The Weekly Haul: July 24, 2011

Hey Music Sluts,
You'll be happy to hear that this weeks list is alot more manageable, but on the flipside, I must admit that my downloads this week disappointed me greatly.  I'll explain my process for finding the Weekly Haul --

1. I go to my various sources and look for songs and artists that catch my attention.
2. If they have a preview, I give it a quick listen -- miniscule, 20 seconds max (I have quick ears).  If it still interests me I download.  (On sites that don't have a preview, I read through the artist bio and look for a "sounds like" reference so I know what I'm getting into)
3. I review the songs at least twice before I begin to write so I have an impression already formed.
4. While writing each little tidbit for the selected songs, I am listening to it, so it is fresh in my mind and so I can describe what I'm hearing accurately.

I will be the first to admit that I go into this wanting to like each and every song I listen to.  Unfortunately, that is not always the case.  It's not that the artist is terrible -- usually it's just the song that they've chosen to put out for free.  Either the vocals are off or the lyrics are kind of elementary or possibly (very rarely) the soundmixing doesn't do it justice.  Naturally, this process is subjective, so I highly recommend that you search for new music on your own as well as checking out my recommendations.  And then we could swap!  As I predicted, I did found some hometown bands I'm excited about and will, hopefully ::fingers crossed:: be checking them out live sometime in the near future.  Weekly Haul after the jump.

• Ricochet-Shiny Toy Guns - A perpetual favorite, Cara Faye Charnow's voice grabs you in and then you get hit over the head with the post-punk influence--the dark incarnation of punk that really started developing in the 90s and has had a guaranteed place in horror movies ever since.  Although they are known for their synthpop, this track has a surprising strong percussion element.  Kind of a short song.
• Shoelaces - The Submarines -  Always a band that makes me yearn for my beachy birthplace, The Submarines didn't fail to disappoint me.  I love lyrics that, when in written form, still read like an intelligent discourse on life.  I know some musicians believe that repetition is their friend and it can be if it's done correctly -- like in a chorus or incorporating similar wording at the end of verses.  It provides a sense of continuity when deftly handled; it also causes people to switch songs if it isn't.  Loved this song and if you're already a fan of The Submarines, it's free somewhere on last.fm.
• Not Sorry - Kayla Shreve -  Hailing from my hometown and current location, Kayla Shreve has a beautiful voice and a gift for lyrics.  "Not Sorry" is one of those songs that I think girls everywhere can find refuge in -- it's about loving a boy with a girlfriend.  A sticky situation that only leads to heartbreak.  I'm not sure if she writes the music as well but, regardless, the accompaniment is equally melancholic and fits the lyrics.
• Stolen - Santalina - Well, you were going to find out eventually -- I'm addicted to the Bad Girls Club and this song fits right in with that obsession.  The lyrics are better than I expected (possibly manufactured) although I paused for a moment when I heard the word "intellectuality" and realized they were able to incorporate it into a song really well.  This song is one of the many guilty pleasures I will peddle to you -- you will like it, but you might not tell your friends that you do.  I liked the bridge, which feels influenced by some of that eerie-club-electronica.  In fact, the whole song has "club mix favorite" and "Girls Night Out anthem" written all over it. 
• Les Drap Sourds - Marianne Dissard -  I love french music, especially when it sounds as foreign as it is.  This track sounds like it comes out of the Algerian-section of Paris or even Morocco, even though the artist is based in Tucson, AZ. (::squee!!!::)  It incorporates violins and a bass-line that sounds like it comes of an actual bass (not just a bass guitar).  Marianne Dissard also has one of the deep, seductive French-girl voices that the rest of the world is enamored with. 
• Chandeliers - Summer Fiction -  I loved this song!  It reminds me of the Dance Hall music that developed opposite rockabilly in the 1950s.  You know the type -- clean cut guys that played while all the privileged teens slow-danced and exchanged pins and made plans to go out to Lover's Lane.  Oh, how I adore that musical fantasy!  The piano is beautiful, the vocals are clean and sweet (complete with harmonized background singers), and on top of it all, it incorporates a harpsichord!  Or at least, the harpsichord setting on the keyboard. 
• Love Song #1 - Sean -  Another one from my hometown.  Acoustic guitar and simple drumming makes it feel like that teenage love song you wrote your girlfriend/boyfriend in 10th grade.  The lyrics are just the icing on the cake.  Sean's voice also has that nerd twang that I personally love about bands like Weezer and Chester French (whom I will discuss in a moment).  It is a song that will gain him some fangirls, but I'm curious if he will turn out to be a one trick pony. 

Finally, I will mention that I downloaded a Chester French song.  I like the nerd rock band but I just couldn't advocate the blatant commercialism that the song --"Ciroc Star" -- was rife with.  I almost added it, though, because it is quite catchy and the rapping by P. Diddy (or whatever the fuck he's calling himself nowadays) is not bad -- that doesn't mean it was good....just alright.  Now, I'm all for artists getting their music into commercials and tv shows because they need to generate some income to keep going -- I don't even mind a few specific references to products in song lyrics.  But this song bordered on jingle-dom and -- let's face it -- even used car salesmen can write jingles.