Written by Fense Listening to Lithops for the first time, I had the distinct feeling I was watching someone play a video game. It took me back to the days of the original Nintendo. But not the game console, the games themselves. The music is much too advanced for such a system.
Category: Features
Pallers [Feature Band]
Written by Fense Each time a new band appears on Labrador Records, I take note. The latest to join the collective is Pallers, an electronic duo out of Stockholm. Pallers follows the current trend of Labrador; with several of their recent releases, the label has been moving away from indie pop and into electronica.
Mark Mathis [Feature Band]
Written by Fense Mark Mathis is definitely a folk artist, as represented in the twangy (what sounds like a) mouth harp in We Both Was Young opener “Sharecropper Takes A Colored Wife†and dual banjos in “Prenupâ€.
Chop Chop [Feature Band]
Written by Fense Au Revoir Simone seems to have created a slew of impersonators. Recently Hearts Of Palm UK released an album that blended multiple-part harmonies and an emphasis on keyboards. What I’ve heard of that release, I’ve enjoyed. The same can be said for the recent release by Chop Chop (MySpace), called Screens.
The Bellfuries [Feature Band]
Written by Fense Not too long ago–more specifically, earlier this year–I wrote that The Explorers Club release Freedom Wind could have been the record The Beach Boys released after Pet Sounds. While that statement is a bit of a stretch, as few titles can live up to the Pet Sounds name, all the press on…
Jesse Dee [Feature Band]
Written by Fense “Alright†opens with blaring trumpets and Jesse Dee’s soulful vocals. This continues for a full minute before opening up into something a bit wider—wider in that the instrumentation comes full circle with organs, back-up singers and a slew of classic influences that are readily apparent…
The Brunettes [Feature Band]
Written by Fense For some reason, I missed Structure & Cosmetics by The Brunettes last year. Not only is the album on Sub Pop, it’s indie-pop! This male/female duo crafts beautifully melodic tunes that, at times, are surprising coming from a band on this label.
The Hush Now [Feature Band]
The Hush Now (MySpace) make melodic indie-pop with two-part male vocal harmonies. The poppy riffs and bouncy percussion and spacey guitars are not really what one would expect from a Civil War re-enactor, or even a Rock ‘N’ Roll Camp Counselor, but The Hush Now has one of each.
Tall Firs [Feature Band]
Written by Fense At first, it was difficult to determine exactly what a band like Tall Firs was doing on a label like Ecstatic Peace (Thurston Moore’s eclectic label imprint). Listening to “Hairdo”, I couldn’t quite hear its relation to Moore’s noted progressive, avant garde style of rock.
Silje Nes [Feature Band]
Written by Fense Silje Nes is a Norwegian artist whose songs are masqueraded as minimal pop gems. Her voice is high pitched and sometimes childish, but the music she makes displays an inherent knowledge of songcraft, from the experimental “Over All†to the softly romantic “Drownâ€.