This is what happens when old stodgy people like myself start listening to bands like Hot Lava and albums like Lavology. We start dancing awkwardly in our bedrooms at ungodly hours well past our company-required bedtimes. We start talking like we’re 14 again (of course, using more modern slang like BFF and WTF and ROLF) and stop using caps and punctuation.
Written by Fense
I didn’t check out Fugu 1, the debut LP by Fugu, until well after its release. Featuring an impressive lineup of French and European pop artists, Fugu’s music is a blend of pop styles, from the upbeat to the softly melancholy. And, to continue the trend, I’m just now checking out Fugu’s latest. Read More »Fugu: As Found [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Nick Butcher is youthful but balding; he’s thin with a very natural, normal look. One would hardly expect him to be the mastermind of a minimalist-experimental-electronic outfit. But he is. That his appearance is more fitting for a talegate party than this just goes to show that looks can be deceiving. Read More »Nick Butcher [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Sometimes when I review an album, I like to go in fresh, knowing nothing of the group, their influences, what people thing they sound like, what I expect them to sound like, et cetera, et cetera. Tonight I’m sitting in The Old Edison Inn, one of the few restaurants in Edison — one of the few businesses. I don’t feel like cooking. So I decided to pack up my laptop and pop in for a quick bite. I have, in fact, heard their Alaskan Wild Salmon Burger is mighty tasty, so naturally that’s what I’m awaiting. Read More »All The Saints [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Bathed in orange light from an Ikea touch-lamp, I sat down at my kitchen table a few evenings ago. On the table I placed three things: 1) a box of organic ginger snaps, which was to be my dinner as I did not feel like cooking, 2) my white MacBook, 3) a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I set forth with a task — to pare my inbox down from its more than 300 emails to under 200. It was going to be a long night. Read More »Johanna And The Dusty Floor [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
In music, it is very rare to create something entirely new. To break ground would be to christen a new instrument, one that does something bizarre, one that sounds like no other. Or to use an instrument in a way that has never been done before. Moments like these have spawned great works — my recent viewing and subsequent coverage of Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution comes to mind. Another artist along these lines could be Wolf Eyes. Read More »A.Armada [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
One of the first noticeable items about Cake On Cake (MySpace) is the name. It’s a sweet (no pun intended) take on Bob Dylan’s classic Blonde On Blonde. The two, of course, have little, if anything, in common. It’s there; but that’s not really important in the bigger scheme of things, now, is it? We’re here to hear about the music. Read More »Cake On Cake [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Ramona Córdova (MySpace) is a folk artist. But he’s a very nontraditional one. Like my recent post on DZR:P, Ramona tends to favor the falsetto voice, but unlike DZR:P, he tends to not only be in-tune, but he comes off sounding somewhat similar to Visit, the Asian opera singer from this year’s season of Bravo’s Top Design. Read More »Ramona Córdova [Feature Band]
Written by Fense
Oh yeah. This is the stuff that gets me excited. The Glasses (MySpace) are the style of indie pop that’s packed with male/female vocals and totally catchy vocal and instrumental hooks. I’m pretty sure I’ve got one of their older EPs, but the one currently in my hands is their latest LP, Story Problems. “When Moonlight Falls” kicks the album off on a massive high point. Read More »The Glasses: Story Problems [Album Review]
Written by Fense
Like Sweden, Norway churns out some pretty great pop bands and one of those is Haakon Ellingsen. Ellingsen’s music is a mixture of pop and folk that is occasionally reminiscent of The Beatles, but not in an distracting or negatively impacting, overtly-influenced manner; maybe a hint of The Polyphonic Spree’s epic nature, as well. Read More »Haakon Ellingsen: The Plum Album [Album Review]
