Bad myspace promo pieces for bands/singers

Portugal. The Man are from Alaska, and it shows. Though the band tours with harder rock acts, Portugal. The Man crafts unique, artsy songs with a dreamy feel.

Is that like those epic Pavement songs that feature long guitar workouts? (Fillmore Jive, Fin)

"He's playing the role of guitar hero....ironically!"

What was the actual wording *of* the Arctic Monkeys thingamadoozer?

They apparently do describe themselves as "Trip-Hop" on their page, though.

Tons of bands these days are throwing punk, emo and hardcore into their mix, but The Wedding do it well, with attitude and energy.

Kennedy says he sounds like "Public Nuisance meets Justin Timberlake, TRex, Klaus Nomi, 50 Cent, The Clash, Jay-Z, Fats Domino, Gilly Leads, Yves Lelevier, Rex Aquarium." Yeah, really. Somehow it works.

you are right about the myspace editorial being a lame. but as they increasinlgy come under pressure from fox to make ad $$$ they will enevitably turn into somthing more like ymusic with pages that are safer vehicles for advertisers

maybe they can grab some of the napster editorial folks when that goes under?

Shiny Toy Guns embrace their influences -- in them, you'll hear bits of New Order, Depeche Mode and Blondie. But with their glossy electropop, they're capturing younger audiences at indie rock dance clubs.

Key useless word: 'but'

I rather fear.

Shame on the American media, and shame on the American public. You have shunned the gift of knowledge afforded to us by thousands of years of human progress, and have chosen rather the bliss of ignorance. The price could prove to be the freedom of the greatest democracy of all time.

did tom myspace write the juggalo gay-killer's "about me" blurb? i notice he's jake's only friend left.

American Eyes
Rock / Punk / Indie
Los Angeles, CA

American Eyes' wild antics have gotten them thrown out of their own shows, so they're perfect for the Taste of Chaos tour. Listen to songs off their new EP "Never Trust Anything That Bleeds" now, and check 'em out on the road!

It's been thirteen years since we first heard MxPx. With their new album "Panic," they seized the opportunity to simultaneously sum up what they were all about and forge into the future with a second wind and a newfound maturity.

More a private one because having recently revisited Bremerton, my birthplace, I was reminded about how good it was that I did not in fact grow up there.

Unafraid and optimistic, The Daylights demand attention, whether they mean to or not, with their striking melodies and inspired songs. In just a year, they're winning fans everywhere with "The Shift and Blur EP."

Unafraid of *what,* exactly.

Ella Rouge's debut album gives us classic rock 'n roll elements of irresistible honky-tonk keyboards plus smoking guitar riffs crossed with intensity and many textures.

The more I read that, the more zen it becomes.

If you enjoy Devo and the Donnas, then you may like Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer.

Many top pop groups achieve their fame and stardom and then go out, quite deliberately, to encourage adults and parents to like them. This doesn't appeal to the forthright Stones. They will not make conscious effort to be liked by anybody at all--not even their present fans if it also meant changing their own way of life. The Stones have been Rebels With A Cause...the cause of rhytm'n'blues music.

Destroyer
Indie
Vancouver, Canada

Destroyer, aka Dan Bejar of the New Pornographers, gives us "Destroyer's Rubies," a collection of shrewd pop music that takes no prisoners and asks no pardons. New record out now!

"I'm not taking any prisoners, and and I'm not.. going to ask for any pardons either. I'll just stay in my cell"

Two Gallants bring us an infusion of bloody-knuckled punk energy to storytelling epics and tear-in-your-beer honky-tonk. They've crafted a surprisingly original sound out of their timeworn influences.

Bright Wipes?

http://myspace-361.vo.llnwd.net/00259/16/33/259123361_m.gif

There's no doubt that there are many hardcore bands on the scene today, but "a beautiful tragedy" is one you DON'T want to miss out on. With an epic sound that's blended together into melodic hooks and hardcore breakdowns, it's no wonder that this band is getting very far, very quickly. From the crunching guitar to the heart-felt screaming, it will take you to a whole other world of "music."

Metric cite Sonic Youth and Pink Floyd as important influences, but they swirl some delicious new wave flavor into their indie rock. Their latest record "Live It Out" heralds the arrival of a new, more fearless Metric.

