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]
Written by Fense
It’s hard to take someone serious when they’re wearing a banana suit. Especially when they’re playing a green ukelele. But that’s exactly what you get with DZR:P, a bizarre Swedish group that plays insane pop gems like “Oh Milk Duds” and “Oh Short Ribs And Gravy”. Read More »DZRP: Oh Short Ribs And Gravy [Video]
Written by Fense
There’s something profound about a nude album cover. I guess this isn’t necessarily a ground-breaking statement, but it catches the eye. You’re seeing something you’re not supposed to, and that’s naughty and exciting and… yeah, maybe a little weird. To be honest, I like nude covers. And I don’t mean that in a creepy sexual way. Read More »Throw Me The Statue: Yucatan Gold [Video]
Written by Fense
With this new EP, dubbed after the opening track “Freddie And The Trojan Horse”, The Radio Dept. find themselves morphing into an even darker beast than was once thought possible. In the title track, this is emphasized through electro-new-wave-y melancholy vocals and percussive beats, as well as the dark sound that encompasses the keys. Read More »The Radio Dept: Freddie And The Trojan Horse [Album Review]
Written by The Nice Asshole
It’s always a pleasure for me to review a band that is undefinable in genre/sound, and incomparable to other acts. With These Arms Are Snakes (MySpace), the closest definition is the piercing sound of a fire alarm or television static. Read More »These Arms Are Snakes: Tail Swallower And Dove [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Oh yeah. This is the stuff that gets me excited. The Glasses (MySpace) are the style of indie pop that’s packed with male/female vocals and totally catchy vocal and instrumental hooks. I’m pretty sure I’ve got one of their older EPs, but the one currently in my hands is their latest LP, Story Problems. “When Moonlight Falls” kicks the album off on a massive high point. Read More »The Glasses: Story Problems [Album Review]
Written by Fense
I thought I had them all figured out. Each Hardly Art release since their inception as a label has seen artists that dabble — albeit barely at times — in some form of folk. Sure, it may be obscure, as in the case of Le Loup, but it’s always there. Enter Pretty And Nice (MySpace) with their recent release, Get Young. Read More »Pretty And Nice [Feature Band]
Written by bob_vinyl
Polysics (MySpace) make no secret of their love for Devo. The jumpsuits, the scientist-rock image, it all points to one thing. Their music however, goes further. Devo is clearly in the mix on this collection of synth-heavy, agitated new wave tunes and the result is fun, energetic… and entirely contrived. But they mix that 80s electronic pop with punk energy and more than just a small dose of old Japanese noisecore and that healthy dose of crazy keeps them from being trapped by their own hipness (a dangerous snare that many rehashers of the 80s have failed to avoid). Read More »Polysics: We Ate The Machine [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Listening to Lithops for the first time, I had the distinct feeling I was watching someone play a video game. It took me back to the days of the original Nintendo. But not the game console, the games themselves. The music is much too advanced for such a system. Read More »Lithops [Feature Band]
Burn To Shine has an interesting manifesto. The people who put these films together gather local bands for one day of recording in a building that is going to be destroyed. For Seattle, recorded January 27, 2007, they chose an ancient house and fourteen of Seattle’s greatest bands, including power names like Ben Gibbard, Eddie Vedder and Minus The Bear. Read More »Burn To Shine 5: Seattle, WA [Film Review]
