Innerpartysystem is from the Reading, PA area. This probably makes no difference to 98% of you, but I grew up shopping in Reading malls and my Dad’s friend lives in what Wiki lists as their hometown. So it gives me some sense of hometown pride that such an awesome band is gaining national attention and at the same time referencing things that make sense to Pennsylvanians like myself (for example, the video mentions “The Road to Nowhere,” which has been part of our lexicon since I was little. The chick is right, you can’t make that shit up).

I’ve been trying to think of how to describe this song, the first track of their full length self-titled release, all day. I feel like whereas Girl Talk provides a heterogeneous mixture of music I like, Innerpartysystem creates a homogeneous blend of bands I’ve listened to through the years. I hear hints of Nine Inch Nails, OMD, Depeche Mode, The Faint, Orgy and even Patrick Nissley’s vocals remind me slightly of Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco) in that he annunciates pretty yet pensive lyrics. I’m not going to lie, sometimes his voice makes me melt a little. And even though I can compare IPS to all those bands, their sound is truly unique to me. They are not too electronic and not too alternative.

The song is danceable, and some take it as a party anthem, but it’s darker than that. The first verse claims, “nothing’s too excessive / when you’ve got nothing left,” and the rest of the song kind of illustrates an emptiness felt from losing control completely. Judging by their other songs and videos, the band isn’t exactly condoning the false happiness brought by hard-partying behavior (though in this song, the lyrics most people prefer to examine are “If we all should die tonight / We will have no regrets” even though that mantra changes to “If we all should die tonight / We got nothing left” by the end of the song). They don’t seem to be a fan of “plastic” people, so I guess this means that we won’t be seeing Rock of Love with Patrick Nissley in 20 years.

I have to admit that it was difficult for me to pick this song, but I thought I would because it was their second single. I’m partial to the songs “New Poetry” and “Obsession.” IPS has also remixed several popular songs including Katy Perry’s Hot’N'Cold (I’m sorry if I butchered the title, but they at least were able to improve the song. Thanks, IPS!), Ladyhawke’s “Paris is Burning” and Radiohead’s “Nude.” Yes, just in case IPS was worried I wouldn’t like them, they remixed my favorite band. And well. Swoon!

So, I’m pretty excited for tonight and I hope you all enjoy Innerpartysystem.

Embedding disabled, so please view “Die Tonight Live Forever” out on YouTube. Watch some of their other videos, too.

Here is a commercial for their “Don’t Stop” single:

Update: They were amazing live! The last show I enjoyed this much was The Dandy Warhols. I highly recommend seeing them if they are coming to a city near you.

It’s no secret that my 2008 sucked. Without this song, there is a good chance I would have driven my car into the Susquehanna River. Granted, my life didn’t really mirror the story in the song, but the chorus is something I’ve had to tell myself for the past couple of years, “I’m going to make it through this year if it kills me.”

John Darnielle has been compared to artists like Bob Dylan and Tom Waits because of his literary lyrics. This song is an example of just how powerful music can be. I mean, it got me through this year, didn’t it? There’s not a lot I can say about it; you definitely will have to listen to it to determine if it could be your anthem (Similar to Modest Mouse, I sometimes get in a mood where his vocals are not thrilling). If you’re starting off the year kind of “meh,” though, it might help you out.

For more on The Mountain Goats and John Darnielle, check out this interview with InDigest.

I wasn’t allowed to own Antichrist Superstar. In fact, I think I sneakily bought Mechanical Animals while at the mall with my friends. My parents tried their best to shelter me from the freaky man with the prosthetic boobs. They failed. When I was finally able to listen to Antichrist Superstar in its entirety (downloading albums with dial-up was hard!), I was amazed. I still think it’s a fantastic album. My favorite song was, and likely always will be, “Man that you Fear.” If my parents could look beyond the lyrical content, they would have found a beautiful song.

Upon reading the various interpretations of the song, I do kind of see the song as being about Manson’s (or, it could be argued, the narrator for Antichrist Superstar) reaching a godlike status. However, by itself, the song really played in to my too-much-eyeliner, baggy pants, “fuck it all” persona of teenagerdom. I mean, really, what better mantra could a teenager have than “I was born into this / everything turns to shit”? Oh, wait, I know! Teenage life can be summarized by the electronic voices that end the song:

When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

(P.S. Universal doesn’t want me to embed it, so you’ll have to go here to check it out.)

The other day this song popped into my head while I was in the shower bringing with it a distinctive memory. I recalled blaring this track on repeat while I was showering at my aunt’s house in Virginia circa 1996. It made me feel melancholy, which was totally appropriate as my ‘tween self was getting ready to go to the Spotsylvania Mall with my younger, brattier cousin. Whereas a few years ago we had been jumping on the bed to Kris Kross, I was now on my way to becoming a full-fledged alt rock connoisseur.

For me, I think it’s the keyboards + bass followed by grunge guitar combo that reeled me in. I was too young to truly enjoy Brian Vander Ark’s use of hair product. Enjoy!

The first time I ever heard this song, it was the middle of the night. I was in high school, I think, watching MTV when I should have been sleeping. These rabbits started to run around on my screen as the music builds culminating, fades and bursts into that simple question: Can I scream?

At the time, I’m sure I was listening to bands that I’ve since grown out of like Slipknot and Disturbed. Refused, however, is such an influential hardcore band that I cannot and will not ever abandon them or this song.

Though Refused only existed on the music scene for a short time, their poetic form of hardcore punk, imported from Sweden changed the scene. The release that contained this song, The Shape of Punk to Come, promised just that. Had they lasted, we might have never seen Pete Wentz’s face.

The song has staying power. Currently, my favorite ECHL hockey team enters the ice to this track, which inspired me to put their discography on my iPod shuffle even though these screaming vocals are attached to memories of an ex-boyfriend.

In short, this song will pump you up. It might also introduce you to a whole genre you would otherwise write off. Check it out.