Album Reviews

The Postmarks: By The Numbers [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
January 13, 2009May 5, 2023

In college I frequented a classy joint (well, for the small podunk college down) that more often than not featured jazz on a nightly basis. We didn’t care if the Thursday night student-led jazz group played 70s soul and R&B hits by favs like Al Green and Van Morrison. Sure, they didn’t match the originals, but damn was it fun to sing along! I remember continually thinking (especially on their open mic nights) that cover songs are rarely as good as the original.

Jared Mees & The Grown Children: Caffeine Alcohol Sunshine Money [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
January 13, 2009April 17, 2023

Despite using the “main star & his band” moniker, Jared Mees & The Grown Children is an obviously collaborative group in their execution. Although Jared hits hard with his wonderfully trebled vocals, his counterpart Meg adds to the mix one of the best voices in indie rock west of the Cascades. Try to imagine the best Antsy Pants song you know, and The Grown Children provide 13 of those on Caffeine Alcohol Sunshine Money.

Andy Fenstermaker
January 12, 2009April 11, 2009

Written by Fense

Listening to Music For In The Spaceship, one is tempted to label Anthony Rochester (MySpace) as a standard folk-pop artist. The melodies are simple and clean and slightly contemporary. Music For In The Spaceship is extremely accessible. Rochester’s release was included in the latest batch of albums from Series Two Records, the Nebraska-based CD-R label that put out an impressive number of albums in ’08. Read More »Anthony Rochester: Music For In The Spaceship [Album Review]

Dave Halverson: Apothecary Charms [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
January 12, 2009

Written by Fense

Apothecary Charms is so unbelievably different than what I’ve heard from Dave Halverson (MySpace), that I’m really not sure what to think. March Forth was a bit rigid in tradition, from what little I can recall. I mean, songs like “When The Saints Come Marching Home” done in modern contemporary jazz don’t necessarily scream outside the box. But there’s none of that fluff here. Read More »Dave Halverson: Apothecary Charms [Album Review]

Y La Bamba: Alida St. [Album Review]

Ron Trembath
January 9, 2009April 11, 2009

Sweet baby Jesus in a bow tie this album is wonderful! Y La Bamba, a.k.a. Luz Elena, brings you nothing less than an exceptional playlist on her brilliant release, Alida St. Listening to this album is the equivalent of a bath tub filled with hot summer rain. As well as a collection of tracks sounding like the opening to any random Woody Allen films. Read More »Y La Bamba: Alida St. [Album Review]

Bison BC: Quiet Earth [Album Review]

The Nice Asshole
January 8, 2009May 3, 2023

The thing I like about Bison BC’s newest album Quiet Earth is that it’s short and to the fucking point. Bands release bloated “epics” like clockwork but with Quiet Earth, Bison has made a brazen, to-the-point thrash/stoner metal album.

Andy Fenstermaker
January 7, 2009April 11, 2009

Written by Fense

It’s the first thing in the morning. I snored a bit last night and thus the girlfriend kicked me out — or rather, I offered to get up and hit the coffee shop early — so she could get a final hour and a half of sleep without my interruption. So I’m a little woozy and haven’t completely come around. I’ve already written two items and I feel they’re a bit bland in comparison to my usual excited self. I really hope this piece, on Heirloom by Wintermitts (MySpace), doesn’t turn out that way, because this group definitely deserves all the excitement they can get. Read More »Wintermitts: Heirloom [Album Review]

The Atlantic Manor: On The Wrong Side Of A Saturday Night [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
January 6, 2009April 11, 2009

You might ask yourself: What does a snowy picture of a barn in the Pacific Northwest town of Edison have to do with a band called The Atlantic Manor? Feel free — it would be a viable question. Well, let me tell you. This is a pretty strange place for such a barn — one that would be suited for, say, Eastern Washington or on east to the Midwest. But then again, the image fits the music made by The Atlantic Manor, and I was struggling to dig something up (as I took this picture a few weeks back as part of my Going Nowhere: An Edison Snow Day series, I know I have the rights to the image and am entitled to use it when and how I please). Read More »The Atlantic Manor: On The Wrong Side Of A Saturday Night [Album Review]

The Zebras: New Ways Of Risking Our Lives [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
January 5, 2009April 11, 2009

“A Day On Black Mountain Road” isn’t nearly as upbeat as some of The Zebras earlier work. At least, it doesn’t seem like it at first. It’s the chord progressions — they’re slightly darker. This is not necessarily a criticism rather than an objective side comment. It’s a small stray from the past that pops up elsewhere on New Ways Of Risking Our Lives, like on “Make It Stop”, giving their latest EP a unique edge to their catalog of material. Read More »The Zebras: New Ways Of Risking Our Lives [Album Review]

Scott Pinkmountain: The Full Sun [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
January 5, 2009April 13, 2009

Listening to Scott Pinkmountain for the first time, one is likely to think he is just another standard indie artist. This, however, will fade into awe around halfway through opening tune “Song Of Solomon”. There’s nothing standard about Pinkmountain’s music. It’s unique. It’s original. It’s damn good. Just listen to the horn and woodwinds opening track two, “I Shall Not Be Released”. Read More »Scott Pinkmountain: The Full Sun [Album Review]

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