When I first heard “Bury Me Alive,” and saw that the name of the band attached to the track wasn’t Evanescence, I immediately hit up the internet to check if Amy Lee had latched onto a new band (the same way I felt the need to double-check that One Day as a Lion was a Zack de la Rocha project. It was).
It wasn’t Amy Lee, but it was Evanescence. Well, sort of. Three of the original members of the band recruited 2008 “American Idol” standout Carly Smithson and pretty much kept the same sound. I’m not kidding when I say Smithson sounds about 89-93% identical to Lee, and We Are the Fallen’s lone teaser track is as catchy and haunting as any Evanescence song. If you loved them, you’re gonna love this.
Having followed “Idol” pretty faithfully over the years (don’t pretend like you haven’t), I remember Smithson pretty vividly as the tattooed hottie with the Irish accent. She was a controversial contestant on the show at the time because she’d previously released an album with MCA before making the show, but she still finished sixth and obviously rode that newfound fame into a pretty sweet gig as the new Amy Lee.
Smithson was reportedly halfway through her first post-idol album when Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody contacted her about joining his new project. So the pop album was scrapped (to a degree—Smithson has said that she’s holding onto the finished tracks for a later solo project), and she officially joined up with We Are the Fallen in the summer of 2009. In the meantime, “Bury Me Alive” made enough waves to get the group signed to Universal, with a full album expected in the spring.
It’s not exactly a super-group, and it’s not exactly Evanescence, but We Are the Fallen is pretty darn close to both, and the little I’ve heard from them so far has been overwhelmingly good. We Are the Fallen is about rise.
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LikeThe Pixies had a profound impact on my appreciation for music. I know I am not alone with that statement. The Pixies helped usher in the alternative rock scene that hit in the early 90’s. On many occasions Kurt Cobain acknowledged the influence the Pixies had over the creation of Nirvana. It goes without saying that my teenage angst was set to the soundtrack of the Pixies’ 1989 release of Doolittle.
The Pixies came together in Boston in the mid 1980’s. Black Francis not only had the task of having a killer stage name, he also had the job of lead vocalist and songwriter for the group. Kim Deal slapped the bass and added incredibly memorable melodic vocal tracking. With David Lovering on drums and Joey Santiago on guitar the foursome known as the Pixies took the music industry by storm. To try and follow an album like Doolittle is like trying to follow a hyperactive rabbit running through a field of land mines while being chased by snownado. What I am trying to say is that from a lyrical stand point it is out there and at times straight up crazy. If you try and follow along with a lyric sheet you will find yourself saying, “what the what?” I have listened to many interviews with Black Francis where he admitted that the song witting wasn’t always supposed to mean something profound. So I advise you not to look for the secret meanings of life in the words and just enjoy the incredible music of it all.
Out of all of the albums in the Pixies catalog, Doolittle has always seemed the most polished. One of the most universally highlighted tracks is “Debaser”. The uncharacteristic surfer pop “Here Comes Your Man” adds a softer sound to the mix. “Wave of Mutilation” and “Monkey Gone to Heaven” are pure gems. Oh, and let’s not forget about “Hey”. I just doesn’t get any better than that.
Since Doolittle the band broke up, released some albums, got back together, broke up, and then focused on side projects. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Doolittle the gang got back together for a small tour which instantly sold out. That touring was extended into late 2009 and again into early 2010. There are now rumors floating around of a new Pixies album on the horizon. Could it be? While we wait for the good news you can sit back and take in the uniqueness of one of my favorite albums.
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Remixes. Some of us can’t get enough of them and some of us love to hate them, but one thing is true: if it’s done right a mash-up of music becomes something completely different and ear-catchingly awesome. You may have read our piece on Girl Talk a while back and, if you’re like us, fell in love with the complete disregard for song integrity (or even copyright laws.) Well, somewhere between that and a more subtle remix closer to that of the hit 90’s jam “One Sweet Day” comes the beginnings of the electrifyingly electronic Dan Black.
Completely disregarding what purists would call “butchering the song”, his remix of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” caused the web to stir in 2008. The signature beat mixed with the mild melody of one of gangster rap’s most famous set of lyrics created a song that was closer to a popular dance hit than a hard-core rapper’s delight. Now I know a lot of you are saying, “How dare he. One of those songs is a legendary jam by a music icon that shouldn’t have been changed.” All I can say is that I’m sure Rihanna doesn’t mind.
Check out the original video for yourself:
Now, for all of you out there that think, “Hey this is catchy, but I would like it better if it were more original.” That’s exactly what Dan Black was thinking when he went on to create the single “Symphonies” (recently featured on our Weekly Jukebox) for his brand new 2010 release UN. It wasn’t until I heard the songs back to back that I realized that he had taken what was surely an experimental mix-up and turned it into a song that was all his own (still retaining a little of the Rihanna flavor, but who could blame him?)
After listening to the full album, I found other tracks equally as catchy as the first single including “U + Me =”, “Alone” and “Yours.” He even remixes his single (which if you’ll remember is already a remix of a remix) with Kid Cudi. Pop in this album if you’re looking for a party…or if you want the party to look for you.
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If you like Dan Black, check out V.V. Brown!
Even though Ryan Seacrest wasn’t blaring it all over Top 40 radio, The Rocket Summer’s “So Much Love” was one of my favorite songs of 2007. At the time I had no idea it was just one guy—a long-haired whippersnapper named Stephen Bryce Avary—handling all the all instruments, but it was catchy as hell, really energetic, and overwhelmingly positive. I thought to myself, “This is great stuff,” and the track got an exclusive spot on my Shuffle for pretty much the rest of the year.
But then I forgot about it. You know how it is—songs that aren’t force-fed to you via repetitive radio play can sometimes get lost in the shuffle (so to speak), and with the amount of music I personally listen to, it was just sorta bound to happen. It won’t be the last time I forget about a group, but it also won’t be the last time a new album reminds me that I really, really like them.
So it goes with The Rocket Summer, whose new album, “Of Men and Angels,” brings a lot of the same things to the table I enjoyed so fervently with “So Much Love.” Avary’s grown up quite a bit in the last few years though (evidenced by cutting off several inches of his blonde mop and adding a Jack-from-“Lost” five o’clock shadow to his previously clean-shaven mug), and the new music shows how solid a grasp he’s gotten on writing tunes that’ are going to relate with fans.
The video for “You Gotta Believe,” for example, draws on fans’ webcam videos, used throughout the video. FS’s favorite cuts from the album include the slow-then-fast “Hills and Valleys,” as well as “I Need a Break” and “Hey!” The whole record, however, is very upbeat and playful, both musically and lyrically. Avary’s voice is one of those powerful, high-toned wails that comes off really strong despite not being anything even remotely close to classically trained, and the fact that he plays every single instrument you hear on the album just adds that much credibility to the guy.
As it turns out, I love The Rocket Summer, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to forget about him this time. I’ve also gone back and re-added “So Much Love” to the ol’ playlist. It’s a damn fine song, as are the fifteen new ones on “Of Men and Angels.” So screw Ryan Seacrest. You don’t need him to tell you what good music is.
That’s what Fresh Scouts is for.
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Gil Scott-Heron – “New York Is Killing Me”
A little electronic mixed with hefty hand clapping makes the simplicity of this song completely unique. Add in an old blues man voice and it’s something you’ve never heard before. Plus, the guy has two last names so that counts for something.
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Helping Haiti – “Everybody Hurts”
A classic song already, “Everybody Hurts” has been re-made to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. A great song plus a great cause is a winner in our book.
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Brandi Carlile – “Dreams”
We loves us some Brandi Carlile. This song has some rockin’ acoustic with her signature pipes. It’s very melodic and has some pretty great harmonies. You’ll know by the end that Brandi Carlile has dreams. Oh yes, she’s got dreams.
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