The Paiges are another new Pacific Northwest group. Blending a lo-fi pop sound with folk-rock in the vein of Woodsist artists or a much softer side of Slumberland Records, The Paiges’ track “You’ll Never Know” sparks the sort of curiosity I found so intriguing with that Salmon Thrasher demo, “In A Balloon”. Read More »The Paiges [Demo Reel]
Household Names is an almost too-perfect descriptor for an alternative pop group. And with this group’s extensive background of songs used in television appearances, it is even more appropriate. There was a time when groups like Soul Asylum or Gin Blossoms were the centerpieces for any given film or TV show. And now, Jason Garcia and crew have created the perfect songs for a speeding car shot, moment of clarity, or running-through-the-streets-in-a-hectic-fashion. And all can be found on their third self-released album Stories, No Names. Read More »Household Names: Stories, No Names [Album Review]
The deep, mystical vocals of Bourgeois Heroes would fit in very well next to a band like The Church or Echo & The Bunnymen or another similar melodramatic 80s group. While the Heroes hint occasionally at that sound on their release Musical Postcards, it also possesses the instrumentation of modern pop bands like Belle & Sebastian. And you can hear select other influences, as wide-ranging as The Pastels and The Zombies. Read More »Bourgeois Heroes [Feature]
Get ready for some face-rockin’ psychedelic experimentation. Listening to the music of Magic Lantern reminds me, first, of the late 60s where blends of psychedelic pop, folk and rock dominated and freedom wasn’t just a hippie movement, but a trait occasionally incorporated into music. Sure, that allowance has continued through time, but Magic Lantern has the sound of that era in guitar and expression alike. Read More »Magic Lantern: Platoon [Album Review]
Daniel Francis Doyle hits Seattle later this week and will perform at Comet Tavern. Doyle is a one man math rock band and he pumps out pointed guitar riffs, obscure percussive genius, and wildly intellectual wordsmith-ery. No doubt you’ll see several off last year’s We Bet Our Money On You, possibly including favorites “Cursive” and “Old Lives”. Read More »Recommended Show: Daniel Francis Doyle at Comet Tavern
Sometimes a band needs a shake-up, and sometimes a name change is the perfect catalyst. Royal Forest wasn’t always this band’s name; no, they were once called Loxsly. With the new name, Royal Forest sheds the past and reinvents themselves with a slightly updated sound that hints of a little math-rock and a curious Texas-inspired blend of folk and pop that’s a bit further away from their hometown heroes Spoon than their previous work, though the “syncopated snares” remain. Read More »Royal Forest [Feature]
Listening to the first track on Measures by Walking Sleep, I could swear I’ve heard this sound before. And I have. A little digging told me the band originally formed under the moniker The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and I was quite fond of their EP from a year or two back, Escapements. The name may have changed, but the music maintains that male/female harmony in vocals, and those bouncy orchestrated and orchestral pop melodies. In fact, the band reworks favorites from that EP, “In A Dream” and “Don’t Be Fooled”. The basics are there, but the vocals are clearer and the instrumental freak-outs are more epic. Read More »Walking Sleep: Measures [Album Review]
After two phenomenal albums, Apologies To The Queen Mary and At Mount Zoomer respectively, many of us have been looking forward to Wolf Parade‘s third. That day is near, meaning Sub Pop has now given us a taste of what to expect. And our expectations have been fulfilled — “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure” take on the sort of progression we heard between Apologies and Mount Zoomer while maintaining those core elements that make Wolf Parade such a powerful band. Read More »Wolf Parade [Feature]
The name The Half Open Sky Gives Us Hope sounds like a song you’d hear associated with a band like Explosions in the Sky or Thee Silver Mt. Zion, so it’s no surprise that this band also fits that ethereal classically-based and/or instrumental genres to which these two bands are occasionally associated. However, two key elements set The Half Open Sky Gives Us Hope apart; namely, the lack of epic noise from the former, maintaining a calmness to The Explorer, and the lack of folk sensibilities which allows the album to possess more of a classical nature than the latter.
Read More »The Half Open Sky Gives Us Hope: The Explorer [Album Review] 
Picking up their Home(here) EP, one gets the impression that Big Tree is somewhat of an organic band. The smooth screen-printed cardboard cover is minimal but effective, and the music contained within follows suit. Placed somewhere between folk and jazz and blues, Big Tree is a mesh of many genres. “The Concurrence Of All Things” is the EP’s opening track and it hits the band’s highlight traits. Read More »Big Tree: The Concurrence Of All Things [mp3]
