The Music Elitist

I’M STILL ALIVE!!!! Sorry it’s been so long guys. This draft has literally been sitting here for 3 weeks waiting for me to finish it. I promise I am gonna try really hard to start posting more regularly.

Most songs on the radio suck. Even if those songs are being performed by great artists. The radio single typically has the stigma of being the worst song on the album. But, I find that it happens less often with the following bands.

Taking Back Sunday
Say what you want about these guys, but this will be the “emo band” that’s still alive and kicking in 10 years. They are probably one of the most consistent bands out there as far as releasing good music goes. They don’t usually get a ton of radio airplay past their first single, but that single is usually really catchy. Their latest single “Sink Into Me” was actually my inspiration for writing this post because I couldn’t get it out of my head for about 3 days after the first time I heard it. Their first single from Louder Now, “MakeDamn Sure” had a similar effect.

Foo Fighters
I don’t think I have ever heard someone actually say “I hate the Foo Fighters“. And there’s good reason for that. The most popular songs by these guys (i.e. the ones that have been on the radio) are all legitimately good songs: “Big Me”, “Everlong” “Learn to Fly”, “Times Like These”, “Best of You”, “The Pretender”…the list goes on and on.

Incubus
When this band first became popular, they were lumped into the nu metal movement with bands like KoRn and Limp Bizkit. If you listened to their last album Light Grenades, you would have no idea how that could have been possible. But no matter what their sound, they have always managed to write great songs and their radio singles were no exception (though I want to put a bullet in my head every time I hear “Drive”…overplayed).

The Killers
“Human” is definitely starting to wear on me, but otherwise I am usually delighted to hear a Killers radio single. Most of the indie dance nights I went to back in ‘04 managed to wear out the songs from Hot Fuss before they were even popular on the radio. But that album is still my favorite by them, so that says something.

Muse
So happy these guys are finally seeing a lot of mainstream success and I look forward to their next record. But I really honestly can’t think of a bad radio single from these guys. “Hysteria,” “Time is Running Out,” “Starlight”…all great songs.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
This one I feel I should clarify. I’m talking Red Hot Chili Peppers AFTER 1991. Mother’s Milk has a few good songs, but that’s about as far back as I go with RHCP. But the radio singles from Blood Sugar Sex Magik through Stadium Arcadium have all been pretty decent (though horribly overplayed).

Rise Against
Though I felt their breakout single (“Swing Life Away”) was not a very good representation of the band’s true sound, I still think it and every radio single they have released since are all pretty good songs. They are one of the few tolerable radio bands out there right now and I have actually had quite a few of their songs get stuck in my head.

Death Cab for Cutie
Obviously these guys are just a great band, but as I have said before, even great bands can release terrible radio singles. Not these guys though. I know there are probably some hardcore Death Cab fans out there that probably don’t care for “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth,” but I like those songs a lot.

Jimmy Eat World
I can’t include these guys without a little disclaimer. Let me start by saying that when Bleed American came out in August 2001, I didn’t really have a huge problem with “The Middle.” It wasn’t by any means my favorite song on the record, but I had no issues with it. Fast forward to spring of 2002, it was quite a different story. That song turned out to be the song that introduced Jimmy Eat World…to the world. I personally feel, that was the worst possible song on that record to be their breakout single. “Sweetness” did pretty well on the radio which made me happy because that was by far my favorite song on that record and still is to this day. My point is every other radio single by this band has been better than “The Middle” (including the ones before it that were not successful: “Lucky Denver Mint” and “Bleed American”). Ok, I’m done.

AFI
There were a lot of hardcore AFI fans that were probably pretty pissed off around 2003 when Sing the Sorrow was released. But for some reason I have a feeling it was a very small group of them. I had a roommate my freshman year of college who was a HUGE AFI fan. I can’t tell you how many times I heard The Art of Drowning and Black Sails in the Sunset regularly being played from his room in our dorm. When Sing the Sorrow first came out I remember him being a tad skeptical before its release and even saying he wasn’t thrilled with it at first. But then he ended up liking it after a few listens. And then a couple years ago when Decemberunderground was released his Facebook status said something like “Trying to hate the new AFI, but it’s actually pretty good.” He’d still say to this day (and with good reason) that his favorite AFI stuff is pre-2003. But even their old fans can appreciate the music they have made since breaking into the  mainstream. That being said I’ve approved of pretty much every radio single they’ve released.

Being from Florida, I felt I should use this platform (albeit a small one) to let you all know about some bands in Florida that I consider to be pretty damn good and think deserve some more recognition. So without further ado…

Hand to Hand - Orlando, Florida

Hand to Hand

(Metal/Rock/Indie)

I am starting with Hand to Hand because they are probably my favorite band in Orlando. Even if metal isn’t your thing, I highly recommend checking these guys out. It’s not like most metal you have heard. It’s very melodic, catchy stuff but at the same time can be insanely aggressive and in your face. These guys also put on one of the best live shows I have ever seen from a local act. Frontman Rob Kellom has been known to climb on and hang from anything he can whilst performing. And on top of being an awesome band, they are some of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. The band released their latest EP Breaking the Surface on Lifeforce Records this past July and is releasing a full-length sometime this year. Keep an eye on these guys.

