COHEED RETURNS

School and life in general have been extremely intense these past few weeks. With the radio and MTV being the easiest access to new music, I am saddened to say that Justin Bieber, Tay-Tay, and good old Miley have been my best friends as of late. Thankfully, though, I’m about to kick ‘em all to the curb and will no longer have to listen to Bieber’s pre-pubescent relationship woes. Gosh, he can be so whiny sometimes.

In a mere three weeks, quite a few talented artists are going to start releasing new albums left and right. Spring is a hot time for bands to release new albums in order to get fans amped up for their SUMMER TOURS.

Here is what our spring release line-up is looking like right now:

COHEED AND CAMBRIA- Year of the Black Rainbow- April 13

MGMT- Congratulations- April 13

CIRCA SURVIVE- Blue Sky Noise- April 20

MINUS THE BEAR- Omni- May 4

Mmmm it’s going to be like Christmas for my IPod.

 

Which of these new releases am I most excited for? Uh is “all of the above” an answer?

Right now, I’m in a slightly screamo/sweet guitar-riffs/big hair kind of mood, so lets start with Coheed.

Claudio Sanchez, lead singer of Coheed and Cambria.

 

Take a look at the big scary man above. Semi-frightening, right?

Now listen to this song:
 

Can some one please tell me how a creature of this size can produce a sound so soothing? Just one of life’s greatest mysteries, I suppose.

Giant fro or not, Coheed and Cambria is back with some sweet new tunes. New album, Year of the Black Rainbow is set to be released on April 13^th. Two new tracks, Here We Are Juggernaut and Broken, are available for our listening pleasure on Coheed’s website.

After listening to Juggernaut 11 times in the past hour, I have decided to do the unthinkable and actually PURCHASE the CD when it comes out.  And I’m not talking about half-assing it and buying the cheaper version on ITunes. I’m going to march right over to Best Buy on April 13^th, pay the $11.99, tear off the crispy plastic wrapping and pop Year of the Black Rainbow right in to my old-school boom box. Claudio’s voice does not live up to its full potential in mp3 quality.

Coheed and Cambria

“This is not your place, no this is not your playground, it’s my heart,” just one of the emotionally twisting lines from Juggernaut that Coheed is so famous for.

Coheed and Cambria have been around since the mid-90s, but did not release a full studio album until The Second Stage Turbine Blade in 2002. The have since released four more studio albums, two live albums and many special-edition releases. Fun fact- all of Coheed’s albums are concept albums that reveal a science fiction storyline called The Amory Wars, a series of comics written by Claudio Sanchez.

Coheed is on tour headlining right now and will be stopping off in California for a little festival called Coachella in mid-April. Then the guys are hopping back on the road for a two-month tour with Circa Survive. You have two options: 1.) Patiently await my stellar review of Coheed and Circa’s  performance in Central Park on May 26, or 2.) GO SEE THE MAGIC FOR YOURSELF.

Potential Best Album of 2010?

 

As of yesterday, Circa Survive’s third full-length album, Blue Sky Noise, has officially been completed. No one is more excited than me that THE WAIT IS ALMOST OVER! The new album is set to be released on April 20th, but honestly who can wait that long? Luckily, the boys of Circa know that I can not possibly hold out another 60 days to hear the fresh masterpiece and have done loyal fans a large favor by leaking the new track, Get Out, on CircaSurvive.com last night.

Album artwork for Blue Sky Noise, Esao Andrews. Courtesy of CircaSurvive.com.

It has been playing on repeat on my laptop for probably the past 24 hours.

Just like any other song sung by Anthony Green, the emotion in his voice is palpable. Green never fails to make listeners feel exactly what he is feeling with his music. Circa Survive’s first two albums, Jutura and On Letting Go, are exceptional classics and I am certain that Blue Sky Noise is going to live up to every one’s expectations.

Circa Survive has also announced their spring tour dates. The band is going to be headlining the first part of their three month tour starting off in North Carolina and finishing at The Bamboozle music festival in Anaheim, California. From then, Circa will be taking a month break and then head back out on the road with Coheed and Cambria.

