James Vincent McMorrow - Glacier

In our last day of a four-day indie adventure, we take a look at something with a good hit of folk.  This time, we're back to our good old friend James Vincent McMorrow, a.k.a the guy that you keep mistaking for Bon Iver.  "Glacier," off of his new album Post Tropical, was free on Itunes a few weeks ago, and it's about time they improve their quality again.  It's great piano folk, with a lovely modern sound that doesn't leave it too far in the late-2000's sound era.  As always, James sounds flawless, and I'm still going to say that he's better than Bon Iver (who is still good in his own right, but sometimes it's hard not to compare them).  "Glacier" isn't any catchy pop ballad, but something magical that grows on you more with each listen, and I can never say anything bad about a song making use of the orchestra.  Get on it!

Phildel - Storm Song

We're almost through our stretch of indie, so stay with me here!  Now, from alternative indie, we move on to something a little more whimsical with Phildel, a London singer-songwriter who I found through yet another Tumblr playlist...possibly the same one where I found Ingrid Michaelson's "In The Sea," because I seemed to find a lot of water-and-storm-themed songs around that time.  But I can't complain, because "Storm Song" is quite fantastic.  It sounds like a funky Dido/Metric song, if I can say that, but Phildel is pretty unique in her own right.  If "Storm Song" is a tempest, it's one I wouldn't mind getting stuck in.  It's a strange blend of pop and alternative indie that's chock full of whimsy and wonder.  Really, listening to it is like listening to a storm.  The verses are the tender moments between the clap of thunder that's the chorus.  It's beautiful, and worth digging up for your own pleasure.

Torres - Honey

It took some digging, but I found Torres.  We'll move away from dark acoustic indie and look at some alternative indie today, from Nashville's Mackenzie Scott, who goes by the previously mentioned moniker in her music.  I got "Honey" some time ago, though I'm not sure from where.  Maybe Rcrd Lbl (RIP), who knows?  What matters is I have it.  For a young artist (only one year older than me), Torres is well beyond her years, and "Honey" isn't the sweet little something you may be expecting.  It's a little bit gritty and fuzzy, with a hint of California rock to it (like if there was only one member of Bleached, amirite?), and vocals that remind me of Alanis Morissette with a hit of indie.  It almost has a little 90's throwback if we're moving along those lines, because I don't come across music like this very often these days.  Torres....you've got it.

Everything hurts, but it's fine, happens all the time.

Tina Dico - Count To Ten

I'm back!  It was a long, but very nice week at home for reading week...and schoolwork in the last semester always seems to creep up on me in piles.  But I'm here now, and that's what's really important.  I can't hold out on the good music any longer.  What better way than to come back from a hiatus with some moody alt-indie?  Tina Dico is the artist of the day, a lovely Danish singer-songwriter with smokey vocal work that can seemingly do no wrong.  I had no idea she even existed until I heard "Count To Ten."  The combination of an acoustic guitar and minimalist piano is a nice and dark combination...think of a modern interpretation of Stevie Nicks, but with a dark twist.  "Count To Ten" is likely the best song you've never heard, I guarantee it.  The atmosphere (along with Tina's vocals) is what really makes this song stellar...it's moody, and it's a little dark, but it's also not too much.  A little goes a long way, or in the case of "Count To Ten," a little goes a long way, and then comes right back at you strong than before.

Caliban - Devil's Night

I guess a song called "Devil's Night" isn't really Valentine's Day appropriate, but I can't say I've ever made an appropriate Valentine's Day post in the past two years either.  And what says Valentine's Day like German metalcore?  Caliban is another band I've been aware of without really doing anything, but hearing Devil's Night from Century Media's Youtube channel really drew me into them.  "Devil's Night" is simply pure and wonderful metalcore, and it's hard to find any faults.  The sound reminds me of something like Dead and Divine but with less heavy grit and some more melody.  There is one band they really sound like, but I can't put my finger on it right now.  Either way, "Devil's Night" makes good use of growling and clean vocal contrasts, heavy guitars, and a lush chorus that really shoots some power into the whole thing.  This is more easy listening for me, but that's not a bad thing.  I could listen to "Devil's Night" every day (which I've actually been doing lately), and remind myself why I'll never tire of metalcore.

Rise Against - Architects

The one thing I really hate about the week before reading week is the stress and general lack of time to do anything I like (I have two magazines by my bed that I haven't opened at all since buying them on Tuesday), but I'll always have time for a paragraph or two on Rise Against.  I've probably said before that they'll never top The Sufferer and The Witness, but Endgame comes pretty close to that.  Endgame has "A Gentleman's Coup" and "Help Is On The Way," so we've got to complete the holy trinity now!

Enter "Architects."  It's a piece of evidence of the growth that the band had done since The Sufferer... days.  Some critics are tough on this track, but I really enjoy it.  You have the fast and powerful verses, and a chorus that becomes a lot more lush and organic.  It's a nice contrast, and one that I like to see in a good alternative song.  Tim McIlrath is his normal wonderful self here, and his vocal work reminds me a little of how it was on "The Good Left Undone."  The instrumental work?  I could find faults, but that's just if I want to split hairs.  Looking at Endgame, "Architects" is a fantastic way to open up that album, and it'll grow on you, don't you worry.

