I think we’re all quite familiar with the work of guitar genius/political activist/Cubs fan Tom Morello. With Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and Street Sweeper Social Club, his guitarwork is instantly identifiable. However, as his alter ego The Nightwatchman, Morello has aimed for more of a Folk-Rock vibe. On the third Nightwatchman album, World Wide Rebel Songs, he fully plugs back in for a rocking set of songs. Morello says that during his 2008 solo shows, "I became comfortable melding my worlds as an electric guitarist and a Folk troubadour." When it comes to the latest batch of Nightwatchman tunes, "The settings are Tijuana, Kenya, Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. textile mills," he says. "All but a couple of the songs are autobiographical in nature specifically speaking as The Nightwatchman, addressing the experience of making this music and what it means to me." Lead single "It Begins Tonight" is a raw rocker and lands at #17t n the singles chart. "The core of The Nightwatchman is dark matter," says Morello. "But at the heart of every struggle, there's hope. So this is an album of rousing hopelessness—it's part Johnny Cash and part Che Guevara, part beacon light and part arson fire." Join the fight at nightwatchmanmusic.com or newwestrecords.com. Also, coming later this month from FMQB Productions: Inside Tom Morello’s The Nightwatchman: World Wide Rebel Songs hosted by Perry Farrell!

~ Joey Odorisio

Few bands are better at the melodic Brit-pop game than The Kooks, who are set to release their third album, Junk Of The Heart, on September 13. The band recorded the new record in Los Angeles and London with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck, Belle & Sebastian). Singer/guitarist Luke Pritchard says the album is "upbeat; an album to play in the sun. What we really wanted to do was build a proper, full album. Something you can listen to from front to back. We’re an album band and this is a journey you come on with us." The lead single and title track dominates the SubModern singles chart this week, easily claiming the #1 slot. (FYI – the teaser cut "The Saboteur" actually isn’t on Junk Of The Heart, it’s a B-side.) The Kooks played three shows in the U.S. last month and will be concentrating on the U.K. and Europe for the next few months, but I’m sure they’ll be back in America soon enough. Head to thekooks.com or astralwerks.com to keep up with the Kooks.

~ Joey Odorisio

If you saw the great Lemmy: 49% Motherf***er, 51% Son Of A Bitch documentary, among the many things you learned about the iconic Lemmy Kilmister is that the Motorhead frontman has a Rockabilly side project. That band is HeadCat, who are set to release a new album, Walk The Walk…Talk The Talk on July 5 via Niji Entertainment Group (a label founded by the late Ronny James Dio and his wife Wendy). HeadCat is made up of Lemmy, Rockabilly guitarist Danny B. Harvey and Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom. The supergroup came together at an Elvis Presley tribute show in 2000 and have released two albums and a live DVD over the years. Lead single “American Beat” is at specialty radio now and is an original HeadCat song, but Walk The Walk…Talk The Talk contains covers of Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and The Beatles’ “You Can’t Do That.” In the Lemmy film, you see that he is a Beatlemanic but it’s still pretty awesome and surreal to hear Lemmy’s instantly recognizable voice singing a John Lennon tune. Visit theheadcat.com to find out more.

~ Joey Odorisio 
 

Matt Pond and his band have been making their brand of lush indie-pop for over a decade now. The brand new Spring Fools EP is the latest addition to Pond’s extensive catalog. Pond has always been the constant in the band that bears his name, though multiinstrumentalist/producer/engineer Chris Hansen has been a regular contributor in recent years. The Spring Fools EP was written on the road, as a change from the writing process for last year’s album The Dark Leaves, which found Pond composing songs in a cabin. Pond and Hansen also recently scored the film Lebanon, PA and if that wasn’t enough, is now a member of The Wooden Birds, alongside Andrew Kenny (who plays on the Spring Fools EP). The Wooden Birds just put out a new album in June and are currently winding down their own tour. Ariel Abshire, Ethan Herr, Daniel Crowell and Leslie Sisson all also contributed to Spring Fools. Definitely check out the charming lead track “Love To Get Used,” as well as the Reggae beat of “Human Beings.” Jump in the pond at mattpondpa.com or altituderecords.com.

