Mother Mother Live

Amazing live performance by Mother Mother in Waterloo, Ontario. Here is a clip of their opening two songs.

Best Album Sticker

With the availability of music on the internet, it's not often you really need to go to a record store (except for the audiophiles buying vinyl).  When you do go to a record shop, you'll notice many of the albums (especially new releases & top sellers) will have their covers cluttered with stickers advertising the hit singles included, parental advisory, a free download or movie ticket offer, and/or the use of recycled packaging material.

Most often these stickers just detract from the album artwork and I can't wait to remove the cellophane.  I recently discovered a rare exception and the greatest sticker to grace album covers (I use the plural, but I've only seen it on one album).  Here it is, the "PLAY LOUD" sticker:

Oh No... Boy Bands Are Back

It would seem that boy bands have returned to the collective pop culture conscience.  The Wanted and One Direction could be compared with N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys, although it is as if the British Invasion of the 60s and the 90s boy band craze have mixed to create a British boy bands trend of the 2010s.

Countless Twitter trends, obsessed preteens with usernames like ShannenAdoresTW & Jadore1Dx, and fans identifying themselves with quirky names like Directioners.  Well this is a step above the teeny-bopper idol trend of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, there are plenty of other trends in music I'd rather see resurface (grunge and the Seattle sound are just one example).  I guess the only thing to do is wait out the trend until something better invades popular music.

One thing I will admit is that "Glad You Came" is one catchy tune.


This discussion brings up one question.  Where do you stand?  One Direction or The Wanted?  Comment your thoughts below or Tweet to @sicumreviews

Rush's 20th Album, Their Heaviest?

Clockwork Angels, Rush's 20th album, is due out June 12, 2012.  "Caravan", released almost two years ago, was quite a hard rocking song.  The next single, "Headlong Flight", has just been released and is described by Rolling Stone as "the trio's most hard-charging number in recent years."  Even the album artwork seems a little dark, see right.  This leads me to believe Rush fans are in for one of the heaviest Rush albums of their career, and frankly, it's awesome.  Rush is generally classified as a hard rock or metal band, but their music has always been more progressive rock and never quite as heavy as modern metal bands.  Clockwork Angels may be an album that could cross boundaries and appeal to new fans.  Metal fans that are too young to be familiar with Rush's older material (aside from a few synth-heavy hits) could take a liking to this album.

Check out "Headlong Flight", streaming on Rolling Stone, and tell me what you think in the comments or Tweet to @sicumreviews

Upcoming Music Films

Looking at lists of upcoming film release dates, there are a few music-themed movies to look forward to.  Of course there is Footloose (not interested), the Green Day documentary/musical American Idiot, and Tom Cruise in the film adaption of Rock of Ages, but there were a few films that I had forgot about or just heard of.

With an October release, George Harrison: Living in the Material World is the first film to look out for.  Directed by Martin Scorsese with the blessing of Olivia Harrison, the picture debuts on HBO with part one on October 5th and part two on the 6th.  If you happen to live in the UK, there is an October 2nd premiere in Liverpool at the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology.  If you can't wait just over a week to see this picture, then hopefully this trailer can satisfy you for the time being.

Just about a month later, Killing Bono has a limited release November 4th.  In this rock comedy, two brothers and school mates of U2 struggle to make a name in the 1980s music scene and watch U2's fame skyrocket.  If you live outside of a major city and don't get limited releases, you can order Killing Bono on DVD.


Another limited release (see here) in November, is The Other F Word.  The documentary film discusses the transition from rocker to "soccer dad".  The film features Pennywise's Jim Lindberg, Flea, Mark Hoppus, Black Flag's Ron Reyes, Tim McIlrath, Fat Mike of NOFX, and several others.  In case you're still wondering, the other F word is "father".  View all film clips on the official site.

Motorhead, Slipknot & Metallica Streaming Live Now!

Mötorhead is set to stream live shortly from Rock in Rio and they will be followed by Slipknot and the day's headliner, Metallica.

