Timbaland

Timbaland has an album out called "Timbaland Presents : Shock Value". If his name doesn't strike a bell he is the mastermind behind the rise of Missy Elliot. After she branched out on her own he began a beats for hire kind of guy. As of late you may recognize his work in crafting pop classics such as Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" and Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back", "My Love" and "What Comes Around". While I am not a huge fan of the people he works with, I can recognize that he knows how to craft a song that is undeniably catchy. His album is full of unlikely collaborations like Fall Out Boy, Tony Yayo and 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Missy E., Elton John, She Wants Revenge and The Hives among others. This album will have you dancing from the first track to the last. The ability to last in your CD player longer than a day at a time may come into question. But while it is playing, you will forget you didn't know hot to dance in the first place. Here is the lead single off the album featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake called "Give It To Me".

Timothy Z. Mosley (born March 10, 1971), better known as Timbaland, is an American musical composer and R&B record producer and rapper whose style influenced both genres even helping to blur the distinction between R&B and hip-hop, as well as pop and dance music. With partner Magoo, he is a member of hip-hop group Timbaland & Magoo.

Timbaland has been considered similar to producers such as Brian Eno, Phil Spector or Norman Whitfield in that he helped to redefine the sound of an entire genre of music with an immediately recognizable production style.[1] [2] The songs he produces feature unusual arrangements, sounds, and instrumentation, tied together by a trademark sense of space and rhythm. Like Spector and Whitfield, Timbaland's production sometimes overshadows the credited performer and becomes the actual "star" of the song. With songwriters Steve "Static" Garrett and childhood friend Missy Elliott, Timbaland has helped to create some of the most successful songs in modern pop music and urban music, including singles for Elliott, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Nelly Furtado and The Pussycat Dolls.

Modest Mouse

This band amazed me when they came out with "Good News For People Who Love Bad News". That album was full of tales of sorrow and desperation. The songs were complete chaos, and oh so beautiful. Now comes "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". The album continues it's journey with a slightly more optimistic view. The lead single off the album "Dashboard", while not being a proper barometer for the rest of the album, acts as a great diving board to engage you to listen to the entire album. With the addition of Johnny Marr, the former guitarist for 80's sorrow gods The Smiths, the band has much more to add while still being a band undeniably led by frontman Issac Brock. The video for "Dashboard" is just too cool! Nothing like a fish story to move along the action.

Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band. They were formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, bassist John Wickhart, and guitarist Dann Gallucci [2]. However, since their 1996 debut album This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, their lineup has been centered around guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. Since being signed to Sony's Epic Records in 2000, the band has attained significant popular success. Elements of Modest Mouse's sound have been likened to or have been inspired by those of Elliott Smith, Pixies, Built to Spill, and numerous other alternative rock bands. Their name derives from a passage from the Virginia Woolf story "The Mark on the Wall".

The National

What can I say? I have been into a lot of great Indie acts lately. It has really fueled 2007 for me so far. This act has only cemented it's influence on me. Their album Alligatorwas voted one of the top 50 albums of 2005. They have a new album called Boxer coming out in May. Look for it, I have heard some leaked tracks off the album and it sounds great.

The National is an indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, founded in 1999 by friends (including two pairs of brothers) from Cincinnati, Ohio. Their first self-titled album was released in 2001 on Brassland, a label founded by two of those brothers, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and their friend, writer Alec Hanley Bemis. The band had played few shows before the release of the album.

Influences range from Tom Waits to U2. The band's morose, self-deprecating lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The band is rounded out by Scott & Bryan Devendorf. Padma Newsome, from sister band, Clogs, often contributes strings, keyboards, and other arrangements and instrumental flourishes.

The band's early gimmick was that the members had all given up good jobs to work on the project, however, this seems to have been dropped.

Their latest album, Alligator, was #2 in Planet Sound's Top 50 albums of 2005, losing out to Bright Eyes, but beating the likes of The Magic Numbers, The Wrens, Elbow, Rilo Kiley, Malcolm Middleton, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket and HARD-Fi. It also charted high in "Album of the Year" charts in the LA Times, Insound, Uncut, and many other publications. One of their most well-known songs is "Mr. November."

