Sniper Rifle Music

The first song I heard was Something Sacred, and it had me scrambling online searching for who this Annie Automatic was and where I could find more. My search resulted in finding one album, two singles and a bio starting off like this “Annie Automatic is a colorful lunatic. She listens to her music loud, and takes her shoes off to dance. She’s the strange little animal inside all of us.” I had hit gold. Christopher French, formally the front man and singer of Palmerston, started the band in 2009 and released their first E.P., Fighting Chances that September. The album is a personal concert for the ears of rock lovers, with five songs that will have you dancing without reservation and downloading them to whatever music interface you use.

Since then two singles have been released. The first, K.I.D, had me remembering my ex and wishing I had this song to blast then. Drums and guitar fuse with lyrics that had me up and dancing in my living room and singing along…badly. The second single was a cover of the classic, Over the Rainbow made famous by the wonderful Judy Garland in Wizard of Oz. Annie Automatic stuck to the basic melody but put its own twist on the delivery of the lyrics. It features French’s girlfriend, The Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco. Though at first I wasn’t a huge fan of the new updated acoustic version, each time it makes an appearance on my iPod (set on random) it grows on me more and more. Another bonus, all proceeds go towards The Humane Society of the United States. On Annie Automatic’s blog, French explains why they did this cover, “I ended up singing this fun version of an old classic with her while she was in pain, in between surgeries, and it temporarily distracted her…So, even though she’s “not a singer”…she wanted to record it with me.”

Both singles were released in December. Annie Automatic is gaining followers that anxiously wait for the next single to appear on the airwaves and enthusiastically spread their new find. Sticking to creating music that they love, the songs are fun and full of a simple RocknRoll atmosphere. Check out Annie Automatic on YouTube, Facebook, iTunes or Myspace and get ready to blast your speakers while dancing with your shoes off.

Josh Groban delivered an amazing album this past November. Titled Illuminations, it is produced by Rick Rubin, who has worked with Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and many more. Groban’s voice I feel has gotten stronger, his vocal confidence range has certainly increased and it is quite noticeable with this fifth release. He also wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, which is the most on any one compilation previously. When I first listened to the album, I noticed that the soaring melodies and smooth voice of Groban were soulful and beautiful but they had a sad tone as well. Reviews from critics and fans seem to be split, some in love others disappointed. Personally I think this album is a huge stepping stone, and shows the public how Groban has grown vocally as well as his talents with writing/composing music. Illuminations is a creatively majestic album that has one snuggling up this winter season with hot cocoa and a warm fire.