I’ve been waiting for this EP for close to 2 years, and it’s solid. Versant’s 4-track debut is what I wanted Shiny Toy Guns’ sophomore followup to We Are Pilots to bring. Great progressions, strong dynamics and hooky melodies will invade your head for hours after listening. Prog-rock meets raw emotion in an album that makes it ever so clear why Versant took their time polishing this release.

If you’re into ABBA, Muse, the good version of STG or dare I say… some of the production elements of Katy Perry’s new album… give this a go.

Versant – Heartbeats EP

Versant – Heartbeats EP is a post from: wax&wires

I saw these UK-based Aussies live on that Bonnaroo web stream I posted a while back, and am going to try to catch them this next week in San Diego.

They’ve got a great space in their compositions, never crowding songs with more instrumentation than needed. Soft and tender falsetto vocals carry the emotion behind reverb saturated guitars and pads on tracks like Sweet Disposition and Love Lost (the two best tracks IMO). All the while, droning percussive tones keep the menacing anxiety and anticipation high throughout. Heavy drums and sassy vox mark other tracks like Fader, rounding out the album nicely. Once you hear a couple of their works you might start to recognize them as the band that’s been getting airtime behind just about every one of your favorite TV shows and a few commercials to boot.

If you’re a fan of Kings of Leon,  and I know you are, be sure to snag this one for $5 on Amazon.

The Temper Trap – Conditions

Wax Pick: The Temper Trap – Conditions is a post from: wax&wires

Grab one of the best albums of 2008 for just $4 on Amazon right now.

I saw Kings of Leon open for U2 on their Vertigo tour back in 2005. Honestly, they sounded terrible. I’ll chalk it up to a bad mix in an arena though. The Followill Family Band saw greater success overseas than stateside in their own homeland, but Only By The Night gave the Nashville quartet the breakthrough success that they’d been hunting for. Their sound is unashamedly carried by singer Caleb Followill’s vocals, delivered with a soulful and passionate intimacy. The mix and production quality as a whole actually isn’t that stellar, but it doesn’t matter because his vox are the only thing you’re listening to, and they’re superb.

If you don’t have this album already, you’re missing out. It’s everything rock’n'roll is supposed to be.

Kings Of Leon – Only By The Night

Wax Pick: Kings Of Leon – Only By The Night is a post from: wax&wires

I have no idea why these guys aren’t bigger than they are. Amusement Parks on Fire is a UK band bringing back the shoegaze. They’ve toured all over Europe and the US, and are currently on the road in support of this new EP.

If you’re into My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins or Silversun Pickups, be sure to give this band a go. You might hear a tinge of Sigur Ros as well; they even tracked one of their albums at the Icelandic Bands’ swimming pool of a studio.

I got their first self-titled album from back in 2005, and it’s everything I wanted it to be; walls of noisy guitar, raw vocals, and cradling a nostalgia that few genres capture so well. Young Fight, the new EP, picks up where the LP left off, but takes a much more melodic and slightly softer road in. It’s more thought out, orchestrated well, and sonically just a better mix. It is still very much the same band, but with a more mature and developed sound; almost like witnessing a different personality of the same person. I suppose you could say they traded the raw for the beautiful.

Amusement Parks On Fire – Young Fight

Wax Pick: Amusement Parks On Fire – Young Fight is a post from: wax&wires

Check out the latest from New Orleans’ finest, a band only 5 or 6 years into their current project that has already garnered Grammy noms and completely defined a genre all their own.

Armistice is definitely a departure from their self-titled full length, and even more so from their Reset EP, but it is just as catchy. The texture of the album as a whole sounds a bit more retro; not the compositions or instrumentation, more just the indescribable ooze that saturates the sonic qualities of every track, giving it a bit of a lo-fi temperament.

Compared to previous releases, Armistice is much more driven by Paul Meany’s vocal, set atop heavily effected and synthesized hooks that lay a simpler bed than in previous albums. It’s a well balanced album with moods that rise and fall to take you on a trip. No more bloviating, just give it a listen:

Mute Math – Armistice

Wax Pick: Mute Math – Armistice is a post from: wax&wires

In this episode:
- Paper Route
- You’re my American Friend
- You already have Thriller already
- Justice – “Cross”
- Beefing up Drums with creative gating

You can read some previous posts on Paper Route here, where you can also pick up their album.

