Lead singer Jeffrey Keenan has the voice of a younger Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse), if not the wild-eyed nature. His nature is his own and you can see it when he grabs the drum-sticks—that intensely focused look in his eyes. Feral Children have come to be a dominant name in Seattle thanks to these performances and their debut LP, Second To The Last Frontier, is finally ready for public consumption.

Written by Fense
My exposure to true World Music is quite limited and can easily be traced back a single year. Sure, I’ve taken intimate looks at music from around the world, but it tends to fit an alternate category, like pop or rock. True World Music, then, is music that comes from that culture with little outside influence.

As a Seattle venue, I respect Chop Suey. Their shows begin at decent hours—something aging individuals like myself appreciate. The bill for this rainy August evening included three artists, opening with Stencil, a band I was unfamiliar with. (The other two artists included my good Austin friends The Lovely Sparrows—stay tuned for an interview next week and a review of their debut album the week following—and local trio Toy Gun.)

Written by Jon Hegglund
The first time I listened to The Devil, You & Me, I put it on the iTunes and walked away from the computer to do some chores around the house. At one point, after I thought the album had played in its entirety, a muted, pretty acoustic guitar came floating out over the computer speakers. I thought, initially, that it was the opening to Nick Drake’s lovelorn folk ballad, “Northern Sky.” Before my confusion could be cleared up—wait, “Ni” should come before “No,” right?—Markus …

Written by Fense
I gotta say, CD-R labels sure pull out some great moves. I’ve long been a fan of new up-and-comer Series II Records, a name you’ve likely seen several times over the past few months here on FensePost. But this one comes from the newly (and sadly) defunct Asaurus Records. Take a look at their artists and you may recognize a few names. I sure do! Let’s see: The Capstan Shafts, The Faintest Ideas, The Mathletes, Pants Yell!, Red Pony Clock, and, a recent name in …

Written by Fense
Electric President could be the lovechild of Postal Service and Page France for the gratey, growly vocals backed by the hyped up electro/guitar pop that dominates the music. The video for “Monsters” finds Electric President following their self-titled release with a similarly eerie electro-pop sound.

Written by Fense
The opening to “Persist” reminds me a bit of early Portishead. It’s got the hefty bass and pleasantly depressing strings. But All India Radio (MySpace) is nowhere near the Trip Hop that Portishead’s music fit into. Instead, the band fits a dark and dreamy pop mold that dabbles lightly in folk.

The first noticeable item about Steve Von Till is his voice. Coming in as a younger version Tom Waits, Von Till’s vocals are low and grate-y; the voice is perfect for the electric, minimalistic folk he creates—though his image is one of a hefty metal band.

I love the spacey guitars and mellow, harmony vocals on The Instruments’ “Sounds Electric”. But, even moreso, I love the consistent, repetitive percussion; it is the percussion that, in my opinion, makes this a great song.

Band In Box (MySpace) was featured on the first Series II Compilation installment. The comp championed five artists, each of whom contributed four songs. True to Series II Records, Band In Box has a minimal, twee-like nature. There are some similarities to female-fronted pop groups like Au Revoir Simone and fellow Series II act Back In Judy’s Shack.