In their brief existence, The Banyans have already shared the stage with some of Seattle’s most established indie acts including Throw Me The Statue and Say Hi. And it’s easy to hear why; their sound is quite conducive to Seattle’s underground sound, from the back-woods nature of The Cave Singers to the more pop-edged folk-rock of Grand Archives. Read More »The Banyans [Feature Band]
It’s still difficult to discern how a small, often unknown band from Glasgow came to influence some of the greatest names to surface from Washington state. Yet Vaselines are that band, hailed by many yet known by far too few. After all, Calvin Johnson played them on his Olympia-based radio show, Nirvana covered them, and Mudhoney were and likely still are big fans. Read More »Vaselines [Feature Band]
I love stumbling across great acts by mistake. Recently, elsewhere, I posted a brief rant on the Joy Division film about Ian Curtis called Control. In the post, I noted that my true introduction to Joy Division’s music stemmed from a cover of “Celebration†Xiu Xiu included on Chapel Of The Chimes. Well, when I saw a post by Railcars titled Xiu Xiu fans rejoice… I had to check them out. Read More »Railcars [Feature Band]
Two weeks, that’s how long we must wait for The Hateful Eye, the debut EP by Little Big Adventure (MySpace). LBA is Labrador Records‘ latest signing, and the second song to hit the net is the oddly titled “Happiest Times”; after all, Little Big Adventure writes pop songs about hate. Read More »Little Big Adventure: Happiest Times [pReview]
On the rarest of occasions, I’ll actually reach out to a band and express interest in covering them. One such band was Paisley & Charlie, and they were gracious enough to send me a few tracks. The music is entrenched in 60s pop, and features a common trait: sampled intros that lead into Belle & Sebastian like melodies. Read More »Paisley & Charlie [Feature Band]
We are all subject to influence from our surroundings; those things that we grew up on or fell in love with at a young age craft who we are more than we wish to believe, even if only in our subconscious. I’ve always been a fan of The Beach Boys and The Zombies, and at first listen, it appears Greater California was as well.
Read More »Greater California [Feature Band]
“Dreaming Of You” was a track off War Tapes‘ self-titled EP, which hit via Sarathan Records sometime last year. Well, it appears again on the upcoming War Tapes release The Continental Divide. The song is an excellent snippet of the sound War Tapes encompasses.
Read More »War Tapes: Dreaming Of You [pReview]
Horse Feathers conjure an older definition of “gothic†in their music. It is the term as used in Southern fiction—at once horrible and beautiful. Like Flannery O’Connor’s short stories or Tennessee Williams’ plays, the songs are populated by families and lovers that are grotesque in the way that they can barely conceal their terrible pain, yet they experience moments that approach transformative grace. Read More »Horse Feathers [Feature Band]
The infamous blend of pop and rock can often be a burden. Packed with generic artists, the mash-up of genres can be more a hindrance than anything else. Especially in the world of the independent. However, Golden Bear transcends the curse of the mundane and they do it in style. Read More »Golden Bear [Feature Band]
I’ve never been one to regret. Anything. To me, it’s pointless; after all, the compounding experiences of my past have all led me to become the person I am today. And I like me. Before I start sounding like a cheesy self-help novel, it should be noted that SOLDOUT, from Brussels, Belgium, often uses regret as inspiration, whether being a forsaken action or a future opportunity soon to be lost. Read More »SOLDOUT: The Last Ride [pReview]
