Windy & Carl dawned on the radar for many with last year’s subdued masterpiece Songs For The Broken Hearted, but what probably came as a surprise to many first-time listeners — myself included — was that this mellow, shoegaze duo already had a pretty impressive library of released material under their belt. Read More »Windy & Carl [Show Preview]
The Mountain by Heartless Bastards hasn’t been out all too long and it’s already gearing up to be one of the top releases of the year. The title track, especially, is one about which to get excited. It’s got that laid-back rock drawl you’d generally associate with the South, not Dayton, from whence the band originates. Read More »Heartless Bastards [Show Preview]
A recent review of Francis’ self-titled EP found me dubbing them as Swedish pub music. It’s also the first thing I think of when listening to The Drones: sweet, beautiful intoxication. And it’s not just because their music is intoxicating, as it most certainly is; it’s the sloppy guitar riffs and over pronunciation of words as heard throughout “The Minotaur”. Read More »The Drones [Show Preview]
Everything I’ve been reading says the same thing: Motorik takes their name from a style of Krautrock. More specifically, the 4/4 Kraut beat. But the band doesn’t necessarily follow the genre; they’re full-on post-punk with a female front and punchy bassline. But damn! It’s hard to ignore the deep female vocals, sounding an awful lot like Katie Sketch of The Organ. Read More »Motorik [Show Preview]
Exaltation comes in many forms. The latest one for me is once again seeing the word Crocodile associated with live Seattle music. It champions the somewhat lesser excitement around U.S.E. (short for United State Of Electronica) and their upcoming release L O V E W O R L D, but only because the Croc has been a longtime favorite spot to see great bands. The two will meet – two being the Crocodile and U.S.E. – on March 28. That means clear tomorrow’s schedule. Read More »U.S.E. [Show Preview]
If you have yet to check out Cloud Cult (MySpace), this little trailer might be a good introduction. And if you’re a long-time fan of the group, the video is another memento from the band for your collection. It’s for their upcoming documentary No One Said It Would Be Easy. Blending pop with electronics and music with art, Cloud Cult becomes an experiential band in both the audio and visual sense. Read More »Cloud Cult: No One Said It Would Be Easy [Trailer & Show Preview]
I’m in bed and have been for well over an hour. It’s just past midnight and sleep isn’t coming, so I’m plugging away at my overextended email inbox. The current song on repeat is “Postcards” by An Horse, and the sound that’s blasting forth from my tiny MacBook speakers is quite reminiscent of 90s gritty alt-rock. Read More »An Horse [Show Preview]
You wouldn’t think it, but indie rock and country pop can indeed go hand-in-hand, and Those Darlins are the perfect example of the blend. The title track to their new EP, Wild One, is a fun mix of multi-part female harmony and old-time-y country. Read More »Those Darlins [Show Preview]
So far, I have simply labeled show previews as “Feature Band” articles. But with my induction of the pReview to that section, I’ve added Show Preview to the Live coverage (since I don’t check out as many shows these days). And the first band to feature the title is O+S, the new project by Orenda Fink (Azure Ray, Art In Manila) and Cedric LeMoyne (aka Scalpelist, from Remy Zero). Their upcoming self-titled Saddle Creek release will be out March 24, but you Seattle folks can catch them sooner. They’ll be playing Sunset Tavern on March 11. Read More »O+S [Show Preview]
