January Twenty-Second & Ninth

January 22nd/29th, 2008 are two very important dates, so mark your newly purchased two-thousand-and-eight calendars, iCal, whatever... because it is the release dates of general awesomeness topped with sprinkles and a touch of fanfuckingtastic.

01/22/2008

Artist: Flight Of The Conchords
Album: Flight Of The Conchords
Genre: Folk, Comedy
These guys were nominated for a Grammy! You've probably seen the videos on YouTube, such as Business Time, Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros, and Jenny. Before Flight of the Conchords, no offense, I honestly thought nothing good came out of New Zealand besides Crowded House, lanolin, kiwi (fruit and bird), and Mr. Rolls. This thought was only because my dad had always threatened me that if I didn't get good grades, he's going to send me to a boarding school in Auckland... and now my brother is suffering miserably at some all boys boarding school there. Anyway, back to the original topic, they're amazing and Bret McKenzie is kind of cute...?

Artist: Foxy Shazam (Previously Foxy Shazam! with a !)
Album: Introducing
Genre: Experimental, Alternative, Progressive Rock
Personally, I am pissed off that they're dropping the ! in their band name. Originating from Cincinnati, Ohio, they released The Flamingo Trigger in 2005 with the exclamation mark and now I guess their new album is Introducing... Foxy Shazam without the exclamation mark. I've never heard anything like this before and I'm a little bummed that I'll be missing their show at the Knitting Factory because I'm going to see Scary Kids Scaring Kids vs Haste The Day instead. Their music is basically made up of the piano you would hear in Jerry Lee Lewis' Great Balls of Fire, drums of an O-K band at a high school prom, and a various mix of guitar licks and schloppy bass. It's great.

Artist: The Audition
Album: Champion
Genre: Pop Rock, Alternative
It's finally here! It's been what like, three fucking years since the release of their debut album Controversy Loves Company? If you've seen them live in 2007 or watch the video for You've Made Us Conscious and compare them with their recent photographs you can see that Fatty McGuitarist lost a lot of weight while lead vocals Danny aged/matured a little (kind of looks like a douchebag now) and said "like" about 50+ times in the most awkward interview ever during the London stop of the Victory Records Tour 2006. Nevertheless, the music is still awesome and getting better.

Artist: The Mars Volta
Album: Bedlam in Goliath
Genre: Experimental, Progressive Rock
TMV is progressive rock band with a touch of jazz and latin influnces, sounds kind of like Muse in Spanish and on acid/shrooms, slowly. After the so-so release of Frances The Mute comes Amputechture in 2006, which was more ambient and sounded less-like-everything-else than the previous album. Oh yeah, like the 2006 and unlike the 2005 release, not all the track titles cascade from Cassandra Geminni I to Cassandra Geminni VIII...

Artist: Jet Leg Gemini
Album: Fire The Cannons
Genre: Classic Rock, Pop
I first heard about JLG from Doghouse Records, the label that many other bands like Meg & Dia, The Honorary Title, and The Get Up Kids are signed to. These guys are from Jersey, a "tropical paradise" where "there are more bands than people and cars put together," quoting their bio on Last.fm... Funny. They're first tour of 2008 will be with Red Light Green Light and Lady Radiator... I don't know either of these two bands but I will look into it because they have interesting names, not as interesting as previously mentioned Formerly Known As Oedipusaurus Rex, but good enough.

Artist: Cat Power
Album: Jukebox
Genre: Folk, Indie
I don't think I need to elaborate... but for the hell of not screwing up the layout I will continue. This is her second covers collection including a new song - Song For Bobby a song for yes, Bob Dylan. The rest of the track list includes Bob Dylan's I Believe In You, Billie Holiday's Don't Explain, Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival and et cetera. Yes yes... be very excited. Her show in NYC is in March, yes, be even more excited.

Artist: Scapegoat
Album: Zombie Dog
Genre: Metalcore, Experimental
My roommate's favorite band, I think. Not gonna lie, they sound pretty good, heard they're even better live. This isn't just another boohoo boring emo band from the South... okay South-ish since it's North Carolina, but yeah you know what I'm talking about. Their previous album Let Our Violins Be Heard was pretty good, strangely beautiful, and their new song The Hurricane sounds minty fresh, so there you go, Mary-Lauren.

01/29/08

Artist: The Morning Of
Album: The World As We See It
Genre: Pop, Rock
Being in the same record label (Tragic Hero) as Scapegoat, My Hero Is Me, A Skylit Drive, Ghost of a Fallen Age, and Akissforjersey... TMO sounds nothing like any them. This is a group of very cute babyfaced girl and boys. The lead vocalists are Jessica and Justin, they are probably on Nickelodeon, not pregnant (Jessica), but catchy nonetheless.

Artist: Protest The Hero
Album: Fortress
Genre: Hardcore, Metalcore
The new album art and layout is sweet, especially the merged photographs of PTH band members. I don't really know what else to say except for... they're from Ontario and will making the second US stop of their Bros in the Snow Winter Tour opening for Silverstein with The Devil Wears Prada and A Day To Remember... and I am going!

Artist: Xiu Xiu
Album: Women As Lovers
Genre: Experimental, Indie
Influenced by The Cure and Joy Division, Xiu Xiu is a band based in San Francisco. Here's a track from the new album, I Do What I Want When I Want. Ever sine the release of The Air Force in 2006, they've been busy doing collabs/a book; Xiu Xiu: The Polaroid Project: The Book (any reason why the cover looks like Andre Kertesz' The Polaroids?) that comes with the CD, A Soundtrack for a Polaroid of Two Trees in Indiana featuring Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Parenthetical Girls, and Greg Saunier from Deerhoof.

This is one long bitchin' hell of a post. Isabelle/Tink whoever mans this webbiebloggityshindig, how about a layout change? I suggest some wicked graphic stuff like exploding speakers, swimming headphones (no sperm pun intended), and mingling vinyls. Oh and lastly, my apologies for not most of these music, but if you're interested enough, go to their MySpace and one or a few of their new tracks will be on it. Happy eargasming!