
Artist: Hellogoodbye
Album: Would It Kill You?
Album: Would It Kill You?
Label: Wasted Summer (2010)
BUNSEN IS BACK!!! And we thought what better way to start off the triumphant return than with this upbeat little jam off the latest offering from Hellogoodbye. The last time we heard from these guys they were still signed to Drive-Thru and their disco-esque electronic album (ZOMBIES! ALIENS! VAMPIRES! DINOSAURS!) had sold half a million copies, acquiring them quite the little fanbase. Keep in mind that this was also before the boom of auto-tuned dance beats being made by every 'punk' band under the sun. So how does one follow that up?? By completely switching musical gears, breaking ties with a label that turned to shit, and, naturally, starting your own imprint.
On their last album where once there were dance beats, now an acoustic guitar, where once there were auto-tuned vocals, now….better..vocals. This band has progressed about as much as a band can in 4 years, leading me to highly recommend this entire album.
Artist: Graffiti6
Album: Colours
Album: Colours
Label: N.W FreeMusic (2010)
Graffiti6 came at us kind of out of left-field. Having only been together just over a year when one of their songs was picked up for a UK commercial, they quickly buckled down to write an entire album to shop around. 'Annie You Save Me' is covered in synths and could be described as mature pop of the highest order, blending it with a bit o' soul & a dash o' hip-hop.
Album: Man On The Moon: The End of The Day
Label: Universal Motown (2009)
Not being a huge fan of Kid Cudi in the first place, this was another unexpected tune for us here. This one came on in the background one day and we instantly recognized a Ratatat produced beat (of course!) which made us want a second listen. I recently heard in an interview that Cudi claims he's 'bored of rapping' and wants to try his hand with more melodies and the singing side, and if this is a glimpse of what's to come, then we're all for it. (Just make sure you get your beats from Ratatat first.)
Artist: Paper Tiger
Album: Made Like Us
Album: Made Like Us
Label: Doomtree (2010)
DOOOOOOMTREEEEEEEE!! What more needs to be said? This is Bunsen's pick for a label, at the moment, that can do no wrong. Home to both P.O.S and Dessa, Paper TIger is the man behind the production of many of Doomtree's finest albums, so with that you can expect nothing but high quality beats, right? right. A visit to the Doomtree official site basically says it all: 'His beats are identifiable for their infectious piano melodies, dark string lines and crisp drum programming. Yes indeedy.
Artist: Chiodos
Album: Illuminaudio
Album: Illuminaudio
Label: Equal Vision (2010)
Now, it's no secret that Bunsen likes him some hardcore, and we debated on whether or not this was 'too much' for the Snob Cast, but I concluded that it's just too tasty of a jam NOT to include. Chiodos have been on the scene for quite a while now and are well established in the hardcore community, but this album brings something different: a new singer. Now, in MY mind when a band decides to continue on and replace their singer, it usually spells the end, mainly because I don't want to hear a new voice coming from a band I already hold dear. Not so, in this case. Brandon Bolmer (replacing vocalist Craig Owens) certainly comes through and holds true to the Chiodos sound that has brought them acclaim on their last two offerings. (All's Well That Ends Well, and Bone Palace Ballet)
If you dig this tune, then I highly advise the whole album, and their former albums for that matter. Chiodos just does it for me.
Album: Blue Sky Noise
Label: Atlantic / Equal Vision (2010)
Circa Survive fall in the same category for us as Chiodos, in terms of whether or not to include them. But again, with this being the return of the Honeydew, everything was game. These guys are another band who have yet to release a bad album. With this being their 3rd full length & major label debut I can't say I wasn't a little weary before it was released as well. But it seems that not only have these guys managed to craft really great rock songs, they've been able to do so while still keeping their signature sound, which in the 'Book of Bunsen', counts for a lot.
Artist: Twin Atlantic
Album: Vivarium
Album: Vivarium
Label: Red Bull Records (2009)
What makes a song good? Is it the catchiest of predictable (or most predictable of catchy) melodies? Is it the ridiculously fast-paced, technically gifted drummer? It could be none of these, or it could be all of these and more. Sometimes you hear a track which you like, and it doesn’t require any further explanation, it just is and you accept it and move on. Twin Atlantic bring that vibe to the table. This 4 piece from Glasgow (as if you couldn't tell) has the sound of a band destined to sell a fair few records, with my only complaint about this disc is that 8 songs just isn't enough. Despite that fact, Vivarium is well worth the purchase for any fans of We Were Promised Jetpacks.
Album: Dark Night Of The Soul
Label: Capitol (2010)
Dark Night of the Soul is a collaboration between Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse, with David Lynch adding musical contributions as well as a complementary 100-page book of original photography. It features appearances, vocally and otherwise, from the Flaming Lips, Jason Lytle (formerly of Grandaddy), Suzanne Vega, Iggy Pop, Black Francis, Vic Chesnutt, James Mercer of the Shins, Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals, and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes.
That's the good news. The bad news is that the album may not LEGALLY see the light of day due to a copyright issue on the part of EMI. To combat this (as well as to say a big Eff You) the trio has released said book of photography with a blank CD-R and the message, 'For legal reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.'
Awesome.
Album: Similes
Label: Temporary Residence Limited (2010)
We came across these guys from a link to a blog by Thrice drummer Riley Breckinridge when asked about his 3 recommendations for the best rainy day albums. Ones you'd want to put on and leave on while you're puttering around the house, or just laying around accepting the fact that there wont be any sunshine today.
Ambient artists, for me, can often run the risk of losing my interest early on for the simple fact that what some call ambient music, others can argue is more of an excuse to fill a CD. However, Matthew Cooper (the man behind the band) has found a way to create ambient music without it sounding like it’s being padded for the sake of offering more atmosphere per pound than it might necessarily have to. This is possibly what has drawn me to this album. That and the fact he has never released an ambient disc that's broken the 60-minute mark.