Here’s a link up and samples to our Wax Pick this week, Justice – Cross, a great album that will make you want to drive fast down city streets at night. You can grab it here.

Follow me on Twitter, where I will post little to nothing about music…

Email me questions, comments, suggestions, thoughts, anything you got!

wax&wires tv – Episode 2 is a post from: wax&wires

I aim to crank out one episode every two weeks for you, and hope you enjoy. If you do, please be sure to comment it up and share with your friends!

Thanks!

EPISODE 1!

In this episode:
- Airquote Abuse
- Seattle-based rock group Barcelona
- Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
- thesixtyone.com

As promised, here’s a link up to Kind of Blue. You can also pick up the Legacy Edition for an additional $7, which is well worth it for the added tracks. If you can track down a mono recording on vinyl, be sure to check it out, as it brings a completely different experience to the album.

You can read a previous post about Barcelona, as well as pick up their album here.

Check out what I’m listening to at thesixtyone.com/timothydean!

Follow me on Twitter, where I will likely post nothing about music…

Email me questions, comments, suggestions, thoughts, anything you got!

wax&wires tv – Episode 1 Now Available! is a post from: wax&wires

Amazon continues to crush it with great picks on the cheap. I grew up on this one, and if you don’t already have it in your collection, it is a MUST own as one of the most prolific albums of all time.

I had the chance to see Brian Wilson few years back on his Smile tour. As tragic as his story is, he has composed some of the most beautiful songs ever written, and reshaped American pop culture. The vocal harmonies are what The Beach Boys were always known for, but the depth of instrumentation, the layers and textures behind The Beach Boys’ material is staggering. They were way ahead of their time. Think about the fact that this was put out in 1966, one year before Sgt. Pepper. George Martin (The Beatles’ producer) himself even said, “Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn’t have happened… Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds.” Sort of the opposite to their UK counterparts, The Beach Boys were simple on the top, but had incredible depth behind their music.

Fun Fact: The album art was shot right here in San Diego, at the San Diego Zoo.

Paul McCartney on Pet Sounds:

It was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. I love the album so much. I’ve just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life … I figure no one is educated musically ’til they’ve heard that album … I love the orchestra, the arrangements … it may be going overboard to say it’s the classic of the century … but to me, it certainly is a total, classic record that is unbeatable in many ways … I’ve often played Pet Sounds and cried. I played it to John [Lennon] so much that it would be difficult for him to escape the influence … it was the record of the time. The thing that really made me sit up and take notice was the bass lines … and also, putting melodies in the bass line. That I think was probably the big influence that set me thinking when we recorded Pepper, it set me off on a period I had then for a couple of years of nearly always writing quite melodic bass lines. “God Only Knows” is a big favourite of mine … very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me, that one. On “You Still Believe in Me”, I love that melody – that kills me … that’s my favourite, I think … it’s so beautiful right at the end … comes surging back in these multi-coloured harmonies … sends shivers up my spine.

Eric Clapton:

I consider Pet Sounds to be one of the greatest pop LPs to ever be released. It encompasses everything that’s ever knocked me out and rolled it all into one.

Elton John:

For me to say that I was enthralled would be an understatement. I had never heard such magical sounds, so amazingly recorded. It undoubtedly changed the way that I, and countless others, approached recording. It is a timeless and amazing recording of incredible genius and beauty.

Pick it up, and under the advice of Mr. Wilson himself, “Listen to Pet Sounds with earphones in the dark.”
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

Wax Pick: The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds is a post from: wax&wires

Say hello to one of your favorite albums of 2009. Absence is the much anticipated debut from Nashville’s Paper Route. I first wrote about them a while back in recommending their EP, Are We All Forgotten.

