Heavy-hearted in the Midwest since 2011
The working relationship between Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear and producer/former Spaceman 3 member Peter Kember aka Sonic Boom goes all the way back to 2011’s Tomboy. Sonic Boom stepped in to mix that record, which then led to co-production credits on the Mr Noah EP and full-length Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper. Sonic […]
Read More Panda Bear & Sonic Boom : ResetMy oldest asked me last Friday if I wanted to go a see a movie with her. It was Bodies Bodies Bodies, a new A24 horror/comedy that I didn’t really have any interest in seeing. To me, the previews screamed “You’re too old to enjoy this!” I love most everything A24 puts out, so I […]
Read More Scenes From A Dilapidated AMC TheaterIt feels like this was bound to happen. A decree by the power pop Gods from high, even. At some point you just knew there was going to be a She & Him covers album filled with Brian Wilson covers. The Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward project has been a source of pop song comfort since their […]
Read More She & Him : Melt Away : A Tribute To Brian WilsonTy Segall might be the busiest man in indie rock. He’s certainly one of the most prolific, dropping something new seemingly every 6 months. Whether it’s solo albums or with one of his many side projects, Segall seems to have a mind that runs 24/7. Albums spanning garage rock, psych folk, wonky synth workouts, and […]
Read More Ty Segall : Hello, HiThere’s an uninhibited joy on Fischer & Forde’s debut album It’s Just Business. The dance/disco/house LP begs you to unplug from the big machine, put on your dancing shoes, and give into the grooves. It’s the kind of album you decimate your eardrums with in the car and drive an extra couple blocks just so […]
Read More Fischer & Forde : It’s Just BusinessI’ve always prided myself on being a reader. Even back when I was an elementary school chunk wearing Husky Jeans and feeling I was far less tough than I should’ve been, books were a big part of my life. From the baby hamper in my room filled to the brim with Golden Books, to swiping […]
Read More Books On TapeGreetings fellow space travelers, time bandits, and cosmic riders, welcome to another exciting edition of Complex Distractions’ Long Story Short. Here’s where I chat up an album I’m digging in a paragraph or three. I’m getting caught up on some amazing records that have been released over the course of the last three or so […]
Read More Long Story Short : Steve Hadfield, Cinchel, zake, Coral Club zakèEvery once in a while an album works its way into your brain that truly soothes the soul and calms the buzzing mind. 2020 was a year that I subsisted on ambient and drone music. It was the kind of music that offered what my weary head and heart needed so badly, a reprieve from […]
Read More Marine Eyes : ChamomileOne of the most prolific Fort Wayne artists is easily Sankofa. There’s a monolithic creative force behind the man known in everyday life as Stephen Bryden. When he grabs the notebook, the mic, and puts on the fly kicks he becomes one of the finest rappers in the Midwest. With a catalog years deep and […]
Read More Sankofa : BLKTCHP2Hey all. I know, I know, there hasn’t been much over on this part of the interweb in regards to album reviews and just general spreading of the music love. I wouldn’t say that what I’m dealing with is writer’s block, or even disinterest. Maybe there’s been some malaise and some heavy-heartedness in regards to […]
Read More One More On Creating, Dropping The Angst, And Crying It Out(if you feel like it)