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I think what I’m going to do for the time being on Music Monday is share a couple of songs that I’ve picked up during from mp3blogs (I use them for discovering stuff I haven’t heard, so this would be just sharing my favorites of what I’ve discovered–these are often new songs off new or upcoming releases, but they could also be older; I’m relatively new to the indie music scene, so I freely admit to not always knowing the difference or caring, as long as I like the music), and then pick a theme for the other couple of bands I highlight.

MP3 Blog Finds

So, here’s a song I picked up from you ain’t no picasso this week.

The Acid House Kings are a Swedish band, and based on my limited knowledge of Swedish indie pop (which is based on, um, this song and The Cardigans), I really like Swedish bands. :) This goes on my mix of songs that just make me happy. you ain’t no picasso posted this older song because of the release of this collection from Swedish label Labrador Records, which also has several other Acid House Kings songs. Ooh, also the loveninjas, who I like. Hmm. Now I really want this.

[audio:Acid House Kings - This Heart is a Stone.mp3]
Acid House Kings - This Heart is a Stone (right-click-save to download)

And to transition into the rock theme, here’s a Sloan track I snagged from Fluxblog; the catchy bass line caught me immediately. Oh, but don’t listen to it while driving–it uses siren sounds.

[audio:Sloan - Money City Maniacs.mp3]
Sloan - Money City Maniacs (right-click-save to download)

Theme: Brit Rock

Last week I did all indie pop-type songs, so this week I’m going to do rock, specifically Brit Rock. This could fit any number of bands, up to and including mainstream artists like Coldplay or U2, not to mention my beloved Snow Patrol. I’ve shared a lot of Snow Patrol already, though. I was going to throw in a couple of tracks off their newest album Eyes Open but I don’t have .mp3 copies of it (only iTunes protected ones), and I left my CD of it in Waco. So, later. In lieu of Snow Patrol, here are two other British rock bands I like a lot.

Kaiser Chiefs

The Kaiser Chiefs are a lot of fun, even if their name is a little redundant. ;) They have a sort of funky instrumentation thing going on, and some really inventive lyrics. “Ruby” is the first track on their new CD Yours Truly, Angry Mob, which came out a month or so ago. It’s irresistibly catchy, and I was singing along with the chorus the very first time I listened to it. And “Saturday Night” is off their earlier CD Employment, which I had on repeat for weeks after I bought it. All the songs on it are good, but “Saturday Night” has some of my favorite nonsensical lyrics, like “pneumothorax is a word that is long / Man, just trying to put the punk back into punctured lung,” which just cracks me up every time I hear it.

[audio:Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby.mp3]
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby (right-click-save to download)

[audio:Kaiser Chiefs - Saturday Night.mp3]
Kaiser Chiefs - Saturday Night (right-click-save to download)

buy "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" from Amazon
buy "Employment" from Amazon

Muse

I think of Muse as operatic rock–by that I don’t mean that the lead singer sounds like an opera singer, but that the group’s sound is really lush, dramatic, and soaring. Their newest release Black Holes and Revelations came out last year, but these two tracks are from their earlier album Absolution. The two reasons for that are a) I’ve listened to Absolution a lot more, and b) I don’t have .mp3s of Black Holes. Both are good, though. “Stockholm Syndrome” was one of the first Muse songs I heard, and it was in the context of an Alias-themed fan soundtrack. It actually works better if you think of it in a spy situation, I think. But that could just be me. Anyway, it really shows off their very dense instrumentation mixed with the soaring vocals of lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy. “Endlessly” is a much more subdued, at times almost subliminal love song.

[audio:Muse - Stockholm Syndrome.mp3]
Muse - Stockholm Syndrome (right-click-save to download)

[audio:Muse - Endlessly.mp3]
Muse - Endlessly (right-click-save to download)

buy "Absolution" from Amazon

Posted in music
Tagged:Acid House Kings, Kaiser Chiefs, Muse, Sloan