Billow Observatory : The Glass Curtain

The duo Billow Observatory -consisting of Auburn Lull’s Jason Kolb and Causa Sui’s Jonas Munk- are a transatlantic ambient/instrumental project. Since 2012 these two musicians have been sharing, manipulating, cutting and pasting music files back and forth across the Atlantic. They turn guitars and electronics into something completely new and engaging. With their 2012 debut […]

Kills Birds : Crave

When I was 18 oldies rock and roll were bands like the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, and surf music. Those bands seemed light years away from what I was listening to. Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, NIN, Garbage, etc…they were the future. The British Invasion and the Beach Boys were the past. Well fast forward 30 […]

Le Matos : Turbo Kid Original Game Soundtrack

10 years ago the French-Canadian filmmaking trio RKSS released their film, Turbo Kid. An ode to 80s post-apocalyptic B-movies, it was a fun nod to movies like Metalstorm, Steel Dawn, and Mad Max but with the light-heartedness of BMX Bandits, Explorers, and E.T. Over the top gore that was more ridiculous than offensive, and a […]

Macie Stewart : When The Distance Is Blue

Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser Macie Stewart has had a hand in quite a few amazing tracks over the last five years. Whether working with Makaya McCraven, Japanese Breakfast, Tweedy, Mannequin Pussy or SZA, Stewart adds her unique and singular musical voice to whatever she’s collaborating on. She mainly works with piano, prepared piano, violin, […]

Miki Berenyi Trio : Tripla

Lush were one of the big ones in terms of late 80s/early 90s shoegaze bands. Along with Ride, Chapterhouse, Slowdive, Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine, Lush established their hazy, dreamy, and ghostly sound through delayed guitars, ghostly vocals, and guitarist/singer Miki Berenyi’s delivery. Berenyi’s vocals were clear, but always just a bit under the mix, […]

Japanese Breakfast : For Melancholy Brunettes(& Sad Women)

Michelle Zauner has had a pretty busy decade. Releasing her debut album Psychopomp with Japanese Breakfast(which also includes Craig Hendrix, Deven Craige, and Peter Bradley) in 2016. Then a gradual climb into indie rock royalty with follow-up albums Soft Sounds From Another Planet(2017) and Jubilee(2021), Zauner and Japanese Breakfast became a band to watch and […]

L.A. Guns : Leopard Skin

There’s not too many of the classic 80s Sunset Strip rock bands left making music that sounds even remotely close to what they sounded like back in the neon decade. Have you seen any current clips of Mötley Crüe? How about Ratt? Or Dokken? Quiet Riot, anyone? Time, booze, and narcotics have not been kind […]

Sleigh Bells : Bunky Becky Birthday Boy

It seemed that 15 years ago the music industry was in a bit of an evolving state. We were leaving the 2000s and its thoughtful run of bands with “Bear” in their names and heading into the 2010s with a feeling of indifferent aloofness. Looking for new sounds, new vibes, and a need to find […]

Set Adrift On Memory Tapes 80s Bliss

I grew up in the early days of indoor malls, neon buzz, and Cannon Films. Dual cassette players, VCRs, and arcades were the technology I worshipped. If a movie didn’t have at least a part III or IV it wasn’t worth the trouble. Microwave cakes, hi-top Reeboks, and t-shirts enshrined with Alf, The A-Team, and […]

Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes : Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes

Every once in a while you come across an album that feels entirely new. There’s nothing to compare it to, as nothing that came before was built quite like it. You can label it rock, pop, jazz, etc…but the label is merely a means for cataloging in the record store, or in your own collection. […]