Author Archives: georgediab

I feel swell

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Photo Credit: Razziphoto

Photo Credit: Razziphoto

I have picked up a lot of new music in the last few weeks. So much in fact that it has literally frozen me up and I couldn’t decide what to write about today.

One album does stand out. The self titled album by the band The Airborne Toxic Event, or T.A.T.E for short.

If it’s true that a picture is worth a 1000 words, then the picture above taken at one of their live shows will help me to keep this post short and sweet.

They get compared to everyone from Modest Mouse and The Arcade Fire to the Clash and U2, The Airborne Toxic Event’s debut album was one of the most anticipated releases of 2008.

This Los Angles band was named one of the top three L.A. bands to watch in 2008.

Previous bands to receive this distinction include Cold War Kids and Silversun Pickups.

It’s 2009 and I will be listening to this album on the regular. I think after listening to Innocence that you might do the right thing and purchase this album too.

[Download The Airborne Toxic Event – Innocence]

And forget happiness, I’m fine
I’ll forget everything in time
I swear I didn’t know,
You know me, how I can’t let go
And we’re not guts, we’re just hacks
All that life amongst the cracks
The scars, the siege that breaks
The ugliest scene, the worst mistakes
And everywhere I see her face
Such a beautiful child, such an awful waste
And there’s no innocence like hers
Just emptiness and nerves

Every shadow filled up with doubt…

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From a WIKI article:

Following the creation of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a telepath and waitress at Merlotte’s in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), a shapeshifter—though this secret is kept hidden. One night, Sookie meets Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year-old vampire who has returned to Bon Temps following the death of his last remaining relative. As she cannot hear his thoughts, she finds it easy to be in his company and over the first season, the two become romantically involved.

I was given the first season of True Blood to check out, and I watched the entire season, 12 episodes, in a 24 hour period. I am not really into this new adoration America has of all things Vampire, but this show had enough shock, humor, sex, addiction, mystery to keep me changing DVD discs… one after another.

It always comes back to music though, and the music picked for this show was top notch. In fact, when I watched the opening credits, I knew they had the fish hook deep in my cheek.

[Download Jace Everett – Bad Things]

The music is from Jace Everett, a country singer from Indiana. When I heard that song along with the images of the deep south sprinkled with liberal amounts of sex, violence, and religion that make up the opening credits of the show, I pressed pause and ran to the laptop to look up the info on that song! I also found out that the company that put together that intro is called Digital Kitchen. “The whore in the house of prayer” is the theme Digital Kitchen chose to explore in the opening title sequence, highlighting redemption and forgiveness.

The show used some great music throughout the show, especially artists from Louisiana. Some of the artists featured include The Flying Burrito Brothers, Little Big Town, and Cobra Verde. They compiled some of the best tracks on the soundtrack for Season One, I suggest picking it up.

HBO used some interesting techniques to market the show, including some very clever viral marketing.


Even Top Chef Tom Colicchio has vampire friends.

Pirate StereoWhile doing some research for this post, I came across a kick ass remix of Bad Things by DJ duo Pirate Stereo. Pirate Stereo is made up of two Bostonian’s, Isaac Safdeye and Eyal Agai. They have some of their work up on MySpace. Please go check them out and tell them Mookie from inALLcaps sent you.

[Download Jace Everett – Bad Things (Pirate Stereo Remix)]

I don’t have HBO at the moment, but in the meantime I can still watch Season Two which came out a few weeks ago. You just have to know where to look. I’ll still be buying the Season Two DVD when it comes out, because if the second season DVD is anything like the first, the extras will likely make it worth it!

Will Not Lose. Ever.

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As many of you know, I’ve been preparing to release an exciting mixtape this summer called Southerngold. Basically, me mixing my favorite Southern rap vocals over remixed samples of my favorite Santigold influenced samples and tracks.

However, as I am about to release my mix on the internet tonight… literally, I am sitting at my desk in Brooklyn uploading the mix to YouSendIt.com, I get a cease and desist from lawyers at Santigold’s label, Downtown Records.

I’m not selling this, I’m not making a dime. I’m encouraging everyone to BUY Santigold’s album and I’m helping to expand her fan base to new markets. In addition, none of these songs are as they would appear on her actual album. EVERYTHING is remixed and redone so there is no competition with her actual in-stores album… It’s ironic that Downtown Records biggest group was signed due to a project with similar ambitions, Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse with The Grey Album.

