leftist nautical antiques

Yarn Owl [Interview]

Andy Fenstermaker
March 18, 2011March 25, 2011

I’ve known Yarn Owl‘s Ted Powers (drums) and Timothy Meinig (bass) since, well, probably 2005. Javier Suarez (vocals and guitar) I met in the years after my 2006 departure. In fact, the only band member I have yet to met is Tyler Armour. So yes, I’ve been following Yarn Owl, virtually, since the beginning. With their first full-length now available, and a planned west-coast visit this coming weekend (see them at Columbia City Theater in Seattle on March 26 and again at Sunset Tavern on the 31st), I sat down with long-time favorite Yarn Owl. The man: Javier. The setting: Facebook messages. Here we go… Read More »Yarn Owl [Interview]

Campfires [Feature]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 8, 2010April 7, 2010

Campfires creates what I would dub as melodic noise pop. Harmony is created through peaceful chords and the chaotic, fuzzy percussion is organized nicely with synchronous guitar strums. Campfires will warm your soul on a mildly chilly evening. The woody smell of smoke permeates these songs, wafting circular with the wind and occasionally burning the eyes. The instrumental “Pancake City” blends almost too perfectly into “Burning Rivers, TV Flickers, Drifting Off to Bed”, the title track from the band’s cassette on Leftist Nautical Antiques. It’s not what you’d expect from a so-called jam session, but the seemingly erratic nature of Campfires’ music fits the description. And their moniker fits their music; a controlled mayhem, an audible version of the dancing flames that are so hypnotic and mesmerizing. Read More »Campfires [Feature]

Yarn Owl: Tiny Dots [Cassette Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
October 29, 2009October 29, 2009

With a heavy vocal echo and reverb cranked to eleven, Yarn Owl presents seven tracks of undulated upbeat pop. “Yarn Blues” kick things off; it’s a track we’ve heard before, but Yarn Owl gives it a revisit by speeding things up a bit and treating it with the reverb jangle heavy throughout Tiny Dots. One thing is for sure: this isn’t likely what you were expecting, coming from a cassette tape. Tiny Dots label Leftist Nautical Antiques is prone to release things in this form, and it’s almost perfect – the pop Yarn Owl creates has a classic feel to it, be it late 80s or early 90s. Read More »Yarn Owl: Tiny Dots [Cassette Review]