Written by Fense
I have something to say, and it’s not the alcohol speaking. This is me, bearing my heart, a little drunk on three glasses organic Syrah, but honest and pure and true. “Cease Desist” has to be one of the most under-appreciated songs around at this time. I mean, these guys should be huge! Listen to the guitar-work, the intricate notes and the harmonic, perfectly in-tune vocals. It’s beautiful.

There have been several great folk releases this year. What may come as a surprise, however, is that many of these are standard, clean folk artists playing standard, clean folk music. Nothing fancy, nothing new, but plenty good. At first glance, Dylan Trees appear to fit this category with their EP, Charlie Horse.

This material, though new, is not really new. There are so many parallels between First Frost and the earlier work of The Lucksmiths (MySpace), that it virtually dwarfs any element that could be considered a fresh direction from Australia’s pop darlings. And that is what makes First Frost both extremely comforting and a damn great album.

Written by Fense
All this video includes is awkward people dancing. Of course, were I to be in this video, I would be just as awkward as these people — if not moreso. Summer Cats hail from sunny Australia, but in a rare moment they came onto my radar when they released a split 7″ single with Portland’s Eux Autres.

Written by Fense
I don’t know about the rest of the world, but we here in America like to binge. Be it binge drinking, binge eating, binge buying. We gorge ourselves to the point of being quite disgusting. I am part of the problem, and a recent visit to the Cloudberry Records website saw me binge downloading a mass of mp3s, many of which will soon find their way here into posts (though I may concoct a playlist — better yet, mixtape — of various artists from the …

Written by Fense
Hm… I wonder if the lady and gent in Log Lady Train are fans of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. The Log Lady was one of the more bizarre characters in the series — a series packed with bizarre characters. Somewhat similarly, Log Lady Train’s music is fitting for a Twin Peaks-ish spinoff, despite its generally upbeat nature.

Written by Jon Hegglund
One of the best moments for a music fan is hearing potential realized, and a first listen of Deerhunter‘s Microcastle yields exactly this kind of revelation. The tangled, messy neo-psychedelia of 2006′s Cryptograms was an achievement in its own right, a record whose best moments came when coherent, powerful songs seemed to emerge, almost accidentally, from a dark carnival of dissonant sound. One listen to Microcastle, though, is evidence enough that Bradford Cox and his Atlanta mates have moved onward and upward with a …

Written by Fense
Still Flyin’ is somewhat of an indiepop supergroup. Fronted by Sean Rawls (Masters of the Hemisphere and Je Suis France), he has build Still Flyin’ into a powerhouse that features members of bands as diverse as Red Pony Clock, Aislers Set, Ladybug Transistor, and Maserati.

Written by Fense
It’s the end of the year and I’m rapidly trying to catch up on and wrap up all loose ends. My promo rack is still out of control, as is my inbox. And my 2009 resolution will be the same as 2008: keep up with the inbox and promo rack. Hopefully I’ll be able to stick with it this time around. As I hastily try to pare these two things down, I keep stumbling across new items that slipped by unnoticed, like Stars Like …

Written by Fense
Today’s feature video is a Christmas tune by my favorite French pop band from the US, Eux Autres (MySpace). It’s a lovable little pop tune that emphasizes the good Christmas brings out in people (at least some of it); whether you believe in celebrating it or not, it’s an enjoyable time to be with family that loves you and friends that care. Wishes are made and merry times are had. There’s always a little drama, but in the end you remember the good times (the …