–Terry Urban

I love mixtapes. They tend to be fun and interesting, and are crowd pleasers if you throw one on at a house party or on a road trip. There is a creativity in this idea of creating a mixtape that is usually rendered illegal and never a viable product to the paying masses.

I am not just talking about the compilation of love songs you recorded to tape for your girlfriend, although, this is also illegal if you try to sell that compilation.

A “Mixtape” is usually an album mainly made up of Remixes that are mainly made by DJs, and are released to promote the DJ, and all the other artists that are featured on the Mixtape. These mixtapes normally use music sampled from other artists’ songs, which are not normally cleared for use, but are overlooked by most music authorities, including those who’s music is sampled.


Rarely found on tape anymore, most mixtapes come packaged up in a .rar or .zip file.

The first mixtape where I ever heard of this stifling attempt by a label was The Grey Album. The Grey Album was DJ Dangermouse’s attempt to create a mixtape compilation between the lyrics from Jay-Z’s Black Album and the Beatles’ White Album. The label who lost their shit was EMI, who owns the rights to the Beatles music. Inadvertently, EMI shined such a bright light on this mixtape that it endsed up becoming an internet phenom.

Back when this was all going down with The Grey Album, the RIAA was taking college students, kids (some as young as 12), and the parents of file sharing children to court. I was generally digusted with how the label approached people sharing music, and when I heard about Dangermouse and his mix tape, I took it upon myself to share The Grey Album with all my friends. I even made CD liners and CD labels, using my own money to make the mixtape I was going to give away look good.

That was my personal FUCK YOU to the record label.

Earlier this month, Terry Urban, the man we quoted at the beginning of this post, was preparing to unleash his latest mixtape Southerngold which basically takes Santigold’s debut album and mashes it up with some popular rappers from the Dirty South. Santigold’s record label, Downtown Records, issues a cease and desist order and officially shut the project down.

Music Bitch reported that “Santigold herself declared that she supported the mixtape culture and she would like it to be released.”

While sitting down to a delicious lunch of Jack in the Box with TLO I ask her what she thinks about this mixtape drama going on. She asks the perfect question: Who is Santigold’s label? I have no clue, so I google it up. Oh shit. She’s on Downtown. Downtown is the label that picked up Gnarls Barkely, which is the brainchild of Dangermouse. See how we came full fucking circle?

Then TLO continues to drop knowledge. As I begin to rant about how fucking hypocritical Downtown is, she explains the simple truth. Downtown knows all about hype and mixtapes. They are shining the spotlight on purpose. They know the end result is more sales for Santigold.

Tricky bastards, yet, at least it’s a record label that gets it. Right?

Download Southerngold
Tracklist
1. M.I.A. Artistes (Ft. Pitbull & Ying Yang Twins)
2. You’ll Find A Way Player (Ft. Andre 3000 & Bun B)
3. Still Tippin’ It (Ft. Slim Thug & Mike Jones)
4. Can’t Say It (Ft. T-Pain)
5. Creating Kryptonite (Ft. Purple Ribbon All-Stars)
6. Fire Superman (Ft. Lil’ Wayne) [Prod. By Mike Cash]
7. Hustlin’ With The Lights Out (Ft. Rick Ross)
8. Shawty Is Starstuck (Ft. The Dream)
9. Unfreakable Girl (Ft. Gucci Mane)
10. Nann Lady (Ft. Trick Daddy & Trina) [Prod. By JKhan]
11. Anne’s Plan (Ft. Chip Tha Ripper) [Prod. By Mike Cash]
12. You’ll Go Crazy (Ft. Young Jeezy) [Prod. By Mike Cash]

I will share TLO’s favorite track off the mixtape:

[Download Rick Ross- Hustlin’ (Santogold vs. Rick Ross)]

Also, there are some great mixtapes out there. Another one I like is another Terry Urban effort of mixing up Coldplay and Jay-Z called Viva La Hova.

Here is one track off that mixtape:

[Download Jay-Z – Know My Place (HOVA vs. Coldplay)]

Support Terry, Jay-Z, Santigold, Granrls Barkley, Dangermouse, Downtown, Coldplay by spending your money on their shows, albums, and merch.

