Written by Fense
You don’t typically hear songs named for guys. Yet the new I’m From Barcelona (MySpace) album, Who Killed Harry Houdini? does just that — and they use my name. As an opening track, “Andy” isn’t quite as hard-hitting as “Oversleeping” was to Let Me Introduce You To My Friends, but it does set the stage well for the rest of the album, which doesn’t necessarily have the power tracks of their debut.

Written by Fense
It wasn’t all that long ago that I first listened to and subsequently covered The Republic Tigers. Their video for “Buildings And Mountains” caught my eye — and my ears — and I was hooked. Looking back, it seems so close, but so much has happened since August 8, the day that feature went live. I feel like the “Buildings And Mountains” title is an adequate analogy for my current situation. Humor me…

Written by Fense
Ramona Córdova (MySpace) is a folk artist. But he’s a very nontraditional one. Like my recent post on DZR:P, Ramona tends to favor the falsetto voice, but unlike DZR:P, he tends to not only be in-tune, but he comes off sounding somewhat similar to Visit, the Asian opera singer from this year’s season of Bravo’s Top Design.

Written by Fense
It’s hard to take someone serious when they’re wearing a banana suit. Especially when they’re playing a green ukelele. But that’s exactly what you get with DZR:P, a bizarre Swedish group that plays insane pop gems like “Oh Milk Duds” and “Oh Short Ribs And Gravy”.

Written by Fense
There’s something profound about a nude album cover. I guess this isn’t necessarily a ground-breaking statement, but it catches the eye. You’re seeing something you’re not supposed to, and that’s naughty and exciting and… yeah, maybe a little weird. To be honest, I like nude covers. And I don’t mean that in a creepy sexual way.

Written by Fense
With this new EP, dubbed after the opening track “Freddie And The Trojan Horse”, The Radio Dept. find themselves morphing into an even darker beast than was once thought possible. In the title track, this is emphasized through electro-new-wave-y melancholy vocals and percussive beats, as well as the dark sound that encompasses the keys.

Written by The Nice Asshole
It’s always a pleasure for me to review a band that is undefinable in genre/sound, and incomparable to other acts. With These Arms Are Snakes (MySpace), the closest definition is the piercing sound of a fire alarm or television static.

Written by Fense
Oh yeah. This is the stuff that gets me excited. The Glasses (MySpace) are the style of indie pop that’s packed with male/female vocals and totally catchy vocal and instrumental hooks. I’m pretty sure I’ve got one of their older EPs, but the one currently in my hands is their latest LP, Story Problems. “When Moonlight Falls” kicks the album off on a massive high point.

Written by Fense
I thought I had them all figured out. Each Hardly Art release since their inception as a label has seen artists that dabble — albeit barely at times — in some form of folk. Sure, it may be obscure, as in the case of Le Loup, but it’s always there. Enter Pretty And Nice (MySpace) with their recent release, Get Young.

Written by bob_vinyl
Polysics (MySpace) make no secret of their love for Devo. The jumpsuits, the scientist-rock image, it all points to one thing. Their music however, goes further. Devo is clearly in the mix on this collection of synth-heavy, agitated new wave tunes and the result is fun, energetic… and entirely contrived. But they mix that 80s electronic pop with punk energy and more than just a small dose of old Japanese noisecore and that healthy dose of crazy keeps them from being trapped by their own hipness (a dangerous …