On their last tour the band played a handful of new songs. Their next album, called "Boxer", will be released on May 22, 2007.

Mika

This dude is over the top. And it is delicious fun! "Grace Kelly" starts off the album with a rancous mix of Broadway antics and all the showmanship of Queen. I dont normally gravitate toward such flamboyant singers. But this album is hard to resist. Each song keeps you plugged in and wide eyed. The songs range from fun of "Grace Kelly" to the sad loneliness of "My Interpretation" and all the way to the sugary pop of "Lollipop". Life in Cartoon Motion, is an album that you will put in, and then won't take it out until it is over. That is a personal guarantee!

Mica Penniman (born 18 August 1983, Mica Penniman), known by his stage name Mika (IPA [ˈmiːkə]), is a London-based singer who has a contract with Casablanca Records and Universal Music.

Mika was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Lebanese mother and an American father. He is the middle child of the five children born to his parents. When he was a child, his family was forced to leave war-torn Lebanon, and they moved to Paris. They moved to London when he was nine years old, where he attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, Westminster School and the Royal College of Music, from which he later dropped out to record his first album.

He was trained by a Russian opera professional and his public performances and jobs have varied from classical performances in the Royal Opera House, writing in-flight music for British Airways and creating an Orbit Chewing Gum jingle.

His band consists of Martin Waugh (guitars, backing vocals), Michael Choi (bass, backing vocals), Cherisse Osei (drums) and Luke Juby (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals).

Bright Eyes - Four Winds EP

This is Bright Eyes (AKA Conor Oberst). He is from Nebraska. He is the Bob Dylan on this generation. His vocals are always pained and ripe with feeling. This is off his EP entitled Four Winds. It comes out in March 9, 2007. It is a six song teaser to get our mouths wet for his twelfth album which comes out later this year! And he is only 27! This EP reigns in his eclectic style and makes it a little friendlier for those not used to his style. He started putting out albums as a teenager so this album really is starting to show his late 20's side of his personality. If you like this song you will love the rest of the Four Winds EP.

Bloc Party - I Still Remember \ The Prayer

Wow. Ok I loved Bloc Party's Silent Alarm. And then Weekend in the City came out. And I sort of liked it. Then I listened to it again, and then again. This is not Silent Alarm. This is soooooo much more. This adds a whole nother depth to this band. Absolutely brilliant. Every song soars in epic waves and crashing drums. I highly recommend it. It seems to be a story of a guy that takes a trip to the city for the weekend to visit a lover. I only drool more when I found there are 12 other tracks floating around that didnt make the album. But they are available on the Japanese and Canandian imports and ITunes. Don't walk.... run! Go get the album you will nto be disapointed. This is the video for "I Still Remember". A great song about unrealized love.

Bloc Party has been together since 2002, with names such as Superheroes of BMX, The Angel Range, Diet, and Union, before settling on Bloc Party in September 2003. Band members Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack have formed the fulcrum of these various incarnations, and were subsequently joined by bassist Gordon Moakes who answered an advert in the NME, and most recently drummer Matt Tong. Lissack and singer/guitarist Kele Okereke first met in 1998 in Essex, where Lissack had grown up and Okereke attended school. Lissack attended Bancroft's School and Okereke attended Ilford County High School until 16 then Trinity School for sixth form. They bumped into each other again in 1999 at the Reading Festival and soon after formed the band Union.

In 2003 they changed their name from Union to Bloc Party. The name is a play on block party,[1] a name for an informal neighbourhood festival, which might hire a local band as entertainment. The band has said that the name was not intended to be an allusion to the Soviet Bloc or the Canadian political party Bloc Québécois; the absence of a 'k' is purely for aesthetics.

However, the band's bassist, Gordon Moakes, said on the group's official internet forum that it was more a merging of the eastern "blocs" and the western "parties", in the political sense. Moakes notes that the name was not driven by politics, but rather it "looked, sounded, seemed fine so we went with it."

