Music Report

BAM people...here comes B*Dazzle's music report!

PASSION PIT: This group started as a little project by Michael Angelakos....he was making a Valentine's present for his girlfriend....which turned into their Chunk of Change EP. It had the catchy and dancey "Sleepyhead" tune which caught on and spread like a California wildfire. Their full length Manners is getting rave reviews, as it should. The tracks are fun and could be the beginning of pop music for people who love their tunes to be original.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart: I really didn't want to like this band...really. With a name like that and an album cover to match, I wasn't sold....until Pitchfork put their first single "Young Adult Friction" as a best new music track and added them to the P4K Fest lineup. One listen to the song was all I needed. It's happy and romantic indie music, which I'm a sucker for. Reminds me of Mates of State or The Magic Numbers.

Grizzly Bear: They've come a long way and are much more upbeat these days. The newest release has marvelous harmonies and showcases how talented these guys are....they have such wonderful voices that the instruments aren't even necessary. My favs are "Two Weeks" and "Cheerleader".

Camera Obscura: The new single "French Navy" makes me want to single along. It's very retro and catchy...I love the strings!! Their newly released album is "My Maudlin Career".

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Another one that I didn't want to like. I dig their old stuff and felt like they were selling out with the more electro-based release It's Blitz! But the more I heard "Zero" the more I liked it...and after giving the entire album a listen, here I am rec'ing it to you. Dammit YYYs....you got me! There are lots of remixes of "Zero" out there too.

Phoenix: They really can't put anything out that I don't like. They're French and their music is tres bon! The new EP (it seems like everyone is releasing EPs these days) Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Yeah, the title is pretty questionable, but the tracks most definitely are not.

Born Ruffians: They shout, they clap, they rock. Nuff said. I need to see them in concert!! If you like Clap Your Hands, you'll like these kids. The whole album is good, but my fav is "Hummingbird".

Dan Deacon: I'm saving the best for last here. The dude is ridiculously talented and his latest album is beautiful!!!! It's great for working, working out, thinking about working, distracting yourself from things that involve work.... "Of the Mountains" made me fall in love with Bromst.