Little White Teeth

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Little White Teeth have finally released a new album after four years. I had the pleasure of seeing this band at The Casbah in San Diego a couple of years ago. They were really fun to watch live. Their style is very low key and alternative, but not in a bad way. Some of their songs you can definitely dance to. This album, titled Songs The Attic Sings can be heard on their new website. You can purchase their music via the link below. Please do!

http://www.littlewhiteteeth.com/

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I was digging through some of my old CDs yesterday. Sometimes I shutter at the type of music I purchased 6 or 7 years ago, but I like to think most people look back at themselves from 7 years ago and just laugh too. What I was surprised to find during the mindless filing of old music was The Album Leaf. I had completely forgotten about how fun and relaxing this band was. If I ever needed to mindlessly get lost in some music while cleaning or just laying down, this band was perfect for that. The Album Leaf is a band that uses a lot of rhodes piano and synthesizer, but they do it in a way that leaves you in an harmonious trance. Created by Jimmy LaValle, The Album Leaf is filled with wonderful, melodic loops that leave you tantalized in the synthesizers. Their music was really good when I first listened to them, and after all these years, it still is. Give them a listen. You can purchase their stuff here...

  http://www.thealbumleaf.com/

Mocean Worker

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For those of you people who are interested in finding something a little out of your element, then I have something for you. Imagine 1930-1950 jazz and mixing it with an electronic funk psychedelic twist mix. Put those two things in a blender, blend it for 40 minutes, pour it in a shaker, shake it for 10 minutes, and then pour the ingredients all in a tall glass, and you now have Mocean Worker. Adam Dorn, the man behind Mocean Worker, puts out different elements on his computer and samples over them with some smooth jazz beats. This stuff is so smooth I could drink 8 ounces of his newly polished album, Candyman Mowo, down it all with one gulp and feel absolutely nothing but my hips move. The stuff is super catchy, and any type of music fan can dance to his.

You can check out Mocean Worker at www.moceanworker.com

Reverie Sound Revue

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When I can't find music to listen to, I always resort to Reverie Sound Revue. This band is good listening. Reverie Sound Revue's music is so smooth, so dream-like, and rich in tones that it questions your state of consciousness. Those clean guitar arrangements could put anyone in a better mood. Keep in mind that the writing was accomplished without any of the members being in the same room. The band members each live across different parts of Canada, so creating music through emails was actually a very practical thing to do. Unfortunately, that means that there is no chance to see these people live; the band members even say it on their website. That does not mean you can't enjoy their LP and EP. In addition, listeners should also check out their acoustic videos on their website. It really gives a different take on some of their songs. The singer, Lisa Lobsinger, delivers clear and mesmerizing sounds that are almost as if she is whispering at you. If you're interested in seeing her live, she tours with Broken Social Scene most of the time; go see their show! If it is music to listen to in the rain, music to listen to when your sad, or music to listen to for the sake of just getting lost, then Reverie Sound Revue is perfect.

Check them out at http://www.reveriesoundrevue.net/

M83 rings it in again

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Very few bands can come out with a new album that is so big and small at the same time. M83 does this...TWICE! M83's new double album, Hurry up, We're Dreaming is an album that definitely requires more than one listen. The numerous synths, drums, strings, and SAXOPHONE...are so well mixed into this album that sometimes you miss some stuff going on. I have listened to both discs about 4 times each, and even now I am finally beginning to catch stuff that I did not catch before. Anthony Gonzalez, who is the sole member of M83, is a true artist. Each disc is supposed to be based on the views of a brother and sister. The two albums mirror each other that way. For instance, Midnight city and New Map are supposed to be the same concept but through the eyes of a brother and sister. Pretty deep stuff, right? Very few bands out there can go into detail like this album, and Anthony Gonzalez did this TWICE! He uses unorthodox methods, like having the lyrics to a song be a little girl telling a story about frogs, to create some really interesting, happy sounds. Unlike his earlier albums, Gonzalez is really bringing in more of his own voice with this record. The unique sounds at the beginning of Midnight City, people? Yeah, that was done with just his voice. Enough romance, M83's new album is one of the better albums to be released this year. Go out and get it today.

You can pick up a copy at www.ilovem83.com

Systems Officer

It is Friday and you know what that means!!? Actually, I am not really sure what that means, but I am sure you readers do? Friday could mean a bunch of things, so I am not going to try and guess what you people are thinking, geese! That was a joke, people. Enough romance, last post I had talked about discovering Montalban Quintet at a Systems Officer concert. Well, now it is time to actually talk about my experience with Systems Officer! This band is a solo project of Armistead Burwell Smith IV aka Zach Smith, who also is in a few great San Diego based bands, like Pinback and Three Mile Pilot. Systems Officer has the same feel as Pinback, but I would say it feels more emotional. Upon seeing Zach play live, it was obvious that these songs are played with real emotion. Not that his other bands are not played like that; I am sure they are. The reason it is probably a little different because this is all Zach, not just Zach and the rest of Pinback or Three Mile Pilot. It is very focused and has that classic Zach Smith sound to it. All I could think about during the show was, "man, this guy is one of the most talented musicians I have ever seen live." This guys takes the bass guitar and takes it to a whole other level. When you listen to Systems Officer, you are thinking that most of the sounds came from an electric guitar when actually it was mostly done with just bass. Zach's bass playing changes my whole view on how songs can be arranged; however, I am not here to talk about song structure, so I will just leave that one alone. Not only is Zach an excellent bass player, he is also one of the coolest, most down to earth people I have had the pleasure to meet. I came up to him before the show and talked about how I have seen his other band, Pinback a bunch of times. Seriously, I probably have seen Pinback ten times within the past 5 years. He did not seem annoyed or bored when I talked to him, which was a great feeling. He said that he was excited to finally get the band (Systems Officer) on tour for the first time, and that he looks forward to keep moving on with both Pinback and Systems Officer. Towards the end of our conversation he stated that he really appreciates having such a loyal fan base, and as long as people are willing to come out and see him, then he will continue to make music. It is obvious Zach Smith is still loves playing music. When he is on stage, you can tell he is passionate about the music. Enough romance, Systems Officer has an EP, a full length album, Underslept, and he is currently writing a new album due out next summer. Go out and get Systems Officer, it is one of the few good bands out there!

You can purchase Systems Officer music at  http://temporaryresidence.com/

Rob Crow's He Thinks He's People

Christmas came early today because I got my copy of Rob Crow's new album, He Thinks He's People. If you did not already know, Rob Crow is half of the hard-core, easy listening band, Pinback. He's also a member of a million other bands out there: Heavy Vegetable, Goblin Cock, Thingy, Fashion Valley, The Devfits, and many others. Seriously, it would take me about an hour to list all of his past and present projects. Enough romance, the album came in the mail today, and I must say that it is exactly what I expected. I mean this in a sincere, positive way. The album is definitely more eclectic than his last release, Living Well; however, it does not take away from that classic Rob Crow sound. Do not take my thoughts on the album too seriously because this entry is NOT intended to be a deep review. Believe me, this album speaks for itself. I encourage people to not only listen to this album, but all of Rob's other albums as well. Too many people jump from band to band, only liking two songs, then moving on to some other new thing. Bands -Rob Crow is an excellent example- should be shown more respect for the work they do. Show respect by listening to the whole album, not just a couple of songs. Enjoy!


You can buy Rob Crow's He Thinks He's People at   http://temporaryresidence.com/