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In lieu of Cool Music Tuesday, I thought bringing everyone a cool music gadget might just get us through this Tuesday (that and I just have way too much going on this week to do a bunch of music bios). Usually I’m pretty on top of things when it comes to Apple releasing new products, but somehow this one snuck up on me. Apparently Apple released sometime in the last week a new iPod…the iPod Touch.

The Zune Just Wet Itself

I’m pretty sure the folks over at Microsoft were just thrilled (sarcasm) when they heard about Apple’s latest brain child. Wi-Fi music sharing? How about fully functional wireless internet browsing, streaming video, and the ability to download music right from your MP3 player. All of the above without ever connecting to a PC? Not to mention, this latest iPod comes with the breakthrough touch technology that’s featured on the iPhone. In fact the iPod Touch seems to be nothing more than an iPhone without the GPRS antennae. I think it’s safe to say that the Zune can now, officially, be declared defeated. iPod Touch goes above and beyond anything we as consumers have seen before. Apple has set the standard again.

The Nano Goes Square

Not only did Apple unveil a great iPod touch and give some polishing accents to the iPod Classic, the Nano got some well-deserved attention as well. Instead of the familiar stick-of-gum we’re used to seeing, the Nano just got square. Why square? Well to fit the new widescreen for viewing movies. That’s right, you can now watch video on your iPod Nano! And the price didn’t change either…Bonus!

If you want to check out the rest of the lineup, head on over to www.apple.com/itunes to see the whole iPod family lineup.

Envy on the Coast

Although the band is only a year or two old, Envy on the Coast already has a big-name sound and has shared stage with the prowess of Angels and Airwaves and 30 Seconds to Mars. With such an awesome blend of emo, punk, and pop it won’t be long before this band is taking over the radio airwaves as well, especially after they finish up their stint on the Van’s Warped Tour on August 25th. This band is also poised excellently for a lot of publicity, check out their websites: Official band website, PureVolume, MySpace, Warped Tour, and BuzzNet.

PS: The band just released their second album, Lucy Gray, today. You can head on over to Amazon.com and get it, shipping right now!

Neurosonic

The first glimpse I had of these guys was their song “Fearless”. If you check that song out, be advised, it’s not their typical sound at all. Neurosonic is a band that crosses a lot of boundaries in the world of music genres, but are generally considered as progressive or alternative rock. The band was formed in 2006 in Vancouver, BC and were signed to the Bodog Music label in 2007, releasing their album, Drama Queen, on January 30, 2007. Currently the band is touring on the 2007 Family Values Tour.

Check ‘em out some more on their official site, Bodog Music, PureVolume, and MySpace. Also, if you want to read about how the U.S. FBI confused them for terrorists, check out their Wikipedia entry. It’s a good one!

Evaline

Evaline twists and elevates punk-pop to a ferociously unique new level on “postpartum modesty. a portrait of skin”, the debut EP from the band discovered and produced by Quinn Allman of The Used. From the EP’s challenging title to the quintet’s multidimensional wall of sound and shockingly ethereal lyricism, Evaline proves to be a band apart. With the Turlock, California group playing every date of the Warped Tour this year, Evaline will be introduced across the county this summer. Buckle up.

Check them out on PureVolume, MySpace, or on the Van’s Warped Tour.

Emery

These guys are my weekly favorite. Emery’s roots can be traced back to Rock Hill, South Carolina, where members Chopper, Toby Morrell, Devin Shelton and Matt Carter all attended the same university. The four had been playing in separate bands at the time while in college, and upon graduation decided to form what would become Emery. Soon after forming, the group opted to leave their South Carolina hometown, and to settle in Seattle.

The group departed on September 11, 2001 (what a coincidence) and soon set to work writing songs and touring locally. In 2003, Emery tracked their debut, dubbed The Weak’s End, with producer Ed Rose. Self-financing the operation, the band knocked out the sessions in two weeks. After the sessions wrapped, Emery hit the road on smaller, regional touring stints and performed at 2003’s Cornerstone Festival. Upon returning to Seattle, the group finalized their deal with Tooth & Nail and released The Weak’s End in January 2004.

Since that time they have toured with the likes of Hawthorne Heights, Eighteen Visions, and headlining the Smartpunk stage at Van’s Warped Tour 2005.

Check them out at PureVolume, MySpace, or on the band’s Official Website (emerymusic.com).

It’s that time again! I told you guys this wasn’t going away because I really enjoy it. Right now I’m probably in an airport in Salt Lake City, but thanks to WordPress’ amazing abilities I was able to write this up a little beforehand for you to enjoy now. I’ve got some awesome picks for you today.

