There’s something about artists like Liz Durrett (MySpace) that I really, really dig. Like last year’s Hands Across The Void by Tiny Vipers, Durrett’s style of folk includes sensually soft vocals. The airiness in her voice fits well with her deep pitch, creating a mystical and dreamy sound. Read More »Liz Durrett: Outside Our Gates [Album Review]
Listening to Get On With It by Caves, I cannot help but be reminded of a hyped up young Seattle group called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. While there are several differences in the music the two bands create, I get the impression that Caves are to Portland what NPSH is to Seattle–a local hype group a ton of people get excited about.
Read More »Caves: Get On With It [Album Review] 
Written by Fense
The Lovely Sparrows (MySpace) embark on an exciting journey with Bury The Cynics, and while they loose much of the excessive percussion I loved so much on their EP, they replace it with heightened production value and an array of additional instruments. Or, rather, the additional instruments are brought to the foreground and allowed to shine. Read More »The Lovely Sparrows: Bury The Cynics [Album Review]
Klas is a super lovable lo-fi twee-ish folk-pop group out of Malmö, Sweden and they write beautiful songs like “I Was A Janitor†that include lyrics like I was a janitor / And life was bad / But when I got my paycheck / Life was good. Their debut album, titled To Sleep And Love, is out now in Europe on Evil Twin and in the states on Series II Records. Read More »Klas [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
For some inane reason, listening to Soft Airplane by Chad VanGaalen reminds me of Michel Gondry’s follow up to one of my all-time favorite movies, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. The movie in question is La Science des Rêves, better known here in the states as The Science of Sleep. Read More »Chad VanGaalen: Soft Airplane [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Woah. Where the hell did Sarathan Records come from!? One moment I’m hanging out, minding my own damn business and dreaming of great rock bands and the next moment they’re signing them! First to catch my attention was Seattle’s very own Feral Children, giving SXSeattle one hell of a great performance at SXSW this year. Now there’s War Tapes.
Read More »War Tapes [Feature Band] 
Written by Fense
Woodhands are a Canadian duo that selectively mixes female vocals (think Au Revoir Simone), at least on select tunes like “Dancer”, with male ones so versatile they defy any one (or two, for that mater) classification. Their instrumentation boasts one on percussion and one on keytar. Heart Attack, their debut release on Paper Bag Records was released late last month. Read More »Woodhands [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
It seems like everyone is doing the animation thing these days and here is yet another, this time by British artist Johnny Flynn (MySpace). I received Flynn’s EP Hong Kong Cemetery in the mail recently and then saw his recent album, A Larum (out now on Lost Highway Records) at Sonic Boom. “The Box†is the first track off A Larum and the final track on the EP. Read More »Johnny Flynn: The Box [Video]
Opening track “Record Store†could be the anthem of my life. Singer Frankie Medina continually repeats the phrase I’m in the record store / I’m in the record store. Sound like me? Yeah, I thought so. Repetition like this is customary on Pigs, the debut garage-y, punk-y rock album by The Dirty Hearts (MySpace). Read More »The Dirty Hearts: Pigs [Album Review]
I remember listening to Portishead in high school. “Glory Box” was a favorite, though at the time I did not know they mimicked the introduction from “Day Dream” by the late 60s, early 70s Belgian psych-pop group The Wallace Collection. Sampling from such artists was a common feature for Portishead and, while I am unaware of any potential sampling on their latest, Third, it’s likely present and accounted for. Today I’m looking at the music video for “The Rip” off that album.
Read More »Portishead: The Rip [Video]
