Music Related News

There are so many new tracks and albums to check out this week that this list barely covers half of them. Check out some of the best new tracks below then head to iTunes or Amazon to support your favorite artists.

• Ray LaMontagne reminded us that he is the master of the modern love song because no one does classic romance in four minutes or less quite like he can; listen to "Supernova" to find out why you should already be loving LaMontagne's sound.
• The Fray released Helios and left me shirking my responsibilities and playing the entire album on repeat (because if there's one thing I love more than new music from The Fray, it's nothing). Check out tracks like "Our Last Days", "Same As You", "Break Your Plans", and the ever popular "Hurricane" and "Love Don't Die".
• Lake Street Dive's "Bad Self Portraits" is the free single of the week on iTunes and those vocals are so satisfyingly sweet that you're going to want to get it.
• Yellow Ostrich released Cosmos and the gritty bare bones feel is an awesome juxtaposition to their surprisingly heavy compositions and I can't get enough of that guitar work. Check out tracks like "Any Wonder" and "Shades".
• Coldplay put Ghost Stories up for pre-order and "Magic" was a slightly watered down version of their better music, but still so, so much better than "Midnight" ("Magic" may grow on me though). 
• Phillip Phillips released "Raging Fire" and it was surprisingly fantastic; his music had lost some its allure after seeing him live (he sounds great, but he has the stage presence of that kid who trips on stage during their high school graduation: overly enthused to begin with, then immediately bashful) but this single has me ready to go check out another performance soon. 
• Kid Cudi released Satellite Flight and I got overly excited. No one can do a chill song to nod your head along to quite like Kid Cudi; I just want to sit here and soak in "Too Bad I Have To Destroy You Now".
• Justin Timberlake released "Not A Bad Thing" and even though it's not as great as his others, it is sure to be on your radio because he is Justin Timberlake. 
• Karmin's Pulses is available for pre-order and that odd mix of pop/jazz/rap will probably find its way to your radio.
• 5 Seconds of Summer proved that we have taken this boy band thing too far. I knew the Australian invasion (music-wise) was coming, but please, do not let it happen this way. I may feature their single "She Looks So Perfect" so that I can tear it apart, much like I did for 1D's "What Makes You Beautiful" back when that was new but, for now, I just want to leave you with the knowledge that American Apparel underwear is garbage and you're better than that.
• American Authors' Oh, What A Life is now available on iTunes. I'm still not tired of it after my various listens and I'm still going to go with what I said last month: Oh, What A Life is going to be one of the best albums of 2014 for the title track alone (and I've been playing "Heart of Stone" on repeat for a month and it is still fantastic). 
• SKATERS released Manhattan and you should be turning up "I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How)" because no one can resist dancing to this.
• Pharrell released his first solo album since '06 and G I R L is fun and upbeat and more than perfect for your Spring Break.
• Zella Day's "Sweet Ophelia" has been getting a lot of love from the internet lately, as it should. The track is one of the first from the new artist and her smokey vocals and perfect ability to write a gorgeous song with honest lyrics that take their cues from the all consuming love felt by Hamlet's Ophelia is enviable.
• Lime Cordiale's "Sleeping At Your Door" should be in your Spring Break playlist (in every playlist really).
• Kimberly Anne's "Hard As Hello" is honestly fuckmazing and the only thing that could ever compete with the utter perfection that is the original is Bastille's new remix of the track. I can't stop listening to this and I don't really want to either. 
• Jimmy & The Mirrors' "Toucan Blues" is fun and easy to dance around to; you can get the single this Friday. 
• You can stream the new Architects UK album in all of its scream-worthy greatness here, then order it from iTunes March 11.
• Cathedrals' "Harlem" is more than a little addictive and it should be circling around your head on repeat (in a good way).
• The Chainsmokers' remix of Strange Talk's "Young Hearts" is catchy, but not half as great as the original. 
• Hudson Taylor put "Try" up on YouTube and it's amazing, just as perfect as ever, and makes me wish, yet again, that their music was available in the US. Check it out to see why you should already be enamored by this duo's sound
• The Vamps are going to be UK's back-up when One Direction falls apart (because, honestly, their expiration date is coming fast) and now that their tracks are starting to become available in the US, it's going to be impossible to escape their music. They just released their music video for "Last Night" and the track is radio ready, but their single "Wild Heart" (available now in the US iTunes store) will probably have to join your Spring break playlist just because it is so easy to sing along with. Check out their latest video below.

"Last Night" The Vamps

Music Related News

As I missed last week's Music News, this week's will be an amalgamation of some of the music headlines and releases from the past two weeks.

