Metric's upcoming album "Fantasies" is now available for pre-order. It's available in 4 different packages ranging from the big one with all the extra stuff to the simple digital download, more info here. I went for the "Hardcover Digipack + Digital Download" pack, which means in addition to the 3 track download I got today, I'll be able to download the album on March 31st.



The 3 tracks that everyone pre-ordering gets is the album version of "Help I'm Alive", an acoustic version of "Gimme Sympathy", and a cover of Pink Floyd's "Nobody Home" with Jimmy Shaw on piano + vocals.

At the same time Metric makes yet another song available for preview on their website + myspace. If "Help I'm Alive" and the newest "Gimme Sympathy" are any indication the album will be sublime. With all these acoustic versions popping up I'm only waiting for them to announce the release of an acoustic version of the entire album. Or maybe I'm just dreaming.

Go visit Metric's myspace and Metric's official site. Now!

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tags:

Red Owl Records, 2009-01-09

These guys were completely unknown to me until I ordered a CD from CD Baby and got "Invisible Hand" recommended to me. I immediately went looking for some tracks to preview because I simply can't stay away from the prospect of getting to know something new and great. 30 seconds later I had no doubts whatsoever.

Once in a while an album will seem like it appeared out of the blue and hit you like no other. Leave you with a smile on your face, your day just a little bit better, and fill you with a hope that you'll never ever grow tired of this magnificent album. "Invisible Hand" did that to me.

Hard to pin, Fictionist walk the fine line between pop and rock where no genre tag is even needed. The highlight is without doubt the guitar work. Some brilliant work that provides hooks for just about all of the tracks, making them recognizable but not tiring. The kind that saves tracks from becoming "just another pop/rock song". Beautiful solos of the ethereal kind, small riffs that carry the different portions of the song or add an extra element to the building vocals. I have a soft spot for build-ups and this album is packed with them. The kind that will leave you wondering when it will take off, and somehow end up taking you by surprise once they do.

Album opener "Noisy Birds" is definitely one of the highlights. It's the kind of song that travels all over the place in terms of mood and tempo, which is sure to keep it lasting for a long time. You want to be there for the ride, which is why it's the perfect beginner.

Songs like "Tightrope Hill", "Nowhere to Go", "Lovers Past", and somewhat "Uptight" take the more standard approach to pop/rock. On "Tightrope Hill" dullness is avoided thanks to a catchy bass line and shivering guitars, while "Nowhere to Go" sets the mood and carries you along all the way to the excellent turn of events around the 4 minute mark. After that you really have nowhere to go.

"Fist" keeps you on your toes throughout the first 3 minutes by changing pace numerous times, until it finally explodes after a last failed attempt at making you believe it never will. All the elements that make up a good rock tune is somehow magically put into this song.

The vocals are never excessive, always adding to the perfect blend of melodies - it drives the tracks just as much as the guitars, and the absence of vocals is especially apparent on "Wakes" which is the only weak spot on this album, although a somewhat fitting prologue to the grand finale. Album closer "Song For B" does the opposite and sets off into a ethereal whirl of sound not heard since Pink Floyd. The only appropriate ending for such an album. If not just to celebrate the guitar.

In other words it's all about the perfect blend. Mix that with a skilled group of musicians truly good at their craft, and you've got a recipe for success. It's only a matter of time. If you're going to buy one album in the first 6 months of 2009 let this be the one. I predict this will be the gem that will send shivers down my spine when I accidentally come across it in my collection in ten years (if I've managed to push it that far back in my brain by then).

Head over to CD Baby and order yourself a copy, after you've listened to some tracks on myspace.

Fictionist official site

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tags: 2009 review

So, I have the tendency to bookmark. Do I ever check back to see what I have bookmarked or am I somehow just waiting for the day where I'll need the name of THAT band I heard two songs from two and a half year ago? Hardly...