~  Joey Odorisio  

~  Joey Odorisio  

Bon Iver main man Justin Vernon was already a known commodity in the indie rock world for his folk-rock harmonies on the critically acclaimed 2007 debut For Emma, Forever Ago. However, Vernon’s voice reached a whole new audience last year, when Kanye West invited him into the recording sessions for West’s mammoth My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album. Originally West wanted to sample a Bon Iver track, but ended up recording a number of vocal tracks and musical ideas for the album, most notably on "Lost In The World." Meanwhile, a new Bon Iver album was in the works as well, the confusingly-titled Bon Iver, Bon Iver; due out June 21. Vernon makes sure to point out that "Bon Iver is often equated with just me but you are who surrounds you, and for Bon Iver, Bon Iver I wanted to invite those voices as musical catalysts," and a number of additional musicians lend a hand throughout the new album. The atmospheric lead single "Calgary" shot to #1 last week on the SubModern singles chart and remains there again this week. A summer tour in support of Bon Iver, Bon Iver kicks off in Milwaukee with two shows on July 22 and 23. Hear more at boniver.org or jagjaguwar.com. (And for the record, it’s pronounced ‘Bone ee-VAIR.’)

~ Joey Odorisio 
 

~  Joey Odorisio  

The trio of Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg got their start making funny videos online, before joining Saturday Night Live in 2005 (Samberg in the cast, with the other two on the writing staff). A certain rap song in late 2005 about seeing The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe was a game-changer when it came to viral comedy videos and brought us a series of increasingly absurd and catchy songs, many of which were compiled on The Lonely Island’s first album, Incredibad. The album sold almost a quarter of a million copies and brought us even more Lonely Island on SNL…but what do the guys do for an encore? Even more hip-hop parodies and random absurdity! The new album, Turtleneck & Chain, compiles a few Digital Shorts from the past two seasons of SNL (including "Motherlover," the sequel to You-know-what In A Box) and "I Just Had Sex," which sold over 250,000 digital singles when it was released last year. While there are a number of all-star cameos on the record from the Pop world (including Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and of course Justin Timberlake), two of my favorite artists from our SubModern corner of the universe show up: Beck on the catchy "Attracted To Us" and Santigold on "After Party." Then there’s their latest viral smash and official single from the record, "Jack Sparrow," featuring the one and only Michael Bolton. Crash land on the island at thelonelyisland.com or universalrepublic.com.

~  Joey Odorisio  

There has been a buzz building on Lafayette, LA-based group Givers, who were formed by founding members Taylor Guarisco (vocals/guitars) and Tiffany Lamson (vocals/percussion) back in 2005. The group’s two lead singers met in the music program at the University of Louisiana and began collaborating on songs, finding that their voices complemented each other’s perfectly. “There’s a very magical part,” says Guarisco. “We slowly started inspiring each other to sing more and more. Honestly, that’s one of the major miracles of my connection to Tiffany, and hers to me. We didn’t have anyone else in our lives beckoning us to sing out.” The pair eventually filled out the lineup of Givers with fellow Lafayette-based musicians, and Lamson says Lafayette itself was a huge influence on their sound. “I can't imagine growing up anywhere else and being the way we are. There is a life about the music here. People are drawn to dance with freedom; there is a sense of enjoyment in music that I haven't seen in many other places,” says Lamson. Givers eventually nabbed opening slots with Ra Ra Riot and Dirty Projectors, two bands that definitely complement their sound. Their uplifting lead single “Up Up Up” is up up up to #2 this week, with their debut album In Light on the way June 7. Givers are currently on the road, with dates announced throughout the U.S. into late June. Hear more at giversmusic.wordpress.com or glassnotemusic.com.