Absence takes all the best pieces from Paper Route’s EP, consolidates them onto a full length, and sharpens the band’s identity even more. It’s very easy to overproduce music in thier genre, adding too many layers, swallowing the vocal, forsaking the emotion that ought to be driving the music in the first place. However, Paper Route found a great balance between layered textures of synths and guitars, while still keeping the lyrics and melody as the driving force of the album. You still walk away singing the vocal, rather than the guitar lick and there’s not one song on the album that feels like a “filler.”

The album opens with “Enemy Among Us,” a haunting track that transports you into the landscape of the album, especially if you’ve got a good set of headphones on. It warms you up for the push of more uptempo songs to come, and pulls you in with heartfelt lyrics.

Tracks like “Good Intentions” take me back to the 90s with the strong pad and filtered drums in the background. The falsetto vocal hook is remeniscent of Tears For Fears era pop, but definitely given a more modern spin.

My favorite song on the album is easily “Be Healed.” Cue the return of falsetto hooks with a reverb saturated guitar and pulsing synth, and now imagine them playing in a tub of molasses as the song leans back on a great half-time groove. It seriously sounds like if Richard Ashcroft were to step in to cut a track with Kings of Leon, which is not bad company if you ask me.

For more info on Paper Route’s upcoming tour, as well as some exclusive content, click here.

Paper Route – Absence

Wax Pick: Paper Route – Absence is a post from: wax&wires

Absolution is their best album to date, in my opinion, chock full of catchy hooks and ear candy; perfectly incorporating their electronic/dance influences without losing their rock roots.

For those of you that don’t already have it, which is not too likely to be many, give it a go. You’ll have guitar riffs to be practicing for days to come.

Muse – Absolution

Wax Pick: Muse – Absolution is a post from: wax&wires

Here’s some details regarding Paper Route’s tour. I would highly recommend you check them out if they’re anywhere near you. I’ve had the new album on rotation for a little while now, and am still not sick of it. All the textures are perfect, the melodies and lyrics are haunting, and everything about it is spot on. Here’s a peek at a song off the album, though not my personal favorite from it.

Check out “Be Healed” for a great Kings Of Leon meets The Verve vibe. Hands down, the winner on the album in my book, though it’s packed with great songs.

Exclusive Stream: “Tiger Teeth”
http://umrg.edgeboss.net/qtime/umrg/938-paper_route/token/tigerteeth.mov
http://umrg.edgeboss.net/wmedia/umrg/938-paper_route/token/tigerteeth.wax

Video: 7 Minutes Documentary Trailer
http://video.umrg.com/paperroute/trailer/quicktime.asp

Nashville based Paper Route is gearing up for the release of its debut album Absence on April 28th via Universal Motown. In anticipation, the band has released a stream of the track “Tiger Teeth”- the perfect example of the electronic driven pop-rock which earned the band early praise from Paste as a band to watch. The strong songwriting echoes the music scene in Nashville, and with the incorporation of a drummer instead of only computer beats, they have created a unique balance of the electronic and organic.

Absence is currently available for a special pre-order through the bands MySpace page- www.myspace.com/paperroute. It includes a bonus documentary titled 7 Minutes that was shot by the band & photographer Bob Miller & edited by Olivier Groulx (Arcade Fire’s “Black Mirror” video, Human Highway’s “The Sound” video). The footage is from the December 2008 UK tour and album recording in Tennessee. The trailer for 7 Minutes can be streamed here: http://video.umrg.com/paperroute/trailer/quicktime.asp. Paper Route also worked with Groulx on the upcoming video for the single “Carousel” which is set to premiere soon.

