by BrandonLemons
It's the year in review and there's hardware...well or home decor I suppose up from grabs!
This month we bring you reviews on Shades of Day, Duffy, VersaEmerge and Crash Kings
So this is the look back on 2010. I have created the Lemonade Awards as a way of showing everyone what our favorite indie and mainstream music of the year was. This year so crazy in so many ways. I started this magazine back in May and have met so many amazing people since then. Here are a few of my favorite memories:
Talkin to Art Alexakis from Everclear was such a cool experience. I don't know if I have interviewed a nicer guy in my life. I almost feel like I want to call him back and just chat with him, but I am not sure what he would think of that haha.
Receiving a phone call from Juliet Simms' mom (Natalie) really made me feel like I was doing something right. I don't know if she realizes how much both her and her daughter's support (as well as Automatic Loveletter's publicist Rey) has meant to me. They are such a cool family.
Meeting and interviewing Cassadee Pope from Hey Monday at Vans Warped Tour was obviously a great memory. I mean she is the epitome of adorable and I was so happy I got the chance to chat with her and I can't wait for their new CD this year.
Seeing Weezer play Bumbershoot was unreal. I saw them co headline with Blink 182 back in 2009 and it was great, but Bumbershoot was their floor, no sharing, Rivers could go crazy for as long as he wanted and that's what he did. They sang all of our favorite songs and put on one of the best concerts I have been to.
Along with those things it has been amazing to see some of our loyal fans react to the issues, whether it was DJ Slam who gave us one of the best reviews ever or if was any of you who commented on our facebook page or on twitter. I hope 2011 will be successful, there are never any promises, we are after all an indie magazine and advertising doesn't come easy these days, but I can promise you all, I will do everything I can to keep this magazine going and continue to make it better if you all promise to stick with me and spread the word. I can't thank everyone enough, 2010 was a blast and it wouldn't have been without all of you. Cheers to 2011! -Brandon
It's that time of year again...oh wait actually this is the first time this has happened, so that opening sentence is all kinds of wrong. Lets try again.
It's the first time this has ever happened, but hopefully not the last, that's right it's the Lemonade Awards. The trophies themselves are modest, for those of you who didn't win one they are decorative lemons that you might find in a fake fruit basket....yep that's what you missed out on. It's what they represent that really counts though. All year long pretty much all we do is listen to the newest and latest music that is out, a couple months ago we came together to kind of agree on our favorite song, album and artists of the year.
So without further adieu we bring to you the Lemonade Awards...
Juliet and Tommy Simms of Automatic Loveletter
When it comes to fans I guess Automatic Loveletter has the best, because not only did front girl Juliet win the female artist fan award, but her bro and guitarist, Tommy won the male artist fan award as well. Their fans showed up in masses and helped them surge ahead of the rest of the nominees. You should all know as well that readers were not allowed to vote more than once, so there was no "back, vote, back, vote, back, vote" funny business going on.
The siblings toured together on Vans Warped Tour this year with the whole band and also did an acoustic live stream for fans as just the duo
Some fun facts about the siblings, their grandfather is a jazz pianist in Aspen, Colorado. Tommy is also part of the Florida band, Win Win Winter. Tommy also produced Juliet's first CD.
Civil Twilight
After the Beatles invaded the USA years ago, there hasn't been a shortage of foreign acts making it big across the pond. The USA might be the birth place of rock and roll, but the UK definitely helped it grow up and be the popular kid. Of course other countries chipped in too along the way. Australia gave us AC/DC, Sweden gave us ABBA, Canada gave us The Bare Naked Ladies, New Pornographers, The Tragically Hip (to name a few) and in 2010 South Africa gave us Civil Twilight.
Ok so maybe Civil Twilight had already been making some small waves here in the states before that (anyone remember the bridge death scene in the TV series Harpers Island ?), but it was in 2010 that you really started to realize the genius that is Civil Twilight. They can pull of sounding like The Police, The Verve, Coldplay, U2 and yet still they are Civil Twilight. They don't seem possessed by these bands or like they are trying to emulate them, they truly just sound inspired by them and that makes all the difference. Their self titled debut is solid from start to finish and earned five stars from Lemonade earlier in the year. We couldn't stop there though, because these guys were hands down our favorite foreign artist of 2010, thus your Lemonade Award Civil Twilight.