~ Joey Odorisio 
 

San Francisco indie rockers The Heavenly States have been quietly climbing the SubModern charts in recent weeks with their newest release, the seven-song EP Oui Camera Oui. It is their first release since 2008’s Delayer. “We started thinking about the death of the record,” says singer/guitarist Ted Nesseth. “People are broke, their attention spans are waning. We have all these ideas so we thought, let's just rock out five or six songs, give the EP a rebirth.”  Oui Camera Oui opens with the likable acoustic-based track “Model Son.” The instantly-recognizable voice of Spoon’s Britt Daniel appears on “Berlin Wall” (and check out the animated video for it here - http://vimeo.com/22713488). Nesseth befriended Daniel a few years back, which led to the Heavenly States opening for Spoon in San Francisco and eventually Daniel’s appearance on Oui Camera Oui. The trio, which includes singer/multi-instrumentalist Genevieve Gagon and drummer Jeremy Gagon, nabbed comedian Eugene Mirman to record the last track on the disc, a recitation of quotes from less-than-positive reviews of the band’s music. Oui Camera Oui climbs to #2 on the album chart this week. Find out more at http://www.theheavenlystates.com.

~  Joey Odorisio  

Last week The Antlers burst out of the pack to land their new single “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out” at #1 on the singles chart right out of the gate. The band is set to release their new album, Burst Apart next week. The trio of singer/guitarist Peter Silberman, drummer Michael Lerner and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci self-produced the follow-up to 2009’s critically acclaimed Hospice at the band’s studio in Brooklyn. Silberman had started the Antlers as a solo alias, but Burst Apart is the second proper record from the full band as a trio. He says Burst Apart is “a record about moving forward. Hospice was kind of all-encompassing for a while and this record feels like us trying to figure out the way to move on from it. Not to abandon it, but to keep it in its place and figure out what’s next.” While Burst Apart is a mellow affair, Silberman says the group doesn’t want to be “pigeonholed as a ‘sad band.’ … We have a lot of different feelings about things.  There’s a whole spectrum of emotion to explore and I think that’s what we were trying to do on this record.” The Antlers will play three shows in England later this month, then begin a month-long North American tour in Washington, D.C. on May 17. Find out the latest at antlersmusic.com or frenchkissrecords.com.

The first time I heard of Darwin Deez, I presumed he was British, partly because his name just sounds like a U.K. act. Well he was actually raised in the Carolinas, but his music did catch on overseas first, with the NME naming him the “tenth coolest artist in the world” and “seventh-best new band of 2010,” as well as already putting him on the cover of the popular music magazine. And for the record, Darwin’s real name is Darwin Smith and “Darwin Deez” evolved from a stage name to become the name of his four-piece band. The hooky single “Radar Detector” is just catching on in the SubModern realm, but has already been a hit on British Modern Rock radio. Darwin was raised on ‘90s Alt and College Rock, then took a detour in the electronic world before getting back into the Rock world in college. Moving to New York after college, he fell into the anti-folk scene. Somehow all these different sounds combine to make up Deez’ sound, which he describes as “a little bit Thriller, a bit Dismemberment Plan.” Darwin Deez is on tour extensively overseas for the next few months, but returns to North America starting in San Francisco on July 6. Enter the world of Darwin Deez at darwindeez.com or luckynumbermusic.com.

We are introduced to Bowling Green, KY’s own Sleeper Agent this week, via a sample of their upcoming album Celebrasion. The latest addition to the Mom+Pop roster, Sleeper Agent  is made up of Tony Smith on guitar and vocals, singer Alex Kandel, bassist Lee Williams, Scott Gardner on keys and drummer Justin Wilson. Smith says. “As our other bands wound down, Justin and I decided to form another band in which we’d both sing. After a mutiny occurred with that line-up, we asked Alex to join as the new vocalist, allowing Justin to get back to playing drums. After several different musicians sat in for certain shows, we recruited Lee Scott and Josh Martin to fill out the rest of the missing parts.” Lead single “Get It Daddy” is a fun slice of catchy grrrl-punk (with a crazy breakdown) and climbs to #16t this week on the SubModern chart, while the Celebrasion sampler debuts at #11t. Also check out the fun “Proper Taste,” with Kandel and Smith trading off vocals. Celebrasion was produced by Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, The Whigs) and recorded last July at Nashville’s Tragedy/Tragedy Studios. Sleeper Agent will be out on the road opening for fellow Bowling Green natives Cage The Elephant and Manchester Orchestra later this spring. Join the celebrasion at www.myspace.com/sleeperagentmusic or momandpoprecords.com.

