An avid fan of eccentric jazz of avant garde nature, I was immediately drawn to Nat Baldwin‘s new LP, People Changes. As an upright bassist, Baldwin can be found pouring his soul into Dirty Projectors, a band that prides itself in obscure pop sensibilities. His solo stuff, however, is where he truly shines. Read More »Nat Baldwin: Weights (Video)
Damn. Why did I wait so long to check out anything off Cloud Nothings‘ new LP, Attack On Memory!? On a whim, I requested The Business in Anacortes hold a copy on vinyl for me after ordering Nat Baldwin’s phenomenal record People Changes. Today I picked up both, and Attack On Memory was the first to hit the record player. Read More »Cloud Nothings: Attack On Memory
I love it when music videos come with a warning. Be it the infamous (and slightly coveted) NSFW label, or, in the case of “All Night Low” by Violens, the Epileptic-inducing, flashing lights, strobe-effect warning. Whatever the warning may say, this is what I read: we’ve got something a little different for you, we’re taking things to a whole new level, and get ready for awesomeness. Read More »Violens: All Night Low
What began as an over-the-phone collaboration between Nashville resident (at the time) Stuart Edwards and Andy Holmes of their mutual hometown of Rocky Mount, NC ultimately became Old Bricks. The story is one of some length, and includes a now non-existant band, a little moving around, and the disillusionment of a self-satisfying local scene. Read More »Old Bricks: Anthem
Orcas is the collaborative project of Benoît Pioulard and The Sight Below. True to the nature of both artists, both “Carrion” and “Arrow Drawn” are hazy, minimalist pop songs, inherently dreamy and obscure. Its curious balance between ambiance and resonance makes this band both mysterious and endearing. Read More »Orcas: Arrow Drawn (Video)
Trails And Ways is a dream pop outfit based in Oakland. “Tereza” is a just-released single off their forthcoming debut LP, called Trilingual; there is meaning behind the name, as Trilingual will feature Spanish, English and Portuguese vocals. With “Tereza”, they stick with English. Read More »Trails And Ways: Tereza
The time has come to ramp up training for the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride). Last weekend, I took a ride out toward La Conner along my normal route, which takes me down McLean. This particular road is on the path toward the famous Skagit Valley Tulips, and being in the middle of the Tulip Festival, traffic was anything but light. Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: April 27, 2012
Little can be found online about Anacortes band Motorbikes, despite recordings dating back to 2007. It could be the commonality of the search term, or maybe a purposeful push for obscurity. I think it’s the latter. Hitting The Business in Anacortes last weekend, I grabbed a copy of the store’s Record Store exclusive, a nondescript CD-R by the band. Read More »Motorbikes (Feature)
Olympia bands Letters (who we’ve covered several times before) and Poppet have released a new split cassette tape, and they sent me a copy to enjoy. Being that I don’t get too many cassettes, I figured it was time again for a Cover Art piece. Read More »Letters / Poppet Split Cassette Tape
Nick Butcher is known, by the few who have had the honor of hearing his work, as a master of the indie avant garde, a purveyor of a unique blend consisting of free jazz and folk-tronica. It’s an odd combination, one that lends more so to the latter, but with an affection toward the former.
Read More »Nick Butcher: Free Jazz Bitmaps Vol. 1
