Monthly Archives: May 2011 »
Emanuel and the Fear
One cold New York City night in January 2009, I found myself in the back room of the Bowery Poetry Club, encircled by the typical PBR-wielding twenty-somethings and some of the most magical music
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The Wandas
The crisp, jangly guitar-pop that The Wandas produce recalls the playful power-pop of Teenage Fanclub and Big Star. It is touched with a dose of modern accessibility, with the familiar song structures and sweet
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My Morning Jacket – Circuital (2011)
I can still remember hearing my first My Morning Jacket song. It was “One Big Holiday” off the album It Still Moves. Eight years later, I can still remember how that initial exposure made
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Art Imperial
Like perhaps the most famous of surf-rock innovators (Brian Wilson), Arthur C. Imperial does not surf. Rather, the sights and sounds of witnessing the act provide ample room for his musical talents to emerge.
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Black Lips – Arabia Mountain (2011)
Before 2009, I was more or less indifferent to Black Lips, a band that basically sounded like a few other bands I already liked (Monks, King Khan & BBQ Show, etc). Then I heard
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Skeletons – People (2011)
Skeletons’ new album, People, continues their rich mash-up of freak-folk and prog-rock, all while remaining separate from other contemporaries like Timber Timbre, Man Man, and Bruce Peninsula. People explores fuzzy narratives with fictional characters
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The New Division
Few artists can top the sheer moodiness of ’80s groups that teetered on the edge of post-punk and newly concocted electronic-pop. New Order and Depeche Mode are generally the most cited in this regard,
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About Group Start & Complete
About Group’s Start & Complete has flown somewhat under the radar. It is somewhat surprising considering both its quality and the fact it features members of prominent acts like Hot Chip (Alexis Taylor), This
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Win Free Bonnaroo Tickets!
The good folks over at GroopEase just love being generous. In addition to offering significant discounts on up-and-coming artists, they are now giving away two three-day passes to Bonnaroo for free. That’s right… two
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Tyler, The Creator – Goblin (2011)
Tyler, The Creator's second full-length, Golbin, is so polarizing that two reviews of slightly contrasting opinions seemed appropriate. Mike and Jay look at the long-awaited follow-up, with both agreeing that it is an early
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Tamikrest, Toumastin
Westerners tend to group Tamikrest into the “desert rock” movement, a vague and cinematically inclined term for music that would sound appropriate set under images of the Saharan desert, complete with tired camels and
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Man Man – Life Fantastic (2011)
There has been a disturbing trend with a number of bands I like. In the past few years, many of them have softened their sound, slowed it down, or “gone acoustic.” The Mars Volta’s
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Obscure Sound: Best of April 2011
April was a busy and thoroughly enjoyable month in music. It’s easy to point out that big names dominated most of it, some of them even brand names in indie music; Panda Bear, TV
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