Album Reviews

Kate Mann: Things Look Different When The Sun Goes Down [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
April 24, 2009April 23, 2009

Kate Mann has a strange innocence in her voice that is nothing short of a genuine and blessed with grace. At times she sounds like a country girl type. At others, a woman of the earth. There is something positive to be said of an artist with a likeliness to someone you can’t quite point a finger at. In actuality, it is the craft that has been mastered, not some sort of mimicry. And Kate’s wonderfully prolific Things Look Different When The Sun Goes Down is a triumph of craft(wo)manship. Read More »Kate Mann: Things Look Different When The Sun Goes Down [Album Review]

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears: Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
April 23, 2009February 11, 2022

When it comes to good solid blues-filled rock n roll, the older is usually the better. And when such blues is lyrically constructed to fit the new age with the original spunk, it can make for a brilliant timepiece that celebrates latter day accomplishments. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears have always known this. And Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is, is as goodhearted and brutally honest as any old-schooler would have you know.

Pigeon Lane How Sweet How Kind Album Cover

Pigeon Lane: How Sweet, How Kind… [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 23, 2009May 13, 2023

The first time I heard Pigeon Lane, I thought it was a new project by Pelle Carlberg. But it quickly dawned on me that it indeed was not — Pigeon Lane’s sound is filled with similar amounts of pop, but the vocals (the trait most like Carlberg) are less humorous, less professional. Compared to Carlberg, Pigeon Lane fits a lower-fi profile. This suits them well; in a way, this style is comparable to early Starlet or early Acid House Kings.

Andy Fenstermaker
April 21, 2009April 20, 2009

On Ain’t Nobody Cares, Portland’s Paper Brain draws musical influence from the 60s and 70s and lyrical influence from literature. Most notably, “Robin Hood” (easily one of the best songs on the album) is a homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s Eulalie – A Song. It’s a unique take on literature, the putting story to song; one that others have likely emulated. Read More »Paper Brain: Ain’t Nobody Cares [Album Review]

Anois: Tree House Whispers [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 17, 2009April 15, 2009

A synthesis of bedroom pop, shoegaze, and folk-tronica, Anois finds a near perfect balance of melody and dissonance. From the pleasant instrumental loops to the off-norm harmonic male/female vocals, Tree House Whispers is an instant classic filled with the dawning of love and passion that mature and bloom into meaning and life. Read More »Anois: Tree House Whispers [Album Review]

Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything To Nothing [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 17, 2009April 15, 2009

The moniker Manchester Orchestra (MySpace) uses is a bit deceiving. It hints at something one part British and one part orchestrated. Yet Manchester Orchestra is neither. Instead, the group features one of the catchier, however, more mainstream-ish sounds in independent full-fledged rock. Read More »Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything To Nothing [Album Review]

Crystal Antlers: Tentacles [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 16, 2009April 15, 2009

There are moments on Tentacles where Crystal Anters lose their chaotic experimental flare so rampant on their debut, self-titled EP from last year. It was a trait that earned them much awareness in tunes like “A Thousand Eyes” and, my personal favorite, “Parting Song For The Torn Sky”. The good news is that Tentacles succeeds in achieving a similarly high status. Songs like “Andrew” are instantly recognizable as cutting edge and, as opposed to the EP, even dabble in psychedelia. Read More »Crystal Antlers: Tentacles [Album Review]

The Thermals: Now We Can See [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 16, 2009April 16, 2009

This time, The Thermals come to us via another label, Olympia’s famed Kill Rock Stars. However, having shed the Sub Pop label for that of KRS has not necessarily thrown them back to the minimally produced days of the beloved No Culture Icons. If anything, Now We Can See has more production than their last release! Read More »The Thermals: Now We Can See [Album Review]

The Black Lips: 200 Million Thousand [Album Review]

The Nice Asshole
April 15, 2009October 26, 2019

200 Million Thousand’s intentional analog recording style really makes it a fluid disc to listen from beginning to end without a piss break.

The Whitsundays: The Whitsundays [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 14, 2009

How surprising is it that the name of The Whitsundaysâ€™ keyboardist is Doug Organ? Then again, the jokes that could be made are put to rest when Organ steps up to his vintage instrumentâ€”his ability to channel the 60s greats like Rod Argent [The Zombies] and Ray Manzarek [The Doors] is stunning, stemming beyond the mere sound to mimic their ability to whip out sections of quick, catchy improvisation. There is no question of whether or not Organ lives up to his name. Read More »The Whitsundays: The Whitsundays [Album Review]

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