New Tracks, No Cost

In the past few weeks, a few of my favorite artists have released new music via the interwebs, all at no cost. Score!

Little has been heard from Pete Yorn in the past couple of years, since the release of Nightcrawler, but there's a ton of material on deck coming out this year. PY recorded a few songs down in Salem, OR with Frank Black of The Pixies for an EP to be released later this year, in addition to a full-length album's worth of tracks he recorded with Mike Mogis in Omaha, also out later this year. You can download a track from each at the Fuel/Friends blog here.

Speaking of artists that have been MIA, it looks as if Howie Day is finally putting a new album out this year, his first since 2003's Stop All The World Now. Of course, there's been concerning bits and pieces about his world that have come to light over the past few years: the disturbance on an airplane, trapping two girls on his tour bus, dating Britney Spears. That, and the quality of his music had certainly suffered, as evidenced by the album Live From... Ever since "Collide" became a huge hit, Howie seems to have gone downhill. But he may be ready to come roaring back, if the song he released this past weekend is any indication. If you sign up for Howie's mailing list, you can get a free download of "Counting On Me," a track that I am digging on so far. Sign up here.

If you sign up for Hyundai's email list here, you can get a free download of the new Smashing Pupkins track "FOL" (this follows their last single "G.L.O.W." leading me to believe the Pumpkins are just naming their new songs after their leftover Scrabble letters or random words found in their Alpha Bits cereal). Billy Corgan stated late last year that the Pumpkins would no longer release full albums and would instead release singles through different venues, "FOL" debuting on a Hyundai commercial during the Superbowl, "G.L.O.W." on Guitar Hero: World Tour, and the previous "Superchrist" through a guitar magazine compilation album. It will be interesting to see where Billy and Co. decide to take this new philosophy on releasing music (kudos to them for embracing new avenues, I think we will soon find that the album concept will be dead and gone in a few short years).

Finally, a band that I used to love, but have kinda moved past, Dashboard Confessional, released a new song for download via MySpace. In any case, if you were a fan at some point or even mildly curious, you can pick up the new track at www.myspace.com/dashboardconfessional.

Happy President's Day, all. Hope most of you are enjoying a day off.

Blind Pilot on Last Call

If you were as busy as I was this week (or you don't stay up past 1:30AM on weekdays), you may have missed Portland's own, and NW Noise favorite, Blind Pilot on Last Call With Carson Daly. Blind Pilot has been on quite a roll the last few months, featured as iTunes' "Single of the Week" and Starbucks' "Pick of the Week," as well as making it to my own list of Top Albums of 2008. Check out Israel, Ryan, and friends performing "One Red Thread" in the above video.

Blind Pilot plays two shows at the newly reopened Mississippi Studios on March 5.

Star Star

At last night's Valentine's Day show, Starf***er certainly exceeded my expectations. Playing to a sold out crowd at the Wonder Ballroom (an impressive feat as the Ballroom fits nearly 800 people), the group had all of them dancing, including myself. The band got an intense dance workout as well as they grooved to the music with as much energy as the audience. They also must have exhausted themselves with the multiple instrument changes; at one point, there were three drummers going at the same time. Starf***er incorporated keyboards and synth, DJ scratching, and a wealth of electronic equipment that I'm not even familiar with.

Despite the lack of an encore and an extraordinary number of under-age audience members (yes, it weirds me out to think that I enjoy the same music as people half my age, though perhaps I should be encouraged that Miley Cyrus and High School Musical haven't completely taken that demographic), it was easy to see why Starf***er is considered one of the best live acts in the Portland music scene.

The band closed the evening with a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun." For your listening pleasure, here is the studio recording of that song, courtesy of the gang at Buffet Libre.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

St. Valentine's Day

Well, it's Valentine's Day, and if you haven't already made plans to take your special someone out tonight, you may be out of luck... but hopefully not.

I was originally hoping to make my way to the Someday Lounge for the Cover Your Hearts show, featuring many local bands, such as Charmparticles, Climber, Crosstide, Derby, Jonah, Tango Alpha Tango, and Tea For Julie, playing covers of 80s power ballads, perfect for the occasion. Sadly, this show is sold out and Craigslist ended up a bust for me as well. No guest list either, so I could not work my charm and connections to get in the door. Bummer. If you are one of the lucky ones to have tickets, I beg you to consider giving them to me. However, if I can't convince you of that, enjoy the show. It's sure to be a good one.

