Preconceptions are often misleading. I always pictured Ireland’s Bell X1 (MySpace) as having a substantial electronic sound, one strife with hype and thus with the capacity for an inevitable backlash from the masses. But, my introduction to their upcoming LP Blue Lights On The Runway demonstrates just how wrong my expectations were. Now, Bell X1 certainly adds electronic elements to “How Your Heart Is Wired”, but they’re merely a backing instrument, a beat, a keeper of time.

In exactly one month from today, Obits (MySpace) will release their album I Blame You on Sub Pop. And, much like the label’s true beginnings as a haven for subterranean pop music in the vein of loud, oft leaning toward the obnoxiousness of punk and grunge, Obits fit the frame, square as it may or may not be. As much as the grunge era’s true artists passed me by, I cannot say the same for these guys.

One hidden treasure from 2007 was Kevin Hume‘s The Truth About Ants And Aphids. Hume’s debut album was packed with a variety of tunes that touched an array of worldly influences of primarily a folk nature. Well he is back with a new single called Velociped, and from the sound of it, his music continues to and always has pushed creative boundaries, this time breaking out of the worldly folk and into electronic folk.

We Swim You Jump (MySpace) produces intricate, intimate pop jems that mix in elements of folk and are populated with detailed orchestration. Despite the powerful music pouring forth from each song on their self-titled EP, We Swim You Jump is dominated by massively forthright, in-your-face vocals. It’s not that they’re hard-hitting or edgy, they’re just ever present when it comes to being the most noticeable element in the song.

Loud, aggressive, and…….melodic? Describing This Fair City is almost impossible. But, their less than self-conscious vibe grabs a hold of you and demands your full attention. It is almost like a euphoric drug spills from the speakers when you pop in Broken Surfaces. Visions of pirate ships and wintry battlefields appear with drums crashing as soldiers of normalcy fall. Or anything similar.

The Expolorers Club address and hint at their influences before you even crack the vinyl wrapping (or, if you prefer, CD wrapping); their album art screams The Beach Boys. Sure enough, opening track “Forever” is suited for the relation. Describing the group to a friend shortly after picking up the album, I noted that Freedom Wind is the album The Beach Boys would have released after Smile had they not disbanded during that album’s recording.

Contrary to the majority of bands out there, indluding those fitting the indie-pop mold, keys are the primary instrument in Back In Judy’s Shack. Thus, there should be no surprise that I immediately relate them to Au Revoir Simone. However, Back In Judy’s Shack do stand on there own, well outside that early reference point.

As a child I was fascinated with the Beach Boys. Songs about surfing and care-free relations with women on the beach made my feet tap, though many of the latter references were well above my head. All that mattered was that they had hot rods on their record covers and that they looked cool. I found Brian Wilson to be not only the best looking of the bunch, but also the one with the most charm and grace. He appeared natural on the back of the cover while the rest …

I’ve been thinking a lot about KZUU lately. For those of you new to FensePost, I DJed there as a grad student at Washington State University, while studying business. In my DJ days prior to kicking off this site, I remember picking up Metal Hearts‘ (MySpace) debut, Socialize, and giving it a good listen. I was astonished at how great the album was for a then recently signed group.

Album covers can give away an album, compliment the music contained within, and even determine whether or not someone like myself, a music critic, even cracks the case to listen to what’s inside. For the longest time KZUU had an album by a group called The Aesthetics, a name that inspires high degree of quality and beauty. This particular album sat on the “To Be Reviewed” shelf for ages. The cover, both front and back, is what kept it there. On the front were green cartoon monsters like something from …