May Music Wrap-Up

The Music Wrap-Up is a monthly summary of my favorite and other notable new releases. The songs are for sampling purposes only and will be removed the next month. Artists or labels notify me with any complaints and I will remove the song as soon as possible. Please support these musicians as that's the reason I'm featuring them in the first place.

Well look at that, and I thought there wasn't anything coming out this month. After I said that a month ago I was surprised several times with new releases that I hadn't been keeping track of. Some of my favorite bands put out CDs in May but June and July are looking just as promising. The summer release schedule isn't just for movies folks, so get ready.

The Paper Chase

I'm Going to Heaven With or Without You (The Forest Fire)



The Common Cold (The Epidemic)



I love paper chase more and more with every listen. To be fair, they are slightly inaccessible. I've never listened to one of their cds and loved it on the first listen, it's always around the third or fourth listen that I become enamored. I bought this release from Amazon so I haven't gotten much into the lyrics to figure out the story but I think it's all about a vengeful, pissed off God creating a swarm of natural disasters on Earth. These are the second and third songs on the cd so you can't hear the opening track which is a sort of haunting summary of the coming demise of the human race. Just imagine where Vol. 2 is going to go.

Jeremy Enigk - Same Side Imaginary



Sunny Day Real Estate's "Diary" is another one of those albums I would take from my brothers room to listen to, so when I saw the former singer put out a new solo record I had to check it out.

Franz Nicolay - This World is an Open Door



Yeah, this came out in January, but if you haven't noticed I've kind of set a precedent for stretching the rules. You've got to love Franz. He's in 2 of my favorite bands, The Hold Steady and The World/Inferno Friendship Society. Lots of drunk people yell stupid stuff like "Mariooo!" at him during concerts because of his well groomed mustache but the man deserves our utmost respect. Are you in 2 amazing bands? No? Then leave the man alone!

Green Day

21st Century Breakdown



Restless Heart Syndrome



I've already defended my fondness for Green Day. This is a good cd, give it a chance. At least listen past the first 2 minutes, 15 seconds on "21st Century Breakdown" because that's when it gets really good.

Grizzly Bear

Southern Point



While You Wait for the Others



If this video didn't clue you in, Grizzly Bear is a weird band. I really like their new cd though, its a mellow sort of background music.

mewithoutYou

The Fox, The Crow, and The Cookie



Bullet to Binary Pt. 2



The patented yell singing is virtually gone on this cd, replaced with a weird sort of nasally singing that I don't like a whole lot, but it's still a good release. We get another remake of a song from their first album in "Bullet to Binary Pt. 2", which is the only song to keep his old yelling a little bit, some of the lyrics are bordering on generic christian rock though. I really hope they don't fully cross that line.