Instead, my Valentine's dates and I will head to the Wonder Ballroom for a special show with Starf***er. Now I am usually not a fan of bands that include an F-bomb in their band name: F*** Buttons, Holy F***, and of course, the short and simple F***. Starf***er was off of my radar for awhile due to their name. Then I heard the music. It's so good, they can call themselves whatever they want. Perfect indie pop. It should be a great night of music, if the ladies this evening can get over the band name themselves. Strength, Explode Into Colors, and Dirty Mittens are also playing. I'm not familiar with any of those bands, but hoping they can make a fan out of me tonight. And I'm praying I have more luck with these tickets than I did for Cover Your Hearts. Show starts at 8pm and tickets are only $10. Hope to see some of you at the show. And happy Valentine's Day to you all. Especially you :)

Speaking of the Grammys...

Those of you watching last night's award ceremony may have seen Lincoln's "Music Video Challenge - Project Rising Stars" commercial. Readers of this blog and NW Noise may recognize the music of my good friends Ted, Genevieve, Jeremy, and Masonori, better known as The Heavenly States. Needless to say, I got very excited when I heard "The Race" from Delayer playing on a network prime time commercial.

You can check out the commercial yourself here and while you're at it, give The Heavenly States your vote for one of their two featured commercials.

Grammy Thoughts

Jay-Z, Kanye, Lil Wayne, T Pain, and MIA = Cool.

Coldplay and Jay-Z = Even Cooler.

Radiohead with the USC Marching Band = Cooler Still.

Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl on drums = Very Cool.

Neil Diamond = Nostalgic Cool.

But someone please tell me why you would ruin the evening by having Katy Perry perform?

Favorite Free Album Of The Week: Jaydiohead

I received a couple tracks via email of a mash-up project mixing Jay-Z and Radiohead. I dug the music so much, a combination of one of my fav rappers with one of my fav bands, that I went online to find out more about the artist behind the tracks. To my surprise, there was a whole album worth of music available for free on the interwebs. The artist behind the music goes by Minty Fresh Beats and you can find the album here.

Mash-ups can be an iffy thing. When Napster first came out, I downloaded a whole bunch of tracks, which I thought were cool at the time, but upon further listen, sounded like crap. Then Danger Mouse came out and combined Jay-Z's Black Album with The Beatles White Album and raised the bar for mash-ups forever. The Jigga Man has certainly had more than his fair share of mash-up treatments and even released his own authorized mash-up album with Linkin Park.

Jaydiohead certainly holds its own. "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" mashed with "Paranoid Android"? Check. "Karma Police" with "No Hook"? Nailed it. And the most unusual: "Never Change" combined with the virtually unknown "Gagging Order," a Radiohead song featuring only Thom Yorke's vocals and an acoustic guitar, available only on a limited release Japanese EP. If you are into Hova, or even Radiohead, you have to check this out.

And also worth mentioning, I finally downloaded The Decemberists Always The Bridesmaid singles. The songs on these A/B-side singles didn't fit quite right on their new album coming out later this year, but The Decemeberists still thought were worth getting out there. And the music is sweet. Not earth-shattering material by any means, but enough to get the fans, including myself, excited for the new CD. However, in what could be nothing more than a coincidence that I am making up in my head, one of the B-sides is a track entitled "O New England." Hmmm, what other Portland-area musicians has been writing songs about that ol' Boston area? Could it be none other than local favorites, The Dimes? Why yes it could! You can download a whole bunch of demos featuring the people, places, and history of New England at The Dimes blog here. I don't want to suggest anything, but I have seen members of The Decemberists in the audience at Dimes concerts, so you can make your own conclusions. :)

Happy Birthday Petey!

I miss you so much, lil guy.

Introducing Butters

Respecting the results of this past week's poll, my bunny's name is Butters. Though the little guy has no yellow color to speak of, I'm happy with the final selection. Thank you all for your help, in particular some of the more amusing and creative names that were suggested, such as Clooney (my second fav choice), Hef (appropriate for a bunny), Frank (from Donnie Darko, creepy suggestion, but witty), and Lettuce (uhhhh....). I'm looking forward to introducing the new addition to you all in the coming weeks.

