Featured Album Fridays

Aug 7, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / The Coast – Expatriate (2009)

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This week on Featured Album Fridays, I am showcasing the 2009 album from Canadian indie band The Coast – Expatriate.

00 Expatriate

Here is the description of The Coast from their Last.FM:

The Coast release their much-anticipated debut full-length, Expatriate, on Aporia this April in Canada and AUGUST 19 (JonLim: Hehe, whoops) in the United States. Recorded in winter 2007 in Toronto with producer Chris Stringer (We’re Marching On, Ohbijou), the album is a departure from the layered epics of their first EP, harnessing the off-the-floor energy of their live show and letting their signature hooky guitar melodies stand on their own.

The band was touted as one of the acts to watch in 2008 by Canada’s national music monthly Exclaim and Toronto’s Eye Weekly, thanks to the buzz that continued to grow as the band toured extensively across North America last year, playing alongside such acts as Tokyo Police Club, The Dears, Sam Roberts, The French Kicks, and a coveted CMJ showcase with Foals, A Place to Bury Strangers, and Le Loup.

“There was far more integration between writing and arranging this time around,” Spurr adds. “We stopped being so precious about the songwriting and let everyone bring their own strengths to each song.”

“When you’ve been in a band with friends you’ve been with since you were a kid, it can become a difficult thing, separating your creative relationship from your relationship as friends,” Melchoirre says. “I think that the writing and recording of this record required us all to be far more honest with each other about what we expected from one another musically and how we wanted to sound.

This is a great album and I haven’t stopped listening to it all day, and you should definitely support them because they are a Canadian band! From Toronto too! So the stream is below, enjoy.

Jul 30, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / Passion Pit – Manners (2009)

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This week on Featured Album Fridays, I am showcasing the 2009 album of Passion Pit – Manners.

Passion Pit - Manners

Here is the description of Passion Pit from their Last.FM:

Passion Pit is an electronic band that formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States in 2007. They consist of Michael Angelakos (vocals, keyboards), Ian Hultquist (keyboards), Ayad Al Adhamy (synth, samples), Jeff Apruzzese (bass) and Nate Donmoyer (drums). Passion Pit was a vocab word used in a class Mike took in school. It’s a slang word for a drive-in movie theatre where kids used to go to make out.

Michael played his first show sitting with his laptop and a microphone. Later, Ian approached Mike and asked him if he wanted to start a band. After a few line-up changes, Passion Pit was born.

The band’s debut Chunk Of Change EP originally had four songs and was recorded by Angelakos on his laptop. It was intended as a belated Valentine’s Day gift to his girlfriend. This set of songs was passed around Emerson College, where Angelakos was attending and caught the attention of many blogs. It was then released on September 16th, 2008 on Frenchkiss Records with two extra songs. The band’s debut album, entitled Manners, was released on May 19, 2009.

The song Sleepyhead contains samples of the song “Oro Mo Bhaidin” by Irish harpist Mary O’Hara. This song has been used in a Canadian PSP advertisement, MTVs ‘What the Flip?’ campaign and the television shows, Skins and Gossip Girl.

Passion Pit made their television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday July 29, 2009 performing their song “The Reeling” from the album Manners.

Passion Pit is already a pretty popular band, but I am just completely enamoured by the album, so I had to include it. Their single ‘Sleepyhead’ has been stuck in my head for weeks, so I hope you enjoy as much as I have!

Jul 24, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / Cold Cave – Love Comes Close (2009)

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This week on Featured Album Fridays, I am showcasing the debut album from Cold Cave – Love Comes Close.

Here is the description of Cold Cave from their Last.FM:

Cold Cave is an electronic music project led by its sole member Wesley Eisold (formerly of Some Girls, Give Up the Ghost, and XO Skeletons).

A little shorter description than I would have liked, but it just about sums it up: a great indie electronic pop band that has a fantastic sound. Check it out, stream is below. Enjoy!

Jul 17, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / Michelle Featherstone – Blue Bike (2009)

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This week on Featured Album Fridays, the 2009 album from Michelle Featherstone – Blue Bike.

Michelle Featherstone - Blue Bike

Here is the description of Michelle Featherstone from her Last.FM:

Born in Chester, raised in Cambridge, England, Michelle now resides in Hollywood, California. She began studying piano and composing original music at the age of nine, and hasn’t stopped since. She has received awards from the Royal Academy of Music for piano and violin and the Bishops Award for Voice.

After Graduation
Surprisingly, however, Michelle didn’t initially intend to pursue a career in music. As an art history major and anthropology minor at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, she found herself managing the Walt Disney-Tishman Collection of African Art after graduation[1] in a somewhat frustrating role:

It was heartbreaking in some ways for me because…I had come from the Guggenheim where if somebody sneezed in the general vicinity of a painting…a conservator was there with a little Q-tip…and I was now working for a corporation…that because it wasn’t necessarily making them any money, they were a little bit more trepidations in spending money on the collection…it was frustrating mostly at times to work for them because of that reason.

