Best Of The Year 2011: First Half Update

This is the second edition of Muzik Dizcovery's quarterly update. Every staff member will put out a top five list, allowing them to indicate their absolute favorite records of 2011. Additionally, it will be able to alert you of albums that you may not have heard of otherwise. This list does not only include albums that have been released as of June 30th, as any album that we have heard so far this year is free to be included. You can read the first quarter update here. All the lists can be seen below the jump.

Album Review: Taking Back Sunday-Taking Back Sunday

Taking Back Sunday is Taking Back Sunday, forever and always. For many, this may be welcome news, as the band has quite literally become legendary since their domination of the last decade. And how couldn’t they be? In the mid-2000’s Taking Back Sunday defined the angst-lite pop-punk movement that listeners couldn’t escape from. However, despite their reliance on the somewhat juvenile themes of being under appreciated and “the complexities of adolescence,” Taking Back Sunday made a name for them, and in the process, garnered a bevy of fans, and a load of critical praise. Yet it can’t be helped to think that Taking Back Sunday have reached the bottom of their bag of tricks, and in the process, have reached the end of their creativity.

Contest: The Summer Set

Muzik Dizcovery is proud to announce our first contest. In honor of The Summer Set's upcoming album Everything's Fine, we have a prize pack which includes a signed CD and signed poster from the band. Though the album isn't breaking any ground, it's a solid pop-rock album that shows growth from the band's debut LP Love Like This. The goal of the contest is to create the best album title using only words from the song titles of Everything's Fine. Rules can be found below. The contest ends on July 15th.

Interview With Blindside

Blindside has been around for longer than I've enjoyed music, as their first release came out in 1996. After taking a five year hiatus, the band is back with their new album With Shivering Hearts We Wait. The band graciously offered to take up some of their time to answer some of my questions, which include comparisons to the band's past releases, charting on Billboard, nu-metal, an upcoming US tour, and many other things which you can see below.

Artist Spotlight: Grouplove

I don’t like EP’s. That may sound a little ignorant, but to me the vast majority of them are either made up of half-arsed ideas not deemed good enough for full albums, or are stop-gaps which are simply rehashed once the LP drops. I still listen regardless, since they waste comparatively little of my time, but it usually takes something quite exceptional to really catch my attention within such a format. One band who did just that earlier in the year, though, were LA quintet Grouplove, with their self-titled debut release.

Revolving around themes such as the beach and surfing, their brand of sun-drenched indie-pop hardley represents pastures new, but there's an undeniable warmth and bounce to their songs which can put last year's slacker stars like Wavves and Best Coast to shame. In truth, not all of the six tracks hit the spot, but those which do hint at a rich potential which could be realised come the release of their full-length in September. They may have missed a trick with the autumn release date, as it’s bound to sound great in hazy afternoon festival slots, but if the rest of the record meets the golden standard set by signature song "Colours" then it really wont matter.

The album, entitled Never Trust a Happy Song is due to be released on September 5th in the UK, and September 13th in the US. In the meantime, you can stream most of the EP on the band’s Myspace.

Album Review: American Verse - Standard Emotions EP

Standards have certainly been set for the American Verse clan to live up to on the scene that is pop-punk, having been compared to the likes of Saves the Day, and the gone but not forgotten The Movielife. With an album title the likes of 'Standard Emotions' anyone would be inclined to think that this seemingly humble foursome, hailing from Massachusetts, were selling themselves a tad short among such strong competition. But the candid pop-punk nature of an EP that learns from a motto of 'failure not success' does anything but that. It's evidently this get up and get go attitude that gives an EP, eagerly reliant upon the animated and headstrong culture it's involved in, a head start.

Album Review: The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing

One of the few but significant drawbacks to releasing critically acclaimed music is the expectation of a follow up of equal or greater value. Philadelphia, PA based pop punk giants The Wonder Years know all too well of this caveat, with the huge success that was their 2010 release The Upsides. Up to the release of The Upsides, The Wonder Years had been a gimmicky pop punk band featuring breakdowns, goofy lyrics, and Nintendo synth lines. However, from the day that The Upsides went public, The Wonder Years have no doubt been dreading the weight that was the demand for another album that could compete with The Upsides. Daringly titled Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing, The Wonder Years’ follow up unquestionably delivers. Suburbia is everything that should be expected from the talented group that created The Upsides. Released June 14th, 2011, it is the band’s debut on Hopeless Records.