Buy a better life from the comfort of your sofa

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As a DJ, my main influences would be Daft Punk and Adam Freeland. We have mentioned Daft Punk ad naseum on the in ALL caps blog. It’s time to share some Freeland! For those of you who don’t have any clue who Adam Freeland is, let me get you up to speed.

Adam Freeland is a UK-based DJ and producer of rock and punk-infused breakbeat-based electronic music. He was a resident of Brighton and is now based in Los Angeles. He is the owner of the record label Marine Parade, which has released material by artists including Alex Metric, Evil Nine, ILS, and Jape.

I discovered Adam Freeland in a great vinyl dance/electronica record store in Orlando, Florida called The Drop Shop.

I was on a mini tour of Florida playing DJ gigs in downtown Orlando. One of the things I wanted to do while in Orlando was go to the popular record store to pick up some records. My guide was a DJ and promoter who goes by the name CB4. He takes me down to The Drop Shop, introduces me to everyone who works there and to every DJ he knows who walks in to see what’s on the new releases wall.

After we get all of that out of the way…I make my way to the new releases wall. I find the record “We Want Your Soul”. It was awesome. I started asking about it, and most of the staff was like, “um…yeah…it’s ok…I guess”. My eyebrows begin to raise in surprise. Well…I bought two. Soon enough it became a hit, and made itself into just about every mix cd at the time. It’s still one of my favorite songs by Adam Freeland.


Freeland ‘Do You’ UK Live Tour Video from Freeland on Vimeo.


Freeland recently released a new album. It’s called Cope, and it shoulda been called Dope! It features some great and surprising collaborations. You can expect to hear Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe playing drums and Twiggy Ramirez of Marylin Manson playing bass. There are also collaborations with Soundpool, Vocals from Brody Dalle (Distillers / Spinnerette) and Gerald V. Casale from DEVO. Freeland’s new frontman Kurt Baumann also sings on four songs.

According to the acclaimed Grammy-nominated DJ/producer Adam Freeland, he always intended his groundbreaking new full-length Cope™, to be more than just another electronica album.

Adam says this about Cope:

I wanted to make more than just another artist project, I always saw Cope™ as a band album more than just another DJ slapping together a bunch of random club grooves.

It seems likely that if Freeland is coming to your town, that it’s not just going to be a DJ set, but a live performance. Adam explains further:

I’ve always mixed rock into my sets anyway, so having a band is just a natural progression from that. Freeland has all the hard-hitting grooves of my DJ sets, but played live they’re even more raw, personal and in your face. This is the sound I’ve always heard in my head, so now I want to hear it as loud as possible!

My favorite track on the album, and trust me it was hard as hell to decide on one, ends up being the one I also think will get you to buy the album. You tell me if you are not interested in picking it up after listening to it below:

[Download Freeland – Rock On (David Essex cover)]

You probably recognize it as a cover. It is David Essex’s song Rock On with
more awesome lyrics and a much darker groove. I can’t wait to hear some remixes of this one!

Speaking of remixes, I am going to drop a few at the end of this post, so look for them.

If you were lucky enough to go to SXSW (don’t rub it in if you did) then you possibly saw Freeland’s concert debut. I would love to see some comments if you caught it! (But promise not to rub it in…)

One last thing, if you are just now getting into Freeland, and like what you hear, then check out his DJ mixes and previous work. The Coastal Breaks album, Tectonics, On Tour and Global Underground mix albums, as well as a FabricLive mix, and groundbreaking Back To Mine are all gems to grab. Amazon links at the bottom as always.

BONUS REMIXES:
[Download Freeland – Under Control (Alex Metric Remix)]
[Download Freeland – Under Control (Evil Nine’s Graveyard Smash Remix)]

For fear of being forgotten…

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I don’t think the artist named himself after photic sneeze reflex, but it might be taken from a famous quote from the movie Gremlins.

Bright Light Bright Light is Welsh songwriter, producer, remixer and multi-instrumentalist Rod Thomas who, over the last year or so has moved swiftly from bedroom producing to appearing at Glastonbury, Latitude, Camp Bestival, Green Man, Innocent Village Fete and Summer Sundae festivals.

Interestingly enough, I was just contacted By Rod Thomas after I posted his remix of a song from the band Run Toto Run. (read it here)

He gave me the song below to listen to. It’s called Blueprint. This is Mr. Thomas on vocals. He also plays many of the instruments on the album, with the exception of the drums.

