Fall Attacks!

My favorite season is upon us, and my mood has picked up considerably as a result. While many see Fall as the time things sort of die, feeling a chill in the air has always had the effect of subtly kicking me in the ass and giving me motivation. Motivation to do what, you ask? Uh........well.......post these Fall-esque songs, that's what! So sit back and get ready for melancholic introspective goodness. Fuck yeah.

Let me start off with the best song of 2007 that I didn't discover until 2008, which would be "Cold Days from the Birdhouse" by Scottish shoe-gazey (yet REALLY fucking loud) foursome, The Twilight Sad. The boys just released a new EP named "Here, It Never Snowed. Afterward it Did". The title alone immediately endeared this pathetic Burton fanboy to the band, and I gave the EP a listen, only to discover it's a collection of (excellent) B-sides to an album released last year. Once I got ahold of that, I realized that this was one of the best discoveries I've made in a while. 2007's Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters is one of the most impressive debut LPs in recent memory, and the aforementioned opening track is a mini-masterpiece all by itself. One more warning: it starts slow and quiet, but if you crank up the volume at the beginning of the song, your eardrums will be violently destroyed halfway through. Both the the band's LP and newest EP are available now on i-tunes, and come with my highest recommendation.


-------------Song of the Week----------------


The Twilight Sad - "Cold Days from the Birdhouse" (right click to save)






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In further proof that Scotland is so hot right now (are Zoolander references still permitted?), Frightened Rabbit has released a blockbuster sophomore album that stands alongside Fleet Foxes' debut as one of the year's finest new-folk albums. "The Modern Leper" opens the album modestly enough, before flexing its startlingly nuanced muscles as the song goes on, adding left turns and layers of sound. It's a charming slice of a very rich album. Album. Album Album. Sorry, it's late and I don't have a Thesaurus (or spell-check). The Midnight Organ Fight is available now, and if you're a fan of The Decemberists or again, Fleet Foxes, you should give it a full listen. It's mature without being dense, and while some of the songs are slow, they're far from dull.


Frightened Rabbit - "The Modern Leper"

Before going any further, I may as well admit that I plan to post on New York "baroque pop" act Ra Ra Riot as often as possible, thanks to their girls, one of whom is cute as can be, and one of whom may be the hottest girl in indie rock (save your jokes; there are too many to pick from in that last sentence). Overall, the band looks like what might happen if the CW cast "Arcade Fire: The Early Years", yet sounds like something far more difficult to pin down. Their long awaited debut LP, The Rhumb Line, came out last month, and the songs are all over the place in tone and tempo (mostly in a good way). Ra Ra Riot made major news earlier in the year when their drummer, John Pike, tragically passed away, yet the band rebounded with a record that stands as a testament to Pike's songwriting in action. The Rhumb Line fun record from a band whose future is bright.

Ra Ra Riot - "Suspended in Gaffa"





Bonus: Click HERE to check out the music video for "Too Too Too Fast", and just try to argue that the brunette chick isn't hot as fuck. As in, "Fuck", the noun.

Of course, any Fall-themed post wouldn't be complete without a nod to Halloween, my favorite holiday, so here's a spoookay treat from LA's most exciting local band (and one I've been on the bandwagon of for quite a while), The Deadly Syndrome. Keep up to date on their live show schedule, as if you haven't seen them yet, you owe it to yourself to do it. They command the stage like their lives depend on it, and without giving anything away, they've always got a few tricks up their sleeve....

The Deadly Syndrome - "I Hope I Become A Ghost"





........okay fine, if you want one of these "tricks" ruined, click the video below to check out what's usually the band's grand finale (ignore Aoki & the Cobradouche clinging to the stage if you want full enjoyment). Yeah, like I said, they're pretty fucking awesome: