Dude, you need to relax. Slip on your flip flops, grab some lotion with a good SPF, and head on down to the beach. It is officially summer and that means it is time to “chill out” and “hang ten”. That’s what the kids are saying nowadays, right? While you are frying on the hot sand you are going to need some tunes that will mellow you out. Thankfully singer-songwriter Justin James paddles by on his surf board blasting the good vibes that you are seeking.
J.J.
I don’t want to be a downer, but you need to know that a few years ago Justin was attacked by a tiger shark while he was surfing. Yeah, a tiger shark. That brush with death gave Justin a deeper appreciation for life and his music reflects his renewed focus on living life to its fullest. The music that springs forth on Justin’s second major label release, Perfect Sometimes, is collection of warm feel good tracks. This album is a follow up to his 2007 debut, Sundrenched, which garnered a lot of attention with placement on a string of television shows.
So here is the deal. We here at Fresh Scouts give you the permission to cut out of work early, drop all of your responsibilities and make a b-line for the nearest beach or water park. On the way there you will need to take the top down or shove your head out the window. And what should you be listening to on this most awesome get away? Well, Justin James of course. You’re welcome.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Perfect Sometimes”, “Missed Again”, and “Stay Close To Me”
Check out the video for “Perfect Sometimes”
Buy the Album
LikeThere’s an ancient Greek myth about a dude named Orpheus who lost his wife Eurydice to the underworld due to a series of very nasty poisonous snake bites, on their wedding day of all times. The story could end there and still suck, but it gets worse.
Orpheus travels to the underworld and so moves Hades with his beautiful, mournful songs, that he agrees to release both he and his bride-to-be back into the upper world with one, admittedly odd, condition: Orpheus must lead the way, Eurydice must follow silently behind, and Orpheus can never look back at her until both have reached the upper world.
The moment he set foot back on solid earth, he turned to gaze upon the face of his beloved, forgetting that they both had to be in the upper world before he could look back. Eurydice, of course, got sucked back down to hell and Orpheus never would see her again.
Your asking yourself what this story has to do with popular music, and it’s a valid question. The answer is simpler than you think, and her name is Anais Mitchell. An Ani DiFranco product, Mitchell is a soulful, talented songwriter who in March of 2010 finally released a recording of “Hadestown,” her folk opera based on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.
The term “folk opera” sounds like it’d be the lamest genre of music in the history of life, but the score to “Hadestown” is so diverse and emotional and—dare I say—blessed with the hard-to-achieve virtue of relistenability, that it’s anything but boring. Featuring such talented musicians such as DiFranco, Bon Iver, and a folk artist named Greg Brown that’s got one of the most guttural, affecting voices in the genre.
My personal favorites are “Way Down Hadestown,” “How Long?” and “Hey, Little Songbird,” but there are a ton of tracks on this record that could be stand-alone successes. A few are a little experimental, but there’s a reason this Anais Mitchell album (and the live show it’s based off of) has been so critically acclaimed. It’s smart, moving music, but with a story like this one, how could it not be?
It’s a musical experience you won’t regret you had. You won’t look back. In fact, you’re forbidden to. Just like Orpheus.
Buy Hadestown:
When most of you hear the name Hanson the first thing you think of is three skinny white kids with long hair happily humming along the ramblings of a song we’ve all come to (secretly) love. Many of you may remember their 2004 release Underneath with the hit song “Penny & Me” which was plastered all over MTV for what seemed like years. I, admittedly, thought the song was catchy and since then have gained a new-found respect for the brothers. Not because I never saw them as musicians. It was just hard to imagine the same guys that created the “Mmmbop” craze becoming serious musicians.
After stumbling across their latest release Shout It Out, I’ve come to realize that these guys actually have a style closer to the Gabe Dixon Band or Matt Wertz than the bubble gum pop that got them started. Their latest release is extremely catchy and includes more mature musical instrumentation (which it appears has continually emerged over time.) Make sure to check out “Waiting For This” and “Making It Out Alive” for some of that catchy pop I talked about a sentence ago.
If you’re looking to check Hanson out this summer, they are hitting up the tour scene hard in the U.S. right now. We plan on catching them at the House of Blues in Chicago in August and plan on reminiscing on “Mmmbop” for the rest of our lives. What can I say, it brings back memories.
Check out the video for their new single “Thinkin’ Bout’ Somethin’”:
Oh, and also “Mmmbop” for old time’s sake:
Buy the album:
Pardon my French, but gosh darn if Chiddy Bang isn’t frickin’ awesome.
If I ended the article right there, would you go out and buy the gang’s debut mixtape, “The Swelly Express?” Probably. But, I’m going to explain to you why it’d be a good idea anyway, just in case you’re not completely convinced.
But seriously, they’re frickin’ awesome.
First and foremost, let the record state that Chiddy Bang—comprised of rapper Chidera “Proto” Anamege, producer Noah “Xaphoon Jones” Beresin, and a handful of talented others—does a lot of their work by sampling indie rock and flipping it into some sort of B.A. hip-hop/electronica hybrid that Pro can rap to.
Perhaps their most popular song, “The Opposite of Adults,” samples MGMT’s “Kids” and has this rolling vibe that just screams summer hit. Other samples on their first two mixtapes include “Better Things” by Passion Pit, “Chicago” by Sufjan Stephens, and “Bulletproof” by La Roux, which we featured on our Jukebox once upon a time.
Every song on both records has hit potential. The beats are ridiculously hot and the way Proto rocks the beats is flawless. The man knows how to ride an instrumental. Imagine 50 Cent, but without the marbles in his cheeks and significantly more musical credibility.
They’re on tons of charts worldwide, but haven’t really hit the U.S. just yet, despite the fact that these guys are from Philadelphia. Soon, though, I imagine that they’ll be too good for their fellow Americans to ignore.
If there’s a place for Justin Bieber in today’s music industry, there’s definitely a place for Chiddy Bang. Gosh darn it.
Here’s the video for “Opposite of Adults,” then an audio link for the next single, “Truth”:
Buy The Opposite of Adults here:
Seattle has churned out some great stuff over the years. Great coffee, what was the SuperSonics, that super-sweet Needle thing, a baseball team that brought Ken Griffey Jr. to super-stardom and, in-turn, created one of the best baseball video games of all time. The list goes on. And at the top of that list, is Band of Horses.
This relatively new rock group, first formed in 2004, created a total of three award-winning albums. I’m not actually certain they were “award-winning” in the literal sense of the term, but you get the point. Plus, you know they’re pretty big if they have the “Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week”. Yeah, they’re kind of a big deal.
Their most recent album, Infinite Arms, released in May 2010 is a great mix of their signature melodic rock sound. Their style has hints of Silversun Pickups, The Shins and The Strokes but remember: it’s only hints. Band of Horses have a style all their own and it would be insulting to insinuate otherwise. You got a lot of nerve.
These guys make the rounds all over the world, but if you get the chance to check them out on tour, they have a few U.S. dates already planned for this summer. I hear they put on a great show, plus there might be horses there. Who knows.
Overall, if you’re looking for a great album to chill to this summer, pick up anything by Band of Horses. And if you’re not looking for a great album to chill to this summer, pick up anything by Justin Bieber.
Check out the old school video for their first single “The Funeral” from their first album Everything All the Time:
Buy Infinite Arms:
