That’s right: No Line On The Horizon is live on U2’s Myspace as you read this. Two tracks in, it sounds like vintage U2 to me- I’m thinking this will be a pretty well-received album, if that wasn’t already evidenced by Rolling Stones’ five-star review. Check out the album HERE (make sure to click on No Line’s album cover) and let PMA know what you think!
Thanks to Pop Candy for the tip.
Last year’s very good Conor Oberst solo album was not a one-time deal. He will be recording once more, non-Bright Eyes, for his next album, entitled Outer South. The album will drop May 5th.
This one seems like more of a collaboration with the Mystic Valley Band he tours with, as not every song was written by Oberst himself.
Personally, I’m excited. I really enjoyed Oberst’s solo debut last year (”NYC, Gone, Gone” was one of my favorite songs), and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us. Click on for his tour dates with the Mystic Valley Band. Continue reading →
Flo-Rida (Florida, when said really fast without the dash) has broken his own record of weekly digital downloads with his latest, “Right Round,” a take on Dead Or Alive’s 1985 hit, “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record).” Well, to be fair, Eminem broke his record first, with last week’s “Crack A Bottle” topping the sales for “Low.” But “Bottle” didn’t come near the download monster that is “Right Round,” which sold 636,000 units. Click on for more info about the song and a Youtube video with it! Continue reading →
Come on, Pitchfork. As Seth Myers would say, really?
Debate N.A.S.A.’s debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, all you want, but not even the harshest critics would go as low as a 1.6 for this PMA fave. To me, this is just another “statement review” that Pitchfork feels the need to make due to N.A.S.A.’s extremely positive buzz. But that’s just my opinion- maybe writer Tom Breihan just really hated the album. Give your thoughts on Pitchfork’s review in the comments. Click on for Tom Breihan’s harsh final paragraph. Continue reading →
When I saw Ben Folds last week at Princeton’s McCarter Theater, I was blown away by the opening act, Miniature Tigers. The band instantly impressed with unbelievably catchy hooks, quirky lyrics, and fun instrumentals. After just a few listens to their debut LP, Tell It To The Volcano, you’ll be singing along with the tune of every song. The highlights are many- just about every song manages to stay in your head and have you feeling some kind of nostalgic emotion. What makes the music so great is it’s melancholy sweetness. All of the tracks are pure, unadulterated power-pop-rock, but below them lies a dark, solemn tone.
If you can’t gather from the gushing, this is just great music. Standout tracks are surely “The Wolf,” “Dino Damage,” “Cannibal Queen,” and the song from which the album gets its title, “Tell It To The Volcano.” But the point of this post is not to review the PMA-recommended album. No, the point of this post is to get you to know the band: PMA has an exclusive interview with lead singer Charlie Brand. Read on below for the interview and a couple MP3s. And don’t forget to pick up the album when you’re done! Seriously, it’s worth it. Continue reading →
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who were so well-covered by Rogue Wave recently, have unveiled their new album cover, and it’s pretty cool:
What do you guys think of this egg-crushing cover? The album, It’s Blitz!, drops April 3rd. Click on for Grizzly Bear’s new album cover. Continue reading →
What do we think of this? My first reaction was “eh.” I feel like aspects of this are cool (The Green Day logo, the album title itself), but overall, I think the “two people kissing” thing going on in the middle comes of a little bit lame and amateurish for a band as great as Green Day. What do you guys think? Props to Stereogum for the picture.
Aside from the cover, though, I already love what I am hearing about this album- a “power-pop” focus, a 3 “act” split…should be another catchy, hook-filled epic. I’m a big American Idiot fan. What are your thoughts on this new album, or on Green Day in general?
The album is out in May and available for pre-order on Green Day’s website.
You know, the more I look at this cover, the more I kind of like it…
[rating:86/100]
It was announced (quite a while ago, in fact) that Bon Iver was following up “For Emma, Forever Ago” with an EP to be released on January 20th, again on Jagjaguwar. However, this time Bon Iver does not mean Justin Vernon… on “Blood Bank”, two more musicians help to beef up his sound. Did it really need “beefing up”, though..?
Having released one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year, releasing new material was always going to be tricky for Bon Iver. The well known “sophomore album syndrome” affects a huge number of artists. Justin Vernon is a clever guy though – instead of making people wait for a second album, which will, of course, put a lot of pressure on him to avoid “sophomore album syndrome” , he is releasing a four song EP that is surely designed to get people used to Bon Iver being a band, not just one man sitting on a log with a reverb pedal.
If you haven’t heard it already, you will probably be fairly apprehensive as to how this sound has come out, as I was. The perfect cure for this natural apprehension is to listen to “Blood Bank” a few times (the song, not the whole EP, although that would probably help as well) and realize that Bon Iver has, actually, got better.
This year has been pretty great. I started it off in Costa Rica for 10 days, and I finished it with 5 in Florida. The music wasn’t too bad either… we were introduced to great new bands, but lost legends like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Bo Diddly, Isaac Hayes, Richard Wright, Odetta, Eartha Kitt, and George Carlin (who I know shouldn’t count under music legends but I adored him). I must say I’m really looking forward to next year’s selections (Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Chris Cornell, Lily Allen, The Decemberists… and that’s just what’s coming out Jan – March). I’ll also be studying in London from mid-January to mid-May (& *fingers crossed* L.A. mid-August to late-December), and I can’t wait to discover hundreds of more bands across the pond!
So without further ado, here’s my favorites and least favorites of this year – songs, covers, remixes, albums, TV shows, videos & movies [in that order]. Quick sidenote: when you look at my favorite songs, make sure to factor in the songs that I put as my favorite songs of the album in my favorite albums section. I just didn’t want to repeat myself, even though after re-reading this paragraph I’m not sure if I made myself any clearer. Anyway, I loved most of this year’s music, and here’s what I loved (and hated) the most.
I like to get the worst out of the way first, like ripping off a band-aid. So without further ado…
Least Favorite Songs (Or Songs That Made Me Hate Music)
10 – Flo Rida ft Will.I.Am – In The Ayer
9 – Rihanna – Take a Bow
8 – Kid Rock – All Summer Long
7- Miley Cyrus – See You Again
6 – Britney Spears – Womanizer
5 – Katy Perry – Ur So Gay
4 – Katy Perry – Hot N Cold
3 – Lil’ Wayne – Hot Revolver
2 – Soulja Boy – Yahh
1 – Katy Perry – I Kissed a Girl
Somehow #1 and #8 on my Most-Hated list made it to #18 and #20 on Rolling Stone’s BEST Of list, which makes me more than a little sick. But I digress. Moving on…
Favorite Songs (Just in Alphabetical Order and Probably Missing Some)
I really love this album cover. Tyographically perfect.
Fall Out Boy is a guilty pleasure. While their albums have gone from care-free punk (Take This To Your Grave), to pop-chart ditties (From Under the Cork Tree), and most recently, to groovy rock (Infinity On High), they have always maintained a consistent formula- excellent vocals from Patrick Stump, insanely catchy choruses and guitar riffs, and clever lyrics.
On Folie A Deux, FOB tries to keep the same formula, but strangely, it just doesn’t work as well. The hooks aren’t hooky. The catchy choruses aren’t too catchy. The clever lyrics aren’t that clever. Folie A Deux does have its strong, classic FOB moments, but too much of the album falls into repetitiveness.