Bomb the Music Industry - Vacation

Ska-punk collective Bomb the Music Industry! has gained quite a following over their career. Led by the always eccentric Jeff Rosenstock, the band has become a swinging door of artists, seeing many contributors come and go, offering up their talents to make each effort wholly unique. BTMI! will release their newest album, entitled Vacation next month on July 26th.

Vacation came about after a, well, vacation. During his trip to Belize, Rosenstock felt compelled to write the band’s eighth album, which interestingly enough is about “building a home.” Guest Musicians this time around include members from Bayside, Andrew Jackson Jihad, and Fake Problems. Vacation looks to be true to the band’s fun, catchy, and exciting nature, and is sure to be an instant fan pleaser, as BTMI! have really hit their stride with their past few releases.

Be sure to check out Bomb the Music Industry!’s Vacation when it hits July 26th. In the meantime, the ridiculously consistent band has a literal wealth of material to sink one’s teeth into, so what are you waiting for?

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Album Review: Beau Navire - Hours

Beau Navire’s Hours hearkens back to the emo of yesteryear, a sentiment that should have any genre fan chomping at the bit to get a taste of what this band has to offer. Sure, one can hear a dash of Orchid, and a dash of Saetia, but the real sweetener here is what the band manages to do on their own, and that is craft a wonderful, immense album, worthy of putting them ahead of their peers.

Hours is an intense album, to say the least. Fast, powerful, and emotional, the album is in no way for the faint of heart. Yet therein lays the beauty of it, as Hours is a return to the veritable passions of emo’s storied history; a record that perfectly captures the exhilarating nature of the music before the negative connotations, and before the grossly disproportionate stereotypes.

Album Review: There For Tomorrow - The Verge

There For Tomorrow has always been a band lumped in with the wrong category of acts. Touring with bands such as We The Kings, Mayday Parade, Every Avenue, and All Time Low may have scared of some of the band's more suitable potential fans, as There For Tomorrow never fit within the genre of that group of bands. On the band's Hopeless Records debut self titled EP and LP A Little Faster, the band showed a knack for crafting contagious hooks while surrounding them with powerful, crushing guitar riffs and lead singer Maika Maile's outstanding vocals. With The Verge, the band attempts to break out of their pop-rock image, drastically improving the instrumentals and musicianship, while Maika's vocals improve from excellent to unbelievable. But something seems missing in The Verge, as the charm and appeal of the band's past work seems to have disappeared.

Nazca Lines

It's hard to believe the talent and skill of some groups of people. Nazca lines are pictures drawn in the ground (some over 200 meters long) by ancient Peruvian civilizations. The crazy part is that these enormous pictures were done without pretty much any technology, or any ability to actually see the entire picture. Just like the Nazca people, Nazca Lines (the punk band) is a group of extremely talented individuals, showing off their skills in their artistic field. Reminiscent of bands like At The Drive In, Refused, and Fugazi, the band showcases powerful, heavy guitar riffs  along with emotional shouts a la Cedric Bixler or Geoff Rickly. The band also enlisted the musical genius of The Blood Brothers' guitarist Cody Votolato for extra guitar on a couple of tracks, just adding to the band's widespread sound. These talented boys will be releasing their upcoming album on August 23rd via Stressed Sumo Records, and be sure to check them out on the label's website.

Album Review: Title Fight - Shed

Kingston, PA based punk band Title Fight puts forth their first full length effort in Shed, released May 3^rd, 2011 through SideOneDummy Records. Despite their previous lack of a full length, Title Fight still has managed to earn a reputation as a hype band within their scene, mostly through the accolades awarded to the group by their peers. Title Fight’s previous efforts have solely been through EP’s and demos that date back as far as 2003, Title Fight delivers with Shed, proving their worth on a full length.

Another Free Alternativ News Sampler: A Pop-Punk Summer

It appears that the French have good taste in pop-punk. French webzine AlternativNews has already released one excellent sampler of pop-punk, punk, and hardcore music this year, and now have just put up another great one full of rising bands for free download. This sampler is perfect for summer drives, as upbeat pop-punk tunes of all kinds are accented. The poppier side contains I Call Fives, Handguns, The Offseason, and Washington Square Park, while fans of gruffer voices may enjoy Living With Lions, The Story So Far, Crucial Dudes, or Rust Belt Lights. Other personal favorites on the sampler include Carridale, State Champs, and Our Life Story, but there isn't a poor band out of the thirty three tracks. There's no harm in downloading or streaming, so you can check it out here. Put it on your iPod, click shuffle, and take a drive down abandoned streets with friends. This is what summer is all about.

