Mock Orange is full of love

I'll be honest. I had trouble getting into Mock Orange's Captain Love when I first heard it. I felt like it was too dischordant for my liking. But something told me to give it a second chance.

Thank God for second chances. Otherwise I would have missed something great.

Captain Love is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Mind Is Not Brain (which I loved). I realized upon second review that all it needed was a bit more time to sink in. Once it does, you can't stop listening.

It's fun and catchy, yet elegant and intriguing at the same time.

I don't know what I was thinking the first time I listened to it. Maybe I had a different album on by mistake.

Song in D
Beauty of A Scar
from Captain Love (buy here)

Natalie Walker soothes my soul

Natalie Walker has been making her way into my ears often the last few days. She's very beautiful (yes, I know. I'm shallow. Let's move on...) and her voice resonates in my head even after she's finished singing.

I'd lump her in with the likes of Feist and the Zooey Dechanel - but she's in no way a clone. She's got her own style that has to be heard to believe. Her songs have been popping up in television hits like Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy.

Her latest album With You is an elegant assembly of electronic pop songs, a mixture of both pop friendliness and dark, seductive, yet sweet moments. From the upbeat "Pink Neon" to the almost melancholic "With You," her music is inescapable. I see only good things for her in the future.

Over & Under (mp3)
Pink Neon (mp3)
Buy the album on iTunes

At The Stars and The Cured at the National

After seeing Richmond rock band At The Stars perform several times in small venues and bars, I finally get to see them play on a stage meant for their presence.

The stage at the National Theater has boasted some big name acts and the size of it reflects that. It was nice to see At The Stars on that stage and not crammed in a small space. The bigger stage allowed the band to breathe a bit more and expand their sound which filled the halls of the National quite nicely. Their Brit-pop influenced style has never sounded better. And the guys looked right at home up there too.

Their set was full of crowd favorites as well as tracks from their upcoming album, which comes out later this Fall (not soon enough in my opinion).

This Is The Way
When Words Won't Come
from October/November/December (buy here)



Next up were the headliners of the night -- The Cured, a tribute band to The Cure. The second they got on stage, I felt like I had traveled back in time. It was as if The Cure themselves were on stage. It's one thing when a tribute band just plays the songs like the original band. It's another thing when they actually become the band from the hair to the voices.

"Robert Smith" in all his wild hair and British-accented glory, spoke to the audience: "Hello Richmond. Welcome to 1989."

Cure fans were losing it left and right as the night turned into one wild 80s-riffic dance party. One that I kind of didn't want to end.

Just Like Heaven
Pictures of You

Watch this video to see The Cured in action. It's something worth seeing.

R.I.P.

Got some devastating news today. My grandmother passed away this morning. Honestly, I don't think the reality of it has set in yet. I'm taking a few days off from blogging to be with family.

I found this song today and can't stop listening to it.
Dog in Blue - Grandma

The Trophy Fire comes up a winner

Ben Flanagan, who was originally part of the pop-punk band The Actual, and longtime friend Jamie McGoldrick are The Trophy Fire, San Francisco, CA rockers who joined together to create musical heaven. Their debut album, A Lifetime in the Middle of the Ocean, is a wonderful indie-pop record reminiscent of bands like Pinback and Jimmy Eat World.

A Lifetime in the Middle of the Ocean is an album you can put on and leave it playing. It sets a dark, melodic mood that doesn't easily go away - nor do you want it to. I've been listening to this album on repeat going through each of the catchy song from wonderful "Jenny Under House Arrest" to the catchy-chorus-filled "Spine." Flanagan's lyrical imagery matched with McGoldrick's almost hypnotic guitars drew me into a small bit of musical bliss, a bliss that didn't end until the album reached its final note.

Listen to "Divide" by clicking below.

Buy the album here

Chicks rule!

I'm a complete sucker for female singer/songwriters. Aside from their beautiful looks (yeah, I know, I'm shallow), their talent makes the boys run for their money.

Lissie, an indie rocker hailing from California, is a mix of the soft side of Tori Amos and the "I don't give a f***" side of Liz Phair. She recently opened for Lenny Kravitz on his "It Is Time For A Love Revolution" tour.

Lissie - On My Chest (Remix)

I saw Baltimore songstress Ruut open for Passenger a little while back and she definitely stole the show with her genuine attitude and her astounding voice. Soothing, melodic vocals mixed with a fun, energetic spirit. Ruut has a passion in her that will be taking her places very soon.

Ruut - Sweetest Thing


Sonya Kitchell is a 19-year-old singer, guitarist, and songwriter with an incredible voice. She's been performing extensively both on tour and on television, in addition to a collaboration for 2007's Album of the Year Grammy recipient, the Joni Mitchell tribute River - The Joni Letters. Her new album, This Storm, is scheduled for release on September 2nd.

Sonya Kitchell - For Every Drop

Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff get together for some fun

Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format, has been quite busy since he announced the dissolution of his band. He's now gotten together with Andrew Dost (from Anathallo) and Jack Antonoff (from Steel Train) to form the group fun. Formed during the winter of 2008, the band will begin recording their debut album this September with a release date sometime in February 2009.