Editors - Munich

Ok a little back story on this band. Found them like two months ago. I really didn't get into them too much. They were quite what I was looking for. Then last week I am going through all my music and I find this band again. As my finger hovered over the delete button I suddenly had the urge to hear them again. And surprise I found something pretty cool. I now have been unable to stop listening to them for the last few days. A lot of people have been comparing them to Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen. But since I never liked those bands or even listened to them, maybe that is why I originally wrote them off so quickly. So I can't compare them to those bands but I can say that I really am digging their sound and I DO compare to The Killers. They have a certain catchy pop to them that I found easy to listen to from track one to the last. Here is the video for "Munich" off their most recent album The Back Room.

Editors are an indie rock band from Birmingham, England, who met studying Music Technology at Staffordshire University, comprising Tom Smith (lyricist/vocalist/guitarist), Chris Urbanowicz (guitarist), Russell Leetch (bass guitarist) and Ed Lay (drummer). The band's debut single "Bullets" was released as a limited edition of 500 on Kitchenware Records on 24 January 2005; it quickly gained support from radio stations such as Xfm and 6music. As other singles were released their popularity and fanbase grew larger.

Their debut album The Back Room was released 25 July 2005, to critical acclaim.

Tell Them God Is Gonna Cut You Down - Johnny Cash

This is a great tribute video to the man in black, Johnny Cash. Here all the people he has influences through the years come together to pay a homage to the man who defined several generations. Can you recognize all the celebrities? Rick Rubin is the man in the beard at the end who throws the flowers off the cliff. He is a legend himself!

mewithoutyou

This band carries itself as "Christian". But in no way does this hinder their spirit or style. His vocals come off as a talking, almost preaching. But it suits the epic flows of the incredibly talented musicians in the band. They create a sound scape that ebbs and flows and allows front man Aaron Weiss to wax poetic about his feelings on life. I discovered this band after looking for bands that seemed to like to play music more than sing it. And this band as really hooked me. Usually I am not one for the Christian music, but this bands does it so well you forget all about that. Here is their single "Paper Hanger" off their album Catch For Us the Foxes.

The band consists of singer Aaron Weiss, guitarists Michael Weiss and Christopher Kleinberg, bassist Greg Jehanian and drummer Richard Mazzotta. Though hard to truly classify their sound, mewithoutYou's music is generally dominated by Weiss, who, rather than singing, talks in dramatic, varied tones and pitches. The band usually strays from typical song structures featuring effects-laden guitar, a very prominent and distorted bass tone and bombastic rhythms, resulting in a rather experimental style. Most recently the band has incorporated more varied instrumentation including various percussion instruments, accordion, and harp.

The band's Christian roots can be seen through the biblical allusions found throughout the songs as well as interviews with the band members. In one example Weiss calls Jesus his rabbi.

Come See About Me - Afghan Whigs

The premiere rock group of the 90's was undoubtly the Afghan Whigs. They turned in record after record of sweet and dirty ditty's. They were also known for their great covers. Here Greg Dulli and company tackle Motown's super hit from The Supremes, "Come See About Me". They turn it into something dark and creepy and unmistakenly Whigs. This is off their Uptown Avondale EP.

Cinemechanica

Cinemechanica has a new album coming out. I have been craving this since I first heard the Three Way Split EP with Maserati and We Versus the Shark. This band masters the disorganization of math rock and pulls it into a cohesive collection of songs that neither bore or make you want to skip a track. Half the tracks are instrumentals with no vocals. This is the new single "I'm Tired of Paul McCartney" from the new album "The Martial Arts".

Cinemechanica is an American, four-piece rock band from Athens, GA. They blend aspects of post-rock, punk rock, and math rock in order to produce their own energetic and intricate brand of rock. Cinemechanica has played shows with Deerhoof, 400 Blows, We Versus the Shark, Maserati, The Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower, and So Many Dynamos.

They formed Hello Sir Records which houses and promotes a few other like-minded, young bands located in Georgia who incorporate various styles and sounds.

Muse

My friend Joey got me interested in this band right when their new album, Black Holes and Revelations, was released. It didn't take but a few listens to discover that this was a band I wanted to enjoy. I quickly picked up their other two albums and became a fan. This band has a weird style that dodges your attempts to explain it. They jump genres like a plank walking pirate. I am not sure what that means, but I am sure they are good! Here is the video for "Knights of Cydonia".

