Were Isaac Brock to have been born with an extra X chromosome, thus lacking a Y, yet all else have been held as constants, Modest Mouse very well may have sounded like Pree, led by the masterful ex-Le Loup member May Tabol. Like her former group, Tabol’s music is filled with haunting folk melodies. Read More »Pree: In The Parlor [pReview & Video]
It’s only the first of March and I can already tell that 2009 is going to be an amazing year in music. Let’s do a quick list. Top releases by artist this year so far: Animal Collective, Beirut, Camera Obscura, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Pree, and Venice Is Sinking (MySpace). And I know I’m missing quite a bit here already. The last on the list is slated to give us their sophomore release, AZAR, (reviewed by Fense here) on March 31. Read More »Venice Is Sinking: Ryan’s Song [Video]
Talking to an acquaintance about The Old Believers (MySpace), we noted how astonishing it was that the old-time-y folk-pop duo has been able to define their own unique sound despite their young age—both are around 20. Yet, in retrospect, other notable artists have fit this category nicely. Namely, in modern times, Zack Condon of Beirut. In old times, the name that would have likely reigned supreme would have been Buddy Holly. The Old Believers are Keeley Boyle and Nelson Kempf and the two flip back and forth on vocals from song to song. Read More »The Old Believers: Eight Golden Greats [Album Review]
Recently I received a digital EP simply titled SXSW EP by Feral Children, including several tracks from their upcoming full-length out sometime in the hopefully near future on Sarathan Records. And, since sticking the four tunes on my new iPod Touch (or, iTouch, if you will), I’ve been absolutely hooked. Read More »Feral Children: Spy/Glass House [Video]
It’s been a very long time since anyone has heard from The Golden Hours. That is, if you were aware of their existence to begin with; their brief lapse into the reality of 2006 saw them delivering some pretty amazing lo-fi folk via Not Not Fun Records in The Mystery & Her Crew and after a moment’s notice, they were gone. Read More »The Golden Hours: Spooky EP [Album Review]
It almost seems unfathomable to think that young people would give a sweet damn about traditional bluegrass. But, The Lost Pines (MySpace) have proven those living inside the box completely wrong. Middle Of The Morning is straight down to earth, Texas good timin’ tunes. Like a batch of Woodie Guthrie followers from the sixties, a new craze is being built. One banjo pluck at a time. Read More »The Lost Pines: Middle Of The Morning [Album Review]
Buried in the sound of slumber, Rest is an ample title for the latest album by Gregor Samsa (MySpace). The music finds a home among fellow soft, melodic artists like Sigur Rös, mixing minimalism with composed instrumentation. Fittingly, guitar parts have mostly been replaced by piano – recorded on Philip Glass’s old Bösendorfer! Read More »Gregor Samsa: Rest [Album Review]
Watching a movie like Darren Aronofsky’s Pi – a brilliant black and white film about a mathematician attempting to find pattern in the stock market, and further, a pattern for the universe – it’s easy to think about just how significant patterns are. More specifically, and also relating to the film, how spirals and cycles come into everyday life. The recent cycle: I am once again diving back into a hard love of indiepop and twee. And the latest album by The Lodger simply adds fuel to the fire. Read More »The Lodger: Life Is Sweet [Album Review]
Just the other day I re-published a review of The Dutchess And The Duke’s debut LP. That’s one of the first things I notice about Ain’t No Surprise by Leopold And His Fiction (MySpace) – it has a quite similar sound in the 60s-70s style folk-based rock. There are lo-fi elements here, where the volume is cranked up so loud that it gives the guitar and vocals feedback. The vocals come out more gravely and the guitars more intense. The result is astounding. Read More »Leopold And His Fiction: Ain’t No Surprise [Album Review]
I’ll probably have a nice little package in the mail when I get home tomorrow (actually today, if you’re reading this the day it was published) with these guys in it, but I cannot wait to get this song out there. It’s “What Would Tim Armstrong Do?” by The Besties. And while I do not know a Tim Armstrong, I do know that this song is damn catchy. Read More »The Besties: What Would Tim Armstrong Do? [pReview]