Never fear, Metric is here.

With melodies that would do Elliott Smith or Nirvana proud, Nine Black Alps prove that in a world of emo, screamo, post-this, and pop-that, there's still a place for a band that just plain rocks.

Yeah, THANKS.

KT Tunstall is a sparkling new songwriter with Chinese blood, a Scottish heart, great legwarmers and a cool name. Her new album "Eye to the Telescope" offers gripping lyrical bite and heartfelt melody.

...

Take Jimmy Eat World and stir in a little James Taylor, add a little Get Up Kids and top with a pinch of Phil Collins and out comes Brighten. They are rock and roll boys that you can take home to mom.

On the heels of James Blunt, singer-songwriter Daniel Powter is looking to take his UK success international. In stores on April 11, his self-titled debut features the stellar single "Bad Day," streaming on MySpace now!
» Listen Now

Ok, first off, "Powter"...

Second, HFS WTF OKANOGAN VALLEY BC DAVE Q DISH OUT THE DIRT!

Anti-Flag have something to say about the world today, and they are not taking a back seat to anyone.

SHOTGUN BITCHEZ!

On the heels of a new Flaming Lips album and the popularity of Devendra Banhart comes Syd Barrett. This "Crazy Diamond" shines on in 2006 with his own uncompromising vision of folk and psychedelia that sounds like James Blunt...on acid! Watch out, Myspace, this piper has finally opened up the gates to let in all the new fans he is making through his music.

FFTL's new CD Heroine, out March 21,
has songs that are mind-numbing, spine-cracking, and are jaggedly beautiful pieces that venture into the foray of unexplored musical territory.

I have my doubts.

With their new songs, Irving demonstrate that while the innate pop sensibilities continue to dominate, their songwriting has matured--the sounds and structures more intricate, the subject matter more thoroughly realized.

Great.

Nemo
Rock / Electro / Punk
London, UK

Taking influence from Devo and The Talking Heads, North London's Nemo fuse electronics, punk dynamics and pop melodies. Check out some of their neo-synth tunes, perfect for indie rock nights at the disco!

http://lads.myspace.com/House/nemo_x88.jpg

With a diverse selection of influences that include The Beach Boys and Jimmy Eat World, Sherwood's album "Sing, But Keep Going" offers sharp lyrics, indie charm and a nod to the great songwriters of decades past.

http://lads.myspace.com/House/sherwood_x88.jpg

"Jim Antworth packed his bags and moved to Athens, GA, where he met guitarist Bernard Shank, who was studying nursing at the time. The two began to write songs and practice regularly, and played their first shows under the name Mangaphone. Bassist Ben Harding, a bartender at the Broken Ashtray, liked their sound and asked if he could jam with them. The three of them then formed Chancre, an art-metal outfit, albeit a short-lived one as Shank would be forced to drop out of nursing school and move back to Raleigh..."

Misantro went through many different lineups, genres, sounds, names and gigs before coming to the enlightened state in which it is now. We have recently developed a more progressive and original sound that suits the true meaning of misantro. We introduced more keyboard into our songs and started to play music that incorporated a wider variety of styles. Now, we are Misantro. We are the creative input of five young people living among a generation in decadence and a time period tense with confusion, deceit, and the unexpected. Thats why we rock out.

Between the years of 1995-1998 And Gabriel Fell performed numerous shows around the NJ/NY area. They opened up for such acts as God Lives Underwater, The Urge, 2 Skinnee Js, The Bogmen, Keith Caputo's Absolute Bloom, Murder 1, Madball, Gomez's Childhood, and The Kidney Thieves, as well as headlining many of their own shows. And Gabriel Fell was more than just a band. They were 4 best friends who had grown up together in northern New Jersey dreaming of one day hitting the big time. What came out of the experience was greater than they ever could have imagined. And Gabriel Fell was more than just a band, more than just a dream, more than just a memory. And Gabriel Fell is a testimony of 4 lives, and how they transformed and matured over the years. Enjoy and God bless.

Born and raised in Oahu, Jewlá (Jewl) grew up in the musical theater world. At 19, she played the role of Nala in the Los Angeles production of The Lion King. While she works on her debut album, listen to some of her smooth R&B now!

