Even On a Cloudy Day...New Music #2

I don't know about you guys but I always appreciate new music suggestions.  I find it's just too easy to get stuck in a same-old, same-old rut where I listen to the same artists over and over again.  So, to rescue you all from the plight of musical boredom, I present my current favourites:

Matt Skiba and the Sekrets - Babylon

This is Matt Skiba's (Alkaline Trio) second side-project after Heavens in 2006.  The band also includes My Chemical Romance's touring drummer Jared Alexander and AFI bassist Hunter Burgan.   It's the combination of musicians that made me get hold of this album in the first place.  Alkaline Trio, My Chemical Romance and AFI are all bands that I have had a love affair with at some point or another.  Although to be honest, the love affair has never really ended.  I'd be lying if I said that Babylon doesn't sounds a lot like Alkaline Trio because it does.  That said, it's still a really great album.  I love Matt Skiba's voice and his darker lyrics.  Despite the lyrics, the songs have a fun, punk sound which makes them really easy to listen to.  My favourite tracks are Voices and You.

Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday

Cage the Elephant are a rock band from Kentucky and Thank You Happy Birthday is their second album.  This isn't exactly a new album because it was released in 2011 but it is new to me.  Jason came across them while reading an article on the Grunge Report.  These guys are loud and awesome and at times sound a little like The Pixies.  Especially on Aberdeen.  My favourite tracks are Shake Me Down (which lends a lyric to this post title) and Sell Yourself.

Deftones - Koi No Yokan

It must sound like I have A LOT of favourite bands which I guess is kind of true but Deftones are a perennial favourite.  I never get bored of them and while I didn't love the last album, I am pretty smitten by this one.  If smitten is even a word you can use in relation to Deftones.  My favourite tracks are Leathers and Swerve City.

MUSE - The 2nd Law

This is a surprise addition to my list.  MUSE was my band of choice at varsity.  I loved all their albums and I knew the lyrics to several songs off by heart.  I also may or may not have had a slight crush on Matt Bellamy.  Moving along, I didn't like their last album The Resistance at all.  In fact, I had pretty much given up on them because I wasn't a fan of the direction they were heading.  Then I heard the official Olympics song, Survival, which is amazing and so much heavier than I expected.  After listening to the album several times, I can safely say that they have my attention again.  My favourite tracks are Survival, Supremacy and one of the bonus tracks called Unsustainable.

Also on my iPod at the moment?  At The Drive In, The National, The xx and The Ravonettes.  You can see my first New Music post here.  I am thinking about making this a semi-regular occurence.  Anyway, if you get a chance to listen to any of the bands/albums then let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions of your own, add them to the comments.