What the hell are you listening to...2011 Edition

[Ksyrup]

New Opeth leaked. Loving it. This is going to be the album that breaks them into the indie/hipster scene, I think. No death metal growlly vocals, a clear 70s prog rock vibe, kinda like a Jethro Tull/Pink Floyd version of bands like Witchcraft who do 60s/70s throwback metal and become hipster darlings.

[Young Drachma]

I saw Two Gallants the other night, but The Mumlers were on the tour with them. I'd heard of them in passing, but they're just a great band and this song is so good. Their lead singer has a great voice and when you see them live, it's especially apparent.

Two Gallants are out of this world, incidentally.

[Bigsmooth]

Lovin Blind Pilot right now. Their 1st album "3 Rounds and a Sound" is amazing. This is from their new album coming out Sept. 13th:

[JonInMiddleGA]

It never really hit me until last night but the Canadian active rock and alternative rock charts would probably add several otherwise unnoticed bands a year to the listening of some of the regulars in this thread. YouTubing the bands I don't know on thoses charts usually leaves me torn between sending a sympathy card to rockers north of the border and tearing off my ears and feeding them to fire ants, but it really does seem like a good match for the quasi-folky stuff that shows up here fairly frequently. It's certainly an eclectic mix of songs (if most of them are playing on the same station at least).

For a change I actually found at least a couple of things that I liked this week, including better-than-average lyrics with a light Nickelback sound turns out to be pretty catchy with State of Shock Have A Nice Day. This really deserves some U.S. airplay right now, although I'd be pleasantly surprised if it gets any

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

It never really hit me until last night but the Canadian active rock and alternative rock charts would probably add several otherwise unnoticed bands a year to the listening of some of the regulars in this thread.

Looking at the chart, if someone had bet me 12 years earlier that Britney would have a number one single 12 years later, I would have lost money.

I went and listened to State of Shock on grooveshark just because the sound quality in the video wasn't that great. They are a pretty solid rock band. The problem for them is that radio stations have limited room for new acts, and the ones that do get through get on massive rotation so very few actually break through even if there is little difference between certain bands.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Matthean

The problem for them is that radio stations have limited room for new acts, and the ones that do get through get on massive rotation so very few actually break through even if there is little difference between certain bands.

Eh, I dunno if I'd go along with that entirely, at least not in terms of the chart closest to what I listen to which is the rather misnamed "active rock" format.

Just looking at this week's chart, Pop Evil was hardly anywhere a year ago but Monster You Made looks like their breakthrough. 5FDP wasn't a heavy rotation staple until Bad Company broke them through, before that we saw A7X go from underplayed to (arguably) overplayed. The overspins from heavy rotation that you mention are definitely there (although justifiable perhaps since TSL isn't great) but at least we're seeing newer artists getting to that point. It isn't entirely stagnant in that sense.

The other fine point I'd probably argue is that I don't believe there's a hard & fast rule about "new acts". Stations (or their consultants) typically work with what's out there & what gets into their hands with enough push behind it to catch their attention enough to at least be considered. New vs old really isn't something I'd say is a conscious factor that much, although you're definitely going to get a closer listen as an established artist.

The upside of the new music landscape is that it's easier to record, distribute and (with some luck) sell product as an unknown artist. The downside is these acts also go without a lot of hype & harkening back to my days as a reporting MD, having getting a solid push can make a difference when it comes down to that decision of who gets the last add for the week.

Other problems I see , for active/hard rock at the moment, seem to be (not necessarily in order):

-- ill defined format. Damned if I understand how Foo Fighters, RHCP, Breaking Benjamin are on the same chart with Jasta & Trivium. I don't know of a planet where that makes sense, certainly not Earth. More accurately I suppose, I do know "how", I just can't fathom "why". "Active Rock" seems too often to be drifiting into what would have been AOR at one point, which is theoretically what the straight-up "Rock" chart ought to be covering. Instead, "Active" stations (or those designated as such for reporting purposes) seem afraid to rely on what what makes them distinctive & rely too much on taking the safer road.

-- not enough stations truly in the format. With the Mediabase chart as an example, airplay on as little as five stations is enough to get into the top 50. That's nice, but it devalues the meaning of charting in the first place and makes it easier to ignore songs that might make a broader playlist. Hell, a Bob & Tom novelty song (Turtles & Whores) just spent several weeks in the chart and I seriously doubt there was much airplay for it outside of affiliates. *This is actually as much a symptom of what you were talking about as well as my previous point to a lesser extent*

Those two things combine to create a situation like Project 96-1 in Atlanta, where, if I'm lucky, maybe half the songs on the weekly chart are even in rotation at all. And of those that are, half are uninteresting crap (to me). Does much to explain why I'll use the charts to help find songs/artists I might have missed (a sign that the issue isn't entirely about a lack of new music) but end up doing the majority of my listening these days to custom built playlists on YouTube, Playlist, etc.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Bigsmooth

Lovin Blind Pilot right now. Their 1st album "3 Rounds and a Sound" is amazing. This is from their new album coming out Sept. 13th:

If you can see them live, do so. I saw them open for Laura Veirs a few years back and it was very good. I'd never heard of them prior to that and they do great work.

