Do you listen to music while you study?

What bands?

The Kin - Rise and Fall

These times, they are a changing.

Used to be that I as an older brother would discover new music and pass it on to my sister. But the other day as I was taking out the car that we share, I found a little LP in the center console. Curious I popped it into the CD player to see what kind of girl-rock she was listening to these days.

Long story short, it was nothing like I suspected. I picked up the paper CD case and looked at the cover - The Kin - Rise and Fall.

After some research, I discovered that the band is made up of two Australian brothers who recorded this CD in Buck County, PA, not that far from my home. My sister has no idea where she got the CD, but it looks like the ones you can pick up from an opening act a big concert.

What initially drew me into the CD was the fact that the first couple of songs feel like they were solely recorded for a movie, especially the second track, 'Together.' The sounds are quick and epic-like with lyrics that draw you in, not only to the song, but oddly enough make you more focused on the task at hand. As I type this post, I feel kind of empowered and focused, which is amazing considering how exhausted I should be.

If you want some music that can inspire you, pick you up and draw you in all at the same time, pick up this LP immediately.

Thought

Whatever happened to the concept of internet radio? Back in the day I was always on Radio Wazee finding new music and listening to some favorite old alt. rock tracks. But as time went on it seems like people just forgo the radio, internet or broadcast, altogether.

It's been documented here how I find new music, but I'm curious how others do it considering the death of radio.

Thoughts?

Heroes Get Remembered, but Legands Never Die

Learn it and love it because this is what I hope to be singing after every Phillies win from here on out.

Rest In Peace, Harry....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJrAAaUcKg&feature=related

Donavon Frankenreiter - Move By Yourself

So it's kind of been awhile since my last post, but with school and planning a road trip last weekend for fall break, time hasn't been exactly abundant. But now that I spent 3 days basking in the warm fall sunlight of the Jersey Shore, things seem to be a lot better.

We got to the shore Friday afternoon and immediately went down to the beach. To all of our surprises, the water was a warm 65 degrees. We ran back to the house, got in our bathing suits and swam for a few hours.

The drastic change from crappy rainyish weather in Oakland to 75 and sunny down the shore was better than any pill to lift my mood. After swimming, surfing and boccie balling all day, we went back to the house and crashed. It was then that I turned on my iPod, sunk into a couch, closed my eyes and mellowed out to Donavon Frankenreiter.

I initially heard of Donavon after listening to him sing with G. Love and Jack Johnson on the song "Rodeo Cowboys." His voice isn't that strong in the song and it was clear he was just jamming with some friends on the track.

But I went out and picked up his album "Move By Yourself" anyway, just to see if he had the same kind of flow and rhythm as G. Love and Jack. He does and he doesn't. The title track of the album has instrumentals that seem like it belong in the background of cheap 70s funk movie with lyrics that feel like they should be read at a self-help seminar. But it works. You can't help bobbing your leg to the beat and sing along.

But Donavon does strip it down and get mellow and emotional. "These Arms" is a song to his young son about Donavon and his wife always being there even though the life of a musician is confusing and difficult. It has some kind of funkiness to it, but more along the lines of a Wallflowers type of funk than 70s porn funk that populates some of the other songs on the album.

Donavon's southern Cali and former pro surfer roots can be clearly seen in the album as well. Listening to tracks like "Girl Like You" and "That's Too Bad," one gets the sense of Donavon and his friends sitting around a beach campfire and jamming out.

While not as mellow as Jack Johnson or a rappy as G. Love, Donavon Frankenreiter's "Move By Yourself" brings a weird combination of relaxed energy. I know it sounds like an oxymoron, but check it out and you'll know what I mean.

Young James + Rocky Theme + Highlight Tape = Awesomeness.

Cage the Elephant - Cage the Elephant

Fall is in the air. Mornings are cold, afternoons hot. Playoff baseball returns (although my Phillies again have gotten screwed. Two consecutive home games at 2:37? Bullshit). And with the coming of fall comes Pitt's newish fall break.

With no classes on Friday and Monday off, the obvious plan for the weekend is a road trip. But not just any road trip. This is a trip to my second home - the Jersey Shore. After working down the shore for three summers and going down weekends since birth, a trip to the coast is just what I need after the madness in Oakland for G-20. A few days surfing and hanging on the beach is just what I need to get my head together for the rest of the semester.

But with a road trips, quality music is a necessity. And while the trip should take around 6 hours, I have at least 37.7 minutes covered in the form of Cage the Elephant. Best known for their song 'Aint No Rest For the Wicked,' Cage the Elephant's self titled album brings the long forgotten 70s guitar rifts, unique voice, and relaxing-yet-intense sound back into the musical world.

I first heard of Cage the Elephant after hearing a radio promo for a Sliversun Pickups tour that was coming to "Pittsburgh." Well it turns out the venue is like an hour away. Automobileless, I cant attend (Anger! Rage! Weeping!) but I did hear 'Aint No Rest'. The song was catchy enough, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

And Cage does not disapoint. Mixing quick paced songs like 'Aint No Rest' and 'James Brown', songs that make you want to jump around and singm with slower jams like 'Back Against the Wall,' which makes you wanna melt into a couch and sing, Cage is a band that makes you want to look up the lyrics to the songs as soon as your hear for the first time.

But as started earlier, Cage is the perfect road trip band. Listening to the album and closing my eyes, I can picture myself moving down the Turnpike at 85MPH singing along and looking forward to feel and taste of salt water once more.

Sonic Weapon

Looks like Disturbed was right, music can be used as a weapon...