"Como Te Vas" - Trails and Ways

Song YOU Need To Know


Band: Trails and Ways
Song: "Como Te Vas"
Album: Trilingual

Berkeley, California has given us fantastic bands, such as Green Day, Counting Crows, and Rancid. So it is no surprise that a new band out of Berkeley, Trails and Ways, is turning heads. The indie group comes off with a sound that intertwines aspects of both South American and new age music.

 According to their official website, friends Emma Oppen and Keith Brower Brown spent time living in Spain and Brazil, respectably and returned from overseas in 2012 full of learnt traditions, phrases, and culture. Oppen and Brower Brown joined friends, Hannah Van Loon and Ian Quirk, in creating a band that incorporates slick music styles and phrases from both Spain and Brazil.

Though all of their songs combine lyrics in english, spanish, and portuguese,  the lyrics of "Como Te Vas"are all in Spanish.

Check out this song by clicking here: "Como Te Vas" - Trails and Ways

-Joey

Hellogoodbye - Everything Is Debatable

Band: Hellogoodbye
Album: Everything Is Debatable
Release Date: 10/29/13


Rating - ★★★★☆

It is quite remarkable how quickly Hellogoodbye’s sound has changed since its first release back in 2004. In its third studio album, Everything Is Debatable, the band returns to its roots characterized by solitary revelations of the dark realities of love that were heard throughout their second album entitled Would It Kill You?

Just Don’t is an ear-pleasing tune that continues on the album’s common theme of “groovyness” and uses a balanced amount of both electronic filler and instrument use to create a perfected example of dance music. The guitar heard around the last 40 seconds of the song shows that dance music in today’s world does not only have to be produced from, solely, electronic machines.

Half of the song I Don’t Worry (As Much As I Should) showcases lead singer Forrest Kline’s voice alongside a piano in a song that doesn’t have him somewhat drowned out by beats or instruments.

After an overkill of auto-tune and electronic sounds killed Hellogoodbye’s debut album, the band seemed arguably downright scared to use electronic sound and were determined to limit it in Would It Kill You? On the other hand, in Everything Is Debatable, Kline and friends put an album out that once again brought back many aspects of the electronic filler. But the use of instruments was still very prevalent. The mesh between the two styles worked this time out. Hellogoodbye has put out a record that mixes the use electronic beats and instruments better than anyone else has so far this year.

Best song on the album: Just Don’t

Best album lyric: “It seems better not to know. Die young, die dumb; not soon.”

-Joey

Cage the Elephant - Melophobia

Band: Cage The Elephant

Album: Melophobia

Release Date: 10/3/13

Rating - ★★★★☆

After finding success through their first two albums, established indie rockers Cage the Elephant deliver their third album Melophobia; one that feels hectic, yet catchy and enjoyable.  

Each track carries a different emotion and feeling, which makes this album a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Too many times in indie music, bands struggle to differentiate in their tracks. Not Cage the Elephant. Capturing a sound that reminds one of the Pixies, Melophobia's best feature might be the growth in frontman Matthew Shultz's songwriting. In the sixties-esque track Telescope, Shultz's describes an introspective yet relatable scene saying, "It's safe to say that / I don't think you understand / There's nowhere left to turn."

Staying true to their garage rock origins, Cage the Elephant shows their mastery of dynamic changes.  Each track travels along a land of catchy guitar riffs, well timed drums, and a flurry of instrumentals that make every track work.  For me though, it is Shultz's vocals that win me over here.  From his yelling "spiders in my head / spiders in my mind" on Spiderhead, to his soft whine on the jazzy Black Widow, Shultz shows why he is one of the best vocalists in the indie rock scene.

This album is a must listen. Cage the Elephant delivers an album that grabs you right away and gets better and better with each track. Old Cage fans will appreciate the growth and new polished sound delivered in Melophobia, while new listeners will enjoy the journey this album travels along.

Must listen tracks:  Telescope, Take It or Leave It, and Black Widow

- Will

Welcome

Hey there!

Welcome to Music Sift!  This blog will be run by myself  (Will) and my good friend Joey.  We'll both be reviewing new music and albums as they come out throughout the year.

Joey will handle most of the Indie and Hip Hop scene, he's got a great ear and a knack for finding great up-and-coming bands and artists.

I myself will handle the more Electro-indie stuff, as well as EDM and Hardcore as I feel like it.

I'm personally going to start off by writing a review for Melophobia, Cage the Elephant's new album that came out earlier this month.

Bottom line, we're doing this page as two friends for fun.  Feel free to send us music to listen to and we'll check it out!

-Will

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