Pinback is… back. Rob Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV haven’t released a new record since 2007’s Autumn Of The Seraphs, so for the die-hard fan, this is quite the news. And upon hearing both “His Phase” and “Proceed To Memory” off the new LP, it’s clear that Pinback has stayed true to the unique sound for which they’re known. Read More »Pinback: Feature
This show ended up being a bit of a favorites show; we began with a few favorite tracks from the past few years by bands hailing from Sweden including Acid House Kings and their track “Do What You Wanna Do” (which remains one of my all-time favorites). And we continued with several favorites from 2012 thus far — the phenomenal “Ivory Coast” by Pure Bathing Culture; tracks by Cloud Nothings, Exlovers and Gap Dream; and from last year A Classic Education. Also making an appearance were some newbies: a pair of great Woods tracks off their new album Bend Beyond and a brand new track off the forthcoming Pinback LP Information Received.
Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: September 21, 2012 
We’ve been doing up the floors in our house, stripping out the carpet, repainting the walls, painting the trim and doors, and laying down a rich brown woven bamboo (hence the lateness of this post and the general lack of posts this week). It’s a project that should add equity to our house and, one day, our pockets. I threw this playlist together Friday morning and set to work stripping carpet from the hallway while it played in the background. Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: March 2, 2012
Let me tell you a story. In 2007 some notable things happened. I attended the annual music festival SXSW (the image above is of myself and The Lovely Sparrows’ Shawn Jones, taken by Abandoned Love Records/Virgin Of The Birds’ Jon Rooney), I grew a mustache, and I met a beautiful girl named Andi at the Capitol Hill Block Party. We hit it off and ditched the after-party to get a sprite (her) and coffee (me) at Denny’s in Ballard (sadly no longer there) at 1:30am. I still have the mustache and I’m still dating Andi. A lot of pretty notable things happened that year, and a lot of great releases came out…
Read More »A Retrospective Top 33 and 1/3: Best Albums of 2007 
What a decade it’s been. 2004 was my first year in the so-called Real World; jobs, car payments, instability everywhere. Things weren’t all happy and seemingly upbeat like the mid 90s. After eight months in Seattle, I found myself unemployed and decided it was time for more education. I moved to the greater Portland area and began prep to enter a Masters in Business Administration program, taking night classes at WSU Vancouver and making a frequent trip out to Pullman, where I’d soon attend graduate school. The overall instability and open-your-eyes wake-up calls of 2004 seemed to extend beyond me. Two of the most honest and disturbing albums I’ve ever heard were released this year – another strong one in music overall.
Read More »A Retrospective Top 20: Best Albums Of 2004