The story behind the band's formation is detailed (in long-winded form) in a note from Nate Ruess himself, which you can read here.

I, for one, am glad that Nate is back to making music.

Bensen Hedges

Wizard of WAZ

I got an email yesterday that said "Noticed you are a Pete Yorn fan. Pete's original guitarist WAZ just released a new EP. Thought you would like to check it out."

So I checked it out. And I love it.

WAZ and Pete Yorn have been described as "eternal band mates." And I can see/hear why. WAZ's music is similar to Pete's, yet has its own unique style.

Ordinary Girl
So Far Away
both from The Secret EP (buy by clicking below)

Plushgun's warning shot

Brooklyn sensation Plushgun was started by Daniel Ingala, who simply decided to add synths to his acoustic guitar tracks. After being featured in various web series, Plushgun grew immensely in popularity to the point where they now can't be ignored.

Upon listening, I literally pushed myself back from the computer as my eyes widened, my jaw dropped and my ears filled with musical goodness. Plushgun is pop in its most basic, unpolished form. This is dance music you wouldn't mind being seen dancing to. There's so much energy in Plushgun's music that a normal pop song can't contain it.

Plushgun’s debut album will be released in January 2009, but to satisfy peoples' appetites, a self titled 4-song EP will be released digitally on August 19.

Just Impolite

Passenger at the Ram's Head, Annapolis, MD

After writing many posts on my almost unhealthy obsession with UK pop rock group Passenger, I finally got the chance to see them live at the Rams Head in Annapolis, MD. A good 3 hours from my home of Richmond, VA but definitely worth it.

James joined me for the evening and made fun of my overenthusisam. He asked me if this would be my “Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show” experience and proceeded to fake cry and faint the entire night.

Baltimore singer/songwriter Ruut opened the show and it was clear that the majority of the crowd was there to see her - and understandably so. Her Tori Amos-like style drew me in immediately.

Mike Rosenberg took the stage and performed a beautiful version of “Stray Dog” and told the audience that he’d start off with the most depressing song and hopefully things would get brighter and more upbeat.

The rest of the band (minus the bassist and keyboardist, touring costs being what they are…) joined Mike on stage for the rest of the set. I thought I would know every single song they would play that evening, but instead Passenger throws a curveball and plays three songs that I actually don’t know – “Moon on the Water,” “What Do You Think” and “Playstation Song,” which is already becoming one of my new favorites.

The band returned to familiar territory with “Things You’ve Never Done,” “Walk in the Rain” and “For You,” where Mike apologized for bringing another depressing song into the mix. Other highlights of the night included the band's rather stunning rendition of Rihanna’s "Umbrella" followed by a very energetic "Table For One" and Mike singing along with someone’s ringtone.

The final song of the evening, “Walk You Home,” excuse me, “Night Vision Binoculars,” got everyone clapping and moving in their seats. I, of course, was singing along and caught Mike Rosenberg's eye. James grabbed his face and pretended to scream and cry. "He looked right at you!"

I have to admit i was a little star-struck meeting the guys after the show and was only able to say a few words to them. But they were just as cool in person as they were onstage and I was able to go home very happy.

The US version of Wicked Man's Rest, which includes 2 additional tracks not on the UK version, is available tomorrow. Do yourself a favor and buy it here.

Night Vision Binoculars (Live)

The Graduate at the Canal Club, 8/2/08

The Canal Club is always a fun place to see bands. Last night was no exception. The Graduate were playing with Rookie of the Year, PlayRadioPlay, My American Heart and Secondhand Serenade.

Within minutes of getting there, I was surrounded by a dozens of 16-year-olds who were literally half my size and screaming "Oh my gawd! I love this band! I've been in love with them since last week! [Insert lead singer's name here] is sooooooo hot!" Luckily, I was smart enough to move at that moment.

No sooner did I move, The Graduate took the stage. I must say that I was very impressed with their set. All their energy was spent making sure the crowd had a good time. The guys looked like they were having fun on stage and sound much better live than on the album. When they played the first few notes of "Anhedonia," I found myself jumping around with the rest of the crowd. The final song ended with a 2nd drum set brought out on stage, doused in water and hit repeatedly for a stunning effect musically (there were 3 drummers performing at this time) and visually (water flying off the drums is always cool).

I stuck around for a few more bands and was pleasantly surprised.

PlayRadioPlay was a fun, electro-rock dance your feet off kind of show. PlayRadioPlay sounds a lot like Band of Horses mixed with The Format. A lot of synth pop rock, but an overall good time. Definitely have to check them out again.

The crowd was going nuts during My American Heart. I had never heard of them before, but obviously a lot of people there not only knew of them, but knew every single word to their songs. I actually laughed during the final song when the band was pretty much running all over the stage and then the roadies (a group of heavier-set guys) rushed the stage swinging shirts and screaming at the top of their lungs.

I haven't had a good time like that since the Music Seen Festival.

Saturday morning mixtape

Neverending White Lights - The Grace
Light Pollution - Firewood
Aviary Ghost - Somewhere Else
The New Frontiers - Man Down
Mermaid Skeletons - Faija

A Good Year For The Robots

I am officially in love with this song.

Coparck - A Good Year For The Robots

The video is hilarious too.