CD of the Week: The Suburbs

Suburbia is a world of picket fences, apple pie, desperation, and paranoia. Arcade Fire explores this uniquely American landscape on their third album, The Suburbs. Largely inspired by brothers Win and William Butler's Texas childhood, the album is an art-rock record with arena rock sensibility.

Win Butler sings of spending time driving around with nothing to do, staring out the window dreaming of the world beyond. Although these sentiments are framed as distant memories, Butler cannily notes that not much has changed: "You watch the life you are living disappear / and now I see, we're still kids in buses trying to be free."

The dark tone of the lyrics is balanced by music that pushes the band's anthemic tendencies. It's a new dimension to the band that expands Arcade Fire's compelling live show. Even if you missed the sold-out rock spectacle at Merriweather Post Pavilion earlier this month, there's still a chance to dive into one of the best albums of the year.

Altered Freebies: The Apples In Stereo; Eels; The Love Language

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.

The Apples In Stereo, “Dance Floor”
We have been playing this song for a few months now, but definitely one that should be in your collection. Napolean Dynamite would totally get down to "Dance Floor".

Eels, “Looking Up”
So, this song came as a surprise the first time I hit play. I was thinking it would be closer to "Spectacular Girl" or "Baby Loves Me", both off their new album Tomorrow Morning, out August 24th. Instead, a soulful, get-up-and-shake-it song came pumping out of my stereo. This is the type of song you would throw a quarter into the jukebox mounted next to your table at a diner and get down in your booth while waiting for potato skins and an omelet.

This new album is shaping up to be a great one. You can preorder it at eelstheband.com.

The Love Language, “Heart To Tell”
The Love Language throw together a reason to break out your poodle skirts with "Heart To Tell". Their album Libraries it out now on Merge Records. Head over there to stream the whole record (and pick up a copy!).
{via Paste}

Anders Osborne on Morning Sessions

When you first hear the name Anders Osborne, it probably doesn't conjure images of the New Orleans music scene. But when you tune in at 9 a.m. Friday for Osborne's searing live set on Morning Sessions, it becomes clear that the Grammy award-winning songwriter and blues guitarist has become an ambassador of his adopted city. In fact, he's recently joined other Crescent City artists like Dr. John and Trombone Shorty on David Simon's HBO series, Treme, portraying the Dutch busker "Sonny."

Osborne moved from Sweden to New Orleans as a teen, embracing an artist's life and surviving the hardships of modern life in Louisiana. Years of alcohol and drug abuse led him to a crossroads that he’s mapped out in detail on the scorching new single, "On the Road to Charlie Parker." It hints of a man and a city being put back together again--and the promise of a new life waiting at home.

"Charlie Parker" is a standout track is off his new album, American Patchwork, a love letter to America and its music. "I think it's a patching together of my life, New Orleans after Katrina, my personal problems and working to become a better person," he says. "Even though I was born somewhere else, it means a lot to me to be a part of this nation . . . . It's a beautiful feeling to feel genuinely at home somewhere."

Don't miss Anders' interview and performance Friday morning!

Anders Osborne, Honey Island Swamp Band and The Bridge's Cris Jacobs perform at The 8 x 10 on Friday night.

Justin Trawick's Sonic Salvation on Baltimore Unsigned

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with a rebroadcast at 9 a.m. Saturday, as Justin Trawick visits Baltimore Unsigned to perform selections from his forthcoming E.P., After All Is Said and Done. The new collection, a follow-up to 2009's Starting Over, finds Trawick writing for personal and professional reasons.

"Story of a Boy" is a cathartic account of a two-year period in Trawick's life that included having a girlfriend who moved across the country, having both parents diagnosed with cancer, and losing his day job. " It was either write a song or go postal and start walking through the neighborhood with a shotgun," he says.

Meanwhile, "Love Song" was prompted by bass player Jean Finstad's observation that Trawick tended to sing about failed relationships."[He] came up to me a few months ago and was like, 'Listen Justin, everyone likes your music, but we really need something that’s not going to drive women out of the clubs . . . . We need some kind of positive long song in our repertoire.' So “Love Song” was actually created to appease my upright bass player."

Justin Trawick performs at the 8 x 10 on Friday, August 20th.

CD of the Week: We Walk This Road

Robert Randolph and the Family Band's fourth studio album started with a musical education. To find new material, Randolph teamed with legendary producer T Bone Burnett to delve into more than 100 years of music.

