Skip to content
Home » kill rock stars

kill rock stars

Hey New York: Date Marnie Stern. Seriously.

Marnie Stern

That scene in Hi Fidelity. You know the one — Rob, Dick and Barry are in the club listening to Marie De Salle play that Peter Frampton cover and they talk about dating/living with a musician. Hopeless romantics, the lot of ’em. Well, if you’re a single dude in New York and you can relate to this scene, the opportunity is here.

Marnie Stern, in partnership with her Kill Rock Stars kin, has created her own little indie rock dating show in which one lucky guy will join Stern as her date the night her fourth LP hits the street. Read More »Hey New York: Date Marnie Stern. Seriously.

Kinski

Kinski: Conflict Free Diamonds

Kinski

I’m a car guy. It’s pretty damn obvious. I gave up my 1974 BMW (sadly) back in December, but that makes my daily driver a jet black (interior and exterior) 1979 El Camino. The thing is beastly, with a 350 four barrel carb and dual exhaust. The torque gives me tingles. Likewise, I get that meaty, pedal-to-the-metal feeling when I listen to “Conflict Free Diamonds”, the latest from Seattle band Kinski. Read More »Kinski: Conflict Free Diamonds

Stereo Total: Baby Ouh! [mp3]

Stereo Total

On their latest LP, Stereo Total does a good job satiating fans with a full 17 tracks, though label Kill Rock Stars notes that the band wrote 40 for the album. Now, I’m not much of a Stereo Total expert, but Baby Ouh! feels a bit more experimental than what I’ve heard from the band. From the get-go, they drop in sounds that remind me of not only Stereo Total, but artists like Deerhoof and The Fiery Furnaces. And it works. Read More »Stereo Total: Baby Ouh! [mp3]

Xiu Xiu: The Air Force [Album Review]

Xiu Xiu

Written by Jeremy Ryan.

When thinking about challenging bands like Xiu Xiu (MySpace), the words “stable” or “consistent” do not spring to mind. They are not supposed to release a gaggle of jaw-dropping, eerie records as frequently and reliably as they do (four records since 2004). After hearing 2004’s borderline masterpiece Fabulous Muscles, I gave it about a six-week limit until primary songwriter, Jamie Stewart, flipped out, renounced music, and fled to Asia for some good old overindulgent artist soul searching. Either that or he’d ended up trying to wriggle his way out of a straight jacket in a padded room. Read More »Xiu Xiu: The Air Force [Album Review]

Jeff Hanson: 1978 – 2009

Jeff Hanson

Sad news was released last Friday, as the independent music world lost an amazing talent, and the world lost an amazing individual. Jeff Hanson was found dead in his new apartment; preliminary reports are calling it an accidental fall. I met Jeff a few years back when he performed at a small art gallery in Moscow, ID. Everyone always talks about how his voice was like no other, but for me it was that coupled with the passion in which he relayed his songs to his audience. Read More »Jeff Hanson: 1978 – 2009

Horse Feathers [Feature Band]

  • Cockle 

Horse Feathers

Horse Feathers conjure an older definition of “gothic” in their music. It is the term as used in Southern fiction—at once horrible and beautiful. Like Flannery O’Connor’s short stories or Tennessee Williams’ plays, the songs are populated by families and lovers that are grotesque in the way that they can barely conceal their terrible pain, yet they experience moments that approach transformative grace. Read More »Horse Feathers [Feature Band]

Jeff Hanson: If I Only Knew [Video]

Jeff Hanson

Written by Fense

Madam Owl is the title of the new album by Jeff Hanson (MySpace), out now on Kill Rock Stars, and it’s quite a change from Son and his self-titled release. Overall, Hanson departs from folk and dives headlong into pop. However, that’s not the biggest change on Madam Owl… no, it’s the addition of orchestration that really sets this album apart from his prior catalog. Read More »Jeff Hanson: If I Only Knew [Video]

Follow by Email
YouTube
YouTube
Instagram