Mournful Synth-ony For Stylish Trash…

or, Frodo Baggins and the Magical Scalp. I’m not here to endorse the film Maniac. On the contrary, I’m here to say that if horror films -in particular the serial killer chasing the beautiful girl type- don’t float your boat, then this one is certainly not going to make you think twice about the genre. […]

The Love Language-Ruby Red

Stuart McLamb is one of the good guys. Like many other indie rock luminaries over the last 20 years McLamb began The Love Language as just a guy recording personal songs in his bedroom. Very personal and emotional, the first Love Language album was a break up album of sorts, filled with rough little pop […]

Whirr-Around

Whirr are lumped into that genre we Generation X oldsters affectionately call “shoegaze”. And while some of my favorite music is lumped into this category, I have to say it’s getting used way too much. It’s become this generic term used to describe anyone that looks at the floor more than ten seconds in order […]

Speedy Ortiz- Major Arcana

You know, I try to be “with it”, and “in the know”. I want to be “up to date” on all the relevant music of today. Even as a kid in short pants growing up in rural Hoosierville I was always buying cassettes at my local record store. If there was some new band everyone […]

James Murphy Is Playing At My House

Last night I finally watched LCD Soundsystem’s swan song live documentary Shut Up And Play The Hits. While it didn’t move me quite like I’d hoped it would(an 8 year old punching couch cushions pretending to be a member of the Justice League throughout the film didn’t help…in my living room, not the movie itself), […]

Steve Gunn-Time Off

Steve Gunn’s Time Off is like a mixed drink, maybe a scotch and soda, on the front porch after a long day at work. Crisp fall air, alcohol warming the belly, and a stupid smirk on your face as the stoned-out acoustic grooves wash over you. I say stoned-out, but I’m not sure if Steve […]

My Favorite Albums of 2013: Six Months In

We are officially halfway through the year. A little past that point, actually. Since we spoke last time Easter, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July have passed. We’re only a month away from the final episodes of Breaking Bad, there was that whole Game Of Thrones thing, and the wonderful James “Tony Soprano” Gandolfini […]

Daniel Wohl-Corps Exquis

Do you ever have those really strange dreams where you wake up from them and you still hear noise ringing in your ear from it? Like, you can’t quite recall what just went down in your subconscious but you know something big did. You can recall colors, places familiar but where you’ve never stepped foot […]

Smith Westerns-Soft Will

When you compare Smith Western’s self-titled debut from 2009 with their brand new long player Soft Will the progression is pretty staggering. Going from a Nuggets-like lo fi overblown sound with songs such as “Dreams”, “Boys Are Fine”, and the Gary Glitter-meets-The Troggs “Girl In Love” to something like Soft Will’s “Idol”, a crisp, clean, […]

Eleanor Friedberger-Personal Record

Eleanor Friedberger’s first words to us on her new long player Personal Record are “I don’t want to bother you”, and I believe her. She seems like the type of gal that would rather keep her business to herself. She seems like more the listening type than the talking type. Yet, when she gets going […]