From only spending a handful of weeks on the east coast after living my entire life on the west I have a few misconceptions about Easterners. One is that they are all business all the time. I think of handshakes closing business deals, eating leftover take out at midnight after coming home from the office, …
NIAGARA FALLS – SEQUENCE OF PROPHETS (HONEYMOON, 2009) Read More »
Most of Julie Doiron’s post-Eric Trip’s output has been a pretty somewhat somber affair. Her intimate little songs have always exhibited a sense of emotionally fragility. This, of course, is not a weakness in the realm of singer songwriters, but it is a dangerous line to toe; the line between melodrama and earnestness is a …
JULIE DOIRON – I CAN WONDER WHAT YOU DID WITH YOUR DAY (JAGJAGUWAR, 2009) Read More »
A few things that I don’t like: walking to school in the rain with a hole in my shoe, being asked if I am over 18 by a librarian, music that has no heart. The cure: listening to It Hugs Back. I remember thinking a few weeks back after listening to the American Analog Set …
Karin Dreijer Andersson… what can you say? The sister and half of the celebrated Swedish electronic duo The Knife, a mother, a former Swedish pop icon… Now, left to her own devices to create a creepy, sparse album that is centered around her heavily affected, pitch-shifted voice. The effect is a stunningly creepy album that is as …
One good reason to get married is the presents. I’m not saying it is the only reason to get married, but if you need something to tip the scales on the big decision, truth be told you get a lot of free/awesome stuff. So, to my friends who sent presents or happy thoughts to us …
DAISUKE MIYATANI – FRAGMENTS (CREATION CENTRE, 2009) Read More »
Scott Heron a.k.a Prefuse 73 proves that instrumental hip-hop can take listeners into a different world without the use of Biblically inspired half-tanks-half-armadillosor trite tales of a future society in which music is banned. No where on this album is a made up mythology about a doomed alien race sung in a made up language (I’m looking at you Magma). While it …
PREFUSE 73 – EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHED TURNED AMPEXIAN (WARP, 2009) Read More »
Proving to be the most polarizing release of the year (at least until the new Grizzly Bear drops), Heavy Ghost has garnered equal amounts of praise and derision. On one hand critics are calling it the Kid A of 2009, on the other a unrecognizable wad of self pretentious caterwauling. Writing this review has been a rock in my shoe ever since I picked …
DM STITH – “HEAVY GHOST” (ASTHMATIC KITTY, 2009) Read More »
Besides being a frequent cause for derision from my fiance, music that falls into the “ambient-drone” category is a staple for me. It lends itself to heavy headphone affairs in which I can be completely lost in washes of synths and looped guitar distortion to a diligent companion to late night War and Peace read-a-thons …
ANIMAL HOSPITAL – “GOOD OR PLENTY, STREETS + AVENUES” Read More »
Hymn to the Immortal Wind is a milestone achievement for post-rock. MONO puts to rest the somewhat justifiable lament that all post-rock are prisoners to their art form. How many times can ascending chords and towering crescendos be relevant or memorable when you have heard them a million times from a million like-minded bands? Don’t get me wrong …
MONO – HYMN TO THE IMMORTAL WIND (TEMPORARY RESIDENCE LTD., 2009) Read More »
Beasts of Seasons is a beautifully subtle, or a subtlety beautiful, record from Portland’s most precious singer/songwriter. Back from a whirlwind tour supporting Decemberists and Portland’s native George Byron, Colin Meloy, Laura Gibson seems to have taken a few cues from her much fawned over tour mate. But where Colin Meloy gets his kicks from overly verbose, thesaurus nerd browbeating, Laura’s …