April Music Wrap-Up

Once again, I didn't have a lot of stuff to feature from April. This recurring dilemma is probably due to the fact that most of my listening time is spent on podcasts, and if I don't hear a band on a podcast or already know of that band I don't really take the time to check out their cd. Maybe I should unsubscribe to some stuff. For the time being though, I cut some corners. One of these cd's came out at the end of March and 3 of them come out early May. This might be shooting myself in the foot when the May Music Wrap-Up comes around but one of my favorite bands of all time, The Paper Chase, is putting out a cd then and if I can't find anything else to feature then I'm going to dedicate the whole thing to their music. As always, this music is for sampling purposes only and my hope is not for piracy but to turn people on to music I enjoy, so please don't sue me. Anything can be removed upon request from the artists or record labels. Now, let's get into it.

Strung Out - Don't Look Back



This is a collection of b-sides and rarities, which probably means you should be a big fan of Strung Out before you pick it up. I'm not a huge fan of them, though I do enjoy their music from time to time. There's some good stuff on here, but it's most likely more appreciated by fans.


NOFX

My Orphan Year



Creeping Out Sara



I was kind of disappointed by the new NOFX cd. I like their mature stuff more then their goofy stuff. Still, it's grown on me the more I listen. The second song here, Creeping Out Sara, is an especially funny one. It helps if you know who Tegan and Sara are, but long story short, they are a band fronted by 2 lesbian sisters with somewhat mulletesque haircuts. There ya go, now you'll mostly get it.


The Hold Steady - The Swish (Live)



The Hold Steady are so good. There's just something about their brand of bar band rock and roll. If you haven't heard of them then go buy all 4 of their cds, and pick up this new live cd/dvd while you're at it. They are one of the few bands that are equally praised among the critics and masses of common people.


Patrick Watson - Beijing



I feel like I'm deceiving you by putting up this song, as the rest of the cd is much more mellow and moody, but it's amazing. Drums are the be all end all of whether or not I'll like a song and this song has certainly got them. Aside from the pounding bass drum, they are banging on anything and everything around the house. Theres even the sound of bike pedals turning in there, it's definitely an experience for the ears.


Akron/Family - Everyone is Guilty



I don't have a lot to say about this band as I don't know a lot about them at all. I heard this song on All Songs Considered and enjoyed it quite a bit, so here ya go.


El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

Half Kleptos



Warren Oates



I think it was back in 2006 that Omar isolated himself somewhere in the Netherlands and did nothing but write and record music. We are still getting releases from that time. The man is definitely prolific, he's released at least 10 solo records, there might be more that I missed. My favorites, however, are the ones with a band. Previously there was his self-named release that featured a backing band known as the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Quintet. This cd is essentially the same band, most of which are also in The Mars Volta, Cedric being the most obvious. At some point doesn't this just become a TMV cd and not a solo Omar cd? Either way its very good and we can be guaranteed to hear at least another 10 cds to come out of that Netherlands recording trip.