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] 
In seeing The Shackeltons (MySpace) perform live, you are GUARANTEED one thing. (In that statement, GUARANTEED must be italicized and in all caps. That’s how sure one can be in making such a statement.) In seeing The Shackeltons perform, you will, no matter what the circumstance, be treated to one of the all-time greatest performances you will ever see. Period. Read More »The Shackeltons: Bumbershoot [Live, 08.31.2008]
Written by Fense
If you are a large corporation targeting the youth of today, it appears there are two places you want your messaging to be front and center. The first: anything dealing with Miley Cirus or Jonas Brothers. That’ll get you a massive audience, there’s no denying it. But, if you’re targeting less of a mainstream crowd, the place to be is summer music festivals. Dell is the latest to hop on the bandwagon, pumping up their Summer Rocks campaign at festivals across the country. Read More »Dell Dome Summer Rocks [MixTape]
As Thao Nguyen (MySpace) took the Rockstar Stage at Bumbershoot, I had déjà vu. You see, one year ago, I attended Bumbershoot and witnessed St. Vincent play solo in this very spot. As I lined her up in my camera sights, I flashed back to the present. Thao’s music is quite different from that of St. Vincent, yet both dabble lightly in folk-pop. Read More »Thao Nguyen: Bumbershoot [Live, 08.30.2008]
Written by Fense
For those devastated by the demise of The Unicorns in 2004, the sadness was short-lived and out of The Unicorns’ carcass burst Islands and, close to a year and a half later, Return To Sea graced independent radio stations and iPods throughout the nation. Now, ex-Unicorns and current Islands mastermind Nick Thorburn has teamed up with fellow Canadian musician (and sometimes Islands guitarist) Jim Guthrie for a new, stripped down project titled Human Highways. Read More »Human Highway: Moody Motorcycle [Album Review]
My God… just how long have I had The Captain’s Table by Ham1 (MySpace) in my promo pile!? (That question warrants the exclamation point due to the excessive time it has spent there.) Let’s see, the album hit in November of 2007. You’ll likely need to subtract a few months due to the standard promo time. And yeah, that means I’ve had it for damn close to a year. And there’s simply no excuse—the album is quite decent. Read More »Ham1 [Feature Band]
Written by bob_vinyl
When I was 16, my parents took me on a trip out West. On that trip, we spent three days at the Grand Canyon. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the most striking thing I saw on that trip, not because it wasn’t amazing, but because it was just too much to take in at once. The beauty of the Grand Canyon was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, too much to be appreciated in three short days. Ever since, I’ve wanted to return to see it again and let it sink in. That’s kind of the way I feel about Tanya Tagaq‘s Auk~Blood. There’s so much going on and it’s so unlike everything else that I can’t quite get my head around it. And I want to return over and over.
Read More »Tanya Tagaq: Auk~Blood [Album Review] 
Folk-pop is the name of the game on the self titled debut of Bakers At Dawn. For the most part, the thirteen tracks contained within meet their mark; they’re melodic and pleasant—everything we know Swedish pop to encompass. Swedish pop is, at least in terms of its homogenous nature, kinda like 90s US alternative—it is easily recognizable as Swedish pop and the same is true for Swedish folk-pop. Read More »Bakers At Dawn: Bakers At Dawn [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Cracking the Digipak CD case on TK Webb’s (MySpace) Ancestor, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The cover portrays giant wooden gates opening in the middle of either a desert dusk or dawn, and the sparse clouds are starkly white against the deep blue sky. The back shows a similar landscape—but without the doors—at night. In other words, the art is anthemic… Ancestor is anthemic! Read More »TK Webb & The Visions: Ancestor [Album Review]