Stonefox - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Stonefox

(Rock/Indie/Blues)

If you’re a fan of good ol’ dirty rock ‘n roll, then Stonefox is for you. Wait, let me rephrase that. If you’re just a fan of music in general, you will probably like these guys. They maintain a sound that is very original yet at the same time vaguely familiar. There are a lot of people I could probably compare singer Jordan Asher’s voice to, but the one that sticks out the most is Thom Yorke circa 1995. I’ve seen the band perform twice over the last 4 months and they blew me away both times. They just got back from a short tour and by the looks of their MySpace are already planning another one. Definitely check them out if they are coming to your town.

T13C - Gainesville, Florida

T13C

(Pop Punk/Rock/Emo)

If you’ve gone to Warped Tour for the last 2 years, you’ve probably seen T13C some point. The tragic thing is that it wasn’t on stage (unless you were at Warped Orlando this past year). For the past 2 summers, these guys have followed the tour, selling their CDs outside (and inside) the gates for $5 just to make gas money to get to the next venue and do it all over again. Their sound may be similar to a lot of other bands, but in my opinion these guys do it better than most of the bands with this sound that get recognition. If you ask me, Decaydance might have been wise to sign THIS Florida band as opposed to Paramore, Pt. II. Their latest EP We’ve Created a Monster came out in April of last year and they are currently touring the state of Florida. CHECK ‘EM OUT!

How Dare You - Orlando, Florida

How Dare You

(Indie/Punk/Rock)

How Dare You are proof that melodic punk rock (not pop punk) is still alive and well in Florida. I ran into guitarist Elliot Meyer recently and he informed me that they are headed into the studio this week working on their next record. If you like Lifetime or Hot Water Music, it is in your best interest to check these guys out. If the song “Week of Heart Attacks” doesn’t make you love these guys then you should just burn every record you own and stop listening to music altogether because you suck at it. Seriously.

The Still Voice - Orlando, Florida

The Still Voice

(Rock/Indie/Progressive)

The Still Voice is probably my most recent musical discovery here in Orlando. On their MySpace they describe their music as “thoughtful and technical, melodic and chaotic.” Honestly there isn’t any better way to describe them. The only band I could compare their sound to is Denali. This is mainly because Erin Solari’s vocals are a mix between Denali’s Maura Davis and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. But their music is actually more technical and math-y than Denali’s was. Either way if you live in Orlando and you hear this band is playing somewhere, GO! You will not be disappointed.

Vega Under Fire

(Rock/Indie/Pop Punk)

Vega Under Fire - Naples, Florida

It astounds me that Vega Under Fire has not yet been signed. However, that may not be the case for long since they were recently named one of Purevolume’s Top 21 Unsigned Artists of 2008. And for good reason too. These guys are incredibly talented, write great songs and put on a very high-energy show. Their latest record Life of the Party has been reviewed favorably by both Absolutepunk and Alternative Press. I honestly haven’t kept up on what these guys are doing, so I can’t really say much else except that these guys are awesome and at the very least you should go to their MySpace or Purevolume and check out their tunes.

The Prospect

(Rock/Indie/Powerpop)

The Prospect - Bradenton, Florida

The west coast of Florida has been providing some great music lately and The Prospect are definitely part of it. Plus any band that names one of their songs after a line from Shaun of the Dead (“You’ve Got Red on You”) is cool in my book. They’re also one of the few bands from their area not jumping on the pop punk/indie dance bandwagon. While they’re music is obviously influenced by that type of music, its clear that they strive to just write great rock songs. On top of all that, these guys are a fun bunch to hang out with. Their latest record America was produced by Eddie Reyes from Taking Back Sunday and you should go to their MySpace to check it out.

My Complex Island

(Rock/Indie/Punk)

My Complex Island - Davie, Florida

Back when I was cool and in a band, I played a few shows with My Complex Island and I was thoroughly impressed by their performance every time. The band was always tight, the vocals were spot-on and frontman Chris Liegerot is always entertaining to watch. When you listen to these guys, it’s clear they draw a lot of influence from “screamo era” bands like The Used, Story of the Year and Thrice. But every now and then they throw in that dance-y pop punk sound that is oh-so-hot right now.

Jacob’s Ladder

(Rock/Indie/Powerpop)

Jacob's Ladder - Miami, Florida

Jacob’s Ladder is another band I came across when I was playing shows in South Florida. They are the only band on this list whose sound I really can’t compare to anyone else. But one of the guys in this band looks like Dave Grohl, so if that doesn’t make you want to check them out, you’re hopeless. But, seriously, these guys have an incredibly original sound and their shows are a lot of fun. If nothing else, you gotta go see these guys to see the bass player’s insane afro. The picture does not do it justice at all. It must be seen in person.

Adeste

(Screamo/Experimental/Hardcore)

Adeste - Orlando, Florida

I saw Adeste open for Hand to Hand this weekend. These guys are RIDICULOUS! They may look all happy-go-lucky in this promo pic, but make no mistake, Adeste’s music is hard, aggressive and (dare I say) epic. There is also a lot of technicality to the music. You can tell they practice their asses off until they get it right. If I had to compare them to a band, I would say Underoath, but there are only slight similarities.  There were a lot of things about their show that made this band stand out, but the one thing I do remember was that the synth player had what looked like a deer head attached to his keyboard stand, antlers and all. I wish I could say more about these guys but I have only seen one show and I have yet to listen to their whole record. But, if hard aggressive (and progressive) music is what you’re into, you should give these guys a listen.