The music world needs another average Elliott Smith rip off like it needs another Nickelback record.  Luckily, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, which I will call BFL, is not average on “Last Smoke Before Snowstorm.”  He expands on the Smith sound and makes it his own.  The music still has a somber feel to it, but it is not so sad sounding that at the end you want to go cry in a corner.  The harmonies throughout the album with female vocalist, Haley Hutchinson, give the album that something extra that helps BFL put his stamp on an overcrowded genre.  Girlfriends and wives beware when your man puts this on for you because it may lead to some extracurricular activities

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18.  Cunninlynguists – Oneirology

Listening to rap lately has become like talking on the phone with the cable company.  Sometimes you just have to do it, but afterwards I am always disappointed that I took the time out of my day to end up with the result.  Cunninglyrsysts was the exception in 2011.  The chilled out beats combined with lyrics that took more than five minutes to write make this concept album one of the best hip hop albums of 2011.

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17.  Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys

At the beginning of the year when I saw the albums coming out for 2011 I didn’t expect Death Cab to make this list.  That is not a shot at Death Cab or a shot at this years music offerings.  I have really enjoyed their previous efforts, but none of them had more than a couple stand out songs.  This time around on “Codes and Keys” Death Cab steps it up a bit.  From start to finish there aren’t any tracks that feel like they should have been left out.  The replay value has risen because of the strong track list.

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16. Mastodon – The Hunter

I almost typed Clutch after the number 16.  Coming off their stellar album “Crack the Skye” Mastodon was destined for a let down.  Time after time a band changes its sound to become more accessible.  Problem is generally they end up getting farther and farther away from their original that they are almost a different band.  Good ole Dredg had that problem this year.  Sometimes though a band will change, and it works.  When listening to “The Hunter” it sounds like Clutch was directing Mastodon’s every move.  It wasn’t the proggy sound of old, yet they kept their edge and you could still tell you were listening to Mastodon.

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15.  Crosses – EP

When I heard I could get a free EP from a Chino Moreno side project I immediately searched how to get it.  Some artists just get it.  Give us some free music to wet our appetite and if it doesn’t suck we will buy it.  Chino has a history of dabbling outside of the Deftones.  I really didn’t like Team Sleep much, but I am a big fan of most of the guest appearances on other bands albums he has done.  Teaming up with his buddy, Shaun Lopez from Far, Crosses takes an electronic minimalist approach and adds Chino’s signature emotional vocals.  This EP is what Team Sleep should have been.  If you like this EP there is another one coming out in 2012.  Will it be free?  I don’t know.  Either way I will buy it.  Smart move.

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Mew

Origin:  Hellerup, Denmark

Label:  Evil Office

Genre:  Indie Rock

Sub Genres:  New Prog, Dream Pop

Vocal style:  High key male voice

From the bands mouth: “the world’s only indie stadium band”  Guitarist Bo Madsen

For fans of:  Muse, Mercury Rev, Dredg

A couple years ago “Pneuma” was a top 5 album.  This time around the change in sound did not quite produce the same standout album. Solid effort and the new direction will be a plus for anyone who likes Thrice and is looking for something similar.

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24.  Trivium – In Waves

Trivium comes back with another album where they refuse to let people stick them into one genre.  Switching back and forth between heavy, super heavy, and not really heavy gives this album a bit of inconsistency.  A good effort by Trivium, but the lack of direction puts this lower on the list than I initially hoped it would.  At least they produced an album worth of making the list which is more than I can say for Opeth.

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23.  The Milk Carton Kids – Prolouge

This folk record is true Americana.  Good songwriting combined with sweet harmonized voices make for a relaxing and enjoyable listen.  A great effort from a band who have not had enough publicity.  This album is available for free download on their website.  Click here to get it.

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22.  Friendly Fires – Pala

Though not as good as their debut self titled album “Pala” still manages to get the toes tapping.  Packed with electro pop hooks this blast from the past takes us back to 1980′s new wave.  If the Friendly Fires one intention was for the listener to have a fun they did their job.

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21. Thomas Giles – Pulse

If you are a fan of the softer more melodic parts of Between the Buried and Me this may be for you.  Thomas Giles Rogers is the lead vocalist of BTBAM, and in this solo effort his focus is on singing instead of growling.  With the screaming stuffed away in the closet Giles is able to distance himself from the pure hardcore genre.  The combination of electronica, alternative rock, and Giles vocals positions this album in the top 25.

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20. Beardfish – Mammoth

Beardfish released, Mammoth, their sixth full length album this year.  The heavy 70′s influenced prog rock is done almost to perfection.  The wide array of influences from that era are heard throughout the album.  Floyd, Genesis, Zappa are just a few you will hear when listening.  Every song on the album works and it keeps your interest the whole listen.  Not all prog rock albums have the ability to keep it interesting.

Gary Clark Jr. is already a rock star in Austin, TX.  2012 might be the year he becomes a more universal name.  With the Black Keys leading the 70′s blues rock revival other musicians will have chances to get into the national spotlight.  Clark’s catchy blues rock with soul influences has already opened some eyes with his 2011 EP “Bright Lights” getting mentions in Rolling Stone and Spin magazines.

Keep an ear out for Gary Clark Jr. this year because he might be that next star with his singles all over commercials and TV shows.

I did get to see them soon after that and loved every minute of the show.  The energy they bring and the catchiness of every one of their songs makes it a must see.  The Urge broke up early last decade and it was a pretty sad time for the St. Louis music scene.  Fortunately, every Christmas they would come together and play a few holiday shows at the famous Pageant in the Delmar Loop.  There was nothing better than heading down to the Pageant and finishing the day off with a couple of the Urge songs pounding through your chest after a day of eating and visiting with family on Christmas.  Then those shows stopped and the Urge fix was gone.  All we were left with was a couple of the members joined to form a great cover band “Joe Dirt and the Dirty Boys.”  They don’t play Urge songs, but if you live in the St. Louis area I suggest you go see a show.  They dress up in old hairband style garb and rock the joint to its core.

