4th Annual Cale Awards Update!

Can I share a secret with you? I hate doing myspace music monday. It's such a chore to weed out all the crappy bands on myspace to find the one or two decent ones. As a result of my hate towards the feature and a really hectic schedule for the rest of 2007, myspace music monday is gone until 2008! We had a good run, babe.

But hey, that's not what this post is about! It's to update you on the happenings of the 4th Annual Cale Awards (going on RIGHT NOW!). So far things are going kind of slow. None of my regular readers from the U.K. and only one Californian (my second-largest audience) have voted thus far. That's quite alright though, because there are some heated battles going on!


Take the Album of the Year category, in which Of Montreal and Radiohead are tied in the polls at the moment of this writing. Even more heated is the epic battle for Best Male Solo Artist in which Jens Lekman, Patrick Wolf, and Loney, Dear are in a three-way tug of war for superiority! Sure, it may sound like I'm being overdramatic for the sole purpose of luring you readers over to the polls, but I assure you this is not my intention.

There are also some upsets brewing. St. Vincent is running away with both the Best Female Solo Artist award and the award for Best New Artist. I think she deserves both, personally. A huge surprise to me was The Besnard Lakes pulling ahead in the Band of the Year category. I've also discovered that I'm alone in my admiration for Architecture in Helsinki's new material, at least so far.
It's all pretty enlightening to me, and if you have 2 or 3 minutes to spare (it may even take less than that), please head over to the polls and cast your votes for the best and worst of 2007! As always, you can write in your own nominations for each category. This is not only a fun way to appreciate our favorite artists, but it helps me to know what kind of music you listen to and what type of music I should cover more of to cater to you. It's kinda the most important thing ever, folks.

I don't know what else to say....

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

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Go News Go! - The Weekly News Recap

I hope everyone in the United States had a wonderful Thanksgiving. For those of you who don't celebrate the holiday, don't worry. I ate enough to cover you!

• The next Garden State?
• New Pornographers begin their quest to rule the world.
• Dresden Dolls tour, Amanda goes solo. Oh god!
• Bjork adds dates, etc.
• One new category added to the 4th Annual Cale Awards! Vote Now!

If you have yet to vote in the Cale Awards, please do so. I need you. You complete me. Also, next week is the last full week of normal things around here. Starting December 1st, we'll begin counting down the Top 31 Songs and Albums of 2007 every day for the whole month! I say "we" because a new writer will graciously be lending her talents to Audio Overflow soon. Her name is Jill, and hopefully she'll be able to bring some new insights and opinions to the site. I would say "welcome her," but you folks never leave comments anyways.

Look forward to a huge, monumental review next week and your normal features. The Top 31 Countdown begins a week from today!

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Top 5 Albums Under $10 on Amazon.com

It's Black Friday, folks! That means one of two things: 1.) you're an idiot and you're probably standing in long lines freezing your extremities off, or 2.) you're a rational human being and you decided to be more productive with your time (that includes sleeping in). Me? I'm at work. And if I'm at work on a Friday, that can only mean that it's time for another Top 5 Friday! Staying with the spirit of Black Friday, today's list is the Top 5 Albums Under $10 on Amazon.com. If you have a hipster on your holiday shopping list, you may want to perk up for a few minutes. These are some albums that I highly recommend!

#5: The Pipettes: We Are the Pipettes ($9.98) - If the hipster on your list is a 16-year old girl, or a horny 14-year old boy, you can't go wrong with The Pipettes. Of course, they could also just be a fan of Motown and classic pop music. Whatever profile your hipster fits, The Pipettes are sure to please. These 3 British beauties will sing their way into that part of your mind where songs go to become annoyingly catchy. You know, the place where you can't get them out of your head even if you try. It's kind of a good thing, unless you're trying to fall asleep. Then you want nothing more than to take the CD and stick it in the microwave...which is also cool!

