So last year I wrote a little post to introduce y’all to some sweet bands playing in the Cumulus Festival. As the second installment of the fest begins tomorrow, I figured I should do it again. After all, FensePost loves supporting local PNW bands and Cumulus Festival does a good job billing them to play. Read More »Cumulus Festival 2010 Begins Tomorrow!
Ariana Delawari‘s psychedelic folk is epic. Her voluble wail is filled with power and vibrato that’s rarely matched. The only voice that comes close to possessing the strength of Delawari’s is perhaps that of Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond). There’s a lot of passion behind “San Francisco” that keeps the song unquestionably fresh, and it’s a sound that populates her debut LP, Lion of Panjshir. Read More »Ariana Delawari [Feature]
Bellingham by way of Chicago artist The Heligoats masters the power of pop songwriter sensibilities in their new album, Goodness Gracious (Greyday Records). The band is fronted by new Washington resident Chris Otepka, who wrote and recorded the band with Mike Mergenthaler, David James and Steven Mitchell. Collectively, they are The Heligoats, a band who blends folk and rock and pop for a sound that is familiar yet warm, somewhat contemporary but truly and honestly good. Read More »The Heligoats [Feature]
Thunder Power seems content to just dish out EPs, having given us quite a few since they debuted in 2008 with Love Yourself. A split between Thunder Power and The 1959 Hat Company, Hearts Intersect is their fourth proper EP, and it hits in early March via Slumber Party Records. Read More »Thunder Power: Heartifact [mp3]
I would love to re-experience those four minutes during which I listened for the first time to “Albatross”, the new Besnard Lakes single. Filled with dreamy layers of vocals and lush, guitar-backed chorales, Olga Groreas sings to the very moment of disappearing love amidst a background of sound that evokes anything but sadness. Read More »The Besnard Lakes: Albatross [mp3]
Nick Krgovich gave an intimate solo performance last weekend in Anacortes not as Gigi, his latest project with producer Colin… Read More »Gigi [Feature]
With upwards of 50 emails that arrive in my inbox per day, it becomes quite difficult to amass the sheer quantities of music at my doorstep at any particular moment in time. There are moments when finding the correct gem is mere happenstance; at other times, something draws my attention. Robot Science fit into the latter category with an email title that quite accurately and entertainingly described the music contained within: the subject line read Free beepy boopy music for your blog! Needless to say, I was intrigued. Read More »Robot Science [Feature]
With select bands, especially in the arena of indie pop, you always know what you’re going to get. And with these bands, you know that what you get will be good. They’re trustworthy in that manner – you see it with artists that have longevity on their side; ten, possibly even fifteen years. The Bats beat them all out, spanning close to three decades. Read More »The Bats: Face Inside The Sun [mp3]
Artists like Archetecture in Helsinki, Mates of State and The Brunettes have always walked a thin line between amazing melodies… Read More »The Brunettes: Red Rollerskates [mp3]
One of my favorite singles from last year was The Splinters‘ debut 7-inch Splintered Bridges. Mixing lo-fi garage rock with post punk and grrl pop, the band fit into everybody’s favorite niche genre of 2009. With compounded female vocals semi-shouted into microphones, ragged and gritty guitar riffs, and a lo-fi echoing tambourine, the girls are back with their first full-length, Kick. “Mysterious” fits perfectly aside “Splintered Bridges” with catchy vocal hooks and loud guitar riffs. Read More »The Splinters: Mysterious [mp3]
