FensePost

Written by Fense

Given the tumultuous state of the record biz, the growing recession and ever growing threats of a potential economic depression, and an overall sense of wariness toward the world in which we live, it’s no surprise that 2008 has found itself packed with groups getting back to their roots. Letters style of orchestral folk-pop (with emphasis on folk) are no exception; however, their music is uniquely their own. (more…)

Written by Fense

Wait a second. Hold on. Stop. Huh? I’m confused. I do not know where this song came from. I do not know where this band came from. All I know is that last week I sat down with a bottle of wine and ran through about 125 emails and that somewhere in this process a song called “The Day Will Come Around” by a band called A Man For All Seasons happened to find its way into the pile of mp3s I decided (yes, over half a bottle of wine) to write about. (more…)

Written by Fense

I can get into this, no problem. The Big Picture plays soft, bedroom-y pop with emphasis on slow tunes that feature acoustic, or, at least softly electric, guitars and quiet melodies on keyboard. None of it gets too loud. And it sure is cutesy — like “About A Dog”. (more…)

Written by Fense

Sometimes when I review an album, I like to go in fresh, knowing nothing of the group, their influences, what people thing they sound like, what I expect them to sound like, et cetera, et cetera. Tonight I’m sitting in The Old Edison Inn, one of the few restaurants in Edison — one of the few businesses. I don’t feel like cooking. So I decided to pack up my laptop and pop in for a quick bite. I have, in fact, heard their Alaskan Wild Salmon Burger is mighty tasty, so naturally that’s what I’m awaiting. (more…)

Written by Fense

Seeing Noah And The Whale at SXSW this year was one of innumerable high points — it was simply one great but minor experience in a week packed with great but minor experiences of what ultimately would be one of the best, albeit exhausting, weeks of my life up to this point. Despite the greatness of their performance, they disappeared from my peripheral until this weekend when I picked up Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down. (more…)

Written by Fense

I don’t know about the rest of his library of material, but “Drowning” by Chris Flew (MySpace) really reminds me of one of my favorite acoustic folk-pop duos. No, I’m not talking about Simon & Garfunkel, though they’ve been related to them — I’m talking about Kings Of Convenience. It can be heard in the lightly-strummed acoustic guitar, as well as the compiled vocal harmonies. (more…)

Written by Ron Trembath

Within the Portland scene, there are many bands like No Go Know. And Sleeping Is Winning could sound as familiar as a collection of your favorite Dandy Warhol tracks. But, there is a darkness that resides within their entire vibe that distinguishes them as a strong competitor in the underworld of the City of Roses. (more…)

Written by Fense

The animation in the video for “Molten Light” by Chad VanGaalen reminds me a lot of the animation signature of the late 80s and early 90s. You know the kind — gross for the sake of being gross; a sort of, well, faux art. There were plenty of bands from that era that slapped the crap on their album covers — Ugly Kid Joe and Big Black are a few that come to mind. But here, there’s a key “fortunate” element, and that is its association with the great music of Chad VanGaalen. (more…)

Written by Fense

Bathed in orange light from an Ikea touch-lamp, I sat down at my kitchen table a few evenings ago. On the table I placed three things: 1) a box of organic ginger snaps, which was to be my dinner as I did not feel like cooking, 2) my white MacBook, 3) a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I set forth with a task — to pare my inbox down from its more than 300 emails to under 200. It was going to be a long night. (more…)

Written by Fense

Arliss Parker (aka Chris Parker) is slated to release his debut EP, Handsome Like A Lion, on November 25 via DAG! Records and, not to brag, I have the beautiful, artistically designed yellow-and-white case in my hands. Well, not technically in my hands — it’s sitting next to my MacBook as I type this review. Displayed on the yellow background is a simple white image of what looks like a girl, face scratched away. Printed vertically are the artist and album names in clean orange letters. (more…)