It’s Alright at the Middle East

Hot off of their latest album, It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright, Mewithoutyou was in rare form when I saw them on July 11, 2009 at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA. I am not a religious person but that hasn't impeded my enjoyment of the band's Christian-leaning lyrics and themes. Singer Aaron Weiss's words have always flowed like good poetry and the subject matter is identifiable regardless of your spiritual orientation. Check out the new album below and experience it for yourself:

Great Scott Gets Handsome

When it comes to my favorite of the two principle songwriters in Wolf Parade, it's no secret that I favor Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown) but Dan Boeckner has given me serious reason to reconsider. Not only did he write my favorite songs on Wolf Parade's last album, At Mount Zoomer, but he also has released one of my favorite albums of 2009 with Handsome Furs. The band consists of Dan Boeckner on guitar and vocals alongside his gorgeous wife Alexei Perry who plays keys and a drum machine. Their latest album, Face Control, is an unbelievably consistent collection of electronic rock and roll. Give it a listen below and support the band if you're digging it:

Keelhaul’s Triumphant Return to Obscurity

Keelhaul, one of the most underrated metal bands and one of my favorites, have issued an intriguing press release about their impending release:

A Press Release Worth Cutting and Pasting (Courtesy of Solid PR):

Stream of Metal

There is a lot of good metal currently up to stream so I thought I would compile some it here:

…And The Hazy Great Scott

On June 29, 2009, I finally got to see Cymbals Eat Guitars play their sprawling indie rock live at Great Scott in Allston, MA. I was surprised to see that local band Magic Magic was headlining over them considering as how much buzz CEG have garnered. After taking advantage of all-you-can-eat wing night at Soul Fire and relaxing with a beer, I was ready to enjoy some good ol' indie rock and that's exactly what I got to do.

Bad Antics at Church

The headline could serve as an interesting news article but it is actually in reference to a show I recently saw. On June 28, 2009, I saw After the Fall, Legit!, and Bad Antics at Church in Boston, MA. Apparently, the only places that still have hardcore punk shows around here are Church, the bar in the Fenway area, or actually churches such as the ICC (International Community Church) in Allston.

The Satanic Satanist Leaks and Portugal. The Man Responses

Portugal. The Man's latest album The Satanic Satanist has leaked to the internet. In response, singer/guitarist John Baldwin Gourley has issued a statement about his feelings towards the early leak. This isn't your typical 'you are hurting the artist' rant. Quite the contrary, he asserts that he has always been a proponent of downloading but understands the complexity of the issue. The lengthy statement can be read here and I highly recommend it because the statement touches upon a lot of the aspects involving how much the interaction between fans and music has changed since downloading has become a norm.

Finally a Sunny Day

The weather here in New England has been as bad as it gets. It's rained for almost two weeks straight with seemingly no end in sight and the effects can be seen everywhere. People are feeling depression set in, the streets have been empty, and the parks are dirty mud pits. Regardless, there is some news that will brighten the day (at least for fans of old school 90s emo music): Sunny Day Real Estate have announced that they will embark on a reunion tour with their original lineup; you know, the one responsible for creating the seminal 1994 record, Diary. To help celebrate, Sub Pop will also be reissuing re-mastered, bonus-tracked copies of Diary and LP2 on 9/15. Both will also include new liner notes. This might not be the best news in the world but it's certainly got me excited. I guess it is ironic being cheered up by emo music. Hopefully, there will be a sunny day here before the band comes to town. Dates below along with some videos of the band from the early 90s including the music videos for "Seven" and "In Circles", the first two songs on Diary. The songs have since become classics and were instrumental in the development of emo music. Also posted, a live version of "Seven" performed on the short lived Jon Stewart Show on Mtv as well as their perform of the song on 120 Minutes on the same network.

Out on the Farm

If you haven't heard the new Dinosaur Jr. album Farm, stop what you are doing and give it a listen. Don't worry if you have a very important report due this afternoon that your boss is all over you about. Listening to J. Mascis effortlessly blaze through scales on the guitar is much more important. The classic JLouMurph lineup is back with another timeless piece of grungy rock and they are taking it on the road. I can't stress enough how great their new album is and how amazed I am that they can retain the same energy that they had back in the 80s. They have solidified their position as the best aging rockers in music and the video for "Over It" also displays that they still know how to have fun as well. Below is the video, the tour dates, and standout track "I Want You to Know". Lou Barlow is doing double duty opening a number of these dates.

Dallas Cowboys Find New Way to Piss Me Off

Being a Philadelphia Eagles fan, I thought I already hated the Dallas Cowboys as much as I possibly could. Well, it turns out that the Dallas Cowboys have concocted a plan to anger me even more. Apparently, three members of the team felt the need to test my love of music by starting a shitty nu-metal/pseudo-metalcore band called Free Reign. The group features Marc Colombo, Cory Procter, and Leonard Davis of the Dallas Cowboys who banded together to test the limits of what can be considered music (see: the laughable vocals on "All in Vain"). Now if this is a joke, my hat goes off to them. Unfortunately, it will probably just serve as another reason for bros to like "America's team".