popwreckoning

With several albums, a song in the trailer for a popular motion picture and even a nomination for the upcoming Grammys, Red has had a good few years and the future only looks brighter. PopWreckoning’s Andrew caught up with guitarist Anthony Armstrong to see what life is like for these rising stars.

Andrew Dunlap, PopWreckoning: This last tour (Class of ’09 Tour) that you were on came to an abrupt end. Something happened with one of the other bands?
Anthony Armstrong, Red: Jared, [lead singer of Saving Abel] got really sick. He has diabetes, I guess, and none of us really knew about that. He started having flu symptoms and they were afraid he had swine flu. We had actually dropped off the tour a few days before that for our own reasons…People getting sick; just trying to be as safe as possible. If one of our guys gets sick and ends up in the hospital, it puts our tour on a standstill. We actually had to cancel a few shows in Michigan for a similar situation. To cut our losses, we decided to end the tour.

PW: Was anyone from your band sick while on the tour?
AA: Our lead singer is prone to sickness, we don’t know why, but he is. It’s like he has no immune system whatsoever. All of us were fine, but if one of us were to get sick, we could still stand there and play the guitar. But if he gets sick, it’s obviously a whole different ball game. We actually kept our distance from Jared and those guys just to avoid catching anything, you know? We have some big tour plans coming up and we didn’t want to take any chances.

PW: You guys are going to start touring in 2010 and you will be headlining?
AA: Yes, it’s called The Nothing and Everything Tour.
PW: And is this your first headlining tour?
AA: It’s our first headlining tour with this record and a full touring package. We’re playing with a band called Me in Motion. They’re an unsigned band. We always like taking out at least one unsigned band to give them a chance to get some exposure. We’re also playing with The Wedding, some good friends of ours, and a band called Pillar.

PW: The title of the tour comes from the title of one of your songs. What’s the story by taking this song or song title to name the tour?
AA: We’re a very theme-based band and we like to stick systematically to things. Doing this headlining run, the first song, “The Fight Inside,” off our new record is basically the entire meaning behind the whole project and there’s a lyric in that song “It’s nothing it’s everything.” It’s in the bridge actually. It’s like a chant that we do back and fourth with the audience. Just thought it was a perfect title to go along with the whole tour.
PW: There is also a song titled “Nothing and Everything” that is basically an acoustic version of “Fight Inside.”
AA: The very last track on the Deluxe Edition is called “Nothing and Everything.” It’s basically the song “Fight Inside” done acoustically in different tuning. It’s actually in standard tuning key. There’s another very very melodic string orchestra part in there. It also has the same nothing and everything lyric in it.

PW: You guys did something similar on your first album with the song “Already Over.” You had “Already Over,” then “Already Over Part 2,” which was more down and acoustic sounding. Is this something we can come to expect from you, a reoccurring thing to have a harder song and then a more acoustic version of the same song?
AA: All of our songs originate on the acoustic guitar. Believe it or not, even the heavier stuff is done on the acoustic guitar. When you hear a song acoustically without all the programming – a really stripped down version you get a sense of, as far as the vocals are concerned, what exactly you are hearing underneath all the craziness. It’s just something we have always liked to do, but not necessarily something we will continue to do on future projects. We’ve talked about doing acoustic CD’s for that reason. You know anyone can get in there with ProTools and make it sound huge and epic, but when you can strip it down and still pull it off that’s what we think is really cool.
PW: You also put out an acoustic version of your first single from your first album, “Breath Your Life into Me.”
AA: You hear such a heavy version of this song on the record and it’s like “how can they pull this off acoustically?” so it was just our way of saying, “here, this is how we do it.” We do acoustic sets every so often and we love to pull those songs out. You can really pick out the different notes, the vocals, chord progressions and harmonies- when we get requests for it we try to as much as we can because there is such an interest for it.

PW: The song “Pieces” off your first album was featured in the preview for the film “The Blind Side.” How did you guys get involved with that?
AA: We were actually approached by people out in LA to feature some songs in several different movies. That one was one that actually got put on the back burner for awhile and we were surprised when it actually happened. There were a couple other movies and there was talk about being part of the new “Twilight” movie soundtrack, but the song ended up being placed with this movie (“The Blind Side”). We were very excited when we got the news and heard it in context. We saw it all pieced together with the trailer and it just fit so well. You know the song was written three years before this movie was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye and to see it work so well with the theme behind that movie is pretty awesome.
PW: Is your song actually featured in the film at some point or strictly the trailer?
AA: There is no part of the track in the movie whatsoever- it’s just a part of the official trailer. It didn’t make any part of the movie, which is unfortunate. But many songs that are in trailers don’t actually make it in the movie or as part of the soundtrack. But we were so excited just to be involved at all.
There are so many bands out there and songs being pitched for everything. It’s just another medium to get your music exposed and the labels work really hard to make that happen. It’s something that were always been interested in, our music has such a cinematic sound, there are just so many movies out there that we would love for our music to be in but its not something that we set out to do when we are making a record it just kind of leans that way sometimes.

