Monthly Mix: February 2013

Jim James explores Regions of Light and Sound of God

     As the snow and the slush continue to pile up, lucky for us so does the reloaded reservoir on our iPods.  February produced a healthy amount of solid tracks, ranging from folk to indie rock and all points in between.  Plenty of variety to help spice up the last few weeks of winter.
     My Morning Jacket band leader Jim James is back in the mix of things with his debut solo album Regions of Light and Sound of God.  This record has a stripped-down feel, giving way to a haunting collection of songs.  The first single "A New Life" finds James at his bare-bones core, while managing to slowly morph a folk song into a showtune.  Look for him in the months to come as his tour makes stops at some bigtime festivals including Bonnaroo, Hangout, and Firefly.
     The rest of February's playlist produces a better than average mix, enough to keep the heat going a bit longer as the winter winds down.


February '13 Playlist

1. Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)

2. Jim James - A New Life

3. 90 Pounds Of Pete - Arms

4. My Bloody Valentine - New You

5. Cymbals - The Natural World

6. Atoms For Peace - Judge Jury and Executioner

7. !!! - Slyd

8. The Strokes - One Way Trigger

9. Youth Lagoon - Dropla

10. Cold War Kids - Miracle Mile

11. Goldroom - Sweetness Alive ft. Saint Lou Lou

12. The Away Days - Galaxies

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For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter: @SteveFerris7

 

Monthly Mix: The Playlist, June 2012

     According to Stephen Hawking, time travel is something of a possibility. If someone were to take a glance at the top of this month's Playlist, they might think they were in a time portal back to 1995. June treated us with mysterious happenings and Venus making a transit across the sun, which begs the question "was there something in the stars?"
     Two alternative rock heavyweights grace the top 2 spots on June's Playlist, much to our approval. The Offspring kick things off with their radio friendly "Days Go By", the first single off their new album of the same name. Not to be outdone by fellow 90's rock superstars, Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins are back in the mainstream with an impressive new record of their own Oceania. As Corgan sings on "Inkless", 'the stars are out tonight.' 
     Perhaps there isn't a more gorgeous and energetic frontwoman in music today than Grace Potter. Her rock outfit Grace Potter & The Nocturnals are fresh off the release of The Lion The Beast The Beat, a pop heavy collection of radio candy. They will be making festival stops this summer at RBC Bluesfest, Summerfest, and moe.down, so be sure to try and check them out.
    Brooklyn's Yeasayer could almost be described as "music from the future." The indie trio unveiled the first track off their upcoming album Fragrant World (August 20) called "Henreitta" earlier this month. With a jumpy beat and a synth friendly backbone, this one is sure to get multiple plays all summer long.
    It's always nice to get a healthy mix of old and new artists for the Playlist. Safe to say June lived up to our standards. With plenty of alternative rock and chillwave this mix weaves in and out of the eardrums perfectly on the warm summer nights, which would leave time-traveling hero Marty McFly saying "Whoa, this is heavy."


June 2012 Playlist

1. The Offspring - Days Go By

2. The Smashing Pumpkins - Inkless

3. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Never Go Back

4. Peace - Follow Baby

5. Ty Segall Band - I Bought My Eyes

6. Yeasayer - Henrietta

7. Beat Connection - The Palace Garden, 4am

8. Goldroom - Fifteen (ft. Chela)

9. Grizzly Bear - Sleeping Ute

10. Brothertiger - Like Water

11. Fiona Apple - Werewolf

12. The Temper Trap - Rabbit Hole

Check in every month for the latest in alternative/indie music.

Please support all the great artists on the FW monthly Playlists, whether it is buying a song/album or checking them out live!

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter: @s_ferris