Dreamy and surreal, Faunts new EP Leave Here Alone has echoing guitars and a wispy airiness to the vocals. The songs have a darkness to them, an ethereal, hypnotic haze like the reflection of sound in a foggy canyon during the wee hours of the morning. You don’t know where it’s coming from, and it’s frightening. But at the same time, it doesn’t seem real so it’s, in a way, OK. Read More »Faunts: Left Here Alone (Album Review)
Tinged with the longing of a hopeless romantic, “I Wanna Go Out” is the first song to debut from Mean Tom, the new six-song EP by DC band Teen Mom.
Denver dream-pop outfit Ending People has captured my heart of late. Their new EP, Fill Your Lungs finds an interesting balance between airy vocals and a swirling echo of guitars, from thick laid back synth notes to all-encompassing guitars. Taking a peek at the band’s history is one of contrast to the music they are currently producing: Erin Roberts was a touring member of Phosphorescent and Castanets. Drummer Tim Hussman was a member of Crooked Fingers. Not exactly what you’d expect from a band whose music could be classified as atmospheric. Read More »Ending People: Fill Your Lungs (EP Review)
Long Slow Dance is, for the most part, a departure from the rough and the grit of Play It Strange… Read More »Long Slow Dance is The Fresh & Onlys’ Best Album
Growing up in semi-rural Washington, specifically in the early nineties, I was always surrounded by a dumbfoundingly random array of neighbors. There were always a collection of traditional red-state, tractor-towin’, shit-kickin’ Republican families; an abundance of well educated, upper-class elitist families (they may have referred to themselves as familial unit, or whatever happened to be politically correct at the time), and a host of hard-to-peg inbetweeners. However, regardless of whatever neighborhood I found myself in, there was always a Camaro or Trans-am sportin’ bad ass. Read More »Wooden Shjips: Wooden Shjips EP (Retrospective Album Review)
Woods have always had a penchant for the psychedelic, but they take it to a whole new level on Bend Beyond, their new album on Woodsist Records. Within you’ll find louder, more intricate guitars that develop fuller songs, more emotive songs. This is, without a doubt, Woods’ most accomplished work to date.
Read More »WOODS: Bend Beyond (Album Review)
Pet The Ghost continues Darlings‘ trend of producing great, lazy summer garage pop. Their new single highlights the two sides of the Brooklyn-based band. “Pet The Ghost” is full-on garage pop, but within it Darlings produce the sweltering hot, lazy summer sound. “Shelley”, on the other hand, is much louder and more upbeat. Read More »Darlings: Pet The Ghost (Single Review)
Exlovers have the pop and bounce of bands like The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, but without the overabundant fuzz and rampant hype. Exlovers have also been likened to everyone from Stars to The Smashing Pumpkins. You can hear all three references on their new album, Moth, but Exlovers succeed in defining their own sound.
Read More »Exlovers: Moth (Album Review)
Anna-Lynne Williams and Robert Gomez, the illustrious duo that is Ormonde, have been invading my private spectrum for quite a while now. Several years ago, and old high school chum (more of a friend of a friend type) took up drumming duties for a little band I had sort of heard of before known as Trespassers William. He was essentially dropped from the group before I even knew it. Shortly after, or maybe in between, I was watching one of my favorite films of all time, A Love Song For Bobby Long, and I happened to recognize a precious voice (Anna-Lynne of Trespassers William) that still haunts me with joy when I hear it while Scarlett Johansson does her reading at a bus depot. The story continues.
Read More »Ormonde: Machine [Album Review] 
Dos is a luscious pop-rock album with highly infectious hooks and a surprising volume given the often laid-back style of vocals and guitar riffs. In five songs, Adios Amigo keeps things diversified, with the subtle “Chicken” and the monumental “Pretty Pretty Princess”, yet it’s all very cohesive with the band’s signature vocal style. Read More »Adios Amigo: Dos (Album Review)
