The free stuff is supposed to be updated untermly from now on. However, you can request free membership from Here
1. All Time Low - Nothing Personal (2009) (Punk) (Rapidshare,Megaupload)
01. Weightless 3:18
02. Break Your Little Heart 2:51
03. Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't) 3:07
04. Lost In Stereo 3:47
05. Stella 3:24
06. Sick Little Games 3:36
07. Hello Brooklyn 3:29
08. Walls 3:11
09. Too Much 4:14
10. Keep The Change, You Filthy Animal 3:20
11. A Party Song (The Walk Of Shame) 2:59
12. Therapy 3:44
The follow-up to their highly acclaimed debut "So Wrong, It's Right." Catchy songs, witty lyrics, and the band's irresistible tongue in cheek personality are all present here. The band went out of their way to stretch their songwriting muscle, working with a variety of superstar producers including Butch Walker, David Bendeth, Matt Squire, and more. RIYL: Blink 182, Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, All American Rejects, Paramore.
2. TLC - Playlist: The Very Best Of (2009) (R&B) (Rapidshare,Hotfile)
01 05:37 Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg
02 05:16 Baby-Baby-Baby
03 04:55 What About Your Friends
04 04:30 Creep
05 05:06 Red Light Special
06 04:41 Waterfalls
07 04:16 Diggin' On You
08 03:36 No Scrubs
09 04:39 If I Was Your Girlfriend
10 04:40 Unpretty
11 03:37 Girl Talk
12 03:53 Damaged
13 04:25 Get It Up
14 05:02 Das Da Way We Like 'Em
In the early '90s TLC reigned
supreme as the new titanesses of
teen. Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes'
meta-brilliant quick-time flow
Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins' almost
guttural leads, and Rozonda
"Chilli" Thomas' soaring harmonics
beckoned us with their aural mix
TLC somehow sustained the most
exciting and personal female pop
voice in tracks contained here such
as the hit singles "Ain't 2 Proud 2
Beg," "What About Your Friends,"
"Baby-Baby-Baby," & the
adventurous, alt-rock leaning
career bests "Waterfall" &
"Unpretty."
3. Juelz Santana and Lil Wayne - Gameface II Bootleg (2009) (Rap) (Rapidshare,Megaupload,Hotfile)
01 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - After Disasters 4:41
02 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - Rollers & Riders 3:12
(produced by Oddz & Endz)
03 Juelz Santana & Bezel - Ridin 3:27
04 Lil Wayne - Ups & Downs feat Young Buck 4:02
05 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - With 1 Arm 4:35
06 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - Guys Like Us 3:06
07 Juelz Santana - Days Of Our Lives 3:22
08 Lil Wayne - Politics feat Gudda Gudda 3:43
09 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - By Myself 4:10
10 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - Me, Him & Her 4:19
11 Lil Wayne - Fix My Hat 3:25
12 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - Bonafide Hustla 2:52
13 Juelz Santana - Shake That Ass 3:30
14 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - Rock Star 4:02
15 Lil Wayne - Triggerman 1:30
16 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - Rap Cemetary 1:56
17 Juelz Santana - Hottest In Da Hood 0:49
18 Lil Wayne - Spit 4:52
19 Lil Wayne - Big Dog feat Playaz Circle 4:35
20 Juelz Santana & Lil Wayne - Outta Control 3:18
4. VA - The Boot (Lil Boosie, Lil Wayne, Juvenile & Birdman) (2009) (Hip Hop) (Rapidshare,Megaupload)
01 Lil Boosie - Like Me 3:34
02 Lil Boosie - Ballin & Shinin 2:53
03 Lil Boosie - Mind Of A Maniac 3:37
04 Lil Wayne - Go Getta 4:31
05 Lil Wayne - Told Yall 4:15
06 Lil Wayne - Stoopid 1:05
07 Juvenile - They Know 3:29
08 Birdman - Always Strapped feat Lil Wayne, 5:01
Young Jeezy & Juvenile
09 Birdman & Lil Wayne - Everywhere I Go 4:46
10 Birdman, Pharell & Mack Maine - Champion 1:26
11 BG, Juvenile & Soulja Slim - Gotta Get It 3:10
12 Lil Wayne - Down 1:03
13 Lil Wayne - After Disaster 1:43
14 Lil Wayne - Ups & Downs 2:15
