10/15/12

"I Knew You Were Trouble." Taylor Swift
"Die Young" Ke$ha
"Our Song" Matchbox Twenty
"Let Her Go" Passenger
"Clarity" Zedd featuring Foxes
"You and I" Paper Route
"Oh, Emily" Jukebox the Ghost
"Sleep Alone" Two Door Cinema Club
"It's Alright" Matt & Kim
"No Words" The Script
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Paper Route

       Paper Route formed in 2004, after the indie rock band's members, J.T. Daly, Chad Howat, and Gavin McDonald, met at Greenville College. If you have never heard the band, their sound is reminiscent of what would come from mixing Sleeperstar with The Script; an alternative band with good back beats, honest, anthem-esque lyrics, and a truly satisfying final sound. Their songs have been featured in (500) Days of Summer, CSI: NY, One Tree Hill, and World of Jenks. The band did receive some immediate recognition after their first album (Absence-2009), reached number thirteen on the Billboard Heatseekers charts and their initial success after touring with Paramore, Jack's Mannequin, Passion Pit, and Owl City, but during their break between albums, the band seemed to fall into obscurity. They have returned (better than before), three years later, after touring with Mutemath and, currently, Switchfoot, regaining some of that hype which magazines (RELEVANT, Rolling Stone) had first created a few years ago, with their newest album, The Peace of Wild Things (9/11/12).

       The band described themselves, in their first EP (Are We All Forgotten-2006) and Absence, as writing their songs to, or about God, attempting to find answers and put their own faith into words; being, possibly, the least religious person I know, hearing that the song, "No Sudden Revelations," is supposed to sound reminiscent of someone getting baptized, starts to set me off the band a bit. The band, and the intricacies of their compositions and honesty of their lyrics, is great, but I did not start to really appreciate the band until they released The Peace of Wild Things. 

       The album is centralized on the idea that "everyone can relate to hurt" (Daly), but that constant push for hope is the thing that keeps us each moving forward. The members have said that it is the most honest, and unified, album they have created and that, the more personal the lyric, the more universal the sound is. Though the band was prevented from releasing their album as early as they had wished, their first single from the album, "Better Life," was released November 1, 2011, and "Sugar" was released on Valentine's Day (2012). "You and I", my favorite from the album, was released as a single on August 14, only two weeks before the song's music video was released. All of the songs, regardless of personal taste, are great though. "Rabbit Holes" has that hard and haunting rock sound that you just need some nights, while "Letting You Let Go" sounds like an 80's synth-pop song was given an alternative make-over, and it came out great. "Two Hearts" and "Love Letters" may have the most anthem-esque sound and lyrics on the album, while maintaining the synthetic, indie rock sound that the band so adeptly produces. And there is no better song to wrap up this album than "Calm My Soul," sounding just trippy enough to pull you in, and somehow working wonderfully with the rock beats and deep lyrics, showcasing the best of each member's talents in one song. 

       I'm a sucker for a good voice and beat, and Paper Route offers exactly that. They may also be the only band that can produce an album whose songs all maintain a hopeful, uplifting quality, despite the fact that each song is more morose than the last. I may not be the biggest fan of their previous albums, but this new one has got me hooked, and hoping for more. Buy the album because, regardless of your favored style, you'll find a song that you really like on the album. 

http://paperrouteonline.com/
http://www.facebook.com/paperroute
http://www.myspace.com/paperroute
https://twitter.com/paperroute
http://www.last.fm/music/Paper+Route
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The Script

       The band's new album came out this week (10/9) and, though I was going to try, for once, to abstain from buying anything by The Script, I now own #3. I got addicted to the band one summer, somewhere in Utah, when I heard "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" (a lot; Sirius radio does not have much variety on their stations) and thought that would be the end of the band. Then, of course, "Before the Worst" and "Break Even" began assaulting the radio stations and there was no escaping the band.

