The Arctic Monkeys are going to be a break out band for 2006, count on it. Formed at Barnsley College in 2002, this Sheffield, England import took the UK charts by storm. Their first single, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” did remarkably well and contributed to their breaking the record for largest number of first day sales for their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Their second single was this track, and it is totally addictive. Don’t be fooled by it’s initially slow beginning. Once it kicks in, it kicks in hard for the rest of the extremely catchy track. Most critics will compare them to the Libertines, which I guess I can see, but then again, I’m not a big Libertines fan, so the idea of comparing them to a band I dislike is hard to justify. They’ll be touring the states in the spring, including a stop at the end of March in Boston (Whoo!), so definitely check them out.
Buy The Arctic Monkeys-Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

This band has been in my playlist constantly over the last couple of days. They are absolutely addictive, especially this song. A New York residing band that originally formed in the bars of California in 2001, We Are Scientists have finally released a full length album that, if there’s any justice, will bring them the attention and acclaim they deserve. They’re this excellent mix of alot of the sounds that are regaining popularity nowadays. They have the riffs to rival Franz Ferdinand (and sometimes, I swear, I hear some Stroke-ish stuff) with a singer whose voice would have seemed perfect for a band in the new wavey Devo-ccentric sect of the 80’s. I definitely remember seeing this band on the 930 website and wondering what the buzz was about, and now I totally get it. They are set to be one of the break out bands of 2006. They’re touring Europe until at least the Spring, but those of you on the West Coast will have the pleasure of catching them at some point in April, and I definitely recommend it.
Buy We Are Scientists-With Love & Squalor

After having seen them last week at a Holiday show in the city, and listening to a nice contemporary, (in Fall Out Boy) I had to pull this CD out again. One of my favorite Canadian imports, this CD was such a left hook from their previous album Make up the Breakdown (Which was EVEN MORE different from their album Scenes One Through Thirteen, which is, admittedly, not very good), but still REALLY good. Make up the Breakdown had some really great, catchy songs like Bandages and Talk to Me, Dance with Me, that really made for a great dance, On-The-Way-To-The-Party soundtrack. After the loss and quick replacement of their guitarist, their sound definitely changed. It’s a little more edgy, but still fun and full of inescapable hooks. I had a hard time picking a song off this CD, so I’d definitely recommend picking up the CD to listen to songs like Shame on You, Dirty Mouth, Elevator & Middle of Nowhere (Check out the video when you get a chance). If I had the attention span to stick with an instrument long enough to be sufficient in it, this is the type of band I would want to be in. Not to mention the singer has got this white boy afro/keyboard master/emo fashion sense that could bring the girls to their knees… Myself included. But I mainly blame the afro; Afros are a perma-weakspot. I can’t help myself.
Buy Hot Hot Heat-Elevators

I’ve been kinda missing home lately, especially the whole local band scene. There’s tons of bands around here, but I haven’t found one worth investing myself in. I miss the bands I used to follow back home, like this one. Comprised of some of my favorite people, they were the goofiest kids on stage and played because it was fun and it was something to do. This band split up when one of the lead singers left for school in Florida. Now that he’s back in town, they’ve created another band whom I like to refer to as Foo-Fighters-Jr., but like to call themselves… Fuck Pluto, I think. They were in between names last I checked. If you’ve listened to In Your Honor, you’ll know what this band sounds like. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? And what better place to debut their ‘new’ sound than at the Dave Grohl co-owned club Black Cat? That si where they’ve booked a show for January. I’m really excited for them, that’s a pretty hefty venue, especially for a band who’s been together for… Three months? Might be worth a field trip back to the old stomping grounds.
Buy Facebook - The Extent of Things

Listening to the White Stripes version of this song makes me want to cry. It is… Well, awful. And after Hot Hot Heat, it’s clear that one good Canadian band deserves another. I’ve been avoiding this band for a very long time. They’ve always struck me as kind of gimmicky. They’re lesbian, identical twin sisters who sing together. That’s alot of different ways to market these ladies, and over the last year or so, I’ve seen it been done. But, after a while, I kind of got sucked in. This album is an improvement, talent and production wide from the last album I listened to, If I was You. But, it was ultimately the song Not Tonight from If I Was You that ultimately got me to cave and give the new album a shot. It’s short, sweet, and upbeat, despite its message of confusion and indecisiveness. After giving So Jealous a shot, I can definitely say this is my favorite song on the CD. It definitely is a more mature sound, and its so produced, you can see the shine from miles away. But, it is very good, if not as aggressive as their last outing. They’ve appeared to strike up a good partnership with Chop Shop Music Supervision, which has been responsible for putting together the music soundtracks for some of TV’s most popular shows. They’re getting played everywhere.
Buy Tegan & Sara-So Jealous

