The Jupiter Affect ..”Instructions For the Two Ways of Becoming Alice”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#779 in the Series) is The Jupiter Affect, Instructions For the Two Ways of Becoming Alice Ask a handful of music lovers of a certain age about their favorite Michael Quercio moment, and you’ll be hard-pressed to come up with a consensus. Some will vote for “Jet Fighter,” the appropriately soaring opening track off Sixteen Tambourines, The Three O’ Clock’s 1983 debut album, Others prefer the punk-psych swirl of “She Turns To Flowers” by Quercio’s earlier trio The Salvation Army, the D.Boon-approved combo that played a major role in kick-starting LA’s “Paisley Underground” movement. Still others will tell you that he did his best work in the early 90s with Permanent Green Light....
Farewell Fighter “The Way We Learn”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#743 in the Series) is Farewell Fighter, The Way We Learn The sun was setting on Milwaukee’s ’11 Warped Tour, and crowds of pierced and tattooed youth were making their way out of the fairgrounds, exhausted from a long day of dancing, jumping, and moshing. I was among them, glad to have seen my top bands and was ready for the cold bottles of water I had stored in my car. But as I moved into the parking lot, I was a lone figure with a sign and a box of EP’s. It was a common sight – a lot of bands follow the Warped Tour without buying entry, trying to sell...
This Providence “Brier”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#732 in the Series) is This Providence, Brier (OK, EP Actually) This Providence was a band that had always been written down in my little book of artists to check out, but for one reason or another, they kept getting passed over. So when I ran my eyes down the openers for Go Radio’s Lucky Street tour, the name rang a bell but I didn’t think much of it. I had bought the ticket on a whim anyway, needing a break from midterms and wanting a chance to explore another area of Boston. The show was at a tiny venue that’s quickly turning into my favorite on the east coast – TT...
Walk the Moon, “Walk the Moon”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#731 in the Series) is Walk the Moon, Walk the Moon Any album whose first track is called “Quesadilla” is a winner in my book. But Walk the Moon go beyond wit and banter to follow through with the clap-happy promise of their self-titled record. It only takes eleven tracks to establish themselves as front runners in the sometimes-stagnant pop scene. They’ve managed to balance a crazy tour schedule, including the SXSW festival, supporting Panic at the Disco and Weezer, and headlining Lollapalooza. They recently played David Letterman (you can check it out below) and did so with an unprecedented energy and appeal. On top of all of this, they continue to...
Stereo Skyline “The Good Life”
Today’s Cool album of the Day (#712 in the Series) is Stereo Skyline, The Good Life Stereo Skyline has evolved a lot over the past couple years – from synth-tapping electro-boppers to sickly sweet pop-rockers, they’ve mutated a little with every new release. After their bassist and guitarist departed last year, remaining members Kevin Bard and Rob Michelson went full speed ahead on releasing another full-length album. They dropped their first single last August, and The Good Life hit stores in full in November. The Good Life is surprisingly similar to their last album, Stuck on Repeat, in that it still has the cutesy lyrics (especially evident in “Man I Think I Love Her” and “My Girl”) and...
Tristen “Charlatans At the Garden Gate”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#708 in the Series) is Tristen, Charlatans At The Garden Gate I thought I was familiar with the name Tristen when I saw she was going to be the support act for a large chunk of the 2012 Justin Townes Earle tour. I was actually surprised to see it listed on the schedule because for some reason I believed that she was one of those packaged, possibly even one of those Disney or Idol produced tweener acts. Maybe it was the single name that steered me in that direction. I was going to be seeing one of the Justin Townes Earle shows that she was going to be part of so I...
Zeus “Busting Visions”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#684 in the Series) is Zeus, Busting Visions (Arts and Crafts Records) It’s heartening that, in a week when the music world is mourning the loss of Levon Helm, we are able to discover a great new rock ‘n’ roll band that has so obviously been influenced by the legendary drummer and The Band’s ‘70s heyday, amongst other classic groups of the era. It’s a cliché to say the show must go on, but that’s exactly what’s happening in terms of the influence Helm had on musicians the world over. One of those bands carrying on his spirit is Canadian four-piece Zeus, on their excellent second full-length release Busting Visions. This...
Mimi Betinis “All That Glitters”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#319 in the Series) is Mimi Betinis, All That Glitters. Mimi Betinis, All That Glitters was released on Feb 11th, 2011. (If I ever use the term “dropped, “please shoot me!) I know we’re only in the 1st quarter of the year but as of today, this is my favorite album of the year. There’s a real good chance that it’s not going to be topped either. Mimi (short for Demetrios) is the former leader of the Chicago area band “Pezband.” Pezband was called a power pop act. Here’s what you probably did not know. They were the first band to be referred to as being a power pop act. It was a...
Sugar Lime Blue, “Far From The Tree”
By Larry Carta, March 13, 2011 One of the best parts about publishing this website is getting turned onto new bands, new albums, new music. Today I’m going to spotlight a new album by a band from Nashville, Tn. Let me introduce you to Ashley Beth, Dave Beth, Al Plourde, Russ Dean and Dan Leveillee. Collectively, they’re known as Sugar Lime Blue. Yes, I indeed did mention Nashville. However this is not a country act. Sit back, close your eyes and think about artists like the Grateful Dead, Little Feat, Edie Brickell and even Renaissance’s Annie Haslam. Now mix them in with R & B acts Al Green, Bill Withers, maybe some Otis etc. Ok, now you have the idea!...
Monsters of Folk “Monsters of Folk”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#190 in the Series) is the self-titled debut from Monsters of Folk. The Monsters of Folk consist of four gents who are moonlighting from their day jobs. Conor Orberst and Mike Mogis are members of ‘Bright Eyes,’ M.Ward is the Him of ‘She and Him’ while Jim James (aka Yim Yames when solo) calls ‘My Morning Jacket’ home. This 2009 release wasn’t an overnight project by any means. The four of them had actually been trying to get this project off the ground since 2004. Time restrictions kept pulling them apart until late 2008. They actually put a good amount of this together playing backstage while on tour with their other bands. Sometimes...
