I’ve been rather useless in the posting department as of late, but after a somewhat inspirational email from Jennifer F. (she basically just flattered me into posting) I decided to share a band I’ve been listening to quite a bit lately.

Hotel Ahead is a four-piece out of Villa Park, IL, in the Chicago suburbs. It just so happens that their drummer, Jon, is a student alongside myself at the University of Illinois down here in Champaign. I’ve had a chance to listen to their Maps Away EP the last couple weeks and they deserve some solid playtime here. My favorite is the second track, “It’s The One Thing.” I think it’s a great indicator of the guys’ potential, and it’s a good showcase for the band’s vocals. The rest of the tracks are all good, but I like them all pretty equally, so here’s “I’m Not Your Man.”

Hotel Ahead - It’s The One Thing
Hotel Ahead - I’m Not Your Man

Make sure you go befriend Hotel Ahead on myspace.

Artist:  Shapes And Sizes
Album:  Shapes And Sizes
Label:  Asthmatic Kitty Records
Year:  2006

Just got a new release in today from Asthmatic Kitty Records. It’s the self-titled, debut full-length release from Shapes And Sizes, set to drop on July 11th, 2006. It’s also their first release from the Asthmatic Kitty family. The album is loaded with some very different instrumental mixes - my personal favorite oddball being the Flugelhorn on “I Am Cold” - and it comes out through all of the tracks. This one is going to take me a little time to fully digest, but I like it upon first listen, which is usually a great sign for an album as far as my support of the artist goes. After a good once over on the album, here are my two picks, with some great lap and pedal steel guitar on “Northern Lights” and an eery whistle on “Wilderness,” not too mention some tenor sax.

Shapes and Sizes - 04 - Northern Lights
Shapes and Sizes - 05 - Wilderness

You can purchase a copy of Shapes and Sizes on 07-11-2006 from Asthmatic Kitty’s store once it’s released.

I finished up my third album review for SoMinty.com just yesterday, and I thought you all should give it a read. Check it out here, Husky Rescue - Country Falls. Here’s a sample track, and my personal favorite from the album. Go read the review to see what I thought of the rest of it.

Husky Rescue - Country Falls - 02 - “Summetime Cowboy”.

Purchase Country Falls at The Catskills Records shop.

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Past Album Reviews:

The Strokes - First Impressions Of Earth (02-01-2006)
Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (02-12-2006)

Just so you all know, the other site that I’ve begun writing for has officially launched and can be found at SoMinty.com. My first article is a review of The Strokes’ First Impressions Of Earth, found under, oddly enough, the Music section.

Also as a special treat from the administrator’s, SoMinty is having a launch competition. While I unfortunately cannot enter to win one of three iTunes gift certificates, You Can! So head on over, answer the trivia questions presented, which are not very hard, they’ll just take a little while, and you’ll be entered into the competition. It’s well worth your time in my opinion. Check it out, and support the new site by leaving a few comments on the articles or forum. Thanks a lot guys.