Neon Blonde: A Good Kind of Weird

Neon Blonde, the melodic cacaphony from Kirkland, Washington, hits the spot. A little dance-y with Johnny Whitney's catchy vocals, don't be fooled by the happy sounds. With lyrics like "you fall in love with her misery, she's like a tan version of you with plastic surgery" their songs talk of social and personal ironies.

Verdict: Buy it
Best Songs: Chandeliers Vines, Crystal Beaches Never Turned Me On, Wings Made Out of Noise
Songs to skip: New Detroit

For more information on Neon Blonde, check out their myspace page: myspace.com/neonblondebats. Post views:

Violent Kin Proves that Electro-pop is Legit

Courtesy of Scott Bell

So what exactly is electropop? Maygen Kardash, singer of Violent Kin, breaks it down for me.

"There are elements of many styles in our music" Kardash said. "We have requests from rap fans who hear hip hop in our tunes to Miley Cyrus fans who like the upbeat."

Okay, so electro-pop for Violent Kin means Lady Gaga-esque synths with happy pop lyrics? Not exactly.

"We're into trying everything now" said Kardash. "Our songs are personal and creative...we feel comfortable to try out harmonies."

They aren't kidding. In their song "Blue Eyes" Maygens sweet vocals contrast with S.J.'s harsher tone. And the soothing synthesizers contrast with the poetic lyrics.

Made up by sibling geniuses S.J. and Maygen Kardash, Violent Kin shows that the genre limbo works wonders.

Verdict: Thumbs Up
Best songs: Feverish Cold, Electrons and Blue Eyes
Songs to skip: Call you out ****

For more information on Violent Kin and to see their tour dates, check out their page on myspace.com/violentkin and (legally please) download their music on Itunes and Maplemusic.

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Thumbs Up for Placebo's "Battle for the Sun"

The androgynous lyrical geniuses of Placebo have done it again. Their new album "Battle for the Sun" focuses on the many shades of love.

Contrast is a trend throughout the album. The new record begins with “For What It’s Worth” with high pitched bass tones and a catchy, though repetitive chorus. But it also has “The Movie on Your Eyelids”, a lyrical masterpiece.

The verdict: Thumbs up. Buy it now.
Best songs: “The Movie on Your Eyelids”, “Julien”, “The Never-ending Why”
Songs to skip: “For What It’s Worth” and “Kitty Litter”

For more information on Placebo, check out their page: myspace.com/placebo Post views:

Astari Nite: The Catapulting Sore Thumb

Fresh from North Florida, Astari Nite stands on its own. Though described as a mix of The Cure and Placebo, the cerebral lyrics and crafted synths have a unique edge.


“We don’t fit in our local music scene” Mychael Ghost, lead vocalist and founder of the band, said. “The scene in Miami is so diverse and has mostly so called…punk so we’re basically the only ones in our genre.”

Their knack for making sentimental lyrics fresh and their aura smooth have made them the sore thumb, but to their benfit.

“Since we’ve first started playing, we’ve become more dynamic” Ghost said. “Our earliest song, “Beware of the Angels” is considered dark poppy punk…our later songs have become more complex.”

Ghost’s countertenor-esque intoning “Love’s a nightmare/Do you know how love can leave you?/I’m lonely and I wonder why” along with their melodic guitars is a mood zapper. And it’s just the beginning of Astari Nite's musical catapult. ∆



For more information on Astari Nite and their music, visit their Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/astarinitemia




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