Music As A Career
Fortunately for her fans, after about 18-months at Disney’s Imagineering arm, Michelle decided that “corporate America” wasn’t for her and made the decision to reconnect with her musical roots while working as a waitress in Southern California. Indeed, it was during one of her waitressing jobs that she just happened to play a few songs on the piano while the scheduled performers were on a break, that the audience’s reaction was so overwhelmingly positive that she realized that music was something that she needed to seriously pursue.

It’s a great album from a very talented artist, the stream is below, enjoy!

Jul 10, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / Stellastarr* – Civilized (2009)

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This week on Featured Album Fridays, the third full-length release from New York indie-rock band Stellastarr* – Civilized.

Stellastarr* - Civilized

Here is the description of Stellastarr* from their Last.FM:

Stellastarr* are an American indie rock band based in New York City. The band is composed of: Shawn Christensen (vocals, rhythm guitar), Amanda Tannen (bass, vocals), Arthur Kremer (percussion, keyboards) and Michael Jurin (lead guitar, vocals).

The group formed in March 2000 from the ashes of a previous musical effort – Ghistor – formed by Shawn, Amanda, and Arthur while studying art and design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. A few years later, after a chance meeting with Michael, who had recently relocated to Brooklyn from his hometown Philadelphia, the former classmates reunited, this time with Shawn on vocals.

Stellastarr* played their first gig at the Luna Lounge on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in July 2000 and began releasing a limited series of independent/homemade CDEPs shortly after. To date, they have toured with Jane’s Addiction, The Raveonettes, Placebo, The Killers and The Subways, among others.

Stellastarr*’s second album, entitled Harmonies for the Haunted, was released in America on September 13, 2005.

It’s a solid album and I really recommend it for a listen through. Enjoy!

Jul 3, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / Everything All The Time – Everything All The Time (2009)

Jon Lim Everything All The Time, Featured Album Fridays, indie, Music, Rock Featured Album Fridays, Music 0 Comment

This week on Featured Album Fridays, I’m showcasing the 2009 self-titled album from Everything All The Time – Everything All The Time.

Everything All The Time - Everything All The Time

The band is quite new and still hasn’t made it huge, but they have a great electro rock sound that I enjoy! Not to mention the smooth female vocals that are peppered throughout, which are my favourite! There is no description because of the fact that they aren’t so big yet, but here’s to hoping that changes. Enjoy!

Jun 26, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / The Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away (2009)

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This week on Featured Album Fridays, I’m showcasing the 2009 album from The Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away.

The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away

Here is the description of The Fiery Furnaces from their Last.FM:

The Fiery Furnaces are an inventive and often challengingly experimental rock group from Brooklyn, New York. Originally from Oak Park, Illinois — a suburb of Chicago — they consist of the brother and sister team of Matthew Friedberger and Eleanor Friedberger, and are currently joined by Jason Loewenstein (Sebadoh), BOB D’AMICO and Michael Goodman when playing live on tour.

The Fiery Furnaces signed with the Rough Trade Records music label in 2002, and recorded their debut album in the same year.

Gallowsbird’s Bark, released in the autumn of 2003, garnered critical praise for its clever wordplay and original songwriting.

Anybody who thought they had the band pinned at that point was quickly proven wrong with the 2004 release Blueberry Boat, a rock-operatic album whose track lengths were often six minutes long or longer.
While some critics adored the album for its vast complexity, others found it all a little too overwhelming.

After releasing EP in 2005 (considered a full-length album because of its 41 minute play time, but is “officially” an EP) the band then released two further albums – Rehearsing My Choir (2005), a radio-dramaesque concept album about the Friedbergers’ Greek grandmother; and Bitter Tea (2006), which is a comparably more conventional album built on still-bent song structures, but with more pop-oriented stylings.

In October 2007 the band released their fifth full-length album, Widow City.

Great indie band, this is the first time I’m posting with this kind of sound (That I can recall!) so I’m excited to share it. As usual, the stream is below, so enjoy!

Jun 19, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / The Most Serene Republic – …And the Ever Expanding Universe (2009)

Jon Lim And The Ever Expanding Universe, Featured Album Fridays, indie, Music, Rock, The Most Serene Republic Featured Album Fridays, Music 1 Comment

This week on Featured Album Fridays, a great Canadian band from Milton, Ontario with a fantastic offering. The album is The Most Serene Republic’s 2009 album – …And the Ever Expanding Universe.

