A favorite from last year was Sindri Már Sigfússon’s solo project Sin Fan Bous; an album titled Clangour. Prior to striking out on his own under this moniker, Sigfússon had a different solo project, one called Seabear. It evolved into something else, something larger and more complex – a seven-piece group of fellow Icelanders. Read More »Seabear: Lion Face Boy [mp3]
Francis has been hard at work on a new album and, given a first listen to their new single, it’s easy to hear this band has made some tremendous strides forward. But first, take a step back. Their self-titled EP from 2009 was pretty solid. It allowed them to shine in a very unique manner – being a band that took Sweden into a tavern and got it so hopped up on booze that a drunken punk side began to show. It had sloppy moments, but it merely enhanced the music. “I Was Never Bored At All”, the band’s new song, is not what you’d expect from the previous description. Not at all. Read More »Francis: I Was Never Bored At All [mp3]
Rough 70s-era garage rock instrumentation paired with a joint custody of glamorous pop meets fuzzy rock vocals, Happy Birthday comes across as a modern sleeper band. Like a favorite from last year (Jeff The Brotherhood), Happy Birthday could very well launch forward into history with one of the better albums of the year. “Girls FM”, the opening track off the band’s self-titled Sub Pop debut, certainly shows the promise of good things to come. If anything Happy Birthday will be among the early highly anticipated albums from what may ultimately be one of Sub Pops best years yet. Get excited; “Girls FM” hits via Happy Birthday on March 16. Read More »Happy Birthday: Girls FM [mp3]
Electronica buffs are about to have an aneurysm – in a good way. That’s because Rendezvous, the electropop band with a jazz twist, is about to launch its very first album. Read More »Raving About Rendezvous
Furcast paints an intricate and dreamy picture with their opening guitar part that is merely heightened with the entrance of vocals funneled through a megaphone and mysterious electric guitars echoing on the cliff’s edge of feedback. “All For Me” has all the eccentricities and obscurities of a dream – it’s part neurotic A.D.D. and part warped genius, mashed into the subconscious and recounted during a hypnotic session with a therapist. Read More »Furcast: All For Me [mp3]
Morr Music is known for giving us great bands that fit the electro-folk or electro-pop classification and The Go Find is no exception. In the title track of their third release, Everybody Knows It’s Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight, The Go Find create a middle ground between ethereal atmospheric heights and cloudy oceanic depths. They extend electro pop from the standard laptop meets soft guitars to include real instruments like a saxophone that swirls around the instrumental bridge dominating the latter half of the song. Read More »The Go Find: Everybody Knows It’s Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight [mp3]
The latest artist to enter Viva Radio’s Me+You studio is Glass Rock and, as usual, we’ve got a sneak peek for you of their session. Their aptly titled debut, Tall Firs Meet Soft Location, defines the band’s make-up. Tall Firs coaxed Kathy Leisen, as the band puts it on MySpace, “out of retirement” to collaborate and create the band Glass Rock. And like those by Tall Firs, this album finds a home on Ecstatic Peace. Read More »Glass Rock: Viva Radio’s Me+You Pt. 68
2009 is a tough year to judge. I’ve checked out more albums this year than any year in the past. Well over 1,000. And there have been quite a few great ones as well. When this list began, it had 110 albums. I abandoned my top 33 and 1/3 for 45, and then said “screw it” and upped the number to an even 50. These are the top notch albums of the year, all worthy of praise.
Read More »FensePost Top 50: The Best Albums of 2009
Not surprisingly, this list is filled with EPs by quite a few bands you know and quite a few you probably don’t. Of the ones you don’t know, many are likely from Washington; a quick count leaves me with five bands, or 1/4 of this list. Many of these bands I consider among the most promising artists to surface in 2009. All are worth checking out, and you’ll want to keep an eye on them as we head into 2010.
Read More »FensePost Top 20: Best EPs of 2009
Duluth Minnesota’s Retribution Gospel Choir is about as real as it gets in the world of pop-rock. They have enough energy and vibrancy to power Vegas for at least a few minutes. RGC has been riding off the success of their self-titled debut album recently (touring with Wilco, Meat Puppets, & more), but as always, their progression is never ending. Their sophomore release, 2, will be out January 26th on Sub Pop, and it features the stunning single “Hide It Away”. This track is damn solid. It’s an echoing indie rock love affair with the mistresses of 70’s rock. It has that sort of power that can have you throwing two fists is the air, closing your eyes, and drinking-in 3 minutes of bona fide musical bliss. Read More »Retribution Gospel Choir: Hide It Away [mp3]
