New Tunes Tuesday - Dave Smallen

Check out the new video for Dave Smallen's song "Happiness" below.

Top 5 Albums of 2009

I Know. It's a little bit late for the "Best of 2009" article. But I was busy trying to beat Super Mario Bros. 3. And no, I haven't done it yet. World 8 is just impossible. But before I drive myself to eating a different kind of mushroom just to deal with my inability to beat this 20 year old game, I figured I'd distract myself by finally doing this. I give you the Fleshy Fresh's Top 5 Albums of 2009.

5. Metric - Fantasies

Hello. This is Metric. They are relatively new to popularity, but they showed that they deserve it with their release of Fantasies last April. It seems that everyone these days is trying to get somewhere with a female-fronted band, but few groups can do it successfully; and Metric is one of them. Emily Haines is a strong frontwoman with a unique voice, giving the band a unique sound. The best part of this album is Haines attempt to deal with what seems to be an existential problem in "Help, I'm Alive" and "Blindness." The miraculous thing, though, is that she tackles these issues while keeping the music up-beat and avoiding the typical depression-ridden sound that groups like Bright Eyes made so popular (and eventually so hated).

4. Maria Taylor - Ladyluck

Ladyluck brought everything we at the Fleshy Fresh love about Maria Taylor, and then some. She has her slow songs, where she gets to show off her unique ability to lull you to sleep with her soft, infectious voice. She has her full-band songs that show off her grand vision without trying too hard. And she still has strong song-writing skills. This girl has a long career ahead of her, and she proved it with this release.

3. Dave Smallen - Everything Changes and Nothing Changes

It was very tempting to put Smallen's Waiting For the Pills EP on this list of the best of 2009. But Everything Changes and Nothing Changes has all of the songs that Waiting has plus a few extra goodies. Where do we get started? "Waiting for the Pills," "America," "With the Sky All Blue," "I Think It's Getting Better." The record is overflowing with brilliant songs of homelessness, desperation, and self-challenges. It's reassuring to know that he can capture his intense honesty in his recordings. Well done, Dave. Well done.

2. Thursday - Common Existence

Sadly, this is a band that has gotten little attention on the Fleshy Fresh, but for Thursday to be forgotten after such an epic release in 2009 would be an injustice. Common Existence is a breath of fresh air after their previous A City by the Light Divided, which seemed to either be missing something or simply the result of Thursday trying too hard. But the band brought back their tension building intros and stress-relieving power in Common Existence. Welcome back, Thursday. We missed you. Now keep it up.

1. Paramore - Brand New Eyes

I imagine that to some, the fact that Paramore is first on this list will be mildly upsetting. I have checked several "Top 5" articles across the internet that claim to give the best records of the alternative genre for this year, none of which include any of these 5; and most of the picks are things I've never heard of. In other words, this selection might not be musically elitist enough for someone who blogs about music. But the simple fact is thus: Brand New Eyes packs the punch. Hayley Williams is one of the most amazing female frontwomen that this country has seen in years, and she proved it on Brand New Eyes. The pipes in this little woman are astounding! Take one listen to "All I Wanted" and I guarantee you will be blown away. And the record really delivers with the strong song-writers and talented hook-writers that make up the other members of the band. Sure, some songs stand out more than others, such as "Ignorance," "Brick By Boring Brick," and "The Only Exception," but there is not a single bad song on this record. If you're going to listen to anything I say here, listen to this: Paramore deserve all the attention that they have received in the past few months. They are here and here to stay.

Honorable Mentions: Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio, Silversun Pickups - Swoon, and The Von Bondies - Love Hate and then There's You.

New Tunes Tuesday - Dave Smallen (Again)

I really think this guy deserves all the attention he can get.

New Tunes Tuesday: The Many Colors of Dave Smallen

Since the last time I mentioned good ol' Dave on this site, he has released TWO new songs. Oh my, we need to catch up more than Helen Keller in music class.

The first is entitled, "All My Life" and can be heard here. With a synth-pop sound in its rocket-launching intro, it stands out from the other songs that made the Waiting for the Pills EP, but with the same peppy-ness, backbone, and perfect blend of acoustic-rock that is Dave Smallen.

This is what Smallen has to say about the second song, "With the Sky All Blue": "Wrote this song for a Crayola commercial and it was rejected for being 'too dark.'" Click here to figure out what he means.

