Remember how I made a post about So Long Forgotten recently? Well they have now released their new album in the form of ‘pay what you want’ or for free when you tell 5 people. This album is too good to go unnoticed. Wrapped in indie rock, passion fills every song with easy comparisons to established bands like Thrice and Thursday who have been known to have both heavier and softer moments. Please leave any feedback you have in the comments.

[just in case there is any confusion, you can get the album on the band's myspace half way down the page under 'Noisetrade']

Music out today worth buying

* Thrice – Beggars [In physical stores]
* Sleeping At Last – Storyboards
* Rubik – Dada Bandits [Awesome album]
* Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up [$2.99 at Amazon.com]
* Moneen – The World I Want to Leave Behind

Other music out today

* Muse – The Resistance

A few months ago I wrote an open letter to record labels offering a solution to music piracy. Since that time Sleeping At Last, arguably a band creating some of the most beautiful orchestra rock, has unintentionally put my theory to the test. The band pretty much came out of nowhere with the news that their album was done and that within weeks (about 2 weeks), not months, it would be available for download with pre-order. I got a chance to ask the band’s lead singer, Ryan O’Neal a few questions about putting the album up for download immediately after it was finished.

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Music out today worth buying

* Thrice – Beggars [Digital Only]
* Between The Trees – Spain

Other music out today

* Cobra Starship – Hot Mess
* Showbread – The Fear of God

Thrice - Beggars

I can’t think of an album, in recent memory, which hasn’t leaked before its release date, but Thrice’s ‘Beggars’ was barely out of the oven when it was thrust on those who could not resist temptation. With no preconceived notions of what to expect, from a band who, in the past, was able to match up melodies to elements of nature, I was able to be blown away by this pivotal album.

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Going back to ‘The Artist In The Ambulance’ album, ‘Beggars’ is unequivocally the best Thrice album in recent years. Not since ‘Illusion Of Saftey’ has the band crafted such a complete and balanced record which will now serve as a jumping off platform for the next phase in the band’s career. It needs to be said that ‘Beggars’ is a toned down and more straight up rock influenced album, but it doesn’t matter because the band’s spirit has never been stronger.

Read the full review

Listen to Thrice

Song to start with: “The Weight”

Where to begin. Thrice will be releasing their new album, ‘Beggars’ in October, but much ahead of schedule it leaked out earlier this week. The band has made their comments which made me think of the article I wrote on curbing music piracy by offering it up for sell digitally as soon as possible. [You can read the article here]

“Beggars” will be available for download, legally and voiceover free–the way it was intended to be heard–as soon as we can possibly make it happen. Leaks happen overnight. Changing an entire retail marketing plan doesn’t.

Finally, we’d like to thank those of you who have resisted the urge to download this leak.

Read the full update from the band on Thrice.net

We don’t want to advocate piracy in the least, but if you have heard it feel free to leave you thoughts on the music. We will be updating this post to discuss the album and how the band continues to evolve. I will say that the album artwork is awesome!

Read our 1 Liner review of ‘Beggars’

Full of ambient rock, ‘The Sleeping House’ has it’s dark moments but it also has the parts that shine an optimistic point of view. With a slower overall tempo this album should fit many different moods as well as scratching a lot of different itches people may have. Any fans of Copeland, Noise Ratchet, or Thrice’s newer material should check this album out.

Listen to Cool Hand Luke

Song to start with: “The House”

Here is a summery of some of the reviews and such about Thrice’s Alchemy Index project.

* Full Review: Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vols. 3 & 4
* Full Review: Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vols. 1 & 2
* Thrice: Air Or Earth?
* Thrice Vs. Jon Foreman

Looking for something fresh and new? The Out Circuit has been around awhile but they recently released a new record which is both ambient and hard rock in nature. If you are a fan of Thrice’s new album’s you should check this out, especially because the album includes guest appearances by both Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranish.

For fans of: Thrice

Song to start with: Across The LIght

Concept records are nothing new but in the last year we’ve had 2 major players release themed albums. Thrice had 4 EP’s based on the elements and Jon Foreman had (will have) 4 EP’s based on the seasons. The question is which do you prefer and who did a better job?

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If you are in the mood to check out 2 albums before you buy them you can stream both Thrice’s new album and also Story Of The Year’s new album.

Music out today worth buying

* The Kooks – Konk
* Thrice – Alchemy Index Vols. 3 & 4 ‘Air and Earth’
* Phantom Planet – Raise The Dead

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The Alchemy Index is Thrice’s attempt to capture the 4 elements and recreate them musically. The feat is one that sounds almost ridiculous, but amazingly it works. There will be 4 EP’s in total [Fire, Water, Earth, Air] which will be split and combined into two albums, the 2nd of which is Vols. 3 & 4 [Air and Earth].

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Volumes 3 & 4 take on recreating the elements of “Air” and “Earth” through both melody and mood. On the previous album, “Fire” and “Water” may have felt more like the elements they were depicting, but the new record is probably a step up in overall enjoyment. “Air” is spacial and floats while “Earth” is gritty and raw full of acoustic instruments.

[Click image for Full Review]

We are a little more than 2 weeks from the release of Thrice’s second elements album. The band has officially released 1 song from both Air and Earth. The question is which do you like better so far and which do you think will be the best once you’ve heard the entire thing?

Vol III: Air
1. “Broken Lungs”
2. “The Sky Is Falling”
3. “A Song for Milly Michaelson”
4. “Daedalus”
5. “As the Crow Flies”
6. “Silver Wings”

Vol IV: Earth
1. “Moving Mountains”
2. “Digging My Own Grave”
3. “The Earth Isn’t Humming” (Frodus cover)
4. “The Lion and the Wolf”
5. “Come All You Weary”
6. “Child of Dust”

Read the full review of The Alchemy Index Vols. 3 & 4

There will eventually be 4 EP’s in total after next year’s disc gets released. The first two EP’s [which is Vol. 1] are Fire & water which compliment each other very nicely. The hard-rock on the Fire disc is power and intense with the Water disc coming from the other side implementing smooth and sometimes electronic sounds.

Full Review