• Marty Thau, producer, manager, and founder of Red Star Records, passed away early this month. He worked with so many amazing bands throughout his career and was, himself, kind of amazing (especially if you're a fan of the punk/new wave scene). Thau is quoted as saying "rejection is my middle name. I've been called almost every complimentary or contentious name in the book... I was wise enough to know that all you can do in life is be who you are. Some will love you for yourself, but most will love you for what you can do for them."
• Miley Cyrus set out on her Bangerz tour and it's just as wonderfully fun loving and exceptionally weird as you would expect. 
• Drake got into a short Twitter war with Rolling Stone when he stated that he was done with "doing interviews for magazines. I just want to give my music to the people. That's the only way my message gets across accurately". Apparently, the magazine tried to pit him against Kanye and then 'took away' his cover and replaced it with a picture of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman (the horror). Basically, Drake was upset because he believes himself to be incredibly important. 
• Follow this link to hear tracks which will be featured on St. Vincent's self titled album, due out tomorrow in the US.
• Dubkiller released a remix of Sick Puppies' "Telling Lies" and, though I haven't listened to the band sinceDressed Up As Life, Dubkiller's mix is great enough to get me interested in the band again. Check it out for addictive beats and a rhythm you can't not move to. Sick Puppies Telling Lies Dubkiller Remix
• Timeflies released their video for, "All The Way", the first single from their upcoming debut album, After Hours, and it's just as fun as the song itself.
• Sleep Thieves released their second single from You Want the Night and you need to hear "City of Hearts" if you like good music. 
• The Trews released the first single, "What's Fair Is Fair", from their upcoming self-titled album and it's solid rock sound is wonderfully addictive.
• Jacob Latham's "Pay Attention to the Rain" from his Midnight Train EP features truly amazing lyrics, vocals which don't try to be anything more than they are (a refreshing change of pace), and a solid rhythm that supports a hummable melody. The entire EP is just so great.
• Fred Page released "Concrete" and I became completely addicted to his lyrics.
• Lost In The Trees released their album Past Life and it is gorgeous. Each track features the band's honest lyrics and flawless compositions and their new sound is softly hypnotic and completely addictive.
• Undiscovered Soul's "Tandem" is one of the most addictive songs you're going to hear. The band features six separate members from parts of Europe and, while that would be enough to give a lot of bands a composition which is too full, Undiscovered Soul relishes in the chance to include so many different layers in their tracks and it comes out sounding perfectly balanced and more than worthy of playing on repeat; plus, the lyrics are fantastic.
• Problems, solo project from Justin Walkden, released two singles that need to be played when you're laying in the sun over spring break. Check out "Bruised" and "Alighted" for tracks that will be wandering through your mind for the next week.
• Runaway Dorothy's The Wait will be released tomorrow and you need to get it for some good music; check out their single, "Give Me A Reason".
• The Menzingers released the first song from their upcoming album, Rented World, due out April 22, and "In Remission" features solid guitar riffs and lyrics you're going to want to sing along with. 
• Tokyo Police Club released the third single from their forthcoming Forcefield and "Tunnel Vision" is just as fantastic as ever. It evokes images of their earlier albums with the fun lyrics that we first started to hear again on their second single ("Hot Tonight") and that fantastic solid rock sound that has been so prevalent on their first two albums. This band is amazing and this latest track has me thoroughly excited to hear everything else on Forcefield.
• Melanie Martinez released the wonderfully creepy and slightly haunting "Dollhouse" and I haven't been able to stop listening to it on repeat.
• Kat Dahlia's video for "Crazy" was straightforward, keeping the emphasis on the song (and it's diary-esque lyrics) and is really only great because it added Dahlia's attitude to the song, which somehow made it even better.
• Helios will be available for release tomorrow and "Hurricane" and "Love Don't Die" should have you thoroughly excited for new music from The Fray. The lyrics are always fantastic, the band is just as great (maybe better) live as they are recorded, and the music could not be catchier, so grab the album tomorrow (or pre-order now).
• The Vamps released "Wild Heart" as a single on iTunes this week and it's everything pop, cute, and fun that could ever compete with the youth's love for One Direction. It is disturbingly catchy.
• Breathe Carolina's Savages is available for pre-order now and their single "Sellouts" needs your attention (Danny Worsnop makes it fun).
• Eli Young Band's 10,000 Towns is available for pre-order and "Just Add Moonlight" is far too addictive for the feminist in me to stomach (you should probably just buy it and listen to it on repeat until you're too tired of it to play it again).
• American Authors Oh, What A Life is available for pre-order now and you want to get it. I've spent the last month listening to this album on repeat and I can tell you that it is so far past addictive and so much better, as a whole, than "Best Day Of My Life", that it's going to be your favorite album to play on repeat this Spring.
• Beck's Morning Phase will be released tomorrow and you should just get it, because it's Beck and it will no doubt be fantastic. Listen to "Blue Moon", "Waking Light", and "Wave" now. 
• Strange Talk's Cast Away is available for pre-order and you should just grab it now because all of the tracks are fantastic and you'll be happy to get the immediate downloads of "Cast Away", "Morning Sun", and "Young Hearts". 