The Dear Hunter-The Color Spectrum (Complete)

As bold as this may sound, The Dear Hunter’s multi-EP project, The Color Spectrum, is one of the most exhilarating, forward-thinking, and creative musical endeavors of the past several years. Casey Cresenzo and company have truly outdone themselves, creating a thematic package almost too grand in scope to be digestible. These pieces that make up the entire project aren’t half-assed demos thrown together to make a semi-coherent, pretentious concept, but rather, a fully realized, sincerely crafted collection of thoughtful songs. Some hit, while others miss, but regardless, The Color Spectrum has potential to be the soundtrack to almost anyone’s summer.

Artist Spotlight: Cassie

A rare gem in post-rock is finding a fantastically good vocal-centered band that still commits to the expansively broad, yet still duly familiar sound of post-rock bands we all know and love. Cassie shows us that it has everything it takes to do their debut EP, Something You've Always Wanted To Hear. The EP has the capability of changing the mood of the listener in a split second, and Sofia Thurén's harmonious, melancholic vocal addition makes the depressive EP bittersweet, but a pain absolutely worth trudging through, much redeemed by the gratuitous hope inspired by "Tin Cans and String". I was really hoping to hear more vocal experimentation in albums this year, and Cassie brought it upon me with a well-orchestrated gusto. I was fantastically pleased, and this is only the beginning for the band. They have the potential to take off in any direction they choose.
You can stream the album here, with a free download link on the page.

Best Of The Year 2011: My First Half Honorable Mentions

I just finished putting together my section for the Best Of The Year 2011: First Half Update post, and I figured it would be much easier to put all of my honorable mentions in this one post, rather than taking up lines of space and taking over the entire feature. This does not include every album I enjoy that I've heard so far this year; instead it is more of a "best of the best". Any record that I have heard this year that will be seen in the future with a 2011 release date is eligible for this list, and I would suggest for everyone to listen to any record on here that seems even somewhat interested. The first half update will be up on the first day of July. You can read my honorable mentions below, with my "first five missed" bolded.

Interview with Jeremy Larson

This is the second interview that was originally posted at TheAlbumProject.Net, which has since become the new music and streaming site liisten.com.  The interview was conducted just before the release of Larson's most recent album They Reappear.  In this previously unavailable interview, I got to talk to Larson about upcoming projects with Stacy Dupree of Eisley and Darren King of MuteMath, learning the violin, and how music blogs are taking over the industry.

Sweatshirt Weather - Getting By

Three years ago, my go-to site to find new music was Purevolume. I spent all day finding new pop-rock bands that basically died out within the year. After a while, every band simply started to sound exactly the same to me, as none of them ever stood out to me. While Sweatshirt Weather isn't a game changing band, they're damn good at what they do, which is constructing extremely catchy hooks alongside perfectly mixed synths. "However We Can" ditches the synths for piano, creating a track that Andrew McMahon would be upset he hadn't thought of first as well as the highlight on Getting By. Many pop-rock bands struggle to obtain sustainability with their tracks, but Sweatshirt Weather has constructed one of the most memorable pop-rock EPs since Holiday Parade's This Is My Year. The EP will be out on July 5th, and you can follow the band on Facebook here.

Album Review: Helms Alee - Weatherhead

Allow me to profess my undying love for Hydra Head Records. Created in 1993 by then high school student Aaron Turner (of ISIS fame), the independent label is now home to a bevy of well respected acts, all hailing from different ends of the musical spectrum. Cave-In, Kayo Dot, and Jesu—legendary groups in their own right-- all call this label their home. Add another band to list of excellent and established bands, for coming out of left field is Helms Alee, sporting their superbly executed sophomore album, Weatherhead.

Album Review: Frankie & The Heatrstrings - Hunger

We’ve had a pretty depressing lack of good indie-pop here in the UK over the past few years. Sure, there have been plenty of bands breaking through, but none in the vain of Franz Ferdinand or Maximo Park who made the art of writing an irresistible hook sound effortless when the genre was in an altogether more healthy state little over five years ago. Nowadays, we’re stuck with bands who value brains above danceability, which has left us with a batch of interesting, but ultimately soulless music which takes far more effort to enjoy – effort which, to be frank, is better exerted elsewhere. What most these bands don’t seem to understand is that while technical rhythms and outlandish influences can occasionally work a treat, there is still little that beats a good, catchy tune, and that sometimes the simplest pleasures can, in fact, be the best.