PW: So I take it that you have gotten a chance to see “The Blind Side”?
AA: Oh ya! I think they did an incredible job and if you know anything about Michael Oher, it’s a pretty amazing story, and to see him out there in the NFL right now as a rookie for the Baltimore Ravens, it was pretty amazing. To be a part of any experience with that whole movie has just and honor and they did a great job. TWO THUMBS UP!

PW: Speaking of honor, Red was just nominated for another Grammy?
AA: Yes, we are once again completely excited and very, very surprised. It’s a great category to be a part of and there’s just such a broad range of artists out there that we’re always up against for any type of an award. It’s funny because we know four of the five bands that are nominated, so it’s neat to share that experience with peers. A couple of them we have actually toured with so we call ‘em up to congratulate them and play games back and fourth with each other like “well, we’re going to win; we’re going to win!”
It’s definitely an honor; it’s the biggest night in music. It’s a very prestigious honor to win and to even be nominated- there’s guys who’ve been nominated 21 times and have only won a few times- so it’s an honor to even be nominated.
Did I say we’re excited? Just keep your fingers crossed. We’re going to be down there on the 31st and if we win we will be on cloud 9 and will probably never come down from there. We always would joke around saying that if we ever won a Grammy, we would just quit because it’s just such a huge accomplishment in a musical career but you definitely need to try to keep your head on the ground for the most part.

PW: This album Innocence and Instinct is themed. Could you explain a little bit about that?
AA: Starting with first album- to answer completely the question- The End of Silence, was about getting out of those ruts that a lot of people get into, like all of the vices that we are held by. Speaking out about those things and not being quiet about the problems that we have because we all share very similar things in life regardless of what our nationality is, what our religion is what our belief structure is.
We’re all universal and tied in some way and we chose to use music, because music lets you get out there and touch anyone. It’s basically our therapy -getting out there and playing those songs every night. Because we remember exactly where we were when we wrote the songs. Now, going into Innocence and Instinct we didn’t want to focus on the same things we really wanted to dissect the struggles themselves. Innocence and Instinct has a duality of man. We’re all born with the innocence of life and the instinctual side. It’s also positive, when we typically find and the negative side.
It’s like you’re constantly battling those things in your life, and trying to overcome them. That was basically the entire theme of the record.

PW: So with your theme in mind, how did covering the Duran Duran song “Ordinary World” come to make it on your album?
AA: We wanted something to continue on with the theme behind the record. If you know anything about that song, “Ordinary World” just talks about Utopia: the perfect life. If it exists, let’s find it. You know what I mean? Let’s get back to it. It’s getting away from the vices we have in our lives and finding that perfect place. It’s the perfect song for the record.
It’s such a classic early 90s song. It was a top 40s hit and everybody knows Duran Duran. It was neat to find a song that fit our record and we think we pulled it of pretty well.
It’s a very fun song to play live too. A lot of people don’t realize what it is at first until that first chorus hits because it’s the most familiar part of the song, and then the solo. People are just like “oh yea!!!” We’ve had people ask us if we wrote that song. They probably just heard it on our record and didn’t make the connection, they just liked the song. So we are like “ummm that’s actually a cover song.”

PW: It’s the beginning of a new decade, 2010. What is your favorite musical memory of the past ten years?
AA: My favorite memory… we’ve been on the road for the last 4 years, we’re a very young band and I think my favorite memory is just the experience itself. It’s nothing like we thought it was going to be. We get out there and it’s so much more hard work than anybody realized and there’s just so much that goes into being in a touring act: when you’re young and you’re like “I want to be in a band, I want to tour, I want to do this and I want to do that” and then when you actually get out there and you actually make it out of the thousands of bands who will never ever see a record deal or the exposure.
We’ve had an incredible four years of touring, of honors and accolades. You know, it’s something that you hold close because it’s something that we pour everything that we’ve got into, our heart and soul. It’s everything that we’ve got inside and poured into our music. And to have the experiences that we’ve had out on the road so far, hopefully it will continue for another ten our twelve years or whatever is the most memorable thing to me because it’s not just one instance. I think I would just add it all up and say it’s been an amazing ride so far. To have all the experiences we’ve had with all the bands we’ve toured with, at all of the venues we’ve played, and just the good times we have as a group of guys out on the road on a bus just traveling around and see what all the world has to offer is the most memorable thing for me.

