Written by Fense The opening to “Persist†reminds me a bit of early Portishead. It’s got the hefty bass and pleasantly depressing strings. But All India Radio (MySpace) is nowhere near the Trip Hop that Portishead’s music fit into. Instead, the band fits a dark and dreamy pop mold that dabbles lightly in folk.
Steve Von Till: A Grave Is A Grim Horse [Album Review]
The first noticeable item about Steve Von Till is his voice. Coming in as a younger version Tom Waits, Von Till’s vocals are low and grate-y; the voice is perfect for the electric, minimalistic folk he creates—though his image is one of a hefty metal band.
The Instruments [Feature Band]
I love the spacey guitars and mellow, harmony vocals on The Instruments’ “Sounds Electricâ€. But, even moreso, I love the consistent, repetitive percussion; it is the percussion that, in my opinion, makes this a great song.
Band In Box [Feature Band]
Band In Box (MySpace) was featured on the first Series II Compilation installment. The comp championed five artists, each of whom contributed four songs. True to Series II Records, Band In Box has a minimal, twee-like nature. There are some similarities to female-fronted pop groups like Au Revoir Simone and fellow Series II act Back…
Hypatia Lake: Angels And Demons, Space And Time [Album Review]
Listening to the melodic first track, “Her Tears Are The Footsteps Of Angelsâ€, one distinctly gets the impression that Angesl And Demons, Space And Time may be a bedroom pop album. After all, Hypatia Lake did release through Sad Robot Records, brief home to Carissa’s Wierd. But “A Plea To Remiel†distills that thought outright;…
Thunderheist: Jerk It [Video]
Written by Fense Boy does Thunderheist (MySpace) remind me of last year’s hyped up Simian Mobile Disco. But hype’s like that; it creates similar bands doing similar things and “Jerk It†may fit that mold… slightly. But boy is it a catchy song!
Virgin Of The Birds: Sunset Tavern, Seattle [Live, 08.21.2008]
Each Ball Of Wax compilation has a theme behind it and this one is the thirteenth quarterly comp that Seattle artist Levi Fuller has done. What Fuller does is concoct a theme (at least on some… several have no theme other than being “music to enjoy”) then gather a mass of (usually) local Pacific Northwest…
Smile Brigade: Sunset Tavern, Seattle [Live, 08.21.2008]
August 21, the night of the fourteenth Ball Of Wax CD release party. I dropped by Sunset Tavern here in Ballard at about 8:30, just in time to see Levi Fuller, the mastermind behind this quarterly compilation series, play his song from the album. But a highlight of the evening would come when I discovered…
School Of Seven Bells [Feature Band]
Written by Fense In 2007, Ben Curtis left Secret Machines, but he had a plan. His plan was to focus on his new project with former On!Air!Library! twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. That project is titled School Of Seven Bells (MySpace). While the band has toured with groups like Blond Redhead (you can hear the…
Yarn Owl [Feature Band]
Written by Fense Yarn Owl is another group from Pullman (the town, not the band) musical mastermind Ted Powers, who again can be found on percussion. Like his prior concoction Ether Hour, Yarn Owl is distinctly pop. But where Ether Hour dropped in some folk elements, Yarn Owl is a bit more jangly. The band…
