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, […]

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 […]

Panda Bear : Sinister Grift

Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, is the sunshine pop weaved into the art rock canvas that is Animal Collective. His Beach Boys-esque harmonies make even the busiest AC tracks feel just a touch more harmonious. Not throwing shade on Avey Tare or anything, but Panda Bear is the sugary coating to help even the most […]

Baths : Gut

Will Wiesenfeld, aka Baths, has been making intricate, emotionally raw, and pop-leaning albums for 15 years starting with his debut Cerulean in 2010. His music tows the line between electronic pop and experimental music as Wiesenfeld covers viscerally raw and emotional lyrics under layers of tactile percussion and light synths. You listen to a Baths […]

Franz Ferdinand : The Human Fear

Scottish post-punkers Franz Ferdinand hit at just the right time back in the early 2000s. They emerged out of the early 2000s post-punk/dance punk revival which included The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, Interpol, LCD Soundsystem, and a slew of other bands that dissipated into a cloud of unrealized dreams. Franz Ferdinand stood out […]

The Cure : Songs Of A Lost World

There aren’t many bands that can take a 16 year break between albums without suffering some kind of hit. Most bands aren’t The Cure, though. The musical icons of grand melancholy and the Godfathers of goths everywhere have done just that. The last album Robert Smith and Co released was 2008s disappointing 4:13 Dream. It […]

Tim Heidecker : Slipping Away

Tim Heidecker, one half of comedy duo Tim and Eric, is secretly a pop songwriter and musician. Well, it’s not really much of a secret these days. After releasing albums like What The Brokenhearted Do and High School the comedian/actor known for his absurdist humor and surreal characters has established himself as a great songwriter, […]

Japandroids : Fate & Alcohol

Canada’s Japandroids were, at one time in the early 2010s, the saviors of rock n roll. While Williamsburg was the hub of all things indie – which included bands like Grizzly Bear, The National, and Dirty Projectors – Vancouver’s Japandroids(which included guitarist/vocalist Brian King and drummer/vocalist David Prowse) arrived in 2009 with Post-Nothing. That album […]

Peel Dream Magazine : Rose Main Reading Room

Peel Dream Magazine is what I would call intellectual pop. The L.A.-based band has effortlessly swayed through Krautrock, shoegaze, twee pop, and dream pop throughout their four full-length albums. Each one saw sonic expansion and a deeper connection to storytelling via band leader and songwriter Joseph Stevens. Stevens incorporates everything from early 90s college rock […]

Juicer : Retire The Fences

Once in a while I come across an album that hits me hard with a quiet, melancholy simplicity. It locks into gorgeous pop sensibilities while never being too sweet and sunny for its own good. Bands like Wild Nothing, DIIV, Shy Boys, and Beach Fossils to name a few lock into sounds of old and […]