Andy Fenstermaker is a music lover, writer, marketing professional, and entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to sharing his passion for music with others. He is the founder of FensePost, a renowned music blog that has been sharing the latest and greatest in indie music since 2006. Andy has always been fascinated by the power of music to connect people, and he started FensePost with the aim of sharing his love of music with others. Andy developed a passion for music at a young age. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Andy grew up surrounded by a vibrant music scene that left an indelible mark on him. He attended Washington State University, where he studied Communication and Business. He holds a BA in Communication and a Masters in Business Administration. After graduating, Andy started writing about music and created FensePost as the outlet. The blog has a strong focus on indie music, but also covers a range of other genres including folk, indie pop, psychedelic, garage rock, and experimental. Andy and the blog relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in 2020.
Shortly after releasing their self-titled debut EP, the band Francis now brings us a video for “Take It Easy”, one of the more mellow tracks from said EP. The song lacks much of the luster of the alcohol fueled vocals in songs like “Drunk Stranger”. The video finds the band panhandling for a trip home to pose for a final band shot. It’s a creative and entertaining romp, if you can call it that. And it suits Francis well. Read More »Francis: Take It Easy [Video]
OK, so a quick one here, especially since there aren’t any tracks cleared for posting. Kranky is set to release the new LP by Greg Davis, and while this is my introduction to the artist and the man, I can easily say I am intrigued. Davis’ tunes are of a highly minimalist nature; on Mutually Arising, Davis channels early minimalist German electronica a la Klaus Schulze. Read More »Greg Davis [Feature]
“Expatriate” is a melodically dreamy pop song hushed by what sounds like percussion played with padded mallets and simple keyboard notes backed by a clean and subtle plucked guitar riff. This is my introduction to Shayna & The Bulldog, so it was initially surprising to hear the song break into a full-fledged romp half-way through the song. Dream-pop melodies becomes bouncy, powerful indie-pop. It’s this power pop sound that is the norm for this band, but the dreamy elements are what make “Expatriate” the perfect summer song, although on the hotter days of summer, some might find solace in the lyrics I wish it would rain in “Strawberry Highway”. Read More »Shayna And The Bulldog: Expatriate
The Phenomenal Handclap Band mixes synth-heavy dance vibes with traces of experimentation. The combination is somewhat psychedelic, partially disco, and… Read More »The Phenomenal Handclap Band: You’ll Disappear
“Future Primitive” was a bit of a surprise. It is obviously Papercuts, as can be heard in both instrumentation and Jason Quever’s vocals, but there’s more going on here than on previous records. The song is dreamy and hazy and adorned with psychedelic pop true to Quever’s San Francisco home. “Future Primitive” is also more confident and proprietary; Papercuts are refining their sound and making it truly their own. And then there’s the video. The entire thing is black and white, and the storyline is an entertaining one to watch play out, fitting well with the song title. Read More »Papercuts: Future Primitive [Video]
God Help The Girl‘s debut, self-titled LP opens with a female touch on Belle & Sebastian’s “Act Of The Apostle”, one of the champion tracks off The Life Pursuit. In comparison to Murdoch’s other project, God Help The Girl gives it not only a female front but baroque backing vocals and an orchestra background heavy with strings. Title track “God Help The Girl” finds the ladies and Murdoch enveloping the track in the pop melody common in Belle & Sebastian, primarily found in the percussion, yet both the female vocals and up-front orchestra presence reside. Read More »God Help The Girl: God Help The Girl [Album Review]
The Nightgowns are a Tacoma, WA band that creates synth heavy pop music. “Cosmic Clancy” off their LP Sing Something masterfully conveys the buoyancy of synth pop and combines it with mopey-yet-upbeat vocals. Contrasting nicely with “Cosmic Clancy” is “Pppps”. While maintaining the core elements known to the band, it is more a ballad than an upbeat pop tune. Read More »The Nightgowns: Cosmic Clancy
Above photo by Jesper Berg.
Swedish artist Moto Boy has a very Jeff Buckley aura to his persona, from his highly powerful vocal styling to the cleanly plucked guitar. So, it’s no surprise to hear that he’s covered Buckley live. This introduction is merely a focal point, an introduction to Moto Boy, whose latest tidbit of news is that label cohorts Regina remixed his song “Young Love”. Read More »Moto Boy: Young Love (Regina Remix)
The Caterpilar by Ödland is a concoction of classically-trained pianist Lorenzo Papace of Lyon, France. Vocals (very likely through influence by French masters like Serge Gainsbourg) are contributed from actress and enchantress Alizée Bingöllü. Isabelle Royet-Journoud can be found on ukulele and environmental sounds, and Léa Bingöllü provides stringed accompaniment in the form of violin. These four individuals are Ödland, a French folk/classical group whose music is beautifully peaceful and unmistakably original. Read More »Ã–dland: The Caterpillar [Album Review]
Death Vessel was one of last year’s big surprises. Their release, Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us, was the debut post published on the new version of FensePost, which you currently read. And the album made it into the FensePost Top 33 and 1/3 Releases of 2008, achieving number 14 to be exact (although in retrospect, it should have hit 11 or 12). So, it comes with no surprise that I am excited to have another excuse to write about this band. Read More »Death Vessel: Circa [Video]
