Tuesday Tuneage: Hot and Bothered by an Airborne Toxic Event

Happy Tuesday, NoVa Poppers. You know what that means? That’s right – Tuneage Tuesday. Boosh! This is where we’ll be looking at the week’s new releases in the music world, but it also will be a place to introduce local bands and artists. I’m always in search for the best and the brightest out there in NoVa so if you know of some group that you think is rockin’ the local scene – or if you or your group is already rockin’ the aforementioned scene and no one is aware of it yet – send a note to novapoppin@gmail.com. All genres are welcome – even Norwegian acid jazz tuba power metal.

Anyways, on to the tuneage.

The Hot Topic set will be interested in the latest disc from Hawthorne Heights out today, “Fragile Future” (Victory Records). The first thing longtime fans will notice missing is the screamo element from past efforts. That’s probably due in part to the tragic death last November of guitarist/vocalist Casey Calvert from accidental mixing of medications during a tour stop at the 9:30 Club downtown. The band soldiered on, however, and has its most melodic and mature effort to date. The band showed true hit potential with “Saying Sorry” from 2006′s “If Only You Were Lonely,” and continued along that path with tracks such as “Somewhere in Between,” “Rescue Me” and “Let Go of Everything You Know.” JT Woodruff has one of the best and most distinctive voices on the Victory roster, and big guitars and singalong choruses are sure to attract more hoodie-wearing followers.

I usually don’t buy into that whole “new band of the moment” thing. Arctic Monkeys? Pfft. Kaiser Chiefs? Meh. The only recent one I could get behind was Vampire Weekend, my favorite new band of the year. Until now. Ladies and gentlemen, meet The Airborne Toxic Event. On their self-titled debut (Majordomo), the quintet delves into grand U2 territory with “Sometime Around Midnight” (and doesn’t come out looking foolish), breaks out the string section for “Innocence” but is also capable in the head-bobbing, uptempo category, as evidenced by “This is Nowhere” and “Gasoline.” Plus, Brendan Fraser loves them. Really, how can you go wrong with that kind of endorsement?

Justin Timberlake may be bringing “sexy” back, but his production team has nothing on the bleeps, blorks and splats of electronic-rock meisters, The Faint. On “Fasciinatiion” (Blank.wav), the Nebraska fivesome distorts the vocals, puts the guitars in the background and revels in a syncopated symphony of techno hiccups and bent-up sonic beats.

News flash: An Indigo Girl has gone punk. Holy crow. While she gets her folk fix with partner Emily Saliers in that well-known duo, Amy Ray veers toward the rave-ups on the solo “Didn’t It Feel Kinder” (Daemon Records). It’s a change-up that suits her songwriting well, and the excellent “Blame is a Killer” sounds nothing like what you think and oh so good all the same.

First there was iTunes. Then Starbucks. Now Barnes & Noble has gotten into the exclusive music market. Because unless you were perusing the bookshelves last week, you may not have realized that Lucy Woodward has a new album out. The pop chanteuse, whose “Lucy Woodward is … Hot and Bothered” is only available in Barnes & Noble stores and at Barnes & Noble.com, had a top-40 hit with “Dumb Girls” in 2003. Yet, trading slick production for a horn section, the youngster shows a lot more musicianship and jazzy derring-do on this new swing-inspired collection than she ever did in the “mainstream” pop world – instead of being the next Britney, she’d rather hang with like-minded, soulful songbirds such as Amy Winehouse and Nellie McKay. Woodward kicks it old school on “Love is Gonna” and “Use What I Got,” and goes sultry on “What Can I Do,” enough to make you wonder what exactly they’re putting in those B&N espressos.

Four years ago, there was no better band in my own strange little world than The Darkness. These four Brits perfectly melded Thin Lizzy guitar riffs, Queen bombast and AC/DC swagger. And then lead singer Justin Hawkins left the band in 2006 and The Darkness was no more. Sadness swept over the land. But it looks like Hawkins is back, and with a new band called Hot Leg. He’s rockin’ the same falsetto and has found a different venue for his infectious hooks. Click over to the Hot Leg MySpace page for a free download of their track “Heroes,” but also check out the “medieval epic” “Trojan Guitar” while you’re there. Trust me – it’ll rock your socks off but good.

Tags: cd, Music, pop, rock