By Dan Buono, News Staff
M. Ward, Hold Time:’ Feb. 19′
M. Ward took a break as a solo artist last year, daring to become the singing duo She and Him with actress and songstress Zooey Deschanel. But this year he’s putting that act on hold to release the follow up to his 2006 album, Post War. Hold Time drops next month and will hopefully be reminiscent of Ward’s previous work. If so, listeners can expect mellow accounts of tales from a man’s heart; Post War, for example, confronted the devastating personal effects caused by the war in Iraq. Fans will know in a few more weeks what the message will be this time around.
The Bird and the Bee, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future:’ Jan. 27
The Bird and the Bee’s new album, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, is the band’s first full-length since their vibrant 2007 self-titled album. If the first single is any indication, Ray Guns is bound to be as up-beat, filled with dreamy and relaxed vocals. That single ‘Love Letter to Japan,’ is a playful cut that experiments with electronic beats. Other titles include ‘Diamond Dave,’ a fluffy tale of an infatuated woman, and ‘Meteor,’ a dreary song that uses a meteor as a metaphor for man.
Fireproof:’ Jan. 27
The highest grossing indie film of 2008, according to the Wall Street Journal, may surprise some people. It’s neither ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ nor ‘The Wrestler,’ but ‘Fireproof,’ a Christian grassroots production. The film stars child actor Kirk Cameron as a firefighter struggling to save his marriage, avoiding divorce at all costs. Other Christian movies like ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘Passion of the Christ’ proved successful at the box office, so why not an indie? At least we can be sure Kirk Cameron doesn’t have a friend named Boner in this one. The film drops on DVD tomorrow.
These Green Eyes, Relapse to Recovery:’ March 24
These Green Eyes are easily the next Fall Out Boy. Their rock-influenced pop is catchy, and according to the band’s MySpace page, their upcoming album Relapse to Recovery is ‘boiling down five years of trials and tribulations as a unit, culminating with the tragic and unexpected loss of a close band friend to suicide.’ Their influences include Jimmy Eat World, Billy Joel and Green Day, according to their page. Their songs may be whiny at times ‘- like any pop-punk band ‘- but a clear affinity for bubblegum pop will likely lead to a promising album. The band boasts melodies reminiscent of Alkaline Trio.
