James Bernard, solemnland

The year is getting off to a damn good start, musically speaking. Between real world schtuff like work, schedules, and just the general malaise of our existence in general I find it hard to sit and write individual reviews. Thats why these ‘Long Story Short’ posts are so important to me. I feel like I […]

What’s a Tubi?

I always assumed that Tubi was just an awful streaming channel that hosted Jim Varney “Ernest” movies, TV shows that were cancelled after one season(I’m looking at you, ‘Enis’), and horror films best left to $2.00 ‘used’ movies at now defunct video rental shops and that bin that sat right by the checkout lanes in […]

Tennis : Pollen

The Denver, Co indie pop duo Tennis, made up of husband and wife Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, have had a pretty impressive run of albums. Beginning in 2011 with their debut Cape Dory, the duo built on a sound that was heavy in 80s electro pop nostalgia and folksy indie rock ala Belle & […]

Backs Get Sore, Everyone Gets Old, and Life Moves On : A Feel Good Tale

I’m entering week four of working by myself at the 9 to 5. I may becoming feral, like my primitive ancestors that lived in caves, drew on walls, and bought T-Rex steaks at Yoder’s Meat Market in the 70s. I’m getting lots of work done, oddly enough. I think if you cut out human contact, […]

“Many Dimensions To Explore” : The Heady And Cosmic Sounds Of London Odense Ensemble

Photos by Casper Schärfe and Jakob Skøtt Of course if you’re a semi-regular here then you know of my love and adoration for El Paraiso Records. This label prides itself on putting out music you’re meant to plug into and vibe with on a molecular level. Jonas Munk and Jakob Skott, co-label runners and Causa […]

Andy Shauf : Norm

I think it was 2017 when I came across Andy Shauf. Binging Canadian power pop dynamos Sloan, Shauf came up as a recommendation. The Saskatchewan-born Shauf’s music was this baroque pop singer/songwriter fare; sadsack tunes that borrowed from cats like Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, and early Rufus Wainwright. Shauf grew up around lots of instruments […]

Yo La Tengo : This Stupid World

New Jersey’s Yo La Tengo are an indie rock institution. The three piece which consists of Ira Kaplan, Georgie Hubley, and James McNew formed in 1984 with Kaplan and Hubley. They released their first album Ride The Tiger in 1986, and McNew joined the band in 1992 for the album May I Sing With Me. […]

Long Story Short : Yves Malone, The Psychic Circle, Blank For.ms, Sachi Kobayashi

Hello, and welcome to the first ‘Long Story Short’ of 2023. Feels like its been forever since I posted one of these, and maybe it has. Regardless, I’ve got a group of albums here that I think you should check out. Labels like Castles In Space, Library of the Occult, Mystery Circles and Noci Miste […]

Check-In 4 : Percussion Season, The Lone Ranger, Box Sets Galore

Hard to believe that January is in the rearview mirror. Where did it go? Did we skip Christmas and New Years, or were they just part of the ever-expanding existential drift known as time? A blur in our collective lives, a smear on the glasses of life, an afterthought in-between anxiety, joint pain, and the […]

“a beautiful conclusion” : Catching Up With Composer Timothy Fife

Back in 2016 I’d come across this 2-song 10 inch from a band called Victims. The EP was called Form Hell and it kind of blew my mind. I’d never heard something that captured the spirit and sonic depth of early 70s Tangerine Dream quite like that. It wasn’t that Victims emulated Froese, but interpreted […]

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