So, going through my bookmarks on delicious (great site btw) I found a bunch of artists under the tags "check", "music", "myspace", and "good". Because I also have a tendency to forget which tags I used the last time, and definitely what combination I used... It would be so much easier.

Lanterns rocks.

Stoney is quite gifted.

I've liked Memphis for a while, but I finally ordered "A Little Place in the Wilderness"!

Midnight Juggernauts make outer space sound appealing.

Giant Drag is anything but.

The Dreamers create perfect music for daydreaming.

Bon Savants make me kinda happy...

I fell in love with Agent Sparks all over again.


So... I'm keeping these bookmarks and ordering a few CDs. The rest is going out (a.k.a. wasn't all that good).

Ah! Glad that's done.

While I'm at it... You should definitely head over to Metric's official site and get a free download of an acoustic version of the first single from their upcoming album "Fantasies", the fabulous "Help I'm Alive". The album is coming April 14th and I can't wait!

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tags: 2009 recommended

Doves are releasing their new album "Kingdom of Rust" April 6th. Head over to doves.net to download a track from the forthcoming titled "Jetstream", and watch the video for the first single "Kingdom of Rust" below.



I think this might be good.

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tags: upcoming 2009 video

It really has been a great year of music. Picking only 25 proved to be the hardest yet. I've included highlights this year too, but I decided that there's no point in writing something that's already been written. So here it is. The best albums of 2008 according to me, explanation given by others (although carefully picked by me). ...[read more]

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tags: list 2008

For me these last couple of months have been all about getting hold of the still unknown releases of 2008 while still hanging on to the familiar ones. Here are the standout tracks of the 10 best albums of 2008! Some tracks from these albums have been featured before, but luckily there's plenty more where those came from. It sums up my November and December quite well.



1. "Rooks" by Shearwater
"Rook" (Matador,2008 )

2. "Lights Off" by The Dears
"Missiles" (Dangerbird, 2008)

3. "Happy Day Today" by Jim Noir
"Jim Noir" (My Dad, 2008)

4. "Honey Bee" by Madrugada
"Madrugada" (EMI, 2008)

5. "Queens Will Play" by Black Mountain
"In the Future" (Jagjaguwar, 2008)

6. "Við spilum endalaust" by Sigur Rós
"Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" (EMI, 2008)

7. "Time for Yourself" by Earlimart
"Hymn and Her" (Majordomo, 2008)

8. "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" by Elbow
"The Seldom Seen Kid" (Polydor, 2008)

9. "Blue Ridge Mountains" by Fleet Foxes
"Fleet Foxes" (Sub Pop, 2008)

10. "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
"Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" (Mute, 2008)

Download mix [22.5MB 64kbps .mp3 - length 49:09] (Right-click, "Save as")

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tags: 2008 mix download

10 songs to kick off fall.



1. "Dream Job" by The Dears
"Missiles" (Dangerbird, 2008)

2. "Leap Year" by Maria Taylor with Andy LeMaster
"Savannah Drive EP" (Nettwerk, 2008)

3. "Undertow" by Stars
"Sad Robots EP" (Arts & Crafts, 2008)

4. "What If I Leave" by Rachael Yamagata
"Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart" (Warner Bros., 2008)

5. "Stupidest Things" by Jukes
"We Might Disappear" (Triumphant Sound Records, 2008)

6. "Next Messiah" by Jenny Lewis
"Acid Tongue" (Rough Trade, 2008)

7. "Hit the Wall" by Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning
"Something For All of Us" (Arts & Crafts, 2008)

8. "Fix it" by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
"Cardinology" (Lost Highway, 2008)

9. "I Got It Bad" by The Broken West
"Now or Heaven" (Merge, 2008)

10. "I Shot My Man" by Nina Kinert
"Pets & Friends" (another records, 2008)

Download mix [20.82MB 64kbps .mp3 - length 45:28] (Right-click, "Save as")

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tags: mix download 2008