Brian Wright
Brian has been a staple to the L.A. music scene for a while. Whether you know of him with the Waco Tragedies or solo, Brian has been hanging around putting out some of the best folk/blues/rock/alternative country around. As it is with many indie artists, Brian seems to struggle to get noticed, which is too bad, because he is a hell of a writer and if his music doesn't pull you in right off the bat, it is sure to grow on you pretty quick.
Brian released House on Fire in 2010 and as expected, his loyal fans were not disappointed. The CD is filled with the brilliance you would expect from Brian Wright and is no doubt a keeper.
Even if a good percentage of the world hasn't caught onto him, Lemonade Magazine certainly has and now that we've recognized him as the Best Indie Male Artist of 2010, we hope others do as well.
Stacy Clark
Talk about a tough year to be a girl in indie music! Even tougher to have to decide which one of them deserved the female artist of the year honor. There were so many deserving candidates out there and what separated the decision was razor thin, but when it all came down to it, there was no doubt Stacy Clark was our girl.
Her sophomore CD Connect The Dots was a five star pick for Lemonade earlier in the year and we are still listening to it to this day. Stacy has this way of creating amazing pop music with an edge to it. Her writing is soft and beautiful, yet also a bit dark and haunting at times, which we find just perfect. Stacy toured North America this year in support of Connect The Dots and is headed to Singapore at the end of January as well.
Connect The Dots was received well and in the top 10 of many indie music publications for 2010, so although we would like to claim her as ours...sadly others have also caught onto the musical whirlwind we call Stacy Clark. Outside of music she impressed us with her commitment to the charity To Write Love On Her Arms and kept us entertained with her twitter and face book updates. So with all that said....congratulations Stacy, you are our Indie Female Artist of 2010.
Me Talk Pretty
You might have seen them open for Civil Twilight and Neon Trees? Maybe you saw them on Vans Warped Tour? Perhaps you played along to their single Wake Up on Rock Band ? Of course you also might have heard them on the radio as well...they did after all hit the air waves with a bang.
There are many things to love about Me Talk Pretty, whether its the pure, out and out rock music they play or lead singer Uliana's pipes, but quite possibly the most remarkable thing about Me Talk Pretty is the loyalty of their fan base already and how good they treat them.
Me Talk Pretty released the EP We Are Strangers in 2010 and the album of the same title should be out sometime in 2011. Even if you haven't been fortunate enough to hear Me Talk Pretty yet, don't fear! These guys are definitely not going anywhere and they are without a doubt Lemonade's Breakout Indie Artist of the Year.
Christina Perri
Awww Christina how did you know how much we love adorable, tattooed girls with amazing voices and kicky, folksy, pop melodies with sometimes dark lyrics? Will you marry me Christina? Wait where was I?
Oh nevermind...You could make the argument that if the TV talent show So You Think You Can Dance? didn't exist I would be writing this about somebody else. Christina was barely heard of before the show, so we can only thank the show over and over again for featuring her music, because we really believe she is something special.
I could sit here and go on and on about how amazing we think Christina Perri is, but the truth is that if you listen to her sing, you won't need to read any of this. Her voice is something so refreshing compared to most artists out there right now and her writing is spot on perfect. Rolling Stone named her Band of the Week in October of 2010, but we feel she is way too good to only dedicate a week to.... shame on you Rolling Stone ! With that all said, we can't wait for her debut full length album this year and we are so happy to say that Christina Perri is our Breakout Artist of the Year!
Hey Monday : Beneath It All
EP's really seem to be making a comeback and 2010 really seemed like the year of the EP...well at least to me it did. There really were so many to choose from, but only one could be our number one choice.
Back in the summer Hey Monday released the EP, Beneath It All as a preview to their sophomore album they will be releasing in 2011. The EP features some of the best pop-punk music we have heard in years, including one of our favorite songs that sadly was only available if you bought the EP through iTunes ( Fall Into Me ) and one of my personal favorite lines of the year "....The haters are hating, they haters they hate me, the lovers are loving, but the lovers they hate me too....." ( Mr. Pushover ).
