Of Montreal : Lady On The Cusp

Kevin Barnes has been making music as Of Montreal since 1998. Coming out of Georgia’s Elephant 6 collective, he began as a twee folk pop/rock band. But quickly Of Montreal became Barnes’ Funhouse where he could lean into any direction the Muse would take him. From the distinct album art(done by brother David) to the […]

St. Vincent : All Born Screaming

If ever there was a proper heir to the throne of our beloved David Bowie it would be Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. From the Texas native’s beginnings as a member of the Polyphonic Spree to a stint in Sufjan Steven’s band to her debut album Marry Me in 2007, Clark has shown a need […]

Cloud Nothings : Final Summer

Cloud Nothings arrived seemingly fully formed in 2011. The punk rock swagger, post-punk indifference, and songwriting prowess of singer/guitarist/songwriter Dylan Baldi was already in place. His bedroom solo project became an actual rock trio, and after releasing two albums written and performed by Baldi the trio recorded Attack On Memory with Steve Albini at Electrical […]

Vampire Weekend : Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend are one of those bands that you either love or loathe. They have charm about them, but also a preciousness that turns off curmudgeonly old hipsters that don’t think they’re actually hipsters. On the other hand the band has songwriting chops and intellectually inviting lyrics thanks to singer/songwriter Ezra Koenig. Koenig can make […]

Video Age : Away From The Castle

New Orleans’ Video Age began in 2016 with their debut Living Alone. The band’s core of Ray Micarelli and Ross Farbe locked into a certain soft rock aesthetic over their previous releases, which besides Living Alone includes 2018s Pop Therapy and 2020’s Pleasure Line. Their songs lock into sweet harmonies, 80s-tinged synths, and an endearingly […]

Futuropaco : Fortezza di Vetro

The world of Futuropaco, the Italio psych musical project of multi-instrumentalist Justin Pinkerton(Golden Void/The Roots Of Orchis/glass parallels) is like the wind in your hair as you race a Vespa through the cobblestone streets of Northern Italy. Tight jazz drumming, fuzz guitars, and ethereal keys carry you along on a psychedelic slipstream. It’s a sophisticated, […]

Sparklehorse : Bird Machine

When singer/songwriter Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse took his own life back in March of 2010 it was both an absolute shock and sadly not surprising. Linkous struggled with depression and addiction and you heard it in his music. Still, you hope someone as talented and heart-on-sleeve as Linkous would find their way out of the […]

Foo Fighters : But Here We Are

Dave Grohl is one of those people you wish you were friends with. Someone you’d love to hang out with and talk about music, movies, favorite drummers, or whatever. He’s just got something about him that says ‘I’m genuine”. There’s also the fact he was in Nirvana, then tragedy hit and Nirvana was no more. […]

Ben Folds : What Matters Most

Ben Folds Five were one of those bands that you either loved or loathed. There really wasn’t an “ehh, they’re not bad” category. They hit at just the right time for me. Their cabaret-meets-punk rock-meets-power pop mash up made the 90s bearable, eliciting something close to earnestness in a sea of indifference.That is, in-between songs […]

Beach Fossils : Bunny

Beach Fossils came out of the early 2010s Captured Track scene, along with bands like Wild Nothing, Craft Spells and DIIV. Beach Fossils debut was more lo fi and bedroom pop, with band founder/songwriter Dustin Payseur’s vocals sounding as if they were emanating from a haunted conk shell residing on some melancholy shore line. The […]