       I'm not complaining about the band's popularity, but the fact that their music has become such a mainstream item had me worried that it was going to have a poor effect on anything they produced after their initial success. For a while, I continued to hear only the songs which they had released from their first album; my friend was addicted to "Break Even" (and playing it with the bass ALL the way up) the summer before our first year of college, and my roommate and I could not stop playing "If You See Kay" (watch from 8:40 on if you're wondering about the 'pronunciation' (intentional mondegreen)) for nearly an entire semester. Then "For the First Time" invaded our airwaves and, a few months later, I had bought Science & Faith. When I got hooked on "Nothing" and "If You Ever Come Back," I realized that my addiction to The Script was very close to the one I have to Taylor Swift (except The Script has better lyrics and melodies). The thing was, all of the songs were just as well written and put together as they were on the bands first album, even when they changed it up a bit on "Walk Away," featuring B.o.B (of course, I liked the song because I kind of love B.o.B). 

       I was actually planning on just buying one or two songs from their new album, thinking that, by now, they would definitely have become too mainstream, with the fame going to their heads and ruining their songs; I was wrong. I saw them perform "If You Could See Me Now" and thought, "crud, that's good," and now I have the entire album. It's worth the $10 to just buy it on iTunes or Amazon, with songs like "Hall of Fame," featuring Will.I.Am, pulling them out of their comfort zone (in a good way), and "Glowing" and "No Words" to remind you of the sound on the band's first album. The other songs, like "Millionaires" and "Gold 'Ol Days," have the indie lyrics that The Script is so good at putting forth, but infused with the pop sounds that overlay the basic piano in each track. If you think that you're going to skip over The Script's new album because they're famous now and their music cannot possibly be as good as it once was, forget your preconceptions and buy the new album; it's a little different, but it's good. 

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Taylor Swift

       I hate that I like, at times love, Taylor Swift; abhor it, really. She does not have an actual genre; she cannot decide between country or pop, and she can be placed in neither of these categories. Her songs are usually about the same thing and, every once in a while, she tries to write a song about something she has no real grasp on. I apologize to anyone who might think it's pathetic to like Taylor Swift, but I'm sure that person is secretly addicted to her and, as disappointing as my love of this pop country singer may be, it cannot be as bad as the gaffe I made when announcing I loved Ke$ha; or when, in the future, I admit that I am addicted to anything by, or that features, B.o.B (that future is about eight songs down).

   "Picture to Burn" I might like burning things a little too much, but this is the first Swifty song I bought and it is so fucking stupid and her producers hadn't yet decided to autotune her voice, but it is so damn catchy. Plus, guys who love their trucks that fucking much make me want to run them over with my Daewoo. Same goes for "Should've Said No"; the 'first song' thing, not the vehicular homicide bit.

   "Love Story" Even though Taylor Swift obviously never read "The Scarlet Letter" or the end of 

"Romeo and Juliet," the song is still awfully catchy. "You Belong With Me" falls under that same category; it may be about an unhealthy stalker-esque relationship, but it is the best song to sing in the car with your friends. 

   "Forever & Always" This song is kind of great and it's about time someone let Swifty know that happy endings don't exist. "Last Kiss" and some of the songs on her newer albums allude to that fact, but Taylor Swift spent a lot of time in a happy, all-is-perfect, world.  
  "Enchanted" I actually really love this song. A lot. The same goes for most of the songs on her album, Speak Now. "Back to December," for instance, was played on repeat for about half an hour on the highway once, and "Sparks Fly" is somehow great to me; I think it must be that line about "green eyes". And though I don't think Taylor Swift has ever been in an abusive relationship, "Mean" is still ridiculously addictive. 

   "Mine" She kind of fell a little short on the (previously stated) album here, because she does not know what she is talking about; we all know Taylor Swift did not recently live in some small town and fall in love with a guy, have kids, and live happ-fuck-ily ever after. 

  "Better Than Revenge" She redeemed herself on Speak Now with this song; I think I played it more than any other song my freshman year (no one likes the first sorority girl they befriend in college, unless maybe they're in a sorority...no, those girls are all bitches; they'd be the type of girl that would hate other girls...). "Speak Now" was also kind of awesome, I mean, completely unrealistic, but in a slightly good way. And I love "Long Live"; I have no explanation for this.

   "If This Was A Movie" I listened to this song far too often last year... around winter break? Anyways, Swifty does sing about waiting for guys in the rain an awful lot, but the song is too catchy and was a nice hold over between her album in 2010 and Red. The same goes for "Ours," even though it's sickeningly adorable, you have to love the music video. 

