Everybody loves free stuff because, ya know, it’s free. When I was a kid, I got this book (not free) that listed this whole slew of stuff that you could get just by asking for it. I wrote letters to all sorts of different companies and ended up free books, free samples, and free toys. It was my guidebook for the begging, basically, and it got me just about everything I could’ve ever wanted.
Except one thing. It never got me Free Energy.
That’s probably because the Philadelphia band wouldn’t even join forces and use their now-buzzworthy name until 2007. I was like 25 years old by that point and had lost my free crap handbook like a decade and a half previous. But now, at the ripe age of 28, Free Energy is finally mine (and yours, I suppose). It’s something I always wanted, even though it didn’t exist until recently.
I sound ridiculous, I know. Nothing I’m saying is making even an iota of sense, but try to understand what I mean—since sometime in the late 1980s, there hasn’t been a single day that I haven’t wanted for upbeat, light-hearted rock, and Free Energy encapsulates that better than any indie band out there. It’s not angry or over-the-top or abrasive—just happy and energetic. Free energetic…
Look, it’s on me to put you guys on stuff that you’re actually going to be interested in listening to, but there’s not a single CD out there right now that’s less offensive and more universally loveable than Free Energy’s “Stuck on Nothing,” featuring, among other smile-worthy tracks, “Bang Pop,” which has seen the most mainstream success of any track on the record.
Not everything in life is free, but this Energy is. I mean, not in the sense that you won’t have to pay for the album, because you will, but in the sense that it’s out there for everyone to enjoy. As part of everyone, you’d be remiss not to join in the festivities. That part won’t cost you a thing.
How many Smiths are there in any given phonebook? Twenty? Eighty? Infinity? Eighty-one?
Let’s just agree that there’s a lot. According to the most recent census, “Smith” is the most common surname in the United States, tagged to 2.5 million Americans. That’s one whole friggin’ percent of the damn population. To be a true individual, one can not be a Smith. It’s a law. Look it up.
If one were, say, a Messersmith, however, we’re staring down the throat of an entirely different beast. The throat of this particular beast, Mr. Jeremy Messersmith, is one of golden vocal cords, and it’s been providing fans (even the regular Smiths) with complex, sweet, throwback pop for almost half a decade now. And he’s just getting started.
His 2010 release, “The Reluctant Graveyard,” is full of haunting yet soothing tracks like “Organ Donor,” and “Toussaint Gray,” but my favorite of the batch is “Violet!” which sounds like it should’ve been on the Forrest Gump soundtrack. It would be right at home in the late 1960s, but it’s also right at home here in the 21st Century, so I’m not sure how to classify it. If you like the Shins, you’d like Messersmith. Same kind of vibe.
It also just occurred to me that some of our readers are undeniably cursed with the last name of “Smith,” and that some of the things I said in the intro may have been offensive. I’m sorry your last name is more ubiquitous than Betty White. Maybe if you added a little Messer to your Smith you’d feel better. It worked for our boy Jeremy, didn’t it? And now he’s making great music and getting featured on FreshScouts.
Maybe it could work for you too. Just maybe…
Check out “Violet!” here:
And make sure you grab “The Reluctant Graveyard,” too!
I like the girl’s style. Let me just say that.
I’m not necessarily talking about Lissie’s music—which is obviously good or we wouldn’t be talking about her right now—but about the way she’s lived her 28 years of life.
After getting expelled from high school senior year (what must she have done for that to happen?), she got her diploma anyway at an alternative education center in Rock Island, Illinois, where she grew up. Spent two years at Colorado State, then a semester in Paris and finally onto the music business where she’s been ever since.
In 2008 Lenny Kravitz stumbled upon her MySpace page and invited her to open for him on his tour later that year. Now, in August of 2010, she’s finally got her first full album, “Catching a Tiger,” and it’s a doozy.
“Little Lovin’” is probably the most marketable track on the record, but “Record Collector” and “Cuckoo” have great pop potential, too. Lissie’s voice has this smoky, somber tone that sounds like it would be right at home in the 1960s. It’s emotionally charged yet tempered, and the music she runs behind the vocals is light and smooth.
She’d be a helluva live show, I have little doubt, but the album itself is a tight little work of art. Rough beginnings have led to what looks like quite a bit of success, proving once again that the stupid mistakes we make when we’re 17 don’t necessarily have to translate to our adult lives as well.
That’s why I like the girls’ style. It’s just a bonus that the music is so good, too.
Check out “Little Lovin’” here:
And for kicks and giggles, a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”:
And grab the album, out today at record stores (online or otherwise) everywhere!
Well looky here. I am featuring yet another artist from the UK. Maybe it’s because of all of the Monty Python I am watching and the tea I am drinking. My affinity for the UK aside, what it all comes down to is the fact that Florence and the Machine is jolly good. So jolly good, in fact, that I featured them back on June 28, 2010 in our Weekly Jukebox. Some time has passed and yet my love for their music has not waned. If anything, my love for Ms. Florence Welch has only grown stronger.
Why do I love the music of Florence and the Machine? Ah, let me count the ways.
- The cover art for Lungs is both beautiful and creepy all rolled into one. Therefore, I love it.
- The album is chocked full of stand along singles like “Kiss with a Fist”, “Dog Days Are Over”, and “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”.
- “Kiss with a Fist” is one helluva punky love song.
- The video for “Dog Days Are Over” is so incredibly artistic and creative. It also made me dream about Smurfs.
- Florence is breathtaking. Her voice, her style and her presence is magical. I get the sense that if I ever stumble into a enchanted forest, Florence would be waiting in a clearing welcoming me.
So yeah, the soulful indie rock styling of Florence and the Machine had me at hello. Their music is catching on in the States with tons of placements in popular television shows. All of you Twilight fans may also recognize her from the Eclipse soundtrack. As the summer continues on, you can rest assured knowing that you will be hearing Florence’s voice calling to you. Florence is getting everything thing she can get out of Lungs, and rumors are out there speculating on the much anticipated second album that is in the works. The music of Florence and the Machine is creative, bright, and powerful. Take time to sit down with some tea and crumpets and soak in the music of the incredibly talented Ms. Florence Welch.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Dog Days Are Over”, “Cosmic Love”, and “Kiss with a Fist”
Experience the video for “Dog Days Are Over”
Feel the love with “Kiss with a Fist”
Buy the Album
I’ve been a fan of Arcade Fire for quite some time now. I was first introduced to them during my formidable years in college when my young mind was being shaped for greatness in the real world. They were probably the first jump I made towards what I would understand to be Indie music (I was young then.) At the time, I never had the chance to read into the band’s history, which it turns out is a shame because their history is actually very interesting.
To start, the band is fronted by husband and wife duo Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. Like REAL husband and wife duo. Not like White Stripes husband and wife duo. It’s like you can hear the love in every one of their songs. It’s quite magical. Secondly, Chassagne used to sing jazz and played the recorder in a pre-Renaissance medieval band. I also used to play the recorder, but not as professionally as him. I’m still training. Thirdly, Butler’s grandfather is legendary swing-era musician Alvino Rey who is credited as being the father of the pedal steel guitar. Crazy right?
The thing that really drew me to this band in the first place is the plethora of sounds you’ll find throughout the albums. In their latest, Suburbs, you’ll find piano, guitar, violin, organ, synthesizer, accordion, washboard, spoons and the jug. Ok, maybe not ALL of those instruments are on the album, but they might play the others in their free time. You don’t know.
Buy The Suburbs:
