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Our new favorite Chicagoan¹ is Todd Carey.

He has a great new record on his hands and we think you’re gonna love it. In fact, after you decide you dig it, you should grab a copy at iTunes or his site.

His new songs are earnest and riff-tastic, a bit like John Mayer but without the Jessica Simpson aftertaste.

Glide Magazine predicts

With undeniable song hooks, a lively range that reflects his sunny optimism, and most importantly – a real way with a six string, Carey is a versatile live talent that can rock his way to pop stardom with just a couple of lucky breaks.

For those of you searching for Mayer, Mraz or maybe even Morrison songs for your next production, ad campaign or movie trailer, Carey’s new record has moments for every mood… and all of the songs on Watching Waiting are available for select licensing opportunities through Burst, right here in our Lab.

[dh]

¹ Of course, our favorite New-Chicagoan remains our very own Julie Moffitt… it’s a subtle distinction, but still…

The music of summer, for those of us in the US, at least, is a highly personalized library… yet much of it becomes part of the national lexicon.

There is, of course, the ubiquitous Pet Sounds, by The Beach Boys - arguably the All Time Greatest summer album.

For me it has often been the New Radicals’ Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too that has brought to mind sunshine and bikinis, though for no specific reason other than it was always on my car stereo the summer after I moved to LA.

So in that spirit we want to introduce you to The Real Efforts Of Real People, a band whose music somehow always makes me think of summer. Matt (here at Burst HQ) thinks of TREORP in a more melancholy light, perfect for rainy days.

But who says it can’t rain in summer? I say both are possible… which is but one of many, many reasons to dig this new band.

Ben West (recently out on tour with Brooke Fraser in Australia) and Kristopher Pooley (keys and musical director for Gwen Stefani of No Doubt) form this musical duo hailing from Detroit, and have managed to craft music full of mood and nuance while maintaining an air of lighthearted seriousness.

Matt weighs in :

Furthering the cause of indie melancholia made known by such luminaries as M. Ward, Eels, Iron & Wine, and Wilco, The Real Efforts Of Real People wrap their hard-luck stories and slice-of-life portraits in a lush aural blanket. Piano, guitar, and analog atmospherics abound, and if I had listened to Daniel 2 months ago, I would have been raving about them since then. [ms]

Anyway, we’re thrilled to bring you some fantastic music from the latest talented artists to join Burst Labs.

Stand out favorites here at Burst include :

Second Life

Prole Subliminal

What The People Are Saying

Of course, their whole catalog is available for select license opportunities right here.

So, enjoy. Fire up the grill or grab an umbrella. Rain or shine, The Real Efforts Of Real People bring genuine and real music to the world, and we’re happy we get a chance to tell you about their songs. [dh]

Well, the Lab is rocking with new mixes and masters, experiments in sound and brainstorming sessions about what to bring you next.

While we’re finalizing those results, here’s a taste of some recent blog fun for those of you just joining us this week :

Very often we’ll hear a song and think “that should be in a movie.”

Sometimes a piece of music inspires an entire movie concept.

So here’s a 12 part pitch-meeting from Burst Labs… ideas built solely on songs that we think would work perfectly at the end of a film as the credits roll.

Top 12 Songs Perfect For End Credits : part 1 | part 2

Enjoy. More music coming soon… [dh]

Most people, upon hearing the phrase “The Boss”, cower in fear or long for an extra month of vacation.

Of course, there’s another Boss - the one from Jersey - who inspires hope, sings anthems, and is the voice of a generation. But as powerful and patriotic as he was, times have changed.

Time Magazine says Office Workers Need a Springsteen, Too!

Well, may we humbly nominate our vaunted champion of the cubicle Owen Sartori. And he’s way more Ben Folds than Bruce Springsteen. We think this is a good thing.

Owen’s Selections From The Cube - an EP is a quick peek into the heart of an anti-hero’s heart… earnest and heartbreaking, funny and irreverent.

• The Cube is a clarion call for the legions of office workers with flourescent tan lines, TPS reports to fill out, and an escape plan to finalize.