Tonight: Portland Music Awards

I am attending the 2nd annual Portland Music Awards tonight with fellow NW Noise Boy Jason Gears and Jeremy Reid, former lead singer of LA metal bands Ragged and Ruin. Many friends of Northwest Noise are up for awards tonight, including Debra Arlyn, Oh Darling, The Dimes, Derby, Tea For Julie, The Slants, Blind Pilot, and Alex Steininger. My good friend, Matt, whose musical tastes are far cooler than my own, sent me this article from the Willamette Week which pretty much sums up my feelings of tonight's event. However, I'm going in with an open mind and I'm sure to have a good time, regardless of the validity, or lack thereof, of these awards. At the very least, organizer Craig Marquardo must have spent a lot of time putting this event together in an attempt to recognize the area's best talent, and I have to respect him for that.

Name My Bunny

As many of you know, yesterday I adopted an adorable bunny rabbit. The little guy is only 8-9 weeks old, but is full of energy and incredibly friendly. He is a white and gray dwarf mix and he has a little bit of Lionhead in him (notice the long hair on the top of his head sticking up).

I've been struggling to think of the perfect name for my little guy and am coming to you all for help. Butters (from South Park) has been a popular response on Gchat today, but there's also been some Trailblazer related suggestions, such as Outlaw, but I also like the sound of Batum. Then there's the idea that based on his white and grey fur, I call him Clooney, which I really like, and Taylor Hicks, which is funny, but not what I would want to call a pet. Of course, Tim threw in a wild card with Ghostface Killa.

What are your thoughts? There's a poll to the right. Click on a box and help me out. Leave any comments below if you have additional suggestions.

Weekend Recap Jan. 23-25

It was a weekend full of excitement, complete with fire trucks and ambulances, which I will not get into here, but feel free to ask me about it through a different venue.

Instead I'll focus on the more 'artsy' aspects of my weekend, which began with a trip to the Portland Art Museum, my first trip to an art museum that did not involve going on a school field trip. My good friend, Miriam, an artist herself, joined me as we explored the wonderful world of artistic expression. I'll be honest, I don't get a lot of it. The museum hosts a lot of modern art, which to me is just bizarre. Take, for example, the burlap bags stuffed with who-knows-what, two to three dozen of them, arranged to look like a cluster of over sized potatoes. Or a block of marble sitting on the floor with uncooked rice around the base, appropriately titled "Marble and Rice." Then there was renowned British sculptor Rachel Whiteread, who had an entire exhibition at the museum. One of her pieces featured a old metal chair frame with half a dozen painted pizza boxes on the seat. Pizza boxes on a chair, people! A few of her other pieces included old toilet paper and paper towel rolls painted in pastel colors in various arrangements. I guess I'm just not that cultured.

However, once we got to the actual paintings, they were amazing. They have a Monet and a Van Gogh, both of which were very cool to see in person. My friend Johnny of The Dimes has also recently got me interested in the paintings of Childe Hassam, who has a few pieces in the museum, including 'Isle Of Shoals.' The Dimes recently wrote a song using the titles of Hassam's paintings, entitled 'Celia's Garden.' You can download a demo of the song here. I also loved the Asian and Renaissance art work and spent quite a bit of time admiring them. Overall a great experience. I will definitely need to include a trip to the MET when I visit NYC later this year.

I also went with a group of friends to check out Revolutionary Road. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't familiar with the book and knew nothing of the plot. I only knew that Leo and Kate were in it and getting rave reviews for their performances. Admittedly, I have been a fan of DiCaprio for awhile, ever since I saw him in Basketball Diaries, and his performance this time did not disappoint. Kate Winslet has already won a Golden Globe for her performance, but, and maybe it's just me, I detected a bit of overacting on her part. Not much, but enough for someone with some acting experience to pick up on. As far as the story itself, it was just depressing. Think of American Beauty set in the 50's, the ideal of the perfect suburban life falling apart at the seams. But I never felt attached to the characters to really feel sympathy for them. It wasn't a bad movie by any means, but I can't say it is a must see.

Heading to the movies did encourage me to see more. I've been so reluctant to see anything since movies now cost over $10 a ticket. Lately, I've been reserving my movie watching to $3 tickets at McMennamins. That may have to change though. Any suggestions on what to watch next? I'm hearing Slumdog Millionaire.

