Just in...LEAGUES: You Belong Here

    This album is just a week old, and I heard it first on one of the local radio stations here in Rochester, NY, probably 89.7 WITR, The Pulse of Music, since WBER has fallen off the grid in terms of how much I listen to it anymore--just not providing the same great stuff they used to. So, we've got You Belong Here, by Leagues (or LEAGUES as they often write it on their website), out on the Bufalotone Records label January 29th, 2013. Leagues is a Nashville project that started sometime around 2005, as members started to meet each other and collectively grouped together to start playing some music that singer-songwriter (solo act at the time) Thad Cockrell had written, music that did not fit his lonesome self. So, slowly they put stuff together and did their first show in 2010 in Manhattan. The crowd loved their music, was surprised by Thad Cockrell's additional musicians, but just started dancing and loving it, so naturally they did too. Finally, in 2013 this is their debut album together. They did a Pledge Music project for the album, which you can check out here. Apparently there are two pledger-only tracks, "Ribbons" and "She Kissed Me" which you can listen to previews of here.
    You Belong Here is somewhat of a dance album. The music is reminiscent of all sorts of dance steps, but with an obviously more complex beat and that is one of the reasons I kind of like this band, because without that differentiating factor from any other indie rock or regular old rock band they'd fall flat in my opinion. Their melodies are alright, stage-y (or stadium-esque), but not particularly memorable. One notable exception to that is the opening song, "Spotlight", which has definitely been going through my head lately. A lot of their songs have catchy guitar hooks, while others are more synth dominated, but not in the sense of a synth pop group. They are supported often by alternative-esque distortion, and contain harmonized and backup vocals. I do not, however, know if they are just for the album or another member of the group joins in (this is why every band should have a Wikipedia site. Quite often Leagues reminds me of MUTEMATH's last album Odd Soul, from the guitar timbres to the blues rock kind of feel. In all, You Belong Here, is a solid mix of different styles that all work well together, find cohesiveness and are probably good for feel good driving or a semi-relaxed party.
    To check out more, find some reading material and other information on their website, as well as a free download of the song "Spotlight", here. Also, MTV Hive has a full stream of the album, which started a week previous to its release, here. It is on Leagues' SoundCloud also, here, but not the complete tracklisting, just four songs. It also doesn't include what I believe is an iTunes exclusive track (#10), "Friendly Fire". Check out the link to the song "Haunted" over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. It is a lighthearted song that is similar to a lot of the jungle or Afro-beat kind of stuff going around these days. Enjoy!