Congratulations to Jason, winner of our second Amie Street giveaway – the Bloomsbury EP from Princeton. His answer was our favorite and his summer-defining song was OPM’s “Heaven is a Halfpipe.”
This morning is our first full-length giveaway – the self-titled debut from Athens, GA’s The Empties:
There’s always been a certain element of wanderlust to North American rock. It starts local – the main drag from your town to the next – and branches out to the Interstates. Somewhere in all the asphalt veins, there are songs waiting to be found. Bands harness them in various ways and means, and The Empties are no different. They don’t write sprawling rock anthems, or jagged punk – but channel something specifically American. It’s an overall confidence in themselves – the thinking that everything is available to them, and they’re looking to take hold of it.
The band creates fuzz and distortion with their post-punk, but has enough pop sensibility to pair it with harmony and sing along lyrics. Think of a scuffed up version of Spoon. Songs crackle with guitars, but stay focused on the ultimate goal. This is an album with which to build a fanbase, and one that shows the ultimate promise of better things to come.
Stream a track, download another, and grab a copy for yourself over at Amie Street.
And as always, we’re giving a copy away to a reader. This week, give us your favorite driving album. When you’ve got a long drive to make, what do you put on? We’ll pick our favorite and send you the goods.
The Empties – Acoustic Melody Maker (STREAM)
The Empties – Toad (mp3) from The Empties
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Without question, Modest Mouse’s “The Lonesome Crowded West”.
This might be cheating because i think they set out to write the greatest driving album in modern history.
Songs like “Trucker’s Atlas”, “Out of Gas” and “Long Distance Drunk” are particular road favorites.
I think that the Gin Blossoms’ “New Miserable Experience” is great for road tripping. Nice mix of mellow and upbeat…but nothing that will put you to sleep. Also, good for singing along with the windows down.
if i’m in a car, i have to have Angels & Airwaves I-Empire playing. i also have to use cruise control, because my right foot gets strangely heavy.
but if i’m in my jeep, i need something that rocks and rocks loud. though i have to typically handpick the best songs so the wind doesn’t steel my thunder, Anberlin’s Cities survives the best.
Most of my road trips are of the lengthy variety so my ultimate fall back plan is listening to a band’s albums in chronological order. I like to think it’s given me a better appreciation of several artists by hearing them progress through the years. Although not very creative and technically cheating since it’s not one album, but The Beatles Please Please Me > Rubber Soul > Revolver > Sgt Pepper > Abbey Road is one of my favorite blocks (admittedly skipping a few albums in between).
My favorite driving album in the past few years has been \’Black Holes and Revelations\’ by Muse. I tend to drive in spirited fashion, and there are several tracks which provide ample motivation for this. Singing in the car is also proven to be much more fun when done in falsetto, and Matthew Bellamy\’s vocals provide plenty opportunities to wail away. Mid-album there are a few tracks which break up the momentum, eventually building to the epic \’Knights of Cydonia\’ which is guaranteed to knock 30 min off of your drive time. Yes the song is only 6 min, but it\’s so full of energy it literally bends time. Before you can process what just happened, the CD starts over and you get swept up in it all over again. I usually listen to the album 3 or 4 times in a row until I finally realize this, or I lose my voice.