Discover Friday: Girl in a Coma

So.....the radio station I was raving about a few weeks ago....it devolved into typical radio station bullshit, like repeating songs I enjoyed until I wanted to stab my ears, pretentious Whole Foods commercials, and ticket giveaways. Okay, that last one isn't so terrible but I don't ever seem to win those things so fuck 'em. Long story short: I need to start a pirate radio station or something.

Anyway, several good things came out of that post. 1) The radio station retweeted the link, so I now have several new readers, 2) those readers are local and were also kind enough to retweet said post, and 3) some of those people (namely, a person named @DoyleSATX, to whom I will be forever grateful) provided the names of some awesome bands that I didn't find in my cursory Google search for San Antonio music. To those bands....be patient, you will each be written about soon, je promis.  That was a few weeks ago and I apologize for the delay....my day job as a technical writer has been somewhat draining. Today, I literally had to explain to someone that semicolons cannot be used in place of commas. I'm serious. This is my life now.

To start off this Discover the Awesomeness of the SA Music Scene campaign, I wanted to introduce to y'all to a new favorite - Girl in a Coma.

Credit Daniela Rojas
I got this from the Press Kit area, I hope that's okay...Please don't Taylor Swift Me...

I've been think a lot about why I like them so much, mostly while listening to "El Monte" on repeat.  Upon further in-depth analysis, I've boiled it down to this -- these girls' style incorporates: good old alternative indie a la The Smiths (they list Morrissey as a big influence), some post-punk goodness (I heard "Love Song" on the radio - the Cure version, not the 311 cover -- and I was like, "yeah, they sound kind of like that...sometimes), hints of surf rock (similar to The Pixies....especially the "naming songs in Spanish but singing them in English" thing), and the occasional rockabilly twang.  At first listen, Nina Diaz's voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it. It was driving me crazy. The closest artists I can compare it to would be with Sia and Lorde, a sort of mid-range croon that you could imagine at home in the background of a 1950s dance hall.

Girl in a Coma released their first album, Both Before I'm Gone, in 2007 and was a success, landing them on Billboard's Heatseekers chart at #23.  Their first single, "Clumsy Sky," won an Independent Music Award.  They are signed with Blackheart Records, which may sound familiar - it is the record label founded by Joan Jett, patron saint of female rockers. Since then, they have released three more albums, including one with only covers. That album includes covers of two of my favorite songs.  First, there is "Walking After Midnight" by Patsy Cline, a go-to for me when I'm feeling particularly lonely, which GIAC's puts a sultry rockabilly twist on. Second, they did a cover of "As the World Falls Down," which is everyone's favorite song from Labyrinth (if it's not, then you have no soul). It turns David Bowie's glam rock lullaby into a dreamy indie ballad and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Definitely a great band in my book. I'm sure they're going to keep being awesome and I'm excited to hear more of their work. When pay day rolls around, I'll spend a few bills to help these ladies keep rockin' ....and I hope you'll feel inclined to do the same. Check out more GIAC stuff here.

Enjoy the following song and keep on listening, Music Sluts!

They said it was a myth....

So, as you may know, for 'lo these past 300 years, I've been on an epic quest for a radio station that doesn't make me want to spoon my eyeballs out, a la Fish Mooney. ::sorry...spoilers:: Awhile back, I even lamented the fact that San Antonio radio stations were worse than the ones in Podunk, AZ. Well, I think I may have found the exception to the rule.

It was a cold February day and, as per usual, I had forgotten to connect my mp3 player or phone to the jack and I was already barreling down Highway 90. Haphazardly, I began pushing the seek on my radio and, after a few stations, the search landed on a station that was mostly static with a hint of awesome. I figured it was a college station with shitty reception so I kept searching....and ended up listening through "Raspberry Beret" for the umpteenth time. ::sigh:: I used to like that song so much....

Fast forward to three days ago....I'm on my way to the gym and again, my radio lands on 103.3 but this time, there's no static and it's basically playing everything in my music collection....well, not the questionable stuff, but considering it's an alt rock station, I guess it's too much to ask to have them play the stray Selena Gomez song. Although, that would be fun...if for no other reason than to troll the hipster snobs who would probably also enjoy this station.

In summation, The App -- that's the "name" of the station -- plays the requisite amount of Weezer and Phoenix, an acceptable quota of early 90s grunge, very little repetition, and a bunch of new stuff I'm digging. And, for the next 10,000 songs, they are commercial free. Fuck yeah. I mean, I don't begrudge radio stations commercials, because they kind of need that shit to survive but, honestly, like everyone else, I don't enjoy commercials. Especially that damn "Cutie Curl" one. Fuck those guys, even if their product is amazingly delicious and healthy.