New Year's 2009

Full disclosure: I'm stealing this post from my friend, Ryan, who I spent New Year's Eve with, amongst others. Ryan is one half of Pet Marmoset, an entity that manages two exceptional Portland bands: The Dimes and Derby. He is also an active blogger (and Twitter-er, and is trying to push me into signing up for Twitter, but my will is strong...) and his blog about music and the industry is one of my favorite reads, which is why I'm stealing his post to describe my own New Year's. On his site, Ryan discusses new ideas about marketing music at length and has some really great articles and opinions. The other half of Pet Marmoset, Joe, also writes for the blog. You can check out their thoughts here or click the link in the right column.

As far as my own experience for an exceptional night of music and ringing in 2009, I was very fortunate to run into the Marmoset boys that night as, while I was lucky enough to get into the venue that night, the rest of my not-so-punctual crew was not able to sweet talk their way into the sold out concert. In what could of been a ho-hum New Year's, I got the opportunity to enjoy an incredible music experience, take in some good drinks (the Jubelale flowed liked wine...), and meet some new people (the women instinctively flocked to the show like the salmon of Capistrano...) Oh Bree, our time together was too short...

Ryan's post follows, but you will have to go to his site to check out pictures and video of the night here. His story regarding James Mercer of The Shins from that night is classic. I thought he was almost gonna have to throw down.

"Fully realizing we’re two weeks into the new year, we’ve finally found some time to upload some photos and share what a wonderful night Team Marmoset encountered on December 31st, 2008. Better late than never, right? It was definitely one of those rare, yet classic Portland music experiences, where there was just a special vibe in the air that you simply cannot find anywhere else in the world. We were at the Laurelthirst Public House on NE Glisan for a special night of P-town music…

Who was there? Who wasn’t there is a better question. Along with all of Team Marmoset and our better halves, we joined forces with Northwest Noise, which made it plenty fun. The night was billed as Two Beers Veirs - rumor has it that Laura Veirs can only drink two beers before she has to pee. lol

The “house band” for the night was none other than Chris Funk, Nate Query, Jenny Conlee, John Moen (all of the Decemberists), plus Annalisa Tournfelt of The Builders and The Butchers, and Jon Neufeld of Jackstraw. Not a bad house band, huh? But it doesn’t stop there. Here’s who joined them on stage…one by one, each leading about five or six songs before inviting the next artist to the stage - for what seemed like the world’s greatest little blue grass folk rock jam of all time:

John McDonald (King Wilkie) and Annalisa Tournfelt (The Builders and The Butchers)
Casey Neil
Ashleigh Flynn
Little Sue
Kevin and Anita Robinson (Viva Voce/Blue Giant)
John “Spider” Moen (Decemberists)
Scott McCaughey (Minus 5, R.E.M.)
Laura Veirs

…and not performing, but there with the rest of us to take it all in included the likes of James Mercer of The Shins and at least one or two of the other Shins guys and Colin Meloy.

As a side note, I will say that I had to keep my eye on James Mercer throughout the night… The first time or two I caught him checking out my wife, Jeana, from afar, I really didn’t think much of it. But then he kept on and I swear, I caught him pointing her out to a friend of his. I thought to myself, “fair enough - Jeana’s a hot girl.” And then towards the end of the night, I heard him say to her, “you’re too cute” and then he complimented her on her clogging as she danced across the room. Hmmm…. I thought to myself, “what is this guy up to?”

However, in all honesty - Mercer was simply enjoying himself and enjoying the fun, festive atmosphere like the rest of us. While it gave me some good material for my Twitter feed, I’m sure he meant no harm. Again - what a fun night. Note to self: One hard cider is good. Two hard ciders is plenty. Three hard ciders is too much!

Happy New Years, y’all."

Justin Royce's Uber Pretentious Top 5 Indie Albums of 2008 List - #1

#1: Oh Darling Nice Nice

It should come as no surprise to anyone who I have discussed music with in any capacity last year that Oh Darling's Nice Nice would be my favorite album 0f 2008. I was originally drawn in by singer Jasmine Ash's vocals and the bouncy pop/rock of such tracks as "Electrocute" and "Against The Skyline" and the slower "Blindspot" which remains my favorite track on the album. More recently, I have been digging the songs found later in the album, in particular the Triple-Oh trilogy of the dream-like "Only Beginnings," "The Ocean," and "One And The Same" that close out the album. Rhythm section J. Marie on bass and Shane on drums (who is no longer in the band, replaced by the oh-so-enthusiastic showman Jake) keep you dancing throughout, guitarist Davey adds textures that add greatly to the surreal mood of the music while Jasmine's vocals bounce around, giving the band their original sound. Since June of last year, Nice Nice has been on regular rotation in my home and my car and continues to be. It is just about a perfect album, my one complaint being it is too short at 32 minutes, but that just leaves me wanting more. The Darlings recently left Portland to share their brand of music with a wider audience in Los Angeles. I wish them all the best and I am very excited to see what this great group of musicians accomplishes.

