My buddy Jon wrote in an email to me yesterday: “Hey Andy, did you see this yet? That’s your ride too, right?” Sure enough, he linked to this great article from Michael Lerner on Aquarium Drunkard talking about his 1976 BMW 2002. Part of AD’s Diversions column in which artists talk about a passion outside of music, I simply felt compelled to leave a comment. Read More »Telekinesis: Car Crash [mp3]
In 2009, Darlings‘ debut LP, Yeah I Know, cracked my top ten albums of the year. Well the NYC-based garage rock band is back with a new EP, due to drop on Famous Class Records in mid-March. If “Big Girl” is a tell-tale sign of what’s to come, Warma promises to be just as raucous and fun, lo-fi and in-your-face as the previous LP. “Big Girl” on video is a dimly-lit (apparently by flashlight) performance by the band, cast in a pale, near sepia-style yellow. Read More »Darlings: Big Girl [Video]
I instantly fell in love with Lake upon first hearing them open for Microphones and Karl Blau at the final show of Anacortes’s cherished Department Of Safety. That I hadn’t heard them before was the shocking item, being they share a hometown with K Records and also release their albums on the label. Lake’s dreamy psychedelic pop flirts with subtle breezes and forested hills. The harmonies put on display by Eli Moore and Ashley Eriksson mold perfection beyond its previous benchmark. Read More »Lake: You Are Alone b/w Higher Than Merry [Single Review]
Pop music comes in many forms, and Soda Shop‘s duo — Drew Diver and Maria Usbeck — create a playful… Read More »Soda Shop: Farewell [7″ Single Review]
I’ve been contemplating doing something for Valentine’s Day for years, and I finally settled on something good — a massive post packed with great singles from the past. Seems fitting, being the romantic holiday can be a bit alienating for the single person. Or that the seemingly comfy nature of the 7-inch single, with two (well, typically, with an occasional three or four) great songs placed back to back and stuffed in a typically well-designed sleeve, is a bit romantic in and of itself.
Read More »Valentine’s Day Special: 21 Great Singles You May Have Missed 
Sindri Már Sigfússon is on a roll. In 2009, his Clangour under Sin Fang (then Sin Fang Bous) received a top 10 place. 2010 saw his full Icelandic group, Seabear, crack the top 5 with We Built A Fire. Sindri is back with his follow up to Clangour. The album is called Summer Echoes and it drops March 15 thanks to Morr Music. As his projects go, the video for “Because Of The Blood” includes psychedelic mixed-media elements. And he dons a beard of doilies. Read More »Sin Fang: Because Of The Blood [Video]
Throw Calvin Johnson into the mix, and, no matter what situation presents itself, it’ll always be a little awkward. That might come out wrong, but it shouldn’t. He is, in all aspects of the word, cool. When I saw him front The Hive Dwellers at the Anacortes What The Heck? Fest (the above photo was taken there by yours truly), I was again thoroughly impressed with just how cool Johnson could be. So seemingly uncool that it’s gone full circle; there’s no one cooler.
Read More »The Hive Dwellers: Get In [mp3]
I think my exact words upon hearing this song and starting this video, as posted to my personal Facebook page, were “OMG. OBSESSION. SRLSLY.” Although, being a few beers deep in a local pub, I misspelled “seriously.” Sleep Party People‘s XSESSIONS video for the song “10 Feet Up” finds the band creating wildly psychedelic noises that simply must be heard. And they’re wearing bunny masks and dressed in all black, tight clothing. Sleep Party People hints of Sweden’s The Knife, but without all that creepy stuff.
Read More »Sleep Party People: 10 Feet Up [Video] 
The paths of Erich Michener (the man behind Fishboy) and myself (Andrew Fenstermaker) crossed in October of 2007 at a little dive somewhere on the south end of Manhattan. It was the annual College Music Journal festival and HHBTM was having an event. They crossed again sometime later in Seattle, a visit that, oddly enough, included a troll, fish sticks and Gassworks Park. That is, unless I’m joining two trips together, which is entirely possible; there was that show at Comet Tavern which may or may not have been at the same time. I digress. Read More »An Interview with Eric Michener of Fishboy
Port St. Willow is the project of Nick Principe of Portland, OR, who says his album Even // Wasteland is “a record about standing in your own way.” After scrapping the origins of the project, Principe built it again from scratch. After an hour with Even // Wasteland (and knowing nothing of what came before), I still declare that it was well worth it. Read More »Port St. Willow: Even // Wasteland [Album Review]
