GR: Describe your new album to us, please.

AC: We’re finishing the mixing right now. It should be coming out in the next two to three weeks and it’s a lot different than my first record because it has more of a “rocktronica” sound. My first one was lo-fi and straight rock and roll but this one has a strong dance, electronica feel. My influences are a lot of rock and grunge, so it produced a weird, interesting sound. It’s like Alanis Morisette fused with Prodigy. It’s pretty out there.

GR: Who will be putting the new record out?

AC: I’ve been independent for a number of years but we might do some label shopping For the most part I like doing everything independently because I like to own my own publishing and masters. I’ve had a lot of friends on major labels who complain about getting shelved and not getting enough attention. In order for me to sign with a label I’d have to find someone who is willing to work with me.

GR: How is Sound of Cancer different from you solo stuff?

AC: It’s much more raw and more harmony driven. By harmony I mean choral harmony, so for some of the songs we’ll be doing 13-part vocal harmonies. It sounds kind of like Massive Attack or Portishead. Actually I’m working on both albums at the same time and that’s why it’s taking so long for them to come out. Sound of Cancer is a bit darker but it has my signature stamp on it. I write a lot of esoteric, empirical lyrics. Even in my solo stuff it sounds poppy but I always write dark lyrics.

GR: How is it writing and recording two stylistically separate albums simultaneously?

AC: It’s brutal, to say the least. It’s a labor of love. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cried and been upset and then been extremely happy. It’s been a pretty laborious process but whenever I hear a finished song I’m always so happy. It sounds so awesome, all that hard work was really well worth it.

GR: Are you going to tour for both projects?

AC: I think it would be really funny if one of the other projects opened for the other. It would be funny to see if people could tell the difference. We had talked about doing that because visually the projects are so different. In one I’m a rocker chick, and in another I’m a jazz singer. It’s an interesting dichotomy.

GR: Do you have any advice for other aspiring musicians?

AC: You just really have to be in it for the love. A lot of people have a preconceived notion of what it’s like being a “rock star.” The fact of the matter is you may never make it and you may never make a dime. You have to love it, otherwise don’t do it. There is a lot of rejection, ups and downs, heartache and pain. There’s a great amount of happiness, but you have to make sure you’re in it for the right reasons. You have to really truly love it, and it’s all you want to do.

GR: Is there any gear you’re nerding out on lately?

AC: I’m in love with my new baby, a white Les Paul Studio. It’s a beautiful, beautiful guitar. I also play through a Vox AC30 with Celestion speakers. It’s the amp standard, it just has an awesome sound.

GR: What inspires you to write music?

AC: I’m inspired by a lot of different things. I end up write about my own self-loathing, pain love, heartbreak, joy. I just need to get it out, you know? Music is kind of an outlet for my demons. I wouldn’t say I’m a dark person, but songwriting is my way of getting the dark stuff out so I don’t become a dark person.

GR: What are your plans after the record is finished?

AC: After we finish the record we’re just going to go nuts! We’ll be promoting and touring like crazy. I’m looking to do some SoCal dates and I’ve gotten some offers to tour in Europe. As soon as the record is done I will definitely be doing some extensive touring with my full band. I have a feeling this will be the year that stuff really starts to happen. Here’s hoping!

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Go download Canterbury’s CD, Thank You, for free, it is fantastic.

Who: Canterbury
From: Odiham, United Kingdom
Best song: “Diver”
Check them out: http://www.canterburythankyou.com/

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2. Jason Derulo - “Whatcha Say”
A ridiculously huge single but no album to back it up. Also, did I mention the lyrics are ridiculous? “I don’t want you to leave me, though you caught me cheating?” Well what CAN she leave you for, Jason? The Imogen Heap sample is rad but doesn’t fit in a song about cheating. He “only meant well”? By cheating? What was “all for the best”? The cheating, again?

3. Lady Gaga - “Bad Romance”
Ok, ok! “Just Dance” from the regular “The Fame” was cool but this has GOT to stop. What is she even saying?

4. Britney Spears - “3”
Shoot me in the face. This song is so tacky and gimmicky it’s pathetic.

5. David Guetta featuring Akon - “Sexy Bitch”
What the world doesn’t need: another song about booty. What the world REALLY doesn’t need: another song about booty sung by Akon.

6. Ke$ha – Tik Tok
Catchy song, terrible message. I cringe when I think of all the eleventeen year old girls singing along to lyrics about Jack Daniels, beer and just generally trying to be some kind of Lindsey Lohan party girl.

