R.I.P. Speed Bump

Today I lost one of my best animal friends, Speed Bump. He wasn't technically "my" dog but he might as well have been. I know he is in doggy heaven, eating dog bones, raiding kitty litter boxes, playing rope tug-of-war, and impressing all the lady dogs with that ridiculous grin he always had. Speedbump, Bump, Bumble, Bumpzilla, Bumplestiltskin, The Bumpinator, The Abumpinable Monster, and all the other crazy names I made up for you -- I miss you.


Just look at that grin.


Plotting a sneak attack on the litter box, I'm sure.

AUDITORIUM - Be Brave

Be Brave's official release date is January 18, 2011, and all I can say about that is, thank goodness for advance copies.

This album was recorded over a three-year span by Spencer Berger, who did all of the performing, recording, and mixing (later "finishing touches" were added by Pete Lyman). He's now joined by a full band on live performances. Berger is already an accomplished performer, having performed at the Metropolitan Opera from the time he was 9 years old through 12 years old and graduating with a music degree from Vassar College. His talents also go beyond the musical world, as he wrote the screenplay for "Skills Like This", which won the 2007 SXSW Film Festival's Audience Award for Best Narrative Film and garnered many fine critical reviews. But, I digress.

Back to Be Brave, which features 14 songs and clocks in at just over 31 minutes. Upon first hearing the album, it seems warm and friendly. It's that person you meet at a party and you know you've met them before but you can't place where, and they don't seem to recognize you so you don't know if you're mistaken but ultimately it doesn't matter because you are enjoying their company nonetheless. The album's minimalist approach of just guitars, electric bass, and vocals doesn't compromise the full sound of the songs. Berger's voice reminds me of Elliott Smith without the weight of the world bringing him down. Plenty of gorgeous layered vocals on here as well. I guess if I had to label this with a genre I'd say it's singer-songwriter indie folk. Right now, if I had to pick, I'd say my favorite song is "I'm The Enforcer". This is an album for sitting by the fire, drinking hot cocoa, and making out. Fantastic music for fantastic things.

www.myspace.com/auditoriumband
fieldfm.wordpress.com

JASON ANDERSON - Tonight

This came out in 2007. I won't cover up the fact that I absolutely adore Jason Anderson. Once you see this man perform live, you would probably feel the same. Tonight attempts to capture the magic of his live performances. The best parts on the album are when the crowd sings back to Jason. The album does a pretty good job of showing you the energy and audience participation that Jason has when he plays live, but they still can't hold a candle to actually being there in the circle around Jason and having him sing to you while he plays his acoustic guitar. The songs on this album also feature more instrumentation than just Jason and his guitar. Still, I love this album. Jason has a special way of capturing the moments in life that make your heart happy (or sad, in some songs) and putting them into song. He likes to write a lot about living life to the fullest every day and also just about love in general. Here's some lyrics off of "So Long": "All I want, at least right now, is to be close to you, the smell of your hair is literally amazing, honestly" and "The best thing in the world is to love someone and they love you back." So simple, yet so true; I'm sure everyone's felt this way at some point. The most amazing part, though, is if you were with all of your friends chanting out the "The best thing in the world..." lyrics; you would feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That is the appeal of Jason Anderson.

www.jasonandersonswebsite.com

THE FUTUREHEADS - "Christmas Was Better In The 80's" (Single)

A holiday-themed song from The Futureheads. The song starts off slow, with a single piano and lyrics that reminisce about the singer's youth and how, as the title suggests, "Christmas was better in the eighties". The song then kicks into the tight post-punk/new-wave you know these guys for, with harmony vocals, chimes, and a propelling drum rhythm. The chimes really give the song a Christmas feel. After the band kicks out the jams, they return to the solitary piano and vocal at the end, which neatly wraps up the song. This is a solid single, props to the band for this one.

www.thefutureheads.com
www.myspace.com/thefutureheads

EDITORS - In This Light And On This Evening

This is the third full-length album from the band that originally formed in Birmingham, England. Half of the band, bassist Russell Leech and guitarist Chris Urbanowicz, now live in New York while singer Tom Smith lives in London (I don't know where drummer Edward Lay resides). In This Light And On This Evening was recorded in London and produced by Flood. This album came out in October 2009, and I've been sitting on it for over a year. Why? I've always liked the singles this band put out but could never get into listening to a whole album. Truth be told, I think this is the first time I've ever listened to an entire Editors album so I can't really say how this album holds up to their first two. The Joy Division comparisons are still present, but the machine-like, synth-heavy backing music really pushes the band's sound in a great direction. Lots of lyrical references to London, God, death, and love. I think Smith's voice is creepy at times (I've always felt the same about Ian Curtis, too). Still, I'm liking this album and I think maybe it's time I gave their previous albums their overdue playthroughs.

www.myspace.com/editorsmusic
www.editorsofficial.com

RADIO SILENCE NYC - Renegade (Single)

Here's a group of four 16-year old boys who came together from different parts of New York City. According to their website bio, they first started playing together a year ago. Their first single is called "Renegade". The group has partnered with the not-for-profit organization DoSomething.org to use the song, which features lyrics like "Hatred is the enemy!", as an anti-bullying anthem. The song itself is slickly-produced pop rock that owes a big debt to the genre commonly known as pop-punk. Considering they're 16, the song is decent and it seems like they're acting their ages which is good. The guitar solo is the best part, the guitarist reminds me of the lead guitarist from the movie School of Rock.

Watch the "Renegade" video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qon7zy2Qotk

Radio Silence NYC: radiosilencenyc.com
DoSomething.org: www.DoSomething.org.

ANAMANAGUCHI - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game (Original Videogame Soundtrack)

I've never sat down to listen to "video game" music before, but I've seen the name Anamanaguchi referenced a few times as being at the top of this genre of music and it's the soundtrack to the Scott Pilgrim movie video game, so I decided to give it a shot. I guess this is what they call "8bit" or "chiptunes" music nowadays. It's uptempo with lots of blips and bleeps. Nintendo sounds. This has a ton of energy and is very well put-together. I can understand why so many people are into this; it's just catchy electronic music with a nerdy side to it. I think I'll go play some Super Mario Bros. now!

www.myspace.com/anamanaguchi
www.anamanaguchi.com