Album Review: Días de Septiembre

Días de Septiembre (Days of September) is a fantastic example of how the influence of the core post-rock sound can stretch all over the world, and inspire musicians everywhere to take this inspiration and run with it. Originating in Caracas, Venezuela in 2008, the band recently released their self-titled debut to show off their stuff, and they have a very accessible, tried-and-true sound to the educated instrumental rock listener.

Interview with Seth Roberts (Lakes/Watashi Wa/Bonnie Dune)

The following interview was originally posted at TheAlbumProject.Net, which has since become the new music and streaming site liisten.com.  The interview was conducted September 6, 2010 in the days following the release of the band's most recent album The Agreement.  In this previously unavailable interview, I got to talk to Seth Roberts about the disappearance of the band for 4 years, the personal stories that made up The Agreement, and being an unsigned band.

Album Review: WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

Every so often, a new band comes along that is so blatantly special that we come to expect nothing but the very best from them even in the preliminary stages of their career. Such acts aren’t common, but when they do appear there is always the danger of them becoming weighed down by the colossal burden of expectation that is thrust upon their shoulders, and that’s the concern I had for WU LYF. Whether it be through their spellbinding early releases or their bizarre anti-marketing scheme, the Manchester quartet have generated an enormous buzz over recent months, with spectators even hailing them as the next great hope in a city with supremely rich musical heritage. Living up to such billing is no enviable task, but this debut LP goes a long way towards justifying such praise as well as emulating the success of their spiritual forefathers.

Album Review: Relient K - K is for Karaoke (Cover EP)

Cover albums are always just an opportunity for a band to spend lots of time playing and singing their favorite songs, but at least Relient K is willing to own up to the fact.  Their collection of 7 extremely varied covers is titled K is for Karaoke, unabashedly allowing their listeners to imagine the 6 guys crouching over a karaoke index picking their favorite songs to sing (or poke fun at).  If this is karaoke, however, then it is the best karaoke anyone has ever heard, with lots of modern production polish and exceptional vocal performance.  Vocalist Matt Thiessen usually flings out vocals with seemingly no effort, but his performance on the EP’s best track—Gnarls Barkley’s  “Crazy"—belies his impressive talent.  He has flawless control and a comfortable, soaring falsetto and scales the song’s runs with ease.  He also lets in his charmingly foolish side, not taking himself too seriously (much like karaoke perhaps) as he impersonates Petty’s twangy monologue. 

Album Review: Deas Vail and Farewell Flight Split EP

There are a lot of reasons to release a split EP and with both Deas Vail and Farewell Flight both releasing full-lengths this summer/fall, it isn’t hard to guess that the primary reason is to whet some appetites.  Since I have had the privilege of hearing both full albums (reviews to come closer to release dates), it is noteworthy that the EP also gives these songs, of which half are lead singles and half are b-sides, a spotlight and character of their own.  Farewell Flight’s sound is generally a light folk-influenced rock, yet “Ten Steps In” and “Out For Blood” have a lot more pop and rock sensibilities.  Mix in Deas Vail’s power ballad “Sixteen” and the head-bobbing chorus of “Gone,” and the EP is not so much a preview as a bright summer EP with plenty of feel-good melodies and “ooh la la”s. 

Album Review: Satnamri - Delve

Not much is known about the band Satnamri. Wherever you go, whatever you try to research, all you can find is their genre and their Bandcamp, which is brimming with five releases, Delve being their latest, all packed full of experimental electronica. The band itself is unsigned, releases all of their albums for free download, and doesn't speak too much for itself, but nonetheless releases music that is both fantastically layered and interesting to listen to.

Album Review: Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

It is somewhat difficult to ascertain simply how “big” Bon Iver, Bon Iver truly is. After all, not many actually know who, or what Bon Iver is, perhaps only hearing the name from the guest spot on Kanye West’s My Beautiful, Dark Twisted Fantasy. However, for those who have been following the band since their 2008 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, the twice over eponymous record serves as one of the most anticipated albums of 2011. Rest easy, for Bon Iver have not only retained the excellence that was displayed on their debut, but they’ve also gained so much more.

