Thursday, May 8, 2008 I haven't had as much time as I normally do to browse around for music this week, but one of the artists that stuck out in my limited searching was Pepi Ginsberg. The songbird from New York just released her third full length, and she has been getting some love from the likes of Pitchfork and Stereogum, which means she must be good. Or something. Anyhow, if you want you can check out more about the aforementioned [...]

Interestingly, after MTV taught us about all that lo-fi business , Lightning Bolt drummer and Björk collaborator Brian Chippendale mailed us a copy of Black Pus 4: All Aboard The Magic Pus , the fourth full-length from his one-man side project. (It was recorded on cassette tape. Remember that stuff?) As with the past Black Pus offerings, it comes wrapped in beautiful hand-screened packaging, showcasing the man's skills as a comic artist. This time, to our surprise, it also came with the closing track, "Body On The Tide," which reminded us somehow of Guided By Voices. As much [...]

Some good shows in the region on Thursday. Here are the highlights: Swedish pop army (over 20! members) I'm From Barcelona are gracious enough to come to Philly for one of only two East Coast shows. It is very Polyphonic Spree-esque. And for added enjoyment, Pepi Ginsberg is having a record release party. Catch them both at the First Unitarian Church . Its an (almost) all Philly line-up at The Khyber . On the bill is [...]
As we saw the tail end of the Park The Van showcase at SXSW all of the bands playing mentioned from stage how much they loved the label and everyone on it. I kind of brushed this off not really being familiar with anyone besides Dr. Dog and Spinto Band. I've since realized what a great thing Park The Van has going. They truly have a distinguishable sound to their artists which i really love. It establishes a trust with the listener and makes you realize that someone in control there has great ears (or [...]

By the time I saw my last band on Saturday night - Los Campesinos - and settled in to some well needed hot tea at the Driskill bar with some A&R weasel friends of mine once again I've come back from SX with the knowledge that it is a premier music event for me as a fan and industry person. Thankfully many of my radio colleagues haven't yet figured out how cool this is; and because this isn't a "record" industry focused event, I don't feel the impact of the hustle to see bands [...]

Karen Yasinsky - L`Atalante # 28 [2007] The star of this show is the supportive whisper behind Pepi's assertions. The history of blues is the backlight on stage following every annunciation, at home it's her calico cat with the old soul. Lyrical depth stretches out beyond the quiet round of the tips of her songs, of the tips of her fingers picking away like she's slowly writing the words [...]