Not only did we love Beneath It All , we also are very much looking forward to their upcoming US tour in 2011 and the release of their second full length, studio album. Oh yeah and we are happy to say our Lemonade Award for Best EP of 2010 goes to......Hey Monday
Florence + The Machine : Dog Days Are Over
Let's go way back to 2009, like so long ago right? A few of your friends who were just to cool to listen to top 40 would kind of mumble out the name Florence + The Machine and then hesitantly tell you to go listen to her stuff. You know those friends? So scared if they spread the word of an artist they like, they might become ::GASP!:: popular!
Of course you went home and you downloaded Flo's stuff and of course...you enjoyed it. The lanky red head is an anomaly, awkward yet graceful, cryptic yet blunt. It's not that often you come across someone who encapsulates the spirit of fairytales of old, mixing beauty, evil, happiness, anger, violence, peace, life and death all in one album.
Although Cosmic Love and Kiss With a Fist reached some of our ears before Dog Days Are Over , it was Dog Days Are Over that made Florence + The Machine a household name stateside. No matter where you were, what channel you were flipping through or what movie trailer you seemed to be watching, Dog Days Are Over was everywhere in 2010. Not only was it everywhere, but it also happened to be our favorite song of the year here at Lemonade Magazine, so with that Ms.Welch, your Lemonade Award.
B.o.B.
Unlike the girls side, there weren't a lot of male artists making the world shake this year, unless your first name was Justin and your last name rhymed with Dieber. There was one artist though who gave us something to talk about and did it with more style and star power than we ever could have dreamed of. His name is a simple one...B.o.B.
What do we love so much about B.o.B.? Pretty much everything. For people like myself who are not normally fans of new hip hop, B.o.B. brought something to the genre that neither Jay Z, Kanye, Lil Wayne or Drake could. He brought some wit, some charm and most importantly some fun. I am not a prude by any means ok? But I dont think I am the only one who is tired of hearing about hos, Ciroc, dance floors, grinding, the club, bub etc etc.
B.o.B. brought rock and pop back to hip hop and brought some of our favorite stars to sing along with him (Hayley Williams, Rivers Cuomo, and Bruno Mars). He isn't the rap star who goes on stage, pants half way down, and an auto tuned microphone in his hand, he goes on stage with his Buddy Holly glasses and a guitar in hand, who else in hip-hop does that? B.o.B. is downright enjoyable and he just happens to be our Male Artist of 2010.
A Fine Frenzy
A Fine Frenzy makes the kind of music that all the girls can relate to and the kind that could turn the most commitment phobic guys into hopeless romantics.
Her 2010 involved being part of Lilith Fair and continuing to support her sophomore album, Bomb in a Birdcage , including the release of the single and video for Electric Twist .
From the release of her first CD, One Cell in the Sea , A Fine Frenzy has impressed fans (including us) with her beautiful voice, gorgeous lyrics and to say she has an absolutely adorable personality would be an understatement. The music world is full of amazing female artists right now, but there wasn't even a question in our minds who our favorite female artist was this year.
Automatic Loveletter : Truth or Dare
Well I am officially calling this the big award of the year…...I mean it basically is right? What could be better than being named Album of the Year? There were a bunch of amazing albums to choose from in 2010. Hands All Over by Maroon 5, I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling, Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons (2010 US Release) etc. Ultimately though it came down to two bands who come from the state of Florida. Not only are they two bands from Florida, but the lead singers from each band are best friends!
