Written by Fense As I write this, I am not listening to the recent Sub Pop release of Antidotes by Foals (MySpace), which is a great album by the way. No, I am listening to their Daytrotter Session, available for download here. I am also reading a nice little notice by Sub Pop updating their…
Of Montreal: Id Engager [Single Review]
Written by Fense So, Id Engager by Of Montreal (MySpace) isn’t necessarily an album, though it will be categorized as such. It’s a single. And boy was I excited to see it in a small pile of singles when I was at Everyday Music in Bellingham last week. There it was, sitting precautiously on the…
The Dark Romantics: Heartbreaker [Album Review]
Written by bob_vinyl In the early 80s, Wall of Voodoo made some dark, moody and strangely captivating music out of a peculiar meeting of post-punk, synth pop and the roots of rock n roll. On Heartbreaker, The Dark Romantics (MySpace) find themselves at the same point where these influences flow together and they make music…
Bodies Of Water: A Certain Feeling [Album Review]
Do you want to know something I completely object to? Of course you do—if you’re a regular reader you probably long for me to go off on a rant about something negative. So… listen up: I strongly believe that those who say Oh, nothing good has been released this year have a vastly distorted vision…
Morning Spy [Feature Band]
Written by Fense I recently joined Jon Rooney on a trip to a record convention in which we perused piles and piles of albums in various collections. On this journey I snagged two 7†singles, one by The Wedding Present and one by The Smiths. As we hit Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood where Rooney resides,…
Stereolab: Chemical Chords [Album Review]
Written by Fense If Stereolab (MySpace) were a person, they’d have recently graduated from high school. That’s how long Stereolab has been around. Eighteen years. That means they formed in 1990. That means I was 10 at the time. Come November they will prepare to enter their fourth U.S. presidency. Their longevity outlives most independent…
The Enright House: Scattering The Sun [Video]
Written by Fense The Enright House (MySpace) is a masterful electronic and pop group from New Zealand that I discovered around the same time as Little Pictures (see my coverage of that band here). Both groups came to eep! productions for their videos and it’s easy to see why: eep! knows how to put together…
Liz Durrett: Outside Our Gates [Album Review]
There’s something about artists like Liz Durrett (MySpace) that I really, really dig. Like last year’s Hands Across The Void by Tiny Vipers, Durrett’s style of folk includes sensually soft vocals. The airiness in her voice fits well with her deep pitch, creating a mystical and dreamy sound.
Caves: Get On With It [Album Review]
Written by Fense Listening to Get On With It by Caves (MySpace), I cannot help but be reminded of a hyped up young Seattle group called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. While there are several differences in the music the two bands create, I get the impression that Caves are to Portland what NPSH is to…
The Lovely Sparrows: Bury The Cynics [Album Review]
Written by Fense The Lovely Sparrows (MySpace) embark on an exciting journey with Bury The Cynics, and while they loose much of the excessive percussion I loved so much on their EP, they replace it with heightened production value and an array of additional instruments. Or, rather, the additional instruments are brought to the foreground…