The Legion of Doom

The Legion of Doom is a mash-up band. They take lyrics and music from other artists and make really cool sounding remixes. The “band” is actually a couple of sound engineers that have worked on some music you may have heard of (Senses Fail and the Saw II Soundtrack to name a few). These guys have good taste in music too. You’ll see artists like Coheed, Saves the Day, Dashboard Confessionals, Senses Fail, Thrice, Green Day and Alkaline Trio featured in their mash-ups. You can check out their music on their website (www.the-legion-of-doom.com), on Last.fm, or at PureVolume.

Between the Trees

Between the Trees is a five-member band of 18 to 21-year-old guys that came together in 2005. They have a completely unique and awesome sound in my opinion. The indie-rock group has accomplished a lot in the last two years and has some songs that are I believe could be chart-destined if they got into the right places. I don’t know how to talk better about these guys, so here’s a quote from their MySpace profile:

 

But an even greater truth stands Between the Trees … literally.

It’s in the name itself – specifically, in the space staked out by its suggestion of beginning and end.

“One tree represents where time and existence begins,” ventures lead singer Ryan Kirkland. “The other is the end of everything. Between them is the time we’re given on Earth. What matters is what we do with that time.”

You can’t get simpler – or more profound – than that. And it’s not only the starting point for what you hear from these five guys. It’s also the creed that’s driven them to accomplish something extraordinary.

To appreciate this, as you spin The Story and The Song, remember this: Just two years ago, as the group was coming together, most of its members hadn’t even begun to master their instruments.

To listen to some of their tunes or check out their bio, you can go to the band’s official website (www.betweenthetrees.net), PureVolume, or MySpace Music.

If you’ve ever bought music from the iTunes Store, then you probably get an email every week exclaiming that it’s “New Music Tuesday!”. I’m one of those people that gets these and I decided to steal the idea and give it my own little twist: introducing “Cool Music Tuesday!”. Rarely do you get to see the lesser-known bands and singers debut, and this gives me a reason to endlessly search for cool, new music (something I already do anyways). Alrighty, let’s get down to it.

Say Anything

These guys are awesome. They have a very punk-ish sound, but are funny as hell to listen to. Their lyrics are advanced (they obviously have a good vocabulary) and comedic. It’s the perfect goof-off music when you’re in the mood. You can demo tracks of theirs on the band website (www.sayanythingmusic.com), on PureVolume, or at DogHouse Records.

From the Doghouse Records Website:

Matching both the bristling intensity and gooey pop grandeur of John Vanderslice’s Cellar Door, Bemis’ first album follows in a lineage of stabbing but melodic rock and roll including Husker Du, Jawbreaker and, at times, even Elvis Costello. Produced by the incomparable Tim O’Heir (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, the The All-American Rejects) with arrangements by Stephen Trask (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and conceived as a rock opera, the resulting record follows the switchbacks and hairpin turns of personal narrative – like Bright Eyes’ Fevers and Mirrors but with the unwavering enthusiasm and crunchy momentum of Phantom Planet. Say Anything Is a Real Boy hardly sounds like the work of one person, and so to capture the full impact live, Bemis has enlisted Coby Linder on drums, Kevin Seaton on bass and Casper Adams on guitar. The band’s first tour found them sharing stages with The Get-Up Kids, Dashboard Confessional, Cave-In and Thrice, playing smart, inspired rock and roll beyond the pale of simplistic genre labels. This is your late summer soundtrack – the perfect companion to the bittersweet feeling of good times in the waning sunshine.

That’s all for today because I just want to see how this goes. More will come next Tuesday. And don’t forget to leave me your feedback.

While browsing around I found out that iTunes announced last week that they are now selling a DRM-free version of certain titles (I assume all will be added soon) called iTunes Plus. The Plus titles cost 30 cents more at $1.29 a pop, but you are free to put them on as many devices as you want. Did Apple really crumble and give-in to all those that whine about DRM not being fair to users? Not exactly, there’s a catch. Whenever you buy a song from the iTunes Store, your information (email, username, etc) is tagged in the file for the DRM to work correctly. The drawback with iTunes Plus, although it is DRM-free, is that all that information is still stored within the file. This means that if you share your music with a friend and they share with a friend and so on, you’re also sharing all your information. Kind of a neat trick huh? This lets you have the freedom to put the music you purchase on any device you want, but unless you want your info out there for everyone to see, you’ll keep it to yourself.

Personally I agree with this strategy, but I’m sure lots of people will be raising hell over it. Already I’ve read one article that seems to be against Apple’s new format, but if you read his user’s comments you’ll find a lot of them take the same stance I do. Read the article here: iTunes Plus: DRM-free, but Invades Your Privacy.