It’s not often that a music reviewer gets two albums simultaneously from the same group. I recently had that rare privilege, having received two albums from the British group The Wave Pictures: their 2008 release Instant Coffee Baby and their more recent If You Leave It Alone (2009). The Wave Pictures are currently signed to Moshi Moshi Records, a label that has released early albums from such acts as Hot Chip and Kate Nash. Moshi Moshi will be releasing the Wave Pictures’ albums as a double-disc for the first time in the U.S. on April 27.

I never had intentions to write about both albums collectively. However, I had the same feelings about both albums, and songs from either album could be interchanged without the listener noticing any divergence. Thus, both records get a one-review treatment.

In a word, I am not a fan of this band. Having given each album a cursory listen, I was ready to write scathing and unfair words. Why do I say “unfair?” No record should be judged on just one listen. I hoped the second listen would give me insights on my distaste for what I was hearing. Theories abounded, but I was able to eliminate each of them in turn. The singer has a voice that can be grating, and it can be argued that he can’t quite sing. But, I love Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and the same could be said for their vocalist. Was it their skeletal line-up and song delivery? No. Elliott Smith wrote and played with little accompaniment or layered instrumentation, so that can’t be the explanation either. The lyrics are either so brilliant that they fly completely over my head, or they mean next to nothing. If the latter is true (which I feel that it must be: my mind is literary enough to detect devices such as metaphor, irony or allegory), that’s fine. Mates of State writes mostly meaningless lyrics and they are one of my favorite groups. If the former is true (less likely), that’s fine too. Neutral Milk Hotel writes esoteric and metaphoric lyrics, and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is my favorite album of the 1990s. So WHY don’t I like this band?

The third listen of each album revealed much. The singer’s voice didn’t bother me, but the music being sung DID bother me; in other words, I didn’t like the melodies. Songs like “Bumble Bee” from If You Leave It Alone are sung in such a fashion that they seem better suited for nursery rhymes than rock songs. I am also not a fan of the vocal delivery. David Tattersall (the vocalist) channels his inner Morrissey with all his might, but manages to capture only the less appealing aspects of Morrissey’s style. I love when the arrangement of a song is simple and understated, but you better have written a damn good song to pull it off, and I just don’t feel that these offerings hold up under such a spotlight. Finally, the lyrics. Oh my, the lyrics. A sample from “Tiny Craters in the Sand” off If You Leave It Alone: “I cut my hair and you grew yours. There always has to be the same amount of hair in the world. From the roots of my toes to the nails of my teeth…” Sounds like grade school poetry to me. Lyrics of this absurdity and meaninglessness run rampant through these two albums, and with the vocals standing so boldly in front of the music, they’re hard to ignore or look past.

Luckily, this band is not devoid of ability, and there are some musical highlights for the listener to enjoy. Instant Coffee Baby hits its stride through the last five tracks, with “Just Like a Drummer” and “Cassius Clay” offering the most bang for their proverbial buck. You’ll hear a lot of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in these tracks, and a welcome break from the normal vocals is afforded the listener in the form of gang vocal choruses and jangly instrumental jams. “Tiny Craters in the Sand,” whose lyrics I mocked earlier, does reward you with its final minute: busy drums back a funky bass line in a temporary respite from the monotony of many of the earlier tunes. If only they had followed that path more often.

Obviously, listening to music is not a math problem (even though my analytical mind tries to break it down as such). All analysis aside, my overwhelming feeling is that this band and I just don’t “get” one another. If what I’ve said so far has not deterred you from picking up their music, try Instant Coffee Baby first (as I feel it offers just a bit more). If you like it, we can agree to disagree. I’ll just keep thinking about the line from their track “Come on Daniel” that sums up my feelings quite nicely: “Let this song roll back your eyes. Let this song roll back your eyes.”

Goner Records has officially issued the following statement: “It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Jay Reatard. Jay died in his sleep last night. We will pass along information about funeral arrangements when they are made public.”

Popwreckoning’s thoughts are with you sir.

You might best remember Nada Surf for becoming popular in the 90s for their tune “Popular,” but since that song they’ve released album after album of well-crafted and witty material (I’m quite partial to “Blankest Year” and often have used it as my personal anthem.)

