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.
I’ve been planning to write about La Blogoteque’s Take Away Show series, of which I’ve been familiar with for quite some time, since their early days. But I had a plan. It was this: cover the release of The Lovely Sparrows’ spin-off Take Away Show, filmed in Seattle. You see, I was present and thus there may be a Fense cameo. Cool. But then I stumbled upon Soy Un Caballo (MySpace) playing “Robin” and I just couldn’t resist. Read More »Soy Un Caballo: Robin [Video]
It hasn’t been all that long since reviewing Jean On Jean‘s self-titled release. Despite a mass of great songs, there was still a clear winner: “Tonight”. The ex-Out Hud cellist now has a video for the single; it’s fitting, filled with leaves and colors masterfully added to compliment her sometimes folky style of soft, soothing pop. Read More »Jean On Jean: Tonight [Video]
Written by Fense
From the opening moments of “Shame On The Soul”, the first track off Some Sweet Relief by Speck Mountain, one is drawn into the group’s space-y, reverberation-heavy style of soft pop. With lengthy chord progressions, eerily soothing female vocal coos, and a predilection toward the softer side of psychedelia, one might draw comparison to Mazzy Star. Read More »Speck Mountain: Some Sweet Relief [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Okay, something has changed chemically in my brain since the last time I listened to The Lolligags (MySpace). Either that, or this band has altered the way they write songs. To be honest – completely honest, bearing my soul here folks – I didn’t really care for The Lolligags’ EP from last year. There was a catchy song or two, but it failed to hold my interest. Well, that sad fate is no longer. Out of Perversity Join Hands is absolutely brilliant! Read More »The Lolligags: Out Of Perversity Join Hands [Album Review]
It’s summer here in the rural college town of Pullman, Washington. Spring semester ended just over a month ago and the population quickly halved to roughly 15,000 occupants. The added vacancy and decline of the rambunctious Greek (fraternities and sororities, not the nationality) population with the warming weather and beautiful evenings makes Pullman an outstanding location for sitting outside, sipping a beer, grilling corn on the cob and steak, and listening to upbeat summer songs. The weather is nice! Friends are around! Let’s eat and drink and listen to some fun happy music! Read More »Oppenheimer: Oppenheimer [Album Review]
Written by Fense
It’s hard to call one of the most promising acts I’ve discovered this year a promising act. After all, they’ve been gracing us with their music for quite some time now; I just haven’t been paying attention. The group is Mount Eerie, and I was delighted to see their label, P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd., is based out of Anacortes – a mere twenty minutes or so from my weekday home of Edison, WA.
Read More »Mount Eerie: Lost Wisdom [Album Review] 
I listen to at least ten new albums each week. With that amount of exposure, it can be difficult to discern one artist from another, the next album from the last. Despite such audible clutter, I review little electronic music. Here’s an exception. Cock and Swan are Johnny and Ola. They record in Bothell, Washington—just north of Seattle. They liken themselves to Mum, Boards of Canada, and Dntel. They just finished recording their first album, Noon Hum EP, and will release it on their own startup label titled Dandelion Gold. Read More »Cock And Swan: Noon Hum EP [Album Review]
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A drum/vocals only group is a rare thing. But, before you dismiss the theory behind such an oddity, you’ve gotta check out Wildbirds & Peacedrums. This Swedish duo is aptly titled – wild vocals on par with (and this may be a bit of a stretch), say, Nina Simone and soothing, hypnotic tribal-like percussion. Read More »Wildbirds & Peacedrums: Doubt/Hope [Video]
Holy Fucking Shit! This Album Is Amazing!!! That was my expression of XXL upon listening to the first track, “Sunday / Paw Paw Paw Paw Paw Paw Paw.†I was amazed at the power behind XXL, a collaboration between Jamie Stewart’s Xiu Xiu (MySpace) and Italian post rockers Larsen (MySpace) for the Important Records release ¡Ciaütistico! Read More »XXL: ¡Ciaütistico! [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Not too long ago, I wrote a review about a band called Cleeman and, being well in advance of the album release, I tossed in a “p” and titled it a “pReview” – it was a name well received, so well in fact that the release show for said album was dubbed the pReview show. I will now take it one step further. From this day on, pReviews will be included in the Feature Band section and will be focused on a new track from an upcoming album… Read More »Peter Bjorn And John: Nothing To Worry About [pReview]