7. Mariah Carey – Obsessed
TIRED rhymes. Stupidest chorus ever. That’s all I have to say about that.

8. Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne - “I Can Transform Ya”
This song’s first offense is that it is not very good. Its second is that it has Lil Wayne on it and its third is that it is sung by a man who beats women. Sure, he had a publicist write him a very nice apology and he got community service but should we really be giving our money to this guy?

9. Jeremih – “Birthday Sex”
This song is just stupid, it doesn’t make any sense, etc. etc.

10. We The Kings - “Heaven Can Wait”
I like pop punk but We The Kings are just starting to get on my nerves. And speaking of nerves, Travis Clark’s voice is grating on mine.

Also, see the Best of 2009.

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2. Whole Wheat Bread – “Hearts of Hoodlums” (Fighting)
Unbelievably catchy while brandishing an abrasive punk edge, tracks like “Catch 22” and “Every Man For Himself” rage and sparkle. Then add a dash of hip hop and a heaping spoonful of attitude and you get crunked out rockers like “Throw Your Sets Up” and “Stuck in Da Dark.” Put it all together and you get the best pop-punk record since Motion City dropped “Commit This To Memory.”

3. Owl City - “Ocean Eyes” (Universal)
I was stoked when The Postal Service came out with a new record! Only it was made by some kid from Minnesota named Adam Young who calls himself Owl City and is chock-full of strange under-the-sea imagery. But I’ve waited six years and it’s good so I don’t care.

4. Paramore - “Brand New Eyes” (Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic)
Fact: every song on this album is about No Doubt-esque inter-band drama, but once I got over that I realized that this is one heck of a rock album. Sure, there are a few clunkers on there, but when Hayley Williams and the Farro bros lock in the result is raging girl power rock ‘n’ roll bliss.

5. Norah Jones - “The Fall” (Blue Note)
Norah Jones lost a bass player boyfriend and reinvented herself a little on this one. I was very apprehensive because I love Norah Jones the way she is and I have loved her past three releases dearly. To my relief, this change is good. Less jazz/folk, but still awesomely Norah. If you don’t believe me, just listen to “Chasing Pirates.”

6. Sean Kingston - “Tomorrow” (Epic)
Shut up. You and your skinny jeans need to stop pretending you don’t like “Fire Burning.” And stop pretending that it wasn’t that catchiest pop song of the year, outstripping all of its sub-par, brain dead pop peers (see below). Stop lying to yourself and face facts: this chubby Jamaican kid can SING.

7. A Day To Remember - “Homesick” (Victory)
For music fans who like a little melody mixed in with their mosh pit, “Homesick” is what you might call hardcore “lite.” It has all the brutal breakdowns with only half the screaming! There are a lot of bands these days trying to do the melodic hardcore thing but ADTR is hands down the band that does it best.

8. Lights - “The Listening” (Sire)
Lights is a diamond in the rough, an oasis in a barren landscape of mindless girl-dance-pop that – for lack of a better word – sucks. Not only does this Canadian pop starlet not suck, she excels and creates pretty songs with cool textures and sidesteps all the cliches.

9. There For Tomorrow - “A Little Faster” (Hopeless)
This album is a skillful exercise in contrast: raging guitars plus super-melodic vocals. And these guys just write really really REALLY good songs.

10: Jay Z - “The Blueprint 3” (Roc Nation)
What endeared me to this album was the first single “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).” I have been sick of auto-tune for a good long while, and I’m glad Jay-Z finally said something. Plus all the other songs are cool. Plus collaborations with Rihanna, Kanye and Alicia Keys make me happy.

Also, see the the Worst of 2009.

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Lights just released a full-length on October 6th titled The Listening.

Who: Lights
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Best song: “Ice”
Label: Doghouse
Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/lights

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AFI just released their eighth full-length studio album, Crash Love, last Tuesday.

Who: AFI
From: Ukiah, CA
Best song: “Days of the Phoenix”
Label: Interscope
Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/afi

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Coffee house music never sounded so good. I’m not even joking.

Who: Rodrigo y Gabriela
From: Mexico DF
Best song: “Hanuman”
Label: Rubyworks
Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/rodrigoygabriela

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The Start will make you dance.

Who: The Start
From: Los Angeles, California
Best song: “All I Ever Wanted”
Label: Metropolis Records
Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/thestart

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The Ataris have been a prominent figure in the punk scene now for over a decade, but continue to rock just as hard as always.  The Ataris have paved the way for and influenced many of the great bands around today. Catch them on tour in a city near you, and be on the lookout for their forthcoming record The Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Who: The Ataris
From: Anderson, Indiana
Best song: “The Last Song I Will Ever Write About a Girl”
Label: TBA
Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/theataris

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