[Easy Mac]

Looks like the music for 2011 is finally starting to heat up. New albums have dropped or are dropping soon from Wilco, The Rapture, Girls, St. Vincent, Blitzen Trapper. The new Girls album is spectacular. Anyone who saw that one coming based on their prior output is crazy. They were basically a step above stoner/surf rock before. It's also nice to see Blitzen Trapper come back to the sound they had on Wild Mountain Nation.

[korme]

I have a friend of a friend who knows Mark Hoppus personally, so I was able to acquire an advanced copy of Blink-182's album "Neighborhoods"... it definitely leans on the self-titled side of their albums, and it is great... can't wait for it to hit YouTube so I can post my favorite song here for you guys.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Seems like as good a place as any to link this, live stream of Staind's 9/11 Benefit show from the Best Buy Theater in NYC tonight at 9pm EST/6pm PST

You can watch it on their Facebook page via Ustream Live Tab or STAIND

[Julio Riddols]

If the first two songs out there are any indication, the Janes Addiction album might be the best thing to happen in 2011.

[lcjjdnh]

The new Wild Flag album lives up to its reviews. Excellent stuff.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

The new Wild Flag album lives up to its reviews. Excellent stuff.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

It never really hit me until last night but the Canadian active rock and alternative rock charts would probably add several otherwise unnoticed bands a year to the listening of some of the regulars in this thread. YouTubing the bands I don't know on thoses charts usually leaves me torn between sending a sympathy card to rockers north of the border and tearing off my ears and feeding them to fire ants, but it really does seem like a good match for the quasi-folky stuff that shows up here fairly frequently. It's certainly an eclectic mix of songs (if most of them are playing on the same station at least).

Might not your cup o' tea, JIMGA, but Mother Mother are certainly a breath of fresh air as all three of their albums are tremendous and different than anything else out there at the moment.

"Touch up", their first album, is solid from top to bottom with a very unique sound...heck, I couldn't even recommend one track to listen to because I really enjoy the entire album. Their 2nd album, "O My Heart", probably got them more play on radio stations up here with tracks like "Hayloft" and the title track and now I think their latest offering, "Eureka", could really put them on the world stage...finally.

Here's one from their latest album: "Baby Don't Dance"



From their 2nd album: "Hayloft"



And from their first album: "Polynesia"



One last one, another from the first album: "Tic Toc"

[Young Drachma]

I heard this last night on the MPR web stream.

[johnnyshaka]

First You Get The Sugar...you can listen to the entire album right now:




My favs are tracks 2 and 7.

[johnnyshaka]

BTW, I've wasted most of the day in this thread...thank you, FOFC music lovers!

[Suicane75]

Though I dug a lot of Mayer Hawthorns first album I pretty much considered him a gimmick but I heard a few tracks from his new album this morning and I was mightily impressed.

[Young Drachma]

[kurtism]

I'll second DC's nomination of the new fun. song - could have used more prominent Janelle, but even with less of her than I wanted, it is still an excellent pop song of the sort that Nate Reuss seems to create with ease.

New Jayhawks out today as well, this time with Louris and Olson back together in the group for the first time in more than a decade. Gorgeous harmonies abound. Free listen at spinner:

Play Full Music Albums Free - Spinner

[johnnyshaka]

I've bought every Jayhawks album since "Tomorrow The Green Grass" and have enjoyed them all.

I know what I'll be listening to today...thx!

[Suicane75]

Jayhawks album certainly harkens back to their earlier work, that's for sure. Very sparse album.

[Young Drachma]

The new Thrice album Major/Minor is awesome. It's out today.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by kurtism

I'll second DC's nomination of the new fun. song - could have used more prominent Janelle, but even with less of her than I wanted, it is still an excellent pop song of the sort that Nate Reuss seems to create with ease.

New Jayhawks out today as well, this time with Louris and Olson back together in the group for the first time in more than a decade. Gorgeous harmonies abound. Free listen at spinner:

Play Full Music Albums Free - Spinner

Personally, I miss The Format and although I like fun. it just doesn't connect with me the same as Interventions and Lullabies did.

[Matthean]

Queen's drummer has launched a talent search for vocalists to tour in a big Queen tribute show. Marc Martel of Downhere did the most obvious thing in vocal talent searches ever. He auditioned. As somebody who has seem Downhere live, the dude can flat out sing.