Dominic Lord - Old English

Dominic Lord, who's been around this neck of the woods before, is just one of those rappers that continually surprises you.  I appreciate his approach, I have to say.  He's got a little bit of a Kid Cudi vibe going on, but he's more about a minimal-art-somber kind of rap.  I quite like it.  Quite.  "Old English" has those mysterious piano notes in the background, along with some lovely bird chirping that kind of makes you want to be in a foggy English country house, but maybe that's me.  Dominic Lord kind of reminds me of GLC in "Angry Birds" here, but what "Old English" has is a more artful approach.  It's slick, but it definitely doesn't fall short in the whimsy category.  The rapping itself has that lovely melancholy feel that gets me every time, and it fits in right with the beats and that piano.  Dominic Lord, I can't wait to see how you'll surprise us next.

Within Temptation - The Truth Beneath The Rose

Man, Within Temptation is going to become the next Nightwish for me if this keeps up.  Weeks ago, I had planned to feature "Sinead," but I was rooting around Wikipedia, reading up on Sharon den Adel's biography, and noticed that it mentioned the Within Temptation song with her highest vocal note is "The Truth Beneath The Rose."  I went in for a listen, and now I'll have to save "Sinead" for another time.  Sorry, that's just how things work around here!  Knowing me, it won't be very long until that happens either.

"The Truth Beneath The Rose" definitely sounds a little higher than what I'm used to from Within Temptation, but I have no complaints.  It gives the track a very operatic feel.  I have to compare it to Nightwish in some senses, because it does sound like it could fit in on any Nightwish album.  Maybe not for Anette, but definitely Tarja.  Sharon den Adel puts a certain kind of power into this track, though, and that's what sets it apart from all the symphonic metal you've heard before.  "The Truth Beneath The Rose" is a little dark and creepy, but it still wraps a hand around you and won't let go.  The instrumental work is a very lovely mix of metal and classical, but it's combinations like that, that when done right, can grip you in a way like no other.  Not bad at all.

Avicii - Hey Brother

I'm guilty of going mainstream sometimes, I'll admit.  I was waiting for the Golden Globes to start last month and watching some music videos play on the website I'd found, and wouldn't you know, one was "Hey Brother" by Avicii.  I tried not to like it, really, but I'm weak in the knees for a good country dance song.  The good ones are few and far between, but they're out there (the P Smoov remix of Brent Amaker & the Rodeo's "Johnny's Theme," to name one).  I'm really not a big fan of Avicii outside of this track, but he at least got my attention.

"Hey Brother" has a heavy country-bluegrass feel to it, thanks to strong vocal work from bluegrass singer Dan Tyminski.  There's also the acoustic guitar, but it's brought to the dance genre through some strong percussion and clever DJing by Mr. Avicii.  I personally like the bluegrass elements a lot more than the dance ones in this, however.  It's more Dan's track than Avicii's to me.  Overall, it's a lovely modern twist to a genre that I'm never too sure how I feel about (country), and good kick of another genre to make something mainstream a little more likable to me (dance).  "Hey Brother" is still better than all that generic dance crap out there, and for that, I commend Avicii.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm

I think at least everyone has heard "Disarm" at least once in their lives.  You may not even know that it's The Smashing Pumpkins, but you've heard this one before, I know.  When I was at my parents' house last weekend, I actually heard it playing on the radio on some regular-normal-boring station, though I definitely wouldn't use any of those words to describe this song.  Off of 1993's Siamese Dream, "Disarm" is evidence of good songs that just keep getting better with age.  Though I enjoy The Smashing Pumpkin's heavier work, this acoustic bit with help from the string section is a little more accessible, and it gives "Disarm" a bit of a more personal and haunting atmosphere.  Billy Corgan is phenomenal, as usual, and maybe, just maybe, this is even more beautiful than "Lily (My One And Only)."  Some people can be scared off by the gritty 90's sound of the band, but songs like "Disarm" are what really shows that the band is both versatile, and one of the greatest alternative rock bands to ever grace the music scene.

Winds of Plague - Snake Eyes

I wasn't going to blog today, I really wasn't, but when I saw which song I had lined up next, I knew that I had to suck it up and just do it.  It's worth it, I told myself, and as sure as hell, it is.  I found Winds of Plague through the Century Media channel on Youtube, and I can't say no to deathcore, can I?  It's also a touch on the experimental side, and while Wikipedia says they're also symphonic black metal (who knows, though), I'm quite happy with whatever you want to call this.  "Snake Eyes" didn't really hit me hard until I listened to it on a snowy walk home from school a few weeks ago, so I suppose skipping the bus and going on foot pays off sometimes.

