You gotta listen

I will admit that I am a sucker for anything with a catchy tune. I love oldies and musicals because they’re peppy and get stuck in my head for days on end.

One of the catchiest (and talented) artists to happen to indie rock will be releasing a new album this winter. That’s right: the Rocket Summer is back.

The one-man project out of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, has gained a steady following since 1997. Songwriter and musician, Bryce Avary plays all the instruments and records all the vocals for each of his records (3 full studio albums and 4 EPs released so far). The 26-year-old musician has also used his fame to create a clothing company – Call It Captivate – that donates 25% of each sale to a charity of the customer’s choice.

The new album, Of Men and Angels, won’t be released until early 2010, but fans have crashed the AltPress site TWICE – just to listen to and download the new song, “You Gotta Believe.” It’s exactly what you would expect of the artist that can make songs titled about ’80s teen movie stars stick in your head. The new single has a melody that hooks you from the start, though it showcases a slightly different set of influences than the Rocket Summer’s earlier discography. His voice is still powerful and pitch-perfect for the message he wants to convey. As usual, the sound quality and arrangement are fantastic – it’s hard to believe that just one musician does it all.

For more information about the Rocket Summer, including tour dates, photos, and song samples, check out:
therocketsummer.com

Decisions, decisions.

I listen to music all the time. And I mean all the time. I listen while doing homework, cleaning, reading, sometimes even while watching TV (yes, I know that’s weird). There are times when I get frustrated that as a poor college student, I can’t buy more music for my iTunes, I don’t have my iPod on me, or maybe I just want something new- and that’s when I use internet radio services. The two I use most often: Last.fm and Pandora. Each site has their own loyal camps, but what’s the difference?

Just let it go

This week, PureVolume is offering a free download of “Escape Artistry” by Kill Hannah, to promote the band’s latest album.

Wake Up the Sleepers is the Chicago band’s sixth album to date (it was released two weeks ago by Original Signal Recordings). The band was formed in 1994, by vocalist Mat Devine, and named for his ex-girlfriend. In spite of a continually changing line-up, Kill Hannah has made their way around the music biz: touring with indie favorites the Sounds and Dashboard Confessional, as well as opening for the All-American Rejects.

Quite frankly, at some points the song makes me laugh. The line repeated through most of the song (“we’ve got to get the fuck out of here”) just sounds silly as the song slows in tempo and the whole tune softens. Despite that, however,”Escape Artistry” a pretty solid release. Devine’s raspy vocals remind me of early Smashing Pumpkins – with a much quicker pulse. The tune is catchy, and serves as a great introduction to Kill Hannah’s electro-rock sound.

Learn more about Kill Hannah at their official site:
killhannah.com

There’s one in all of us.

Earlier this week, the entire soundtrack to Spike Jonze’s upcoming film Where the Wild Things Are (based on the infamous 1963 children’s book by Maurice Sendak) was posted on iMeem for free streaming.

The long-awaited soundtrack album was performed and co-composed entirely by alt-rock queen Karen O., with the help of co-composer Carter Burwell (yep, the guy that wrote Bella’s lullaby for Twilight). Until August, O. and Burwell kept quiet about the soundtrack details, leaving fans anxiously devouring any official, or unofficial, news release remotely related to the film or soundtrack.

The soundtrack is, in one word, brilliant.

Karen O and the Kids create a sound that’s whimsical and childlike that suits the tone of the story without dumbing the music down. The folk-inspired tunes are a vast departure from O.’s vocal work with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The gem of a stand-out track is “All Is Love,” but this is an album to listen to again and again.

Where the Wild Things Are will be released in theaters everywhere October 16th. For more scene stills and info about the film and soundtrack, go to:
www.wherethewildthingsare.com