Full Lineup and Times

Video Stream

Don't miss out on this great chance to see huge acts from the legendary festival!

Muppet Aliens Dubstep

Aliens search for music on the ra-di-o.  They obviously know what's up with popular music and settle on some dubstep.

Peanut Butter and Swelly

If you haven't already downloaded it, make sure you get Peanut Butter and Swelly.  The latest mixtape from Chiddy Bang is amazing and best of all, free!  Unfortunately, I won't have time for a full review, but I was impressed with this mixtape.  Chiddy and Xaphoon really know how to have fun on a record and make great tracks.  Some of my favourites were "Too Much Soul", "I Can't Stop (Freestyle)", "Jacuzzi (Lost in the Vapors)", "Baby Roulette ft. Train", "Always (On My Grizzly) ft. eLDee the Don", and "Cameras".  The entire album in general was enjoyable and covered a lot of ground from electronic dance to hip-hop/rap to soul.  This really shows why Chiddy is one of my favourite rappers ever.

Chiddy Bang is really in it for the music and most (if not all of their mixtapes) are offered for free download.  I wish more artists would give their music to fans this way.  If you don't download this now and it disappears, you will regret it!

Announcement

Due to being super busy with other things, I am forced to decrease the frequency of posting my top favourites.  For now I will only be posting them once a month and may increase it to ten songs for each month.

Dubstep Takeover

If you aren't shut off to new music and you pay attention to the obvious trends, you should know that dubstep has been risen to almost a mainstream level of popularity. I'm glad this is happening. Dubstep has always been a great electronic genre and now with its newfound success, we can expect more great tunes.

You've heard of dubstep, right? Please tell me you didn't just google it. If you've never heard dubstep, allow me to catch you up with some excellent tracks.

Skrillex - "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites"
Skrillex has begun to assert his dominance over the genre and this is one of his most popular songs.

There are plenty of excellent beats released on YouTube and Soundcloud, many of which are available for download.  Here are two of my favourites pulled from the loads of songs uploaded to dubstep channels.

Favorites - Week of May 9, 2011

I was pretty busy this week, but that never stops me from listening to my favourite songs.  So there isn't a whole lot of new songs this week, but still plenty of great ones.

5. "Sail" by Awolnation
Some songs have pushed this back down, but doesn't diminish how good the song is.

4. "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People
I was hearing this song everywhere and finally bothered to look it up this week.  It is super catchy and sounds like something Telus or Apple might use in a commercial.

3. "Got To Lose" by Hollerado
Creative music video and great music.  I love the opening vocal bit (the almost a cappella part).

2. "Fragile Bird" by City and Colour
Still can't what for Little Hell to come out!

1. "Damini" by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Caught USS again as they dropped into Kitchener for a show at The Wax.  Highly energetic set, I would wager Human spent equal time on stage as he did on top of the crowd.

Favorites - Week of May 2, 2011

This week I was at the USS Approved release show, so I was thinking about doing my top 5 favourite USS songs.  Then I remembered how hard it is to pick my favourite USS songs, so here is my regular mix of favourites for this week.

5. "Adolescents" by Incubus
Five years since Light Grenades, Incubus is releasing their 7th studio album July 12.  Here is their first single off If Not Now, When? and it absolutely everything I expect from Incubus.

4. "Got To Lose" by Hollerado
Ever since I found their new one take video for "Got to Lose" last week, I've been listening to it a lot.  And I apologize in advance for the lame joke, but this song puts the 'rad' in Hollerado.

3. "Sail" by Awolnation
It might be possible that I've been listening to this song too much recently, but it is, as I said before, infectious.  But plenty new albums are on the way, so I might be able to unstick it from my brain.

2. "Fragile Bird" by City and Colour
This song really makes you want to sing, but of course no one can do it just like Dallas Green.