Those two singers are the lovely Sierra Kusterbeck of VersaEmerge and the kick ass Juliet Simms of Automatic Loveletter. How do you choose between these girls? In my opinion it is nearly impossible, because really when it comes down to it, there is not much separating the two albums. The songwriting on both Fixed At Zero (VersaEmerge) and Truth or Dare (Automatic Loveletter) is solid, the replay value on both is outstanding and both Sierra and Juliet sound amazing on them. However, when it all came down to it, we decided on Truth or Dare , even if the decision was razor thin, Juliet and Automatic Loveletter were definitely deserving of this title, and I would go as far to say it is extremely impressive that both of these bands brought such amazing albums to the music world this year, they both deserve a standing ovation. What was so impressive about Truth or Dare though is how it brought back everything we love about the alternative music scene. Juliet'’s voice recalls some of the female rock greats and her writing reminded us of the good old days of Dashboard Confessional and Yellow Card. It’ wouldn’'t be hard to guess that Truth or Dare received five stars from Lemonade when it was released, but really it’'s much more than that, it is an album we will forever be listening to and that will forever be on our iPods and in our car stereos.
Automatic Loveletter took us by surprise in 2010 and took away the award for Album of the Year. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
So 2010 is over and new music is just around the corner, since right now is a quiet time for new releases (as it usually is), so this month's reviews include a couple CDs that were released before this magazine started this year (VersaEmerge and Crash Kings) so we decided to include reviews on them in this issue as well as a review on Duffy's new album and an artist on artist review from Jaime Wyatt.
Hope you all enjoy them and have a great start to your 2011!
I remember hearing Past Praying For a while back and wondering why I hadn't heard any buzz on VersaEmerge yet. Fast forward to this summer, I started to see a little more of Sierra and the gang, whether it was in the press trailer at Vans Warped Tour or on World of Jenks on MTV, but still most people seem to pass them by at the record store or iTunes I suppose. I am not sure what the reason is for them being under the radar at times, but I have this feeling it wont last for long.
Fixed At Zero is a devastatingly underrated album. The production on it is amazing, it finds a way to be almost cinematic without going overboard into the hideousness of alternative bands trying to be industrial. The clarity and power of Sierra's voice is tremendous as she sounds amazing whispering, screaming and everything in between. The album kicks off with the kicky, acoustic guitar lined Figure it Out and then heads into the fast paced Mind Reader , but the brilliance of the album does not end there, it only builds and gets stronger all the way to the end, which in my opinions is one of the best climaxes to an album I have heard in a long time with Lost Tree, where they sample portions of other songs on the record while Sierra screams as the band goes into a breakdown that would have Chino Moreno bowing at their feet.
Fixed At Zero is one of those albums that you will always go back and listen to over the years. I sincerely hope everyone checks it out and helps put VersaEmerge on the radar.
-Brandon Lemons
I remember back in September I caught part of a Crash Kings set at Bumbershoot in Seattle. I remembered thinking "wow this guy has soul, he has a voice, and he can fucking rock!". Then they went into what would end up being one of my favorite versions of War Pigs for their encore and I was completely sold.
Their self titled debut would remind you of what would happen if you mashed up White Stripes, Cold War Kids and Keane. I think the reason I love it so much is because even though I am a fan of Keane, their albums sometimes just dont take it to that next level of amazing. Although I love the White Stripes, I sometimes wish their lyrics were just a little more relatable and personable. I have loved Cold War Kids from the start of their career, but sometimes I get a little bored with their tendency to drag out songs and make many of them sound the same. Crash Kings however seem to be inspired by and improve on all these bands. Stand out tracks are Saving Grace , Mountain Man , and You Got Me . It is rock at its best and you can't help, but be moved by Tony Beliveau's soulful voice. Not only do I hope you go out and buy their music, I also hope you see them live, because they really do shine brightly on stage.
You know that Mercy song that seems like it was released just yesterday, because of the copious amount of times it was played on the radio, your favorite tv shows, movies, ring tones, commercials, inside star bucks, inside that other coffee shop you go to, inside the elevator, the hold music for the bank? Ok I think you get the picture. Well anyway most of you probably know the voice behind that song, the lovely Welsh throwback singer, Duffy. Her second big release in the United States is an album called Endlessly , which is kind of ironic, given the fact it seems like a very short album. Overall Endlessly is a bit hit and miss, it starts off a bit rough with what seems like an attempt from Duffy to step outside the box. Her voice seems a bit forced into an even higher register then I would have thought was possible, even for her and she just doesnt seem to sound comfortable in the style of music she is singing. Well Well Well still seems like an iffy fit for her, but is a very kicky song that I think will probably be received well in the world of radio and television. It's after Well Well Well though where I actually start to really enjoy the CD.