[Download Blueprint – Bright Light Bright Light]

It’s a real good song isn’t it? I dig the lyrics and the vibe of the track.

A relentless live schedule has seen him appear alongside Sparks, James Yuill, Gotye, Noah & The Whale, Casiokids and Au Revoir Simone as well as doing numerous sessions for Radio 1, BBC Wales, BBC Bristol, Channel M and Balcony TV.

He’s also playing with Run Toto Run this Wednesday. Which is sort of how he found this here blog. He came across our blog on elbo.ws, while looking for Run Toto Run news/tracks.

Rod’s material has become increasingly multi-layered and textured as his production skills have gone from strength to strength. Working with Boom Bip (of recent Neon Neon fame) on key Bright Light Bright Light tracks ‘A New Word To Say’ and ‘Disco Moment’ has paved the way for a more shimmering and shiny outlook which fills dancefloors just as much as the softer tones of ‘Same Old Lines’ gather crowds at festivals.

Speaking of Same Old Lines, I scrounged up a remix of this also awesome song by Thomas. It’s funky pop loveliness that makes me move my shoulders in time with the beat. Try it! It feels good!

[Download Same Old Lines – Rod Thomas (James Yuill Remix)]

The original of Same Old Lines is even better than the remix. It really shows the mastery of Rod Thomas to create what might be the perfect, catchy, can’t get it out of your head…but that’s ok, because it’s wonderful, kind of song.

Learn more at the Bright Light Bright Light myspace page, and pick up his album ‘Until Something Fits’

Until Something FIts

Click HERE to order direct

Don’t be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don’t talk.

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Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the “ape” in apricot? What have they got that I ain’t got?

Run Toto Run!

Cool name for a band. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain though, because it’s a woman that we should be looking for.

Rachael Kitchenside, the lead vocalist and songwriter, seems to be the wizard of this magical group.

Like Dorothy, she is not alone. She is joined on a fantastic journey by her band mates Mike, Cazz, and K!d Farthing.

Mike Colombian born Mike or “The Hobo” as the rest of the band like to call him is the nicest guy on the face of the planet. Fact. Mike cut his musical teeth at the YMCA roller disco, and often fondly reminisces about it. (synths, backing vocals, keys and guitar).

Cazz is way prettier without the mask. Hot even. She used to drum for Stickboy, She is the only remaining UK Hanson fan. (keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, recorder, electronics)

K!d Farthing has a tattoo in Hungarian reading “born under a bad sign” and is the coolest kid to ever graduate from the RNCM with a first-class honours degree in violin. (violin, keyboards, electronics and clever stuff)

I was sent an amazing cover of Passion Pit’s Sleepyhead in my DropBox 4 days ago, recorded by Run Toto Run. I fell in love. Then I watched the video for the cover, and fell in love further. Like falling down the rabbit hole.

[Download
Run Toto Run – Sleepy Head (Cover)]

Isn’t that voice angelic? I also love the re-imagining of the music and ambiance of this. It’s fantastic. The video is adorable. Rachael looks adorable and the animals are so silly you can’t help but smile! Especially the very end…

You may have noticed that there is only one hot chick and two animals in the video. Shouldn’t there be a fourth? Rachael sent me an email this morning telling me that Cazz was at work when they recorded the video. I wonder if Cazz was mad about being left out? I’m a little sad about it. Maybe she’s the tin (wo)man that can’t get her feelings hurt, since she has no heart?

I suggest picking up their new EP from iTunes. It’s called The Plastic Gold. If you live in the UK, you can catch them on tour starting this Friday.

BONUS TRACK:
The B-Side of the bands first single was called Alice. Enjoy this remix of “Alice” by welsh synth-pop wizard Rod Thomas.

[Download
Run Toto Run – Alice (Rod Thomas Remix)]

the shiniest pretty penny

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Jessica rambles on her blog about being a mom and her views on life and popular culture. She will be writing for inALLcaps on a monthly basis and she loves to read comments, so make her feel at home!

The End’s Not Near, It’s Here.

That grabs your attention doesn’t it! The first time I heard this, I was watching an episode of The OC and I thought the song was so fitting for the episode. A year or so passed and I gave this song no more thought, until one day randomly, Pandora spouted it from my computer. I stopped in my tracks and turned up the speakers, then frantically checked out the artist and song title which propelled my search to get my hands on it and everything else this band put out.