Muse is a popular English rock band formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1992-1994. Their idiosyncratic style is a blend of indie rock, electronica, progressive rock and heavy metal, with heavy influences from classical composers, especially those of the Romantic era such as Sergei Rachmaninov. The band is famed for its energetic live performances and frontman Matthew Bellamy's eccentric interests in global conspiracy, extraterrestrial life, theology and the apocalypse. Muse consists of Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano), Dominic Howard (drums, percussion) and Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals). As of the release of their fourth album, Morgan Nicholls assists the band during live performances, providing additional keyboards, samples and backing vocals.[1]

Cold War Kids

I first heard this song about 6 months ago and loved it! I walked around for days promising my wife and children I would never touch another drink as long as I lived. And I don't even drink or have children! I got the album on the strength of this single and suddenly found out that this band is not a one hit wonder. The entire album is a great listen. Here is the single that started it all, "We Used To Vacation".

Cold War Kids are an indie rock band from Long Beach, California, USA. They have released three EPs via Monarchy Music, and they appeared at the 2006 SXSW music festival and the 2006 Lollapalooza music festival. In 2006 they signed to Downtown Records and released their full length debut, "Robbers and Cowards".

Hello America - Def Leppard

What can I say. I grew up on Def Leppard. Not the Leppard you know from Hysteria era, but the drunks from Devonshire who simply knew how to rock and roll! Here they are in their first single introducing themselves to the world with "Hello America"!

Clutch - Burning Beard

My friend Nathan recently passed this band off to me. At first listen I recognized that this wasn't his usual taste of metal and mayhem. This band sounded like they had grown up on Anthrax and Iron Maiden. But then all of the sudden they decided to inject the blues. It is there and then it isn't. The touch of stop, start rhythms combined with the deep range of singer Neil Fallon creates a backdrop of a Southern style that builds with each song. If Lynerd Skynard had been a hard rock\metal funk band, this would have been their sound. Their album Robot Hive\Exodus is a perfect example of that. They have a new album entitled From Beale Street to Oblivion coming out in May of this year. So we will see if they decide to continue this highway into the South. Here is the video for the lead single off of that album called "Burning Beard".

Clutch is a musical group from Germantown, Maryland in the United States. They have been playing together since the early 1990s, producing records at a rate of approximately one per year. They released their first EP, Pitchfork, in October of 1991.

Though each of Clutch's albums is marked by its own distinct and cohesive sound, the band's musical style may be said to have migrated from metallic hardcore punk to hard rock over the course of its career, with strong blues influences becoming more prominent in later years. As vocalist/guitarist Neil Fallon notes, "We've been really conscious of the blues over the last couple of years, and you have to admit that the blues really is the source of all rock and roll. I think it's important to go to the source to find that inspiration." Clutch has also been categorized as stoner rock; however, its blues influences and unusual lyrical style make the group difficult to classify.

Despite having signed with major record labels in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Clutch has not pushed for mainstream popularity, and their songs rarely receive airtime on commercial radio or music television. Instead they have accumulated a devoted cult following. This following has been cultivated by an ambitious touring schedule; the band has often performed more than 100 shows per year.

Tool - The Making of Undertow

Ok, someone has posted the coolest set of videos from around 1991 or so of Tool recording their big label debut Undertow. I haven never seen such a cool behind the making video in my entire life. There are three parts the best is part 2 where they destroy a piano with a shotgun and pick axes. If you know the album you will recognize the sound it makes! That album was a classic, and these video's shows you genius in the making. Thanks to my friend Nathan for sending this to me!

Gym Class Heroes

The one thing I have always enjoyed about underground hip hop is that they usually use more live instrumentation than a regular rap outfit would. Instead of the conventional looped samples and pre-recorded beats, Gym Class Heroes use live instruments, similar to artists such as Stetsasonic, The Roots, and Crown City Rockers. To call this a true hip hop band is a bit of a stretch. They have more of a pop sensibility about them. But that being said, doesn't make this band bad at all. What they lack in true hip hop they make up with heart felt music. Travis McCoy incorporates his own hard learned life lessons into deep and captivating lyrics that are augmented by the laid back beats of his live band. This video is for the Queen and I from their new album "As Cruel As School Children".