The title track and Hard For The Heart are probably my two favorite songs off the album as she really settles into what we loved so much about Rockferry .
It's really hard to not say all nice things about a girl like Duffy, I mean how couldn't someone like her make you smile right? However she said before the release "I'm not the same as I was back then ( Rockferry ), I was just a girl back then." In my opinion it seems like just the opposite, Rockferry was a very soulful, mature release, where parts of Endlessly seem a little more immature. I know it's in all of us to want to change things up and Duffy definitely didn't release a dud by any means, but I hope in the future she goes back to what we loved just a little more.
At ten tracks and jams averaging around 4 minutes, the only thing that takes all night while enjoying Shades of Day's new record, is putting into a specific genre! I'm stumped, but Rock n' Roll suits the sneer on my face.
Front man of Shades of Day, Brendan James, chuckled as he handed me a copy of the new record. He was visibly giddy, saying something like; "There's a little bit of everything on this record. Country, rock, pop I'd love to know what you think about it, when you have a listen...and honestly, Jaimbo!"
On a side-note, Brendans the only person I let call me this particular nickname. Not to mention, I'm overly critical of new music.
But considering the source, I was stoked to get a copy of this particular new album. Plus, I'd missed the bands record release party at Zoey's (Cafe) the previous weekend, while playing a gig of my own. Mr. James came out to lend some backing vocals at a benefit my band was playing in Ventura, CA the following weekend and I was in for a treat.
We've shared several bills over the last few years now as well as an unquenchable thirst for cowboy boots and tight jeans. Bassist Micah asked my hand in marriage over a pair of shit-kickers I was wearing at a gig in Santa Barbara.
I knew I was too tipsy to make any commitments, so we settled for a drink instead. What's nice about Take All Night is that hippies, jocks and rednecks will all rock out in unity. All jokes aside, Shades of Day made a quality record this year. Not to mention, two of my favorite session musicians, Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams) and Rami Jeffee (Wallflowers) made guest spots on the album. The tones are fabulous and the songs are undeniably melodic and catchy. Im not going to analyze every song, because that would take all night (jk) but I wanted to pay homage to a few gems.
The album kicks-off with the moody and sensual intro to One Flashing Light , which then builds into one hooky-ass chorus. The lyricism is abstract enough to be universal, but still tells a thematic story. I heard to be the artists path and struggles with identity and need for validation, but more importantly the moral of the tale is don't let anyone steal your chi, homie. Or as Gandhi said, Be the change you want to see in the world.
Sexual Predator is my personal favorite on the record. It's an anthem in the vein of Cheap Trick or Kiss. This is the song you will end up singing and dancing with a total stranger in the crowd, at a dirty club like The Viper Room. Camp O'Neill lays it on thick with chunky riffs like Rick Nielson.
Another highlight is the third track Love Parade . Its my favorite intro, swirling with a certain corky pop swagger. It reminds of something Maroon 5 would do, which is a complement! This one is bound to grace a motion picture, so I hope it gets into the hands of a music supervisor soon. Thank you Micah and Rick for laying it down and keeping it real. There are few bands where you can honestly say the bass player and drummer are a rhythm section. These fools go together like peas and carrots. (Challenge: Email me if you find a better analogy).
Being a roots rocker, myself, I'd be a fool to pass up Business Side . Brendans vocal delivery is very vulnerable on this track, which is a rad effect for a singer who is more than capable of pulling off perfect takes. The song drives like The Heartbreakers' Runnin' Down a Dream while the chorus is a stack of lush vocal harmonies, like an Eagles tune. Oh yeah, and the slide is ripping on this track.
I used to call Shades of Day vintage rockers, but they've proved to develop into much more. They made a record with significant pop craft, not unlike the hit factory, Train. Folks say pop music is a crapshoot (or the music business in general) but Shades of Day is on the path to discovery. I highly suggest you lend your ears for listening pleasure, to the latest and greatest Take All Night .
