Music Under Fire

Miniature Tigers and Straylight Run - two groups that are due, and that info isn't just some fantasy player intuition. Just listening to a few of their newest tracks, "Cannibal Queen" from Miniature Tigers and "Wait and Watch" from Straylight Run, signals a possible maturization akin to groups on the rise.

With their new album, Tell It To the Vocano, the Phoenix group of Miniature Tigers continues forming a classic pop-indie sound honed around a tightly-spun recording process. With frontman Charlie Brand setting the mood for the group, any real maturity really only sticks to their music-side of the spectrum as him and his friends have constantly made a game of videotaping 'studio' work that includes his cats.

Straylight Run, best known because of the separation from Taking Back Sunday, previously released a well-received self-titled album in 2004 and in 2007 released The Needle The Space. Although The Needle The Space wasn't nearly as successful as many fans had hoped, they have cut away from their latest label to produce Un Mas Dos.

Don't forget to check into Portugal. The Man as well. The four guys from the Northwest have some magical moments with their spaced-out garage rock. They will be touring with Wintersleep in the coming months as well.

MP3: Miniature Tigers - Mamma Mia (Abba cover)
MP3: Straylight Run - Existentialism On Prom Night (buy)
MP3: Portugal. The Man - Out and In and In and Out (buy)
MP3: Jem - On Top of the World (buy)

Adventure - Adventure (Official) (MySpace)
Alexander Tucker - Portal (Official) (MySpace)
All That Remains - Overcome (Official) (MySpace)
Avenged Sevenfold - Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough (Official) (MySpace)
Blessid Union of Souls - Close To The Edge (Official) (MySpace)
Bosque Brown - TBA (Official) (MySpace)
Boston Spaceships - Brown Submarine (Official) (MySpace)
Brass bed - Midnight Matinee (Official) (MySpace)
Brave Citizens - Revolutions (Official) (MySpace)
Breathe Carolina - It's Classy, Not Classic (Official) (MySpace)
Darius Rucker - Learn to Live (Official) (MySpace)
Gasman - Superlife (Official) (MySpace)
George Clinton - George Clinton and Some Gangsters of Love (Official)
GG Allin - TBA (Official) (MySpace)
Gonjasufi - EP (Official) (MySpace)
Ice Cube - The Essentials (Official) (MySpace)
James - Hey Ma (Official) (MySpace)
Jem - Down to Earth (Official) (MySpace)
John Zorn - Filmworks XX: Sholem (Official) (MySpace)
Jonezetta - Cruel to Be Young (Official) (MySpace)
Keller Williams - Live (Official) (MySpace)
Laika and the Cosmonauts - Cosmopolis (Official) (MySpace)
Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of Screws (Official) (MySpace)
Liquid Limbs - Orquid (Official) (MySpace)
Makes Nice - TBA (Official) (MySpace)
Matt Wertz - Under Summer Sun (Official) (MySpace)
Miniature Tigers - Tell It To The Volcano (Official) (MySpace)
Mother Mother - O My Heart (Official) (MySpace)
Nelly - Brass Knuckles (Official) (MySpace)
Nevertheless - In the Making (Official) (MySpace)
Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman (Official) (MySpace)
Nick Butcher - Bee Removal (Official) (MySpace)
One Block Radius - One Block Radius (Official) (MySpace)
Passion Pit - Chunk of Change (Official) (MySpace)
Peter Garland - Three Strange Angels (Official) (MySpace)
Physics of Meaning - Snake Charmer & Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight (Official) (MySpace)
Portugal. The Man - Censored Colors (Official) (MySpace)
Psykup - We Love You All (Official) (MySpace)
Punchline - Just Say Yes (Official) (MySpace)
Pussycat Dolls - Doll Domination (Official) (MySpace)
Radioactive - Man Growl (Official) (MySpace)
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It (Official) (MySpace)
Restiform Bodies - TV Loves You Back (Official) (MySpace)
Sabertooth - Last Days on the Island (Official) (MySpace)
School of Seven Bells - Half Asleep (Official) (MySpace)
Simian Mobile Disco - FABRICLIVE 41 (Official) (MySpace)
Straylight Run - Un Mas Dos (Official) (MySpace)
Talkdemonic - Eyes at Half Mast (Official) (MySpace)
Tanya Tagaq - Auk~Blood (Official) (MySpace)
The Apprentice - The Apprentice (Official) (MySpace)
The Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost (LP) (Official) (MySpace)
The Girls - Yes, No, Yes, No (Official) (MySpace)
Trenches - The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole (Official) (MySpace)
Unwritten Law - Live & Lawless (Official) (MySpace)
Wroom - North of Forty-Five (Official) (MySpace)
Yoshie Fruchter - Pitom (Official) (MySpace)