The band is taking a break from writing their own tunes and have prepared a covers album, If I Had a Hi-Fi. Covers include Kate Bush, Depeche Mode and the Go-Betweens.

To support the release of the covers album, the band is kicking off a headlining tour with a three night stay in New York on March 25. Each night they’ll perform one of their albums in its entirety. On the 25th they’ll play Let Go, the 26th will be the The Weight Is a Gift and the 27th will be Lucky. Each night will also include songs from the covers album, fan favorites and other b-sides.

If I Had a Hi-Fi will be available on the band’s tour before it hits stores.

Tickets for the tour are available here.

Tour Dates:
March 25 – Bowery Ballroom / New York, NY (Let Go)
March 26 – Bell House / Brooklyn, NY (The Weight is a Gift)
March 27 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn, NY (Lucky)
March 29 – Lee’s Palace / Toronto, ON
March 30 – Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour / Montreal, QC
March 31 – Pearl Street / Northampton, MA
April 01 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia, PA
April 02 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC
April 03 – Paradise Rock Club / Boston, MA
April 13 – ICA / London, UK
April 15 – Printemps de Bourges Festival / France
April 17 – Strasbourg Artefact Festival / France
April 18 – Tivoli De Helling / Utrecht, Holland
April 19 – Botanique / Brussels, Belgium
April 20 – Gloria / Cologne, Germany
April 21 – D! Club / Lausanne, Switzerland
April 23 – Abart / Zurich, Switzerland
April 24 – WUK / Vienna, Austria
April 25 – Lucerna Music Bar / Prague, Czech Republic
April 26 – Lido / Berlin, Germany
April 27 – Knust / Hamburg, Germany
April 28 – Trabendo / Paris, France
April 29 – Joy Eslava / Madrid, Spain
April 30 – Estrella Levante SOS 4.8 Festival / Murcia, Spain
May 01 – Villagarcia de arosa / Galicia, Spain
May 15 – Long’l'rock Festival / Longirod, Switzerland
May 24 – Belly Up Tavern / Solana Beach, CA
May 25 – Troubadour / West Hollywood, CA
May 27 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco, CA
May 29 – Wonder Ballroom / Portland, OR

Owen Pallett’s Heartland is one of those albums that sounds good through speakers, great on headphones and (I’m guessing) mind-blowing live.

It’s also one of those albums that ages extremely well, so after a week cozied up with Mr. Pallett’s first work under that name, most of my original complaints are moot.

Pallett — formerly working under the name Final Fantasy because, yeah, he’s that video game-loving boy genius — started out as a classically trained violinist in Canada. He wrote film scores and operas before finishing college, and this wild level of training and the multi-instrumental result warrants an obvious comparison to Beirut or Andrew Bird. It also makes Heartland so musically lush. The intricacy of each song means every track is exciting in its own right, but the album also blends each seamlessly together – enhancing the work’s orchestral quality, but also making it just the tiniest bit boring. No one song stands out in its entirety, but the intro on “Flare Gun” or the piano melody on “Tryst with Mephistopheles” might be stuck in your head for hours.

Heartland – despite its cavorting multi-layered instrumentation – remains mellow throughout. Pallett’s earnest voice is sometimes frustratingly monotone when set against the range of his violin, but the variety and beauty of the music makes up for sometimes forgettable lyrics. The words seem to be included to reassure listeners who are uncomfortable with the idea of an ‘instrumental’ album. Though Pallett hasn’t crafted something terribly catchy here, Heartland doesn’t need to be – it’s just beautiful.

Track Listing:

1. Midnight Directives
2. Keep the Dog Quiet
3. Mount Alpentine
4. Red Sun No. 5
5. Lewis Takes Action
6. The Great Elsewhere
7. Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
8. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
9. Flare Gun
10. E is for Estranged
11. Tryst with Mephistopheles
12. What Do You Think Will Happen Now?

Written by Zoe Martin

Slovakian pop-group Moustache is offering their first EP for free download.

While the group sporadically uses English lyrics and they don’t always make sense, that little blemish is excusable for the haunting Bat for Lashes-esque instrumentation with trickling descending guitar riffs and heavy drum beats.

Plus did we mention it’s free? It’s definitely worth checking out this EP, especially when there is no price tag attached.

Listen to a song off the five-song EP:

.“Magnet”

Then go here to download it.