Mmmmm.... no.

Tellison
Indie / Rock / Alternative
London, UK

Tellison describe their indie rock as: "Drums, Bass, Cowbells, Two Broken Guitars, Four Broken Voices, One Wounded Laptop, some Extra-Curricular instruments and pure, wild-eyed, old-fashioned fight." Yep, that's about right.

http://lads.myspace.com/House/tellison_x88.jpg

Bec Hollcraft
Rock / Pop / Acoustic

Bec Hollcraft appears to be a typical American teenage girl, living in a typical American city, dealing with the same hopes, dreams and aspirations of any 16 year old. What is not typical is that Bec has the ability to express, through infectious rock melodies and insightful lyrics, the everyday struggles of her generation.

Follows the typical "what is not typical" format, of course.

KATATONIA
Metal / Gothic / Rock

Katatonia formed in 1991 in Stockholm, Sweden and was brought together by long time friends, Anders Nyström (aka Blakkheim) and Jonas Renkse (aka Lord Seth). After more than a year of rehearsals and composing, the first real fruits of their labour came to light in mid 1992 with the release of the demo ‘Jhva Elohim Meth’, recorded at Sweden’s Gorysound Studio and produced by the multi-musician Dan Swanö. The demo sold out immediately, bringing Katatonia to the attention of Dutch label Vic Records, who went on to re-release the demo as a mini CD, titled ‘Jhva Elohim Meth – the Revival’. With the CD selling out fast and their reputation spreading like a wildfire through the underground, the duo knew they would need a fuller line-up to move the band up and forward. So, bassist Guillaume Le Huche (aka Israphel Wing) was enlisted to their ranks, enabling them to perform live in concert for the first time in their career.

Things progressed at pace and at the end of 1992 the trio entered into a one-album deal with the now defunct Swedish label No Fashion records. April 1993 saw Katatonia re-enter Gorysound (now renamed Unisound) to record their first full-length album ‘Dance of December Souls’, produced by Katatonia and Dan Swanö. It then seemed like the album would never see the light of day, but was eventually released in a desirable match to the album title in December 1993. The album was an immediate hit with both the critics and the metal scene. Gone were the black metallic meanderings of their earlier attempts, to be replaced with distinguished melancholy & epic melodious emotion. An essential and now classic chapter in the doom metal genre.

The reaction to the new sound was just what Katatonia needed to hear, encouraged and driven by the ever growing quest for progression, they pushed the boundaries even further and set about re-entering Unisound in early 1994 to record the classic 10 minute goth epic ‘Scarlet Heavens’. The track eventually found a home, with Misanthropy records releasing it as a limited split 10” (with Primordial in 1996).

Spring 1994 and Wrong Again records approached the band to appear on a compilation album they were putting together and in the same year Italian label Avantgarde Music approached them with a new record deal. Determined to still make a successful future in the metal scene, the band returned to the sound crafted on ‘Dance of December Souls’ but compressed the epic proportions into a more live adjusted style. Back at the familiar Unisound studio, Katatonia emerged with the tracks ‘Black Erotica’ and ‘Love of the Swan’ for the compilation and the ‘For Funerals to Come’ ep to be released by Avantgarde Music in early 1995.

Katatonia then surprised everyone by taking a sabbatical the whole following year. Nyström & Renkse’s problem to find a complete & stable line-up to help them realise their master plan eventually made the two members destined to go separate ways. The time that followed, Renkse spent his time in a new founded side project called October Tide while Nyström divided his occupation in newly formed constellations Diabolical Masquerade and Bewitched.

Eventually frustrated by abandoning the uncharted promising future of Katatonia and little action within the walls of gloom, the friends got back together with a different approach and reunited Katatonia in early 1996. Now finally, having found a new permanent third member in ex-October Tide guitarist Fred Norrman, the trio went back into the ever open doors of Unisound, but this time armed only with ideas and an intricate vision, no actual songs had been written at this stage. After a two week’s recording session, Katatonia emerged with the album ‘Brave Murder Day’, proof positive that this new daring way of working had paid off. Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt was asked to step in and perform vocal duties after Renkse declared his voice had taken its toll. Katatonia & Dan Swanö’s production values perfectly captured the highly original and newly emerging Katatonia sound; emotional and cutting edge, simple and direct while still retaining the dark void so integral to the whole Katatonia vibe. The band had re-invented their sound and this album proved to be a groundbreaking influence for many bands to emerge thereafter.