Paper Route is on the road with Copeland through the end of the month. After a record release show in Nashville, they head out with Young Love. Catch Paper Route in the following cities:

April
15 – Columbus, OH – The Basement *
16 – Toronto, ON – Opera House *
17 – Purchase, NY – Purchase College *
18 – Millville, PA – Mr. Smalls *
20 – Brooklyn, NY – Southpaw *
21 – Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock *
22 – Farmingdale, NY – The Crazy Donkey *
24 – Washington, DC – The Rock and Roll Hotel *
25 – Raleigh, NC – The Brewery *
26 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Jewish Mother *
28 – Greensboro, NC – Greene Street *
29 – Jacksonville, FL – Free Bird Café *

May
2 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In (Record Release show)
8 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction #
10 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of The Hill #
12 – Portland, OR – Berbati’s Pan #
13 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge #
15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court #
16 – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar #
18 – San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit #
19 – Houston, TX – Walter’s On Washington #
20 – Austin, TX – Mohawk #
22 – Miami, FL – The Vagabond #
23 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum #
24 – Orlando, FL – The Social #
27 – Washington, DC – DC9 #
30 – Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar #
31 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Upstairs #

June
2 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom #
4 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop #
5 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter #
6 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen #

* w/ Copeland
# w/ Young Love

PAPER ROUTE Delivers Absence On April 28th is a post from: wax&wires

Here’s a quick look at their sound via a couple snippets. You can definitely find the full clips on YouTube, but this clip highlighted two songs, so I figured I’d link it up.

The sound is powerpop in its truest form, though Iha’s guitar sprinkles in a small amount of shoegaze with the sheer depth of the fuzz he favors.

Tinted Windows – The Latest SuperGroup is a post from: wax&wires

Kosten crosses several genre lines, mixing breakbeat electronic with the raw emotion found in more traditional pop music. It doesn’t hurt to have Chris Martin, Michael Stipe, and Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) contributing either. Though the album doesn’t really congeal as a whole for me, it has enough good single tracks on it to warrant a pick up.

My favorite track is easily the single, Where Is My Boy, which has garnered all the attention for featuring Chris Martin.

Faultline – Your Love Means Everything

Wax Pick: Faultline – Your Love Means Everything is a post from: wax&wires

Seattle-based Barcelona just announced this past December that they had been signed to Universal Records after about 3 years together. The plans are currently to re-release their debut album, Absolutes, on Universal later this year after a remix by the legendary Michael Brauer.

I love Michael Brauer’s work. You may know him for his work with John Mayer, as well as his mixing of all the Coldplay albums. Barcelona brings a similar piano-driven rock vibe to the  scene, though with a bit more of a raw indie flair. All that to say, Brauer should be right at home with the mixing of Absolutes. A few years back he made himself super accessible over at gearslutz, doing a Q&A on the site. If you missed out on that, you can check out the archives for that here. Priceless info from a Grammy-winning, seasoned vet.

So while I’m sure Michael Brauer might have some magic up his sleeves for the remix, you can grab the current version of Absolutes on Amazon right now.

Barcelona – Absolutes

Wax Pick: Barcelona – Absolutes is a post from: wax&wires

The pioneers of shoegazer have added four US tour stops to follow up their April 19th stop in the deserts of California at Coachella. If you can, take advantage of the opportunity to see them in a town near you:

April 19 – Indio, CA
April 21 – Austin, TX
April 22 – Dallas, TX
April 24 – Denver, CO
April 27 – Seattle, WA

I first bought Loveless simply because it was one of those albums that every good indie kid was “supposed” to have. I popped in the CD and seriously thought something was wrong with it. I loved the wall of fuzzed out guitars and distant vocals, but it sounded like the album was warped, which I knew couldn’t happen on a CD. The thought crossed my mind that perhaps the CD master was taken from vinyl or tape that was played back at a varying speed. It didn’t occur to me until later that the band intentionally played with the tape speed, in their true avant garde fashion.

As I listened to the album more and more, trying to pull little bits and pieces of inspiration from it, it really grew on me. And beyond that, MBV was cranking out content this original in 1991, completely influencing some of my favorite bands like Smashing Pumpkins. Billy Corgan himself originally selected Alan Moulder to mix Siamese Dream and produce Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness because of his work with bands like MBV and Slowdive.

I’m pretty amped to see that they’ve added some dates in the US to piggyback on their Coachella performance, and hopefully I’ll be able to catch them either at the festival itself or via a cheap flight to Seattle or Austin.

My Bloody Valentine Adds US Dates On Heels Of Coachella is a post from: wax&wires