maskitheclown | The Airborne Toxic Event

I'm always late with finding new music because I don't feel like sifting through a bunch of crap to find one good thing. That's why I just discovered The Airborne Toxic Event when I'm guessing everyone else already knows of them. But whatever, they are new to me and they are awesome. So if by some chance you haven't heard of them before, have "some" info.

Their first album (Deluxe Edition) is imaginatively named "The Airborne Toxic Event" and has 13 (+2) songs and I'm pretty sure I like all of them. (It's only been like... 2 weeks, I need time to process.)

The most famous song off the album is "Sometime Around Midnight" and I love it but it's definitely not alone in its amazingness. :) It just has a ... bit of an epic feel to it. It has no chorus and the composition is almost orchestral. When you listen to it, you know it's meant to be epic. But, yeah, 12 other songs on the album :) I wish I had more to say about them but seriously, not a music expert here. I can just say "I like this one!" and "pay attention to..."

So I don't have to repeat myself a lot:
1) The lyrics are beautiful, the lyricist (also singer/frontman Mikel Jollett of very-nice-and-just-a-bit-raspy-sometimes voice) is a writer when not in a band, and the whole album is built on the lyrics and his need to get some bad personal stuff out on the paper and it turned out to be music instead of prose by complete accident. So just imagine my "And omg the lyrics!!" on every song. :)
2) Their violinist (and backup singer, Anna Bulbrook) is a classical violinist and new to rock but her sound fits perfectly. Both the voice and the violin/viola. (She's also kinda hot. Khm...)
3) Their bass player plays the upright bass... I think that's the correct name? Which... do I really have to point out how cool that is?
4) I suck at recognizing good guitarists so you're on your own there. But he's smokin.
5) The drummer! He has Dali mustache! And is also a really good drummer. Supposedly of punk background. But really, Dali mustache :)

01. Wishing Well - Listen.
This one is absolutely vocals driven. Rumored to be the first song he wrote. All the instruments follow the volume and speed of his voice and they whisper when he whispers and scream when he shouts.

02. Papillon - Listen.
He plays with his voice here a lot, I'm thinking he's mocking someone. The guitar reminds me of The Doors.

03. Gasoline - Listen.
"This is a song about high school sex" :)
Bass!

04. Happiness Is Overrated - Listen.

05. Does This Mean You're Moving On? - Listen.

06. This Is Nowhere - Listen.

07. Sometime Around Midnight Listen.
There are many pretty things being said about this song all over the internets, and they are all true. But my personal favorite is the way his voice trembles on "starts"

08. Something New Listen.

09. Missy Listen.
Brendon Urie would call this a ditty :)

10. Innocence - Listen.
Drums. No, seriously. After the intro, which is wonderfully slow and combo of violin and drums and what you'd expect me to be about, they jump into the song with some crazy drums. Listen to them.
Also, I HAVE to: There's no innocence like hers, just emptiness and nerves...

11. The Winning Side (Bonus Track) Listen. Live version.

12. This Losing (Bonus Track) Listen.

13. The Girls In Their Summer Dresses (Bonus Track) Listen.

14. Gasoline (Acoustic Version (Bonus Track)) Listen
The bassist rocks extra hard in this version.

15. Sometime Around Midnight (Acoustic Version)

Buy? - Because I really don't do Amazon.

I've seen some comparisons to The Killers and The Smiths but they remind me of, if anyone, Pulp and 80's British scene.
Video interview.
Video funs. Lookit the blonde girl! She's the violinist.

*
Mikel Jollett. (lyrics, vocals, guitar, piano/keyboards)