• I Knew You’d Come Along - a steamroller of a love song.

• Could You Be The One bounces and grooves and opens with the lines :

I love you
like a warden loves a prisoner
and I never know which side of the bars I’m on

While all five songs will eventually be released as part of the full length CD Another Beautiful Day In The Cube coming from Burst Records later this year, the EP presents two of the five songs as exclusive alternate mixes that appear nowhere else - Punching Bag (naked mix), and Separate (glitch mix).

And, of course, all 5 songs are available now for licensing right here. [dh]

Rummaging through the stash of our older brothers’ party tapes unearthed this vintage find… 5 rare glam-punk-pop tunes that would have been right at home in American Pie had it been released in 1979 instead of 1999.

With their feet firmly planted in the 60s and 70s, we bring you the first installment of Garage Pop, by unheralded indie faves, The Elephant Kings. Check out the tunes right here!

We suspect someone at Burst HQ is playing a trick on us… because we also found, along with the master tapes for said tunes, a draft of a script for something called That Line You Do - Reimagining That Thing You Do As A Mid-70s Coke-Fest (with a soundtrack featuring Adam Schlesinger fronting a revitalized and commercially successful Sex Pistols/X/New York Dolls supergroup).

This would obviously place our find, or at least the script, well after 1979. But, no matter, the tunes are great, the performances authentic, and we’re hard at work reviving the multi-track masters and producing up some modern versions of these kick ass tunes… songs seemingly custom-built for movie trailers and advertising. [dh]

Just added 5 great new tunes by The Farewell Circuit to the Lab.

Surprise Surprise, Hold On, Dreams, Close Your Eyes are all youthful alternative tracks ripe for licensing in commercials or programming, and Oceans Cry is a building and dramatic soundscape in two sections… perfect for the emotional climax in your next production or end credits in your next movie.

Their Third Shift Recording Co. debut was produced by Burst Labs’ creative director Daniel Holter and Kristian Riley (The Promise Ring, Paris Texas, Maritime, Headlights), and if you dig the tunes why not grab a copy of the disc at Third Shift or at iTunes and support these young lads?!

The new Northern Room project is now available.

Their 4 song EP was produced by Burst Labs’ creative director Daniel Holter, and is available now at their website or at iTunes.

And of course, all songs are available for licensing right here at BurstLabs.com : you can license Northern Room music for commercials, video games, television shows, or movies.

We’re thrilled to be hosting one of our favorite indie bands, Maritime, at Burst HQ for the next few weeks as they record the follow up to their critically acclaimed* We The Vehicles [Flameshovel Records].

Stuart Sikes is at the helm, following recent projects for Modest Mouse, Cat Power, The White Stripes, Loretta Lynn, and Cerys Matthews (who we loved even before we knew Stuart would be here with Maritime!).

We’ll check with the guys after a few days to see if we can post any news or pics or updates… stay tuned. [dh]

photo by Mark Dawursk

* “Second album from this Flameshovel band - which features two ex-Promise Ringers and the former Dismemberment Plan bassist - is a dramatic improvement on its predecessor.” - Pitchfork Media

Critical Metrics consolidates music recommendations from all over the interweb, From the Associated Press to Blender to NME to the hallowed Pitchfork. If nothing else, it’s a really great way to keep up on what the cool kids are listening to. Plus, if you are so inclined, you can build playlists and buy them, moneybags.

A quick aside: my least favorite words and phrases to receive a rebirth in this Web 2.0 world-

3. Aggregator

2. Web 2.0

1. Social Networking

[ms]

Plural Z is Aaron Shannon + Tom Gingerich, and together they are becoming known for their hard-hitting and emotionally driven dance tracks. As a Nashville-based engineer, Aaron has worked with such industry notables as Missy Elliot, Eve, Garbage, The Dixie Chicks, and has recorded The London Symphony as well as Ricky Martin’s She Bangs.

BurstLabs.com is thrilled to make available 10 vibey tracks for select licensing opportunities. Ranging from house grooves to skittery noise experiments, and all of them featuring the fantastic and chill vocals of Ruby Amanfu, you can preview them live today.