Monthly Archives: October 2009 »
A Brief Smile for a Sunshine State
I was a bit weary when Bishop Allen began their EP project, where they released an EP once every month for the entirety of 2006. Why rush artistic integrity and spoil the chances of
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Lymbyc Systym
To say that Lymbyc Systym represent the next large movement might be an overstatement, but their methodology is certainly becoming more prevalent among emerging artists. Almost all of us can remember being enamored with
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Surfer Blood on the Astrocoast
Stereotypes involving the carefree indulgences of a Californian summer have been circulating since surf-rock originated in the ’60s. Its inception was largely brought on by the development and popularization of the spring reverb, which
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Her Vanished Grace
Continuing with the recent theme of atmospheric pop music that Washed Out and Neon Indian showed us, Her Vanished Grace deliver a similar sort of layer-based sereneness that differentiates itself through dark and moody
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Washed Out of a Psychedelic Haze
If stoner-rock is defined by slowly presented guitar riffs grounded in heavy doses of reverb and downtuned effects, then where does electronic music with a similar aim sit? Any genre that is reflective of
Read More »The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
When projects attempt to be conceptual in both their style and purpose, there arises a sensitive area where criticism has difficulty retreating from the subjective to the objective. What we define as “quality” is
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Brooklyn’s Favorite Library
Continuing with the stream of CMJ-bound artists, The Library are a bit different from what many expect at a festival of CMJ’s often frenetic vein. Often popular for artists that tout theatrical art-rock, synth-pounding
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The Technology of Midnight Juggernauts
It would be nice if all New Yorkers were given next week off for the sake of new music. CMJ’s Music Marathon is already intimidating enough with hundreds of artists on the roster, so
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Tim Williams’ Careful Love
On the heels of next week’s CMJ festival in NYC, Tim Williams is exemplary of the local favorites you are bound to find there. The Brooklyn-based songwriter caught one of his first breaks at
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The Flaming Lips – Embryonic (2009)
by Mike Mineo The author for the impending Flaming Lips biography must have it rough. There are few bands as consistently groundbreaking as Wayne Coyne and company, who would often devote concepts or stylistic
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The First Impression of a Total Babe
The importance of a first impression is something that has been stressed since humanity’s inception, with philosophers as early as Socrates noting its role in developing biases. Subsequent eras such as the Tudor period,
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UltraChorus Goes Ultra-Def
We are producers. We make music for you. This is what UltraChorus convey on their web site, almost sounding like they cater to artists more than listeners in doing so. Such circumstances have the
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A Real Life Aficionado
To describe Aficionado as a sudden output of energy would probably the most accurate, as I doubt many bands possess the cumulative energy of this aspiring ten-piece from upstate New York. Ten members who
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