I discovered it was “The End’s Not Near, It’s Here,” a song by The New Year which Band of Horses covered for The OC Mix 6. I found two other albums by Band of Horses, which I wasted no time in downloading and repeatedly playing. They have a somber sound to them, but in the dark time of my life when I discovered them, I was somehow comforted and soothed by their soft angsty sound. Some of the song titles are head-scratchers, but the lyrics and the music are so powerful to me.

[Download
Band of Horses – To The Barn Because I Like The]

“Go To The Barn Because I Like The” lyrics:

Well I’d like to think I’m the mess you’d wear with pride.
Like some empty dress on the bed you’ve laid out for tonight.
Outside by your doorstep
In a worn out suit and tie
I’ll wait
For you to come down
Where you’ll find me
Where we’ll shine


It’s like when you were a kid… You almost didn’t pick up that penny on the ground because it was old and dirty, but you did it anyway and found a treasure: it was the shiniest pretty penny, and you were so proud of this little fortune. That’s the picture that this song brings to mind to me, but throughout my life that penny, of course, is the metaphor for bigger things or people at one time or another.

“Monsters” lyrics:

A tree for all these problems
They can find you for the moment
Then for all past efforts
There buried deep beneath
Your heart and somewhere in your stomach

And hey, transform all others
When awful people they surround you
Well hey, they just like monsters
They come to feed on me
Giant little animals to feed

I get goose bumps when I hear this song. How long will you keep those people in your life who feed on you and drain you of all emotionality? One day will you wake up and realize that they ate everything you had to give?

The slow pace of their songs and the words that cut through me and bring such emotion to the surface also manage to comfort me like a soft warm blanket.

I think they are definitely worth a listen, so please, check it out for yourselves.

Electro Pop and Indie Rock

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I am a sucker for these kinds of bands. They just get me on both sides of what I dig. The indie rock sound with its DIY ethos, and the DJ friendly-ish electronic pop sensibility.

The thing is, my love for them is shallow and fleeting. As soon as the next indie-rock/electronic-pop band/song/release/remix comes out…I just move on to that. Leaving a veritable graveyard of bands in this genre, in my wake.

Passion Pit is a band like this for me. Soon to be thrown in the trash like a paper plate. It’s hard to say that now, because I am totally digging it.

The more I listen to it, the more it reminds me of everything I liked about Prince.

Is it possible that this particular band with this particular album could remain in my heart?

[Download Passion Pit – To Kingdom Come]

The lead singer and songwriter, Michael Angelakos, says he wants to be the next Randy Newman. Whenever I listen to the song “To Kingdom Come”, I think I hear the influences of Newman. Maybe.

The best part of this album? The remixes that people have done off its release! I share one below from Wallpaper:

[Download Passion Pit – Reeling (Wallpaper Remix)]

Passion Pit even gets in on the remixing, taking on Dan Black of the now defunct The Servant.

[Download Dan Black – Symphonies (Passion Pit Remix)]

You may not have heard of Dan Black or The Servant. Dan Black has an album coming out, so keep an eye out for that. The song Symphonies was once called HYPNTZ and was a funky cover of Biggie Smalls track. Sadly, Big’s estate red-lighted that, and Dan had to write new lyrics. I am sure you are never gonna hear the old version on the radio, even though it’s super hot. So…we do it for you.

THE BONUS TRACK!

[Download Dan Black – Symphonies (Passion Pit Remix)]

Let me clear my throat…

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Damn.

It’s Monday and I have no real plan for a post today. I guess it’s gonna be quick and dirty. How about a quick rundown of some highlights of music from the weekend?

I’m so glad you are all so easy to please!

here goes…


WEEN
Well, we recorded a new podcast over the weekend. One of the tracks we played on the podcast is amusing enough to share here too! Ween’s track Buenas Tardes Amigo. You should check out the podcast to hear us banter about it. It’s a silly song…but after discovering it with TLO during the show, I kept playing it for the rest of the weekend! I don’t know anything about Ween, but I plan on delving into them a little more, just to see what I have been missing. Before you ask, I didn’t miss the Push Th’ Little Daisies song, although I wish I had.