The four-piece Motopony are set to release their self-titled debut record on May 24. The group is made up of singer/guitarist Daniel Blue, Buddy Ross on “beats and keys,” guitarist Brantley Cady and drummer Thomas Williams. The group floats between twangy folk-rock and more ethereal sounds. The band grew out of Blue’s music-making in the Tacoma, WA scene a few years back, performing solo or with a guitarist under the Motopony name until he met Ross. “I had to have Ross’ beats under my songs,” Blue says. “I bugged him with emails until he would give me a listen.” The lineup was finally rounded out by Cady and Williams. Tracks from their eponymous debut have already spun in recent weeks on WEQX, KJEE, WCNR, WZNE and WHHZ, among others, and the record comes in at #21t this week. Motopony have a handful of west coast dates announced in May, but will likely be adding more live shows following the release of their album. Hear more at motoponymusic.com or tinyogreent.com.

Rockers Chiodos released their third album, Illuminaudio, late in 2010 but have a new single currently impacting radio. The moody rocker “Notes In Constellations” is the newest single from the record, which also was the debut of Chiodos’ new lineup. New lead signer Brandon Bolmer and new drummer Tanner Wayne joined the lineup of Bradley Bell (keyboards), Jason Hale (guitar), Pat McManaman (guitar) and Matt Goddard (bass). Illuminaudio finds the band's sound evolving and Bell says, "Even if the lineup had stayed the same, I feel that the direction of sound would've turned out similar. We don’t feel like our vision was lost or compromised in any way throughout the writing process.” To the band, Illuminaudio “means a new chapter, it means change, and a fresh start. Some of the songs are very personal, and I’m happy to have that,” according to Bolmer. “There is a meaning and point to each song, and when put together, it creates something that I will remember for the rest of my life.” “Notes In Constellations” comes in at #20t on the SubModern singles chart this week. Chiodos wrap up their current North American tour this weekend in Clifton Park, NY, before heading overseas for a few weeks of touring the U.K. Hear more from them at chiodos.net or equalvision.com.

~  Joey Odorisio 
 

After taking some time off, Maritime return with Human Hearts, the band’s fourth studio album. The Milwaukee-based band formed out of the ashes the highly influential late ‘90s emo-indie-pop-punks The Promise Ring, with singer/guitarist Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier founding the group back in 2003. (The lineup is rounded out by guitarist Dan Hinz and bassist Justin Klug) Following a flurry of releases in the mid-‘00s, Maritime had been fairly quiet since 2007’s Heresy And The Hotel Choir. With Human Hearts, Maritime join the roster at Dangerbird and are reunited with the Promise Ring’s former manager (and current Dangerbird co-owner) Jeff Castelaz. You first heard a taste of Human Hearts on our recent SubModern sampler CD with the chiming guitars and electronic textures of "Air Arizona." There’s almost a synth-dance pulse to album opener "It’s Casual" and be sure to check out other album highlights "Paraphernalia" and "Annihilation Eyes." The album flies to #9t on the SubModern album chart this week. Maritime only have a handful of live dates announced so far in support of Human Hearts, all of them close to home in the middle of the country. Find out more at maritimesongs.com or dangerbirdrecords.com.

~ Joey Odorisio 
 

When I got the new album from Those Darlins in the mail the other week, I was expected something much twangier, based on what little I knew about them. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by Screws Get Loose and its mix of garage rock and ‘60s girl group melodies, along with a dash of the band’s earlier, country leanings. Think of the Dum Dum Girls…but a bit trashier, in a good way. In the grand Ramones tradition of fake last names, the band is made up of singer/guitarist Jessi Darlin, rhythm guitarist Kelley Darlin, bassist Nikki Darlin…and (male) drummer Linwood Regensburg, who joined the band following the release of their debut. Screws Get Loose kicks off with the rocking title track and is followed by the amusing "Be Your Bro," which is the band’s (slightly crass) take on saying "Let’s just be friends." Regensburg takes the lead on the jangly "Let U Down" and then there’s the absurd food-centric retro-rocker "Fatty Needs A Fix." Screws Get Loose lands at #22t this week on the SubModern album chart. Those Darlins are currently on tour, with dates announced well into the summer (a Lebowski Fest performance in July!). Get loose at thosedarlins.com.

