Random Song of the Night: Boys, You Won't

Jersey's finest, The Wrens.




Boys you won't remember
from the minute
you walked into the room
every letter started broken hearted
and ended way too soon

lived through underrated
getting jaded
to wind up with no one
hiding in new places, getting wasted
singing "I guess we're done"

I don't want you to wonder why
it won't do any good
you don't know what you got into
until you know when its all gone wrong

And I don't the feel the need to try and explain
excuses sounding the same
your gonna find your gonna find im
im feeling down, but i stood up
dead up of the ground, but i stood up
lost without a sound, but i stood up
facing your not around, but i stood up
you want me, you want me


Dont know what you got on me
ill even it just you wait and see

And I don't the feel the need to try and explain
excuses sounding the same
your gonna find your gonna find im
im feeling down, but i stood up
dead up of the ground, but i stood up
lost without a sound, but i stood up
facing your not around, but i stood up
you want me, you want me

Posted because this is one of my favorite youtube videos:

Album Review: Wolf Parade: Expo 86

When we last left our heroic adventurers, they had released their second album, At Mount Zoomer. While it was at points an uneven mess, it contained some absolutely brilliant songs. Since their debut, people have always said that Wolf Parade was more a product of its parts (specifically keyboardist/vocalist Spencer Krug and Guitarist/vocalist Dan Boeckner) than a whole machine. Expo 86 is the first album by Wolf Parade that has felt even remotely like a fully cohesive band. So without further ado, let's dig into this bad boy.

Here is the Grooveshark Link

Track 1. Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
A very abrupt opening to an album. No instrumental intro, just Krug blaring his vocalized wail with no warning. Not the best choice for an opening track, but overall not a bad song at all. It is definitely a very Spencer Krug powered song though (I should probably admit I've always favored him over Boeckner). You can certainly feel shades of his solo project, Sunset Rubdown, within. Like many Krug songs, it begins to ramble a little to much towards the end.
Verdict 8/10

Track 2. Palm Road
Boeckner's turn. A very straight forward rock song, as is his wont. The stylistic change halfway through the song really picks it up, with a little keyboard work added in, it becomes a better song than it started.
8/10

Track 3: What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Be This Way)
The first real epic song. Starts with a very noticeable guitar riff, with the keys coming in soon after. Possibly Krug's best lyricism on the album ( "I don't think I should be sorry for things I do in dreams"). So far, the most well balanced song that they may have put together since their debut.
10/10

Don't Look Back: Okkervil River

Don't Look Back will feature an artist with at least three albums released. I will review and rank the albums throughout a bands history. This installment will chart Okkervil River.

Okkervil River began as three high school friends in New Hampshire: Will Sheff (vocals, guitar), Zach Thomas (Bass, Mandolin), and Seth Warren (Drums). After a hiatus that saw the members go to college in different parts of the U.S., Will and Seth met up together in Austin, Texas, and Okkervil River was formed. The name comes from a Tatyana Tolstaya short story. Jonathan Meiburg (vocals, piano, guitar, etc.) would join that band soon after the release of their first work Stars To Small To Use, in 1999. Their current lineup is missing all these key members except Will Sheff. Zach Thomas left the band to help raise his first child. Jonathan Meiburg is now the front man and creative power behind the band Shearwater (which is also a great band). Seth left and lives in Wisconsin. Although most of the founding members of Okkervil River have departed, the main creative force in the band was always Will Sheff, so the Okkervil River name soldiers on.

If you want, Will has written a pretty in-depth history of the band on their website

Okkervil River has five albums.

5. The Stand-Ins (2008) Grooveshark
The Stand-ins is the ying to The Stage Names yang. It is about the people that never made it. The bar bands and opening acts. The songs are still epic and expansive, but it is hurt by the fact that it followed The Stage Names so quickly, and will probably always be overlooked because of that. Do not let that fool you though; there is some amazing songs on this album, even though it suffers from being uneven.
Highlights: Lost Coastlines, Blue Tulip, On Tour With Zykos

The Top 25 Albums of 2009

Yes, I'm aware that it is July 2010. To start this blog off I decided I would just throw up something that I had already finished writing but didn't have a place to post. So without further ado, here are my top 25 albums of 2009.

25. Bowerbirds - Upper Air Grooveshark Link
Upper Air is another record of restrained folk from Bowerbirds. Lyrics are still strong, but it feels like something is missing from this album.
Highlights: Teeth, Northern Lights

24. Memory Tapes - Seek Magic Grooveshark
Probably the most fleshed out chill wave release of 2009. Nostalgic and haunting at points
Highlights: Bicycle, Plain Material

23. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care Grooveshark
This is ironicly Junior Boys Dullest album to date. But there are still strong points to be found within. Their style still shines through despite sometimes feeling too predictable.
Highlights: Parallel Lines, Dull To Pause