Album Review: The Dear Hunter-The Color Spectrum (Compilation)

It really wasn’t a surprise when The Dear Hunter announced an album for each color in the color spectrum, really, it wasn’t. After all, ambitious mutli-album concepts aren’t exactly foreign to them. For years the band has been working on a seven-part concept detailing the story of a prostitute and her illegitimate son. War, love, and lust all play large roles in the overarching tale, making for a grand suite that to this day is still less than half complete. Apparently, the creation of said album series was as exhausting as it sounds, for The Color Spectrum sees the band step out of their comfort zone, experimenting with new sounds, new ideas, and more importantly, a fresher sense of creativity.

Sister City

Sister City's Carbon Footprint features some pretty poor production, an odd, seemingly homemade album cover, a unique, nasally vocalist, self reflective lyrical humor, and a pop-punk, yet not quite pop-punk style. To me, that sounds a lot like Say Anything's Baseball. Adam Linder compares very similarly to an early Max Bemis, both vocally and musically, as tracks like "Imperative" contain that swing-feel beat that has been heard in many Say Anything songs like "Woe", "Showdown to P-Town", and "Ants In My Pants", while "20" is reminiscent of some of the more upbeat tracks off of Baseball. Linder is also a budding lyrical power, as topics on the album range from subtle mentions of his Jewish ancestors (another Bemis similarity?!?) to personal self-reflections, all put together by witty metaphors. Though Linder may not be as strong a song crafter as Bemis (but really, who is?), there's plenty of potential shown in this mostly solo effort (everything but drums were done by Linder). I mean, nobody knew who Bemis was at this point in his career. This is Sister City's Baseball, now we're simply waiting on their ...Is A Real Boy. And Linder and co. have the potential to make it. You can download the whole album for free on the band's Bandcamp page here, or you can stream it below.

EDiLS Recording - Bear Left (Sampler)

In case you guys didn't know, we have a Facebook fan page. It's usually pretty lonely there, as the wall is covered by nothing but my own posts, with rarely a comment or even a "like" to be seen. No, I am not trying to bring pity on myself (well...maybe), but instead give another great opportunity to you guys. EDiLS Recording left a link to their sampler on the page, and simply seeing the tracklist won me over. Multiple Deep Elm Records bands (including recent favorite Moonlit Sailor), as well as one of my other favorite instrumental bands (Gifts From Enola) stood out instantly on the page, and instantly motivated me to check it out. The indie-rock band Cool World left quite an impression on me as a band to look further in to, while Mark Magill had his own fairly odd, but intriguing electronic based indie sound. But there was no band on the sampler that was below any of the others, and I applaud EDiLS Recordings for getting together such a wide array of excellent music. Even better, the sampler can be downloaded for free on Bandcamp, or if a page click is too difficult for you, streamed on this very page below.

The Fruit Tree Foundation

With such a huge range of stagnant side projects and cumbersome collaborations going, it's often difficult to get excited about the vast majority of musical hook-ups. The Fruit Free Foundation, however, caught me eye immediately. Granted, this was partly due to my unconditional love of Scottish music and Frightened Rabbit in particular, but the thought of a who's-who of the nation's thirving indie scene tackling deep mental health themes was certainly one which grabbed my attention.

As well as the FR's Scott Hutchinson, the project also consists of Idlewild's Rod Jones, The Twilight Sad's James Graham, Jill O'Sullivan of Sparrow And The Workshop, as well as songer-songwriters Emma Pollock, Karine Polwart, Alasdair Roberts, Jenny Reeve and James Yorkston. They got together as part of last year's Scottish Mental Health Arts And Film Festival, and wrote what would become their debut LP in a country house over just five days. The record was made available at two shows later in the year, with all 500 copies selling-out instantaneously.

Farewell Continental - ¡Hey, Hey Pioneers!

Larger bands tend to get pigeonholed into their own sound, and are frowned upon when they feel like experimenting with different genres and techniques. Side projects are one method of getting out from behind expectations and finally having some fun making something outside the norm. Motion City Soundtrack's Justin Pierre has been involved with Farewell Continental for a couple of years now without his name mentioned, but ¡Hey, Hey Pioneers! is the band's first release where his name is officially mentioned. ¡Hey, Hey Pioneers! all but removes the glossy, smooth sound of Motion City Soundtrack's latest albums, while adding female vocals (Kari Gray), distortion, and a punky edge that has not been seen in Justin Pierre since the days of I Am The Movie.