#4: The New Pornographers: Challengers ($9.97) - In terms of musicianship, lyricism, and overall likability; no one outdoes The New Pornographers. Their newest album, Challengers, may not be as immediately enthralling as their previous albums, but it is just as amazing! Neko Case and A.C. Newman will pull at your heartstrings with their back-and-forth vocals while Dan Bejar provides more WTF-inducing moments than any other artist in recent memory. The rest of the band ain't too shabby either. While the drumming (or music in general) isn't near as forceful as it was on Twin Cinema, each member of this band plays their part to perfection. The end result is a fantastic assortment of indie rock and power pop that anybody will enjoy!

#3: Of Montreal: Satanic Panic in the Attic ($9.97) - I'm well aware of the fact that most Of Montreal "fans" have yet to listen to any of the band's pre-Sunlandic Twins albums. Idiots! Satanic Panic in the Attic is not only the best album in Of Montreal's expansive catalog (arguably), but it's one of the best indie pop/rock records of the last decade! The band only flirts with electronics here, as opposed to the hot and heavy make-out sessions found on their previous two albums. "Disconnect the Dots" is a clear segue to their new sound, but the rest of the album is a masterpiece of indie rock. Songs range from bizarre sing-alongs ("Rapture Rapes the Muses") to guitar-heavy retro rockers ("Vegan in Furs"). The bottom line is, buy it!

#2: LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver ($7.99) - It's nominated for a few Cale Awards for a reason folks. And while it may be a bit behind the competition at this point, LCD Soundsystem's second album was one of 2007's biggest and best surprises. James Murphy not only refined his sound, but he improved upon it, giving us all something that we can dance to without feeling like a mindless clubber. It's smart, witty, sometimes insightful, but always enjoyable, and something that anybody with a penchant for dancing will enjoy! Plus, it's only $8.

#1: Band of Horses: Cease to Begin ($8.99) - One of 2007's best indie rock albums is also one of the cheapest! People may have given it a hard time for sounding exactly like their last album, but I've never heard that one, so I'm still loving the hell out of Cease to Begin. The great thing about this one is that anyone can enjoy it. It's been out for over a month, and I have yet to talk to someone who outright hates it. Even my dad likes it! Usually he's morally opposed to anything that doesn't have the name "Jesus" in the title. Not so with Band of Horses. If you've got someone on your list that listens to real music (not Britney Spears or Nickelback), you can't go wrong with this one. Guaranteed!

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Video of the Week - Week 46

The Most Serene Republic - "The Men Who Live Upstairs" from the album Population

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Vote Now for the 4th Annual Cale Awards!

In case the giant, obtrusive banner above wasn't enough of a hint; the nominees for the 4th Annual Cale Awards have been announced and you can vote for you favorites RIGHT NOW!

There are a total of 22 Categories in which to vote, and voting will last through December 20th. Among the wide array of nominees are: St. Vincent, Of Montreal, Menomena, The Besnard Lakes, Justice, LCD Soundsystem, El-P, and even our good friends Kanye West and Britney Spears! As always though, you are able to write-in your own candidate simply by leaving a comment below each category.

Voting will only take a few minutes of your time, so head on over to the polls and vote today! Make sure your favorite artists get what they deserve (which is money from you...but you know... also a vote on some random music blog. It's pretty important).

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myspace music monday: The Beams

It's Monday, and that means it's time for another installment of myspace music monday. Each week I'll present to you a different unsigned or indie artist's myspace page in the hopes that you'll enjoy what they have to offer. This week's myspace artist is a band from Cape Town, South Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Beams.

The Beams

The Beams hail from Cape Town, South Africa, rocking a sound that is seemingly familiar yet fresh. Influenced heavily by 1980s British rock, the band does their best to recreate the magic and intensity of the music period, and even achieve this a few times. If I were to make a comparison to a more notable band, The Colour is the first one that comes to mind, but The Smiths or Joy Division are not far behind. If you've ever found yourself listening to and enjoying any of these artists, keep reading. The Beams may be just the new band you've been looking for.

Music

The first song on the site is as mellow as the band gets (here at least). Paul Maree's lead vocals are, as the page states , "somewhere between Robert Smith and David Byrne." They're not nearly as strong, but they're in the general area. The music is pretty straightforward upbeat rock, and nothing about it is too incredibly whoah-inducing. But it's all very tight, and the band really seems to have their stuff together. Despite the averageness of the song, it still manages to be somewhat enjoyable. Perhaps it's just my own love of the genre, but it's hard to listen to the song and feel like it wasn't worth my time. My only real complaint is that the lyrics are somewhat unspectacular, or even easy, and each line of the verse is followed by a soft, but distracting "yeah." It's completely unnecessary and borderline annoying.

