Written by Fense
Like Sweden, Norway churns out some pretty great pop bands and one of those is Haakon Ellingsen. Ellingsen’s music is a mixture of pop and folk that is occasionally reminiscent of The Beatles, but not in an distracting or negatively impacting, overtly-influenced manner; maybe a hint of The Polyphonic Spree’s epic nature, as well. Read More »Haakon Ellingsen: The Plum Album [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Each time a new band appears on Labrador Records, I take note. The latest to join the collective is Pallers, an electronic duo out of Stockholm. Pallers follows the current trend of Labrador; with several of their recent releases, the label has been moving away from indie pop and into electronica. Read More »Pallers [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Sings Like A Priest, the latest from The Sweetheart Parade (MySpace), again sets the stage for a Jason Molina (Songs: Ohio, The Magnolia Electric Co.) reference. Simply put, Joshua Britton’s (or JB) voice sounds mighty like that of Molina; they’re entrenched in a deep emotive folk minimalism. It’s not surprising, however, that JB’s voice has a bit more power — the difference is definitely in volume. Read More »The Sweetheart Parade: Sings Like A Priest [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Mark Mathis is definitely a folk artist, as represented in the twangy (what sounds like a) mouth harp in We Both Was Young opener “Sharecropper Takes A Colored Wife†and dual banjos in “Prenupâ€. Read More »Mark Mathis [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
The wake of The Blood Brothers demise has actually led to several viable new projects from former members. This list includes Jaguar Love, who released their first LP on Matador earlier this year, and Past Lives (MySpace). Strange Symmetry is the debut EP by the latter, currently out in digital form and slated for physical format release in the next month or so. Read More »Past Lives: Strange Symmetry [Album Review]
Written by Fense
I can wholeheartedly understand the meaning behind Oak City opener “Coffee Is A Cruel Mistressâ€. Like cigarettes, one can easily become a coffee addict. Unlike cigarettes, I’m hooked on coffee. My other addictions (you could call them shortcomings, but I don’t) include obsessive compulsive alphabetization, abundant record purchasing, and food. Read More »Teith: Oak City [Album Review]
Listening to Missiles, I get the distinct feeling The Dears (MySpace) were heavily influenced by two albums–unless you take the first few minutes of opening track “Disclaimer” into account, in which you could rephrase that statement to be two bands. If you look at the former, the albums are The Bends and OK Computer. It’s not only in select vocal tracks, but also in the sound of guitars and even a few guitar riffs. It’s not always like this, though, and “Disclaimer” is a prime example. That early sax solo reminded me a bit of Pink Floyd–though the relation is a bit of a stretch. Read More »The Dears: Missiles [Album Review]
Au Revoir Simone seems to have created a slew of impersonators. Recently Hearts Of Palm UK released an album that blended multiple-part harmonies and an emphasis on keyboards. What I’ve heard of that release, I’ve enjoyed. The same can be said for the recent release by Chop Chop, called Screens.
Read More »Chop Chop [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Not too long ago–more specifically, earlier this year–I wrote that The Explorers Club release Freedom Wind could have been the record The Beach Boys released after Pet Sounds. While that statement is a bit of a stretch, as few titles can live up to the Pet Sounds name, all the press on The Bellfuries seem to dub Palmyra with a similar, Beach Boys-y label.
Read More »The Bellfuries [Feature Band] 
No no no no no. This isn’t doing it for me. With vocals rivaling Calvin Johnson in pitch, and dubbing themselves indie-pop, there’s an obvious Beat Happening reference here. But where other artists succeed at setting themselves apart from their influences, and do so well, I’m not quite hearing it in The Absentee (MySpace)–at least, not at first. Read More »The Absentee: Victory Shorts [Album Review]