[Download Ween – Buenas Tardes Amigo]

ERIC CHURCH
I keep seeing Eric Church’s name. He’s supposedly country music’s next big thing. I really don’t know a lot about country, but after finally succumbing to the hype I decided to give Eric’s latest, Carolina, a spin. If anything, the songwriting is good, and the music is a little more on the rock side of country. I’ve given the album a few spins this weekend, and I would recommend it to others. I’m just not sure if I am ready to join the “choir”.

[Download Eric Church – Smoke A Little Smoke]

THE MOUNTAIN GOATSI have been learning to play guitar. I discovered the open G tuning method, and I can nearly play Commandante by The Mountain Goats. John Darnielle is not the greatest singer, but his song writing resonates with me. I am not entirely sure why, but his simple lyrics hit home. This song is no exception.

[Download The Mountain Goats –
Commandante]

i got a great big secret written down somewhere.
i got a rosary to protect us both from harm.
i got a storage locker full of cow figurines
and a laundry list of grievances longer than my arm.

I have mentioned TMG a few times on this blog, so I will leave it at that. Buy one Goats album and tell me what YOU think.

I like antiphony

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Taking Back Sunday
I was chatting with TLO on my way home from the office Wednesday. She was talking about how she had recently gotten a few CDs from a friend that was returning the favor after she turned him on to Four Year Strong, Bayside, and Meg and Dia. Apparently he fell head over heels about those bands, and that’s the payoff my friends. This is why we even put in the blood sweat and tears into this very blog. We love that feeling when someone falls in love with a band that we told them about.

Back to the story…

I asked her, “Well…what are you gonna hook him on next?” She replied, “I tried a few other bands, but they fell short for him. No one else sounds like FYS and Bayside.” Well… I HAD to agree.

Even after what I am about to share this week, the statement is still true. No band sounds like Bayside. There will never be another band like Four Year Strong.

but…

You could find “Band B” that happens to have all the same things you like about “Band A”.

I am of course talking about iTunes Genius and Pandora. We have mentioned iTunes Genius in one of our podcasts, but I’d like to talk specifically about Pandora. Both the iTunes Genius and Pandora use a formula for determining recommendations of new songs based on songs/bands you already like.

Pandora, specifically, uses the technology provided by the Music Genome Project. In a nutshell, it takes characteristics of a band/song and matches it with bands/songs that have similar characteristics within a certain range of difference. Like if a band has a male singer that writes emo-type lyrics usually in a minor key, it will recommend other songs that have male singers that also have emo-ish lyrics in minor keys. The characteristics that make up a song are known as its genome. Musicians analyze songs to put together these characteristics, which make it a little more scientific than some punk kid saying simply: “They sound just like the Foo Fighters.”

To best describe all that Pandora is, I created two stations. One based on Bayside and one based on Four Year Strong.

The first one is Bayside.

Bayside Station
Pandora selected many great bands and songs for my Bayside station, most notably Taking Back Sunday and the song My Blue Heaven. Why TBS? Well, its genome similarities to Bayside are:

basic rock song structures
mild rhythmic syncopation
a clear focus on recording studio production
mixed minor & major key tonality
string section beds
a vocal-centric aesthetic
mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation
electric guitar riffs
vocal harmonies

[Download Taking Back Sunday – My Blue Heaven]

I like Taking Back Sunday, but in my opinion, Bayside is far better, deeper, and more profound than TBS. I definitely don’t mind it showing up in my Bayside Radio playlist though!

Now, let’s see how Pandora does with Four Year Strong.

Four Year Strong Station

One of the first recommendations was a band called Set Your Goals and their song Mutiny.

[Download Set Your Goals – Mutiny]
Here are the characteristics that make this a good recommendation based on Four Year Strong:

punk roots
great lyrics
heavy use of vocal harmonies
call and answer vocal harmony (Antiphony)
major key tonality
paired vocal harmony
dirty electric guitar riffs
an aggressive male vocalist
prominent drums

I love this band on first listen! Enough to go to Amazon and buy it! The best part was that I had never heard of Set Your Goals before Pandora suggested them! [edit by TLO: I did. They are actually touring with Bayside right now. But they were also on the lineup for a Big D And The Kids Table show that we ended up skipping quite a long time ago. LOL] Mission accomplished! Maybe Pandora will help you find some new music? The one thing is that you might miss more cutting-edge indie bands by just relying on Pandora and the Music Genome Project, so you better bookmark inALLcaps.com just to make sure you don’t miss something amazing!