15 Lil Boosie - Life Of Crime 3:47
16 Lil Boosie - Halle Barry 1:20
17 Lil Boosie - Bigdogg 4:06
18 Webbie, Lil Boosie & Young Jeezy - Better 4:38
Believe It
19 Mouse On The Track - Rubbin On My Head 3:36
20 Lil Wayne - Roadblock 3:45
5. The Minus 5 - Killingsworth (2009) (Indie) (Rapidshare)
01. Dark Hand Of Contagion ( 3:23)
02. The Long Hell ( 3:04)
03. The Disembowelers ( 3:10)
04. The Lurking Barrister ( 3:05)
05. It Won't Do You Any Good ( 1:50)
06. Vintage Violet ( 2:40)
07. Scott Walker's Fault ( 3:08)
08. Big Beat Up Moon ( 3:11)
09. I Would Rather Sacrifice You ( 2:58)
10. Ambulance Dancehall ( 2:51)
11. Gash In The Cocoon ( 3:57)
12. Smoke On, Jerry ( 3:13)
13. Your Favorite Mess ( 2:18)
14. Tonight You're Buying Me A Drink, Bob ( 2:51)
This is another Minus 5 album. Now the eighth LP from the loose creative
collective/serious drinking association helmed by wayfarer and musical
enabler Scott McCaughey. This one is called Killingsworth. A recording worthy
of the murders committed during its genesis? Perhaps. Incoherent yarns mostly
told after midnight by highway hobos in and around Portland, Oregon? Surely
Killingsworth features an incarnation of The Minus 5 including apparatus
support poles McOi, Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and John Moen (Decemberists). Other
gypsies in the carnival include The She Bee Gees, further Decemberists Colin
Meloy, Jenny Conlee, Chris Funk, Nate Query and many more. Pedal steel belted
radials drive throughout the gravelly fern-lined byways of the neighborhood
of Killingsworth. Either ride along with the show or get out of the way of
its careening wheel man, drunk with liquor and blood. Up to you, friend
6. The Builders and the Butchers - Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well (2009) (Rock) (Rapidshare)
1. Golden And Green (4:48)
2. Devil Town (2:47)
3. Short Way Home (4:19)
4. Barcelona (3:41)
5. Hands Like Roots (2:20)
6. Down In This Hole (3:55)
7. Raise Up Your Weary Hands (4:11)
8. Vampire Lake (2:59)
9. The Wind Has Come (3:37)
10. In The Branches (5:12)
11. The World Is A Top (3:54)
2009 release from the Portland-based former Alaskans. Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well is a much more complete work than their debut, showcasing the bands full potential. On Salvation, the Builders worked with producer Chris Funk from the Decemberists who brought with him a throng of expertise, patience, instruments, and some of the best musicians in Portland. In the vein of the Southern Gothic tales Ryan [Sollee, songwriter] weaves stories of struggle with the usual cast of characters God, the Devil, soldiers, branches, wind, rain and hell fire. The story of Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well is that there's joy and celebration through the darkness, there's light in the hardest of times, and when you reach the bottom may salvation light your way.
7. Quinzy - These Nautical Miles (2009) (Pop) (Rapidshare,Megaupload,Zshare)
1. Fell in Love With the Enemy 3:41
2. You and this Terrible Place 4:49
3. Glass Wing 5:32
4. These Nautical Miles 3:16
5. Her Scientologist 4:50
6. Happy Tomorrow 3:05
7. Polywater 9:57
"When Quinzy released One Boy's Guide to the Moon in the summer, I wrote in
these pages that the EP - the first in a series of three - was a tough act to
follow. Happily, the second instalment has far surpassed my expectations. Unlike
its tight, punchy predecessor, These Nautical Miles is a big, roomy record, full
of epic builds and atmospheric arrangements. With its driving bass lines and
sprawling, soaring choruses, this seven-song set showcases a band that isn't
afraid to work outside its three-minute pop/rock framework (see: the 10-minute
Polywater). That said, this is hardly an unfocused outing - Fell In Love With
The Enemy boasts one of the best melodic hooks I've heard in a while."
