Written by Fense
Proud Simon makes overtly accessible indie pop music. At least initially it’s clean, it’s smooth — contemporary almost — and it doesn’t push any boundaries. But as their recent release, Night Of Criminals continues past the first few tracks, they shed some of these elements. That being said, Proud Simon is definitely catchy and fun, as seen on their in-studio video for “Newspaper Boat”.

Written by The Nice Asshole
I almost didn’t want this album to be released. For one, it’s a great punch line. (I once told an ex-girlfriend that we couldn’t get married until Chinese Democracy was released. It was a good cover.) But also, there is SUCH a pop-culture vortex surrounding it. In a Rolling Stone piece written in April of 2000, they were unsure way back then of the album’s existence.

Written by Ron Trembath
Verona Red is a genre bending four piece from Chicago with a sound that will cut your soul like an unnoticed episiotomy. At first listen, a weariness may settle in your stomach. But it will become obvious when your feet began to move in a Setzer-esque skanking motion, that they have taken over your entire body.

Written by Fense
Some of the best music videos aren’t really that, they’re simply visual accompaniment to the supporting audio. Small independent bands that utilize filmed visual elements in their performances, likewise, tend to possess something special. While I’m not sure if My Cousin I Bid You Farewell has video elements in their performances, they do fit the former statement in their video accompaniment to “Style & Grace”.

Written by Fense
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about The Seaworthies. I’ve known about the band for some time and I’ve more than appreciated the music they’ve made all these years, even when they were known by the moniker Moon Turn The Tides. So, what prompted this new little feature? No, unfortunately there are no new tunes out there, and I’m not really sure if there are plans for any new tunes in the near future.

Written by Fense
I covered Klas back in September after receiving a little compilation from Series II Records (read that coverage here) and noted how their style of folk-pop had twee-ish elements to it. But in listening to their full length, To Sleep And Love, I’m hearing a little country influence as well.

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.

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 …

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”.

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 …