Album Review: Moonlit Sailor - Color In Stereo

It's really hard not to find something to love on any Moonlit Sailor album, whether you be an indie snob, a post-rock junkie, or just plain appreciative of oratory arts. The new record, Colors In Stereo, is hardly different. The sound the band creates on this album is very much a hearkening back to their indie rock roots, even more so than on So Close To Life; though, at the same time, the band strengthens the post-rock side of their sound with a powerfully-renewed vitality, with more energy and emotion poured into each song, resulting in something remarkable.

Album Review: World's End Girlfriend - Seven Idiots

We’ve known for awhile now—World’s End Girlfriend fans that is—that Katsuhiko Maeda is utterly, fantastically, and irrevocably insane. Really, that’s what’s made his music such a joy to listen to for the past decade. Unpredictable, it’s impossible to foresee whether he’s going to delve into depression and macabre, sheer beauty, or jazz infused seizures. We’ve dealt with such dichotomies as his debut; Ending Story was a fleeting, fun excursion into upbeat and jovial melodies. Just five years down the road, however, he would go on to create The Lie Lay Land, a dark and somber affair that blended beautiful sweeping moments with unsettling passages. With his tenth full length, Seven Idiots, we see Maeda, more than ever, teetering on either side of that thin line that separates genius and madness, and it’s all the better for it.

Interview With Dikembe

For the first few months of their existence, Dikembe was pretty much a mystery. Other than four free tracks on a Bandcamp page, there was no information at all about the band. The EP titled Chicago Bowls started to get a little bit of hype, showing up on several forums as people began comparing Dikembe to bands like Balance And Composure and Tigers Jaw. The members of Dikembe took several questions from us at Muzik Dizcovery, regarding background information on the band, the band's apparent obsession with weed and basketball, and what the band has in store for the future, as well as more which you can read below.

Album Review: Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

Ask a panel of British people to list their albums of the past decade, and it's a fair bet that Arctic Monkeys' milestone debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not would feature in most. It may not have been the most complex or technically proficient disc on offer, but back in 2006, the Sheffield quartet leapt into the hearts of the nation in a manner not seen since the very height of the britpop phase, while the band's frontman, Alex Turner was hailed almost overnight as the voice of his generation. Trends come and go, but that debut LP remains one of the most loved in recent times, and has become imbedded in British culture, be it because of it's relatable tales of suburban life in northern England, or through cringy references from incompetent politicians.

Thrice Announce New Album

It's tough to wander around the internet music scene and not stumble upon Thrice at least once. Thrice are often claimed by many genres: post-hardcore, alternative-rock, progressive, and even Christian rock, so it's easy to see why one would find them literally everywhere. Drawing influences from a number of these sounds, the band have crafted a sound all their own, playing a solid and experimental amalgamation of various styles. Always an act to push the envelope, Thrice consistently add album upon album to their wonderfully diverse and impressive catalog.

The band have recently announced a follow up to their wildly successful 2009 effort, Beggars, entitled Major/Minor. Dustin Kensrue states:

“It’s definitely the most natural progression from record to record that we’ve had in a while. We did The Alchemy Index, which was totally different [from Vheissu]. Then Beggars was kind of the reaction against that. This kind of makes sense coming out of Beggars, but it’s definitely a different record,”

Major/Minor, the band's seventh album, is due to be released September 20th through Vagrant Records. Studio updates and information can be found here.

I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business Show Review

Ace Enders is one of the elder statesmen of the scene right now. Since starting The Early November ten years ago, Ace has been in three bands, as well as become a spokesman for the downtrodden musician in his multiple interviews about not being able to afford many things in life. In a move that would be expected of the fan centered Enders, he allowed fans to pay-what-you-want for tickets at his latest show, as well as shirts and selling raffle tickets to win the guitar he uses during the specific show. Enders also had a "meet and greet" before the show, where he simply had a casual conversation with his fans. Ace's performance (as well as the rest of the bands) overshadowed the lack of people in the crowd, and the ones who showed received a performance not to be forgotten.

WU LYF

I'd like to welcome Ali to the site. He comes to us from across the pond, and will hopefully guide the European hype machine to us blokes in the States. Let's all play some football (the one with the round white and black ball), and listening to some great music.

