HIP shines spotlight on One Word Song

One Word Song, a favorite in the NYC and Hoboken small venue circuit, has come out to talk to us about the making of their debut album, I Can't Be Trusted.

One Word Song is a band which has garnered praise for detailed, beautifully slick, Aerosmith-like music.

They said the album was a "labor of love," and they were very meticulous during recording. If the song wasn't just right, they'd go back and record it again--and again--and again.

The single, Time Stood Still," is a beautiful, and devastating homage to relationships that were meant to be--but just didn't work out. A "fairytale story...true love. But something goes awry."

Check out the interview below:

Orchid Highway gets rave review from Amplifier magazine!

According to Amplifier, Orchid Highway is channeling the spirit of each and every Beatle.

It's true that there are a lot of bands taking the Beatles aesthetic to heart these days. But Amplifier notes that Orchid Highway pulls it off with the perfect balance of "slickness and rawness," jagged guitar work and clean-sounding recordings. They channel the best of the 60s grit into the sound clarity this century offers. Orchid Highway has recorded a work resembling "Revolver...in 2008."

Metric rocks Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show

Metric enthralled Craig Ferguson's audience June 18 on the Late Late Show. Metric's Emily Haines is a great performer, drawing the audience fully into the song through the use of her tambourine, and her fist on her chest, "beating like a hammer."

Metric is well-known for creating intense, but catchy electronic pop that sticks in your head and sticks in your heart. Their music appeals to your ears as well as appealing to your emotions. Sometimes, it sends shivers down your spine.

It's hard to stop watching this clip. Look below:

The Leftovers: "Telephone Operator"

The Leftovers are from Portland, Maine, a place one does not usually put in same category as such artistically-inclined, social misfit-filled places such as Chicago and Seattle.

But Portland is, allegedly, a place teeming with punk rockers, and yet, unlike New York City, it's cheap, kind of. The last inexpensive place on the New England coast.

Artistic ferment is rife in this place--and The Leftovers are one great thing coming out of it.

The Leftovers wind punk up into tightly-coiled, loud pop-punk songs that cruise out of your stereo. They're great for those days when you drive in your car and you just feel like singing along--with fun lyrics and engaging hooks, they make for the best solo car performances. Not that I'm speaking from experience. Or anything.

Watch the video for "Telephone Operator" below:

HIP Spotlight shines on Jana Mashonee

Native American soloist Jana Mashonee tells us about what inspires her powerful performances, and what her records mean, in the HIP Spotlight interview below.

Her album American Indian Story is a "homage" to her heritage, she says. In the songwriting, she describes the life and adventures of a young girl who traveled, with her tribe, to the New World for the first time many thousands of years ago.

"It's a parallel of my life," Jana tells us.

In essence, it's both a concept album and a personal journey--something near and dear to her heart.

Find out more about Jana below:

Adam 8*1*2: Watch the video for "Poison"

This video--for orchestra dorks anyway--is painful. I couldn't take it. There's a guy who bashes a violin on the ground. Those things are expensive, man!

At any rate, this scene gets across what the girls of Adam 8*1*2 wanted to get across--that if you find yourself in a bad relationship, get out, before it's too late and your heart gets broken. The single "Poison," inspired by a real breakup of one of the girls' good friends, is candid and personal, open and accessible. Everyone who has ever been in a bad relationship--we all have--can relate to it.

Adam 8*1*2 is a group made up of very talented girls aged 17 and up. Despite their young age, they are incredibly skilled musicians and they possess the ability to work hard. They've created a series of tight-knit, emotionally-moving pop songs.

For more info, check out MySpace. And watch the video below:

Polyvinyl needs your help!

Polyvinyl is holding an all-out sale for tens of thousands of great albums.

Evidently, their warehoue space is no more. It's getting downsized nationally, so the label doesn't have as much room as they used to. As a result, they've got albums upon albums taking up office space.
They don't want to throw anything away. So to help them out, pledge anywhere from $5 to $50 or up, and receive a bunch of CDs and DVDs in return.
It's a win-win situation. They get a donation--you get great albums on the cheap.
Check it out here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattlunsford/help-us-save-our-office.