Calling My Dinosaur Life, Motion City Soundtrack‘s fourth studio album, one of the most anticipated albums of 2010 is a bit of a stretch considering that listeners will have to wait a meager 19 days into the new year for the album to drop.  However, that shouldn’t discredit Motion City Soundtrack’s chances at securing the reputation or ability to compose an album of the year recording.

But anyone who knows Motion City Soundtrack should already realize they have the potential of releasing album of the year quality recordings.  Their previous three albums have all caused a stir among listeners.  Yet, unlike most bands plagued by the hype of their next release, Motion City Soundtrack has released three substantial full lengths in their three attempts.  Tried and tested, they leaves fans little reason to think their fourth will flop. I assure you, it has not.
While My Dinosaur Life is truly Motion City Soundtrack’s darkest and most angry album to date, it also remains alive and full of the raw and blatant honesty that grabs listeners from spin one.  The album’s pop-punk structures have a tendency to lean slightly more towards the mohawk side of the spectrum. Collecting the spirits of their I Am the Movie past, their do it yourself styling allow them to hang with any punk band on the scene. While it’s true they’ve shared genres with overly polished bands, their influences to me tend a touch more Agent Orange. The album’s opening track, “Worker Bee” is a prime example of this.  Rocking tongue and cheek wit, the band tends to feature a class clown kind of sarcasm.  Justin Pierre slyly suggests of his life, “I’ve been a good little worker bee. I deserve a gold star,” charming listeners in a way that only a true smart ass can.

However, it’s important to remember that Justin Pierre is truly a smart ass with a heart of gold.  As noticed in his lyrics, his sarcasm and biting bitterness often stems from a strong case of depression and situation life problems. Addiction and damaged relationships tend to be an ongoing theme throughout this and all Motion City Soundtrack albums. This is never more obvious than within, “Her Words Destroyed My Planet.” Pierre states, “I just want you to be happy/or something/but I guess anything is better than the time you spent/sitting and waiting for me to get it sorted out.” It would seem, in my opinion, Motion City Soundtrack seems to be at its best when Pierre’s life is at its worst.  That level of reality simply cannot be faked or processed by any studio technician. From his frantic screams for medication in “Disappear” or life questions in “Skin and Bones,” deeper issues simply drive this band. It is this fact that separates Motion City Soundtrack from those pop-punk bands who “dance, dance” or want you to “close the goddamn door.”

But don’t be fooled into assuming Pierre’s papercut heartache is a dagger in the spirit of the album.  The heavy handed storylines are stewed with a healthy mix of pop culture references to lighten the mood.  The mention of Veronica Mars, silly rabbits and “go go gadget arms” lend listeners a bit of relateable nostalgia, placed casually over busy drum beats and flowing keys. Hell, the moog part in “Hysteria” alone is worth the cost of the cd.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. The week prior to My Dinosaur Life’s January 19th release on Columbia Records the album will be streaming in its entirety on the band’s myspace.  If one listen isn’t enough to make you snatch up this well manufactured album, you might think about reconsidering your taste in music, because this album is a keeper.

Track Listing:

1. Worker Bee
2. A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)
3. Her Words Destroyed My Planet
4. Disappear
5. Delirium
6. History Lesson
7. Stand Too Close
8. Pulp Fiction
9. @!#?@!
10. Hysteria
11. Skin and Bones
12. The Weakends

Shortly after the rise in popularity of “Juno,” people in mainstream markets of the record industry stopped to take a look at music in a way they hadn’t bothered to notice prior. Suddenly, artists like Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches and Daniel Johnston, who sport a less than in tune approach to fronting a band, were not only viewed as acceptable, they were embraced as trendy. Overnight, it became the “it” thing in music to care more about the message in music than the pitch in which you present it.

That movement in music couldn’t have come at a better time for Slow Club. Their tongue in cheek sentence structure supplies them with an almost unthinkable “aw factor” that can give any songwriter known for writing cute songs (Stars, Rilo Kiley, ect.) a run for their money. Hitting listeners with lines like “If you came back as the deep sea, I’d come back as the salt,” in “It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful” and “There are so many lessons that I never cared to learn” in “When I Go,” Slow Club’s charming wit is as addicting as the butterflies one gets in their stomach when their high school love walks into the room. They may not be true love or your future spouse, but goddamn if they don’t make your knees weak in a way that’s impossible to shake.

Yeah, So, the latest release from Slow Club, is a prime example indie labels in their prime. I have no doubt it could be released side by side with alumni of Saddle Creek or Sub Pop Records. Moshi Moshi, Slow Club’s current home has certainly snagged a sleeper in the group. Their release of this two disc set should turn heads once the word gets out of it’s unquestionable brilliance.