~  Joey Odorisio 
 

A few weeks back, I started hearing about a new Brit band simply named Brother, who sounded like they took a time machine from the Oasis-Blur Britpop wars of the ‘90s and jumped to 2011. Hulk Hogan’s favorite new band ("brother!") is made up of singer Lee Newell, guitarist Sam Jackson, bassist Josh Ward and drummer Frank Colucci. The lead single "Darling Buds Of May" flies way up to #6t this week on the SubModern singles chart and is the first taste of their EP, Fly By Nights¸ due out in April. The band comes from the British town of Slough, best known Stateside as the location of the original U.K. version of The Office. Their debut record is still in the works for later in 2011, and is produced by Stephen Street, who was behind the boards for one of the seminal ‘90s Britpop records: Blur’s Parklife. Brother played multiple gigs at SXSW earlier this month and were on my list to see, but sadly wasn’t able to get to them. However, I heard nothing but great things about their gigs. For some reason, their official website is acidlove.net (because Googling "Brother" isn’t much help) or head to amoctone.com for more.

~ Joey Odorisio 
 

You may recall the Greek-born, London-raised Livan (pronounced Lie’van, not lee-VON like the Elton John song) from his 2009 record Happy Accidents. Well the multi-instrumentalist is back with a new release, Off The Grid, and a new single, "Undead." The ominous, rocking song hits #17t on the singles chart this week and appears on the latest SubModern sampler disc as well. Livan recorded Off The Grid with guitarist Will Crewdson (Adam Ant, Johnette Napolitano) and drummer Damon Wilson (Ray Davies, Joss Stone) live in the studio, hence the name. He says, "I called the release Off The Grid because of the digital recording revolution, so many people are making records in their bedrooms with ProTools. They lay everything on the ‘grid.’ But it’s soulless. It fails to grab the onstage vibe of musical interaction that’s inherent in a live band." Livan added, "We recorded the whole thing with no click, as we play it live. It’s like it used to be, like rolling the tape…so if there are glitches on the record, we’ll live with that; it’s real." Livan has been recently opening up for Peter Murphy of Bauhaus (an appropriate pairing), and will be on the road in the U.S. up to mid-June. Visit livan.co.uk

~  Joey Odorisio 
 

One of the best live sets I saw in Austin last week was Eastern Conference Champions, a band I was already familiar with being that the group originated in the Philadelphia suburbs. Frontman Josh Ostrander and drummer Greg Lyons were originally in the Philly-based Laguardia, before forming ECC a few years later, with Ostrander’s distinct voice the main constant between the bands. The new band released an EP in 2006 and their debut, Ameritown, the following year. A few years ago, Melissa Dougherty replaced bassist Vern Zaborowski, and the release of the Santa Fe EP followed. The newest version of ECC had a big break last year when the unsigned band beat out over 400 other acts for a slot on the Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack with their song "A Million Miles An Hour." That brings us to now with the release of their second proper record, Speak-Ahh, on their own RockHampton Records label. The album is impacting now at specialty radio and lands in stores on April 26. Speak-Ahh debuts at #13t this week, with the single "Atlas" at #17t. Live, "Atlas" grows into a massive, percussive, set-ending jam, with all three members banging away on Lyons’ drum kit. Also check out the catchy "Bull In The Wild" and opener "Attica." ECC have a brief west coast tour slated for the end of April, with more touring ahead. Find out more at eccmusic.com.