Creating hype through factors other than music is hardly a new phenomenon, but even the harshest cynic would admit that Manchester quartet Wu Lyf are making a damn good job of it. By means such as rejecting publicity, withholding their identities and repeatedly deleting their own Wikipedia page, the band have shrouded themselves in utter secrecy, a move which has attracted considerably more column inches and blog space than their actual output.

As good a marketing scheme as it is, this also somewhat unfortunate, since what we have heard from them is well worth getting excited about. Impossible to pigeonhole genrewise, their sound utilises the youthful joy of indie pop, the haunting hymns of gospel and the amateur clatter of lo-fi, with unpredictable samples added for good measure. Luckily, with the release of their debut album imminent, the focus seems set to shift firmly onto that music. It's vibrant, original and just as likely to knock you off your feet as it is to engulf you in it's obscure beauty. Not sold yet? The single Heavy Pop is available to download for free on their last.fm page, while the LP, Go Tell Fire On The Mountain drops on June 13th in Europe and August 22nd in the US.

Jeudah

Swedish band Jeudah shows that distance can't contain great ideas. Members Jan Jämte (vocalist, also of Khoma) and Kristian Karlsson (instrumentalist, also of pg.lost) started the band through long distance communication, before meeting up to record the album now know as While We Sleep. The band ditches the guitar based music found on both of the members' other bands, and instead brings a keys and bass led atmosphere behind Jämte's soaring vocals. It is easy to see comparisons to Radiohead due to the wonderful, Thom Yorke like vibratos and ambient rock sound, but Jeudah focuses more on the beauty of the sound rather than simply creating an artsy arrangement. The band's debut album album While We Sleep is now available for stream and purchase on their Bandcamp page here.

Album Review: Arms and Sleepers - The Organ Hearts

To define Arms and Sleepers as any one genre, such as trip-hop, ambient, electro-pop, electronica, or downbeat would be essentially wrong, for a simple reason: they're all of those things. The band, consisting of Max Lewis and Mirza Ramic, has a broad sound that scours those genres and presents some of the best sounds from each. The sound they produce on both The Organ Hearts and their earlier releases feels partially influenced by the past-project both members came out of, Maine-centered post-rock band The List Exists. However, in A&S, there seems to be much more freedom of expression, without restriction to creativity.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Sadly, this will be Kyle Minton's last post as part of Muzik Dizcovery. This phase of his blogging career has ended, and is now moving on to different things. I would like to thank him for all the work that he has done, and I wish him tons of luck in the future. -Casey

I know what you're thinking readers, and I too am furious at the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.'s It's A Corporate World isn't the NASCAR legend's grandson's debut country solo album. It doesn't have great songs about beer and left turns, but it does happen to contain the first full-length of Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott's electronically-based indie-pop project. Now that the obligatory and terrible racing jokes have been pushed aside, allow me to properly introduce the lively, even quite lovely sound of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and the smooth groove the Detroit duo have presented fans. It's A Corporate World is a bit of an aural illusion to begin with, as a flutter of electronics and dance-worthy beats give the album a friendly, accessible rhythm, one that thankfully doesn't sacrifice the depth of the album's musicianship in the process.

Album Review: Sarah Fimm - Near Infinite Possibility

I’ve got quite a lot of respect for singer/songwriter, Sarah Fimm. For starters, she’s one of the few artists out there whom I feel have a genuine care for her fans. Her gratitude for their support is evident with every comment she makes, and it’s truly wonderful to see an artist have such an affinity for the people who have helped make their career what it is today. More than that, however, is her support and encumbrance for the modern day independent music scene. Fimm touts the importance of the spreading and sharing of music, and ultimately, the backing of independent musicians everywhere. Everything from her Karma Phala Music Project, to her various statements on the state of the scene today all point to an artist who actually cares about the music, as well as the human element included. Oh, and if all of that weren’t enough, Sarah Fimm is actually one hell of a musician herself.

Interview With Daniel Rinaldi (Ex Vocalist of Bedlight For Blue Eyes)

Though Bedlight For Blue Eyes broke up back in 2008, vocalist Daniel Rinaldi hasn't disappeared from the scene entirely. He has been writing solo music for an upcoming release, that will begin recording in July. Daniel agreed to speak with us regarding his upcoming music including background as a solo artist, influences, possible release dates, as well as several questions regarding Bedlight For Blue Eyes' break up, label, and the amazing memories he still cherishes. All that and more can be read below.