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Damon And Naomi [Show Preview]

Damon & Naomi

Damon And Naomi are headed to Seattle next Tuesday, and here are a few reasons you should go. First, of course, is their history. The duo was part of the epic band Galaxie 500. Second, their songs are filled with a mystical and orchestrated folk beauty. Just listen to the lovely “Cruel Queen” and the epic “My Flower”. (The latter jumps off the map in the bridge with a wicked noisy flute part.) These are songs that simply BEG to be experienced live. Third, A Hawk & A Hacksaw is also on the bill. Fourth, they haven’t toured in quite a while. Fifth, they’ve got some new albums out (a triage of releases that feature their favorite tracks from their old days on Sub Pop. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, because I said so. Not convinced yet? Then there’s something seriously wrong with you. Period. Read More »Damon And Naomi [Show Preview]

Letters & If It Ain’t Breakfast, Don’t Fix It: Scattered Areas Where A Thousand Follow In Likeness [Album Review]

Letters & If It Ain't Breakfast, Don't Fix It

One of last year’s best albums was In Case We Lose What We Have, by Olympia band Letters. It made number 23 of my favorite albums of the year. Well they’re back and they’ve joined forces with If It Ain’t Breakfast, Don’t Fix It. The DIY folk of Letters works almost too well with the wild noise of If It Ain’t Breakfast. The collective has created something outstanding that can only be dubbed lo-fi noise folk. Read More »Letters & If It Ain’t Breakfast, Don’t Fix It: Scattered Areas Where A Thousand Follow In Likeness [Album Review]

David & The Citizens: David & The Citizens

David And The Citizens

This self-titled EP by David & The Citizens may have preceded Until The Sadness Is Gone only by a few short months, but the debut extended play holds definite traces of an earlier, less mature group. One would think the short amount of time would leave little room change—yet the songs found encased here vary greatly from each other, and many from the long play that followed. Read More »David & The Citizens: David & The Citizens

Eugene Mirman is Awesome

Eugene Mirman

Eugene Mirman released his new album, God Is A Twelve-Year-Old Boy With Asperger’s, yesterday on Sub Pop. I’ve listened to it a few times, and I’ve seen him (like you probably have) on Flight Of The Conchords. And I’ve looked up his videos on YouTube. And I just have to say, that Eugene Mirman is awesome. That’s it. Now listen to a song from his new record, and check out a cool video of him speaking to his old high school during a graduation ceremony… Read More »Eugene Mirman is Awesome

Father Abraham [Feature Artist]

Father Abraham

Boston native Father Abraham is a hip hop artist baked from a different mold. His thought-inspiring words bring forth the power of joy, but do not distort the reality in which he lives. It is quite a social distortion to hear such a funky fresh and uplifting beats that is fronted by lines like We all go to hell in a fast car. It’s fun, it’s sad, it’s the purity of endangered lives. Through his own personal battles, this MC exploits all sense of being. Read More »Father Abraham [Feature Artist]

Adam Hill: Them Dirty Roads [Album Review]

Adam Hill

Adam Hill‘s style of folk always donned the traditional styling so often seen as timeless within the centuries-long timeline the genre encompasses. Them Dirty Roads is, for the most part, no exception. But when the fiddles and acoustic guitar are removed, as found in opening track “Prelude”, something else happens — Hill produces a sound quite unorthodox, featuring a trumpet and static samples. As a prelude, the track works wonders to introduce Hill’s very clear-cut folk. Read More »Adam Hill: Them Dirty Roads [Album Review]

Bombadil: Tarpits And Canyonlands [Album Review]

Bombadil

There are a lot of swirling sounds within Bombadil‘s Tarpits And Canyonlands. On one end it is minimalistic — stripped to its most basic components, “Sad Birthday” is piano and percussion with a slew of vocalists. But it’s not minimal, as even two instruments can create a sound all-encompassing. Add the collective of vocalists and precisely placed hand claps and the result is a sound much like that of Slaraffenland. But Bombadil cannot be limited to mere comparisons — the light instrumentation and experimental folk sounds they dabble in are truly their own. Read More »Bombadil: Tarpits And Canyonlands [Album Review]

the dutchess and the duke sunset sunrise cover art

The Dutchess And The Duke: Sunset / Sunrise [Album Review]

In their somewhat self-titled debut, She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke, The Dutchess And The Duke popularized their lo-fi psychedelic folk with epic tracks like “Reservoir Park” and “I Am Just A Ghost”. With romantically-tinged dual male/female vocals, the duo of Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison reverted to a sound that hinted at another time, one strife with protest and objection to the powers that were, at the time, seen as opposed to the greater good. In that, The Dutchess And The Duke were debuting at a very similar time mentally, and while their sophomore release Sunset / Sunrise may have lost some of the politics, it has gained elsewhere.

Read More »The Dutchess And The Duke: Sunset / Sunrise [Album Review]

Oren Lavie: Her Morning Elegance [Video]

Oren Lavie

Conceptually, Oren Lavie‘s “Her Morning Elegance” is one of the coolest, most unique videos out this year. An obvious dream-scape, one could imagine a similar theme in a Michel Gondry flick; it’s artsy but not so over the top as to be pretentious. Made entirely using bedroom props — sheets, clothes, pillows — the directors (Oren Lavie, Yuval and Merav Nathan) paint a vivid storyline that simply must be witnessed to believe. Lavie’s soft-spoken vocals, draped with a very Erland Øye-like backing electro-acoustic sound, make his music quite accessible and easily likable. Read More »Oren Lavie: Her Morning Elegance [Video]

The Sweet Serenades: On My Way [Track Review]

The Sweet Serenades

The demeanor of these two Swedish gents is a bit misleading, in their rugged jeans and flannel shirts. The facial hair and lumberjack tools don’t help their case. Contrary to the cover of Balcony Cigarettes, by The Sweet Serenades, the music is a clash of Swedish power pop and new wave indie pop. “On My Way” masterfully features pointed guitar riffs and plenty of cowbell. The quivery vocals have a minute glam vibe to them, which merely heightens the song’s greatness. The Sweet Serenades are definitely among Sweden’s top ten bands to keep an eye on! Read More »The Sweet Serenades: On My Way [Track Review]

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