Written by Fense
Stop the presses! (Isn’t that such a cliché—and outdated—thing to say when you want to grab someone’s attention?) I just made a discovery while hitting up some old groups I haven’t checked out in a while. Yes, the group I am referring to is Unarmed Enemies (MySpace). UE is an electro-pop outfit out of Sweden with a bit more of a techno emphasis than your usual electro-pop group. Read More »Unarmed Enemies [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Mamiffer is a strange name. So is the title to their debut album, Hirror Enniffer. Then again, the music Mamiffer makes is as unique as the monikers they have masterfully possessed. The group consists of Seattle pianist Faith Coloccia. Coloccia draws influence from her art and composition background to create a refreshing sound unheard of by your traditional pianist. Read More »Mamiffer: Hirror Enniffer [Album Review]
Written by Fense
“Need For Sunshine†is a wonderfully electro-poppy song by Autamata that fits someplace between the instrumentation of Beulah and the lyrics of The Polyphonic Spree. The video is an animated play on light versus dark in the manner of Tim Burton. Read More »Autamata: Need You Sunshine [Video]
Written by Fense
Whenever I hear the word Voxhaul, I think of (i) the European car company and (ii) the BBC show Top Gear, which continually covers their cars (typically dishing out poor reviews with a few minor positive exceptions). Now I have something else to think of—Voxhaul Broadcast, a folky jangle-pop band from Los Angeles. Read More »Voxhaul Broadcast: Rotten Apples [Video]
Earlier this week I mentioned Foals’ iTunes exclusive. Well, they’re not the only Sub Pop artist rocking the exclusives with iTunes these days–add The Gutter Twins to the shortlist. Yep, earlier this month, Greg Dulli (The Afghan Whigs) and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees), the duo that make up The Gutter Twins, released Adorata exclusively on iTunes.
Read More »The Gutter Twins [Feature Band] 
There’s a low buzz in the air. You can only hear it if you listen hard—very hard. But it’s there; it’s quiet now but it’s gaining in ferocity, gaining in momentum. Pretty soon it will dominate all. The buzz is that of people talking—the good ol’ word of mouth style of promotion—about Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. I first caught wind of the buzz a few months back and, yesterday when I saw Weepy sitting on a shelf, I couldn’t resist picking up a copy (I’m a sucker for WOM impulse buys). Read More »Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band: Weepy EP [Album Review]
There are so many great pop labels around these days it’s becoming difficult to keep track of ‘em all. The good news is that there are several viable forces you can always count on to release great music. I am, of course, thinking of my all-time favorite label, Labrador Records. But in the case of Ezra Furman & The Harpoons (MySpace), that label is Minty Fresh; for you pop fans out there, this is definitely a label with which to make an acquaintance. Read More »Ezra Furman & The Harpoons [Feature Band]
The New Year by The New Year (MySpace) opens with a lengthy, melancholy, minimal guitar strum. Somewhere toward the midpoint an organ chimes in softly. Then the momentum begins to build as the two-thirds mark nears; it is here we finally hear vocals on opening track “Folioâ€, but damnit, the wait was well worth it. Read More »The New Year: The New Year [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Looking at Zach Hill’s album cover for Astrological Straits (out now on Ipecac Records), one is likely to blurt out a common acronym these days: WTF!?!? This cover shows Hill with what looks like play-dough face makeup. Not surprisingly, the same response is yielded when one hits the play button on Astrological Straits. The album is packed with a bizarre and eclectic style of avant garde experimentalism. Read More »Zach Hill: Hindsight Is Nowhere [Video]
Written by Fense
Take note: if you write one thing about a band in New Zealand, you’ll suddenly have to write several things. I was contacted by someone at eep! productions, who if you recall, produced the videos for both The Little Pictures and The Enright House, both of which I covered, here and here respectively. Read More »The L.E.D.s [Feature Band]