After successfully touring Europe for the first time in the autumn of 1996, Katatonia felt excited to re-enter the studio early 1997 to quickly unleash new material. Facing the fact that their second home Unisound had closed its doors for good, they chose the only logical alternative in Sunlight Studio located in their home city of Stockholm. Figuring this would push their originality and experimentation to new places the result was justified in the mini-album ‘Sounds of Decay’, again for Avantgarde Music. Produced by the band & mixed by Tomas Skogsberg the CD followed a similar path to ‘Brave Murder Day’ and again saw Mikael Åkerfeldt perform vocal duties.

Fuelled and at the top of their peak of creativity, it wasn’t long before Nyström, Renkse & Norrman and new member and bassist Mikael Oretoft returned to Sunlight later again in mid 1997, to begin work on their third full-length album ‘Discouraged Ones’, a rebirth of sorts, which saw Renkse again take his old classic role as Katatonia’s combined vocalist and drummer. This time Åkerfeldt’s input moved from a primal screamer to the more eloquent vocal producer position, and it is on this release we get the first real taste of Renkse’s clean and distinct vocal style. A brave and radical move away from the old was a big risk for the band, but the sheer quality of the music on offer blew all away. The gothic flourishes of yore having been replaced by more contemporary leanings, dealing with feelings of loss and desolation, of despair and hope. This is where the band had fully taken off on their dark stylistic turn.

Peaceville Records had been following the bands career from almost the very beginning, but it was ‘Discouraged Ones’ with its modernity and dynamics that made the label really fall in love with their sound. Realising that Katatonia was perfect for their roster of highly original acts, the label offered the band a long-term deal, spanning five albums. Delighted to find themselves working with a label that had previously produced some of their favourite music, Katatonia now back again as a trio, set about working on their fourth studio album in 1999, Tonight’s Decision. This album saw Katatonia back in Sunlight, produced again by the band with Åkerfeldt still co-producing the vocals; they were skilfully assisted by Tomas Skogsberg on the mix. The old long-time producer/mixer Dan Swanö came on board as this session’s guest drummer – enabling Renkse to focus all his attention on his ever-improving sharp vocals. With strong international distribution now firmly in place via Peaceville, Katatonia saw their popularity soar to unimagined new heights and at the end of the year Katatonia toured Scandinavia opening up for the legends Paradise Lost with a brand new line-up in Fredrik Norrman’s brother Mattias Norrman on bass and Daniel Liljekvist on drums.

Being busy in the millennium year of 2000 recording the fifth album and also visiting Poland and USA together with Opeth on a number of gigs, Katatonia released ‘Last Fair Deal Gone Down’ in the early summer of 2001. The album release was preceded by a 3 track CD single, the title track being ‘Teargas’ culled from ‘Last Fair Deal Gone Down’ and spiced up by two tracks specially written for the single – ‘Sulfur’ & ‘March 4’. Perhaps more than ever, we saw Katatonia really expanding in their self-belief. With their hallmark tears of sorrow spilling over the songs, there was also a confidence and warmth about the band that added a new dynamic to the sound. Maybe this was due to the fact that Katatonia produced the album themselves over a vast period of time; maybe it was the persuasive use of light and dark, used to illustrate perfectly the emotional gravitas of the songs, either way this was the album that made the whole world sit up and listen. Renkse really had come into his own as one of the most honest and distinctive vocalists around from this scene. There was vulnerability in his vocal style that made you believe every word, giving ever so much without sounding fake. All this underpinned by the genius guitar work of Nyström, who seemed to have opened up the door from that slightly narrow gothic doom sound to rays of modern darkness and an altogether more contemporary approach.

After the success of the ‘3 days-3 countries’ sprint that was the Peacefest in March 2001, Katatonia came back to the UK in May and embarked on a headline mini tour. Fuelled by the crowds reaction, they were quick to set their sails on a full tour opening up for Opeth later same year taking place in Central Europe and the UK again. To coincide with the tour Katatonia released their second single of 2001 – ‘Tonight’s Music’. The title track again was taken from their last album, ‘Last Fair Deal Gone Down’, released in March. The EP also contained the exclusive tracks ‘Help Me Disappear’, and ‘O How I Enjoy the Light’.