"T Bone brought in old archival songs from the twenties and thirties," Randolph writes. "I had songs that I had written with the band, or that other artists had sent me, and we sat down and starting sifting through history." 

The resulting album features a musical gumbo of covers and traditional songs that Randolph and Burnett reworked musically and lyrically, including the single, "If I Had My Way." Based on a Blind Willie Johnson tune, guest Ben Harper contributes guitar work and shares vocal duties on Randolph's new lyrics. More contemporary tracks include covers of John Lennon's "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier Mama" and Prince's "Walk Don't Walk," adding additional fuel to Randolph's already incendiary live show.

Altered Freebies: Deerhunter; Apache Beat; Free Energy

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.


Deerhunter, “Revival”
"Revival" is a great first taste of the direction Deerhunter are taking their next album. Great tune for shucking corn. {via P4K}


Apache Beat, “Another Day”
Now, if you don't like this song at first, give it some time since Apache Beat decides to change it up halfway through “Another Day”. This song will appear on their upcoming, and awesomely titled album, Last Chants.


Free Energy, “All I Know”If you haven't had a chance to check out Philadelphia-based Free Energy, join the cool kids and do so now. Their album was produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and went on tour with Jukebox The Ghost earlier this year. Expect to hear more of these guys.

Baltimore Homecoming on Morning Sessions

Tune in to Morning Sessions at 9 a.m. Friday as veterans of the Baltimore music scene, Abby Mott
 and Kristen Toedtman, return to trade songs and swap stories about their musical adventures. The two singer-songwriters met ten years ago and performed together in The Baltimore Afrobeat Society collective. These days they're often separated by the Pacific Ocean, pursuing solo careers.

Mott is currently based in the Philippines, focusing on music while freelancing as a graphic designer. "It was an opportunity I could not say ‘no’ to," she says. "I’d love to stay in Southeast Asia, but who knows?" Her forthcoming album, Mutiny, is full of seafaring tales inspired by her time overseas. 

Meanwhile Toedtman has stayed stateside, establishing herself as a fixture on both the classical and indie music scenes in Los Angeles. "I joined the Los Angeles master chorale. Literally two nights ago I was at the Hollywood Bowl . . . singing for Carmen with the L.A. Philharmonic," she says. "I keep really busy there singing classically. My classical life basically funds my popular life!" Toedtman is currently touring in support of her new full-length album The Fall.

Abby Mott and Kristen Toedtman perform at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson on Saturday, August 7th.

It really was "All Good", Stuck in the Jam Festival Recap

This past July, a sold out crowd of 26,000 people converged on Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia for the 14th annual All Good Music Festival. It was a weekend of re-connecting with old friends, making new ones and 3 full days of great music. This week on "Stuck in the Jam" we have a listen back to some of the most memorable performances from this magical weekend. We'll hear sets from Umphrey's Mcgee, Lotus, Yonder Mountain String Band, Dr. Dog, and more. Tune in to "Stuck in the Jam" Wednesday August 4th, at 9pm on 89.7 WTMD for a full two hour All Good recap. Two of the craziest things I have ever seen happened at All Good 2010. Here are videos of both:

This was the most glowsticks I have ever seen.

There was a milky way of lanterns for miles in the sky. Incredible.

Avocado Happy Hour on Baltimore Unsigned

While the instrumental duo Avocado Happy Hour was recording their upcoming full-length, Amanda Schmidt had some reservations about adding vocals to their sonic palette.

"People seek out vocals in music because they give a focal point to the sound," she says. "I don't think they should dominate the music. It's nice to treat them as an instrument so you get the timbre of the voice, but it's not the only thing you are focusing on."

The vocals add a new dimension to the music, but Avocado Happy Hour's sound is still based around Rod Hamilton's percussive instruments: drums, xylophone, and vibraphone. The percussion puts a worldbeat twist on the band's traditional pop sensibilities.

"Our music is structured in a traditional pop sense, but the structures and composition are rooted in world music," Schmidt says. "It's building pop music with strange percussive layers." 

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with an encore edition at 9 a.m. Saturday, to hear Avocado Happy Hour's exciting new direction on Baltimore Unsigned.

