brand new

Pretty much every band in history has had internal conflict, or members leave over some such inter-band strife. Not every band is able to push past that and create some of their most personal and cohesive material to date. Two years after the release of their full length 2008 debut, Colour Revolt –core members Jesse Coppenbarger and Sean Kirkpatrick -- return with their sophomore album "The Cradle."

The second I heard the song "Blackheart vs. Captain America" kick in, I knew The Lonely Forest were something special.  Not only were the somber melodies and anthemic lyrics charming; the lyrics and casual honesty found in the band's lyrics is remarkable.  Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie) picked up these guys next record (coming out in 2010) for his Warner Bros. Records imprint, Trans, but their 2009 record "We Sing The Body Electric!" is beyond superb.  Certainly a contender for the best album of 2010, it would be a true shame for you to miss this band.

Long Island rock band Crime In Stereo might be typically assumed to draw their influences from their brethren (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday), but they are far from typical.  Loud, in-your-face power rock, their new album “I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone” has really pushed their sound, style, and influences to the next level.

Mean Everything To Nothing , the second album from Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra, is everything you want a rock record to be: raw, urgent, emotional, and 100 percent authentic. "There is nothing fake about this record," says frontman and lyricist Andy Hull. "There's not one fake sound on it. We recorded it live because we wanted it to sound like a band, and I think it does: live and loud!"