Loading...
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Today, American Idol finalist Jon Peter Lewis is releasing his hotly anticipated second album Break The Silence. Lewis was recently featured in Billboard Magazine for releasing his album independently, and it's proven to be a great decision. The album's first single "Break The Silence" has already received significant radio airplay across the country thanks to Lewis's powerful voice and crystal-clear production. While many former American Idol contestants quickly fade into obscurity, this album is sure to establish Lewis as more than just a TV phenomenon.
People Under The Stairs (or just "The P") are a classic Los Angeles hip hop group, a fixture in the underground scene alongside The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest. The Om Years is a new two-disc collection from Om Records that includes a selection of greatest hits and eleven B-sides spanning their entire catalog. From the dusty samples in the intro track to the guitar line that opens "San Francisco Knights," The P will give you a carefree West Coast vibe no matter where you live.
For a band whose name precludes a lot of mainstream exposure, Toronto's Fucked Up have a strong presence in the punk scene. The New York Times, in an amusing review that made every effort to sidestep the band's name, called Year of the Pig's 18-minute title track "great and confounding" and praised their live show as proof that underground punk isn't dead. And MTV Canada actually banned moshing after one of their shows ended up costing over $2000 in damages. Like Rage Against The Machine before them, Fucked Up practice what they preach, and their music screams authentic.
Arne Van Petegem (aka Styrofoam) has been combining indie rock with experimental electronics for years. Since his 2000 debut The Point Misser, Van Petegem has released five albums and has done remixes for Jimmy Eat World, the Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie. On his newest effort, A Thousand Words, Van Petegem takes his bedroom production to a new place, enlisting guest vocalists Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World), Blake Hazard (The Submarines), and Josh Rouse. Today, Amie Street is releasing 5 albums spanning the entire career of this talented artist.
Bloc Party exploded in the US after releasing this 2004 EP, a collection of their first two singles and a manifesto of their danceable post-punk sound. After two albums, "Banquet" is still one of the band's best tracks, and the dance remix included on this EP foreshadows their massive popularity in clubs worldwide. "She's Hearing Voices" is another winner, with a shout-along refrain and a pounding drum line that recreate the energy of their performances. With a start like this, it's no surprise that four years later they're one of the biggest bands in the world.
Seattle Sound Magazine calls Beehive's Pretty Little Thieves "equal parts late-U2 and The Killers...infectious, modern and fresh." The band was recently nominated for "Best Seattle Electronica Act" by Seattle Weekly and has had their songs placed in popular TV shows on MTV (The Real World, Road Rules), VH1 (Old Skool), E! (Keeping Up With The Kardashians), and Lifetime (Bad Girls Club). With their melodic, powerful electro-pop, Beehive is poised to expand their fan base far beyond their hometown.
