Listening to Missiles, I get the distinct feeling The Dears (MySpace) were heavily influenced by two albums–unless you take the first few minutes of opening track “Disclaimer” into account, in which you could rephrase that statement to be two bands. If you look at the former, the albums are The Bends and OK Computer. It’s not only in select vocal tracks, but also in the sound of guitars and even a few guitar riffs. It’s not always like this, though, and “Disclaimer” is a prime example. That early …

Written by Fense
Au Revoir Simone seems to have created a slew of impersonators. Recently Hearts Of Palm UK released an album that blended multiple-part harmonies and an emphasis on keyboards. What I’ve heard of that release, I’ve enjoyed. The same can be said for the recent release by Chop Chop (MySpace), called Screens.

Written by Fense
Not too long ago–more specifically, earlier this year–I wrote that The Explorers Club release Freedom Wind could have been the record The Beach Boys released after Pet Sounds. While that statement is a bit of a stretch, as few titles can live up to the Pet Sounds name, all the press on The Bellfuries seem to dub Palmyra with a similar, Beach Boys-y label.

No no no no no. This isn’t doing it for me. With vocals rivaling Calvin Johnson in pitch, and dubbing themselves indie-pop, there’s an obvious Beat Happening reference here. But where other artists succeed at setting themselves apart from their influences, and do so well, I’m not quite hearing it in The Absentee (MySpace)–at least, not at first.

Written by Fense
The problem with history is that those in charge often write it—the focus is unfairly swayed toward major conflicts, wars, and… yep… those in charge. See the pattern? That’s what makes a history book like Howard Zinn’s People’s History Of The United States so good—it looks at history from a different perspective. And that’s what you get in the early moments of Kraftwerk And The Digital Revolution.

Written by Fense
“Alright” opens with blaring trumpets and Jesse Dee’s soulful vocals. This continues for a full minute before opening up into something a bit wider—wider in that the instrumentation comes full circle with organs, back-up singers and a slew of classic influences that are readily apparent…

Written by Jeremy Ryan
A friend of mine recently pointed out how quickly disposable today’s technology has rendered music. Though this statement appears to be quite obvious in a superficial sense; i.e., gone, for the most part, are the days of unwrapping a new album and listening to it’s contents with entirely fresh ears, excitedly perusing the record’s album art and lyric sheet. It is also true in that, given today’s technology, after a few listens, if a record doesn’t catch one’s ear, one artist is conveniently and quickly replaced by …

After Antony Heggarty’s involvement in the phenomenal Hercules And Love Affair release from earlier this year, one might expect his more personal project to perhaps alter course. But Another World, for the most part, continues down the same path as earlier works, like I Am A Bird Now and the groups self-titled release. And that commonality is the stripped-down Heggarty on vocals with a melodramatic backing piano and string accompaniment.

Written by Fense
Do you ever see an album in the record store that sparks your curiosity each time you pass it by? It nags you and gets underneath your skin—you want to check it out, but you’re wary about dropping $20 on an LP that might or might not be good. It’s simply not worth the risk. Universal Indians by Dark Meat was just such an album. Then I heard “Freedom Ritual”, the album’s first track, and I was hooked.

Written by Fense
For some reason, I missed Structure & Cosmetics by The Brunettes last year. Not only is the album on Sub Pop, it’s indie-pop! This male/female duo crafts beautifully melodic tunes that, at times, are surprising coming from a band on this label.