Sound As Language (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009
Archers of Loaf anyone? The Poles hail from Asheville, NC so I guess that influence should come as no surprise. Lead singer Todd Lemiesz’s vocals lay somewhere in between the rasp of Eric Bachmann (Archers of Loaf, Crooked Fingers) and the cool of Scott McCloud (Girls Against Boys). Oh and not to mention former Archers [...]
feminist blogs (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
Found: a mixtape labeled with one small scribble across side A: I'm miss wrrrrrld. This leads me to believe it was the background music for the Halloween party my roommates and I held in 1997, the year I dressed in tribute to the Lady Courtney. I wor...
JamsBio (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
Another year and another absolutely pristine reunion album from a seemingly left for dead 90’s alt-rock casualty. The band reborn this time is math-rock vets, Polvo.
Crooks and Liars (Free subscription) | 10/22/2009
Title: Harnessed in Slums Artist: Archers of Loaf Nostalgia ain't what it used to be, but hell, neither is rock and roll. Remember in the mid-nineties when people who weren't your typical rock band types found genuinely new things to do with guitars (not effects, guitars ) and had their little corner of MTV on 120 Minutes on Sunday nights? When I pop in my hearing aid and watch this video of Chapel...
PopMatters Music (Free subscription) | 10/13/2009
Thunder$troke sounds like five guys in a basement, the air between them, and nothing else. This is, quite clearly, a good thing. Beaten Awake’s Thunder$troke has a distinctly '90s sound. Not in a Nirvana (or Aqua) way -- more that period post-grunge where it was okay to sing again, to play it loose and ramshackle, and not get caught down in false gravitas. As in slacker pop, best exemplified...
Mann's World (Free subscription) | 08/25/2009
I'm going to Montreal this week, and I have no idea what rock clubs I should go to, or what bands I should see. Any suggestions? I'm open to them all. Now a note about last weekend. Caught Caltrop and Decoration Ghost at Slim's. Grappling Hook opened, but I didn't get there in time to catch them. Caltrop rocked as always, but since I've documented them many times, I decided to just enjoy them and record...
THE CULTURE OF ME (Free subscription) | 08/14/2009
Eleven years ago, on the eve of our birthday, we saw Blair Shehan's first band Knapsack take the stage alongside two other first-wave emo acts: Archers Of Loaf and At The Drive-In at NY's venerable rock club, Tramp's. It was,...
Sound Bites (Free subscription) | 07/24/2009
This week's mix is a little schizo: some goth shoegaze, some new 7" finds, and a lot of '90s indie rock nuggets. And then there's the '80s rockin' "Free Energy" which is total top down convertible fodder dumb fun. The...
Line Out (Free subscription) | 07/09/2009
Two more happenings tonight that are well worth your attention even if they didn't make it into the paper: NYC DJ Cousin Cole is playing Bangers & Mash at the Seesound Lounge tonight. Cousin Cole is one half of the Flagrant Fowl label, along with DJ Pocketknife. His tastes in tracks range from hip hop to indie rock to electro and beyond. I think my favorite thing of his is his dancey re-edit of...
Hi Fidelity (Free subscription) | 07/08/2009
Side A Elvis Costello-Watching the Detectives Spoon-Small Stakes Trusty-There Goes Sally Mendoza Line-Baby I Know What You're Thinking Christie Front Drive-Field Hot Water Music-Elektra Race Car Riot-Last in 4000 Chinese Telephones-It's Starting Again I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness-We're Still the Weaker Sex Matt & Kim-Yea Yeah National-Apartment Story Tegan and Sara-Nineteen Band of Horses-Great...
The Quietus | All Articles (Free subscription) | 07/07/2009
With a name like that, he was always going to show certain aquatic affinities, but, really, who knew Moby had such a way with the red herring? The title of his latest record suggests someone playing an exuberant catch up, which is mighty good news when you consider there's a bandwagon blaring past with _Where Were U In '92? and Invaders Must Die on it. Moreover, the artwork here recalls giving-out-toast-at-their-gigs...
Assorted Jazzbeans (Free subscription) | 07/05/2009
This band is fronted by the same guy who is in pinback... and it sounds rougher around the edges, I guess. Somewhat. It really is straight up indie rock, if indie rock was ever a genre that can be called straight up. It does have a clear math rock influence, but you really should get it if you like any form of indie rock, esp. things like Guided By Voices or Archers Of Loaf. I suppose the quality of...
I Rock Cleveland (Free subscription) | 06/29/2009
For those who missed Drive Time Radio with Kid Flamingo and the 185th St. Shuffle at the DJ stage during the Waterloo Arts Fest, here's the playlist: 1. Ramones - Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio 2. Exploding Hearts - Rumours in Town 3. Cheap Trick - He's a Whore 4. Yo La Tengo - Little Honda 5. Gentleman Jesse and His Men - All I Need Tonight (Is You) 6. Nick Lowe - Heart of the City 7. The Jam...
James (Free subscription) | 06/19/2009
When I was a teenager, I discovered "underground" music from Nirvana. I don't know if millions of teenagers who bought Nevermind proceeded to look for records by Half Japanese or Bikini Kill because Kurt Cobain talked up those bands in interviews, but I did. (And buying a Half Japanese record while living in suburban New Jersey was not easy; I eventually purchased their aptly-titled Greatest...
Aversion Music (Free subscription) | 06/04/2009
Polvo is breaking a 12-year recording draught thanks to Merge Records.
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