Album Reviews

Colossal Yes / The Good Fear: GRR014 7″

Andy Fenstermaker
August 5, 2010August 5, 2010

We covered Colossal Yes a while back for their record on Ba Da Bing, Charlemagneâ€™s Big Thaw. That album had a rough, raw folk presence that began with a terrifying scream. Undoubtedly folk, the album had plenty of pop sensibilities with jangly guitars and bouncy drum beats. You get some of that here, on their split with The Good Fear. “Backbiter Blues” has a near jazz-like drum beat, pop-filled piano, and a folk vocal drawl. Emphasizing the genre blend, the band throws in a few sax and guitar solos. Read More »Colossal Yes / The Good Fear: GRR014 7″

Suuns: Zeroes EP [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
August 4, 2010August 3, 2010

So I’m really digging this band Suuns. Somewhere between shoegaze and electronica to noise and dub, their music is subtle… Read More »Suuns: Zeroes EP [Album Review]

SSS: This and Not That [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
August 3, 2010August 2, 2010

Up until earlier this year, you may have heard Sam Smith, a.k.a. SSS, as the percussionist for the once amazing, no debunked, Portland based group No Go Know — A band that defied all acts of normalcy, and created some of the finest spaced out garage rock ever made. But, as is the fate of so many brilliant acts in history, they are done. Fortunately for us, Smith’s solo project is a brand spanking new reminder of the group that rattled our ear drums and hearts at the same time. This and Not That, SSS’s latest album, is a nice batch of experimental goodness. Read More »SSS: This and Not That [Album Review]

Busses: Busses [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
July 27, 2010July 25, 2010

Dave Brett, vocalist for the Philadelphia based trio Busses, sounds like Neil Young. That’s pretty obvious and should be stated directly. But, the sound of these genuinely diverse artists as a whole would only strike the Harvest man if punk and prog jazz became a staple during a three-quarter life crisis. The estranged madness on this record is what keeps you searching for other comparisons that are not likely to appear in a regular imagination. Read More »Busses: Busses [Album Review]

The Streets On Fire: This Is Fancy [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
July 26, 2010May 5, 2023

It’s time to grit your teeth, suck in your last bit of fresh air, and prepare to have the shit shook out of you through a drastic post-punk explosion. Chicago based band The Streets On Fire know how to have a good time. And their debut full length album This Is Fancy is a prime sample of what it means to be entirely out of control, yet perfectly sane enough to dance the night away to release all tension entirely.

Best Coast: Crazy For You [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
July 23, 2010May 6, 2023

Get ready for your summer 2010 album. Best Coast returns after a successful 7″ release for “She Was High (So Was I)” and last year’s Something In The Way with Crazy For You. Coming to us via the always astounding Mexican Summer label, Best Coast dishes out the lo-fi garage pop sound everyone’s been raving about two years now. Fitting well with bands like Real Estate and Woods, and meshing even better with Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, and The Splinters, Crazy For You finds Best Coast continuing down the path of a light Riot Grrrl revival, a beach-worthy one.

Ron Trembath
July 20, 2010July 18, 2010

After turning so many heads with their 2008 sophomore release, All Of Us In Our Night, as well as appearing on the video game Rock Band 2, some may wonder how the Athens pop/rock group Modern Skirts would return when that time eventually came. Could anything they do top the local and sub-sequential SXSW successes they have achieved? With the release of Happy 81 EP, the prequel to their upcoming full length album due this fall, some listeners might be a bit upset. But, the real fans are going to have their minds blown. Read More »Modern Skirts: Happy 81 EP [Album Review]

Canby: Rat [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
July 14, 2010July 13, 2010

Scott Yoshimura. You know him. You’ve heard him provide additional drum kit induced background noise for The Envy Corps for a while now. And for all practical purposes, Canby is his “side” project. But really, that’s not a fair statement. This is HIS project. And Rat is the excellent debut of Scott’s own personal expressions. He does it all on the record, and he does it damn well. Read More »Canby: Rat [Album Review]

The Fenbi International Superstars: The Fenbi International Superstars EP [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
July 13, 2010July 12, 2010

So, after over two years (active, that is) of entertaining the local Portland scene with their own brand of worldly/drunken entertainment, The Fenbi International Superstars have finally released their first record. For fans of their extravagant live performances, this is your chance to have the good times right in your ear bud via the group’s self titled EP. For new fans, this where you will soon fall in love with the vibrant sounds of one of the most widely diverse indie rock/punk/world bands you have ever heard. Read More »The Fenbi International Superstars: The Fenbi International Superstars EP [Album Review]

Wolf Parade: Expo 86 [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
July 12, 2010July 12, 2010

At Mount Zoomer, Wolf Parade‘s last LP, took a while to catch on for me, and from the first few listens of Expo 86, the same has held true here. The album does feature a few of those insatiable tracks, namely the first two made available for public consumption, “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure”. But many of the tracks are lingerers, tracks that will stay in the background for a short period of time before coming full circle in greatness. Read More »Wolf Parade: Expo 86 [Album Review]

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