Listeners should be sure to snag the bonus disk, which includes “Christmas TV,” a track so strong it might be better than anything on the conventional release. Hell, to be completely honest, this song might be better than anything I’ve heard in the recent scene. Rocking a happy-go-lucky coffee shop feel and a sing-a-long structure, “Christmas TV” feels like a tune you’ve heard your whole life from spin one. With an addicting heart-warming feel to it, spin one certainly won’t be the last.

Track Listing:

1. When I Go
2. Giving Up On Love
3. I Was Unconscious, It Was A Dream
4. It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful
5. Because Were Dead
6. There Is No Good Way To Say I Am Leaving You
7. The Trophy Room
8. Dance ‘ Til The Morning Light
9. Come On Youth
10. Sorry About The Doom
11. Apples And Pairs
12. Our Most Brilliant Friends
13. Boys On Their Birthday

Peter Silberman, Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci - aka the Antlers – have announced a string of dates for this winter. The Brooklyn-based band will be touring support for English rockers Editors during their February trek across North America. They will also play a one-off date with Ra Ra Riot.

To get a feel for the Antlers’s vibe of coolness, watch the band’s performance of “Thirteen” and “Bear” for WEGL, Auburn University’s student radio station, taped in November 2009.

Tour Dates:
Jan 29 – Legends of Notre Dame / Notre Dame, IN
Jan 30 – Musica / Akron
Feb 05 – Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera / Brooklyn*
Feb 08 – Warfield / San Francisco#
Feb 09 – House of Blues / San Diego#
Feb 11 – Wiltern Theatre / Los Angeles#
Feb 13 – Ogden Theatre / Denver#
Feb 15 – Vic Theatre / Chicago#
Feb 16 – Phoenix / Toronto#
Feb 17 – Il Motore / Montreal
Feb 18 – House of Blues / Boston#
Feb 19 – Terminal 5 / New York City#
Feb 20 – Trocadero / Philadelphia#
Feb 21 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC#
* with Ra Ra Riot
# with Editors

Photo: Ben Ritter

2010 is going to be a GREAT year for music. Starting off the year is Ok Go’s album Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky on January 12. Many avid OK Go fans have been waiting for the next installment of the quirky quartets creative genius and since the release of their first single in November, entitled “WTF?”, the band has old and new fans alike, more than excited.

With their third studio album, they certainly pulled no punches when it came to all of the elements of this album. As a whole, it is cohesive, well planned and incredibly executed. The lyrics are soulful and anthematic and incredibly honest. From dance undertones to a slight funk sound, they remind me slightly of Hot Hot Heat mixed with some Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as well as with a tiny bit of We Are Scientists and This Providence thrown in for good measure.

Their single “WTF” is spectacular. We can all go ahead and agree on that. But with an album such as this, there are many more songs that are just as good, or even (possibly) better. Favorites of mine include “Needing/Getting,” “I Want You So Bad, I Can’t Breathe” and “Last Leaf.” “Needing/Getting” is definitely going to be one of my new favorite dance jams, and “I Want You So Bad, I Can’t Breathe” has some great beats a la The Killers and Franz Ferdinand that are addictive to say the least. “Last Leaf” really resonates with a balladic tone to it that makes the lyrics stand out even more. “l’ll still be here, waiting on your rain to warm your heart for me” makes this sappy love song really saccharine sweet, but in one of those sing-your-heart-out-post-breakup kind of ways.

Although the album does seem a tad bit mellower this time around, I don’t think that it will disappoint anyone at all. It has tracks for old and new fans, and has a few candidates for oddball cinematic/silly videos (we all remember the treadmill video for “Here It Goes Again” and this has already started with the release of the video for “WTF?” last November. I’m excited to see what their next video will be, and where they go with it creatively.

Overall, I am incredibly glad that they released another album such as this. It’s a great album, and I know that I, amongst other OK Go fans, cannot wait for the announcement of their next North American tour. Great job guys, and thanks for starting off the new decade the right way- with great new music!

Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky is available Tuesday, January 12.

Track Listing:
1. WTF?
2. This Too Shall Pass
3. All Is Not Lost
4. Needing/Getting
5. Skyscrapers
6. White Knuckles
7. I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe
8. End Love
9. Before The Earth Was Round
10. Last Leaf
11. Back From Kathmandu
12. While You Were Asleep
13. In The Glass

Written by Annastasia Gallaher