Anyway, here are few songs that they play that have found their way onto my list (i.e., the ever-growing list of music that I don't have enough storage space for). Enjoy!

"Beggin for Thread" by BANKS

"Cigarette Dreams" by Cage the Elephant

"Dangerous" by Big Data feat. Joywave

There's more but I think that's enough for now. Happy Saturday, Music Sluts!

Oh, and by the way, tomorrow is Daylight Savings Time. I won't get into how much I hate this antiquated bullshit but I will remind you to go to bed early tomorrow so your Monday isn't all fucked up. I wish I was back in Arizona....then I wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense....

Must See: "Just One of the Guys" Video

Just a few thoughts on the new video Jenny Lewis directed for a song off her upcoming album. The album in question will be called The Voyager and is slated for release July 29th, 2014, which also happens to be my parents anniversary. Coincidence? ....yeah...probably.....

My neuron misfires, in the order they occurred:

1. OMG, Jenny Lewis! I LOVE HER!!! Oh, god, I miss Rilo Kiley.....
2. Kristen Stewart went up a few notches in my book. Her range of facial expressions in this video alone surpasses anything she did in the whole Twilight Saga.
3. Anne Hathaway looks gorgeous. Haters gonna hate....but shit, she makes short hair look hot. Almost makes me want to ditch my Rapunzel-esque locks. Well, that and 99 degree weather. Seriously. Fuck Texas.
4. That suit. 
5. That guitar. Where do you even fucking find one of those?! Is it even street legal?!
6. Holy shit....is that the girl from 21 Jump Street? Yes. Yes it is. (Her name is Brie Larson. She also played Envy Adams in Scott Pilgrim vs The World in case you haven't seen 21 Jump Street. Seriously, you need to see 21 Jump Street. Fucking Hilarious.)
7. Kristen Stewart is kind of hot as a guy. Is that just me?
8. I really like this song. Story of my life when I was at school. Because, no matter how cool you are, girls are never considered "bros." Learned that lesson the hard way. Cool story, Jeopardy Kid.
9. I am so excited Jenny Lewis is releasing a new album -- she's a great artist, solo or otherwise. 

I love it when famous people do seriously cool shit like dressing in drag for an indie music video. Quite frankly, I wished it would happen more often. Because that's what I would do if I were famous.

I'll shut up so y'all can watch the video.

Special Edition: Adam's Rant - Grimes New Song

You may remember from an earlier Adam's Rant (approximately 2 years ago -- again, sorry about the hiatus....I was seriously trying to get my shit together), I introduced you to Grimes on the premise that, since I like her dreamy dubstep, you must hear it, too. In case you didn't know, last month, Grimes released her first song in .... well, approximately 2 years (apparently, that's how long it takes to get your shit together). Well, roughly two weeks ago, I got the following message on the Facebook:

Clearly, Adam was distressed. Like ALL CAPS distressed. Oh my.

To be honest, I hadn't taken the time to listen to the new track, "Go" ft. Blood Diamonds. Sure, I shared it on social media and filed it away to listen to later. Later turned out to be over this past weekend.



First, let me just say -- and this may be to Adam's dismay -- I actually really liked it. But I do understand where he's coming from and he made valid points. No, it is not typical Grimes. The strange yet ethereal vocals a la Alex Winston mixed with Enya....are gone. Not that the vocals on "Go" are bad, it's just -- they're too pretty. I know that doesn't make sense so let me elaborate. If anyone has seen the new "Les Miserables" film, I'm just going to use that as an example. There are scores of people who could sing "I Dreamed A Dream" better than Anne Hathaway, but the fact that her voice broke in places made the song better. It is possible to sacrifice prettiness for raw feeling. It almost sounds like a different person at times. Of course, on the positive side, it does demonstrate her range and I'm not hating hearing her sing at full voice.

The actual music is cool but I feel like I've heard it before. It's very similar to Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" or, let's be honest, any R&B duet with a solo female artist--especially a soprano. Please don't get me started on Katy Perry. I will say only one thing about her -- she knows how to get on the fucking radio. And I would say that this song definitely was aiming for the radio.

As for the Rihanna comment.....Oh my god totally. Don't get me wrong...I like Rihanna. She has a unique voice -- but so does Grimes. I think it really underscores the sorry state of the mainstream music industry that they feel they need to latch on to the hottest artist of the day just to sell music. Then, in turn, new artists feel that in order to be noticed they need to emulate what's already out there. Culture doesn't evolve with this mindset. It just sort of festers until we get Justin Bieber.

