Start off the new year with a bang … literally! And why not – there’s nothing else to do in these frigid temps. Your best bet is to burrow under a down comforter with something cute and snuggly and not your childhood stuffed animal. Sure, you could hit the gym – that’s one way to combat the doughy advances on your midsection – but the gym can’t make out with you; this methodology is a welcomed alternative for calorie burning.

(Please note: Radio Exile does not take responsibility for any buns that may manifest in any ovens, as a result of promoting this mix).

The sky continuously throwing down snow is Mother Nature’s way of practically begging you to get laid. Stop making her job more difficult. What sounds better: trudging through slushy streets and icy wind blasts en route to the bar (where you’ll have wet feet and a perpetual sniff the entire time), or reenacting spicy Calvin Klein ads to a hot soundtrack after watching a little Family Guy?

The latter. Obviously.

These songs should get your proverbial juices flowing. Mix, match and discard at will – there isn’t any particular order to them. Care has also been taken to include a variety of tempos to please differing, em, aesthetic preferences. Please leave additional tunes in the comments section, for future testing in the Radio Exile labs.

And remember kids, when these beats are a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’. …read full article…

The first time Yo Gabba Gabba’s album finds its way through your speakers, you are more creeped out than if you had encountered a grinning clown in a dark alley. It doesn’t seem right to listen to it without a tot in tow. Never having seen the Nick, Jr. show, the music on the album is fun and catchy enough, but the lyrics are a true test in how quickly the adult mind registers suggestiveness.

From zero to sixty in… yeah. …read full article…

Everyone seems to talk to about Thanksgiving as if it is their favorite holiday. It makes sense: when it all boils down, no one loves gluttony more than an American. We can justify spending money on food (over presents), knowing that we will partake in shoveling these tasty purchases through our personal pie holes. More mashed potatoes, please!

I’m cool with it. Especially when I know that the feed fest I’m attending is forty-five people deep. Forty-five people means a lot of conversations (“Have you put on weight?” “When are you going to pop one out?” and my personal favorite, “How’s work?”), but it also means a lot of desserts. It’s a trade off (and yes, I still sneak cookies before dinner and, yes, I would do that at a stranger’s Thanksgiving).

For my festivities, I am also lucky enough to only have a forty-five minute drive to the very town that brought you Thanksgiving. Since it’s at my in-laws house every year, I have a lot of leverage in the the car ride soundtrack. “Alice’s Restaurant” will obviously be played at noon, in typical Thanksgiving day fashion, but after that, I plan on listening to the below.

Check out “Go Stuff Yourself – The Thanksgiving Mixtape” “after the jump” …read full article…

There are a few great film/album mashups. Two of the more obvious ones are Wizard of Oz/Dark Side of the Moon and Toy Story/OK Computer synchronizations. But rare is the instance of finding a film inspired by and created completely in an album’s image – an album that stands alone, but also perfectly scores said film. Noah and the Whale accomplish this with their second album release and film debut, The First Days of Spring. At the recent screening of the film (by the same name) at Piano’s in NYC, the man who would prefer to remain behind the curtain (if he had his way) and front man of Noah, Charlie Fink, answered the eternal chicken/egg conundrum for fans, confirming that the album actually came first. …read full article…

I recently returned from a three week holiday in Europe (I’ve always wanted to say that – three years ago I had never been on a plane), and I found Volcano Choir’s [MySpace] debut album stuffed between hundreds of Thrillist newsletters, Facebook notifications and “Fwd: fwd: fwd – this is sooo cute!” messages from my mother. It’s been a week or so and I’ve been dragging my feet hard on this review because, well, I’ll come right out and say it – I think that our fearless leader here at Radio Exile has intentionally assigned this to me, knowing FULL WELL my feelings on Bon Iver. You sly dog, you!

See, Volcano Choir is a collaboration that predates and includes my favorite mountain man, as well as a handful of Wisconsin folk from Collections of Colonies of Bees and Bon Iver. …read full article…

With a new drummer in tow, Dappled Cities [MySpace] hit the ground running with their third release, Zounds. And, as the name suggests, it’s both surprising and darker than previous Dappled albums. It’s infused with everything you want in “art rock” – the keys outweigh the guitar, the abstract lyrics, the funkadelic musical bunny trails.

This album hints at The Velvet Underground influences; Tim Derricourt even sounds like Lou Reed in several songs. The updated glam sound scapes are much tighter on this release than all prior and gone is their beachy sound of yesteryear – though atmospheric and catchier, it lacked the edge and maturity that Dappled incorporates on Zounds. …read full article…

Dead Scene Radio [MySpace] is what you get when you smash Elvis Costello-like vocals with Bob Dylan-ish lyrics and a smidgen of electric guitar – the pace is upbeat and jovial. The lead singer sometimes sounds like he has a stuffed-up nose, but it works itself into the music as a stylistic mechanism. We should be looking at this EP as a good indicator of what’s to come because really, can you ever have too much Elvis Costello or Bobby D.?