8. Nebelhexe - Dead Waters (2009) (Electronic,Gothic) (Rapidshare)
01. Against The Wall
02. Skindeep
03. Digital Sleep
04. Dead Waters
05. Charmed (Again)
06. In My Dreams I Am Free
07. 19th Century Ghost
08. Beyond The Ninth Wave
09. Fallen
10. The Nightguard
9. Just Jack - All Night Cinema (2009) (Rock) (Rapidshare,Megaupload,Zshare,Depositfiles)
1. Embers
2. 253
3. The Day I Died
4. Doctor Doctor
5. So Wrong
6. Blood
7. All Night Cinema
8. Astronaut
9. Goth In The Disco
10. Lo And Behold
11. Basement
Success has done weird things to Just Jack. While his literate English pop peers--Lily Allen, The Streets--have responded to fame by becoming larger-than-life caricatures, channeling tabloid controversy back into the music, Jack Allsop’s third album is shy, understated--anonymous, sometimes. But if All Night Cinema is more everyman tales than indulgent self-analysis, it’s a look Just Jack wears pretty well. Lead-off single “Embers” proves that some pretty moving productions are within his grasp, an emotive production of dancing violins, hand-claps, and harmonies that overlay in beautiful patterns, while “The Day I Died” demonstrates that the knack for casual storytelling that Allsop demonstrated on The Outer Marker and Overtones is still present and correct, a relaxed lope of acoustic guitar and thunking drum break that hides a bittersweet twist in the tale. Other moments might prove a mite relaxed for fans who like their pop with more edge, but the album’s only real misstep is “Goth In The Disco”, an unconvincing electro-pop pastiche that overreaches somewhat as it tries to rhyme “dance” with “ambulance”. ––Louis Pattison
Just Jack returns with his stunning new album All Night Cinema, the follow-up to his smash-hit LP Overtones. All Night Cinema sees Just Jack at his blistering best. Produced and almost entirely written by Jack (along with co-production by past collaborator, Jay Reynolds), it is a genre-busting album, packed with infectious, catchy, hook-laden tunes. The new LP features straight-out, hard-hitting pop songs, wrapped around Jack’s razor-sharp lyrics and acute observations. Lyrically, he finds himself talking about everything from the sublime to the ordinary, eloquently depicting life in England in Jack’s very own inimitable way.
10. Brooke Hogan - Judgement Day Mixtape (2009) (Pop) (Rapidshare,Megaupload,Zshare,Depositfiles)
1. Intro
2. Ur Not That Hot
3. Slow Down
4. Miss That Crazy Love (Bonus Track from Undiscovered))
5. Certified (Bonus Track from Undiscovered)
6. Taste Me
7. Heart Breaker
8. Girls Get Ya Boys
9. Moving On
10. Armpiece
11. Ex-Boyfriend
12. Hulk Calls SoBe (skit)
13. We Go Hard (featuring Stack$ & Hollywood Jit)
14. Birthday Sex Remix (featuring Fabolous and Jeremih)
15. Falling (featuring Stack$) (From The Redemption)
16. Hey Yo! (featuring Colby O'Donis) (From The Redemption)
17. Finish Line (Live) (From The Redemption)
Brooke announced on May 25, 2009, that she would be releasing a mixtape with many songs and covers that she had recorded that would not be included on her album, but that she wanted to share with her fans. Brooke later stated that the mixtape would be released on July 4, 2009, and that she would release 3 songs as digital singles before the mixtape's release, and she also stated that these would be downloadable through her website. She stated that she was making a mixtape for her fans to get all the self-proclaimed "great" music that she had made, but wouldn't be included on her second album, The Redemption.
11. Kamera - Blank Expressions (2009) (New Wave,Synth Pop) (Rapidshare)
1. Asleep
2. Misfortune Strikes Again
3. Dead Man Walking
4. Just A Minute
5. Miserable
6. Friday Night
7. The City
8. Keep Me Alive
9. Repeat
10. Live To Pretend
Stylish, poppy Stockholm rockers Kamera inherited more than eyeliner and black boots from The Cure, Depeche Mode and Duran Duran; Swedish music magazine It's A Trap says that Kamera has a "damned fine grasp of what made the songwriting of the 1980's so compelling." Their newest album, 'Blank Expressions', is a slick, tightly assembled collection of synthy new wave with floor-filling New Order dance beats ready for the darkest nightclub you know.