Unsigned Artist Re-cap

Every week we featured an undiscovered musical artist. Here is our list from this semester (in no particular order):

Kevin Devine (www.myspace.com/kevindevine)
Audrye Sessions (www.myspace.com/audryesessions)
Dave Smallen (www.myspace.com/davesmallen, www.davesmallen.com)
Spitzer Space Telescope (www.myspace.com/spitzerspacetelescope)
Your Sweet Uncertainty (www.myspace.com/yoursweetuncertainty)
Progress In Color (www.myspace.com/progressincolor)
Jenny Owen Youngs (www.myspace.com/jennyowenyoungs)
Sean Fournier (www.sean-fournier.com)
Ingrid Michaelson (www.myspace.com/ingridmichaelson)

The Pills Have Finally Kicked In

In case you haven't noticed, I love talking about Dave Smallen. He was our unsigned artist several weeks ago, but he keeps giving me more things to share with you.

As I mentioned before, he is releasing each track off his latest record one at a time. The newest addition to an already superb collection of songs: "Waiting For the Pills."

I've seen Mr. Smallen play this live, and ever since I've been anxiously waiting for him to share this with the world. And sharing it is exactly what he's doing; for the song is available as a free download on his site during the month of April. Don't miss this opportunity!

If you do download it for free, do him a favor and spread the word. Good musicians like him deserve attention and recognition.

Listen to the song here.

Dave Smallen Follow-Up

Remember Dave Smallen? He was our Unsigned Artist of the Week a few weeks ago.

He's doing an interesting thing. He's decided to release his CD that he recently recorded one track at a time. And you can pick your price per track!

Head on over to this page on his website and you can hear the song and download it if you like.

Like most of his stuff, it's pretty banging. So, I suggest you check it out.

And all those photos you see (including the one in this post) are all pieces of art that he makes himself. What a talented guy.

Unsigned Artist of the Week: Dave Smallen

The first time I saw Dave Smallen perform was in 2007. He was on tour with his band Street To Nowhere, for which he was the lead-singer, and they were opening for Straylight Run at a now-demolished venue in Boston near Fenway Park. Now, I've seen my fair share of concerts, so I know what a good opening band is and I know what a piss-poor opening band is. Let me tell you that Street To Nowhere is a great opening band. I still remember exactly the way they launched into their first song and which song it was: "Screaming," off of their debut album Charmingly Awkward.

Unfortunately, Street To Nowhere is no longer a band. I don't know the full details about the break-up, but the important thing is that Dave Smallen maintained all the rights to the album (which has some great songs on it) and is continuing on his own.

Not long ago, Smallen released his first single: "America." The song has a strong message that outlines his frustrations with society as it is in this country. Apart from being politically fiery, Smallen's music is poignant and honest, sometimes to the point of brutality. He is most easily compared to Conor Oberst because of the way that his voice often passionately quivers giving his songs that edge; you know that way that Bright Eyes songs are more about the feeling than the music...it's like that, but usually more easy on the ears.

If you go to his myspace you will find a Leonard Cohen cover, his single, and a number of songs from the Street To Nowhere days (check out "They're Not Like Us" and "Tipsy"). Go to his website to download "America" for free. Oh, and don't miss this internet-savvy guy's blog.

Tuesday Show Re-cap

Greetings. I hope this finds you in good health. If you missed Tuesday's show, don't feel bad. The change in schedules confuses even me. Here's the quick re-cap. We'll touch on some of the finer points a little bit later.

In studio performance by Katie Uva (I will post videos later!).
Unsigned Artist of the Week: Dave Smallen (more information on him later).
The Fleshy Flashback: "Around the World" by ATC and "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba
Love is For Losers: "Instant Pleasure" by Rufus Wainwright

Below is the playlist for the show in case there was something you liked and want to find. Stay tuned, much more to come!

1. Jack's Mannequin - Dark Blue
2. Loquat - Harder Hit
3. Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
4. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
5. ATC - Around the World
6. Fountains of Wayne - Sink to the Bottom
7. MGMT - Electric Eel
8. Carolina Liar - I'm Not Over
9. Brighten - Ready When You Are
10. Sara Bareilles (with Ingrid Michaelson) - Winter Song
11. The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
12. The Honorary Title - Apologize
13. Sea Wolf - Winter Windows
14. Rufus Wainwright - Instant Pleausre
15. Conor Oberst - Milk Thistle
16. Dave Smallen - America
17. Dave Smallen - They're Not Like Us
18. Northstar - Rigged and Ready
19. Hollis Brown - Passin' Me By
20. Blink 182 - Down