Darlings: Yeah I Know [Album Review]
Garage pop is gaining momentum, so it’s natural that we’re seeing lots of great bands that fit the description. But… Read More »Darlings: Yeah I Know [Album Review]
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Album Reviews
Zaza: Cameo [Album Review]
Your typical singer that possesses the airy whispery vocal styling tends to take a back seat to the instrumentation that accompanies it, but that is not the case with modern shoegazers Zaza. These mystical, dreamy vocals hold just as much weight as the swirl of sound that gives Zaza’s music the shoegaze name. Their upcoming EP Cameo, out next month on Kanine Records, features six tracks of exalting audible pleasure. Read More »Zaza: Cameo [Album Review]
David Peachey: Imaginary People [Album Review]
Everyone knows that a soul is a terrible thing to waste (metaphorically speaking of course). But, the waste of “having soul” can be far worse in many cases. Thankfully the Brisbane native David Peachy knows his calling. And his third full length album Imaginary People seems to bare all the threads necessary for this multi-talented folk mastermind to weave together a genuinely wonderful collection of rock oriented folk tales that bring his inner spirit out in a very soulful way. Read More »David Peachey: Imaginary People [Album Review]
Marmoset: Tea Tornado [Album Review]
Joyful Noise Recordings is set to release yet another great album this year, this time by fellow Indiana band Marmoset. Contrary to what you’d expect from a label titled Joyful Noise, the collective of artists rarely warrants the “noise” label. And Marmoset follows suit; their music instead clashes modern garage rock sensibilities with the hazy garage rock of the 60s and 70s.
Read More »Marmoset: Tea Tornado [Album Review]Coltrane Motion: The Year Without A Summer [7″ Review]
Small town Ohio isn’t your typical breeding ground for great tunes; the term small town Ohio reverberates imagery of American flags and generic beer and church steeples. Coltrane Motion may have been birthed from these lands, but Chicago has since welcomed them with open arms. The group’s latest is a 7-inch single for their electro-noise-pop track “The Year Without A Summer” and its b-side is “Maya Blue”. Read More »Coltrane Motion: The Year Without A Summer [7″ Review]
Ben Kamen: Dreams [Album Review]
Ben Kamen’s music is filled with the mystery and subtle longing of artists much fuller in sound. One thinks of classically-based folk-rockers like Thee Silver Mt. Zion, for one. And while Kamen’s music may feature a plethora of instruments matching the quantitative levels of such groups, his music is beautifully quiet. Dreams may have come out last year, but its relevance is still new — it seems few outside the Pacific Northwest are aware of the bolstering happenings in Olympia, WA, and it’s a right tragedy. Read More »Ben Kamen: Dreams [Album Review]
Bel Air: Pole To Pole [Album Review]
Bel Air‘s debut album Pole To Pole is the soundtrack to the smokey barroom. The harmonica speaks its own language on a disc such as this one. And with ground breaking lyrics (by a surprisingly effective trio of writers) and a great mixture of blues, rock, blues-rock, and rockin’ blues, this team of Brooklyn a go-go musicians have easily created a solid collection of roots inspired songs. Read More »Bel Air: Pole To Pole [Album Review]
We Landed On The Moon: These Little Wars [Album Review]
We Landed On The Moon‘s front-woman Melissa Eccles has a blessed voice that is absolutely perfect for a guitar pop wonderland. But, These Little Wars is obviously very much a group effort. The band’s take on the eighties and nineties scene is compelling and exciting. And, unlike Neil Armstrong’s supposed voyage, there is no doubt that this a real event of an album. This is a great album to dance, care, and rock to throughout any purely darkened night. Read More »We Landed On The Moon: These Little Wars [Album Review]
Russell Huie: Cheer The Bombs On [Album Review]
It may be questionable as to whether Russell Huie is a somber songwriter, or a joyful musician. But, one thing is certain, he can write one hell of a folk song. Cheer The Bombs On is the sort of journey one takes knowing it will be a short voyage, but continues to dread the end all the same. Thankfully this album has the artistic capacity of round trip sessions with very little turbulence. Just smooth guitar waves honing into a strange and delightful goodness of folk pleasure.
Read More »Russell Huie: Cheer The Bombs On [Album Review]
Johan Cederberg: Selected Recordings 2004-2006
Stockholm, Sweden’s Johan Cederberg crafts mellow electro-pop melodies. The majority of songs, like “Near – On” and “The Shape Of Things To Come”, are simply good pop tunes, while others delve into a lo-fi experimentation, as found in “Moonmonths”. Both styles feature clever cuts and loops throughout complex and intricate piecing together of tracks for songs that have extensive breadth.
Read More »Johan Cederberg: Selected Recordings 2004-2006
