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.
On their latest LP, Stereo Total does a good job satiating fans with a full 17 tracks, though label Kill Rock Stars notes that the band wrote 40 for the album. Now, I’m not much of a Stereo Total expert, but Baby Ouh! feels a bit more experimental than what I’ve heard from the band. From the get-go, they drop in sounds that remind me of not only Stereo Total, but artists like Deerhoof and The Fiery Furnaces. And it works. Read More »Stereo Total: Baby Ouh! [mp3]
It’s hard to think of Night Driving In Small Towns as a duo. The band has a sound that is much, much fuller. Andrea Rogers and Colby Wright probably take their name from that which they grew up doing, having scoured the small towns of Georgia before relocating to the city of Atlanta. Serial Killer is the sort of pop album you’d expect from a post Elephant 6 band like The Essex Green or Elf Power. It’s leans toward being romantic, has hints of folk and orchestration, but is pure pop.
Read More »Night Driving In Small Towns: Serial Killer [Album Review] 
Oh C86, how I long to bask in your greatness. And I soon will, thanks to Slumberland Records. The label that dominated my 2009 list (including my #2 record from Pains Of Being Pure At Heart), will be giving us a retrospective taste of the C86-era by reissuing Chin Chin‘s Sound Of The Westway. Read More »Chin Chin: Dark Days [mp3]
Tempo No Tempo‘s Waking Heat made it into my Top 50 Albums of 2009 thanks to rockin’ dub beats and… Read More »Tempo No Tempo: Pole Position [Video]
Fronted by Dean Whitmore, Unnatural Helpers‘ percussionist and lead vocalist, the band released their LP Cracked Love & Other Drugs this week on Hardly Art. This band of musical misfits have a pretty impressive past and present, having performed in local Seattle acts as Idle Times (Brian Standeford), Charles Leo Gebhardt IV and Catheters (Leo Gebhardt), Intelligence (Whitmore himself), and Hardly Arts very own The Dutchess & The Duke (Kimberly Morrison). Collectively, they go by Unnatural Helpers, and frankly, they rock! Read More »Unnatural Helpers: Cracked Love & Other Drugs [Album Review]
If you’ve been following FensePost for a while, you may have heard of Railcars. We premiered a song off their EP Cathedral With No Eyes back when it was just a demo, and we had great things to say about their debut 7″ single Cities Vs. Submarines as well. So yeah, we’ve been a fan of these guys for some time. Railcars is an experimental noise pop outfit from San Francisco fronted by Aria Jalali, and we’re now giving them more love by giving away a copy of last year’s Cathedral EP. Read More »Railcars 12″ EP Giveaway
Ólafur Arnalds is a Icelandic neo-classical artist whose work is at the forefront of the clash between classical and indie music. After debuting in 2007 with Eulogy for Evolution, the Arnalds is now set to release its follow-up LP, …And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness. The first single is “Þú ert sólin” and it translates roughly to “You Are The Sun”. Stacked up next to Eulogy for Evolution, Arnalds continues his to impress with a song both emotive and uplifting. “You Are The Sun” is an ample title, conveying the warmth of sun rays on a cool spring morning. It doesn’t have the power he packed into the frantic closers of Evolution, “3326” and “3704/3837” respectively, but it matches them in creativity, brilliance and sheer genius. Read More »Ã“lafur Arnalds: Þú ert sólin [mp3]
Sweden’s Pallers gave us the critically acclaimed “Humdrum” a year or two ago, and backed the single with a few… Read More »Pallers: The Kiss [mp3]
Earlier this week I noted in my review of Avi Buffalo that Sub Pop may very well dominate my end of year list, and that being notable as we near the 1/3 mark of 2010. After thinking about it, I figured it was time for another list in Label Spotlight form. Now, the typical Label Spotlight covers the unknown record collectives throughout the world, but as some of my favorite releases so far this year have come from Sub Pop, I figured What the hell… Let’s go for it!
Read More »10 (ish) Reasons Why Sub Pop May Dominate 2010 [Label Spotlight In A List] 
The Dø are a French meets Finnish duo who released their debut LP, A Mouthful on Six Degrees Records earlier this month, which prompted the infamous Pitchfork to state the album “is as ambitious and fun as any coming-out party in recent memory.” After giving it a listen, I can attest that it is pretty damn fun. “At Last” is an easy favorite with over-pronounced words sung in a sexy foreign accent and a laid-back, calm guitar strum that dares you not to fall in love. Read More »The Dø: At Last [Video]
