When I say that some of my favorite bands start with the letter V, I am not kidding. On FensePost, there are many reviews of Voxtrot—a near comprehensive collection of their recorded works. One band, however, that I list among my favorites (pre-Voxtrot) and that you have likely not seen or heard until now is Seattle’s very own Vells. Read More »Vells: In The Hours [7-Inch Single Review]
Rough 70s-era garage rock instrumentation paired with a joint custody of glamorous pop meets fuzzy rock vocals, Happy Birthday comes across as a modern sleeper band. Like a favorite from last year (Jeff The Brotherhood), Happy Birthday could very well launch forward into history with one of the better albums of the year. “Girls FM”, the opening track off the band’s self-titled Sub Pop debut, certainly shows the promise of good things to come. If anything Happy Birthday will be among the early highly anticipated albums from what may ultimately be one of Sub Pops best years yet. Get excited; “Girls FM” hits via Happy Birthday on March 16. Read More »Happy Birthday: Girls FM [mp3]
Seattle’s TacocaT brings back the riot grrrl sound full force while channeling a substantial Bratmobile sound, as correctly noted to me by Finest Kiss. In my opinion, there’s even a little punked-up B-52s sound in there. Their debut LP, Shame Spiral is out now on Don’t Stop Believin’ Records, the label responsible for giving us releases by See Me River, The Pharmacy and Your Heart Breaks. Read More »TacocaT: Shame Spiral [Cover Art]
Everyone should enjoy a nice surf sound. It’s rigid, blaring, and insanely bad-ass. And The Good The Bad are definitely leaders of the new school surf agenda. A great part about watching a band like this is the shock and amazement of how much cooler they are than you. It’s like watching The Big Lewbowski in a three piece suit. These Copenhagen rockers emulate everything that is awesome about being proficient on drum kits and kickin’ electric guitars. Read More »The Good The Bad: 001 (The Bad) [Video]
There is documentation of creative longevity and then there’s Bunnygrunt, whose sixteen plus years as a band (give or take a few) has gained them notoriety in the areas of lo-fi rock, indie pop and 90s pop-punk. This band’s latest effort is Matt Harnish & Other Delights, a record that takes its name from so-called main Grunter man Matt Harnish, the other half being that of Karen Ried (possibly the ‘other delights?). Read More »Bunnygrunt: Matt Harnish & Other Delights [Album Review]
I first saw The Long Winters live at the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle at the end of July, 2004. Along with IQU, they stood out as the event’s best performers. The second time was in Pullman this past spring [2006] for the university’s annual Spring Fest. And again, they left the other performers behind to become the main attraction of the day. Standing at what appears to be well over six feet tall, front-man John Roderick has a stage presence that is outstanding. I recall hearing “Pushover†and the quick, punchy chords of “Fire Island, AKâ€. I remember “Sky Is Open†being a favorite, and possibly even “Rich Wife†and “Ultimatumâ€. Read More »The Long Winters: Putting The Days To Bed [Album Review]
I’m not typically one to enjoy your run-of-the-mill music video that merely shows the band performing, but it’s hard to not like this video. Warpaint consists of three quite attractive ladies who like to perform in the most seductive of ways, and who are supported by an outstanding percussionist. Put that theme to excellent shoegaze mixed by the one and only John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and that’s a mix anyone should be able to get into.
Read More »Warpaint: Elephants [Video] 
Fuzz, noise, pop. Foreign excellence as it pertains to indie pop creation. Lê Almeida‘s music drops in an upbeat 90s indie rock sound with a punchy beat. Their video for “Nunca Nunca” is your standard hipster pop jam – band members on bikes wear cardboard masks, the drummer is a machine (literal, not actual). Fronted by Lê Almeida’s native Portuguese tongue, a special sort of excellence is achieved. Read More »Lê Almeida: Nunca Nunca [Video]
There has been alot of grief giving in popular culture about simple man and acoustic guitar rock. America can find a way to relish on the bad of everything. The “bro”-worthy Dave Matthews or Ben Harper are now being laughed at. Glasgow, Scotland apparently feels the same way at times. But, like our soft-core heroes at home, they have an artist who does not give a damn. One Jack James is here to show the beauty of wordplay with his intriguing debut album Lights Off, Headphones On. Read More »Jack James: Lights Off, Headphones On [Album Review]
This is, undoubtedly, the most metal side of Death Cab For Cutie you will ever see. Released around the turn of the century puts this unique 7-inch closer to the group’s beginning than today, and was pre-dated (in Barsuk standards) only by Something About Airplanes, though the single was released in March 2000 to coincide with the release of We Have The Facts And We’re Voting Yes.
Read More »Death Cab For Cutie: Sub Pop Singles Club [Cover Art]
