I have been obsessed with zombies for as long as I can remember and I am not really sure why, but I just can't get enough of them! Not the band -- we're talking actual zombies here! Not that zombies actually exist...but you know what I mean. When I found out there was a band named Zombi, I figured I had to at least check them out and I soon became obsessed with Zombi as well. Zombi are a sort of prog space instrumental rock sort of band from Pittsburgh. You could compare them to Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Goblin, Giorgio Moroder, Yes, Rush, and the soundtracks of John Carpenter. I actually first got into Zombi by listening to Majeure, the project of Zombi drummer A.E. Paterra, which has one album from 2010, Timespan. I was hooked and immediately got all of the Zombi albums that I could find, starting with their last album, Spirit Animal, from 2009, and now I couldn't be happier to have a brand new Zombi album in my life, Escape Velocity, on Relapse. And it is just as good as their last -- dark and spacey. Everyone needs some Zombi in their life.

Listen to "Escape Velocity" by Zombi from their new album Escape Velocity...




I didn't really become an Okkervil River fan until Black Sheep Boy in 2005. Not sure what took me so long but there are a lot of bands out there! It just took me a while to devote some time to them. I already talked about them a bunch in two blogs so I won't waste too much more time on them here. Here I talk about The Stand Ins in 2009. And here I talk about The Stage Names in 2007. I don't want to end up repeating myself but I do still love Okkervil River. And yes, they are still putting out great albums! The new album is called I Am Very Far. I just can't get enough of Will Sheff's voice!

The releases just keep coming -- I seriously can barely keep up! One of my favorites is finally back with a new album: Explosions In the Sky! They have been around for over ten years now, which is hard to believe. They put out their first album, How Strange, Innocence, in 2000, and it has been 4 years since their last brilliant album, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone. It would be very easy for you to have never heard of Explosions in the Sky because they are one of those quiet little bands that have managed to become very popular without anyone really noticing. Their fans are fanatical and devoted and they wait in the sidelines patiently for each new album to come out. I don't want to bore you too much with my love for this band, so if you want to read more about them and my love for them...check out my blog about their last album, All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, from 2007. The new album is called Take Care Take Care Take Care. Explosions In The Sky is an all instrumental group. You can call it post rock if you want, or post instrumental rock. They are one of the bands that I listen to alone, one of those bands I listen to when I need to think or process my life. Their music is my therapist, I guess, although sometimes all I can think about when I listen to them is how good they are! Check them out for yourself.

April is turning out to be a fantastic month for music! I think some of my favorite albums of the year are probably going to be taken from this month and the next. Two of my fave bands, The Kills & The Raveonettes, both have new albums out April 5th! It is almost too much to handle at once -- too much of a good thing. It has been hard to decide which to listen to but I really have been hitting up both of these albums at least once every day; I even listened to the new Raveonettes album three times in one day! I can't get enough. The Raveonettes have already been around for 10 years, even though it seems like just yesterday that I first heard about them. Their first album, Chain Gang of Love, was released in the US in 2003. I still think they have one of the best names. They are dark and a bit spooky, like a Raven, and sometimes they sound like one of your old favorite girl groups from the 60s -- somebody with a band name that would end in "ettes." Raven in the Grave is the group's fifth album. Over the years I have liked all of their albums to varying degrees but this new album is something fantastic and I can't get the songs out of my head. There don't seem to be as many bands coming out of Denmark as there are from Sweden and Norway (where many of my favorites come from). I don't really get why. The Raveonettes are pretty much alone in being from Denmark...along with Mew and Lars from Metallica, I guess. I love this entire new album but I have my favorite tracks, of course. Here are two of them. If you have not yet fallen in love with The Raveonettes you simply should not wait any longer. The time has come...

PREORDER THE NEW TV ON THE RADIO ALBUM
NINE TYPES OF LIGHT


and receive a
free copy of the
Live at Amoeba EP!


The new album comes out Tuesday, 4/12!

Nine Types of Light is available in both a regular
and deluxe CD and on LP!

Listen to "Caffeinated Consciousness"....



Preorder the album now...



Nine Types of Light CD





Nine Types of Light deluxe CD

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