Needless to say, when I heard that The Urge was getting back together I was super excited.   The Pageant booked them for a couple of shows so getting tickets was a little easier than if it was just one show.  The anticipation for me the whole week leading up to the show was so great I could hardly think of anything else.  The day came upon us, the band came out of the back, and the first note finally played.  As soon as singer Steve Ewing belted out his first line the crowd bursted out straining their own vocal cords.   It is a thing of beauty when everyone in a building knows every word to every song and joins in on the fun.  That’s what this band did to the town.  It brought together all kinds of music fans and we had a band of our own to brag about.

The Urge haven’t skipped a beat.  Everyone still bounces around on stage with the same energy they had 10-20 years ago.  Steve Ewing hasn’t lost anything in his voice.  The set list included pretty much all the songs from “Receiving the Gift of Flavor” and “Too Much Stereo.”  The only complaint was I was not close enough and there were so many people there I couldn’t see as well as I’d have liked.  Doesn’t matter, because I think I was singing crazily with my eyes closed half the time.  In the end they played over an hour and a half of balls to the walls rock.  I definitely left sweaty and fulfilled.

Thank you to all the members of the Urge and the Pageant for a great night!  Play that Mother F***in Urge Shit!

12/2/11  Gene

Kashmir

Label:  Sony Records

Genre:  Rock

Sub Genres:  Alternative Rock

Vocal style:  Raspy

For fans of:  Wintersleep, Muse, Radiohead

City and Colour’s older material is mostly Dallas Green plucking away at his guitar singing in a slow folky style.  The newer material has progressed to more of a band-type, sounding like something you hear from My Morning Jacket or Band of Horses.  They opened up with the new material, jamming out a bit.  In the middle of the show the band went away and we had a nice intimate set with just Dallas.  He joked, he sang, and he let the crowd interact.  The hardcore fans really enjoyed the one man show…almost too much.

Note to fans at a show that is quieter in nature:  Quit yelling “I love you” and cheesy shit like that.  We did not gather together to hear you yell while we try to hear.  No point in yelling and then high-fiving your buddy because you finally have the courage from a few brews.

It is apparent why the building was packed.  Dallas Green has the makings of a star.  He is hilarious on the mic, he interacts great with the crowd, and his voice is pretty much exact from his recordings.  Alexisonfire was popular, but like so many other hardcore singers are finding the hard way, you can only sing like that for so long.  Your fan base grows up and your voice goes out.  This was a good career move for Green and he is going to be even bigger because of it.

If City and Colour come through your town don’t hesitate to check them out!

Gene  11/18

Our next stop around the world is Denmark.

Volbeat

Hometown:  Copenhagen

Label:  Universal

Genre:  Rock, Metal

Sub Genres:  Progressive rock, Thrash, Rockabilly

Vocal style:  Elvis

For fans of: Metallica, Elvis

Musical Artists on the Late Night Circuit w/o Nov 7th

Conan
Monday Nov 7– Joe Jonas
Tuesday Nov 8– None
Wednesday Nov 9– None
Thursday Nov 10 – None

Jay Leno
Monday Nov 7 – Iris
Tuesday Nov 8 – Lyle Lovett
Wednesday Nov 9 – Andrea Boselli
Thursday Nov 10 – Ill Divo
Friday Nov 11 – Nicole Scherzinger

Jimmy Fallon
Monday Nov 7– St. Vincent
Tuesday Nov 8 – Chromeo
Wednesday Nov 9 – None
Thursday Nov 10 – Hunter Hayes
Friday Nov 11 – Beyonce

Jimmy Kimmel
Monday Nov 7 – Junip
Tuesday Nov 8 – Whale
Wednesday Nov 9 – Thompson Square
Thursday Nov 10 – None
Friday Nov 11 – TBD

David letterman
Monday Nov 7 – Joan Baez and Kris Kristofferson
Tuesday Nov 8 – None
Wednesday Nov 9 – Peter Gabriel
Thursday Nov 10 – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Friday Nov 11 – Steve Martin with the Lonesome River Band

Last Call w/Carson Daly
Monday Nov 7 – Lykke Li
Tuesday Nov 8 – The Decemberists
Wednesday Nov 9 – Death Cab for Cutie
Thursday Nov 10 – Atmosphere
Friday Nov 11 – Thievery Corporation

I got a chance to check out Hurt play an acoustic show at the famous Duck Room in St. Louis.  It was such a great experience, and I suggest anyone who is a fan of Hurt go see this tour.  Sometimes it is so refreshing to see an artist go out of the box and do something a little different.  By their own admission they were not sure how this show was going to sound, but they pulled it off quite nicely.    Accompanied by Patrice Jackson-Tilghman on the cello, Hurt made the transition perfectly.  Since many of their songs already use acoustic type guitar parts the transition was seamless.

Michael Roberts was great plucking away at his guitar followed by his guitar pick pitch to the crowd when he needed to switch to finger style.  But the show was stolen by J. Loren.  He played guitar, switched to violin several times, all while belting out tunes in his signature fashion.  The great thing about an up close and personal acoustic show like this one is that you could see the emotion on J. Loren’s face while performing.  He puts everything into his shows and his intensity did not go unnoticed.  The set list included songs from Hurt’s entire career and they performed most fan favorites.  All in all a great night with a great band who had the guts to do something different.  If they come to your city on this acoustic tour be sure to check them out.