2002 was in total a pretty silent year for the band and the months were mostly spent with by having time off mixed with writing for the next album.

April 2003 saw the release of Katatonia’s sixth studio album for empty souls and hearts. Titled ‘Viva Emptiness’, the album was recorded in the dark Swedish winter at 301 Studios in Stockholm and Fascination Street in Örebro, at the end of 2002. Produced by Nyström/Renkse and mixed by Jens Bogren. Using the metal genre as an early template Katatonia had never been a band to stand still or stagnate in any way. With this album, the band now proved to be purveyors of an understated kind of grandeur that had long outgrown all or any generic restrictions, still ostensibly digging deeper into the identity of a metal band. Without a halo of limiting genre above their heads, the music alone said more about the enigmatic Swedes than a 1000 word effort ever could. The release was supported by a full European headline tour over the months April and May, 2003.

In 2004 Katatonia toured Scandinavia two times and did a mini European tour and a bunch of festival shows all around the world. In between the live activity, the band yet again took well-deserved time off and started planning the next moves and how to create their next masterpiece.

The New Year 2005 brought the release of two compilation albums. The first being Avantgarde Music’s ‘Brave Yester Days’, a complete look back into the early days of 1992 – 1997. Included over 2 discs were the singles, demo, compilation tracks and a selection of the finest moment on the two first full-lengths. Peaceville’s ‘The Black Sessions’ was the second compilation featuring 2 discs of classic material from 1998 - 2004, plus a DVD concert from 2003's Viva Emptiness tour filmed in Poland. Included were all the singles and b-sides to date, together with the very best tracks from 1998's Discouraged Ones up to 2004's Viva Emptiness (including ‘Wait Outside’, an unreleased track from the Viva Emptiness sessions). To warm up and get a doze of live action before making a start on recording the new album, the band hit the road in March added to the Metalmania bill, playing a few dates in Eastern Europe. Renkse and Nyström then returned home to the making of their seventh album and spent the whole spring completing the process. At the end of the year the band made it to Russia for the first time in their career, playing the two biggest cities to a crowd that had been waiting over a decade for the dark quintet to arrive.

Bringing us right up to date and into the year of 2006, Katatonia have just delivered their brand new single, ‘My Twin’ plus a video for the same track directed by Charlie Granberg. The single is taken from their decisive seventh full-length album, aptly titled ‘The Great Cold Distance’ which was recorded during three months in the summer of 2005 at Fascination Street Studios, Örebro, Sweden. Produced by Nyström/Renkse and co-produced, mixed & engineered by Jens Bogren & David Castillo. The album is definitely their most dynamic work in their history and has such threatening coldness to it; it’s bound to create a distance from anything and everything. Renkse explains: “A distance necessary to journey through the corridors of human vexation. While embracing this album one must know that it will only help to increase the coldness between us. It's a devious life. And this is a soundtrack to it."

Blue October
Rock / Pop / Alternative
Houston, TX

With their music, Blue October has explored mental depression, drug use, love, betrayal, forgiveness. The band's first single "Hate Me" from the new album "Foiled" describes a relationship gone awry in a rousing rock anthem.

http://lads.myspace.com/House/blueoctober_x88.jpg

Pretty Girls Make Graves
Indie
Seattle, WA

Pretty Girls Make Graves' new album "Elan Vital," out April 11, is by far their most ambitious, multifarious and scorching to date, with some of their finest, most complex songs -- still melodic, but thoughtful and contentious.

Josh Ritter crafts songs that are a rare gift of natural, intuitive beauty. After earning critical praise for his last album and a gold record in Ireland, Ritter recently released his latest album "The Animal Years."

And how happy he is:

http://lads.myspace.com/House/joshritter_x88.jpg

www.myspace.com/nursewithwound

Eagerly awaiting the release of "Bitchin', Bitin' and Pimpin'"!

