For those starved by Lady Gaga, tired of Taylor Swift, and waiting desperately for more Bon Iver, here it is.

When Nick Roberts and Josh Morris, now best friends, met at a college orientation in Florida, they never expected to be in a band together. However, Roberts recalls that when he and Morris began playing together, “it just all kind of fell into place.”

As Blue Eyed Night Owl reported, And The Giraffe came up with the idea for their name when they were “just throwing out ideas. Nick suggested Giraffe as their band name. I then thought we could name ourselves ‘The Pelican and the Giraffe’ after the Roald Dahl book,” Morris said. After deciding that that was too long for a band name, they decided to shorten the name and as a result, And The Giraffe was created.

“Some people think that our name is Giraffe when we get put at the end of a bill, but we love it all the same,” Morris said.

The main musical conception happened through Dropbox, a company founded in 2007 that allows files to appear on any computer. Changes are saved automatically, allowing for Roberts and Morris to collaborate in real time even though they weren’t together in the same room. This program is similar to GoogleDocs and allows for edits to be made in the same file from different locations.

The band was able to write a strong album, although most songs were written while Roberts and Morris were 519 miles apart from each other. They explain it was like, “a handful of surprises,” every time something had been updated.

Their EP, “Something for Someone,” is a beautiful blend of folk and indie music, creating what the duo aptly refers to as “dream-folk.” And The Giraffe has managed to find a place in music that belongs solely to them.

Each song on the album was created by its own unique process; some were pieced together over the course of months (such as “Still”), while others can be created in an hour (as in “Masquerade”).

With gentle drifts of piano and soft sounds of the acoustic guitar, it is all too easy to get lost in the dreamy fog of melody that engrosses this album.

When the song “Still” closes out the album, listeners hear the line: “We are gonna be big stars some day.” If And The Giraffe keeps producing music like this, it is hard to doubt them.

Since And The Giraffe is a new band, their music may not yet be labelled. However, some comparisons may be easily drawn. If you are a fan of Iron & Wine or Bon Iver, you will instantly fall in love with And The Giraffe. However, for people less schooled in the “indie arts,” the sounds of And The Giraffe connect to the feel of the “Juno” soundtrack or any of the “Twilight” movies.

You won’t find And The Giraffe’s music on iTunes, but if you feel like getting lost in the fog of “Something of Someone,” you can download it from their website at www.andthegiraffe.com or www.andthegiraffe.bandcamp.com for the “low, low price of free.”

Despite And The Giraffe’s many powerful influences, they have managed to create a sound that is completely their own.

“We are just two guys who love making music,” Roberts said.

The early-released song “Born To Lose” gives listeners a taste of the more intense breakdowns and deeper vocals. Mike Hranica uses harder vocals in the beginning of “Constance.” Daniel Williams increases the speed of the 808 drums, Chris Rubey and Jeremy DePoyster keep a steady, deeper tone with the rhythm guitars, and Andy Trick and James Baney rattle eardrums with the use of the lower notes of the bass and keyboards.

This hardcore group completes their collection of four albums with a new, darker twist. With the release of their EP “Zombies” in 2010, The Devil Wears Prada hoped to create a thematic progression between albums. “Dead Throne” succeeds “Zombies” with harder vocals, low-tuned guitar riffs, and chilling keyboard tunes that leave listeners itching for more.

The album begins with the hit, “Swingin’,” originally by John Anderson; a song Rimes first covered in June 2010 at the Country Music Awards. It is a perfect country swing song that makes the listener feel the music.

But as for the rest of the album, the tone turns somber, focusing on themes of break-ups and wrong-doings. In the second song, “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” Rimes channels the voice of the late Patsy Cline, creating a hallowing sensation that invites listeners to think of their own wasted days and wasted nights.

This is a beautiful album for people who enjoy the sound of country music from the days of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. This album fits into the puzzle of Rimes’ discography very well, mostly into her earlier works, with songs that mainly depend upon vocals rather than instruments or synthetic sounds. “Lady & Gentlemen” is a great stepping stone in LeAnn’s career, and proves she hasn’t forgotten her roots.

Does It Offend You, Yeah?’s second album demonstrates an expansion in their musical repertoire. Echos of their previous single, “We Are Rockstars,” resonate in their opening song “We are the Dead,” while the song “Wondering” demonstrates DIOYY’s turn to a rap style.

Unfortunately this variety in style hurts the coherence of the albums sound, making it hard to listen through.

