Mind Equals Blown

3 Of The Week: (4/11/10)

This week I’ve been listening to a lot of the new, and a lot of the old, songs I already know well and a song I want to know better. We’ve got another new jam by a band that’s already been in the 3 Of The Week, an older punk/post-hardcore tune that makes you want to rock out, and a party rock song from a group of locals that are slowly rising in fame.

1. “Imaginary Enemy” – Circa Survive

The new song by Circa Survive from their yet-to-be-released album Blue Sky Noise has been playing on my iTunes a little more than I’d like to admit. It’s still very Circa Survive, but much more upbeat and exciting. Starting off slowly with a clean guitar, drumming, and randomly interspersed distortion, Anthony Green’s vocals come in a few measures in and it starts to build up from there. Soon after it jumps into the chorus, a happy melody that’s sure to make you smile and sing along to the line “I tried so hard, to be what you needed: an imaginary enemy.” The solo section is great, Collin Frangicetto’s guitar skills really come out and it makes you wonder why they haven’t put as many solos in other songs before now. The song ends on a high note and leaves you with a good feeling, hopefully the rest of the album can follow suit.

2. “Catamaran” – Bear vs. Shark

An oldie but a goodie. Bear vs. Shark made a name for themselves by playing exciting live shows and having a unique post-hardcore/punk sound. This song in particular is what got me into the band and it still hooks me in every time I hear it. Marc Paffi’s Keith Buckley-esque (Every Time I Die) sing-yelling is exciting and perfectly accents the music. It’s a shame these guys broke up, they will definitely be missed, but thankfully they left us with a gem like Catamaran.

3. “Tidal Waves” – Neon Trees

Though they’re gaining some fame right now by touring with the likes of Thirty Seconds To Mars and Mute Math, every band has to start out somewhere and Neon Trees is no exception. The electric party rock group has its humble beginnings in “happy valley,” Utah where I grew up. So after seeing their vinyl record in a local store, I realized I somehow didn’t have their independently released CD Becoming Different People, which was one of the records that made up my 10th grade soundtrack. After some scrounging I was able to pull up the CD and the first song I played was Tidal Waves, a fast and exciting keyboard-led song. The tune makes your fist rise into the air and start to pump along with it’s dancy beat. Have fun trying to find this, though, it’s pretty much non-existent on the internet.