Wednesday, February 8, 2012 IndieFest 2012 Preview I'll be honest, I stepped in to the press conference of last year's IndieFest excited beyond belief at a) being somehow involved in a festival and b) ready to devour a slew of strange and wonderful films. My excitement may have been too great, or maybe I just picked the wrong films to indulge in, but my coverage of IndieFest left me rethinking the state of the Indie film. Of what I saw, nothing stuck out. Instead it was slew of [...]
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 We here at SOTO have just started what will be a tidal wave of SXSW coverage, but before I jump in that lake I need to highlight a band that won't be at the festival - Imperial China. The three piece act is from Washington, DC, and they play what's best described as experimental post-punk. There are elements of math rock, electronica, and some hardcore influences. It's a mish-mash of styles that combine intensity and force to form a rhythmic attack [...]
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 1,2,3 SXSW tends to be a little nicer to the acts that work hard, and this one certain does. Over the last year they've put out a full length and a single, and then they started 2012 with a free EP and word that they had landed the opening slot on the upcoming Yellow Ostrich tour. SXSW will be nothing for them! Ok, not really, but I do think they're going to make an impact. [...]
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Today's post is all about my newfound and totally unabashed love of the banjo. I suppose it isn't surprising. After all, violins and mandolins have long been favorite instruments of mine. Maybe they are the gateway to banjo love. I didn't plan for this to happen; no, in my mind banjos were relegated to rodeos and cheesy country songs. And yet, as of late, all I want to listen to are two songs that feature banjo. And there [...]
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 COTTON MATHER It's hard to believe that almost 15 years have passed since the Austin-based quartet Cotton Mather released their classic power pop LP, Kontiki. The album gained a cult following, received rave reviews in the UK music press, and got a lot of love from fellow musicians (such as Noel Gallagher from Oasis, Britt Daniel from Spoon, and Nicole Atkins). Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, Kontiki is being reissued as a double disc release [...]
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Today's Quick Mention: If you have a moment to spare, you should definitely check out Shearwater's new album, Animal Joy. It's not physically out until Sub Pop releases it next week, but you can currently stream the entire thing over at NPR's First Listen. I like Here We Go Magic. I don't know if I'd say there's anything particularly special about them that keeps me coming back, but I appreciate how they're a really solid act that [...]
Monday, February 6, 2012 MIKAL CRONIN This act released one of my favorite songs last year (grab it just below this ramble), and I'm excited to see how a full set of his Ty Segall-produced material will play out live. I imagine it will go well, but that stems from the assumption that his semi-raw pop sound will translate to the stage easily enough, and also that there has to be a good reason so many large outlets (Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, [...]
Monday, February 6, 2012 Today's Quick Mention: Get ready to get SXSW recommendations all over you. This week the staff and myself will start mentioning at least one artist a day that will be playing during the biggest and craziest week on the planet. Time for what you came here for. Enjoy. : Toro Y Moi - Dead Pontoon : I'm rather used to Chaz Bundick leading something that's funky and refined, so listening [...]
Sunday, February 5, 2012 Time for your weekly notable news update! Below you'll find a slew of sentences meant to provide a brief glimpse of what's been going on over the past week in movieland. If something leaves you desperate for more info then my advice is to do a little extra research on one or all of the following fantastic sites: Latino Review, Dark Horizons, Ain't It Cool News, CHUD and/or JoBlo. Now, read on! [...]
Sunday, February 5, 2012 You know you have a good partner when for your 30th birthday she surprises you with a trip to the Sundance Film Festival. The festival (of course started by Redford and company in the late 70s) is one of the Meccas of film in the United States and the thought of going has always crossed my mind but never stuck. I was happy, keen even, to read over the various reports from my favorite outlets and imagine what that sort of existence it would be to gorge myself on film [...]
Friday, February 3, 2012 Today's Quick Mention: Noah covered pretty much all the big releases hitting theaters this weekend, so you should click on the film section and check out what's worth seeing. And now, music and words. Enjoy. : Cursive - Wowowow : My love of Cursive usually leaves me biased enough to like whatever they put out, but I have to admit that I'm legitimately excited about the new full length. The [...]
Friday, February 3, 2012 For the sake of not having to write the same intro a million different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull process of full film reviews and instead opts to break things down based on what I thought going in, what happened while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all. Thanks for reading! The Breakdown - The Woman In Black [...]
Friday, February 3, 2012 For the sake of not having to write the same intro a million different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull process of full film reviews and instead opts to break things down based on what I thought going in, what happened while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all. Thanks for reading! The Breakdown - The Innkeepers The Impression: [...]
Friday, February 3, 2012 For the sake of not having to write the same intro a million different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull process of full film reviews and instead opts to break things down based on what I thought going in, what happened while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all. Thanks for reading! The Breakdown - Chronicle The Impression: [...]
Thursday, February 2, 2012 Today's Quick Mention: Not that I actually expect you to take the time to watch anything that features Carson Daly, but if you're up late tonight then you should tune into his show to catch a performance by White Denim. It'll definitely be worth your time. Word of a solo effort by Jack White seemingly set the world on fire earlier this week, and I can understand why - the guy is easily one of the premier musicians [...]
Thursday, February 2, 2012 This trio is kicking off the year sporting "Health Is The New Drug." It's the first track being released from the upcoming 2012 LP produced by Chris "Frenchie" Smith (Trail of Dead, Meat Puppets, Ume). The song features psychedelic guitar riffs, a wall of synthesizers, and a few words of wisdom (or caution). If you take a closer examination of the song title and lyrics, you could ask yourself if the lengths to which we try to do what's good for ourselves is actually [...]
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 [The Dø] Alright, kids. Gather round and sing this with me now ... Dø - a band, a real good band. Re - a guy not in it at all. Mi - a guy that likes the Dø. Fa - I've still got a long, long way to go. So, considering the above, I'm going to stop myself while I still can. The Dø (pronounced as in a [...]
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 For the sake of not having to write the same intro a million different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull process of full film reviews and instead opts to break things down based on what I thought going in, what happened while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all. Hope that's OK. Read on! The Breakdown - The Woman In Black [...]
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 For the sake of not having to write the same intro a million different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull process of full film reviews and instead opts to break things down based on what I thought going in, what happened while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all. Thanks for reading! The Breakdown - Man On A Ledge [...]
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 Today's Quick Mention: I'm expecting to catch an early screening of The Woman In Black tonight. Here's hoping it's the first in a string of good films for Daniel Radcliffe. If it's not, at least he has all that sweet Harry Potter money to keep him well fed. Is the world still interesting in MIA? I know I am, but her new track premiered on Pitchfork yesterday and the amount of buzz surrounding it seemed surprisingly [...]
Side One: Track One
![Red Lights - Official Trailer (2012) [HD]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/ACk78mBNYrk_130.jpg)
![CHRONICLE Trailer 2012 - Official [HD]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/Exr5B8DCH4w_130.jpg)
![The Woman In Black - Official Trailer [HD]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/7lReemWmO5o_130.jpg)
![Man on a Ledge - Official Trailer [HD]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/YWSdm4K-9_0_130.jpg)
Check Out: d’Eon – “Transparency pt. II”
the Weekender ::: New music from Catcall // the National // Summer Camp
KNIFE PARTY – RAGE VALLEY EP
