After Edmund at GMA weekIn Part 1 of our new artist feature this year, we hung out with Article One just before their sophomore release. In Part 2, we got to know an even newer band fresh off their national debut release.

After Edmund hails from LaGrange, Georgia and the members are all musically trained. In fact, they all met while studying music in college. Playing together regionally since 2001, these five guys just released their debut national record Hello on Slanted Records in February. When we sat down with them, we met five goofy guys who also know how to be serious when necessary. Come join us as we get to know this band a bit better.

Photo by Pixel Peach

GMA week, held each April in Nashville, is a place to meet up with old friends, and meet some new ones. This year we decided to bring out our two-part New Artist Feature again. We met Article One who sat down for a few minutes between time in the studio and playing at an evening showcase.

Article One traversed across Canada for a couple of years. Soon they caught the ear of Inpop Records who released their sophomore album Colors and Sounds on May 27th, after their debut release in 2007. Hailing from Canada, the four guys that make up the band recently experienced a good part of the US by touring with the Newsboys this Spring.

Join with us as we got to know the band a bit better!

Plot the trajectory of Ethan Luck's career on a graph, and the image would be odd. Unconventional, to say the least, and not because it would convey an unusual number of peaks and valleys. If anything, first glance leaves the impression Luck has travelled from one peak to another, to another. From one popular rock band to another popular rock band, to a third.

Perhaps this is deceiving, because nobody finds success without hardship, but it is the idea that a first glance will leave. Include the names of his bands on your graph, add a sound clip or two, and then the weirdness becomes apparent. Success is certainly not foreign to Ethan Luck, and neither is diversity.

KOCH Records’ Seattle-based alternative rock band and winner of the 2007 “MTV2 Dew Circuit Breakout,” The Myriad, is scheduled to release their highly anticipated sophomore project With Arrows, With Poise on May 13, 2008. In anticipation of the release, we asked the guys some questions about the album, MTV, and touring. Step inside to read more.

Steven Tracy: guitars, keys, programming

inR: We last sat down together at the Purple Door festival in August of 2005. Give me a short summary of some things that have happened with The Myriad since then.

Steven: Well, that's a big window of time, and it’s certainly been busy! With the exception of recording the album, we've been on the road. So nothing's really new there. Lots of miles, lots of interstate, and lots of clubs. Last year however was pretty special for us. We had a bit of a lineup change in who worked on the business stuff with us, so we felt this intense drive to write and record something really special. It was the first time in a while where it was really on our shoulders. We essentially locked ourselves up in the studio and just went out to make the record of our lives.

Here at inReview (and previously at cMusicWeb) we have been expressing our own blend of the typical annual "Best of" albums for several years. To fit our motto, "A Different Approach to Music," the best albums have transformed to most spun rather than the best new records. The choices expand to any music in any genre from any time. After all, do our staff and readers only listen only to new releases? I hope not!

Earlier this year, Delirious? frontman Martin Smith gathered 12 of his singer/songwriter friends to pen a dozen or so songs for Compassionart, a charity that seeks to use music to generate income for the world's poorest citizens. Altogether, 22 songs were written, the first just released April 8 on Wow Hits 1. Some notable artists involved on the project included Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, and Steven Curtis Chapman as well as fellow Delirious? band member Stu Garrard.

Submitted by Dan Ficker - inReview.net webmaster

1. Mute Math Mute Math
There's no doubt - much like 2006, Mute Math's full-length album was my most spun of 2007. Actually, most of 2006's list was also tops of 2007. But, hey, I can't feature the exact same list every year, so we're just gonna skip The Elms and Mat Kearney. These are all great, but there's no doubt that Mute Math is still #1 in my book.

Submitted by Annie Reuter - inReview.net staff

1. John Mayer Continuum

This is one of those albums that I never get tired of. It’s been a constant companion since its release in September of 2006, whether it’s on my hour-long commute to internships in NYC or just lounging at home, there’s not one song from this album I dislike. Continuum has a mix of it all – pop, blues, soul and even some folk music among the usual collection of Mayer’s slower ballads and intricate guitar playing. From his first single, “Waiting on the World to Change” to the folk sounds of “The Heart of Life,” his album has a little bit of everything. One of the better songs includes his rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold As Love.”

Submitted by Jonathan Stephens of eleventyseven (Current album: Galactic Conquest, Flicker Records)

1. Third Eye Blind Self-titled Debut

This album was amazing for so many reasons. First off...the song writing is incredible. He's a lyrical genius. It's one of the few records out there where the music and lyrics go hand in hand. Neither one outshines the other. 3eb was one of the first rock bands to embrace pop and create a smooth compromise that addicted tons of fans from both genres. It's definitely one of those albums where you don't skip a single song.

Submitted by The Runaway aka Jon Corbin (Current Album: A Brief Word - Prophetic Poetic Productions)

1. Relic It's All Relative

A self-produced hip-hop record from my man Relic in Brampton, Ontario. This one has been several years in the making and has been creating quite a buzz online. So few hip-hop records can offer dope beats and rhymes the whole way through. Here, both are outstanding.