New Direction

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Keane /Music

I didn't care much for Keane when 'Under the Iron Sea' was released, but surprise surprise! They have added some electro flavor to their music. Now who's listening?

Here's the pretty trippy music video for their first single from their recently released album Perfect Symmetry.

Synth makes anything better. But the Sugagbabe's cover of "Spiralling" is noteworthy. So is Keane's cover of "With Or Without You" by U2.

ENJOY.

Secondary

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thenewno2 /Music

Do you ever wonder what kind of life the kids of famous musicians lead? Would having a rockstar dad be cool or shameful? Well here we have the son of a Beatle trying to make music like his father did once.

Dhani Harrison (left), son of George Harrison, formed thenewno2 with Oliver Hecks (right) back in 2006. They had released their EP, and recently their debut album, You Are Here. I wouldn't call it typical British Indie Rock, but that's the simplest way to describe their musical style.

When I first heard them, they sounded like a more approachable version of The Kills, especially in the tracks where Amanda Butterworth contributes the female vocals. They also claim to be heavily influenced by Blues. It's an impressive collection of work, considering Harrison hadn't plan on making music until his father's death. (In undergrad he studied Physics and Industrial Design at Brown University!)

Not Only Viagra

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Miracles Of Modern Science /Music

"I found a band from Princeton that's gonna make it big."
"Are they as good as Vampire Weekend?"
"No. Even better."

That's is how I heard out about Miracles of Modern Science, or MoMS as M and I call them. Already garnering a good amount of attention, MoMS is not just another crappy Ivy League band. First of all, they wear space suits on stage (a gimmick that I hope they would entirely drop in the near future). Second, the only standard instrument in their arrangement is a drum set. The others include a mandolin, violin, cello and a standup bass. I don't think I can really describe what it sounds like. You'll just have to listen to understand the fresh ingenuity of their material.

Here's a recording of their performance:

Who would've thought anything good could come out of Jersey?

Homicide

Why am I suddenly posting so much? Because I have midterms to procrastinate for!

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The Kills /Music

Possibly more famous for one of its members dating the super-coke-hea-I mean model- Kate Moss, this garage rock duo still deserves the same attention just with their music. I never knew I could ever appreciate garage rock. I had assumed it should duly stay in the... garage. But like I've mentioned before, I'm a sucker for guy-girl vocals, and the British-American duo lend both of their voices in a lot of the tracks.

via roxysnow88

The Kills is comprised of an American Girl, Alison "VV" Mosshart, and a British Lad, Jamie "Hotel" Hince (a level up from Pete Dohoerty, I must say Kate). It explains the true cross-Atlantic sensibility of their material. It's dirty, grimey English post-punk yet American rock 'n' roll at the same time. Maybe this is gross imagery, but if you amplified the sound of putting out a cigarette in a puddle of semen, it might sound like The Kills. Sadly, I missed their show last week at Music Hall of Williamsburg. They're currently touring for their new album, Midnight Boom.

I wish I could like studying as much as I liked listening to music.

Frankophile

RECYCLE:
I realized that the old youtube video of '3 Little Words' by FRANKMUSIK that I posted a while back doesn't work anymore. Why? Because he replaced it with a new one!


I still like the older video and recording better, but I can't seem to find it at all...

Here are a few more tracks and remixes that you ought to listen


He's releasing the new EP, 3 Little Words, on November 24th.
I can't wait until he comes to New York. Please, please, Vincent!

Astronomic

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Stars /Music


I discovered Stars in one of The O.C. soundtracks that that I got as a birthday present a few years ago. Their song, "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead," had really caught my attention. And coincidentally, I read about their remix album, Do You Trust Your Friends, in WIRED magazine the following week.

This Canadian band is comprised of both a male and female vocal that softly meshes their voice with the rock instrumentation. I'd always been a sucker for co-ed vocals. Stars was an amazing discovery for me at the time when I had only begun to listening to music other than asian pop.

via Brooklyn Vegan

They played at Terminal 5 (a place that I resent for it's all-ages policy) on Sept 20th. They played most of their newly released EP, Sad Robots, with a matching futurisitic-sea-harbor backdrop. It was great hearing their songs live, but I won't lie, their set was a bit too long and I was getting a little bored towards the end. A lot of their material is a bit too mellow for my liking, and that's why I love their remix album.

This is the accurate set list compiled by M:
The Night Starts Here
Ageless Beauty
Soft Revolution
Window Bird
ReunionViolent
Bitches in Tokyo
My Favourite Book
Going, Going, Gone
Look Up
Midnight Coward
A Thread Cut with a Carving Knife
Undertow
What I'm Trying to Say
Elevator Love Letter
Your Ex-Lover is Dead
-
Take Me to the Riot
One More Night (Your Ex-Lover Remains Dead)
Calendar Girl
Heart

Archduke

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Franz Ferdinand /Music


I'm a horrible blogger, I know. I haven't posted regularly, but it's because I've been too busy going to concerts and studying for midterms (mechanical engineering = death). But I just have to brag about the show that I went to tonight. Luckily, I got a ticket from craigslist to the secret Franz Ferdinand show an hour before doors opened.

They performed at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, which, by no surprise, has an eerily similar layout and feel to Bowery Ballroom. It was my first time in Williamsburg (aka Hipster Mecca or "This place is so gentrified it can't be Brooklyn"), so I found it a bit ironic that I was there to see a band with such mainstream success.

After the awful opening act, they got on stage with a song called 'Ride Together' from their new album. Kapranos announced that the album will be called Tonight. I also read on NME that it's meant to be a dance album, with beat rates that are more dance-friendly than their previous You Could Have It So Much Better. But even with the new material, they had retained their old sound by using their signature guitar riffs and sensibilities.

via SoundBitesNYC

Franz Ferdinand is a cute band with a very likable aesthetic. I feel like it borrows a lot from the 70's, but even when not, the entire band always has a tailored look. This was my second time seeing them (first being the crazy outdoor performance at Pentaport Rock Festival two years ago). Tonight's show was much more intimate because it was at a small venue with an older audience, but I think some of the bloody brits went a bit crazy behind us... as usual.

Setlist that I attempted to compile:
Ride Together*
Michael
Tell Her Tonight
Turn It On*
Dark of the Matinee
Send Him Away*
This Boy
Katherine Kiss Me*
Take Me Out
40'
Ulysses*
What She Came For*
Outsider
On Fire
*=from Tonight

Play some of their new tracks:

I'm excited for their new album!