Music Picks Archive

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What I’m Listening To (February ’08 Edition)

It’s that time of the month again. Here are my top 5 favorite records I’ve been listening to in February.

The Airborne Toxic Event – ?

http://www.myspace.com/theairbornetoxicevent

Track to start with: Sometime Around Midnight

If there’s one song you listen to all month, make it The Airborne Toxic Event’s Sometime Around Midnight. It’s been on repeat on my Winamp ever since I bought it off Amazon the other week. Sometime Around Midnight starts off with a symphonic string melody that fades into a soft guitar introduction. As the vocals and percussion come in, the song gradually builds a crescendo of sound into an intense, almost Arcade Fire – Intervention-like swell into head bobbing, belt-it-out bliss.

No, the album isn’t called “?”, the title just hasn’t been revealed yet. This Los Angeles quintet’s quickly garnered a lot of buzz recently amongst show-goers and local radio stations. Singer Mikel Jollet, has a smooth baritone voice that reminds you a fair bit of Morrissey with a splash of Win Butler intensity in there to keep you in check. Only four recorded studio songs have been released thus far and they showcase the band’s spectrum of sounds, from Franz Ferdinand-like danceability on “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?” to contemplative melodies (“Wishing Well”) to simply… epic (“Sometime Around Midnight”).

Operator Please – Yes Yes Vindictive [AU Import]

http://www.myspace.com/operatorplease

Track to start with: Just A Song About Ping Pong

Five-piece band from Australia, these kids are lots of fun. Operator Please takes the exuberance of The Go! Team and focuses it with the brattiness of The Donnas and the confidence of Shirley Manson.

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What I’m Listening To (January ’08 Edition)

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to stop being jaded about music and actually listen to new stuff. It’s a good thing I did, because theres a bunch of really awesome records out now. I hope this continues on throughout the year and I can make these posts a regular feature.

The album art/title will take you to the Amazon product page for the CD. The Myspace link will let you listen to some songs. I’ve made it a point to put my favorite song pick so you know which track to go for if you’re in an impatient mood.

That being said, here are my favorite new records of the first month of 2008 (after the jump):

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