12. The Seldon Plan - Lost and Found and Lost (2009) (Rock,Power Pop) (Rapidshare)
01. Caldedott 2:18
02. Fire in Day's Field 2:53
03. Lost and Found and Lost 2:50
04. Lullabies for Old Hearts 2:42
05. Run, Go! 2:18
06. Philadelphia and a Moment 3:14
07. French Cinema 3:02
08. Lonely Bridgewater 4:11
09. See a Word 2:30
10. There Are Definite Undertones 4:17
Here
11. Majestic Mountain 1:56
12. Ezra Jack Keats 4:07
The Seldon Plan reemerges with whimsy with their highly anticipated album LOST
AND FOUND AND LOST, a worthy follow-up to their 2007 record THE COLLECTIVE NOW
Praised for its catchy simple melodies awash with lush vocals, hip full
guitars, and a hint of Flaming Lips by artist/composer Mark Degli Antoni (David
Byrne/Soul Coughing) and dubbed smart pop with no wasted space by record
producer Brian McTernan (Senses Fail/Piebald/Thrice), LOST AND FOUND AND LOST
plays with images of childhood nostalgia to embrace the economic and political
pendulum
The Baltimore-based indie pop rockers are known for their tuneful-wistful rock
(The Washington Post) and literate, yet still youthful (Allmusic) sound. Aptly
named, LOST AND FOUND AND LOST portrays the juxtaposition of excitement and
uncertainty in a country undergoing a changing political situation. These were
the hardest lyrics I ve ever had to write, but now that they re out, I feel
really energized, says singer/songwriter Michael Nestor.
13. Motel Motel - New Denver (2009) (Indie) (Rapidshare)
1 Harlem
2 Mountain
3 Cigarettes
4 Coffee
5 Virginia
6 Mexico
7 Tammy's Bodega
8 River
9 Dinosaur
10 Combate
11 Cannons
12 Vietnam
13 Arvada
Motel Motel is a history of rock youth in a blender.
They croon with the spirit of an old country ballad, but one careening through the tunnels and avenues of their home base, New York City. Forming there in the fall of 2006 they honed their music in garages,kitchens, and basements, until the February of the next year found them playing their first shows across the city and surrounding states. Received with open arms by both the claustrophobic bars of the lower east side and skyline painted barns of Richmond VA, they began to find peace in their dualities. For home for them is not the city, they are from Denver, Hawaii, New York, and Virginia. And more so, county rock for them is not antiquated charm of the past, and rock and roll is not a commercialized beast of the present, rather both are the same, a desperate, loud rattling of America's motel rooms and their cloistered road warriors. In early May Motel Motel recorded the EP "Old York" at a scattering of studios, in Manhattan, finishing the mixing at Sub Terra Studios in Albany New York. With the disc still warm in their hands they headed out on an 12-date, cross country tour, from Boston to Denver. Having fallen in love with Colorado, they rented a house in Boulder for the summer, making new friends, playing shows, and recording tracks for their full length album. Getting homesick, the boys began the long drive back to the east coast, soon finding themselves torn between the pulse of the city, and the quiet of the West. Channeling this into their music, they have moved to Brooklyn and dove head-first into the recording process, reconciling their geography into their album, "New Denver," scheduled for the new year.
14. Ty Segall - Lemons (2009) (Indie) (Rapidshare)
1 It # 1
2 Standing at the Station
3 In Your Car
4 Lovely One
5 Cant Talk
6 Cents
7 Untitled #2
8 Austed Dust
9 Die Tonite
10 Johnny
11 Drop out Boogie
12 Like You
Burying ’60s sing-alongs and dance crazes beneath waves of reverband giddy thud, Ty Segall has carved out his own shelf in the SanFrancisco neo-psych garage alongside local compatriots and collaboratorsSic Alps and Thee Oh Sees. After shattering the Bay Area undergroundas a frantic one-man band that was devoured by the localpress, Segall has now given up the solo act for a three-piece group thatdestroys sonic and melodic boundaries with manic glee. This new livesetup is a better reflection of his studio work.As an exploration of the space between Cro-Magnon fuzz and atmosphericacoustic psych, Lemons is the natural next step after hiscelebrated self-titled 2008 debut on Castle Face.
