"...and our sons and daughters realize that this isn't home anymore." Thanks to a tip from the Daily Chorus , I've been spinning a fantastic EP from a brand new L.A. based group called Brave Citizens . Remarkably, the band has yet to play live, but starts off with a bang at the Knitting Factory next week. The two piece songwriting team consists of members Andrew Capra and Adam Bialik. BC debuts their anthemic, melodic pop/rock with a 4 song disc entitled [...]
With a moniker like This Will Destroy You and a home-base in San Marcos, TX, I was expecting some cacophonous mess of unlistenable post-hardcore music. I'm glad I was wrong, and I'm sure Texas is too...they don't need any more second rate screamo bands. Conversely, TWDY is an instrumental four piece with a penchant for beautiful, lush atmospherics (along the lines of Explosions in the Sky, the Six Parts Seven, Unwed Sailor - to name a few favorites). I only just happened upon the band a couple of months ago when I [...]
Sorry for the lack of updates. I haven't bowed out completely, though. I flew to London last week and have been pretty busy. I'll be here for the next five months, so expect updates to be a little less frequent. Cool?
"When I come back with the whiskey, I think you'll thank me." Deep Elm always does right by me. Always. They could step it up a bit with their promo efforts, though. Ride Your Bike came out of the woodwork. Had I not only just found out about them, I would have been shouting their praises from rooftops a long, long time ago. The band, who hails from Fort Collins, is undoubtedly the best new thing to fall upon these ears [...]
"My weakness knows no subtlety." Finals: I've spent the last 12,584 hours with my face glued to a textbook. It's a glamorous lifestyle. It leaves little time for music banter, unfortunately. But, if you're up for a quick fix...I could wax poetic about Glen Hansard . He gives me that floating-a-foot-off-the-ground feeling. I guess you could call it LOVE? He's phenomenal. His movie Once hits shelves next Tuesday I believe...just in time for Christmas. Buy it for someone. Maybe your [...]
"We danced, shoes on shoes, to the sound of the spinning machine." I'm at war with my iPod. It's far past its prime. Despite our disagreements, that magnificent little machine is essentially my lifeblood...I'm sitting on my own little goldmine. There are probably at least 100 new and/or promo albums loaded up that have yet to go into rotation. My long city bus rides down to campus are usually the time in which to explore. In one such instance I happened upon Maps & Atlases [...]
"You break your neck to keep your chin up." Oh man. These days have loooong since passed, but I guess I can't help but revisiting bygones once in awhile. Aaron Marsh and his band Copeland were favorites of mine back in my high school years - the glory days...? Anyway, they released their debut album, Beneath Medicine Tree back when I was still an underclassman. I'm a sucker for falsettos, and have been following them relatively closely for the past 5 or [...]
"When you ask me how I'm feeling, do you really want to know?" Twin Cities punk rock confabs are almost invariably laced with mentions of bands like the Replacements (rightly so), Husker Du or Soul Asylum. Why does the ball have to stop rolling there? Doesn't anyone remember John Freeman and the Magnolias ? Godddd you're missing out. They're very nearly one of my favorite bands. Although they were certainly preceeded by Westerberg and his boys, and even shared a home at Twin Tone Records, [...]
"Fires burn out, it's true." Mostly, I like my music organic - a bit rough around the edges...both of which Copenhagen based four piece Marvins Revolt is not. But hey, the end all is that stellar songs are stellar songs, no matter how you cut it. It's simply not in my nature to overlook kickin' tunes, you know? Interestingly enough, these Danes found their way into the UK by way of Irish indie label Popular Records. Their super technical, complex guitar licks and [...]
"We're far too young to be settling down." It's always London. Apparently I'm behind on the times when it comes to Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong as I've only just first heard about them sometime last week. Joe used to spend his days banging the pots and pans for English girl band the Pipettes before, thankfully, taking his talents elsewhere. The band just released their debut single last month courtesy of London-based indie Young & Lost Club . Moreover, [...]
"It's Only Ketchup" "I've been busy, baby, I keep busy." There's more than a million reasons to like Tim Fite - the two most important being, (1) he looks like Buster from Arrested Development and (2) his crazy amalgam of hip-hop/country/alternative, though often overly sardonic, is practically irresistable. He's playing right into my love of holiday gimmicks, too. Until midnight tonight, you'll be able to download, [...]
"You are going to have to lie to me..." Ahh, the flavor of the week. I usually don't like post bands that have already had an excess of spins around the circuit, but I make exceptions for my most near and dear. Anyway, my Davey von Bohlen loyalties date back to the Promise Ring, so Maritime gets an extra slice of the pie. The band's new disc, Heresy and the Hotel Choir just hit stores on Tuesday. It's great...as was [...]
"I saw you drifting, and then you fell." Hmmmm. This feels familiar. It's like a mini milestone of sorts. The record that has been two years in the making has finally been released. Forever Like Red was my very first post just under two years ago. I had a mere 3 rough Cameron Meshell demos to my name. I'm not much wealthier now with only an additional 8, but I appreciate them all the same. [...]
"...and life's a joke with no punchline." Behold the best (and only...?) thing to come out of South Dakota. All praise the Minneapolitans that shed some light upon We All Have Hooks For Hands . If you're at least mildly up with what's going on in Twin Cities indie rock, you know that the local crew at Afternoon Records have a knack for finding some great young bands. Your efforts are commendable, Afternoon, keep 'em coming. They've got an eclectic (understatement) roster. Organic, [...]
"It makes you look like you've got it together." I have a new favorite disc, and I haven't even heard it in its entirety yet. Bold statement, I know. Admittedly, I usually don't take enough care when sifting through the numerous daily mp3 solicitations that find their way into my inbox. For some unknown reason, I paid extra attention to the overtly ordinary solicitation from Seattle band Siberian . It was probably more of an unconscious attention that was paid. Maybe its just because I [...]
"Since you last left, I hear you sometimes." I like irony. And I like that some of my favourite "Americana" purveyors come from across the pond. I remember spinning Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs by the Basement on most of my short summer road trips...it was a necessity. For some reason, I thought I featured the band long ago (as I should have!). So, forgive my tardiness. The disc debuted in the States this past spring. To those who haven't caught wind already, catch it now, [...]
"I never really knew what to say..." Although the Wildbirds left much to be desired last time they rolled through town on the Death & Taxes tour , they've ultimately evened the score with their new disc, Golden Daze. Like I said, I was exactly thrilled with the band's last performance in Minneapolis. However, I've been brought back around to their side. Maybe some of the tracks are bit contrived (what isn't these days?), but overall, the band put [...]
"I don't want to say goodnight to the broadway lights." Oh, joie de vivre! How could I have denied myself the gaieties of the Silver Seas (perhaps you know them as their former selves - the Bees) for as long as I did? With a nod to jaunty Seventies pop tunes, SS and Cheap Lullaby Records have an irresistible and absolutely enchanting 11-tracks on their hands with High Society. Nashville, you're some lucky folks. Propagate the good word, join in on the merrymaking, [...]
I wrote an article about Ryan Adams and his meltdown (or lack thereof) in Minneapolis last week. You can read it here if you so choose.
"But if it's all the same, we'll carry on..." I always come back in some sort of roundabout way to the country (of the alternative persuasion) music. It's the harmonica, I think...I can't resist it. Hayward Williams , though just a young kid from Milwaukee, has apparently found his niche in...the Netherlands? Yes, its true. The alt-country crooner (don't let the picture fool you, "crooner" is not another one of my exaggerations) will spend the better half of October on an extended European vacation. [...]
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