Justin Royce's Uber Pretentious Top 5 Indie Albums of 2008 List - #2

#2: The Heavenly States Delayer

Yeah, they're from the Bay Area and not technically a Northwest band. But they spend enough time up here for me to give them a pass. That, and their record kicks ass. Delayer opens with a flurry of keys and Ted shouting "It hurts so bad this goes on the record" on "Morning Exercise" and continuing to the exceptional "Lost In The Light." The band slows things down in the middle on tracks "Sun Chase Moon," "Butterflies," and "Roses" before giving kicking things back up on my favorite track "Pretty Life" and then taking a completely unexpected turn on the country-esque "Never Be Alright." Genevieve keeps things interesting on the keys and adds her violin skills throughout, Jeremy and Masanori hold down the rhythm section and guitarist/vocalist Ted may just be the funniest guy in indie music. Delayer is highly recommended.

Justin Royce's Uber Pretentious Top 5 Indie Albums of 2008 List - #3

#3: Blind Pilot 3 Rounds And A Sound

Could Blind Pilot be Portland's next big thing, following in the footsteps of the Decemberists and The Shins? The signs seem to point to yes as in the past year this duo has been the iTunes' "Single Of The Week" and Starbucks' "Pick Of The Week." Israel and Ryan keep things beautifully simple on 3 Rounds And A Sound with just an acoustic guitar and brushed drums, with the occasional horns and strings sprinkled throughout. Israel sings sweetly and with convincing honesty. Blind Pilot is also notable for their bike tours, carrying all of their equipment on their bicycles as they travel up and down the west coast. Fans of Sufjan Stevens and Iron And Wine would certainly enjoy this album as much as I have. I am really excited to see what 2009 has in store for these guys.

Petey 2006-2008

Petey was a gift to my girlfriend at the time, Bonnie. She had talked about she wanted a little bunny and I always told her I thought it was a stupid idea. But eventually I gave in, and on April 2, 2006, we headed to the pet store. We went to the Scamps at the Valley River Center in Eugene. Bonnie had a hard time picking between two different bunnies, a male and a female. The store clerk recommended we go with the female because she would be less aggressive. However, Bonnie picked up the male and connected with him immediately, but I think at the time she was trying to convince herself to get the female. A small child walked in and grabbed the male, while Bonnie was holding the female. She commented to me that the child was "holding my bunny!" Upon getting the male rabbit out of the small child's hands, he was soon in Bonnie's arms. She called him 'Petey.' I'm not sure why, even the store clerk remarked that it wasn't a good name. Bonnie didn't care. She was in love and Petey was soon in the car and headed to his new home.

Even though I wasn't sold on the idea of having a pet at first, I fell in love with the little guy rather quickly. For the first month we had him, I couldn't wait to get home from school or work to play with him. I would spend hours watching him explore Bonnie's apartment, doing figure-eights around her dining room table and random hops straight into the air for no apparent reason.

Bonnie and I eventually went our separate ways; Bonnie to her mother's in Beaverton and me to an apartment in Clackamas. She asked me if I would watch Petey as she was afraid that he might not last at her mother's place (a former rabbit pet of Bonnie's had disappeared while she was growing up under mysterious circumstances). I reluctantly agreed. I was new to Portland and a bit lonely and Petey offered me companionship during those first few months. I worked a very stressful job at the time and the highlight of many of my days was heading home and having that him run around the house. If I lay down on the ground at his level, he would come up to me and start nipping at my hair. His whiskers would tickle me. He was a great friend.

Bonnie was a great mother. Despite the proximity difference between the two of us, she always made a point to come out and visit Petey whenever she could, bringing him treats such as carrots and yogurt chips. He loved visits from his mom since he knew he was going to get a lot of attention and presents. It was incredibly cute to watch the two of them together.

