hardly art

the dutchess and the duke sunset sunrise cover art

The Dutchess And The Duke: Sunset / Sunrise [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
October 5, 2009May 12, 2023

In their somewhat self-titled debut, She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke, The Dutchess And The Duke popularized their lo-fi psychedelic folk with epic tracks like “Reservoir Park” and “I Am Just A Ghost”. With romantically-tinged dual male/female vocals, the duo of Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison reverted to a sound that hinted at another time, one strife with protest and objection to the powers that were, at the time, seen as opposed to the greater good. In that, The Dutchess And The Duke were debuting at a very similar time mentally, and while their sophomore release Sunset / Sunrise may have lost some of the politics, it has gained elsewhere.

Andy Fenstermaker
September 17, 2009September 16, 2009

Le Loup

Upon first hearing “Beach Town”, the first officially available track off Le Loup‘s sophomore release Family, I noted how it was surprisingly reminiscent of recent Papercuts. I failed to mention that the two artists shared a stage at CMJ 2007, where I saw each lay down a phenomenal set. Well, listening to Family in its entirety, I’m struck by two thoughts. Read More »Le Loup: Family [Album Review]

The Dutchess And The Duke: Hands [Track Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
August 27, 2009May 12, 2023

Gritty in their psychedelic-tinted folk-pop, The Dutchess And The Duke maintain much of their lo-fi folk sensibilities on “Hands” while simultaneously progressing in their mastery of song and style. The song is the latest from the duo, who are set to release their sophomore LP Sunset / Sunrise soon.

Andy Fenstermaker
August 14, 2009August 21, 2009

Le Loup

It’s been two long years since any news has come forth from the Baltimore collective Le Loup, fronted by the once tormented Sam Simkoff. Two years is a very long time — enough time for maturity to progress, lifestyles to change, personalities to evolve. And that’s what we’re given with the first single off Le Loup’s upcoming sophomore LP, Family; a sound that holds the vibrant avant-garde nature of Le Loup’s debut, but metamorphosed into something that would ultimately make Darwin proud. Read More »Le Loup: Beach Town [Track Review]

Le Loup: The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nationsâ€™ Millennium General Assembly [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
August 6, 2009August 5, 2009

Le Loup

With such a long album name, one would think elements of an experimental nature would likely be found within; and about Le Loup‘s The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nationsâ€™ Millennium General Assembly one would be correct in that assumption. Actually, The Throne is a concept album largely inspired by Danteâ€™s Inferno. â€œCanto Iâ€ and â€œCanto XXXVIâ€ take their names from the first and last chapters of the book. The album marks the second release for Hardly Art. Read More »Le Loup: The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nationsâ€™ Millennium General Assembly [Album Review]

Talbot Tagora [Feature]

Andy Fenstermaker
July 21, 2009July 21, 2009

As of today, Hardly Art now has seven records under their belt thanks to the release of Lessons In The Woods Or A City by Talbot Tagora. These seven hold some pretty blatant differences. Each release drastically contrasts from the last, the last two, and so on back to HAR-001 (In Camera by Arthur & Yu). Despite variations across the board, one thing remains consistent: greatness. Read More »Talbot Tagora [Feature]

The Dutchess And The Duke: She’s The Dutchess And He’s The Duke [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
February 24, 2009May 12, 2023

The Dutchess is Kimberly Morrison and the Duke is Jesse Lortz. The two have been playing together for years, but it wasn’t until they struck out on their own in The Dutchess And The Duke that their creative music abilities came full circle. She’s The Dutchess And He’s The Duke is an album mixing lo-fi folk elements (but not too much so) with 70s folk melodies.

Andy Fenstermaker
October 27, 2008April 11, 2009

Written by Fense

I thought I had them all figured out. Each Hardly Art release since their inception as a label has seen artists that dabble — albeit barely at times — in some form of folk. Sure, it may be obscure, as in the case of Le Loup, but it’s always there. Enter Pretty And Nice (MySpace) with their recent release, Get Young. Read More »Pretty And Nice [Feature Band]

The Pica Beats: Beating Back The Claws Of The Cold [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
September 23, 2008April 11, 2009

Written by Fense

Iâ€™m reading a little note by a key force behind Hardly Art Records, the label releasing The Pica Beats (MySpace) sophomore album, Beating Back The Claws Of The Cold, today. I usually donâ€™t quote press releases, but this one is both important and relevant:

If thereâ€™s one thing I love about this label, it is being able to introduce bands that no one knew existed.

And itâ€™s true. I hadnâ€™t known about Le Loup or Pretty & Nice (the latter will hit later this year), or even their set of local Seattle bands. The list: Arthur & Yu, The Moondoggies, and, of course, The Pica Beats. That is, I didnâ€™t know about any of them until the Hardly Art introduction. Read More »The Pica Beats: Beating Back The Claws Of The Cold [Album Review]

The Moondoggies: Don’t Be A Stranger [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
August 20, 2008February 7, 2022

Written by Fense

Wow, everyone seems to be channeling 60s and 70s folk these days and you can add The Moondoggies to that ever-growing list of bands. Don’t Be A Stranger can be found somewhere between the folkier side of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and country-ish side of Neil Young himself. All this is apparent in opener “Ain’t No Lord”. Hell, you can even toss The Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd and Grateful Dead in as further influences.