Sharon Van Etten recently reissued her 2021 album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong as a deluxe vinyl version with a few bonus songs. To commemorate that, I’m going to take a look at the 7-inch single for my long-time favorite song by her: Serpents with the B-side Mike McDermott.
Read More »Sharon Van Etten | Serpents b/w Mike McDermott | 7-Inch Single Review
It’s been a few years since I fell down the rabbit hole and into an obsession with the original era… Read More »“Not Me Sir” by Wolf People: Watch the Psychedelic Video, Hear the Psychedelic Song
After her release of the Sleepwalker single earlier this year, I questioned whether Angel Olsen was going through a transformation. The revealing, introspective LP Half Way Home from 2012 was about as minimal as they come. Full vocals seemed as quiet as a whisper — though they were not — and her guitar was so soft the album was borderline a capella. “Sweet Dreams” off Sleepwalker changed things. Read More »Angel Olsen: Forgiven/Forgotten
Spencer Krug returns with his next Moonface record, Julia With Blue Jeans On. Krug, as you may well be aware, has had a music career filled with diversity; if this is your introduction to Moonface, as it is mine, you may be surprised to hear Krug at his most endearing. Julia With Blue Jeans On consists only of softly pleasant, heartfelt piano-laden tunes. Read More »Moonface: Julia With Blue Jeans On
Deep synth lines open “Make It Known”, contradicting lightly with a 70s rock percussion, guitar and bass. Then the vocals hit with a hint of soul. This is not your standard indie rock group; their influences span wide and far, making Foxygen one of the more unique and interesting new artists to surface of late.
Read More »Foxygen: Make It Known
“Serpents” is a complete departure from Sharon Van Etten‘s early work. Admittedly, I missed her sophomore release, Epic from 2010, but was fully entranced by her debut, 2009’s Because I Was In Love.
Read More »Sharon Van Etten: Serpent (First Listen) 
The Cave Singers are back with their third LP, No Witch, an album that promises great things on the tail of two already widely renowned releases. While only two songs have graced my ears thus far, it’s clear that the Seattle band continues its steady pace of creating phenomenal tunes. Read More »The Cave Singers [Feature]
I found this Small Black video in the trove of videos on the Jagjaguar, Secretly Canadian, Dead Oceans collective Vimeo page. Small Black creates fuzzy lo-fi electronic pop in the vein of romance and various other pleasantries, and “Despicable Dogs” fits the description well. I love the dreamy nature the song takes throughout its four minute melody and cacophony. There’s beauty in dissonant harmony, and Small Black knows how to exploit this fact. The video appears to be a tribute to aging surfers stuck in the late 70s and early 80s with awesome Hulk Hogan mustaches and blond mops of hair. Read More »Small Black: Despicable Dogs [Video]
I would love to re-experience those four minutes during which I listened for the first time to “Albatross”, the new Besnard Lakes single. Filled with dreamy layers of vocals and lush, guitar-backed chorales, Olga Groreas sings to the very moment of disappearing love amidst a background of sound that evokes anything but sadness. Read More »The Besnard Lakes: Albatross [mp3]
The Besnard Lakes seem to have taken everyone by surprise; their music blends drone-y shoegaze and prog-rock with the playfulness of lightly orchestrated indie-pop. These elements make Are The Dark Horse one of the best comprehensive albums of 2007. Songs like “Because Tonight†are instantly classic in nature—The Besnard Lakes’ ability to dictate between sophisticated and precise string arrangements, and drone-heavy prog-rock give them an edge in a somewhat polluted independent music scene. Read More »The Besnard Lakes: Are The Dark Horse [Album Review]