Some other songs stand out of the album, while others quickly feel like they deserve the skip button. “The Monkey’s Are Coming” reveals the bands crazy style, ending the song with a stream of brilliantly constructed profanities.Though crippled by an unorthodox composition that will hurt one’s ears, “The Wrestler” has great potential for a dub-step remix.

Sadly, “Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You,” while it does contain a few shining jewels, does not live up to the brilliance once held by their debut album.

This band of three Irishmen, who emerged onto the popular music scene in the U.S. in 2009, came out with their new album, “Science and Faith,” which is full of radio-friendly pop rock, similar to their previous album.

Though the title may indicate some sort of religious theme, the songs don’t address a higher being but rather the turmoil of relationships with songs like “Dead Man Walking” and “Long Gone and Moving On.”

The appealing drum and guitar melodies integrate easily with the resonant voice of the lead singer providing strong instrumentals to their pop rock appeal, especially with their hit single “For The First Time.”

The album is true to the talent of the band but doesn’t bring a surprising new sound. It is one whose lyrics can be related to and whose instrumental pop sounds can be enjoyed. The album is pleasing but not shocking.

After releasing seven albums since 1993, Radiohead has just debuted their newest album “King of Limbs.” Previous album norms consisted of melodic guitar-centered compositions. However, “King of Limbs” does not specifically follow these patterns, for it is more electronically centered.

Many fans are distraught by the lack of substance in the album, as it is only 37 minutes long, and feel that tracks end abruptly. The sudden stop could be intentional, as previous Radiohead albums are much more lengthy.

“King of Limbs” toys with various elements previously explored in original albums, but expands musically as well. Many songs consist of loud drum loops, piercing horns, clattering, and sharp vocals from singer Thom Yorke that combine to create a heavy presence of electronic percussion. The album definitely has an interesting sound and is something worth checking out.

Green Day’s fame for crowd-grabbing, intense shows translates to an “awesome” second live album that features not only some of the bands’ greatest hits but even some lesser known songs. “Awesome As F–k” covers all 24 years of Green Day’s history, starting with the band’s first song “Who Wrote Holden Coulfield?” to their most recent studio album’s single “Know Your Enemy.”

Unlike the previous live album “Bullet In A Bible,” this new album is more of a compilation of the entire “21st Century Breakdown Tour” with performances from Dublin, Berlin, Montreal, and many other locations ranging over the entire planet.

While this gives a great image of diversity in Green Day’s fan base, the mention of different locations in every track defeats the feeling of this being a concert album. This assortment of venue divides the album and creates a lack of unity that most live albums strive on.

Make no mistake Iron and Wine fans, Sam Beam is no longer the voice of the music you loved fall asleep to at night. The new album, “Kiss Each Other Clean”, is leaving many listeners discontent as sounds of digitized drums, glockenspiels, and saxophones spill their way through the speakers. The voice and the meaning behind the words and the softly whispered hums have yet to flea, but something about the new music seems much unlike what many have come to love. While his progression into new styles is easily beautiful and fresh, it’s hard for the listener to not wonder why things couldn’t have just stayed the way they were. This album will surely have Iron & Wine fans pretty polarized, and for good reason. But, fortunately for us, that beard isn’t going anywhere. And along with the face fur, some of Beam’s most beloved qualities are still in tact. Perhaps just not in enough abundance.

Adele reveals her life story as it unravels through changes she has made in her way of life through her bluesy gospel music a disco twist in her new album, “21.” Adele’s album shot straight to the top on January 30th for the UK album charts recording the largest January album in five years and scoring the highest record sales year so far. Her new album shows her potential to carry her voice the way many artists cannot. Her unique voice sets a soothing, yet powerful tone throughout the variety of her songs. Adele’s contemporary eclectic arrangements appeal to multiple age groups craving easy listening. “21” has a relevant story told behind the variety of stylistic music. Adele’s jazzy, yet pop genre keeps her fans wanting more of her upbeat and edgy style.

On the fifth album they’ve released, metalcore band All That Remains fails to make their record stand out from many similarly sleep inducing albums released in the last year. “…For We Are Many” plays the same boring riffs and belts the same mundane lyrics as many other bands in the scene today. This more than forgettable album whines lyrics similar to Creed or Shinedown with a scratchy, annoying voice. Many of the harder lyrics are drowned out by repetitive guitar riffs and simplistic drum beats. The overproduced, saturated lyrics seem to drag through the entire album, making the album sound like one painful screech. Songs like “Faithless” and “Aggressive Opposition” feel thematically worn out, as if the same song had been written for the last ten years by dozens of other bands. “…For We Are Many” is a disappointing addition to All That Remains discography.