I WANT TO LIVE LIKE I DID BACK THEN

Back when music television provided what its name implied, this was the kind of video I waited hours on end to see.  Steel Train’s treatment for their latest single and ATG favorite, “Turnpike Ghost” is, to put it simply, fun.  Watch as some five-year-old’s dish out an adorable rendition of the song to a boozing late night talk show host.  Jay Leno could take some pointers from this guy.  Steel Train is out now on Terrible Thrills.

MP3: Steel Train – “Turnpike Ghost”

Love,
Adrian

IT’S GETTING HARD TO KEEP PRETENDING

Over the weekend, I spent a lot of time in my car. During these drives, I figured I would pick and album and really work to get into it. The album of choice last weekend happened to be Yeasayer’s Odd Blood. I had listened a few times (and had listened to “Ambling Alp” like, a million times) but for some reason never fully committed my attention to it. What a monumental mistake that was.

Odd Blood is hands down the best album of 2010 for so many reasons. First off, the album is the most simultaneously original and sonically pleasing piece of work I’ve heard in years. It’s abundantly clear that Yeasayer spends ample time perfecting each layer of their tracks, from the unique drum patterns to the creative vocal melodies. Now, it’s not like I didn’t already love the band (2007’s All Hour Cymbals is an ATG favorite) but they thoroughly outdid themselves, and the rest of the music scene, with songs like “Madder Red,” “I Remember,” “O.N.E.” and the incomparable “Ambling Alp.” Check out the video for “Madder Red,” a heartbreaking tale about Kristen Bell and her somehow incredibly lovable amorphous one-eyed blob of flesh with a weird arm thing. The song and video pairing is top notch, and expect to find the song, and Odd Blood, to appear at the top of my year end lists.

MP3: Yeasayer – “Madder Red”

Careful Crossers

I don’t think I need to say much about Sargent House guitar demons and ATG favorites Fang Island.  The dudes tore up this year’s SXSW and since then everyone and their mother has been raving about them.  The band just released a video for “Careful Crossers,” another song off the prog-pop-rock masterpiece that is their self-titled album.  Not quite sure what’s going on in this claustrophobic strobe and silly string orgy, but I want in on it.  Check out the video after the jump.

MP3: Fang Island – “Careful Crossers”

Love,
Adrian

Rules Don’t Stop Me

UPDATE: Probably should have posted their more recent video.  View the shreddage here.

It bugs me that We Are Scientists have found more of a home in the hearts and minds of the Brits than with us good ol’ Yanks (you should be writing ridiculous soccer anthems for us, not them!).  Their music is seriously some of the more catchy stuff I’ve encountered in my entire life, and it has only gotten better with each go-around.  The boys have come a long way since the minimalist days of With Love and Squalor and have built a lot upon their infectious brand of pop-rock with Brain Thrust Mastery and their latest release, Barbara.  I’ve only given the album a couple listens through and the entire thing’s already stuck in my head.  So do me a favor and get hooked if you haven’t already (it also helps that they’re two of the more hilarious people in the business).  Check out “Rules Don’t Stop” below and its video after the jump.

MP3: We Are Scientists – “Rules Don’t Stop”

Love,
Adrian

You and I Both Are Nothing but Thieves

There are few albums I’m looking forward to more this summer than Steel Train’s third, self-titled release.  Not much has been revealed about it so far, but the guys over at MonkeyWhale filmed a stripped-down, intimate performance of one of the record’s songs, “Bullet.”  As I’ve said before, Steel Train’s headed in a whole new direction and they’ll definitely be turning heads once the album drops on June 29th.

If you haven’t yet listened to Steel Train‘s already-released tracks, grab “You And I Undercover” below and check out our previous post on “Turnpike Ghost.”

MP3: Steel Train – “You and I Undercover”

Watch the video for “Bullet” after the jump.

Love,
Adrian

Check the Resume, It’s Risky Business in the A

(Higher resolution video here)

I had already declared Sir Lucious Left Foot the most anticipated hip hop album since, like, 2006, and anointed “Shutterbugg” as THE jam of 2010. Then this video came out. Then I changed into a fresh pair of boxers.

Tron Dancers. Tron. Dancers. With that intro beat? Kegs? Solo Cups? Marry me, Big Boi.

MP3: Big Boi – “Shutterbugg”

B-I-G B-O-I O-U-T,
Zack

Turn Off the Lights and Touch Me In the Dark

Minus the Bear can do no wrong. Although their latest album, Omni, may not be my favorite, it’s got plenty of jams to make it not worth passing up.  One of these is “My Time,” the album’s first single and by far the most synth-drenched song the band has ever written.  I was beyond surprised to hear the album open with this groovy number of a track, but they pull it off and very well at that.  Man, I want an omnichord.

MP3: Minus the Bear – “My Time”

Love,
Adrian

Herd off the Sheep Before They Throw You to the Wolves

I was a bit put off at first by the dirtier side of Person L’s debut full-length, The Positives.  Although I had touted their ability to dance between radically different styles, the louder half of the album got a bit too close to a garage rock-like sound for my tastes (I had had enough of that stuff even back when it was “in”).  At the time I think I had my own ideas for where I hoped the band would go.  Anyways, after continued listening I started to warm up to these grittier tracks.  Good timing on my part.  Person L decided to release “Goodness Gracious” as the album’s first single.  Imagine the energetic, lo-fi feel of Devin Davis after he’s done a bit of drinking.  With that in mind, the above video is only appropriate.

MP3: Person L – “Goodness Gracious”

Love,
Adrian

I Wish All the Pretty Girls Were Shaking Me Down

Say hello to the happiest band in the world.  My mourning over the Format’s death has officially ended with the release of fun.‘s video for “All the Pretty Girls.”  This is the first video and single off of the band’s wonderful debut album, Aim and Ignite, and hopefully it will be the first of many to come.

MP3: fun. – “All the Pretty Girls”

Love,
Adrian