Tomorrow's Youth

Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow... - 
Youth Sounds

Continuing the trend of great second albums, Youth Sounds' eagerly anticipated sophomore album delivers on all the promises of "The Bit Parts EP". Their ever-present laid-back and overall smooth approach to making music bridges the gap between the two ensembles and creates a certain coherence between the tracks; and it doesn't hurt that they can make a pretty catchy tune that makes you want to sing along even on your first listen. The best first impression has got to be "It's Hell" followed by "We're No One", which takes nothing away from the rest of the album, I just cracked a smile as soon as "It's Hell" started playing. The ear-worm prize would have to go to "Whatever Works" but this is just a perk of the song, what makes this album special is the heart and soul that clearly shines through each of the five tracks; each song is so well put together and executed and everything from the pacing to the vocals seems chosen with care and never feels like a rush job which only cements my admiration for this still-up-and-coming band. In short, this is an amazing follow-up to the "The Bit Parts" and is worth a listen for anybody looking for a unique sound.

1.- It's Hell

2.- Whatever Works

3.- Foolish Love

4.-You'll Be The Death Of Me

5.- We're No One

Xero & The Boombox Theorists

Burnt Or Crossed

Crossing The Rubicon - The Sounds

The Sounds released their third album on June of last year and I must admit it took me time to actually get this album seeing as how I had already gotten three great tracks. Right off the bat, this album is great from top to bottom, a dozen jewels in this release. The songs would be labeled as New Wave but to really get an idea of how this sounds, I believe it toes the line between Alternative Rock & Electro-Pop. Fantastic harmonies, superior mixing, superb vocals, provided by lead singer Maja, high energy sounds and all around genuine desire to make good music are what make this a must-have for lovers of the genre. I had recently learned that this album was self-produced and released by the label founded by The Sounds themselves and seemingly funded by their world tour; at least they had a say on what exactly is going to be on their album and I'm glad they did so because this was an experience for me, and it might be for you as well.

Xero & The Boombox Theorists

Firing Squad & Toy Soldiers

Pins & Panzers - Plushgun

I've been following Plushgun since the demos were released in 2007, and in 2009 their first album dropped. I can honestly say this one is a top-to-bottom fantastic album for any Synth-Pop/Indie Rock lover or even those who are still new and reluctant to the genre. Overall, the tracks tend to be easy-going, never too loud but still energetic and often found myself surprised at how smoothly one song can blend into the next while still maintaining their individual identities. "Just Impolite" is their better known single and also the best way to get introduced to this band; "The Dark In You" has a little more energy but manages to never get carried away; "How We Roll" speaks to all the teens in high-school who feel different and like it; "14 Candles" is a definite sing-along type song if you're a romantic at heart. All together you'll notice the wide range of instruments, most notably the piano and several synthesizers, but also ukuleles, dashes of violins and various strings, that will effectively put you in the right mood. Ultimately this album is not for everybody, yet it remains a New Wave gold nugget if you have the taste for it and hopefully I have done enough to sell you on it. If you like it, go get it, I know I did (No pressure).

P.S.- Sorry for the couple of months without posts, been going through a lot lately, I'll try harder to do this more often.

Xero & The Boombox Theorists