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Scout Niblett: The Calcination of Scout Niblett [mp3]

scout-niblett

“The Calcination of Scout Niblett”, the title track off Scout Niblett‘s new LP on Drag City Records, is a mix between minimalistic folk sensibilities and the rock-worthiness of epic guitar riffs. Going from the soft minimal vocals-plus-quiet-guitar trait common in folk to the hard-hitting distorted rock guitar, “The Calcination of Scout Niblett” finds a unique balance that is truly like no other. Niblett flickers between the two sounds constantly, an argument that augments the song’s originality. Read More »Scout Niblett: The Calcination of Scout Niblett [mp3]

Feral Children: Brand New Blood [Album Review]

feral-children

At the precise moment Feral Children launches into “On A Frozen Beach”, the fifth track off their sophomore release Brand New Blood, the ferocious percussion kicks into gear. There’s a key element here: the percussion is lent by front-man and standing percussionist Jeff Keenan as well as a second drummer on the trap set. First hearing the song, I noted that it sounded as though the wild, feral side of the band had been contained to a degree. And that concept is fully realized in Brand New Blood. Read More »Feral Children: Brand New Blood [Album Review]

Angel Russell [Feature]

angel-russell

Angel Russell fits into an interesting and quite rare area of folk music, that being the realm of gypsy folk. The influences, like the lifestyle, are blurred between various cultures. You can hear it in Russell’s songs, like the seductive “Sail Away” and the Spanish “Reperar Mi Vida”. Gypsy folk is rare, but the artists that embody the description do so wholeheartedly — just look at Ramona Cordova. In this manner Russell has traveled; her family is from Mexico and she grew up in San Diego. She began recording her debut album in Seattle, continued it in Portland, and finished it in Massachusetts. Read More »Angel Russell [Feature]

The Good Graces: Bring On The Tambourines! [Album Review]

the-good-graces

For some of us out there, The Good Graces might be the greatest fucking band in the world! For every flannel wearing, soul searching, obsessive coffee drinking fool (myself included), Kim Ware and company have created a “bomb” tribute to happy times during misery. That, and more specifically, the 1990’s. It’s getting to that time in our lives where the end of the last millennium needs to have a properly built sense of nostalgia amongst the middle aged and dying. And Bring On The Tambourines! is a beautiful album even without pop culture references from the good ole days. Read More »The Good Graces: Bring On The Tambourines! [Album Review]

Royal City: 1999-2004 [Cover Art]

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On a recent drive to Seattle from my new hometown of Mount Vernon, I picked up my iPod Touch and changed the song to Royal City’s “Bad Luck”, putting it on a one-song repeat. The song clocks 3:04 and is only the palest shade less impressive than album opener “Here Comes Success”. Both songs are absolutely stunning, blending a gritty folk-rock with freak-folk and noise. Read More »Royal City: 1999-2004 [Cover Art]

Andrew Belle: Static Waves [mp3]

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Contemporary folk-pop is an arena that is swamped with imitators, yet a select few artists stand out above the rest. Andrew Belle is one such artist thanks to the inclusion of female backing vocals and boisterous orchestration. “Static Waves” hits all the right points – it’s catchy and plush and clean and colorful. There’s a lot going on here, a lot more than your typical artist fitting this genre descriptor. It’s easy to hear why Belle was selected to open for Ben Folds, although I’d also put him in the same camp as masters like Andrew Bird. Read More »Andrew Belle: Static Waves [mp3]

Slow Six: Tomorrow Becomes You [Album Review]

slow-six

Music is often experiential, but none is more so than that which embodies the hypnotic. Drone, shoegaze, post rock – they all often tell stories through notes rather than words, and with Tomorrow Becomes You Slow Six does just that. The band combines classical music with rock in a way unlike contemporaries such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The emphasis is comparably on strings, but the sounds are much more cosmic – more along the lines of Explosions In The Sky’s post rock sensibilities, but with classical leanings and less of the soft-loud-soft progressions. Read More »Slow Six: Tomorrow Becomes You [Album Review]

Golden Triangle: Neon Noose [mp3]

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Noisy post-punk garage with pop-worthy hooks: if you were lucky enough to snag a wax copy of Golden Triangle‘s self-titled EP on Mexican Summer, that’s what you got. That and one of the coolest pieces of vinyl out there with a cream meets gold display of plastic artistry. Golden Triangle is back and this time they’re giving us an LP on Hardly Art. “Neon Noose” is the first track to surface from the new album and it picks up precisely where Golden Triangle left off. Read More »Golden Triangle: Neon Noose [mp3]

Islands: No You Don’t [Video]

islands

Of course Islands features Michael Cera in their video for “No You Don’t” off the band’s third record, Vapours. Dorky as usual, Cera is the perfect cast member for an Islands video, whose hyped-up pop finds the band returning (at least somewhat) to the days of Return To The Sea but with a heightened effort in the glam department. Nick Diamond is heading in a direction not unlike that of Kevin Barnes, albeit with more glitter, more beats, and less internal strife. Read More »Islands: No You Don’t [Video]

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