"machinediva
Metal / Electronica / Progressive

somewhere in europe
the world of metal and electronica
finally collided
a music driven by paradox
is finally born
welcome to the court
of the past and the future
bow to the diva
of classic and baroque."

Hell yes.

Are you sure you know the meaning of ironic, Ned? Irony is.. Well, for example, if 'Ironic, yet heroic' *were* equal to 'minimalist but expansive' (which it isn't), then this in itself would be an ironic statement (but isn't).

But seriously, since you bring Alanis up, and are so fond of x and y representing the same thing, I would suggest that your misunderstanding = her misunderstanding of irony.

You're giving me a cookie when I own a cookie empire. [Ironic]

I feel too sick to eat a cookie [Alanis's understanding of ironic]

I wanted a leotard, but have been offered a cookie. [Apparently your understanding or ironic]

None of this is particularly philosophical, no more than flowers are to a baby who is smelling them for the first time.

He recently released his earliest album through the magic of a time machine.

("Ironic" in music has certain sonic connotations that do conflict with "heroic," unless the grand result of "Ironic yet heroic" is "incredibly pretentious yet still shitty." See also: Indie rock.)

I can see that they conflict, of course - that's surely what makes the "yet" part of the sentence operative. Lots of things conflict without irony being an issue.

If I wanted to be tedious, I would go into how giving a cookie to the owner of a cookie empire does not in itself seem particularly ironic, but my grasp of irony as a concept does not go much further than "I shall know it when I see it," so I'll just move to drop the subject and get back to the topic at hand, e.g. laughing at/contributing bad mySpace promo pieces.

The Afters' debut album "I Wish We All Could Win" balances muscular power chords with soaring melodies and simple acoustic moments with majestic orchestration to create an epic soundscape. Catch them on tour through August!

Epic, man. Epic.

Someone was either a bad troll or a humorless one.

The Like
Rock / Pop / Indie
Los Angeles, CA

The Like transcend all the easy labels that one may be inclined to attach to them: all girl band, teenage band, LA band, etc. They simply write infectious, melodic songs, and possess an irresistible collective personality.

And you can tell, can't you:

http://lads.myspace.com/House/like_x88.jpg

Usher, with a Kelis flare vocally. Instrumentally, A watered down Alicia Keys (piano wise) with a touch of Andre 3000.

This guy's song 'PWNED' is....something else.

Bringing the misnomered Alanis into this again?! nabisco, I fear you've caught your "irony" penis in your fly zipper. And you will see from my earlier posts how I agree with you about "irony" and
"heroism" conflicting, hence the word "yet.

Making butterfingered distinctions between "rhetorical" and "dramtic" irony is a sign that you can't keep hold of what irony is.

And, fact is there are scenarios in Alanis's song that can be seen as ironic, some more so than others, and others that can't - drama or no drama.

Piano-rock quintet Dropping Daylight are getting ready to release their new album "Brace Yourself" with a U.S. tour before sweating their way through the Warped Tour this summer. Take a listen and join them at a show near you!

http://lads.myspace.com/House/droppingdaylight_x88.jpg

Sweat your way, dudes.

With her demos lighting critics in the UK abuzz, Lily Allen's been compared to Lady Sovereign by NME, but her breezy vocals, sunny beats and colorful personality are all her own.

What say you, UK critics -- are you lit abuzz? Myspace is really on the cutting edge of malapropism coinage. I googled "lighting * abuzz", "lit abuzz," etc. and found only a handful of other examples of this usage. Let's see if they can come up with something really original next time. May I suggest something along the lines of "musky power chords"?

Only 23 years old, Joy Williams has been on quite a journey since high school, recording two albums, touring worldwide with her spiritual, hooky pop rock, and somehow finding time to even get married.

SUCH the multitasker. And she's progressive too.

With their sophomore release "Black Magic Show" just in stores, Elefant offer us a riveting set of dynamic pop-rock, with a luscious, larger-than-life landscape in the songs thanks to their gorgeous production and arrangements.

http://lads.myspace.com/House/elefant_x88.jpg

They might have started out as a spoof act, created for a laugh by two British movie directors, but the popularity of MMER -- a cross between the Power Rangers and an emo group -- is no joke.
-------

why is there always an awkwardly placed "but" in these?

