The Temper Trap - Conditions (5/5)
"Conditions" was released in 2009 by the Australian band The Temper Trap. I first heard them in the movie "(500) Days of Summer" where their song "Sweet Disposition" is featured. I must say that this is the best album I've heard, front to back, in the past year. I am a little late in finding them but I have enjoyed this album nonstop for the past two weeks. They are like a mix between The Killers and Coldplay before "Viva la Vida". They have a sort of airy, transcendent tone to their songs. They are not quite as grandiose in their songs as The Killers but their main strength is making good songs, period. "Sweet Disposition" and "Love Lost" are my favorite songs but the entire album is fantastic. They start their songs low and build to this layered crescendo that takes you on a journey and it's all set with a great backbeat. I just hope they keep up with their formula because it works. (Review by The Yellow)
Sweet Disposition
Love Lost
Civil Twilight - Civil Twilight (5/5)
I just got to check out this album today. I have heard this band on the radio quite a bit but never really paid attention to who they are. I was on iTunes Ping today and noticed my brother was listening to them so I checked them out. Once again, this is a fantastic album. Civil Twilight is a trio from South Africa who have this dark, melodic tone that reminds me of Radiohead or U2 or Death Cab for Cutie. Their singer has a great vocal range and reminds me of Bono a little. What I really like about them is that they strike a balance of sounding like older more established bands but they are unique on their own as well. They're not a U2 cover band or Coldplay if they played ominous songs. My favorite tracks are "Letters from the Sky", "Anybody Out There", and "Soldier". I love U2 and Coldplay and some Radiohead and Civil Twilight blends them all together on a fantastic album. (Review by The Yellow)
Letters from the Sky
Anybody Out There
Soldier
The Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event (4.5/5)
The Airborne Toxic Event is a band I discovered at 3am one morning watching VH1, because you can't see videos on VH1 or MTV unless it's 3am. I have to admit I was at first only interested because I saw what I thought was an Asian lead guitarist. But I listened to their song "Sometime Around Midnight" and was instantly hooked. I did some research and found out the band is from L.A. who started getting attention on KROQ, which is the premier rock radio station in L.A. The weird thing was, they started getting airplay even thought they had no record deal, which is unheard of. Their lead singer and songwriter formed the band after finding out, within the same week, that his mother had cancer, his girlfriend broke up with him, and he found out he had an autoimmune disorder. He began writing songs and found some other musicians and formed the band. They're a pretty normal rock band besides the only female member who plays viola. They released a self-titled album and it's a great album. The lyrics are different in that their lead singer is a writer first and musician second. Their songs are stories from his life and their songs aren't all in the basic intro, verse, chorus, bridge formula. In fact, "Sometime Around Midnight" doesn't even have a chorus. It's like REM's "Losing My Religion". Each song is catchy and extremely listenable, which I'm not sure is a word. The songs are fairly short and incredibly enjoyable if you like solid rock with a small viola twist. They also released acoustic versions of their songs on YouTube which are also fantastic. (Review by The Yellow)
Sometime Around Midnight
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (5/5)
Phoenix is a French rock band I first heard on Fuse. "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" was released in 2009 and the first song I heard by them was "1901". I'm very much into alternative rock that uses synthesizers along with the usual electric guitars and drums. The first thing that struck me was their drummer. The particular drummer on this album is a freelance drummer of sorts. His drumming is tight and perfectly fits every song. I'll be honest, I don't have a clue as to what they're talking about on many of their songs, but the hooks and riffs are too catchy to be ignored. They strike a great balance between being radio friendly while still not falling into a cliche version of the rock genre. The entire album is great but my personal favorites are "Lisztomania", "1901", "Lasso", "Girlfriend", and "Armistice". I know that's almost half the album but this album is fantastic, in my mind. (Review by The Yellow)
Lisztomania
1901
Keane - Hopes and Fears (5/5)
"Hopes and Fears" was released back in 2004 so this review is a little behind. This was the debut album from Keane, a three man band from England. They were billed as a Coldplay-like band, although this can only be because of the timing of their debut. They are made up of a singer, keyboardist, and drummer, although they also use session bassists. Their keyboardist is actually responsible for Coldplay's name as he was a friend of several of Coldplay's members. The first single I heard from this album was "Somewhere Only We Know". Back in 2004, I was still listening to the radio and this song caught my ear. The vocals range from quietly melodic to Bono-like soaring. The piano parts are the meat of the songs with simple but catchy melodies. The drums, while rather basic, are the backbone of the album and set-up the groove. The songs are all tight with each member contributing the necessary ingredients. Most of the album is low key and mellow although many of the songs, such as "We Might As Well Be Strangers" and "Sunshine", use grandiose vocals to push the dynamics into a new range. This was my favorite album for most of 2004 and it's still solid in 2010. (Review by The Yellow)
Somewhere Only We Know
Sunshine
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