The original Gym Class Heroes formed in 1997 when Travis McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley became friends during gym class whilst at high school in Geneva, New York, and joined forces with guitarist Milo Bonacci and bassist Ryan Geise. The original GCH began playing birthday parties, clubs, and festivals which eventually led to numerous larger venues throughout the northeast.After hearing the song "Taxi Driver", (which pays homage to various rock artists), Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy became interested in the Gym Class Heroes and invited the band to one of his shows. Travis met with Wentz on June 10th 2004 in Buffalo and struck up a rapport. The Gym Class Heroes then went on to join Wentz's label, Decaydance Records, which is an imprint of Fueled By Ramen. Travis later said that Wentz's support, coupled with the label's touring ethos and family atmosphere, is what drew him to Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen.

Alexisonfire

I have really been enjoying this band in the last year. Their album "Watch Out" was a great permeable soup of rage and beauty. The screaming of George Pettit is so perfectly accented by Dallas Green's awesome harmonies and crack laden guitar riffs. Also Wade MacNeil, the bassist, lends his punk vocals from time to time as well. At first listen you might immediately place them in the screamo category. But it quickly becomes evident that they are much more than that. Their new album "Crisis" has just dropped. With songs ranging in subject matter from the Blizzard of 1977 which paralyzed portions of the Niagara and Northern New York region, to disenfranchised steadfast employees, the album on a whole embodies a much darker theme. They attribute this to traveling around the world the last couple of years then coming back home and seeing things without rose coloured glasses. This is their new single "This Could Be Anywhere In the World".

Alexisonfire consists of five friends who formed a band in late 2001 as the result of a three-band break up. The name is not Alex Is On Fire, but Alexis On Fire. They played their very first show on tour in Denver, Colorado on March 27, 2001. The band's name is a sort-of homage to Alexis Fire, who claimed to be the world's only lactating contortionist stripper [3]. This caused problems when she discovered that they were using her website name as their band name, and threatened to sue. However, since she had never trademarked the title, nothing became of these threats. The band released its first EP, Math Sheet Demos in 2002 so named because the CD was wrapped in former drummer, Jesse Ingelevics' math homework. The first, self-titled studio album Alexisonfire was released that same year. Initially they faced hard times and received virtually no radio airtime, which continues to stand true today regardless of their popularity. This didn't hold the band back though, they broke out, gaining notoriety in the underground, and eventually mainstream with the support of Canada's MuchMusic.

The Blood Brothers

I have really been into this new album (Young Machetes) since it came out. And I am liking it more and more. I was already a fan of The Blood Brothers after they put out their second album (Crimes) and I first heard the song "Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wrecks". But this new album really lets their talent shine. The vocals are traded back and forth between two of them. Don't let the screechy vocals get you before you give them a chance! They will grate at your nerves for a bit but then all of the sudden the clouds will lift and you will be left with a very surprising result. Periods of torture are rewarded with sweet refrains. You will find yourself falling in love with their album in it's entirety. Here is the video for their new single "Laser Life".

The Blood Brothers is an experimental post-hardcore/art punk band formed in the Eastside suburbs of Seattle, Washington, USA in 1997. Members are: Jordan Blilie (vocals), Johnny Whitney (vocals), and Morgan Henderson (bass), along with Waxwing's Cody Votolato (guitar) and Mark Gajadhar (drums).

The band has two dedicated lead vocalists. In addition to this, Cody and Morgan perform back-up vocals. Recent albums (March on Electric Children, Rumors Laid Waste, ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn and especially Crimes) have featured a degree of experimental instrumentation: Morgan often deviates from bass to add a second guitar , and also utilizes laptop technology. Johnny has added piano and Wurlitzer organ to many more songs, a process which actually began on "American Vultures" from March on Electric Children. He has claimed he always wanted to incorporate such instruments into the Blood Brothers' sound, but only on signing with a major label prior to ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn did he have the means to do this

Talib and Madlib - Liberation

Brooklyns main MC is back! Talib Kweli has teamed up with DJ Madlib of Stones Throw Records to give us a free record! You heard it right. "Liberation" is a new 9 track free internet only album. Download it at http://www.rappcats.com/. You will not be disapointed. Talib has a new album coming out this year. So this album will wet are appetite and tide us over until that time. Enjoy!