Next up is "Your Majesty," a song that picks the tempo up. Paul's vocals are all over the place here, and I can't say that they work well at all. It sounds as if he's trying to let loose and just have fun with it, but he's doing so at the expense of the song. The song is also lacking a strong hook, which is completely inexcusable for a pop song. Paul singing, "I could've been, I could've been, you know I could've been with you," isn't really doing it at all. But the song isn't entirely lacking. Every second of the song is filled with fun, cool guitar riffs (courtesy of guitarist Boško Popovac), and there is even an awesome synth line that runs throughout most of the song. It really makes it worth listening to.

The last song on the page (yes, there are only 3) is called "Two Degrees," and it is unquestionably the best. Paul's vocals are as great, letting loose as he did in "Your Majesty," but they fit with the song this time. He also adds in some falsetto during the verses, and I'm not complaining. The guitars on the song are just as, if not more, amazing. Boško's infectious composition is an absolute joy to listen to. The lyrics are a bit simplistic again, but the song is so enjoyable that you'll have a hard time caring. When Paul is shouting, "I need something to pick me up, now put me down!" during the chorus, you'll be too busy dancing to even worry about the lyrics. My only complaint about the song is that the last chorus feels tacked on. It's the most fun part of the song, but it just seems unnecessary. Overall though, "Two Degrees" is a fun track, and the reason I decided to write about the band today. Maybe you should listen to this one first.
Verdict
The band has talent. Anyone who listens to their songs can tell you that. A lot of the songs on the site don't represent that fact as well as they could, but it doesn't change the fact itself. If anything, The Beams show a significant amount of promise that will hopefully be realized as they continue to grow as musicians and as a band. Their sound is unbelievably marketable and fun to listen to, so there's hope that we'll be hearing an improved version of the band in the future. Before that happens though, they'll need to work on their songwriting skills in addition to making their hooks even more infectious than they already are. That's my opinion at least. If you like what you hear, the band recently (like 2 or 3 days ago) released an EP. You'll have to ask them where to find it though, because I don't see it for sale anywhere online. It's probably one of those things you can only get live...darn.

Links
The Beams' myspace Page
Download "Two Degrees"
Video Interview w/ Bass Player Amrik Cooper

Do you have a band in mind for myspace music monday? Send us a tip at audiooverflow@gmail.com or by leaving a comment in this post. See you next week!

All The Beams photos provided via myspace.com.

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Coming Soon to Audio Overflow...

Hey everyone! The end of the year is fast-approaching and that means more year-end content for you and more work for me. Here's a brief overview of what will be going on through the end of 2007.

4th Annual Cale Awards - My annual music awards where you can help decide who wins. Nominations will be announced within the next week or so, and voting will take place through Friday, December 21st. Winners will be announced on Monday, December 24th. As always, you'll be able to write-in any nominations that you felt I may have overlooked. This year, expect more categories than ever!

The Top 31 of 2007 - This one is my annual year-end list, counting down the Top 31 albums and songs of 2008! Each day in December I'll reveal a new spot on the list, so you'll want to check back every day for that! Because of this though, time-consuming features like myspace music monday and Top 5 Friday will be postponed until 2008. There are also no reviews planned at the moment, but if something groundbreaking comes my way I'll be sure to let you know! Video of the Week and Go News Go! will stick around for the duration of the month.

Looking for a writer - I have some pretty big plans for 2008 (that I'll announce later), and I could really use an extra hand or two with the blog. Whether you're an aspiring music journalist looking for a way to gain experience, or just a music fan who likes to blog, I'd really appreciate any help I could get with the site. If you're interested, just shoot me an email at audiooverflow@gmail.com.

Other than that, it's the same ol' same ol' around here. Keep an eye out for the Cale Award nominations, which should be up soon. Later.

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