Gemma Hayes - Undercover
I have been a fan of Gemma Hayes for quite some time. Since her Mercury Award-winning album, Night on my Side, she has been a permanent fixture on my favorite chick singers playlist. Her last album was really intriguing, as it had a day/night concept that was interestingly conceived and perfectly executed. The first half of the album was the ‘day’ section and consisted of some really rocking tunes with her ambly commanding the electric guitar. During the ‘night’ section however, it was nothing but her and a guitar. Very stark, very delicate. Absolutely wonderful to listen to with a cup of coffee and a book. This album, recorded in LA after a much-too-long two year break, is an excellent follow up. The album is a mixture of her rock/acoustic tendencies, with a little bit more focus on the latter. The sad thing is, I didn’t realize this album was done. I was watching Gray’s Anatomy and recognized her voice and nearly fell out of my chair. Did some websearching and saw that while her album won’t be released in the US until May 2006, it has been released overseas and is being promoted through a substantial UK tour. Seeing as how she moved to the US prior to this CD recording, I’m hoping she’ll actually embark on a real US tour. She is so talented, and her lack of presence here in the States is, to say the least, incredibly disappointing. I’m hoping this type of quiet promotion and word of mouth will really bring her up to where she belongs.
Buy Gemma Hayes-The Roads Don’t Love You

This blog and the blogwriter are not very big on the popular bands these days. Until I moved here, I couldn’t even remember the last time I turned the radio on looking for something other than NPR or the traffic and weather. But, this little band has actually caught my eye (Much to the dismay of my younger sister, who is embarassed that I like them. Whatever). This Chicago-based band was, according to the story, named after the Simpsons super hero during a show. They asked a crowd to suggest band names for themselves when they were first getting started and took a liking to a certain audience member’s suggestion. Like Hot Hot Heat, they are the perfect blend of dance music and rock and are fun to listen to. Not to mention they’re track listing makes for interesting reading. So, just in case you haven’t heard this song on your station ad nauseum, here it is again.
Buy Fall Out Boy-From Under the Cork Tree

I know I’ve said Best Album of 2005 a hundred times this month, but I have another entry to my top 10 for this year; Laura Veir’s Year of Meteors. In fact, by the time you’ve read this post, I’ll have changed my mind about which song to showcase at least 13 times. This is the first time I’ve ever had REAL trouble deciding a song to upload from a given album; They’re all that good. I’d heard her once before, during a Grey’s Anatomy episode, and was intrigued. I didn’t really look into her until now but, over the last month, I have been obsessed. The Seattle native and former geologist (and ESL teacher, Math Tutor, Science Demonstrator, gardner, etc. I love reading all the ‘Before I was a musician I had ADD and did a million things’ background bios) has really carved herself a niche in the whole girl-with-guitar scene. I’ve said it before but, in an era where singers are dubbing their voices with effects to a point beyond recognition, it is a breath of fresh air to hear a girl with an amp and intelligent, relatable lyrics. It’s interesting to read up on her experiences from being in an all-girl punk band, to engaging in a 10-hour donkey ride through the hills of China during her college years. It’s also interesting to see that she has only recently seriously picked up the guitar, taking country blues guitar lessons as late as 2000. It’s certainly paid off, as this album showcases her talent and her promise. She’s currently doing some solo dates on the West Coast before engaging on a tour with the Decemberists (Who I’m not a big fan of but, being from a city who practically worships at their altar, can’t seem to help getting away from.). Their January show is definitely something I may consider. She is definitely worth it.
Buy Laura Veirs’ Year of Meteors

If you know me at all, you’d know that I have a very, very soft spot in my heart for The Mars Volta. Besides releasing one of the Best albums of 2005 with their release Frances the Mute, they also headlined one of my favorite tours this year. After recording, promoting and touring for Frances the Mute, I thought I had gotten my Mars Volta fill for the year. No! They also managed to put together a live album from their 2003-2005 tours which they intend to release later this month. It’s all music from their GROUND BREAKING 2003 release, Deloused in the Comatorium; really phenomenal stuff. After hearing about this album I, again, thought that 2005 had received its Mars Volta quota. Wrong again. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has just embarked on a solo tour with a newly formed quintet to promote a release that has gotten virtually no publicity nor mention until the last month or so. I had no idea he was forming a small side project. He had released an album a year or so ago of his own solo work, and there had been mention of a sequel, but this album is in a completely different direction. Many have called it much more jazz-influenced, which I think I can agree with. It is him at his most self indulgent, certainly. It sounds mostly like a jam session that just happened to be recorded. I’m really pleased with the large presence of Adrian Terrazas. A woodwind extraordinare for The Mars Volta, he really takes center stage alongside Lopez on this release. The back and forth performances are really enjoyable. I’d even argue that he outshines Lopez on a bulk of the album. Where Lopez’s playing sounds like merely noodling, Terraza is able to shoot back with riffs that are well-planned and well executed. This album is definitely something I could imagine listening to while at a small underground club in the city… and hopefully I will sometime soon. The quintet is currently touring in what appears to be faily small clubs through out Europe, with no current US dates planned. I’m hoping for something very small in the major cities. Maybe a show at the Paradise? Could be me at my most optimistic, but I’m certainly hoping for the best.
Buy Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s Omar Rodriguez