15. Iris Leu - Hushaboo (2009) (Indie) (Rapidshare)
01. For Keeps
02. Hush
03. Twentyone
04. Ipso Facto
05. Hollowville
06. Four Seasons
07. The Red Bird
08. Dive
09. Manifesto
10. After All Is Done
hushaboo is a collection of 10 radio-ready tracks that strikes a distinctly modernist chord in the piano pop genre. The album draws from a range of stylistic influences from 80’s experimentalist group Talk Talk's synth pop to Impressionist composer Debussy's watery palate. The songs are inspired by the stories of many including the late musician Carter Albrecht, Showtime’s vigilante serial killer Dexter, and Paris Hilton and her lamentable aspirations. Crafted in the constraints of pop song structure and minimally dressed in lush, distorted atmosphere, the result is a thoughtful album with an eminent edge.
The album was recorded from Feb - Sept 2008 at Bass Propulsion Laboratories with producers Todd Pipes (Deep Blue Something, Calhoun, The Hourly Radio) and Nolan Thies (Little Black Dress) and features some of the Dallas music scene's most integral musicians: Earl Darling, Cooper Heffley, and Taylor Tatsch.
16. Kid Machine - Velours 77 EP (2009) (Electronic,New Wave) (Rapidshare)
01. Velours 77
02. Keepers Of The Temple Of The Sun
03. Enter Exosphere
04. Velours 77 (Justin Faust Remix)
Kid Machine is part human, part computer and is the product of an experiment made in 1979 by two unknown scientists in Manchester. This is all we know. Releases: Velours 77 EP: (Sounds of the Suburbs records) Tracks are: 1. Velours 77 2.Keepers of the Temple of the Sun 3. Enter Exosphere 4. Velours 77 (Justin Faust remix) August 2009 will be Kid Machine debut album Remixes: Marc Rémillard 'Feeling Fresh' (So French records) Forthcoming remixes: Beats For Beginners 'Sweet as Sugar' (Sounds of the Suburbs records) Beats For Beginners 'Laser Beams for Eyes' (Sounds of the Suburbs records)
17. Soulja Boy Tellem - iSouljaBoyTellem (2009) (Rap) (Rapidshare,Hotfile)
1. I'm Bout Tha Stax (intro)
2. Bird Walk
3. Turn My Swag On
4. Gucci Bandanna
5. Eazy
6. Kiss Me Thru The Phone
7. Booty Got Swag
8. Rubber Bands
9. Hey You There
10. Yamaha Mama
11. Wit My Yums On
12. Go Head
13. Shoppin' Spree
14. Soulja Boy Tellem
15. Whoop Rico
16. I Pray (outro)
Soulja Boy Tellem's highly anticipated follow-up to Souljboytellem.com (Collipark Music/Interscope). Soulja Boy Tell'em hit the ground running promoting his debut album which led to record setting performances for ringtones (more than 5.3 million downloads), YouTube views (over 300,000,000 views) and an incredible seven-week run at the top of the "Hot 100" chart with the Grammy-nominated single "Crank That (Soulja Boy).Such staggering stats easily made Soulja Boy Tell'em the top new artist of 2008.
Soulja Boy Tell'em follows this mega success with the highly anticipated iSouljaboytellem, produced by Soulja Boy Tell'em, with assistance from super-producer Mr. Collipark (Young Jeezy, Yin Yang Twins, Pitbull) and Polow Da Don (Ludacris, Fergie, Jamie Foxx, Ciara). The first single, "Birdwalk," follows the successful formula mined by "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," with another sure-fire infectious sing-along chant. "Birdwalk" hits the airwaves this week, with the accompanying video scheduled to debut shortly thereafter. Other stand-out tracks include "Yamaha Mama" (produced by fellow Atlanta native Polow Da Don), featuring Sean Kingston, and the street anthem "Turn My Swag On" which will be accompanied by a viral music video.
"I'm more than ready to release the follow-up to `souljaboytellem.com', I know my fans are ready too." comments Soulja Boy Tell'em. "I have so much more in store this time around with a shoe and clothing deal, an animated series and some special surprises I can't talk about yet. I'm going to continue to keep up the momentum through 2009, so plan on seeing me all over the internet on your favorite websites and blogs with my new videos and updates on where I'm at and what I am doing. You are not going to be able to get away from Soulja Boy Tell'em...YUUUAAAAA!"
Soulja Boy Tell'em's high visibility enabled the rapper to sign a major deal with Yums Shoes to personally design his own sneakers under the company's "Block Star" line. The first line of sneakers will roll out in November, 2008, and feature a distinctive street feel with colorful graffiti art emblazoned on the soles of each sneaker. The deal also features clothing apparel specifically designed by Soulja Boy Tell'em in conjunction with Yums' designer and one of the south's biggest graffiti artists Tex. In addition, look out for an animated series created by Soulja Boy Tell'em that will be launching on his Soulja Boy Tell'em website in November.