~ Joey Odorisio 
 

The comedy trio of Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg met in junior high, and went on to make a mark in the early world of Internet comedy videos. The trio eventually joined Saturday Night Live and history was made! Oh wait…that’s The Lonely Island. I’m supposed to be telling you about The Lonely Forest, a new band signed to Trans-, the label run by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla. In fact, Walla produced their new album Arrows and will be bringing the Lonely Forest on the road this year as Death Cab’s opener. The Lonely Forest formed in 2005 and are made up of singer/guitarist/keyboardist John Van Deusen, guitarist Tony Ruland, drummer Braydn Krueger and bassist Eric Sturgeon. The band gained a reputation in the Pacific Northwest, playing steadily and eventually nabbing slots on the Bumbershoot and Sasquatch festivals. "We Sing In Time" is the lead single from Arrows, which is impacting at specialty radio this week. Before the Death Cab tour, the Lonely Forest are on the road right now, with plenty of dates throughout the spring. Enter the forest at thelonelyforest.com.

~  Joey Odorisio 
 

Last year at SXSW, U.K. rockers The Boxer Rebellion gained plenty of buzz, but the band was touring behind an older album at the time. (Spin even named them “Best Men In Black” at the event.) Since then, the band made a cameo in last year’s Drew Barrymore rom-com Going The Distance, but now the group has a new record, The Cold Still, and a new single making waves on the SubModern chart. The band is London-based, but the members actually come from around the globe. Frontman Nathan Nicholson was born in Tennessee, but moved to London a decade ago. He met guitarist Todd Howe (originally from Australia), and the pair eventually found a British rhythm section in Adam Harrison (bass) and Piers Hewitt (drums). Produced and mixed by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams), The Cold Still is due out February 8 and impacts next week at radio. Lead single “Step Out Of The Car” has spent two weeks in a row at #9t. The new material mixes Interpol’s brooding with Snow Patrol’s haunting brand of Brit-Rock. The Boxer Rebellion will make a triumphant return to SXSW this spring, which is currently the only U.S. appearance on their touring schedule. Get in the ring at theboxerrebellion.com.

~ Joey Odorisio 

First off, don’t get this new band confused with Groupon, the deal-of-the-day website that has been gaining in popularity over the past year. No, this is Grouplove, a new five-piece band that packs their debut EP full of upbeat harmonies. Members Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi met in New York; then Hooper found the rest of the members of Grouplove while doing an art residency on the island of Crete (bringing Zucconi along as well). Hooper, Zucconi and the rest of their new friends (Sean Gadd, Andrew Wessen and Ryan Rabin) reconvened in Los Angeles to form the band. Lead track “Colours” sounds like emo kids who grew up and wanted to sound a little like Modest Mouse. (And check out the crazy video here, where the members of Grouplove appear to be renegade members of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys) The tune comes in at #5 this week, while the Grouplove EP (produced by drummer Rabin) lands at #6t. "We never could have dreamt this up" says Zucconi, "but at the same time we're not at all surprised - Grouplove is meant to be. Our story a testament to fate, and our music is something we are ready to share." Grouplove is winding down a residency in Los Angeles every Monday in January, then will tour the U.K. in early February. Share the love at grouplovemusic.com or canvasbackmusic.com.

~  Joey Odorisio 

Greg Dulli is back again with his first release under The Twilight Singers moniker since 2006. When we last heard from the former Afghan Whigs singer, he was teaming up with his old pal Mark Lanegan as The Gutter Twins for their great Saturnalia record two years ago. The new Twilight Singers record, Dynamite Steps, will be out February 15 but you got the first single, “On The Corner,” via our last SubModern sampler CD of last year (and a CD single is on its way as well). The track comes in at #9t and features Dulli’s trademark moody-yet-soaring vocals. The sampler also included another new Twilight Singers track, “Blackbird and the Fox,” which features Ani DiFranco. Dulli also collaborated with many of his old friends on Dynamite Steps, including Lanegan, Joseph Arthur, Petra Hayden and ex-Verve guitarist Nick McCabe. The Twilight Singers will tour extensively in 2011, but so far the only dates announced are in Europe in March and April. Find out the latest at thetwilightsingers.com or subpop.com.

~ Joey Odorisio