My Morning Jacket offer up New Single for 'Evil Urges'

My Morning Jacket are a big time festival band that are starting to make some headway in the mainstream music industry. The band is a Bonnaroo favorite, having played at the festival for 5 out of the 7 years of its existance.

Coupled with that, the band has also had the honors of opening up for Pearl Jam and will soon grace the May edition of Spin Magazine all in preparation for their new album Evil Urges which is set for release on June, 10th.

The new single for the album, bears the odd moniker "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2." The band seems to pick up right where they left off after the ambitious 2005 release Z, which found them straying from their trademark southern rock roots for a more experimental tone.

Despite the fact that lead singer Jim James reported the album was likely to harken back to the more classic rock sounding LP "It Still Moves," the single has a stronger sonic resemblence to songs like "Wordless Chorus" and "It Beats 4 U"

While it is indicitive that the band has not lost its creative prowess, it does seem that this album is going to steer in a funkier more dancable direction. MMJ continues to set themselves apart by trying to defy genres and it is likely like with a typical MMJ album it is most likely that they better cuts will be buried deeper in the album.

Drummer, Patrick Hallahan, talked about his plans for the new album at a Bonnaroo press conference last week.

Boston College Reporter Jeff Wallace asked, "With such a limited live scheduled this summer, I mean, how does it feel to return to the Bonnaroo, you know, immediately after that album drops?"

Pat Hallahan: It just so happens that, you know, we had planned that album dropping time before Bonnaroo have actually asked us to join on and we thought as the perfect opportunity to, you know, play right after the album drops. So that’s actually going to be – I guess, our official national listening party between that and Radio City Music Hall.

The drummer goes on to say that their set list for the Tennesee concert will likely "mix the new material in with the old material" saying the album basically added "13 new songs to extend our set list time." Adding ultimately that he has a particular place in his heart for Bonnaroo as it "the only festival that will let us play for three hours straight."

Single: "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2"

Rating: 3/5

Single Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpdwwa7lsUI

Unfarmilar with the band? Start Here
"One Big Holiday" Live on Conan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Q9iAcPjzc

Viva La Vida: Coldplay Get Dark

Coldplay have been talking in recent months about releasing a harder more musically advanced album in the wake of their mega-hit X&Y, but until now it seemed like a lot of hot air.

Their new single "Violet Hill" is now available for free download on their website (http://www.coldplay.com/) and since it was posted has been downloaded over 600,000 times. The song is quite the departure for the band that has recently been trying to shake off the taunts that they are just a commercial pop band.

Chris Martin does his best Thom Yorke imitation singing over a simple drum beat. Jagged distorted guitars puncture his piano line occasionally and the song maintains a dark psychadelic side despite, being a simple pop song at heart.

"It was a long and dark december/From the rooftops I remember/there was snow/ white snow." Okay, so the lyrics are still pretty lame, but you've got to give the boys points for trying. Instead of catering to major rock radio, they got edgier as it is unlikely the song will find a home on the adult contemparary radio stations that made the band a household name.

However, if this is an indication of things to come, it is certaintly a bearer of good news. Their new album "Viva La Vida or Death and His Friends" comes out later this year.

Rating: 3.5/5

For full video with scrolling lyrics click below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v48Curum9no

Deathcab on Daytrotter? Oh my!

Daytrotter.com is moving up in the world these days. Death Cab for Cutie sat down and recorded some tracks, some old and some old. This is a big step for the indie music site. It is also a humbling of the and that struck gold on their last album, "Plans."

The Session has some new tracks from the upcoming album. They sound great. And the old tracks have an amazing feel to them live in the studio with minimal recording or production. It is a great listen. Something for old fans of The Photo Album and their newer stuff.

have fun!

New Deathcab

If you aren't excited for the new Deathcab album then I don't think you are human. "Plans" was only mediocre compared to "Transatlantacism" and "The Photo Album," and that was one good album. I have been listening to the single off the album on loop on my iPod and CD player. It is simple, gorgeous, and long. First listen it feels ot long but with each listener there after it gets better and a little more haunting.

Check out the Video. It is 8 Minutes and 30 seconds. Not a short video, but well worth it.

Weezer Drops New Single 'Pork and Beans'

After all it's no joke. Weezers new self-titled album, already being reffered to as the red album is coming out June 17th. The first single has already leaked online after Weezer posted it on their official site and is named "Pork and Beans."

Good news for the die hard Weezer fans "Pork and Beans" is Weezer back on the horse. The song is likeable almost immeadiately after the first listen and is the heaviest thing that Weezer has put out in a while. Sounds like green album all distorted up, but it doesn't sound much like anything on Make Believe which is sure to please the Weezer faithful. The song appartenly is a middle finger to the record company which was harrassing lead singer Rivers Cuomo at the time for more "radio friendly" material.

The song starts out bass heavy with a (mmm mmm) backing track before breaking into the heavily distorted chorus that you can't help but want to memorize. But as Rivers says in the chorus of the song "I'm a do the things that I wanna do/ I ain't got a thing to prove to you," if only there weren't so much riding on this album, but even if there is for Weezer fans waiting for their triumphant return, Rivers at least doesn't seem to mind.

Single: "Pork And Beans"
Review: 4/5

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH27b0s5m5w

Kooks Come back Strong with 'Konk'

The Kooks rode to the top of the alternative rock airwaves with their uber-catchy hit "Naive" last year, and their sophomore release "Konk" proves that these guitar-pop loving brits are anything but.

The album starts off strong with "See the Sun" a likely canidate for first single, and while there isn't a song as catchy as "Naive" the album rocks along with an admirable pop sensibility. The songs blend into each other with catchy rythms often suppimented by the solid guitar work of the band's guitarist.

Songs like "Mr. Maker" and "Do You Wanna" would be easy to dismiss as typical cut and paste pop rock songs if they weren't so well played and immediately likable and that likability proves to be the Kooks biggest asset.

Their sound is essentially nothing new. Equal parts new bands The Libertines, The Strokes and older Brit bands, The Kinks, the Kooks prove to have the formula for their sound down.

The highlights of the album come with the back to back songs "Stormy Weather" & "Sway" which represent the half way point of the album and are my personal favorites. However, any of the songs on this album could be your favorite, as they are all of equal quality.

Solid album. Look forward to hearing more about this band in the years that come as they are young and will have plenty of time to grow.

Rating: 3.5/5

Tracks:

Stormy Weather

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyAB8QUs8Rk

See the Sun (Live Acoustic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JcVjGZKIlQ&feature=related

Review: Raconteurs 'Consolers of the Lonely'

The Raconteurs announced the release of their second album "Consolers of the Lonely" and within a week it was in stores and online.

I've listened to the album once, but intend to listen to it again before formally giving it a review.

Initial Prognosis: Tighter than Broken Boy Soldier, better overall, no singles as good as 'Level' or 'Steady as She Goes'

Jacks still channeling the same influences as on Icky Thump and this album finds itself sounding similar without sounding just like a rehash.

Download: Salute Your Solution (single), Consolers of the Lonely, Top Yourself (Album High), You Don't Understand Me, The Switch and the Spur

Raconteurs "Salute Your Solution" Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lL1CW140FQ

by:Peter Rizzo Collegian Staff