Check out some tunes “after the jump” …read full article…

Some background?

The idea behind our Random Keywords Review Challenge was simple: we get or come across lots of music we’d like to bash with a nasty review. Instead, we’ve devised a way to say things in a funnier way by asking our friends around the web to come up with 5-6 key terms that need to be fit into every review. This makes us think things through and, maybe, causes us to laugh at the review more instead of feeling so damn jaded. If the review gets all the terms into the piece, and thus makes it through the challenge successfully, SMS buys them a shirt from Elbo.ws. Not sure what we’ll do the next time, but I am sure I can wing it.

This review’s “challenge words” were: refrigerator, bowling pin, enthusiastic, death panel and fingertips.

Show me a little love. My husband bought the new Third Eye Blind album. In fact, he had pre-ordered it. He says 3EB is to him as Better Than Ezra is to me.

I have no problem with that.

I synced up the ol’ iPods two mornings ago. His crap was on my iPod. This crap, to be precise.

We hit the train platform – I started grinning and no, it wasn’t your “Yeah I’m totally into this!” grin. I stifled laughs on the train, while he gave me quizzical “What? I LOVE this!” looks.

Somebody please just bludgeon me with a bowling pin because I am going to have to listen to this for the rest.of.my.life. We need to do something. Maybe send this album to Obama so we can get a preliminary death panel going on it? Test it out? See if it works? Please. …read full article…

I love going to music festivals. I also love free. Free music festivals within a 30mi radius of me = no-brainer. This was my second free festival this summer (see Tom Williams’ Siren Festival Review).

God bless you, failing economy!

The Host (C+)

WFNX seemed to be a little all over the place. They didn’t get back to us in time for press pass info, so I tried to get one on my own. The poor girl at the info tent didn’t have any information, and seemed disenchanted with being so far away from the music. She called her boss, who said I needed a business card as proof that I was writing for Radio Exile. He did not want to see the website on my iPhone or two forms of identification – he really wanted that business card. Lame. I then tried my hand at seducing a strapping young man near the stage entrance. He made a call. Strike two.

Note to self: Work on sweet talking/showing more skin.

The City of Boston Events Staff Coordinator squawked over the PA system in between every band, demanding our attention and reinforcing the “no moshing or crowd surfing” rule. “Listen up! Listen to ME!! I’ll shut this event down so fast!…” She threatened to turn this car right around if we didn’t behave. It gave the show a “going to the mall with your parents” vibe. …read full article…

So Nurses [MySpace] categorizes themselves on MySpace as a “Zouk / Western Swing / Visual” band, which is more or less a fancy way of saying “party music.” Sure. …read full article…

Credit: Bauer Griffin Online

After a soggy June for all of us in the northeast, summer is now fast approaching. This means your pasty white ass is going to grace the world with its presence, whether it be at a beach, a water park, or running around on your parents lawn through their circa 1987 fan sprinkler. Summer heat is no joke, and if you’re anything like me, you want to be wearing little more than your undies while you sweat it out.

There’s only one teensy problem, and I’m calling the elephant in the room, literally: winter weight.

It happens. You know you’re heading down that slippery slope when the supermarket checkout girl says, “‘Sup, Holly?” raising a disapproving eyebrow while scanning your 4th pint of Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk that week. Or when the local manager of the liquor store continues to stock Newcastle, even though you seem to be the only person drinking it. Winters can be harsh, especially in New England. And there’s nothing more indie than skinny jeans. That being said… …read full article…

Better Than Ezra [Official Site, MySpace] . You are easily one of my five favorite bands of all time. Over the past fifteen years, you’ve faithfully accompanied me on my radio, tape deck, Walkman, Discman, iPod. You always make an appearance on my road trips. I have more memories attached to your songs than any other band. My prom date played How Does Your Garden Grow? in his pickup truck while driving on back roads en route to the dance hall. My friends and I skipped school on sunny spring days and blared Deluxe while doing a variety of forgivable teenage things. I regularly fell asleep to “Everything in 2s” and “Under You” during college. Your albums were perfect for breaking up and making out. Friction, Baby is one of the albums I’d choose if I could only listen to five for the rest of my life. I lovelovelove you.

But with your latest release, Paper Empire, you’re breaking my heart.

For long-term bands to be successful, one of two things must happen – you either need to continue to reinvent yourself, like U2 or Radiohead, or you need find a way to bring your listeners back to their halcyon days. With the latter, I’m not referring to keeping the same sound on every album (if I wanted that I’d listen to Green Day or Everclear). No, what I’m taking about is that indescribable sweet spot, somewhere in between the lyrics, beats and guitar that makes you feel invincible and happy. Something that will give you the rush of sneaking out past curfew, the butterflies and electricity before that first kiss, something to make you lose all inhibitions and sing at the top of your lungs with the windows down… at a stop light.

