Alpha Rev formed in 2005, when lead singer Casey McPherson started something new after the demise of his first band Endochine (who had a pretty decent song with "Secret." They quickly released a self-titled EP in 2006, and followed it up in 2007 with their full-length debut "The Greatest Thing I've Ever Learned." After the release of "The Greatest Thing..." record label interest increased, and they signed with Hollywood Records.
Their new album "New Morning" hit stores back in April, but the title track to the album is starting to pick up in radio airplay now. Give it a listen. It's "New Morning" by Alpha Rev.
I had featured this guy before on the blog, back when his song "Wonderful" was breaking to radio. Sadly, his push by his record label in the states has cooled off, so we aren't hearing much from him anymore. But he is still releasing other singles across the pond.
His self-titled debut album hit stores over a year ago now, and in Britain, he's been pretty well received, and even opened for Lady Gaga for a couple of shows. (He doesn't sound ANYTHING like Gaga, don't worry.)
I'll present one of his other singles from his debut album. This is Gary Go, with "Engines"
I tumbled across these guys while digging through my old radio music connections. They have actually been around for a few years, but thanks to the World Cup, they are just about to break in the United States.
Hailing for South Africa, The Parlotones released their debut album "Episoda" in 2003, and followed it up in 2005 with "RadioControlledRobot" and in 2007 with "A World Next Door To Yours." Their biggest break came just recently though, as they played alongside the Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Shakira, John Legend, and more at the FIFA World Cup kick off celebration, seen by nearly one BILLION people worldwide. Their latest album "Stardust Galaxies" was released in South Africa in October 2009, and will be hitting stores in the US later this month.
Enjoy today's song. It's "Life Design" by the Parlotones
Get ready, Anberlin is back with a new album. "Dark is the Way, Light is a Place" will hit stores September 21st, and will be the band's 5th studio album. They lived just under the radar with their first 3 albums, 2003's "Blueprints For The Black Market," 2005's "Never Take Friendship Personal", and 2007's "Cities." It wasn't until 2008 when the band left longtime label Tooth & Nail Records for the bigger Universal Records, and released their major label debut "New Surrender." They saw their single "Feel Good Drag" hit #1 after setting a record for taking the longest time to get there.
The debut single off of "Dark is the Way, Light is a Place" is this one It's called "Impossible." Enjoy!
So I haven't updated this thing in a while. The podcast service I had been using turned into a pain in the ass, and I was running low on time with the new job and all. But I've noticed there is a ton of great music out there that I like and want to share, even if I'm a little behind on it. So let's get this blog going again, with semi-regular updates. (Don't expect this to be daily!)
Today, I present a song that's been out for a while. Minus The Bear hails from Seattle, and usually gets lumped into the "indie" music scene. This song could have easily been a pretty big pop hit. Their 4th album, "Omni" is in stores now and it features this song. Enjoy "My Time" by Minus The Bear!
I recorded and put together a podcast two weeks ago, and thought it sounded really good. So I saved it, and uploaded it... and then re-uploaded it...and re-uploaded it...and I noticed a pattern.
MyPodcast.com, the free service that I use to host my Podcasts was deciding to not properly save the podcasts, regardless of how many times I uploaded it. Awesome. I figured I'd try tomorrow. Nothing. The next day. Nothing. So now, two weeks later, I have a slightly stale podcast that I can't get uploaded. Could I break down and pay for a podcast service? Sure I could, but I don't quite feel like doing it. So for now, I am going to revert back to the old blog-style postings for music until I figure out what I'm doing podcast-wise. So without further ado...
The first song this week is a brand new one from Something Corporate. I can't believe I'm saying that either. They've reunited for some shows across the USA (Bamboozle, etc.) and have released a greatest hits compilation. They have a few new mixes of old songs, and a couple of unreleased tracks they re-recorded as well, including this one. "Wait" is a song they recorded for a sampler they handed out at a show way back in 2001 I believe. It never made any proper Something Corporate album, but now makes the Greatest Hits. Here's "Wait" by Something Corporate:
Our second song this week comes from Philly boys Dr. Dog. They have been described best as "psychedelic rock." Formed in 1999, they have released 6 albums, including their latest, "Shame Shame," which hit stores back in early April. From the new album, this song is called "Stranger."
Our flashback track this week comes from a band that, to me, is kind of hard to describe. They are experimental sounding, but at the same time, radio friendly... even though radio has never really paid much attention to them. They are called Dredg, and they formed back in 1993 in California. They toiled around their home area, releasing their debut album in 1998, and getting snatched up by Interscope Records. Via Interscope, they released albums in 2002 (El Cielo), and 2005 (Catch Without Arms) before independently releasing an album in 2009 (The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion"). For a flashback, I will dig something off of the progressive rocker's 2005 album "Catch Without Arms." This is "Sang Real"
And finally this week, we will finish up with some straight ahead pop-rock. Green River Ordinance is a band I have featured here on the blog/podcast before. Formed in Texas, their major label debut album, "Out of My Hands" hit stores in 2009. Their first single "Come On" was a minor pop hit. They are following it up with this song... it's called "On Your Own"
That's what I have from two weeks ago. I'll see what I can do about formatting/updating this with new stuff again soon. Enjoy the music!
