New Album Review: Spreading Rumors by Grouplove

I randomly decided to listen to the album Spreading Rumors while cruising down the highway with the windows down as I soaked up a true-blue gorgeous November fall day here in Dallas. And guess what? Grouplove had me at their song "Ways to Go." Quirky, soulful, and brilliant back and forth between verses and chorus makes this song insta-loved in my book. The band has a truly unique sound that maintains a strong indie-rock feel while having a solid electronic foundation. The song "I'm with You" is absolutely fabulous and if I could Facebook like it, I would. I'm also loving the song "What I Know," which has an awesome dash of rebellious attitude.

You will adore Grouplove if you like: Young the Giant, Naked and Famous, Walk the Moon, Arcade Fire and Florence + the Machine, especially since they toured extensively with the latter. What's not to love about a lineup like that? You will not heart them if: you have terrible taste in music. Ok, that might be a little extreme. But I'm willing to bet you will enjoy this album. It's a great mix, and definitely worth adding to your playlist. If you're a doubter/curious, check it out here:

Spotlight on Album: Walk the Moon

Every once in a while, I stumble across an album or band that I fall a little bit in love with, and on a recent road trip adventure, I had such an experience. When you have a lot of hours to drive, it means you have a LOT of hours for someone to play DJ, and fortunately I had a good one. After recommending the band Walk the Moon, we listened through their eponymous album Walk the Moon from start to finish, with several repeated tracks. The result: love at first playback.

This fabulous Indie group released Walk the Moon very recently after their self-released album I Want! I Want! It's an album for those who still want to have adventures, fall in love, and be a little bit carefree. It's the kind of music that you'll find in the OC at beach parties, played by NYC hipsters in great dive spots, or during late night drives to no where in particular. The artsy, pop-rock sound is catchy and engaging, all at once. Not surprisingly, several singles have been featured on shows like Vampire Diaries and other similar teen/college dramas.

The song that won me over---madly--- is without a doubt "Anna Sun." It's all the things that sum up young love despite the odds or because of the odds and it's all a grand adventure. I also loved "Iscariot," "Tight Rope," "Fixin" and "Jenny." If you've never heard this band, give their album a listen to and discover their great tunes!

Spotlight on Artists Imagine Dragons

I know this statement is shocking coming from someone living in Dallas---where everything must must must be bigger and better---but I'm not a huge fan Vegas. Apparently if you live in the Big D, you're obligated to consider this overly gaudy, audacious city the ideal vay-cay spot, but I like keeping things low-key, raw and real. So, imagine my delight when I came across this great Sin City based indie rock band called Imagine Dragons! Their style is a fusion of synth-based dance pop and what I like to call "throbbing Euro beats" for a final product that's reminiscent of The Killers and Capital Cities. Check out their album Radioactive, and be sure to listen to my favorite tune "It's Time." And if you've never heard Capital Cities, I've thrown in their eponymous album to help get you through your Manic Monday;)