I was digging through a box of old CDs today and ran across one by a band called Gigantic called Disenchanted. I’m sure this was a CD that the Sony college rep in Columbus gave me back in the mid-90s but I can’t remember ever listening to it … until today. Doing a Google search, I discovered that Gigantic was essentially Flesh for Lulu with a new name (same singer, Nick Marsh, and drummer, Rocco Barker) but a heavier, more alt-rock sound. Originally released in 1996, Disenchanted didn’t go anywhere, despite Gigantic’s appearance as the opening act on a Bush/Goo Goo Dolls tour that same year, and the band broke up two years later. In 2007, Corporate Risk reissued the CD under the Flesh for Lulu name and titled it Gigantic.
Asides
Free music Friday
Music Go Music – “Warm in the Shadows”
(“21st century answer to Abba” – The Fly)
Woods Family Creeps – “Party in the Pines”
(“Extended jams, howling guitar leads, atmospheric cassette interference”)
BARON (w/ Black Mountain) from the Extremely Sorry Soundtrack – “The End of the Beginning”
(“Black Mountain channel an ominous, industrial psych-tinged groove … sounding like the dark smoke rising from a California wildfire” – Alternative Press)
Shout Out Louds – “Walls”
(Swedish pop masters)
Radar Brothers – “Horses Warriors”
(Dreamlike Pink-Floyd-meets-Flaming-Lips pop)
Let’s Wrestle – “We are the Men You Will Grow to Love Soon”
(“They write songs that make your soul crumble as well as making you smile, sing along and clap your hands”)
Speak – “Carrie (Mindfull)”
(“Unabashed in their pursuit of innovative pop”)
Active Child – “She Was a Vision”
(“This sombre young man creates glacial and gloomy music, as though Fleet Foxes had swapped their guitars for synths” – guardian.co.uk)
Tivo alert: The Dollyrots on The Price is Right (Jan.15)
The Dollyrots make their game show debut on The Price is Right on Friday, January 15. Although what their appearance entails remains a mystery, High Wire Daze is reporting that The Dollyrots will perform two songs – their new single, “California Beach Boy”, as well as “Because I’m Awesome” from my second favorite CD of 2007, Because I’m Awesome.
The band is working on their third album (with some co-writing help from ex-Letters to Cleo singer Kay Hanley) which they hope to release this summer. In the meantime, you can stream – and buy – 2 brand new tracks (“California Beach Boy”, “Dumb”).
MP3: “Hurt Til it Bleeds” – Kandi Coded
Is grunge making a comeback? Mid-90s music has entered the nostalgic phase and more and more bands from that era are reuniting (Soundgarden, Alice in Chains). Kandi Coded is a NEW band featuring the legendary Jack Endino (check out this amazing discography to see everything Endino’s had a hand in) but their sound is firmly planted in 1992 mixing the punk aesthetic with a decidedly grungy sound.
DOWNLOAD: Hurt Til it Bleeds
Kandi Coded also features snowboarder Jamie Lynn, Johnny Graziadei, and Sam MacDonald and the band is hitting the road as part of the 2010 Blizzard Bizarre Tour with ASG.
1/27- Boulder, CO – The Volcom Store
1/28- Denver, CO – The Marquis Theatre
1/29- Breckenridge, CO – Cecilia’s
2/2- Salt Lake City, UT – LO-FI Café’
2/3- Jackson Hole, WY – Mangy Moose
2/5- Bozeman, MT – The Filling Station
2/6- Whitefish, MT – Bierstube
2/7- Spokane, WA – the BLVD
2/8- Nelson, BC – Finley’s
2/9- Kelowna, BC – The Habitat
2/10- Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
2/12- Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
Favorites CDs of 2009
While some of the choices may come as a surprise to those who regularly follow AtomicNed.com, the variety of favorites shouldn’t be shocking. While I certainly have been much more of a trendfollower than a trendsetter over the course of my music listening history, it comes down to liking what I like and not always liking what the masses of respected music writers/bloggers like. I mean, how many other writers do you think have both Slayer and Taylor Swift on their year-end favorites list?
1. Danger Danger – Revolve
The best CD of 1989 was released 20 years late! This b-list hair metal band brought original singer Ted Poley back for a reunion album filled with big hooks (“Hearts on the Highway”), bigger choruses (“That’s What I’m Talking About”), songs about girls (“Rocket to Your Heart”), guitar solos (“Ghost of Love”), and power ballads (“Fugitive”). Def Leppard and Bon Jovi’s recent efforts didn’t sound nearly this good.
Listen: Keep On Keepin’ On
2. Ray West – All Pointz West
Spread Eagle’s Ray West was my favorite singer from the sleaze-glam era (early ’90s). His solo debut may have been 15+ years in the making, but it was worth it as he updates Spread Eagle’s sound (which was similar to Skid Row, Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue) by making it heavier and more aggressive (ala Godsmack, Disturbed, Killswitch Engage). I listened to this CD more than anything else this past summer.
Watch:Novacaine
3. The Damnwells – One Last Century
My fears that The Damnwells were done were unjustified and proven false when the band released this FREE album in February. The older carryovers (“55 Pictures”, “Bastards of Midnight”, “Down with the Ship”) were my favorites initially but I grew to love the collaborations Alex Dezen did with his wife, Angela (“Dandelion”, “Like it Is”), just as much as anything the band has previously done.
Download:One Last Century (full CD)
4. Jason Lytle – Yours Truly, The Commuter
Halfway through 2009, this album was my favorite. Though it’s billed under Lytle’s name, it’s really just an extension of the singer’s Grandaddy sound (spacey/dreamy indie-pop) and “Brand New Sun” may be one of the best, simplest pop songs released this year.
Watch: Brand New Sun
5. The Prairie Cartel – Where Did All My People Go?
Blake Smith and Mike Willison hinted at their electro-pop/sample fascination as members of the short-lived alt.rock band Caviar but bring that fascination to full fruition (along with Local H’s Scott Lucas) on The Prairie Cartel’s long overdue debut (most of these songs were on a demo CD the guys gave me at SXSW back in ’07). The versatility of the music allows The Prairie Cartel to perform it live as either a full band or in a DJ setting with Lucas singing over pre-recorded sounds loaded onto an iPod.
Download: Beautiful Shadow
Continue reading “Favorites CDs of 2009”