1. "Damini" by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Really the number one spot goes out to the entire USS Approved EP, but I choose this to represent the EP.  I really suggest you get yourself a copy of the EP, it is only available on iTunes and at USS merch booths.
Warning: You are not going to want to be sitting during this song!

USS Approved Release Party

Last night was quite the party at the win to get in USS Approved release show with 102.1 The Edge at the Mod Club in Toronto.  First on the docket was Lee Serviss, winners for the month of May on Indie Online.  Lee Serviss is an acoustic folk duo, with some songs on the verge of country and others faster rock.  For a band comprised only of two acoustic guitars, they played some great music.  They clearly knew their way around their instruments, playing them quite skillfully.  Music wasn't their only talent, though.  The duo were quite the comedians and their dialogues between themselves and the audience were very entertaining.  They even when so far as to perform a cover of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight", making the drum solo noise with their mouths.  And as they pointed out, the lighting guy really knows how to put on a show.  There "single" will be playing on the Edge tomorrow, but you can listen to it on their Indie Online page now, it's called "On the Run".

Next up was Michou, a band I was unfamiliar with.  They're a loud pop and alternative band from Windsor, Ontario.  While I wasn't a huge fan of their really pop styled songs, I did like parts of the music.  They spice up their music with a trumpet and various percussion tools.  The keyboardist / trumpet player, Sasha Appler, had an obvious talent for music and the lead singer / guitarist, Michael Hargreaves, could sing well (although it was pop ballad vocals; not my cup of tea).  What I enjoyed most during their performance was the drumming.  The drummer, Stefan Cvetkovic, was energetic and really contributed to the music (as opposed to just providing a beat to keep time).  I was impressed by how well the band grooved together on stage and how they were skilled enough to improvise a little when Stefan broke a drum skin (with no other drummer in the house).  Every member of the band had some part in the vocals and all interacted with the audience.  I refer to Michael as the lead, but really any one of them could hold that title.  Overall, they played surprisingly well live (when many popular artists are crap live) and had a couple songs I enjoyed.  They were obviously not my favourite style, but something I'd listen to every now and then (then being May 11, when USS comes to Kitchener).

Of course the final act was who everyone had been waiting for, Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker.  Not really much to about USS.  I've seen them at festivals and clubs, and clubs are really there scene.  The club didn't have as much energy as other shows I've seen, but to be honest it was cold and raining all day, so I can see why some might not be up for getting crazy.  Except for one girl, who decided to jump on stage and grind behind Ash for half a minute before being pulled off stage.  The rest of the audience picked up as the night went on, but USS rocked steady the entire set.  Human Kebab was his wild self, with handstands, crowd surfing, mic swinging and generally amping up the crowd.  Their show was lacking the usual cardboard cutouts, but had the addition of the Approved cover banner and a little taste of India on Human's turntables.  Another interesting addition to their act let Human step out from behind the turntables.  With a CD deck and mixer fashioned onto a Rock Band guitar, he went mobile on the stage for several of the new songs.  The songs of the released EP were absolutely amazing and despite this being the first time USS played many of them live, they sounded flawless. As with all USS gigs, the music was great and the performance was excellent.  Excellent release party, not your average Tuesday night.

If you weren't able to win tickets from the Edge, this was just the kick-off for a rocking tour of Canada.  Tickets aren't expensive and are highly worth it!  Here's a list of tour dates, I'll see you at their show (...well, some).

Favorites - Week of April 25, 2011

A lot of great music this past weeks and plenty of awesome albums due out in May. These are some songs I've had on repeat all week.

5. "Sail" by Awolnation
This song is infectious and I love it. Fearless Fred of 102.1 The Edge thinks it sounds like the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack, but you can decide for yourself.

4. "White Limo" by the Foo Fighters
This and the number one song have been on my favorites list for several weeks now, except for last week when I shared some old favourites.

3. "Fragile Bird" by City and Colour
The first single off Dallas Green's third solo effort, Little Hell (available June 7), is a little more rock than past City and Colour albums. The song is great and sounds almost as if you were in the studio listening to him play it live and raw.