18. VA - Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2009) (Soundtrack) (Rapidshare)
1. Opening & Deatheater Attack
2. In Noctem
3. The Story Begins
4. Ginny
5. Snape And The Unbreakable Vow
6. Wizard Wheezes
7. Dumbledore's Speech
8. Living Death
9. Into The Pensieve
10. The Book
11. Ron's Victory
12. Harry & Hermione
13. School!
14. Malfoy's Mission
15. The Slug Party
16. Into The Rushes
17. Farewell Aragog
18. Dumbledore's Foreboding
19. Of Love & War
20. When Ginny Kissed Harry
21. Slughorn's Confession
22. Journey To The Cave
23. The Drink Of Despair
24. Inferii In The Firestorm
25. The Killing Of Dumbledore
26. Dumbledore's Farewell
27. The Friends
28. The Weasley Stomp
The sixth installment in the film franchise. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same. The score features music by Nicholas Hooper, who took the reigns as composer during the last film, "Order Of The Phoenix".
19. Jason Ricci And New Blood - Done with the Devil (2009) (Blues) (Rapidshare)
1. Done With The Devil
2. Sweet Loving
3. Holler For Craig Lawler
4. Broken Toy
5. Ptryptophan Pterodactyl
6. I Turned Into a Martian
7. As Long As I Live
8. How It Come To Be
9. Life Of Denial
10.Afro Blue
11.Keep The Wolf From My Door
12.Enlightenment
When Jason Ricci & New Blood launched Rocket Number 9, their debut release for Eclecto Groove Records, they turned the blues world on their respective ear with a visionary and sonically bombastic recording that created a legion of new fans and spent a total of 7 weeks on the Billboard Blues Charts peaking at #4. Done With The Devil is easily Ricci & New Blood’s most ambitious project yet. An album filled with a diverse array of instrumentation that includes chromatic, diatonic, chord and polyphonia harmonicas; tuba, bass harmonica, electric and upright bass; electric, acoustic and dobro guitars; Hammond B-3 and various percussion, plus additional special guests including ace blues guitarist Shawn Kellerman.
20. Jenny Owen Youngs - Transmitter Failure (2009) (Alternative) (Rapidshare)
01. First Person ( 0:40)
02. Led To The Sea ( 3:26)
03. Dissolve ( 3:49)
04. Here Is A Heart ( 4:23)
05. Clean Break ( 3:02)
06. If I Didn't Know ( 4:09)
07. What Beats Within ( 3:55)
08. Secrets ( 3:06)
09. No More Words ( 6:29)
10. Last Person ( 3:15)
11. Nighty Night ( 3:37)
12. Transmitter Failure ( 4:46)
13. Start + Stop ( 2:59)
When is the last time you picked up a brand new album and listened to it from
start to finish (and back to the start again), the way it was intended to be
heard? Today, you ll want to do it again, with Jenny Owen Youngs' Transmitter
Failure due May 26
Following fresh in the tracks of her 2007 debut Batten the Hatches (which
earned Youngs a record deal with Nettwerk and a song on the popular TV series
Weeds, among other highlights), Transmitter Failure begins with a knowing nod
to the past in the ukulele, double bass and jaunty percussion of the
40-second intro, "First Person" before quickly launching ahead into the
album's next track, "Led to the Sea," a powerful rock/pop single aimed in a
brand new direction. Jenny pulls off the transition without missing a beat
One listen will have you believing this is the kind of music she's been
making all along. As Youngs explains, "The first track is kind of meant as a
fakeout. At the same time, it's an excerpt from 'Last Person,' which comes
much later in the record. So, backwards and forwards..." It's a theme that
creeps up more than occasionally on the album
For Transmitter Failure, Jenny calls on her long-time producer friend Dan
Romer (Batten the Hatches, Ingrid Michaelson, The Woes) to create a lush
aural landscape populated by gut-thumping bass lines, electric guitars, sunny
keys, booming horns, digital drum tracks and even flute, glockenspiel and a
full string section at times (borrowed straight from the pit of award-winning
Broadway musical Spring Awakening). Deeply enmeshed in a scene of gifted
young indie musicians and songwriters, Jenny and Dan looked to fellow
Brooklyners Chris Kuffner (Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, Jim Bianco)
Bess Rogers (The Age of Rockets, The Robot Explosion), Meredith Godreau
(Gregory and the Hawk), Ben Kalb (New Pornographers, Regina Spektor, Ingrid
Michaelson), Saul Simon-MacWilliams (Chris Garneau, The Age of Rockets) and
Adam Christgau (Tobias Froberg, The Woes) to collectively contribute bass
guitars, drums, vocals and strings on multiple tracks. "I also wrote with
other people for this record," Youngs explains, "Justin Pierre (Motion City
Soundtrack) wrote part of the music for 'Secrets.' I worked with Bess Rogers
on a couple songs and also called in Osei Essed (The Woes) for a song."