Circa Survive. Courtesy of IndieRockReviews.com.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, miss this opportunity. I have seen Circa live numerous times and they never fail to put on an extraordinary show. Think Green’s voice is strong and mighty on CD? Be prepared to be blown away in person.

Anthony Green. Courtesy of RollingStone.com.

Aside from having a uniquely vigorous voice, Green is also ridiculously good-looking. Quite possibly the sexiest specimen in the music biz. Before he started Circa Survive, Green was the lead-singer of Saosin, a post-hardcore band that peaked in 2003. Green also put out a solo-album, Avalon, about a year ago of music he has been working on for the past 10 years. A new remixed version (by Colin of Circa Survive) of Avalon has been recently released. Listen here. Green has collaborated with lots of other bands including Say Anything and Chiodos.

Bottom line- anything that involves Anthony Green is magical. Avalon is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums. Check out a few select tracks performed live by Green:

Slowing Down-

 

Baby Girl-

 

Dear Child (I’ve Been Dying to Reach You)-

 

BONUS TRACK WITH CIRCA SURVIVE: KICKING YOUR CROSSES DOWN-

Get Me To Coachella!

The Coachella line-up was announced about two weeks ago. I am absolutely DYING to go. Unfortunately, I do not have the funds or the time to fly out to California for a random weekend in April, but those who appreciate epic music festivals should take advantage. Instead of being bitter about not being able to go, I am providing readers with all they need to know about planning the perfect Coachella weekend!

Courtesy of Wired.Com

Taking place Friday, April 16th- Sunday, April 18th at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, patrons can purchase a three day festival pass for a mere $269. Sounds a bit steep, but the line-up is completely worth it in my book. Who exactly is so wonderful that is performing at Coachella, you ask? Find out:

April 16th:

Jay-Z
Passion Pit
P.O.S.
Ra Ra Riot
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Vampire Weekend
(This is just a list of highlights of my favorites performing on the 16th,
for a full list of performers click here.)

April 17th:

Coheed and Cambria
David Guetta
MGMT
Muse
Portugal.The Man
RX Bandits
Tiesto
Tokyo Police Club
(Click here for a full list of performers for the 17th.)

April 18th:

Gorillaz
Kevin Devine
Phoenix (2010 GRAMMY winner)
Thom Yorke
(Click here for a full list of performers for the 18th.)

Sold yet?

If you’re from the northeast, like me, getting to the festival could be the biggest money-sucker of the trip. The Coachella website has several links to find “affordable” transportation methods, but the airfare listed on the site is hardly affordable. Luckily, I have conducted my own independent research and have found decently priced airfare.

A roundtrip ticket from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Diego International Airport (88 miles from Coachella) for April 15th- 19th only comes to $319 including tax and fees. April is a great month to fly long distances and save money because it is not a holiday or major vacation time. Also, arriving and departing to and from your destination is much cheaper if you chose to fly on a weekday. Click here to modify your flight.

There are many options for lodging at Coachella. Since the festival takes place in a huge field, concert-goers are able to rent a 10×30-foot spot to camp out in for the three days for a flat rate of $55. The campsite opens at noon on April 15th and closes at noon, Monday, April 19th. This definitely sounds like the best and most affordable option. Hotels nearby the festival site that weekend are so astronomical I’m not even going to bother posting about them.

Courtesy of E-How.com

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I know when I even hear the word “camping” I automatically cringe, but it’s not exactly “roughin’ it” at Coachella. Onsite camping offers free showers, a general store, an Internet café (with free WiFi), portable toilets and handwashing stations, cell phone charging stations and, of course, recycling. Would you expect anything less in Cali?

OK so here is the equation: One Three-Day Festival Pass + One Roundtrip plane ticket + One camping spot= $643 and copious amounts of fun and an unforgettable experience.

Alright, maybe I lied earlier. All this talk about Coachella is making me EXTREMELY bitter that I am not able to go.

Bon voyage!