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]
The problem with history is that those in charge often write it. The focus is unfairly swayed toward major conflicts,… Read More »Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution Film Review
Written by Fense
“Alright†opens with blaring trumpets and Jesse Dee’s soulful vocals. This continues for a full minute before opening up into something a bit wider—wider in that the instrumentation comes full circle with organs, back-up singers and a slew of classic influences that are readily apparent… Read More »Jesse Dee [Feature Band]
A friend of mine recently pointed out how quickly disposable today’s technology has rendered music. Though this statement appears to be quite obvious in a superficial sense; i.e., gone, for the most part, are the days of unwrapping a new album and listening to it’s contents with entirely fresh ears, excitedly perusing the record’s album art and lyric sheet. It is also true in that, given today’s technology, after a few listens, if a record doesn’t catch one’s ear, one artist is conveniently and quickly replaced by another (or twenty others). As a young teenager, I purchased a number of deplorable records (ahhemmm, I’m looking at you, Stone Temple Pilots), and, no matter how bad they were, I repeatedly listened to them, desperate to hear some melodic nuance, some clever lyrical phrasing… shit, something that made me feel like I had not just blown fifteen hard earned dollars.
Read More »The Dodos: Visiter [Album Review] 
After Antony Heggarty’s involvement in the phenomenal Hercules And Love Affair release from earlier this year, one might expect his more personal project to perhaps alter course. But Another World, for the most part, continues down the same path as earlier works, like I Am A Bird Now and the groups self-titled release. And that commonality is the stripped-down Heggarty on vocals with a melodramatic backing piano and string accompaniment. Read More »Antony And The Johnsons: Another World [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Do you ever see an album in the record store that sparks your curiosity each time you pass it by? It nags you and gets underneath your skin—you want to check it out, but you’re wary about dropping $20 on an LP that might or might not be good. It’s simply not worth the risk. Universal Indians by Dark Meat was just such an album. Then I heard “Freedom Ritualâ€, the album’s first track, and I was hooked. Read More »Dark Meat: Dead Man [Video]
Written by Fense
For some reason, I missed Structure & Cosmetics by The Brunettes last year. Not only is the album on Sub Pop, it’s indie-pop! This male/female duo crafts beautifully melodic tunes that, at times, are surprising coming from a band on this label. Read More »The Brunettes [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
The world appears to be crumbling around us and it seems like there’s nothing we can do. As I sit here typing, CNN is discussing the collapse of AIG, which affects IFLC, which in turn has great potential to harm Airbus and Boeing (I bet right now you’re calculating just how long this review has been sitting in the queue, waiting to be posted). Already in Washington the unemployment rate is greater than 6 percent—I am part of that statistic (also an item that has changed since this review was first “written”). There’s a growing desperation in the air and it’s tough not to get caught up in the stress of it all, cause there’s not much we can do but wait it out. Read More »Matthew And The Arrogant Sea: Family Family Family Meets The Magic Christian [Album Review]
The Hush Now (MySpace) make melodic indie-pop with two-part male vocal harmonies. The poppy riffs and bouncy percussion and spacey guitars are not really what one would expect from a Civil War re-enactor, or even a Rock ‘N’ Roll Camp Counselor, but The Hush Now has one of each. Read More »The Hush Now [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Sub Pop is a continual source of surprise; sure, they’ve had their share of genre-swapping, but the latest add to the roster still comes as a bit of a shock. Daniel Martin Moore (MySpace) is a folk artist in the truest of senses–his songs feature him and a guitar. His vocals are melodic and pleasant–and in combining those two words as I have in the past, I realize that Moore may live up to the statement more than any other artist about whom I’ve made the offhand melodic and pleasant comment. Read More »Daniel Martin Moore: Stray Age [Album Review]
