Andrew McAllister has a few albums under his belt, but listening to his recordings under Conrad Ford might set you on a path for differing expectations. You see, Conrad Ford was a country music outfit, and his new project under the moniker Vanish Valley</a is far from that earlier style. This change in style accompanied a chance of scenery; McAllister transitioned from Seattle to Los Angeles. There remain hints of that earlier style, but for the most part it's unrecognizable. "Races", off Vanish Valley's second release [...]
First hearing "Endless Summer" a few months back, it may have been slightly difficult to understand what Sub Pop saw in their new signee, Still Corners. Granted, the song is very good, but it alone fails to demonstrate the sheer power this band holds. That power is conveyed throughout Still Corners' debut Sub Pop LP, Creatures of an Hour . "Dreamy psychedelic bedroom pop" is a fairly good description of what you'll hear on this album, but it pales in comparison to what will blow your mind when the headphones [...]
There's nothing like the joy felt in realizing an artist sounds just as good live as they do on a studio album. Such is the case for Danish band Figurines . Still in the wake of their 2010 self-titled release, the guys are back with a fully charged live recording of a recent show at Vega, Copenhagen. A specific, dynamic, and energetic performance it's obvious the band believes in their music, a confidence that makes the five live recordings a nice supplement to the band's previous albums. With sultry vocals, punk-rock [...]
Released from the constraints of recording in apartments outside day jobs and the overall complications that stem from them, Twin Sister is poised to release their debut LP, In Heaven . "Bad Street" is the first single from the album and it finds the band expanding their creative capabilities wholeheartedly. That's not to say their previous EPs, namely Color Your Life and Vampires With Dreaming Kids weren't expansive in their originality. They were. "Bad Street" takes the creativity Twin Sister has [...]
Friendly Fire Recordings has always been good about seeking out and introducing the states (i.e. the U.S.) to great foreign artists. Their latest introduction is that of Finnish electro-pop band Regina. We discovered the band a number of years ago - they've been around for quite a while - thanks to a handful of releases on Songs I Wish I Had Written . "Unessa" is a catchy foreign language song that follows Regina's lovable hooks, and the band's ability to craft cool, nerdy electro-pop. But where once [...]
Amanda Mair is back with another single on Labrador Records . The song follows her debut on the label, "House", as a danceable track packed with pop hooks. The new track is "Doubt" and it finds Mair continuing her surprising ability to craft a magical pop track filled with a maturity well beyond her young (16) age. A song like this shows that true artists still exist; prior to Labrador's discovery of Mair, she had never performed live, had no web presence whatsoever [...]
I've always found the cello to be a haunting instrument, filled with sadness and mystery. You hear that in Mire Kay 's "So You Learned", off her latest EP Sea Monster . The song features a soft acoustic guitar strum backed by cello, which is nature-esque and folk-like. Mire Kay put together a video for "So You Learned" that encapsulates this perfectly. It was filmed back in June, deep inside the Ekerö forest in the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden. Of late, I have found [...]
Six years is how long it has been since we've heard anything from coastal rural California band Built Like Alaska gave us their sophomore release Autumnland . In that time, the band has had plenty of member changes, recreating - in a way - their identity. In Troubled Times... is Built Like Alaska's third release and it finds the band rejuvenated and focused on creating an album packed with pop greatness occasionally thwarted by rock ferociousness. Built Like Alaska did the [...]
There are very few certainties in life. With the economy in a downfall, natural disasters coming from all angles, and the earth slowly warming, it is very easy to become weary about any sort of regularity in this world. But, there is are two certainties you can always count on: 1) you are going to get older and 2) Blitzen Trapper is going to release an album that just gets better and better. Both of these have inevitably happened this year. And however you feel about Number 1, you should [...]
Solander is a Swedish folk-pop trio that creates mystically beautiful songs. Their latest is called "Flight" and it is just as pleasant and sad as the band's prior work (you can hear tracks dating back to 2009's "Looking For Gold", which we raved about, on bandcamp ). Solander handed "Flight" over to Iris Piers for a video and the result is ethereal and dream-like with amazing color and fantastic footage. "Flight" is off Solander's second album, Passing Mt. Satu , available [...]
