Monsters Of Iceland

Of Monsters And Men EP - 
Of Monsters And Men

If we had a Song Of The Month category this would be on the top of my list. Of Monsters And Men, an up-and-coming Icelandic group, have been signed since December and I am now eagerly awaiting their debut album, certainly if it sounds anything like this fun and upbeat track. It just seems to hit all the right buttons, "Little Talks" just grabs you right from the beginning with that amazing instrumental and awesome vocals by the two singers who sound just as good live as they do on the track itself as the video will prove. I will be keeping my ear to the ground for whatever these guys release next because I feel it will be worth it.

1.- Little Talks -Of Monsters And Men

Discovered this band through this very video

Xero & The Boombox Theorists

Innocent

Ritual - White Lies

White Lies' sophomore album "Ritual" is a short departure from their previous work "To Lose My Life..." yet is not more of the same. The balance on the album is a point worth noting: tracks such as "Bad Love", "Strangers" and "Bigger Than Us" tend to be faster paced and energetic, others like "Come Down" and "Turn The Bells" go for a slower vibe while not altogether crawling. One aspect which is constant is the dark lyrics and powerful vocals, both reasons why I was drawn to this band; think Alternative-Rock shell with a Punk-Rock and Grunge core. "To Lose My Life..." was an utterly satisfying musical experience and a real triumph for a debut album but "Ritual" is far from a simple after-taste of their previous oeuvre, it stands alone and  proves that this band still has room to grow and develop their sound while not straying too far from their roots. "Ritual" is not perfect, but after listening to it in it's entirety, it remains a well crafted ensemble, flat-lining in certain sections but picking itself up quickly. If you had the pleasure of listening to any track on "To Lose My Life..." you will enjoy this one as well and may even grow to appreciate White Lies even more.

Xero & The Boombox Theorists

Sweets At The Theater

Suite(s) - Ex Libras

It's kind of hard to put in words why I like this album; I certainly love Ex Libras' way of mixing several elements of Rock with more classic instrumentals, various Hip-Hop beats and altogether random sounds; and in many ways their style is eerily similar to Radiohead's. Some tracks can be plain quirky, such is the case of "Sum Numbers", it's a mix of beautiful piano work, blazing guitar riffs and haunting vocals that tend to cut into each other more than smoothly transition; it is the most enigmatic piece in this album for me and it stands as a hate-it-or-love-it track often leaving you asking "why?" yet still worth a listen. The length of the album is pretty surprising: it's only comprised of 8 tracks but lasts 46 minutes; with songs like "Phat Nickers", "Audio Video Disco" and "19:04" spanning more than 8 minutes and others such as "Issues" and "Discharge" lasting less than a minute and a half, you get quite a full range of sounds from this one. "Radar" is the all out winner of the album with a perfect run time of 3:23 followed closely, if not tied, with "Underachiever". "Phat Nickers" is the only track that feels sadly out of place in the overall experience. "Slow burn" is a fairly adequate way of describing the album; songs ebb and flow before getting to the vocals and end with for the most part with a boom. All in all this is a great debut album for a band with much promise; still pretty good for something that was entirely recorded in a garden shed.

Xero & The Boombox Theorists

Fascinating

Fine Fascination - Red Light Company

U.K. band Red Light Company released their debut Alternative Rock album back in 2009 to popular acclaim. "With Lights Out " was their debut single released in late 2008 and my first taste of R.L.C., from that point I was eagerly anticipating their follow-up singles. "Meccano" was pretty good but not better than "Scheme Eugene" and it only got better with "Arts & Crafts". I've had the album since it's release and I realized that the entire album was fantastic, especially "Bahnhof Zoo" that instantly became my favorite song in the collection. Their sound is not revolutionary but it certainly doesn't hurt the experience.

Xero & The Boombox Theorists

Danish Delight

No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry They Washed Away // No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away - Mew

Danish band Mew's fifth studio release is one that caught my interest after listening to their first single "Cartoons And Macramé Wounds" and then following that up with my personal favorite "Repeaterbeater". And what you have read is actually the album's title commonly known by "No More Stories..." ; that plus the wacky artwork could give you an idea of what you might discover in this ensemble. These guys are the poster-boys in my opinion of the Progressive-Rock scene and it shows in the way they put together each individual track, the way sounds drift in and out, the many variations in a single song and the general ambiance that the fourteen tracks - even the interludes - can create are really brilliant. I must stress that if you are not willing or open to this genre, this will not change your mind, but I can't speak for everyone. If you think you can give it a shot, you will have no regrets.

Xero & The Boombox Theorists