Recommendations: "Summer Rocks (with the Heart)" Part 2

by: Carlos Figueroa

Well, here we have it: Part 2 of the "Summer Rocks (with the Heart)!". So, I must confess that I'm really enjoying writing this recommendations even though at first I was kinda not wanting to write them (that's why it took about a week and a half for me to right the last one); maybe it is because of the bands in them (most are bands that I really love). Part 2 will essentially kinda like Part 1 except it is reversed: this means there will be 2 newcomers to the FGI and a veteran in this post.

In Part 1 we started of with the veterans, right? So, I think (if this post is to be a reversed version of Part 1) newcomers should come first this time, isn't it? Well to start out we have The Fray one of the first bands I started to follow (*Pop Culture Invasion: probably this was so because of me hearing the song "How to Save a Life" in Grey's Anatomy*). This band probably fits the love and heartbreak themes because of its piano-based sound-- it is extremely mellow and peaceful, which helps giving a longing feel to most of their songs. To start it out, none of this band's songs is a happy love song, so there's no lovey-dovey here. The songs I like the most from The Fray probably are "Over My Head (Cable Car)", "All At Once", the two songs that SCREAM "I love you": "Look After You" and "How to Save a Life", and the a bit more uplifting songs"You Found Me", "Happiness", "Syndicate" and "Never Say Never".

Now the newcomers! One of my latest discoveries (and by that I mean I heard a song of theirs for the first time... like... two months ago maybe?) in bands (and guess what? They're signed to Fueled by Ramen... haha remember what I said in the first post of the "Summer Rocks!" posts?), A Rocket to the Moon (ARTTM). They are totally a pop rock/punk band, with love and the like being the theme in their songs generally. Songs like "If Only They Knew" and "Just Another One" are more of the regretful love songs, but other songs such as "I'll Be Your Sunset", "Baby We're Invincible", and "Like We Used To" depart from the band's usual sound and fall more into synthpop and are EXTREMELY CORNY (not that I don't like them.... but, I mean, dude... just read the titles!). The songs "Annabelle" and "Fear of Flying" are more like a mix of the previous songs.

Now, The Kooks, a band that (as any good FGI reader would know) I love and has made it to the blog since the very beginning of the FGI being the first Indiespensables. For starters, I have noticed that their sound usually reflects the feelings in the lyrics; for example, in song's like "Seaside", "Gap", and "Sway", in which the songs deal with longing, the sound leans more towards acoustic rock/pop. In songs like "Naïve" and "You Don't Love Me" the songs are completely indie rock to match their bitter or frustrated tones; in songs which talk about happier sides of love, such as "She Moves in Her Own Way", "Always Where I Need to Be", and "Shine On", the songs beats and lyrics lean towards the more britpop sounds (including catchy choruses and bridges).


Hope you enjoyed it!! Get ready for "Summer Rocks (Energetic)!".

Indiespensables: The Kooks

by: Carlos Figueroa

The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2004. Even though not entirely an indie rock band, having many Britpop influences, the band deserves a place as an indiespensable in the FGI Nation. Formed by Luke Pritchard (vocals/guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar), Paul Garred (drums), and Max Rafferty (bass guitar), the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty. Dan Logan was drafted in as a temporary replacement, until Peter Denton joined the band on a permanent basis in October 2008.

Even though they are a young band with only two albums in stock and Konk (2008), the band has a good number of good songs. For example, their first album, Inside In/Inside Out (released in 2006), set their style and produced hits such as "You don't love me", "Eddie's Gun", "Ooh La", and "She moves in her own way", all characterized by peaceful vocals accompanied with marked guitar strums and riffs. But the true hit from this album is "Naive", the bands greatest commercial success up to know.

Following the overall success of their first album, in 2008, The Kooks release Konk, which may be described as a stylistic follow up of their first album. It produced hits such as "Always Where I Need to Be", which is characterized by pop-like vocals combined with amazing guitar riffs, "Do you wanna", and "Shine On", the latter being more a britpop song than indie rock.

Throughout their small career, The Kooks have been compared to The Artic Monkeys, being described as "a less severe Artic Monkeys"; even though, the band provides us with songs that should be labeled as indiespensable.