The Seams Will Probably Melt Your Heart

[mp3] The Seams: "If You Don't Call"

[mp3] The Seams: "Stay"

Totally true. If the Shiba Inu puppies cross bred with Sally Draper and Christian the Lion, it would probably result in The Seams. The Brooklyn duo's new album, Spanish American, is Adorable City, population: these guys. The cuteness factor doesn't really detract from the music, though, which is the most I could have hoped for given the band's track record. Jonathan Lullo and Dan Shephard come from the dearly departed, criminally underrated Down to Earth Approach, which released two of the most heartfelt, midwest emo albums of the 2000's on Vagrant before calling it quits in '07. Basically, the band was the modern-day Gin Blossoms. 

If that comparison piques your interest - and it should, because hey, that band wrote some hits - then do check out The Seams. There isn't a whole lot different between Spanish American and DTEA's swan song, Come Back to You, save for a noticeably absent crunch. The nine songs that make up the album are sweet, intelligent love songs employing Lullo's earnest croon and knack for pop sensibilities. Admittedly, there's nothing earth-shattering about the duo, but sometimes you just need a little catchy pop-rock capable of making you swoon, right? 

Best news of all: Spanish American is 100% free to download, courtesy of the bitching Air & Sea Battle. If you still need some convincing before DOWNLOADING A FREE ALBUM, then by all means, check out the two mp3's we're offering above. And if you still don't dig it, then your girlfriend will. You're welcome.

Brand New Played The Biggest Show Ever, We Were There

While you indie dudes were turning a blind eye to any band from Long Island that used a "post-" prefix to describe their sound earlier this decade, Brand New became a very big and important band for kids like me and our in-house photographer, Karp. When we unveil our best-of lists later this month for the decade and the year, you'll find a slew of this band's albums planted firmly in the top regions of mine. Anywho, those seeking proof of just how much Jesse Lacey and Co. have meant to people like us over the years needn't look further than the massive gig the band played at Nassau Coliseum last Saturday. Billed as a triumphant hometown show, the Levittown quintet brought its closest friends along for the ride: Glassjaw, Manchester Orchestra, Kevin Devine and Thrice. (The 2003 me just came.) For a band whose sound gets increasingly challenging and has never had a radio hit or much mainstream press at all, selling out a storied 18,000-seat arena is mind boggling. Go Brand New! Confession: I wasn't at this show, but Karp was, and I bet it was pretty darn great. Let's live vicariously through her photos, shall we?

Gold Soundz: Sunny Day Real Estate

Contributor Mike Bailey enjoys talking about records from yesteryear -- the 70's, 80's and 90's -- that influenced what's happening today. Thus, Gold Soundz was born. (Props to Pavement for the perfect name.) In this piece, Bailey takes a different seminal indie record every week and examines its significance and impact on the present.

Sunny Day Real Estate: Diary

(Sub Pop, 1994)

There was a time when "Emo" was not such a polluted word. Sure, bands didn't like the label anymore than Nirvana liked to be called grunge, but the terms gave focus to styles of music that also produced very dedicated social followings. Grunge gave us a flock of flannel wearing, unwashed youth, while emo gave us the precious indie rocker with skinny jeans, jagged haircuts and Morrissey crushes. (What, too pointed?)

For more thoughts on Diary and the "Seven" video, follow us after the jump.  

Two albums, released on the same day in 1994, are often cited as the spark that lit emo's flame; Weezer's "Blue" album, and Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary. Two short years after the release of these records we would see the debuts from Jimmy Eat World, The Promise Ring, The Get Up Kids as well as the formation of Vagrant Records - all tent poles for second generation emo (for the sake of argument we'll call Fugazi, Rites of Spring, etc. the first generation). This brand would reach it's commercial peak in the early '00's with albums from Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional before being reduced to what is left today, mainstream rock acts like Panic At The Disco and Fall Out Boy.

