Louder Than Thunder - The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada was formed in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio. They are a metal-core Christian band.The band still is not part of MTV media we all know so well. As one band member posted on their official website,  "To any one thing we might be going "mainstream", you're sadly mistaken!" The Devil Wears Prada has several albums out: Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord (2006),  Plagues (2007), and With Roots Above and Branches Below (2009).
A lot of people will see the band's name and think back to movie/book by the same title. When asked about it, the band replied that they had taken the name indeed from the book. They believed a theme central to the storyline was the evils of materialism. As it turns out, the book had none of this theme in it. However, after acknowledgement of the initial misunderstanding, they kept the name with the justification that "It's the same concept as our lyrics 'emeralds hold no hope' and many others. What we believe it to mean is that possessions don't matter at all and someday everyone will realize that this is true. When standing before God, he won't care about your sweet Prada scarf or Gucci shoes or whatever. It's a Christian reasoning for the name, we didn't name it to attempt at being fashionable or whatever, " given by Micheal Hranica.
'Louder Than Thunder' is a departure from their typical metal sound in order to highlight their more melodic talents. Anyone who says that scream vocalists only do so because they can't sing, has just been proven wrong. If you liked this song, and are looking for something heavier, I suggest 'Hey John, What's Your Name Again?'

Stereophonics - Dakota

The Welsh rock band Stereophonics is relatively well known in the UK. The band was formed in 1992 in Cwmaman, Wales and has since then released seven studio albums. Five of those have topped the UK Album Charts. Their first album, Word Gets Around, charted in at number six almost overnight. Over the years, the band has earned ten top-ten singles. The song “Dakota” made it to number one in 2005.

“Dakota” is different from the band’s usual sound. This eighties influenced track is meant to bring you back to carefree summer days of just “laying back, head in the grass”. It’s about remembering first love and basking in the memories of it – five minutes of pure nostalgia.

EELS - P.S. You Rock My World

EELS was formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, otherwise known as E. Other members of this American rock band rotate frequently, whether it be in the studio or on the stage.

The song “P.S. You Rock My World” is from Electro Shock Blues, EELS’ second studio album. As opposed to their first album, Electro Shock Blues focused mainly on E’s personal life. It was a sort of tribute to his family: his sister, who committed suicide after EELS’ first album was released, his mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, and his father, who E had found dead of a heart attack when he was nineteen. The album is definitely heartbreaking, cynical, mournful, creative. But more importantly, it’s one man’s way of learning to deal with disease and death. “P.S.” is the last song on the album - the realization that, in spite of everything, life goes on.

Tegan and Sara - The Con

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Tegan and Sara is an indie Canadian rock band formed by twin sisters Tegan Quin and Sara Quin. The two are known for their interchanging vocals and guitar playing, resulting in a completely unique folk-rock sound.  The duo grew up playing music together, learning to play piano at age eight and eventually switching to acoustic guitars at age fifteen. From there, they began to write their own songs. At age seventeen, they won Calgary’s Garage Warz and recorded Yellow Demo, using the studio time they had been given as a prize from the competition. Since then, Tegan and Sara have produced six albums. Their latest album, Sainthood, was released in October of 2009.

The track “The Con” was one of the singles taken from their fifth studio album under the same name. It’s catchy and upbeat, exactly what a single should be. It’s the kind of gem meant to draw fans old and new into an album that’s full of them.

Within Temptation (feat. Keith Caputo): What Have You Done

Within Temptation was founded in 1996 by Sharon den Adel (vocals) and Robert Westerholt (guitar). The two are now married and have just had their second child. As a band, they have been categorized as gothic rock, gothic metal, and symphonic rock. Despite this, Within Temptation resents the idea of their music being considered anything other than hard rock.
The Dutch band remained underground until 2001 when 'Ice Queen' hit the charts from their 2000 album, Mother Earth. Their next two albums, The Silent Force (2004) and The Heart of Everything (2008), debuted as number 1 on the Dutch charts. In America, 'All I Need' (The Heart of Everything) was featured on the Vampire Diaries, and Truth Beneath the Rose was used in the preview for The Tudors. The song I featured here is available on Guitar Hero: World Tour. Within Temptation plans to release their next album in March of 2011, titled The Unforgiving, in which all songs are based on a comic series authored by Steven O’Connell and drawn by Romano Molenaar.
This particular song also has vocals by Keith Caputo. He is known for shocking lyrics dealing with hard truths. Raised by two parents addicted to heroine, he had a painful childhood and draws on it in his music. Despite this, many of his songs are also seen as hopeful.In one of his most referenced quotes, Caputo says, “From my own feelings of displacement, dissatisfaction and yearning comes a vast sea of compassion." As 'What Have You Done' plays through, the dialogue and instruments clearly display this internal struggle for balance between two opposite feelings. The song comes from their album The Heart of Everything.

The Temper Trap:Fader

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Fader is the third single from The Temper Trap's first album, Conditions. The Temper Trap is a band from Melbourne, Australia. You might know their smash-hit first single, Sweet Disposition. Here in the U.S. the band is signed to Glassnote Records, a record label who's current roster also consists of bands such as Mumford & Sons and Phoenix. The Temper Trap first attracted attention after playing sold out shows in London in 2008, and then at South by Southwest in 2009. Their debut album, Conditions, was released June 19, 2009 to rave reviews. In July of 2010, the band estimated that they would release their second album sometime late this year.