New Tunes Wednesday - Paramore

Paramore released another new video for "The Only Exception" off of their latest album, Brand New Eyes. The story of the video follows the story of the song pretty well. Check it out on their website: paramore.net.

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 - Paramore

Today, Paramore released their new record, Brand New Eyes. So it's only fitting that, as today is New Tunes Tuesday, we share some new Paramore music.

The track below is "The Only Exception" and it's a bit different than what you might be used to from this pop-rock band out of Tennessee. It is mostly acoustic with some ringing instrumental melodies. Hayley Williams sings about how she didn't believe in love. That is, until recently--until meeting that right person. It's that person who is the only exception.

Check it out and share it with your friends, if you like it.

Philosophical Ignorance

Tomorrow marks the introduction of a new segment: "Moment of Brilliance." In this segment we will discuss some of the hot issues in modern philosophy. If you have something you want to talk about give us a call on the air: 617-353-6400. Need ideas? Check out Pierre's Cafe.

Since the Fleshy Fresh Moment of Brilliance has yet to come, let's watch a live video of Paramore playing "Ignorance."

Unsigned Artist of the Week

Last Thursday, we had a great show. We reminisced with "Carousel" as our Countdown to Blink 182 and got angry along with Bayside and their song, "Guardrail," reminding us that Love is For Losers. We also played some new music from AFI and Paramore.

We ended the show with our Unsigned Artist of the Week. However, this week's artist just got signed a few months ago. So, we'll call them our "as-of-now-undiscovered-but-soon-to-be-huge artist of the week." I say that because they're scheduled to go on tour with Paramore this fall and so far nearly the entire tour is sold out (including at the Boston House of Blues--fuck!).

From Fenton, Michigan, these four kids are down to earth, middle-american dudes. Watch one of their youtube videos where they just screw around, and you'll fall in love with their personalities before you even listen to their music.

Fans of The Gaslight Anthem and Bruce Springsteen's rougher edge ought to love The Swellers for their blue-collar, hard-working punk rock.

Get started with their myspace, www.myspace.com/theswellers, and listen to "Welcome Back Riders." Then, take a trip back to their beginning days with their song "Bottles": watch the music video here.

New Show Date and Time (and a Paramore Video)

NEW SHOW DATE AND TIME

The Fleshy Fresh will air this semester from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday on WTBU.

In case you forget, this is how you listen:

www.wtburadio.org
BUTV Channel 6
89.3 FM
640 AM

Also, here is the new music video for Paramore's "Ignorance." I don't think this band can do anything wrong.

New Tunes Tuesday (AKA Way Late Wednesday)

I'm sorry. Tuesday disappeared in my life. I have no recollection of it. And somehow it is Wednesday already. Well, it's ok, I still got something for you.

This isn't that new. But Paramore put out a new single relatively recently. It is called "Ignorance," though I must say, I'm not exactly sure why. There is a point in the song where Hayley Williams sings, "Ignorance is your new best friend." But how she got to that conclusion, I'm not really sure.

But we don't enjoy Paramore for their logic. We enjoy them for their music; their catchy, but still heavy, pop-rock.

Anyways, down to the point. There is a video below--not the official music video--that contains the song we're talking about. Give it a listen. If you're a Paramore fan I foresee pleasure in your future. If you are not yet a Paramore fan, I foresee a pleasant surprise in your future.

Until next time,

- Jgerbs