At the time of it's release, Diary seemed like a nice record that generated good underground buzz. The lyrical themes are introspective and faith leaning - singer Jeremy Enigk speaks softly alongside delicate verses before straining over big crescendos and powerful choruses. On repeated listens Diary reveals itself to be a sweeping, unguarded epic influenced by the overflowing complexity of prog-rock as well as the vulnerability of punk. The first three tracks alone are enough to satisfy; "Seven" and "In Circles" feel vital and seem to culminate within "Song About An Angel" as Enigk screams "Sometimes you see right through me…". Redemption feels near even as the characters continue their internal struggle.

And like that the spark was gone. The original line-up of the band released one more, semi-finished, record before bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith would leave to join The Foo Fighters. There would be two more records by various reincarnations of the band, but Sunny Day's influence would far outweigh their remaining output. Diary was their Rushmore and bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Rogue Wave and Bright Eyes have to mark it as a touchstone. It's a great record whose overall impact is often times clouded by it's many imitators, but fear not emo-phobes it has little in common with Pete Wentz and his mascara wearing cohorts.

- Contributing writer Mike Bailey

Red Hot Radio: That's What We Said

REVIEW by ANDREW DANIELS

Uh oh: Questionable band name. Seemingly lame album title. Amateur artwork.

Upon opening the package containing That’s What We Said, the debut album from Las Vegas’ Red Hot Radio, these were the three glaring signs that jumped out, each a red flag strongly warning me not to enter any further. As a critic, though, I’ve taken an oath to remain as objective and open-minded as possible when regarding any music, obstacles be damned. If there’s any lesson to be learned here, it’s the old clichéd “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” (Or in this case, the whole package.) For I’d be willing to say that, with blinders off and the music as the sole criterion in judging this album, That’s What We Said may just be the biggest and best surprise of the year.


Fans of earnest, Midwestern pop-punk who may still be mourning the demise of Hot Rod Circuit should re-direct their attention to Red Hot Radio. Lead singer Kevin O’Connell’s voice can easily be compared to that of Andy Jackson, as the two share the same gritty phrasing that defined HRC’s sound. O’Connell’s lyrics draw from everyday life experiences, like trying to meet lofty expectations and ultimately prevent disappointment, and that blue-collar yearning is what makes the songs so charming. The songs are never simple – there are impressive style changes and guitar flourishes – but because of O’Connell’s delivery, where he means every word he sings, they’re never complex. That same appeal is what carried bands like HRC so far in the first half of this decade, and with any luck, the same could happen to Red Hot Radio.

That’s What We Said (which, as a title, admittedly is more endearing if it’s not a play on the popular double entendre retort) is brisk in length and seamless in flow. Clocking in at just 30 minutes, the ten songs that make up the album effortlessly transition into each other. The leadoff track, “I’m Not, I’m Just” is a mere 40 seconds long, finding O’Connell muse on the predictability of relationships in five lines. It serves as a quick introduction to “Have A Breakdown,” which contains the album’s strongest chorus. The melody is exciting without veering on quirky, and shares similarities with “The Pharmacist”, from HRC’s Sorry About Tomorrow. “Sell Everything I Know,” “Flaws To Flaunt”, and “Five Or Six” are all similar exercises in upbeat, genuine pop-punk.

But where Red Hot Radio really excel are on the album’s ballads, particularly on centerpiece “Of Body And Space” and closer “A Pawn To Play The Game of Deceit.” The interplay between clean guitars and O’Connell’s reverb-heavy vocals provide a raw, delicate balance reminiscent of emo in the 90’s: think American Football and Braid. Would you have ever expected such weighty comparisons from a band called Red Hot Radio?

So by all accounts, consider me dumbfounded that these guys had it in them. Usually bands with names so bad aren’t supposed to be so good. For every ten “Cute Is What We Aim For”s, there may be one “Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin.” But let’s strike band names altogether from the conversation; in this business, they should ultimately be irrelevant when the music can speak for itself. Give Red Hot Radio the benefit of the doubt.

That's What We Said is available online today. Hear songs from the album, including "Sell Everything I Know" and "A Pawn To Play The Game Of Deceit" at the band's MySpace.