is that most of the songs start out nice and slow; they seem pretty unassuming and drag you in with simple synth and drum parts. This, coupled with Dalager's soft voice, makes for a pretty killer combo. Then, out of nowhere, comes a crunchy guitar riff, which always seems to wake up the demon in Hale and provokes him to start pounding out some more intense drum licks. This inevitably takes the song in a whole new direction; and I have to admit, the direction is pretty tasty.
THE SKINNY: Soothing indie rock with female vocals and tons of synth that packs a punch somewhere down the line.
FAVORITE TRACK: "In My Chest"
FOR FANS OF: Matt & Kim, Au Revoir Simone, Headlights
The band on a whole is incredible, but the two heaviest parts of their sound are the vocalist and keyboardist. Singer, Eric Sean Nally, has a voice that is extremely powerful, and at times, seems uncontrollable. Schuyler Vaughn White, keyboards and piano, lends a great deal of melody to the music. The band's sound would be empty without White filling in spots with his keys. The tones that his pianos produce range greatly throughout the album; some are intense and in your face, some posses a great deal of elegance, and some even seem haunting and eerie.
LIVE EXPERIENCE:
as told by Dan Wythoff
I had the pleasure of witnessing the sweat-filled, raw power that was Foxy Shazam live. As the self-proclaimed "Evel Knievel of Rock N' Roll", this band delivered eye-widening stunts that left me craving more Foxy after they had sadly concluded their set. The venue was personal, the crowd clearly not there for this "opening act"; they didn't know what they had been missing as I 
heard people asking each other who this band was. Foxy Shazam opened the show as if opening Pandora's Box, releasing musical fury and such energy in their physical expression, while maintaining a tight sound and demonstrating impressive musicality. I was mashed in the crowd of ignorant scenesters, screaming my lungs out with vocalist, Eric Nally. It would be a crime not to move your body to this music. I was positioned in front of pianist, Sky White, loving every minute of what appeared to be a back and forth battle of love and hate with his instrument. One moment he was stomping his foot on the keys, the next moment he had an angelic grin while playing, then he'd smash the piano stool down, mashing notes into unforgiving power! It was brilliant to see each member of this band putting their entire selves into the performance. At one point during their song, "Ghost Animals" the band transformed into animalistic creatures of music. Eric Nally was swinging, shirtless, by the microphone cord he had lassoed up on metal rafters. The cord snapped, he fell to the stage into an immediate dance move. It was so much more than a band playing live... it was Foxy Shazam.
As Nally screams at the top of his lungs on their first album The Flamingo Trigger, "Heavy metal sucks and rock on roll is dead!", Foxy Shazam is the most "alive" band I have ever had the privilege of experiencing in person. Find out when they are playing near you. See them. You'll be overjoyed that you did.
THE SKINNY: Catchy, intense, keyboard driven music with a dynamic in-your-face vocalist
FAVORITE TRACK: "Red Cape Diver", "Rocketeer"
APPROPRIATE FOR: Dancing, "Gettin' sick wit' it"
FOR FANS OF: Thrice, Modest Mouse, Queen, My Chemical Romance
As a newcomer to the site, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Andrew Roibal, roommate and long-time best friend of other PFW member Joe Stasio. This concludes the formal introduction portion of my first review.Canadian indie rockers, The Most Serene Republic, have not been able to escape my playlist for the past two weeks. I stumbled over them by chance while browsing for new artists on last.fm and enjoyed one of their songs enough to buy an EP: Phages. After giving it a listen or two, it was apparent this band had something great going on. The EP exuded this phenomenal indie, jazz vibe and provided an upbeat, rhythmic, and melodic experience from start to finish - where could you go wrong?
One of my favorite parts of this group is the drummer, Adam Nimmo. Many of the songs on Phages feature him playing these intensely fast, punchy beats that boost the delicate sound of the guitars, horns, and string instruments. This effect really takes the band to a height that would be unreachable without him. The vocals are also one of my main fascinations with this band. The two main vocal contributors are Adrian Jewett and Emma Ditchburn. The entire Phages EP is pretty much a duet between the two and is overtly perfect pairing. Jewett has a very controlled, soothing voice, which allows Ditchburn’s to float over it with elegance.
I recently bought their other two albums, Underwater Cinematographer and Population, because I literally can’t stop listening to these guys. I haven’t listened to the two albums enough to fully judge them, but what I've heard so far has not been disappointing in the least. I fully recommend their entire catalog.
THE SKINNY: Upbeat, jazz influenced, indie rock driven by harmonizing vocal melodies, intense drumming, and a variety of horns and string instruments
FAVORITE TRACK: "Jazz Ordinaire"
APPROPRIATE FOR: Rainy Days, Lounging
FOR FANS OF: Broken Social Scene, Stars
