Getting Gruntled

Fresh from the toe of your stocking over the fireplace, the band for this week is Pavement Candy. Pavement Candy is based in Tokyo, and has a fusion sound like The Charlatans or maybe early Phish. They have been performing since May 2004. The track I’m highlighting, Old Friends, New Surroundings, tries to capture the essence of those conversations where you locate a long lost friend. There’s catching up to do, and much to say, with never enough time to say it.

Old friends in new surroundings
Familiar faces that stay true
Sing you a happy song
The trenches have been dug for too long

No margin for error now
The truth lies somewhere within your eyes
Wake up feeling like the summer sun
See you at a place I know you can reach

The band I discovered this week is The King Left. The track here, The Storm in a Teacup, is not the cup of tea that mellows you out. It’s the one that sees big changes brewing.
The band hails originally from Ithaca, NY, and now is based out of NYC. Their sound is much like The White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, maybe even Modest Mouse.

I hope you like them.

This week, I’ve rediscovered Big Society, a band whose music I bought back a few weeks ago, along with some other selections.
I’m testing the new player that Mouseclone has been helping to develop. The plugin isn’t finished yet, but should be coming along. In the meantime, I’ve stolen creatively borrowed the working code.
Big Society is headed up by Tom Shields, a singer and songwriter originally from Rhode Island (home of the oldest operating tavern in the United States), who met a fledgling band in Raleigh 15 years ago, and they have been together ever since. The song Silvery Moon has a classic rock feel with a folksy rhythm. I get the feeling of listening to Bob Dylan or maybe early Phish with this one. It’s upbeat, looking forward to the future “with my one true love/curled up by side.”

Another artist and song that I discovered on Amie Street:

This week’s song is by a group called Aloud.

“All I Can Do” is pretty stark, contemplating actions that have to be taken. This is the quiet personal moment when one decides that a relationship will be changed, or when a secret has to be revealed(which, in turn, leads to changing relationships).

Watch out how you've been acting
Soon now, they'll be reacting
You drop the bomb
She wonders what's going on...

Aloud has been together since 2002, playing in the New England and NY/NJ area pretty heavily. They have some tracks that just effervesce like the Foo Fighters or The Who, and others (like this track) that are more pensive and melodic, with a Kasabian or Oasis feel (Not to mention the dynamic harmonies you only get when using both male and female vocals). Aloud released their first album (Leave Your Light On)late last year on their own label (Lemon Merchant Records) and an EP more recently, at the beginning of September. Self-publishing: Now that’s Indie!

It’s time again to explore indie music!

This week, I’m digging Grant Duncan, who’s from the UK, and has a very middle-years Beatles sound, especially in this track.

This is an awesome pick-me-up song, repeating things like “it’s not your fault” and admonishing all of us to keep the ol’ chin up. Excellent for those rainstorms that we need so badly around here.

another new song that I discovered on Amie Street!

This week’s song is by a group called Plunkett.

Plunkett is highly acoustic and folksy, and this track is reminiscent of home-grown freedom music from my parents’ upbringing. Very melodic and pensive, it meanders like the title, as if in search of true self, of permanence in this world. Be sure to check out the rest of their tracks too!