2. "Make Some Noise" by Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys album is one of the big albums out in May and you can listen to more than "Make Some Noise" under this post. In fact, the entire album is streaming below! Oh, and this week we actually have the "Make Some Noise" video (P.S. in the boys usual style it's awesome and hilarious)!

1. "N/A OK" by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Maybe not on everyone's list of big albums coming out, but it is on mine and I'm super excited for its release.

Hot Sauce Committee Part II

Posting this late, but I was without internet for a week and want to share it anyways.  The entire new album from the Beastie Boys is streaming.  It is wicked, as expected.

If the stream isn't good enough quality for you, the album is available on mp3 download, CD, and vinyl in all its glory!

Favorites - Week of April 18, 2011

This week all my things were packed up to move and I've only been listening to my shuffle which hasn't been updated with my new music.  So these are some old favorites of mine, all of these could be any other song from the band/artist.  They're all dynamite and occupy a large portion of my iPod.

5. "From the Ritz to the Rubble" by Arctic Monkeys
One of my personal favourites off the first Arctic Monkeys album.

4. "Pornostartrek" by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
All the songs from the first EP from USS is all onederful.  This song is even better when played live using Human Kebab as a mic stand.

3. "Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
An excellent song by my favourite line-up of the Chili Peppers.

2. "Change (In The House Of Flies)" by Deftones
Probably the best Deftones' song of all time and just an excellent rock song in general.

1. "I am the Highway" by Audioslave
This is my favourite soft Audioslave song and a contender for my top Audioslave song ever.  The standard Audioslave excellence.

Super Group

This is my lineup for the ultimate rock band.  Trent Reznor on the various instruments he plays, mostly synthesizer and keyboard, and doing some composing.  Jack White on guitar, key board and vocals.  Chris Cornell on vocals and guitar.  Flea on bass and trumpet, and Dave Grohl on drums.  To produce their album, I would have Danger Mouse join the team.  They'd be an amazing band and they could all switch parts around for different songs because most of them can sing and play guitar.

Favorites - Week of April 11, 2011

A couple new tracks made it onto my list this week.  Here are my latest favorites.

5. "Make Some Noise" by The Beastie Boys
The latest single from the long awaited Hot Sauce Committee album from the Beastie Boys brings up some great reminders of old school Beastie Boys.

4. "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele
Beautiful, soulful vocals and a dark blues-rock beat make for one excellent track.

3. "Two Against One" Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi, and Jack White
The White Stripes are gone, but Jack White is still here.  Together with producer-extraordinaire Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi, and Norah Jones, he is creating an album called ROME.  This is one of my favorites from their project.

2. "White Limo" by Foo Fighters
Back again this week is the extra heavy Foo Fighters with "White Limo".  If for some reason you haven't already bought their album, do it now!

1. "N/A OK" by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker

A lot of amazing albums are scheduled for release May 3, but USS' EP Approved is the one I'm most amped for.  "N/A OK" is an awesome song, and I'm sure only a taste of things to come from Approved.

Tiësto - Deadmau5 Collab

My awesome music senses are tingling! Deadmau5 suggested doing a track with Tiësto, and he agreed. We'll have to wait and see what comes out of this, but I'm sure it will be amazing.

Source: Tiësto's Status

UPDATE: If you are following @deadmau5 and @tiesto (which you should be), it seems like they've kicked this collab off and they'll "rap this up by friday :)".  Make sure you follow them on twitter to get more details as it comes together.

Another Jack White Project

While the musical project entitled ROME is actually headed by producer Danger Mouse, Jack White was recruited in late 2010. Danger Mouse and composer Daniele Luppi are working on the ROME album with White and Norah Jones. ROME will be available May 16, 2011. If that's too long to wait, they recently released a song titled "Two Against One". It is a great as you would expect it should be, check it out.

Hit up their official site for more details on ROME.