Band of Horses
Indie / Rock
Seattle, WA

Band of Horses' woodsy, dreamy songs ooze with amorphous tension, longing and hope. At times raggedly epic and delicately pensive, their album "Everything All the Time" is an album painted gorgeously in fragile highs and lows.

PEOPLE!!!

Neil Young's new protest album "Living With War," described by him as a record "about exchanging ideas," stirs controversy with songs as "Let's Impeach the President." Preview the full album now before it's on sale digitally on May 2nd.

The Like transcend all the easy labels that one may be inclined to attach to them: all girl band, teenage band, LA band, etc. They simply write infectious, melodic songs, and possess an irresistible collective personality.

-- Ned Raggett

The Like! I've seen a video of this band. The name says it all doesn't it? They might as well call themselves The Mildly or Kinda Sorta or even Clap Your Hands Say Maybe. All those names convey a little of the horror, but actually there's no topping The Like for limp-lettuce factor. I haven't checked to see if my band is on this thread yet, what a terrifying thought.

With their new album "Hello, Control," Brandtson's electronic programming and fresh attitude take them far beyond the typical indie rock band's usual antics. As they say, "Put on your dancing shoes, because we're about to bring it."

http://lads.myspace.com/House/brandtson_x88.jpg

Jesus H., what feebs.

Snow Patrol
Alternative
Ireland

Snow Patrol's new CD "Eyes Open," out May 9, is the work of a band who have scaled the heights, but somehow stuck to their core values: beautiful powerful songs underscored by some of the most poignant and telling lyrics in rock.

With their new album "Aaaagh" entering the Irish charts at No.2 Republic of Loose's infectious blend of funky beats, hip-hop and dirty soul is both floor filling and spine chilling. Radio hits include the download "Comeback Girl".

In Rock Kills Kid's debut album "Are You Nervous," due in stores on May 16, the band's emotional tension recalls some of the most angst-filled recordings of the late 70s and 80s by U2, The Cure, Joy Division and The Smiths.

UM, i'm not for sure if it's the same the smiths or u2 that i remember hearing before. but i didn't notice any "angst"-filling going on in those recordings.

http://lads.myspace.com/House/rockkillskid_x88.jpg

For a ska-inspired punk band, Less Than Jake have surprising longevity. Check out their new album "In With the Out Crowd," full of catchy tunes that you won't be able to get outta your head.

http://lads.myspace.com/House/lessthanjake_x88.jpg

Nice attempt at escaping your pasts, dudes.

Throw up your devil horns, Priestess is here. Out this week, their debut album "Hello Master" is a mighty contributor to the world of rock 'n' roll, with guitar riffage powerful enough to brand itself into brain tissue.

http://creative.myspace.com/cms/MySpaceMusic/US/priestess_x88.jpg

What incredible fools.

Regina Spektor's piano-based pop is tinged with punk spirit and disarming moxie. Her new album "Begin to Hope" is heartbreakingly beautiful, with honesty and frankness that's startling and comforting at the same time.

http://creative.myspace.com/cms/MySpaceMusic/US/reginaspektor_x88.jpg

I feel so moved.

Keane makes a beautiful return with the release of "Under the Iron Sea," An album that is sure not to let any Keane lovers down. Take a listen and let it permeate your brain. You'll be glad you did!

http://creative.myspace.com/cms/MySpaceMusic/keane_x88.jpg

Oh the white hot passion.

The Format
Pop / Indie / Rock
Peoria, AZ

The Format are a classic pop band (not to be confused with a boy band) who are pros at catchy, charming songs. Take a listen to tracks from their new album "Dog Problems" and catch 'em on the road.

The paranthetical of course being the key part.

CSS
Powerpop / Club / Rock
Brazil

CSS is equal parts rock mantra and throwback into something new, transcending boundaries of genre and geography. It careens full speed into dance territory, into the unknown and untouched, to emerge all hot and bothered with wild electro-rock.

Heavens is the new project from Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio and Josiah Steinbrick. Hear their debut album, Patent Pending, exclusively on My Space before it hits stores on 9/12!

http://creative.myspace.com/cms/Splash/MySpace_Music/US/us_heavens.jpg

But will they kill you now?

I haven't noticed as many horrible ones of late. Maybe something trickled up.