There is a tribal element to the music of Savaging Spires. Tribal not in the sense of native music, but one more along the lines of tUnE-YarDs or Norwegian Arms. "Bending The Rules Of Time" is an audible vision quest, packed with peyote-inspired chant-like harmonies, an array of non-traditional instruments performed in what could be an impromptu campfire session held by the musically insane. Savaging Spires, then, would absolutely fit the experimental folk mold. "Bending The Rules Of Time", the opening track off their self-titled LP, is equally dark [...]
PAPA is the side project of Girls' drummer Darren Weiss and their music fits well with the chill California sound of Weiss' other band. "I Am The Lion King" is a track off the band's new EP, A Good Woman Is Hard To Find . You can hear the track below; it has an edge to it, but it's laid back. Laid back like you'd expect from a late August/early September anthem. It hints of the beach and summer. And, after listening to the entirety of the new album, I find it [...]
Summer is a time for fun, basking the sun, and enjoying good company. It's winter, when things get quiet, that reflecting on the past and what's to come is supposed to take place. Yet for the past few months Andi and I have been reflecting on society, life, and what it truly means to be happy. And we have decided to downsize tremendously to achieve our goals of a less burdened life; less burdened by things, stuff, and debt. We are going to build our very own [...]
For me, Letting Up Despite Great Faults has always evoked a sense of youthful bliss, carefree and unburdened by the trials of life, and elevated by the prospect of new love. These feelings are, frankly, what could only be described as beautiful. The band has returned with a new video for the song "Teenage Tide" and, like that of "Our Younger Noise", it has a young playfulness about it. It is very present ; in the moment. "Teenage Tide" is off the [...]
Eclectic pop music and Portland seem to go together like coffee, cigarettes, and Sartre. The branding itself really seems like a rationalization by critics, press gurus, and bloggers alike who can't seem to fit an artist into a category. And this is probably where an act like the Portland (and the rest of Oregon) based John Craig & The Weekend come into play. And it is suffice to say that this is truly a wonderful characteristic by nature. Versatility is a virtue that should be exploited more often. [...]
You might remember a piece about folk artists Shiny and the Spoon we ran in April of last year. With more than a year having passed and a new autumn season upon us I am excited to once again have the opportunity to write about the duo's latest album Ferris Wheel . The two singers/songwriters, also called Amber and Jordan, have with this newest work achieved a fuller sound through the use of more instruments, a variance in vocal ranges and patterns, and a [...]
Hot off a few local performances, Star Anna has released a new video directed by Craig Brooks and Lindsay Daniels. "Alone in this Together" fits Star Anna's country-tinged folk sound. It's powerful and emotive, beginning softly then dropping in a hefty guitar riff about a third in. The video is an interesting play on memories; images from the past are nothing new in music videos, but here it's a new refreshing take with them projected on walls. Check out the video below and grab [...]
Blitzen Trapper are arguably one of the hardest working (and most estranged in character) bands out today. With a relentless tour schedule that makes you wonder if Eric Earley and crew actually have homes to go back to, and what seems to be an "album a year" strategy going for them, they have definitely earned this title. But, the best is yet to come. Everyone's favorite indie-folk group is due to release their fourth album, third from Sub Pop Records, very soon! And if "Love The Way You Walk Away" and it's corresponding [...]
Foosball tournament enthusiast Kevin O'Connor is back under the guise of Talkdemonic with his music-making cohort Lisa Molinaro. The duo has a new album in the mix, and thus a new song for public consumption. That song is "Revival" and it continues Talkdemonic's steadfast style of somewhat always eclectic, ever loud and clever percussion-meets-strings instrumental genius. The song begins with a light guitar riff before O'Connor opens up on his drum kit and Molinaro adds her touch with eccentric electric strings. "Revival" is off Talkdemonic's forthcoming [...]
A sad admission: Travels in Lowland , the last album by The Migrant , should have easily been among my top albums of 2010. Thankfully, Denmark's Bjarke Bendtsen is back with Amerika , set for an October 25 release. "The Hurricane" is the first track to be released from the album. In it The Migrant creates orchestrated folk-pop perfection. Having heard Amerika in its entirety, I have no problem noting that "The Hurricane" is merely one of nine truly astonishing tracks. [...]
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