Things have been a little crazy around this place, so I apologize on behalf of myself and Zach for the lack of posts. School started just over a week ago, and it has been hard. Music, as always, made it a little bit easier. 

We put on NPR most nights as we prepare lessons and freak out about getting the house clean before bed (guess who is who...). After 7, it turns into the Spy, which is a radio station broadcast out of Oklahoma City comprised of several radio shows. We like Songs of the Plains, You're Welcome, and Tasting Notes a lot.

Saves the Day released a lyric video for their song "Ring Pop" today, and...guess what? It made me cry. No big surprise there. I am pretty emotional, especially when it comes to my favorite bands (and a lot of other things). Their self-titled album comes out September 17th, and I get to own it soon because I contributed to their Kickstarter! Hooray!

Click here to watch.

(Oh, just me hanging out with Chris Conley...)

Saves the Day released a new song off their upcoming self-titled album, and it is SO GOOD. It is just plain good. I have nothing else to say because I am in love.

Visit SPIN's website to hear "The Tide of Our Times."

My first song of the day is Coheed and Cambria's "Number City." They were one of my very favorite bands all throughout high school, but I kind of lost touch with them. They are on tour right now with Circa Survive, and I somehow stumbled upon their new song.



My second song of the day, which is completely unrelated to the first, is Janelle Monae's "Q.U.E.E.N." The first time I heard it, I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. I think I like it now, for the record. Also, she is so cool.



I really only put these two songs in the same post because they are the only songs I have listened to this morning. But I do like them. I don't know how I feel about the videos, but I can't figure out how to post Spotify embed codes on my new computer.

My song of the day is in honor of the 15th anniversary of Saves the Day's first album Can't Slow Down. Their eighth studio album (self-titled) comes out sometime next month, so go buy it.

I found my song of the day through BUST magazine's website. Ever since I was little, I have read anything I could get my hands onto. I may be delving into areas people don't want to know about, but I would run all around the house looking for something to read even when I had to use the bathroom. I read the funnies with breakfast, and if those were unavailable, I read the back of the cereal box. As such, I am a huge proponent of magazines. I can sometimes be a cynic, but I like to think that magazines and libraries will last forever and ever.

I digress. BUST is a great magazine, and you should read it. It is way better than Cosmo or any of those other magazines that purport to be a "women's" magazine. The song is "Like I Did" by Gina Cimmelli.

Click here to listen via BUST's website.

I first read On the Road in my senior year of high school. At least, I think I did. I have read it four, five, or six times, and it has become such a part of my life that I feel like I read it before I was born or something. I also have a really bad memory.

The book changed my life. I was like a religious fanatic, eager to share it with anyone who would listen. It gave me the courage to pull myself up out of a slump (or at least try to). I connected with Jack Kerouac more than I had ever connected with anyone. I felt understood, forgiven, encouraged, and less alone.

Naturally, I flipped out when I heard that film plans had come to fruition. I visited the Beat Museum in North Beach (San Francisco, across from City Lights), which is actually a really cool place. You should go visit it. Jerry, the guy who runs it, is the nicest. Anyway, Jerry was really enthusiastic about the film, which made me excited as well. I watched Sam Riley (Sal Paradise/Jack Kerouac) play Ian Curtis in Control, and he was amazing. We didn't have any money to make the 90-minute drive to see it when it came out, so I finally got OTR on Redbox two nights ago.

Guys, I was disappointed. Like, soul crushingly disappointed. The book is essentially about Dean/Neal, but it isn't at the same time. The book is about Jack/Sal's search for fulfillment, which he finds (or attempts to find) through Dean/Neal, traveling, writing, and women. The book is sad at its root, but it is also hopeful and exciting.

The film focuses largely on Dean and his ability to find somebody to have sex with anywhere and at any time. It's sad, but it also feels a little empty. Important scenes are presented in snippets; with the exception of one or two scenes, the only scenes that extend over two or three minutes are the sex scenes.

Watching this movie felt like being in the same town as someone you love, maybe someone you used to call your best friend. You are so excited to see him or her because of the history you share, but when you do finally meet, the person is different. It feels like spending time with an acquaintance. You catch up, but all you want to do is tell him/her how you are feeling, how much you need him/her.

The cinematography is beautiful, though. And it didn't SUCK. It just wasn't the book.

Without being too word-y I've noticed a lot of electronic/r&b music has entered the indie music scene lately. I am a guitar player and grew up on guitar based music aka rock'n'roll. I enjoy electronic/experimental music but my first love is rock. It takes me a little extra effort to get into other forms of music, although I do often enjoy them. So, here is a playlist of a few songs from upcoming albums that feature guitars and more traditional band structures. Sometimes you just wanna rock, ya know?!

I first heard about the Avett Brothers from Tori and Zach. They always talked about them when Tori and I were living together, so I schooled myself via the interwebs one day, and I never looked back.

A couple Avett Brothers songs fit so well into situations I have experienced that it's uncanny. Music has a great way of making you feel that you aren't alone, but their songs make me feel like they sneaked into my journal and wrote about what they found there.

Anyway, they have a new album called Magpie and the Dandelion coming out in October. "Another is Waiting" is the first song they have released, and I love it. It is pretty poppy, but they don't stray too far from the Avett Brothers sound. The song is a good marriage between old AB and new AB, I think. It has the Avett-style harmonizing of something that could have come before I and Love and You and the LOUD that came after (and during).

Click here to listen on NPR.

We usually stick to music here on Wires and Waves, but the trailer for the new Spike Jonze movie, Her, looks amazing. Check it out below.

My song of the day is by Milwaukee-based band Pale Young Gentlemen. The song is "I Wasn't Worried," but the whole album (Tra La La) is worth listening to.

Click here to listen.

I loved the Head and the Heart's debut album, but Christina and I both listened to it way too much, so much that sometimes it hurts me to hear it. When I heard they were releasing a new album I was really excited. Today they released a new single from the album called "Step" and it's my song of the day.

This was on Jimmy Fallon last night. Also I love the real version so much. 

Okay, I'm more than a little late to jump on the LCD Soundsystem bandwagon. The last album James Murphy (from what I know, LCD Soundsystem is the moniker used by James Murphy or in other words it's a one many show) released was 2010 and I think he retired or something. I really don't know. I do know I like the song, "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" a lot and it's my song of the day.