The Frail

Genre: awesome. electro-alt-rock.
Artist: The Frail
Album: The Firefly
Tracks: Firefly, Count On This
Street Date: May 11th, 2010
Label: Granville Records

Once again, San Francisco delivers a collection of artists that have produced an album you just want to play on repeat, forever. Upon first listen, I got a hint of Fall Out Boy (just a TINY hint, I promise) and a whole lot of unique. With each repetition, I hear more depth and complexity; each song has it's own special roller coaster ride that takes you on an adventure through your subconscious. If you think I'm talking psycho-babble now, just listen to the album and you'll understand. It's mellow, it's fun, it's soft, it's loud, it's deep... it's a series of contradictions wrapped up in perfection that could ONLY emerge from the beautiful San Francisco. So lets hear it for the home team boys and girls-- they've certainly won my heart.

Sign over yours by heading to the myspace and streaming shamelessly. Better yet: buy the album.

Dad and Son Get Together to Form Arranged Marriage

Genre: Alternative
Artist: Arranged Marriage
Album: Dearly Beloved
Featured tracks: Sit Alone, What My Dreams Convey
Label: Suburban Sprawl Music
Street date: April 20th, 2010

Much like any Arranged Marriage, this band was somewhat bounded by force. The Father-Son duo, brought together by nature and their avid love of music, is not the typical campout music you may expect from a Dad and Son, but rather an eclectic indie mix of old and new influences taken from both their lives, and their timing couldn't be any better. With many new bands taking strides from those before them (particularly the sixties and seventies - see the Right Ons), these guys come together to give you the real deal.



Producing themselves in a home studio using pro-tools, their songs capture influences like Elliott Smith, and even Scott's (son) roots of Post Punk. Check it out on the podcast to get a better feel.

Dissapears

Genre: alt-rock, post-punk, minimalist, noise-pop
Artist: Disappears
Album: Lux
Featured Tracks: Magics, Marigold
Street Date: April 12th 2010
Label: Kranky

This Chicago-based quartet knows how to get you addicted. This is their first album with Kranky (though they self-produced two singles and a limited release live album), and I plan to pop it in my CD player every time I need to properly hype myself up for an adventuresome night on the town. The riffs are enthusiastic, the basslines make you want to jump around, the drums encourage you to "dance like no one's watching." The vocals make you feel young again (okay, I'm not THAT old but this album seriously reminds me of that one time I crowd surfed during the anti-flag set at my first Warped Tour... when the only thing that mattered was how much fun I could pack into one epic day). Existentialism aside, this album is awesome and you should be buying it right now. Or at least check it out on the MYSPACE. Your life will be better after. Promise.