A Music Blog. Once in WA, now in Plano, TX.
About a month ago, I played “Chameleon” by Therese Aune on my weekly KSVR radio show. I remember the song being as lovely orchestral folk-pop with a strong European influence. Hailing from Norway, her track fit nicely amidst songs by Lou Doillon and Cheyenne Mize. Now that I have her new LP in hand, I…
Along the Oregon coast protrudes a giant, monolith called Haystack Rock. Standing 235-feet tall, it is the easily the most defining item in Cannon Beach, giving the seaside town a short drive south from Astoria its fame. I know the Cannon Beach (and surrounding) area quite well from my childhood, having spent several week-long summer…
Listening to Put Your Hands Up For Neo-Tokyo, abbreviated PYHUFNT, I’m reminded of Danish dream-pop outfit Sleep Party People. PYHUFNT has a similar style of indistinct, higher-pitched vocals backed by dreamy, dark electro-pop. “State of No Connection” is the band’s new track from PYHUFNT and in it you’ll hear everything from soft, dreamy synth notes…
Until The Light Takes Us documents the rise in popularity of Norwegian black metal and death metal in the early 90s. Based loosely around two instrumental band members of Darkthrone, the film peeks into the origins but focuses heavily on the cultural aspect that, politically, turned the country into a frenzy. While never really skewing…
The self-titled release by I Was A King was pretty solid, but Old Friends is another beast entirely. The album is a stunning portrayal of original pop music. Heavily-strummed acoustic guitars are complemented by pop vocals and offset by thick brass orchestration. And the band forays into experimentation of occasion. “Echoes” features highly prominent trombone…
Casiokids‘ “Finn Bikkjen!” is a video about a man and his dog. On his dreamscape journey attempting to catch his best friend, he comes across strange dancers. From there, things get a little weird. The video goes well with the Casiokids style of psychedelic electro pop. “Finn Bikkjen!” lives up to the band’s recent hype,…
To celebrate Silence Is Sexy’s full year of success after 2009’s Euronet sensation This Ain’t Hollywood, the Netherlands’ finest group has developed quite a treat for the listeners they picked up over the last 365 days or so. Teaming up with the fantastic Cuban Royal Republican Orchestra, these electro-rockers have developed the very cleverly titled…
Consider expectations defied. Black Feather seemed like such a folk-worthy name; to a somewhat minor extent, Black Feather fulfills folk sensibilities, but the emphasis is minor. The same can be said for pop, though to an even lesser extent. Where this band comes full circle, however is in combining these two genres with experimentation. There’s…