Written by Fense
I may be slightly off in my vision of who exactly Kindercore Records is as an entity — my perception stems to a single folk-pop release from around a decade ago. From this quiet, self-titled album birthed one of my favorite groups, Kings Of Convenience. Beyond that release, I knew the label to be a haven for bands of the Elephant 6 notoriety. Read More »Ruby Isle: How It Hurts [Video]
Written by Fense
One of the first noticeable items about Cake On Cake (MySpace) is the name. It’s a sweet (no pun intended) take on Bob Dylan’s classic Blonde On Blonde. The two, of course, have little, if anything, in common. It’s there; but that’s not really important in the bigger scheme of things, now, is it? We’re here to hear about the music. Read More »Cake On Cake [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
I want to say I’ve heard about The Western States Motel, but I cannot recall with any certainty whether that’s true or not. If I have heard of them prior to receiving their Painted Birds Flying In The Orange Mirror Sun EP in the mail, I can say that I haven’t heard their music before. But, listening to “Stampede” now through my headphones, it’s immediately apparent that I like what I’m hearing. Read More »Western States Motel [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Alan Cohen Experience came to me about a year ago when I was sent the group’s debut LP. Now they’ve got a new EP and a little political ditty. So, it’s fitting that this feature goes up today, November 4, the day we will vote a new man into office. Along with Cohen, I sure hope Obama is the man the country chooses. So, before I go any further, let me say this: if you’re in the states, please go vote (I can only hope you’ll vote for Obama, but even if you’re an McCain supporter — or even an Nader supporter — it’s your duty). Read More »Alan Cohen Experience: The Obama Groove [Video]
If you’re like me, you haven’t listened to Crooked Fingers in quite a while. You missed their 2005 release Dignity And Shame, all but ignored Red Devil Dawn, and gave Bring On The Snakes a mere two listens. But you thoroughly enjoyed their 2000 self-titled debut thanks to the slow, depressing tunes. If you’re like me, the fact that Forfeit/Foreign was limited to 1000 copies on white vinyl was enough to rekindle the interest in this group. Read More »Crooked Fingers: Forfeit/Foreign [Album Review]
Written by Fense
There’s no doubt about it — the days are getting colder and the nights have come to dominate the evening. Soon they’ll steal away the late afternoon. I walked to Breadfarm and picked up some rolls and my sweater wasn’t enough to keep the chill of the light wind away. “September” is the perfect song — and video — for this time of year. Sure, it’s October here, but in Sweden, where Tvärvägen calls home, it was probably this cold last month. Read More »Tvärvägen: September [Video]
Written by Fense
Lo-fi indie pop with a sweet nature often gets labeled as twee, or at least sounding like twee. And that’s the first thing that comes to mind when listening to The Stowaways, whose style of indie pop features jangle-y guitars and a sweetness in the vocals. Read More »The Stowaways [Feature Band]
You don’t typically hear songs named for guys. Yet the new I’m From Barcelona album, Who Killed Harry Houdini? does just that — and they use my name. As an opening track, “Andy” isn’t quite as hard-hitting as “Oversleeping” was to Let Me Introduce You To My Friends, but it does set the stage well for the rest of the album, which doesn’t necessarily have the power tracks of their debut.
Read More »I’m From Barcelona: Who Killed Harry Houdini? [Album Review] 
Written by Fense
It wasn’t all that long ago that I first listened to and subsequently covered The Republic Tigers. Their video for “Buildings And Mountains” caught my eye — and my ears — and I was hooked. Looking back, it seems so close, but so much has happened since August 8, the day that feature went live. I feel like the “Buildings And Mountains” title is an adequate analogy for my current situation. Humor me… Read More »The Republic Tigers [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Ramona Córdova (MySpace) is a folk artist. But he’s a very nontraditional one. Like my recent post on DZR:P, Ramona tends to favor the falsetto voice, but unlike DZR:P, he tends to not only be in-tune, but he comes off sounding somewhat similar to Visit, the Asian opera singer from this year’s season of Bravo’s Top Design. Read More »Ramona Córdova [Feature Band]