"Snake Eyes" is something special out of the new Winds of Plague material I found.  It's heavy, don't get me wrong, but there's something about the track that just seems so organic.  It could be the guitar work, Jonathan Cooke's vocals, or lyrics that are as haunting as they are insane (you can take the angel out of heaven, it doesn't mean she will shed her wings).  Really, "Snake Eyes" is the perfect deathcore song, because it doesn't make the fatal mistake of getting carried away with itself.  This song is about power, rather than piling on the cliches, and it shows in the final product.  The growling isn't too guttural either.  Everything works as it should, together, and all of that is why "Snake Eyes" will likely be on the Top 50 of 2014 list for me.

Parlours - I Dream of Chicago

Along with Brooke Waggoner, Parlours was also on Noisetrade's "Best of 2013" list, though the more I think about that, the longer ago it seems.  But here's some sweet indie for you now.  Parlours is an indie pop five-piece out of Des Moines, and perhaps the second best band to ever come out of the city (you know who the first is, deep inside, you've always known).  The entire EP I downloaded is full of lovely and sweet little tracks that really strike an emotional chord with the listener.  There's nothing generic about Parlours, they've got the touch.  Example A: "I Dream of Chicago."

I'd probably be dreaming of Chicago too if I was living in Des Moines, but the track itself is one of traveling the world, but always regretting what were you weren't able to do before it began.  Vocalists Dana Halferty and James Peterson (or Steve Bergeron...I don't know which male vocalist is which at this stage in my obsession) kind of remind me of a folkier version of Stars, along with more acoustic guitar and less keyboard and synths.  All in all, "I Dream of Chicago" is sweet, delicate, lovely...all those words that you would use to describe something that's simply perfect.

Britney Spears - Passenger

Yeezus aside, another album that I currently can't get enough of is Britney Jean by Britney Spears, of course.  People are either excited or not by the electro tinge that it has, but you know, I think that the album has a little something for everyone.  Like "Perfume," "Passenger" has that new sound but is still a throwback to her old days of strong and powerful pop songs.  And if you didn't know...Katy Perry helped write this song, so you've got double the pop divas in one track.  Where could you go wrong?  Nowhere, as long as you're the passenger (see what I did there?).  "Passenger" is another track that shows off Britney's vocal prowess in a way that's new, but still reminds you of the Britney you fell in love with back in the day.  Also, something that's always a high point for me, it's catchy as hell.  For the past few weeks, I've actually had "Passenger" stuck in my head on and off.  That's usually a good sign.  This is one car I wouldn't mind riding in.

Kanye West - Guilt Trip

I'm sure there will be one day when I finish going through Yeezus, but let's not worry about that right now, because there's still a ways to go.  Today's song is "Guilt Trip," a little something reminiscent of Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak days with those electro beats, samples and tuned voices, so you can expect that I like it.  However, for an electro-tinged rap song, "Guilt Trip" fittingly has a very somber kind of feel to it, and somber rap is some of the best rap out there.  The whimsical sampled bits (by Kid Cudi, if I'm not mistaken) and pieces also give the track something darker, but you'd expect that from this album.  "Guilt Trip" doesn't have the aggressive-in-your-face moments that some of the other tracks on the album have, but it does have a different side to Kanye within the words and production.  This is the Kanye I fell in love with during 808s & Heartbreak, and I'm glad to see he's back in this incarnation.

If you love me so much, then why'd you let me go?

Amon Amarth - Shape Shifter

Well, the mystery is finally solved.  Along with that Stone Sour album, the other one I got from HMV in their 2 for $20 deal was Deceiver of the Gods by Amon Amarth, those viking metal mongers out of Stockholm.  They're a band that actually hasn't been featured here before, despite them being the viking metal answer to Ensiferum...and they're touring with Skeletonwitch right now too!  Where can you go wrong?  Nowhere.  I think that the album is pretty strong as a whole, though it took some time for one to leap right out at me.  But when it did...

"Shape Shifter" is their signature melodic death metal with quite the catchy feel to it.  It's dark, it's quick, and those guitars.  Dear god, those guitars...  I like Amon Amarth too because you can always understand what they're saying through their screams, and if you like vikings and their mythology, you're going to like this one.  From what I've heard of Amon Amarth before Deceiver of the Gods, "Shape Shifter" is quite faster in tempo and loses a little bit of atmosphere, but I think it characterized the album quite well.  Amon Amarth knows how to do what they do best, while still keeping it fresh and updated at the same time.

Tribes - We Were Children

"We Were Children" by London's Tribes falls into the category of songs I sat on for more than a year and then rediscovered by accident thanks to the library being on shuffle.  This seems to be a recurring pattern now that I really think about it, but I suppose that's what comes with 8500 songs to my name.  And we're here now with Tribes, so that's what matters now.  "We Were Children" is a lush and organic alternative track that sounds exactly like it's come out of the London alt scene.  I definitely wouldn't call it generic either, because "We Were Children" is refreshing to what we see now, and it breathes life into a genre where it can hard to do just that.  Following the perils of growing up while remembering the fond past, we get a track that's as easy to relate as it lush, and that's a winning combination for me.