Something to become your life soundtrack without trying.

You were this. You made this kind of music. …read full article…

If you plan on seeing Plushgun [Official Site, MySpace] live, be ready to dance your heels off! If you have their album, Pins and Panzers, you already know that it’s pretty much impossible to not bop around to it wherever your iPod may take you (laundromat, crosswalks, your local ice cream establishment). They’ve been compared to The Postal Service, but they’re better. Lots. Better vocals, better beats, better lyrics, better hooks. Synth has never been so much fun.

In April they opened in for The Cliks at T.T. The Bear’s Place in Cambrdige, MA, but they really should have been the headliner. The day after the gig, I went on vacation to the sunny Dominican Republic, and planned to write up a little somethin-somethin on them while poolside sipping Coco Locos. I held off, because one day when checking my email in between sunscreen applications, I saw that they were playing again in Cambridge, in a month. This time they were headlining. Price of admission? $7. Cheaper than a Sam’s Seasonal at The Garden, my friends. So, I did what any rational person would do: tickets all around! …read full article…

Back in March, I declared, through Radio Exile’s Feature of the Month, 7 Musicians Who Need a Hug, that I wanted to give Charlie Fink from Noah in the Whale [Official Site, MySpace] a hug.

This is my “Little Engine that Could” story.
…read full article…

Jill Sobule‘s [MySpace] latest, California Years is medicore at best, and gimmicky at worst. It’s an album that’s as forumalic as this week’s Danielle Steele publication. Her voice fluctuations are similar in every song and her voice sounds like some saccharine character from a Disney movie. Mix in some southern country twang and “wahhhs” from the guitar, and you’ve got yourself fifty-seven minutes of “meh”. …read full article…

Seriously, who eats chips on the train during the rush hour commute? I’m watching this woman stuff her paw into a tiny chip bag, crumbs spewing every which way as she Jengas the chips out of the bag and jams them down her gullet.

Chomp chomp chomp.

Where has all of the common decency gone?!? Gross. I hate having to turn up my iPod to drown out the “impoliteness” (then I run the risk of being the “obnoxious earbud girl”). Turning it up to listen to Bell X1‘s [Myspace] latest, however, isn’t such a bad thing. …read full article…

I’m going to get “Bon Iver-ed” by this band, I just know it. Let me explain. When the clever recluse (aka Justin Vernon) wandered out of his log cabin and onto the indie scene, I was asked to give his album a listen and subsequently review it. As an indie reviewer, a lot of what we hear can be hit or miss. After listening to For Emma, Forever Ago, I swore I’d never mind a screaming baby on a 7 hour flight again. I was not a fan, I couldn’t write the review. Call it “writer’s block”, call it lazy (I really should have stepped it up), but I was all set. That bearded flannel fool was the straw that sent me on a music writing hiatus.

(The Here We Go Magic [MySpace] review is coming… promise) …read full article…

Jimmy Eat World, meet Paper The Operator [Myspace]. I think you’re going to get on great. You have similar characteristics – you both enjoy those jingly jangly power chords, charged drumlines, and long walks on the beach (maybe not the latter). Where Paper The Operator drifts stylistically, is in the guitar solos – they are more rambling and Weezer-like, as opposed to something set and structured. It works. Paper the Operator just dropped this new EP called Solemn Boyz, and I really think you’re going to pair well, like coffee and chocolate. With your powers combined, you will be power pop’s mocha! …read full article…

Somebody told me Joaquin Phoenix has decided to become a rapper. I didn’t want to believe them. However, the source being my husband, who has an insane photographic memory of all things, including but not limited to celebrities and social media (he had to tell me who Chuck Bass was), I had a funny feeling he wasn’t joking. Needless to say, I turned to a third party. In 0.06 seconds (source: google.com) I found, to my shock and horror, that Joaquin was in fact rapping (I also found that he fell off stage after a spit sesh – hilarious. Joaquin Falling) …read full article…

Keeping true to their namesake, Bell X1 has, yet again, broken the barrier of musical complacency with their upcoming release of Blue Lights on the Runway. The album’s vivid lyrics weave in between well-paired piano and guitar, much like on Flock. Blue Lights…, however, picks up where Flock left off by introducing a more prominent electronic character into the equation. Individually the songs may (at first pass) appear to be more simplistic than the ethereal-laden songs that you’re used to, but collectively it makes the album stylistically complex. And wonderful. It is also worth noting that the vocals fade out and resurface with the ebb and flow of the album’s soundscapes, impressively.

The album is set to drop stateside sometime in early March, and, much like the pastry that the band would like to be, Blue Lights… is a tasty treat. Read on to hear their thoughts about their latest release. …read full article…