SAA: Song Addicts Anonymous

You know when you first hear a song, and it's so great that you have to listen to it over and over again? Well here are some songs that I'm loving right now and addicted to :)

The first one's a really catchy song that makes you want to dance by the Ready Set. It's called "Love like woe" and has a sound that's kind of like the band Hellogoodbye. You know, the punk/dance sound?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DNG2_mgm48

The second one is "Sweet disposition" by Temper Trap. The singers voice is amazing and he has a great range. Also I love how the song moves from his high voice, to repeated phrases, and then heavy beats from the drum. Really I just love the different stages that the song goes through. *Notice how the lead singer moves around in the music video/dances (I thought it was cute :P)*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxKjOOR9sPU

The third song is a more mellow song compared to the other two. I thought it was very beautiful and relaxing. It wouldn't be a song to pump you up for anything, but maybe to wind you down. It's called "Throw me a rope" by Kt Tunstall. It's kind of an old song, but I think it's noteworthy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOh_sVYXOQk

Anyone else find some songs they've recently become addicted to?

New Obsession: The Kooks

The Kooks are a band that I'd heard a song or two featured on commercials, but never had known much about them. To be honest, I hadn't really tried to hear much of their music. Shame on me, I know. Thankfully in the past several weeks, (with the help of pandora and Lastfm) I have seen the light. The Kooks songs are so ridiculously catchy and will stay in your head for days. It's not only that the songs are catchy, Luke Pritchard's voice (the lead singer) is so cool sounding! It's so different from other singers voices that I've heard. His voice is full of contradictions. It's rough, but then it also sounds smooth. He squeaks sometimes, but it doesn't sound bad. Somehow, he pulls it off effortlessly. Oh, and did I mention that the Kooks are an English band? Yeah, so you get to hear songs in those adorable English accents :].

The Kooks are actually a pretty new band. They've only made two cd's. Their first cd "Inside In/Inside Out" was released in 2006. The songs are fun sounding and great to dance around to. Definitely a cd to listen to when your in a good mood.

Favorite tracks: She Moves in Her Own Way, Naive, Eddie's Gun, Matchbox

Their second cd "Konk" was released in 2008 and again is a lot of fun to listen to.

Favorite tracks: Tick of Time, Sway, Stormy Weather, Always where I need to be

Buy it or pass it: So obviously, I would suggest you should buy both cds, because I really enjoyed them, but I feel like I should also give you another view point. I had been listening to one of their songs and both of my parents had remarked, "Oh that sounds terrible! I don't like his voice at all." Musical taste varies from person to person, but I don't think my parents are used to hearing someone sing like Pritchard. I guess you either, love their music or hate it. I would listen to a couple Kooks songs and see if you like their type of music before you run out and buy the cd's. Make up your own mind, but remember not to write them off from the first listen. They just might grow on you ;)

MGMT's new album: Takes some getting used to

You might know the band MGMT from their hits "Kids," "Electric Feel," and "Time to Pretend," but their new cd "Congratulations" is in a whole different direction than their debut album "Oracular Spectacular."

The band made up of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser put out their new second album "Congratulations" on April 13, 2010.

I have to say that this cd wasn't what I was expecting from the duo. Their first cd consisted of songs that were catchy and I instantly loved. Unfortunately, I didn't have the same instant love connection with their new cd "Congratulations." At first listen, the songs sounded somewhat depressing and the heavy synthesizer beats that I was so accustommed to hearing on "Oracular Spectacular" were missing. For me, I had to listen to the cd for a while until I started to enjoy the songs. The songs had a sort of experimental feel to them, and each one sounded different. Also the lyrics were very deep and interesting in most of the songs, filled with double meanings. I feel like MGMT does a really good job with adding different layers to a song. Some parts of the song I like better than others, but overall the listener can always expect something unique from them. I mean, have you ever seen one of their music videos? : 0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmZexg8sxyk

Favorite tracks: Someone's Missing, Congratulations, Flash Delirium, It's Working

Buy it or pass it: I think that if you were a fan of MGMT's "Oracular Spectacular" and are willing to take a chance on something different, then buy it. But if you're only looking for a repeat of their last cd, then don't waste your money.


