Valuable Music

Straylight Run (originally from long island NY ) is the project of ex-Taking Back Sunday members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper. They formed in May 2003 when John and Shaun left due to personal differences with lead singer Adam Lazzara. John and Shaun had been writing songs while still in the old band that they felt didn’t fit in with Taking Back Sunday’s style, and the freedom of starting a new band gave them a chance to experiment with this new sound. The band’s title is taken from a chapter of William Gibson’s novel “Neuromancer.”

The band gained popularity early on through word of mouth after they released 6 demos available for download exclusively on their website. They then went on to release a self-titled full-length and more recently a 6 track EP Prepare to Be Wrong. The band currently consists of John Nolan (vocals, guitar, piano), his sister Michelle DaRosa (vocals, guitar, piano), Shaun Cooper (bass) and Will Noon (drums). The band recently added a new song titled “The Miracle That Never Came” on its myspace.

Straylight Run’s latest album, The Needles The Space, was released on June 19, 2007.

On June 3, 2008, Michelle DaRosa announced on the band’s myspace that she was officially leaving to pursue her own solo projects.

(source, last.fm)

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Straylight Run - Straylight Run

Jack’s Mannequin is the solo project of Andrew McMahon who is also the vocalist, pianist and main songwriter of the band Something Corporate. The name Jack’s Mannequin originated from one of McMahon’s songs called Dear Jack, which was written about a friend of his whose brother was diagnosed with childhood leukemia. Andrew himself was diagnosed with leukemia on June 1, 2005 and cancelled a show for the first time ever when he received the call from his doctor.

(source, last.fm)

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Jack;s Mannequin - Everything In Transit
Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger

Augustana is an alternative rock (or piano rock) band that originally met and formed at Greenville College in Greenville, IL. The original band members included Dan Layus, Josiah Rosen, Simeon Lohrmann, and Kyle Baker. The band recorded Midwest Skies and Sleepless Mondays on campus in early 2003. After locally releasing their Mayfield EP, the band parted ways with drummer Kyle Baker and bass player Simeon Lohrmann; and added Josh Calhoun (drums) and Jared Palomar (originally keys, moved to bass guitar) to the lineup.

(source, last.fm)

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Augustana - Can't Love, Can't Hurt

While it may sound like an entire Balkan orchestra playing modern songs as mournful ballads and upbeat marches, Beirut’s first album, Gulag Orkestar, is largely the work of one 22-year-old Santa Fe, New Mexico native, Zach Condon, and was almost completely recorded at home. Horns, violins, cello, ukuleles, mandolins, glockenspiels, drums, tambourines, congas, organs, pianos, clarinets and accordions (no guitars on this album!) all build and break the melodies under Condon’s deep-voiced crooner vocals, swaying to the Eastern European beats that sound like they’re being brought to you by a 10-member ensemble.

(source, last.fm)

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Beirut - Gulag Orkestar

Eisley is an indie-pop rock band from Tyler, Texas. Eisley consists of four siblings: Sherri DuPree, Stacy DuPree, Chauntelle DuPree and Weston DuPree — and their cousin, Garron DuPree.

The band began as an after-church endeavor when the DuPrees were young. The band was named Moss Eisley, after the Star Wars city Mos Eisley, but for legal reasons the “Moss” was dropped officially when they announced their tour opening for Coldplay. Now they’re all grown up and have both headlined and opened for bands such as (but not limited to): Taking Back Sunday, Coldplay, Switchfoot, Snow Patrol, Brand New, Hot Hot Heat and New Found Glory.

(source, last.fm)

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Eisley - Combination

The Format was an indie pop band which formed in Phoenix, Arizona, United States in 2001 by Sam Means and Nate Ruess. On February 4, 2008, the band announced that it was no longer making a new album and that the band had gone into hiatus. Nate Ruess, the band’s singer and lyricist, left the following message on the band’s website:

“We have just put out word that we will not be making a new Format album. Please understand this was a tough decision and we’re both upset about it. While we accept there will be false speculation as to why, understand that Sam and I remain extremely close and in fact are still passing the twin peaks box set back and forth in an attempt to figure out who REALLY killed laura palmer. We also want to thank everyone with and within the Format, particularly Mike, Don, and Marko, whom without, none of this would have ever even been fully realized. We both suggest you support their musical talents and whatever they decide to do. And lastly we want to thank the fans who made this the best 5 years of our lives.”


(source, last.fm)

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The Format - Dog Problems