CD of the Week: Just Another Saturday Night

As we count down the days until this week's free First Thursday Concert, we're diving into the debut release of the headlining act,  The Villains' Just Another Saturday Night. The Atlanta-based band isn't afraid to wear their musical influences on their sleeves. From bass player Dan Call's outlaw country look to charismatic singer/keyboardist Magno's 80's-inspired outfit, there's a wide range of styles. But when you listen, it's clear that it's a mistake to judge the band by its outfits--or its name.

"When the record first came out a lot of reviewers were fooled, thinking this would be a punk act, or a metal act," says Call. "But we like the fact that there's something a little dangerous." The danger extends into its live show with the Atlanta-based band fusing into cohesive live act with elements of country-fried rock and tight vocal harmonies.


Tune in all week to hear selections from Just Another Saturday Night.

Altered Freebies: Smashing Pumpkins; Les Savy Fav; Junip Rope

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.

The Smashing Pumpkins: Freak
Billy Corgan returns with a patch of hired Pumpkins. "Freak" marries the swirling guitars of the Siamese Dream era with a modern-rock sheen.



Les Savy Fav: Let's Get Out of Here
This Brooklyn band wants to get to know you better on this track from their upcoming album, Root for Ruin.



Junip: Rope and Summit EP
Most bands offer no incentive to signing up for thieir mailing list, but acoustic industrial outfit Junip is giving away an EP. That's worth filling out a form, right?

The Villains Take Over Morning Sessions

As we count down to next week's First Thursday Concert in West Mount Vernon Park, The Villains bring their country-fried rock to Morning Sessions at 9:20 a.m. Friday. The Atlanta-based band is touring in support of their debut album Just Another Saturday Night--and destroying preconceptions with each set.


"When the record first came out a lot of reviewers were fooled, thinking this would be a punk act, or a metal act," says bassist Dan Call. "But we like the fact that there’s something a little dangerous; great songs and great bands, there’s always a hint of that and the name fits us."
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Pale Stars Shine on Baltimore Unsigned

Pale Stars' first attempt at following up their 2006 self-titled release resulted in a creative black hole. "We started working . . . with the original four member lineup. It wasn't a great studio experience, and things kind of dwindled out," says vocalist Brandt Huseman. "A year and a half later, I had some songs that were Pale Stars songs in my mind," he says. "I started sending some demos to [guitarist/producer Nat Bradley], and he sent back some finished tracks. Three tracks in, we realized that we weren't a four-person band."

Huseman is a staple of the Baltimore music scene as a member of The Greenberry Woods and Splitsville.  His partnership with Bradley has allowed them to expand the indie power pop palette on the new release, How Much is Enough. 

"One of the great things about technology today is that you are in control of your own destiny," Huseman says. "Nat spends the time exploring all those choices and uses conventional things in unconventional ways. He's like a mad scientist."

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with an encore edition at 9 a.m. Saturday, to discover Pale Stars on Baltimore Unsigned.

CD of the Week: Street Songs of Love

Alejandro Escovedo's tenth studio album, Street Songs of Love, was created on the stage. The influential singer-songwriter set up a weekly residency in an Austin club for two months, previewing three works-in-progress each week and testing them out on his willing audiences. 

“It was interesting to see it grow and blossom," he writes. "It started with the room half full, but it built until the last one sold out. Every week it became more intense with the album taking shape in front of us organically." 

The resulting collection continues Escovedo's arc as a vital songwriter, from his punk days in the '70s and '80s to his critically acclaimed solo career that took off in the '90s. Standout tracks "Anchor" and "Tender Heart" are a great introduction to Escovedo's work.

Altered Freebies: Cut Copy; Ra Ra Riot; !!!; Jenny and Johnny; Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.

Cut Copy, "Where I'm Going"

The first single from the Australian dance rock band's fourth album channels New Order and The Beach Boys in equal measure.

Ra Ra Riot, "Boy"

Ra Ra Riot's first album was made shortly after the death of their original drummer, John Ryan Pyke. The band's mournful mood has lifted on "Boy," coming from their sophomore release, The Orchard.

!!!, "AM/FM"

!!! get in touch with the spirit of '80s radio culture with this danceable number from their new album, Strange Weather, Isn't It?

Jenny and Johnny, "Scissor Runner"

Is it the British Invasion? No, it's Jenny Lewis and her boytoy Jonathan Rice making adorable music together.

Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Sink/Let It Sway"

They apparently still love you early '70s power pop. Dig those handclaps!
(via Stereogum)