[johnnyshaka]

Arkells - The Ballad of Hugo Chavez

[johnnyshaka]

The Sheepdogs - I Don't Know

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by kurtism

I'll second DC's nomination of the new fun. song - could have used more prominent Janelle, but even with less of her than I wanted, it is still an excellent pop song of the sort that Nate Reuss seems to create with ease.

Intriguing video here:

[Matthean]

Interesting idea. Too bad Lou Reed sings just above Bob Dylan.

[Draft Dodger]

I made it 43 seconds on the Loutallica thing, and I honestly felt like I was being generous

[Matthean]

The likes/dislikes is not being kind to it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Metallica live from Rock In Rio should be streaming on YouTube shortly.
Can't be soon enough, enduring more than a half hour of Sepultura recorded live earlier was pretty hard to take

www.youtube.com/rockinrioeuvou?feature=ticker
(or just hit up youtube, there should be a link right at the top of pretty much every page)

[Ksyrup]

I'd rather listen to Pat Boone's metal album than Lou Reed's anything. Holy hell that was an abomination. I didn't even get to 30 seconds.

[JonInMiddleGA]

What's amazing is how good Metallica can be & how insistent they are about doing something incredibly stupid every so often.

[Ksyrup]

Just want to give another shout-out for the new Opeth, which came out last week. This album has cemented Opeth as my favorite band, and it's not even close. I know they pissed off a bunch of metal fans with this new album, but despite the genre they've loosely inhabited for the past 15+ years, Opeth has never really been a true metal band. With this album, there's no escaping it.

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Love this observation from the SF Examiner's review of the album - spot-on:

The more time one spends with HERITAGE, the more he/she comes to realize that Opeth is no longer a heavy metal band – it is an amorphous musical unit that has transcended to the curious aural plane inhabited by the likes of Pink Floyd and Queen; bands that are capable of incorporating anything into their music while retaining their singular identities. HERITAGE is cinematic in its lavish scope.

[Lonnie]

I'm really enjoying Opeth's Heritage as well. Been listening to it on Spotify all day.

[Matthean]

Off to see MuteMath.

[Matthean]

If MuteMath is on tour and they aren't the headlining act, I would hate to be the act to follow them. Great stuff.

[samifan24]

I'm excited for the new Noel Gallagher solo project and the latest Ryan Adams album).

Noel Gallagher - If I Had a Gun


Ryan Adams - Dirty Rain

[Ksyrup]

Hey, JIMGA, here's a band for you to try, if you haven't already heard of them - Kyng. I've been hearing their demos on XMLM for it seems like over a year, but they finally released their debut album this week. They are a good solid hard rock/metal band on the stoner-sounding end of the spectrum, with a vocalist who channels Chris Cornell in the upper registers. The thing I like about them is there's enough melodic sensibility that I could hear some of this on the radio, although admittedly it's pretty heavy most of the time. The song I Don't Believe could be a rock hit, IMO.

Strangely enough, as great as their promotion was on XMLM, they don't have a single clip on YT from the album. They only thing I see is some live clips, and as bad as the recordings are, they don't do it justice. It's on iTunes and Amazon, though, so you can hear clips. Their website is basically their FB page, although it's blocked from here, so I don't know if they've got clips there as well. Highly recommended.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by samifan24

I'm excited for the new Noel Gallagher solo project and the latest Ryan Adams album).

That Gallagher song sounds great.

[johnnyshaka]

Always liked the Noel sung songs better than the Liam sung ones on any Oasis album.

[johnnyshaka]

They Might Be Giants got a lot of play from me 20 years ago and I just saw this today...I just might try to dig up my old cassettes this weekend.

[Easy Mac]

Pitchfork's Guide to upcoming releases (for hipsters):

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases | News | Pitchfork

Not much coming for the cool kids this fall. Only things I really see are Cymbals Eat Guitars, Cass McCombs, and finally getting that definitive document of the Beach Boys "Smile" sessions.

[CraigSca]

Huge Stone Roses fan, so this song from Sulk (used to be called the Ruling Class) piqued my interest.

[path12]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Pitchfork's Guide to upcoming releases (for hipsters):

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases | News | Pitchfork

Not much coming for the cool kids this fall. Only things I really see are Cymbals Eat Guitars, Cass McCombs, and finally getting that definitive document of the Beach Boys "Smile" sessions.

Thanks for linking that. I think I'm way too old for hipsterness anymore, but will be interested in the Andrew Bird, James Blake, Kurt Vile and Los Campesinos! stuff, and I know my wife can't wait for the new Ryan Adams.

[korme]

This cd came out last year... but I'm posting it. My brother's bride walked down the aisle to this song yesterday. It's so great.

MURDER BY DEATH
FOXGLOVE

[Matthean]

Album finally came out. I think my issue is it's so subdued compared to seeing them live.

[Matthean]

The Dirty Guv'nahs found via Noisetrade's 30 song Fall Sampler. They have a nice southern rock vibe to them and they certainly fall in the fun kind of band.