unnatural helpers

Nate’s Top 10 Albums of 2012

n8
January 15, 2013January 16, 2013

Intro by Fense: Each year I look forward to posting Nate’s top album picks. First, he uses phrases like “silly-good.” But it’s mostly because he always has a different perspective, sometimes finding obscure items to drop in or checking out albums I wanted to hear but didn’t have a change to for some reason or another, other times dropping in albums from genres I typically ignore (um… hip hop). This year he went one step further and gave us his top 15 local songs as well. (BONUS!!!) Read on and let us know your favorite pick of 2012! Read More »Nate’s Top 10 Albums of 2012

Unnatural Helpers: Hate Your Teachers MP3

Andy Fenstermaker
July 9, 2012July 9, 2012

There’s fuel here, power and angst. Unnatural Helpers is back with a new track called “Hate Your Teachers” and they… Read More »Unnatural Helpers: Hate Your Teachers MP3

Fense’s Radio Show: June 29, 2012

Andy Fenstermaker
July 3, 2012July 2, 2012

And like that, half the year is gone. For the doomsdayists, that means less than half a year until it all comes crashing to an end. In light of being prepared, I picked up a new little toy this last week: a beastly, black on black 1979 El Camino. The thing has a 350 V8, gets terrible gas milage but is in great condition. It growls and twists its body when you hit the accelerator. It makes you tingle. Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: June 29, 2012

Fense’s Radio Show: March 23, 2012

Andy Fenstermaker
March 26, 2012May 13, 2023

Another variety show, no particular theme. It was set to be a sunny weekend, and that meant hitting the road. After a late Friday night at the station, I woke up early, grabbed my bike and went on a solid 10 mile ride. It was the first of the sort for 2012; the first of many. I need to get in shape for the 200 mile Seattle to Portland ride in July.

Andy Fenstermaker
October 24, 2011June 24, 2012

I figured with my previous show being devoted to songs that remind me of sleep, this one would be the opposite. After a few bouts of standard indie rock, things got thick and loud. Read More »Fenseâ€™s Radio Show: October 21, 2011

Valentine’s Day Special: 21 Great Singles You May Have Missed

Andy Fenstermaker
February 14, 2011May 13, 2023

I’ve been contemplating doing something for Valentine’s Day for years, and I finally settled on something good — a massive post packed with great singles from the past. Seems fitting, being the romantic holiday can be a bit alienating for the single person. Or that the seemingly comfy nature of the 7-inch single, with two (well, typically, with an occasional three or four) great songs placed back to back and stuffed in a typically well-designed sleeve, is a bit romantic in and of itself.

FensePost Top 33 and 1/3: The Best Albums of 2010

Andy Fenstermaker
January 1, 2011May 28, 2023

The problem with so-called best-of lists, is that they are really just a collection of items organized based on experience and time, in that there will be plenty of albums heard the following year and beyond that will hold just as much weight as these we dub as “Best.” So, as of right now, at this particular time in the tail end of 2010 and the first moments of 2011, these albums are the best. There’s no question about it; it will change. My next list (which I’ve started, but may take a while to publish) is dubbed, paraphrase: the best albums I didn’t check out in 2011 for some reason or another.

20 Must Hear Albums from 2010: A Mid-Year List

Andy Fenstermaker
August 27, 2010May 28, 2023

I know, I’ve owed this one to you, my readers, for a few months now. The plan originally was to concoct a sort of mid-year recap of the first half, dictating a slew of wonderful albums that may or may not come to find a spot on the inevitable end-of-year list. A hint at what may come. But that didn’t happen. I added a few hobbies to my seemingly never ending list of things that eat away at my time (see above photo) and it fell down the priority list.

Andy Fenstermaker
April 28, 2010April 28, 2010

Fronted by Dean Whitmore, Unnatural Helpers‘ percussionist and lead vocalist, the band released their LP Cracked Love & Other Drugs this week on Hardly Art. This band of musical misfits have a pretty impressive past and present, having performed in local Seattle acts as Idle Times (Brian Standeford), Charles Leo Gebhardt IV and Catheters (Leo Gebhardt), Intelligence (Whitmore himself), and Hardly Arts very own The Dutchess & The Duke (Kimberly Morrison). Collectively, they go by Unnatural Helpers, and frankly, they rock! Read More »Unnatural Helpers: Cracked Love & Other Drugs [Album Review]

Unnatural Helpers: Sunshine / Pretty Girls [mp3]

Andy Fenstermaker
April 5, 2010April 3, 2010

Unnatural Helpers slipped onto my radar screen last year when Sub Pop gave them a hefty bow by including them in the third round of their much-cherished Singles Club. Dirty, Dumb And Comical included four brief, loud songs. The first single off their upcoming LP, Cracked Love & Other Drugs (brilliant title, by the way), is “Sunshine / Pretty Girls” and it stacks up nicely next to the other four — and it maintains their under-two-minutes brevity as well. Read More »Unnatural Helpers: Sunshine / Pretty Girls [mp3]