May 17th- UPDATE: Do you want to hear MGMT perform a live concert of the songs off of their new cd Congratulations? Here's the full concert of 54:13 performed on Live at Letterman. Check it out, http://www.cbs.com/late_night/liveonletterman/mgmt/video/

Band to watch

It was a boring Saturday night in September of 2008, and I was watching SNL, trying not to think of the paper I was supposed to be writing (watching might be exaggerating because of the fact that SNL hasn't been funny in a long time.) My eyes were starting to glaze over until I heard loud music coming from the SNL stage. The singer's voice was one of the most unique gravely sounding voices that I'd ever heard. The guitarist, bass player, and drummer all had their own unique sound as well. I instantly loved the music and fell in love with the band. Any guesses?



KINGS OF LEON


The three brothers Caleb (vocals and guitar), Jared (bass), and Nathan Followill (drums) and their cousin Matthew (lead guitar) were rocking out on stage. They might be a family band, but don't go thinking they're like the Jonas Brothers. The rock band from Nashville, Tennessee sang their singles "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire" off their new album "Only by the Night." After hearing Kings of Leon's performance, I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of them before. Thinking they were a new band, I went online and looked for their one album, only to find that they had already made 3 albums! I was shocked! After doing some research that night, I found that Kings of Leon had achieved widespread fame in Europe. In the UK albums chart, all three of their earlier albums had peaked in the top 5.


What I want to know is, why weren't Kings of Leon getting any airtime in America before their 4th album?!! After all that was their home country.

I can only guess that it was because of their different sound. Their 3 earlier cd's sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before. The popular music that's played on the radio in America is usually Taylor Swift, rap music, or pop singers (Lady GaGa.) There's nothing wrong with this type of music, but where's the variety?

All 4 Kings of Leon cd's had the variety that the radio's should've been DYING to play.

Their first cd "Youth and Young Manhood," was released in 2003. I wouldn't recommend this cd if your used to their "Only by the Night" sound and aren't open to new things. Caleb doesn't pronounce the words too clear and there is some screaming if you're put off by that. I personally loved the cd because of it's hard southern rock sound, (and use of the cowbell :p)

Favorite tracks: California Waiting, Red Morning Light (you might recognize this song from an old Ford commercial) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv7vr6oE3U8, and Trani


Kings of Leon's second cd "Aha Shake Heartbreak," was released in the US in 2005. This cd still had some of their old sound from "Youth and Young Manhood," but a little more put together. I have to say, that I like every single track on this cd, so favorites were hard to pick.

Favorite tracks: Slow Night So Long, King of the Rodeo, Taper Jean Girl, Milk, The Bucket, Four Kicks


Their third cd "Because of the Times" was my favorite out of all four. Every single song from that cd is amazing! Seriously, buy it, you won't be dissappointed.

Favorite tracks: Knocked Up (You have to listen to the whole 7 minutes!)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mzklb9nkXM, On Call (the bass sounds really cool in this) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBZsGsie5uI, Charmer (Yes, Caleb screams in this but it's awesome. And Again the bass is great.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCd1vXsvkV4, Fans, and Arizona

Their fourth and most recent cd "Only by the Night" is amazing as well. I also loved all the tracks on this cd and have probably broken the cd from playing it so much. It still has some of the "Because of the Times" sound, but a little different. Buy the cd, and decide for yourself :)

Favorite tracks: Closer (Distorted bass, enough said) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkGhDHP093M, Use Somebody, Sex on Fire, Cold Desert, Revelry.

Reports from Nathan Followill's official twitter confirm that Kings of Leon have been in the studio working on their 5th album.

On April 26th he tweeted:

doctorfollowill Morning. Starting week 4 in the studio and we are getting to the fun stuff.

I think that the timing to start their new album is perfect, because now they have Europe and America watching.

I could ramble on about Kings of Leon forever, but I'll cut it short and say that I think they're gonna be around for a long time. Maybe the majority of America wasn't paying attention to them before, but I think with their 4th cd they've won most people over. I would love to see them bring back some of their old "Aha shake" and "Because of the Times" sound to their next cd. Whatever they do, I'm sure that it'll be amazing, because let's face it, they're the kings ;]