Music Related News

       You guys should have gotten your music related news yesterday, but I got caught up playing around on the new website; I cannot wait until I can share it with you guys (I love it way more than anyone should love an intangible object).

• The Royal Concept released their single "D-D-Dance" on iTunes and now I can't get enough of them; it's San Cisco meets Black Kids with an extra punch of pure youthful energy and it's a perfect mix of folk pop, dance-able melodies, and fun rhythms that has me more than a little addicted to their music.
• Hudson Taylor released their music video for "Weapons" and continued to show that they are the most amazing, and most promising, thing coming out of indie folk right now. Look for their name soon because it won't be long until you can't get away from their music. 
• Friday, February 9, marked the fifty year anniversary of the day The Beatles first arrived in the US, giving us the, much loved, phrase 'British Invasion'. The Beatles early songs weren't very thought provoking, but their music matured as their fans did and the band is a perfect example of how best to stay in the spotlight and your fan's playlists.
• It's that time of year when you can start buying your SunFest tickets again; it's not the 'best' music festival, you will have one day when you're soaked through with rain and another day where you've definitely garnered third degree burns on your hands from leaning back on the cement, but it's tradition and it's fun. Of all the festivals I've been to, none have this same sort of relaxed feel and it's awesome to be there the first three nights because it's so 'empty' on the weekdays (though it does make Sunday's crowds slightly unbearable). 
• The Colourist, the debut full length album from The Colourist, is available for pre-order now and you're going to want to grab your copy; the band is coming on to the indie pop scene strong and their songs are so fun it's ridiculous. Their only real competition, sound wise, is going to be Echosmith and, between the two, I'd put my money on The Colourist; while Echosmith has nice lyrics, the tracks feel light and the vocals could be better and The Colourist already has a fully mature sound with solid vocals that are easy to listen to, as well as some great lyrics. Check out their video for "Fix This" for something amazing.
• Broods' "Bridges" is the free single of the week on iTunes (US) this week and it's slowly building electronic beat sucks you in with its hypnotic waves and soft vocal melodies.
• Hot Chelle Rae released their latest single, "Don't Say Goodnight", and the song sounds just as fun as you've come to expect from this band. I've tried not to get addicted, but it just feels like summer and warm nights and there's no point in denying this single's greatness. 
• Justin Bieber was not smacked by NBA's Blake Griffin; it was a satire story posted by a sports site which got picked up by other news sources who ran it as truth. I can't believe I'm actually disappointed that a person was not physically assaulted. 
• Andy Blunda, former Fastball guitarist, released his second solo EP, Messages, and the songs are so great that they demand your immediate and full attention. They're truly fantastic and only get better with each listen. 
• PawnShop King's "Fall Apart" sucks you in slowly, so that you don't even realize you're hooked until you're sitting there singing the chorus under your breath and trying to figure out what it's from. You can get the single, for free, by clicking on this link now though, so do that (because I have waited so long to start getting music that is free for your personal use, not just for the site's use, and I'm super excited to share this with you).
• Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" has been resurrected by Buck 22 who took the song and made "Achy Breaky 2". I honestly can't. The video is all shades of ridiculous, the song is an average looking mess, and I kind of wish I had never listened to it, because this weird remix will be in my head for far too long now; it's as mindnumbingly unimportant as the original, with the added bonus of being just as horribly catchy (it won't leave your head and it's bad).
• Nickel Creek got back together and released "Destination" and I am super fucking excited to hear new music from them. It's been far too long since the classic folk band gave us a sweet melody to sway along to and their lyrics are just as articulate as ever. 
• Manolo Panic came out with their interactive music video for "Tiny Robots" and it's just as amazing as the song itself, plus super entertaining. 
• Skylar Grey released "Coming Home, Part II" and it's completely gorgeous and shows off the depth in her vocals perfectly while carrying over a chorus you already know and love into her latest work, making it easier for you to already be addicted to this new song. Plus the video is simple and beautiful and captures the song's sentiment with gorgeous ease.

"Coming Home, Pt. II" Skylar Grey

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