Petey was sick over this past summer, some sort of digestive problems. He required regular medicine which was a pain in the ass for me to give to him, twice a day to boot. He hated me for those couple of weeks. He also could no longer have carrots or other treats that his mother and I were used to spoiling him with. Just a strict diet of hay, pellets, and leafy vegetables. He was not such a fan of that.

This past Thursday night, Petey and I watched the Blazer game together as we normally do (to be fair, I watch the game while he runs around). He was in desperate need of a bath as it had been awhile since his last one; he has the softest fur after a bath. After finishing up, I set him down to continue running around. He sat underneath a side table in the basement instead. After the game, I went and lay on the ground to have him nip at my hair since I knew he wasn't a fan of the bath earlier. He didn't come up to me. I was disappointed at the time, but didn't think any more of it. I put him to bed for the night and went to sleep myself.

The next morning I woke for my Friday-off routine which consists of making pancakes and coffee, then heading downstairs to feed Petey and let him run around while I catch up on the Tivo. This Friday morning though, when I went to open his cage, he didn't get up. I tried petting his soft fur to stir him, but he still didn't move. I started to shake him, my heart racing, while I begged him to wake up, but he was already gone. I sat there in front of his cage in disbelief as my special little guy lay in front of me.

I don't remember crying so much as I have this past weekend. I used to think it was weird that people got so attached to their animals. Now I understand. Every time I think of Petey, I tear up. Those of you that had the chance to meet Petey know what a special guy he was. He was such a ladies man. He got to meet a bunch of Portland musicians. He was always Mr. Popular at the parties. I like to think he lived a fulfilling life.

I miss him. I can't believe he's gone. I love that furry little guy so much. He will always have a special place in my heart.

Ghosts Of Blazers Past

So great! (Click picture to enlarge)

Justin Royce's Uber Pretentious Top 5 Indie Albums of 2008 List - #4

#4: Ehren Ebbage Ten Cent Souvenir

After years playing second fiddle (or guitar) to such front men as John Shipe and Justin King, Ehren finally steps out on his own. In additional to being a phenominal guitar player, including lap steel, Ehren is an exceptional lyricist and his words tell the tales of women who can't commit and men not worth committing to. Like Tom Petty's music, this CD would be perfect for a summer road trip with plenty of great sing-along songs such as the title track, "The Way She Does It" and "Bottlerocket." There are also some really pretty tracks like "Earthquakes" and my personal favorite "Snakes" which subtly discusses Ehren's decision to leave the very popular Justin King Band. Admittedly, it took me some time to get into this album; it's not flashy and doesn't really stand out in the first listen. But after a couple spins, you will find yourself singing along until Ten Cent Souvenir is on a regular rotation on your iPod.

Justin Royce's Uber Pretentious Top 5 Indie Albums of 2008 List - #5

It's December, so that means it's prematurely time for all of us who think our opinion matters more than everyone else's to put together our "Best Of..." lists for the year and amaze others with our knowledge in our area of expertise.

I won't pretend to have better music taste than anyone else, but the following five albums (to be listed, in order, in the coming days) made more of an impression on me than the other albums I listened to in 2008 (and there were quite a few). Of course, qualifying albums had to be independently released, no major labels, and all artists need to Northwest represent. One band does hail from the Bay Area, but makes frequent trips north. One Eugene artist and three Portland bands also make the cut. Oddly enough, Seattle/Washington aren't represented on my list in a year where both Pac-10 Washington college football teams went a combined 2-23 for the season, the Seahawks are 2-11 and the Supersonics no longer exist; coincidence?

And without further adieu, my uber pretentious Top 5 Indie albums of 2008:

#5: Tea For Julie The Sense In Tying Knots

At 17 tracks, it is the meatiest of the winning albums, but Tea For Julie keeps it all killer, no filler, on their second album. The idea of 'home' is a central theme throughout the album, and Tea For Julie makes their second album as warm and inviting as my mom's home in Central Oregon. The album is chock full of great tracks, from the opener "Tying Knots" to the dirty bass riff of "Pollyanna" to the drum machine beat of "Snow Globe." TFJ reminds me a lot of one of my favorite major label bands, Athlete, and fans of that band, or even U2 or Coldplay would do well to check out "...Tying Knots." A good mix of fast and slow songs and a final piano and vocals track, "Day and Age" should keep listeners entertained for some time. Hopefully it won't be another 4 years before we hear from Tea For Julie again.