   "Both of Us" It's actually B.o.B's song (he is great; his lyrics are better than Taylor Swift's, and so much more fun to sing), but Taylor Swift's appearance should not be overlooked too much; it's her first really good summer release song and she has to be given credit for being anywhere close to B.o.B. Honestly, I fucking love this song. 

   "I Knew You Were Trouble." It's one of those songs where I sit there with iTunes asking me if I'm really sure I want to buy the song thinking, "why do I like Taylor Swift," but damn this song; I love it. And all of her singles, well, most of her singles, coming from her new album. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is awful, but Rolling Stone describes why I love it, perfectly, as they usually do. I held back on purchasing "Red" for a while actually, but when I listened to it again while writing this, I broke down. 

       Taylor Swift is the epitome of an abusive relationship; I don't want to love her, but I'm sucked in by the promises she makes with her catchy songs and lyrics, so I forget all of the shit she gave me on her first album and a few of the other songs along the way. Her songs have gotten progressively better over the years though; there's a big jump from "Picture to Burn" to "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together". Judge me if you want, but if you listen to any of these songs, you'll be singing them for a week. Red comes out October 22nd, and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be just as excited to get this album as I was to get Lightening. 

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Two Gallants

       Two Gallants, a folk rock band from San Francisco consisting of Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel, first began performing in 2002. They've released four albums, their latest being The Bloom and the Blight, released last month. Their sound has grown from a soft folk rock (with an emphasis on the 'folk'), to an edgy rock sound with a folk base since the release of their first two albums, The Throes (2004) and what the Toll Tells (2006). These first two albums had the same slow back beats and drum rhythm that are associated with the folk music genre. These first albums had the same folk lyrics that are present on each of their albums, though those albums are more reminiscent of country folk, while their last two albums, Two Gallants (2007) and The Bloom and the Blight (2012), introduced a new rock sound which had been previously lacking from the band's arrangements.   

       Their rock sound first became present on their album, Two Gallants, but the band did not come into itself, in a way in which they sounded fully comfortable with their sound, until their latest album, The Bloom and the Blight (the best, in my opinion). By blending their original folk sound with the rock sound which they have grown so adept at manipulating to fit around their folk lyrics, the band has finally reached a point where they are able to create music which is solely their own; it's difficult to compare their sound to any other band. As I have stated before, it is important for a band to grow as their fans do, and this band has certainly grown over the past five years since releasing their last album.
       The band has toured in Europe, the US, and Canada, as well as performing at the 2012 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. You can download two free songs from the band here and follow the link to their tour dates for their new album, or just click here to see the tour dates (though they are only performing in Salt Lake City for one day before leaving for Europe).

       Check out this song for a good mix of their folk and rock sound, and all of these songs to hear how great their new album is, plus a few of their better, older songs.

http://www.twogallants.com/
http://www.myspace.com/twogallants
http://www.facebook.com/twogallants
https://twitter.com/twogallants
http://www.last.fm/music/Two+Gallants
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Workout

       This is long enough to last for a run and a (short) workout. Plus, this playlist is healthy; exercise and music both raise your endorphins.

"Sexy And I Know It" LMFAO

"Jenny" WALK THE MOON

"Young Folks" Peter Bjorn and John

"Party At a Rich Dude's House" Ke$ha

"Knockout" Lil Wayne & Nicki Minaj

"Outlaw Josey Wales" Love, She Wrote

"Midnight City" M83

"How To Be A Heartbreaker" Marina and The Diamonds

"AM/FM Sound" Matt & Kim

"Next In Line" Meese

"Invincible" MGK & Ester Dean

"Laid" New Medicine

"Black to White" Felix Cartal & Miss Palmer

"Check Yes Juliet" We the Kings

"Let Go" SafetySuit
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Update- WALK THE MOON

       WALK THE MOON finally came out with a music video for "Tightrope" and they are ready to begin the second half of their US tour. You can check them out here and buy a T-shirt and their newest EP from the iTunes Festival to support them, but the only new song on that album that has not been previously recorded on their earlier albums is "The Liftaway" (so just buy that one and save money...). If you're lucky, they are going to stop by you on their tour and you can buy tickets to see their show here.

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