The Most Serene Republic - ...And the Ever Expanding Universe

Here is the description of The Most Serene Republic from their Last.FM:

The Most Serene Republic is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Milton, Ontario, by band members Adrian Jewett, Ryan Lenssen, and Nick Greaves, who had all left school to pursue more artistic ventures. The band takes its name from the sobriquet of formerly independent Venice under the Doges, which was regarded as “The Most Serene Republic of Venice.”

The Most Serene Republic released its debut album, Underwater Cinematographer, in 2005 on the Arts & Crafts label. They are the first band on the A&C label that isn’t related in one way or another to Broken Social Scene (though Ryan and Adrian perform sometimes in their live shows). They later released a tour EP in spring/summer of 2006, titled Phages, capturing more of the sweep of their live performances.

Originally formed in mid-2003 as a duo (Lenssen and Jewett) known as Thee Oneironauts (O-nye-rawn-nauts). The pair would quickly record and self-release an EP entitled Night of the Lawnchairs on Lenssen’s GROK Studios imprint. The Oneironauts grew to trio status with the addition of Greaves on keyboard and guitar.

Their live shows are known for being extremely entertaining, and intense with dancing, and cramming so many sounds to overload the senses.

Awesome album, the stream is below, check it out! Enjoy.

Jun 12, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / Starlight Mints – Change Remains (2009)

Jon Lim Change Remains, Featured Album Fridays, indie, Music, Rock, Starlight Mints Featured Album Fridays, Music 0 Comment

This week on Featured Album Fridays, a little beat of an off-beat album, but a great album nonetheless, Starlight Mints and their 2009 album – Change Remains.

Starlight Mints - Change Remains

Here is the description of Starlight Mints from their Last.FM:

Starlight Mints are a group of beautiful pop mutants: four oddballs whose love for archetypal pop music and AM radio has provided a rock-solid foundation for a whole bunch of inspired weirdness. Allan Vest (vocals/guitar), Marian Love Nunez (keyboards), Javier Gonzales (bass), and Andy Nunez (drums) began jamming together in the ’90s, giving birth to their own funky brand of heavily instrumental, surrealistically worded pop sound. Maybe you could call it bubblegum psych. It all adds up to something very grand: one marvelous piece of orchestrated, catchy surrealism after another, in the form of 2006’s drowaton. The band has released two previous albums, the dream that stuff was made of (2000), and built on squares (2003), combining classic string arrangements, cheeky boyish vocals, and a feel good vibe to bring a glossy, fresh sound to indie rock.

The Starlight Mints is an indie pop band from Norman, Oklahoma. This quirky quintet is nationally renowned on the indie scene for their creative juxtaposition of classical and pop elements in their music. The band was formed in the ’90s and has varied in size between 5-7 members.
The current quartet consists of:
- Allan Vest (vocals, guitar)
- Andy Nunez (drums)
- Marian Love Nunez (keyboard)
- Javier Gonzales (bass).

Two previous members contributed to their sound on violin and cello. After releasing The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of in 2000 through the label See Thru Broadcasting, and Built on Squares in 2003 through Pias America. Similar bands include the Flaming Lips (who hail from the same area of Oklahoma), the Mayflies USA, the French Kicks and The Unicorns.

Pop mutants indeed! Hope you enjoy the album as much as I do, the stream is below!

Jun 5, 2009

Featured Album Fridays / Grammatics – Grammatics (2009)

Jon Lim Featured Album Fridays, Grammatics, indie, Music, Rock Featured Album Fridays, Music 1 Comment

This week on Featured Album Fridays, I am highlighting the self-titled album from a UK band called Grammatics – Grammatics.

Grammatics - Grammatics

Of course, here is the description of the Grammatis from their Last.FM:

Leeds-based Grammatics formed in April 2006 with best friends Owen Brinley and Dominic Ord deciding to form a band after the demise of Owen’s previous band Colour of Fire. The line-up was pieced together with the addition of Rebecca Dumican and Rory O’Hara and Michael Repeat. They spent the next few months writing and rewriting songs. Perfectionists to the last, the band waited until that October to begin playing live. This paid off and their live performances quickly gained them a reputation as a band to look out for on the Leeds scene. The inclusion of their track “The Shipping Forecast” as the opening track of Leeds label Dance To The Radio’s “Something I Learned Today” compilation saw them start to gain attention nationwide.

Meanwhile tensions within the band, who openly admit to their fondness for arguments, were making progress difficult and in May 2007 Michael left the band to work on other things.

Recently the band have continued to build on their already formidable reputation. A Japanese EP released in 2007 has now sold out, as with their debut 7” release on Dance To The Radio.

Current line-up is:

Owen Brinley – Vocals, Guitar, Sampler, Keys
Emilia Ergin – Vocals, Cello
Dominic Ord – Drums
Rory O’Hara – Bass

Great album, the stream is below, enjoy!

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