"The hottest love has the coldest end."

"If you're going to compare carnal conquests to falling dominos, you should make it sound bigger than God and catchier than death." - Spin.com

You may have started hearing a catchy little song on Rock Candy as of late called "Dominos" by a British group called The Big Pink and if you're anything like me, your initial instinct may be to write this song off as clever but lacking of real substance. However, one listen to their debut album, A Brief History of Love and you will discover that there's a good chance there is more to this electro-pop act than meets the eye.

Spin Magazine hailed "Domino" as one of the 20 Best Songs of 2009. I would argue that where the band shines the most is on more subdued tracks like "Count Backwards from Ten" & "Love In Vain".

I expect this band to be on the festival circuit this upcoming year as they have already landed a coveted Sunday slot at this year's Coachella festival.

If you haven't heard them yet, allow me to be the first to introduce you to The Big Pink. Here is a four song Shock Session they did recently. (The whole set is worth a listen, but you can fast forward to 17:10 to hear "Dominos" if you're pressed for time.)

Enjoy!

december 09, 2009 05:21pm

"We are beggars, all."

"My heart is filled with songs of forever. A city that endures, where all is made new. I know I don't belong here, I'll never call this place my home. I'm just passing through."

On their most recent album "Beggars", Thrice have once again proven that if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. They wrote, produced and engineered it themselves and having a hand in nearly every step of making the album pays off. Sonically, it's interesting and raw and holds tight to everything that makes Thrice great. They didn't make "Vheissu" again. They didn't just repackage "The Alchemy Index". It's a far cry from "The Artist in the Ambulance" and even farther from "The Illusion of Safety" and "Identity Crisis", but the passion and experimentation that made all of those records great is still alive and well.

On "Beggars", Thrice lacks the pretension that so many of their contemporaries cling to and instead issues them a simple, yet resounding audible challenge...make better music.

The album was received very favorably by critics, yet they've yet to receive the commercial success that they truly deserve. While I understand the reason behind this fact, it still saddens me to know we continue to punish individuals and bands for creativity. While we may never say those words, that's exactly what our actions, as well as our ITunes purchases, continue to speak. Then again, I have a feeling that while Dustin, Teppei, Ed and Riley would welcome the opportunity to have their music heard by the masses, it's obvious that their goal is not fleeting success, but rather achieving honest, heartfelt expression through the medium of great music.

All in all, there's a pretty good chance that Thrice has written your favorite song. It just may be that you haven't taken the time to discover it yet.

Watch this mini-concert from ShockHound.com and discover why Thrice may very well be the most underrated band in music today.

december 05, 2009 02:49pm

If not now...when?

It's the end of the year and I'm getting ready to premiere the 1st Annual EmoSarah.com "Best and the Rest" list.

Check back next week for the complete list!

And don't forget about Unleashed Music Presents: The Final Rock Show of 2009 at Zapato's on Northgate in College Station on December 16th! Come out and hear some amazing music from:

Park Lane

Strawberry Jam

Mothers Anthem

Adelaine

All next week you can hear special segments complete with interviews and music from each of the bands, exclusively on Rock Candy 95.1-2FM. You can also listen online at aggielandsrock.com!

october 27, 2009 02:34pm

Bury the Castle...

As promised on today's episode of Tribute Tuesday...here's the live performance of "Brick By Boring Brick" by Paramore.

Thoughts? Comments? Let me know!
Twitter.com/EmoSarah

october 26, 2009 03:10pm

Musician MakeOver

Ok, so to be successful in the realm of rock music, you don't necessarily have to be attractive. And in some rare cases, being too attractive has actually hindered a few musicians from being taken seriously.

All that being said, I'll admit that I've always been slightly distracted when listening to AFI due to singer Davey Havoc's unique "style". What can I say? I'm not shallow (well, not THAT shallow) but it just always caught me a little off-guard and I've never been able to give their music a fair listen.

EXHIBIT A:

Well, AFI recently released a new album called "Crash.Love" to critical and commercial success. The lead single "Medicate" is doing well on the charts and after seeing a recent band photo, I've got a sneaking suspicion someone may have gotten a stylist. Therefore I nominate AFI's Havoc for Musician Make-Over of the Year. They've never looked or sounded better in my opinion, and when it's all said and done, isn't it MY opinion that really matters?

::Insert sarcasm denotation here::

Exhibit B:

august 25, 2009 11:37am

Is that you joking??

If you aren't listening to The Dead Weather...what the heck is your problem??? JK...But seriously, there must be something wrong with you...a major malfunction.

You can see more live performances and interviews at thedeadweather.com.