Love Lost
[See post to listen to audio]
Sweet Disposition
[See post to listen to audio]
Fader
[See post to listen to audio]

Thanks to @rsoule for the recommendation!

Paper Route – Thank God the Year is Finally Over

This EP contains two tracks, both of which are awesome. They are Paper Route originals, and you can download them free!

Download “Thank God the Year is Finally Over”.

Jars of Clay – Christmas Songs (buy it!)

Perhaps my favorite new addition to Christmas this year is the entire Jars of Clay album Christmas Songs. It’s got a very chill, somewhat playful feel to it. Favorite track so far:

Jars of Clay – Drummer Boy

[See post to listen to audio]

Jars of Clay - Hibernation Day is pretty good (Jars original)

[See post to listen to audio]

Jars of Clay - Wonderful Christmastime

[See post to listen to audio]

Jars of Clay - I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

[See post to listen to audio]

Reliant K – Let It Snow Baby…Let It Reindeer (buy it!)

Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Punk Christmas music sucks (sorry, MxPX, it does). However, aside from a few songs that rock out (which suck), most of these songs are just an upbeat and fun take on a whole lot of christmas carols (20, to be exact). The album is only $5.00 on Amazon, so it’s well worth it. You can just get ride of the tracks that shred.

Reliant K – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

[See post to listen to audio]

Reliant K - Sleigh Ride (a bit punkish, but fun)

[See post to listen to audio]

Reliant K – Silent Night

[See post to listen to audio]

Reliant K – Handel’s Messiah (had to include this…just because I had to)

[See post to listen to audio]

High Street Hymns – Love Shall Be Our Token (buy it!)

Another solid album this year is from High Street Hymns entitled Love Shall Be Our Token. With a few new takes on some classics, and a somewhat minor key feel, it’s a good change-up. A few tracks.

High Street Hymns – God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman

[See post to listen to audio]

High Street Hymns – O Little Town of Bethlehem

[See post to listen to audio]

Anyhow. This album is spectacular from start to finish. It gets richer each time you listen to it (exactly like French food, am I right? am I right?).

The first single – and first track – Lisztomania is so named becaaauuuse:

The term “Lisztomania” was coined by the German romantic literary figure Heinrich Heine to describe the massive public response to Franz Liszt’s virtuosic piano performances. There were allegedly screaming women at these performances, and the audience was sometimes limited to standing room only. (source)

Go buy the Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
– but before you do, listen to the whole of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix right here. And here are a few of my favorite tracks:

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Lisztomania

[See post to listen to audio]

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – 1901

[See post to listen to audio]

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Rome (my favorite)

[See post to listen to audio]

Phoenix on Twitter

Go buy Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Mew’s new album (slightly annoying, but they are forgiven), No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away, has to be in the top three of the year for me. It’s absolutely astoundingly vunderful.

I shall let the album speak for itself – yes, on occasion I’ll put an entire album on here. This album must be heard. But please go buy it! They deserve it, and so do you. The album begins with a crazy bit of electronic blend, then moves into an off-beat song that makes you question what you’re hearing. The whole album tells a story, which is why I included all songs.

Mew – No More Stories… – New Terrain
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Introducing Palace Players
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Beach
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Repeaterbeater
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Intermezzo 1
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Silas the Magic Car
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Cartoons and Macrame
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Hawaii Dream
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Hawaii
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Vaccine
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Tricks of the Trade
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Intermezzo 2
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Sometimes Life Isn’t Empty
[See post to listen to audio]
Mew – No More Stories… – Reprise
[See post to listen to audio]

• Follow Mew on Twitter.
• Buy No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away

I’m honestly too lazy to write more about the band, other than they’re pure, unfiltered, awesomeness, so here’s what I said about them previously:

Hailing from San Diego, CA, they’re automatically cooler than most of us. But unlike many So Cal bands, their music has substance, soul, and depth. Lyrically provocative, filled with rich harmonies, and a displaying a damn good use of digital delay, it’s just really good stuff.

Their new disc, Travel II, is the cat’s meow – have a listen to a few tunes:

Future of Forestry – Travel II – Slow Your Breath Down

[See post to listen to audio]

Future of Forestry – Travel II – Holiday

[See post to listen to audio]

Also, listen to the entire Travel I EP!

Buy Future of Forestry Travel II

If you’re like, “WTF is an equinox?” here’s a definition for you:

The time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the earth and occurring about March 21 (vernal equinox or spring equinox) and September 22 (autumnal equinox).

Listen to Death Cab for Cutie – Meet me On the Equinox

[See post to listen to audio]

Buy Meet Me On The Equinox

The song is really good, and worth spending some time with. The video…not so much:

Their lyrics are worth listening closely to, Rie’s voice is perfect for the music, Tommy’s voice compliments it well, and I love the somewhat abrupt pronunciations and syllables matching the beat. It’s one of the few albums that sounds seamless from song to song without sound monotonous. I’m never sure where one song starts and another ends, and it really works for them.

Check out a few of my favorite tunes, and connect with the band on Facebook too – they’ve got a decent page.

Oliver the Penguin – Button Pusher – Girls and Boys

[See post to listen to audio]

Oliver the Penguin – Button Pusher – Paper Airplane

[See post to listen to audio]

Oliver the Penguin – Button Pusher – Do I Leave My Heart Here

[See post to listen to audio]

Additionally, you can listen to the entire album on Relevant’s “The Drop”.

Thanks to Rob for the tip!

First, the details. Muse, The Resistance, will arrive September 15. So far, from what I can tell – the lyrics are full of piss and vinegar towards the banks, and the general establishment. Very Muse. The tracking listing is as follows.

1. Uprising
2. Resistance
3. Undisclosed Desires
4. United States Of Eurasia(+Collateral Damage)
5. Guiding Light
6. Unnatural Selection
7. MK Ultra
8. I Belong To You (+Mon Coeur S’Ouvre A Ta Voix)
9. Exogenesis: Symphony Part I (Overture)
10. Exogenesis: Symphony Part II (Cross Pollination)
11. Exogenesis Part III (Redemption)

Now then, if you pre-order The Resistance on Amazon, they will guarantee you their cheapest price if it changes between now and then. Or, you could order from Muse.mu and start receiving exclusive weekly downloads.

And, on to the music:

Muse – The Resistance – Uprising

Muse – The Resistance – United States Of Eurasia(+Collateral Damage) (I think Queen got back together…)

Don’t forget to follow the band on Twitter @musewire.

Go listen to “First Train Home” – and check out her video blog and my previous posts on Imogen.

One of the reasons I love Imogen is because of how much she cares about her fans. Follow her on Twitter and you’ll see her constantly replying to her fans, you’ll find her in chat rooms, and you’ll find her music being remixed for charity, and you’ll find her making one 12 seconds after another.

Can’t wait for the new disc!

The album “LP” will arrive in the US on July 7th, so mark you calendars!

There are strong elements of both bands (you can really hear Rostam’s harmonies coming in strong); but it’s just a unique and chill sound. You can listen to four tracks off the upcoming album “LP” in the player; so sit back, relax, hit play, and enjoy.