But, although I deeply sympathize with Adam's disappointment, there is a silver lining. A bunch of people who have no idea who Grimes is may fall in love with the cozy familiarity of "Go," and then subsequently, her older stuff. I feel that this is a good thing.

Besides, it's only one song. I'll try to reserve full judgment until the album drops.

Oh, and Adam....If you do decide to put The Rumble Pack on the back burner and become a legendary dubstep artist, I will gladly man the vocoder.

Rest in Punk, Tommy Ramone

It's a sad day, fellow Music Sluts.
Tom Erdelyi, aka Tommy Ramone, has died at the age of 65. He was the last surviving member of the original Ramones. He played the drums, essentially providing the heartbeat of the music we know as punk.

To this next generation, The Ramones are just a cool logo on a Hot Topic t-shirt. That punk is what Green Day does, that it's a throwback to the 90s. No....no....Children, the Ramones shaped what music became in the late 70s and early 80s. They are considered the first American punk rock band and any rocker worth their salt lists them as an influence. They boiled rock & roll down to its bare essentials and the genre was better for it.

So,Goodnight, Tommy Ramone. And thanks.

Throwback Thursday: "Faith" by George Michael

So, I listen to the radio a lot. You know that. It's inevitable -- I pretty much cannot drive whatsoever without music so if I don't have my iPod (or, more accurately, I forget to plug my iPod in before I start driving), I'll turn on the radio. San Antonio radio stations, if possible, suck even more than Sierra Vista radio stations. The only alternative rock station.....is the worst rock station I have ever heard. And that's saying something. And the modern music stations really take the 80s part of the "80s, 90s, and today" tagline really seriously. If I'm driving, I can basically hear Prince, Cindy Lauper, Madonna, or all three within the span of an hour. Yes -- I am finally over "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." It took nearly 27 years but -- yeah -- no more. Anyway, the other day, it's 5 am in the morning --I'm tired and I have already had to switch stations to avoid ::shudder:: "Moves Like Jagger" for the upteenth time in my life--and they play this little gem.

The 80s fashion in this video alone could cheer me up in a heartbeat. How did people take themselves seriously while wearing those jeans? And that jacket?! Oh, man...I'd hate to run into George Michael in a dark alley. Indeed, this song turned my dreary Monday morning into a feel-good adventure through one of the most poorly designed cities for torrential downpours. Surprisingly, I survived to drive another day. No, I don't recommend driving in SA.

It may not be a "Moonlight Sonata" or a "Bohemian Rhapsody" but it'll do. 'Cause I gotta have faith-ah-faith-ah-faith-ah.

Album Release Tuesday: Vox Humana Preview

Vox Humana

by Papertwin

Impression:  I'm not a big fan of techno and electronica. If I do listen to it, it tends to be lyric heavy and very pop-py (I know...that's barely even a description....it's been a long day). But, I approach life with the assumption that practically everything is an acquired taste and I'll try anything once - twice, thrice, maybe even 15 times! - until I like it or at least until I don't want to bash my brains in. It worked with sparkling mineral water and it even (sort of) worked with Maroon 5 -- now I wait about 25 to 30 seconds before I change the radio station, which, coincidentally, is the amount of time it takes me to decide if I want to deal with that shit for 3 to 5 minutes. Anyway, when I started listening to Vox Humana, I was concerned it was going to end up being a half hour plus of the same crap I could go to a nightclub to hear if I was really feeling masochistic. It was all synthesized beats and scales and I was all like "Oh noes!" But then the intro to "Alkaline" ended and the dream-like waves of sound began. The guy has a very mellow voice and the overall sound reminds me of a more energetic Walter Meego track mixed with New Wave punk a la Depeche Mode and The Cure. Not surprisingly, they list The Cure as one of their influence. I don't mind -- Who doesn't like The Cure? Am I right?! Anyway, their first EP provided excellent background music while I worked on a project for work. I would like to delve into the lyrics more because it sounded like there was more to them than just pretty words, but for right now, it's enough to get lost in the beats.

Songs I Enjoyed:  I loved "Sonar." I listened to the whole album (it's not very long) a couple of times to get a feel for the sound but I listened to this song probably like 6 or 7 times. I also enjoyed the mirrored vocals in "Whale" - while the lead singer sung the melody, a distorted track of what I assume was his voice was layered over top. I think the goal was to give the impression that it was part of a whale recording. Pretty much hit the mark -- it's super creepy but in a good way.

Sounds Like:  Dreamy synth-pop heavily influenced by early 80s punk

Buy it on:  June 17th, 2014