Where Batten the Hatches plays like a beautifully distilled, 40-minute diary
entry backed by singular drum tracks, acoustic guitars, banjo, cello and
spare digital elements, Transmitter Failure picks up with thicker
arrangements and more electric production than fans might be used to, but
deliciously malleable vocals, unique instrumentation, and the songwriter's
trademark caustic wit remain
Here is a Heart relays aching turns-of-phrase with pretty and sweet vocals
over playful keys. Here is a heart, she sings, I made it for you, so take
it you know I live to fill you up / blood of my blood, dripping with love /
I bring you the thing you need most / silent between supplies and machines /
hang in the corners like a ghost / you know I live to be seen through."
The gritty Clean Break, paints a wicked metaphor with reverberating guitars
and a touch of haunting vaudeville, mixed with lingering bass and brushed
snare. More than just a break-up song, Youngs says, it s actually a get away
from me, you make me sick and I make myself sick song
Jenny clearly delights in never letting the listener tune out, as
slow-and-sweet ballads are immediately followed by infectious rock/pop gems
No More Words a nearly seven-minute-long shoegaze odyssey picks up
tempo partway through and fades out with an extended keyboard solo, until
boom! We're hit with the racing, country-fried percussion of Last Person
which comes in at track 10 and reminds us how we got to this point, with its
winking reference to the first song
Nighty-Night follows effortlessly, as if bringing the evening to a close
and carrying with it the promise of a new day. It features Youngs lilting
doo-wop croon coupled with slow, wailing strings and a waltzing rhythm
reminiscent of a page from Richard Hawley's songbook
As the title implies, Transmitter Failure hums with the notion of
contradiction. Messages of missed/mixed communications are conveyed with a
referential look at the past and a fixed eye on the future. Nearly the last
song on the album, the title track begins with a sweeping crescendo of
strings and drums amid a crash of cymbals, which immediately give way to a
few timid, lone tones on a keyboard, followed by Jenny's hushed voice
singing, "There's a lot of words in the English language, but I'm just
getting started, baby / we could be here all night." Finally, the sentiment
we've been sensing all along is put into words. Jenny explains of the song
"As we were forming the record, it started to become very apparent to me that
the thickest thread running through the songs and holding them together was
the theme of communication its success, its complete and total breakdown
and the ways in which it affects relationships. So once I opened my eyes and
saw that, using Transmitter Failure as a title track made a lot of sense to
me." Youngs goes on to say, "This used to be a tiny, pretty, love-y song. Now
it is a shape-shifting beast... It was intended as sweet, but most people who
hear it assume, I think, that it s about a relationship ending. It s actually
about a relationship rising from ashes."
There couldn't be a more appropriate note to end (or begin) on than the
album's final track, "Start + Stop." With Jenny's words carried by a playful
ukulele and her voice alone, it's as if we're back at the bar stool from
"Last Person" ("I know you're looking for a stop + start / and I could give
you what you want, oh yeah / bring yourself a little closer, baby," she
coaxes), while simultaneously setting the stage for "First Person" to start
things up again. In the final lines of the song, Youngs unexpectedly switches
tone and goes from pleading to promising, with an earnestness and
vulnerability in her voice that suggests a weight of her message heavier than
the words alone -- "Give me the smallest part of you / I need to know right
now / If you're going / I want to go there too / I want to leave with you / I
want to go there too / I just want to be with you." We can't help but take
her hand and take that chance all over again.
Post je objavljen 06.07.2009. u 14:50 sati.