Paul Banks was certainly the crowd favorite at the Julian Plenti show at Chop Suey on Monday night. Although there were cheers of “I love you, Paul” throughout the set, the musicians Banks brought in to back his solo project were certainly no slouches (particularly the bassist and cellist, whose names this writer was unfortunately unable to find). As it was an all-ages show, those of the a
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Erich said, You gotta check out this band; you gotta review their EP. End paraphrase. Having recently noted the band’s signing to Barsuk, it seemed the logical next step. In anticipation of that future record, slated for an early 2010 release, it just made sense. Besides, there’s substantial overlap between the self-titled EP and the pending full-length, Eyelid Movies. Of the five tracks
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The summer of 2003 was a hot one in eastern Washington, and my concrete bunker of an apartment contained the heat like no other. Granted, the above image wasn’t shot by yours truly until 2004, but it sure seemed hot enough to ignite even the least combustible of items. I wrapped up my undergraduate that December, which was cold as Antarctica, and upon that milestone I moved to Seattle. It wa.
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Folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov brings his masterful songs to the West Coast early next month. Hailed as one of Denver’s greatest folk artists, Isakov is set to treat audiences to songs off his recent LP, This Empty Northern Hemisphere. One thing’s for sure, whether you see him at Seattle’s High Dive, visit him at Mississippi Studios in Portland, or stop by one of his several California da
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In their extensive career, The Orange Peels have had many incarnations. Allen Clapp and Jill Pries have been the constants. Likewise, The Orange Peels have hopped labels quite excessively, having an impressive record of releases on pop-oriented labels like Bus Stop, Parasol, and Minty Fresh. For the group’s latest, 2020, they return to Minty Fresh for one of their best albums yet, and their .
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What a spirited little dose of experimental pop Globes On Remote have offered up with their strangely titled debut album The Woo Hoo Hoo. It’s a fun collection of spaced out and dizzy pop songs with a highly positive outlook. This LA based group manages to bring together the styles of Michael Jackson, Radiohead, and even The Killers together (FINALLY!!) to create songs that are fun and exhila.
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I recently sat down with Levi Fuller, a Seattle singer/songwriter, to talk about his recently released album Colossal, as well as several other somewhat related topics (ranging from cephalopods to the digitalization of music). Levi, who originally hails from Boston, has been a fixture in the Seattle music scene for several years now. He is often described as “the DIY mayor of Seattle,” and
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The Bravery have had a great deal of success stirring up the MTV-friendly indie world with heavy influence from the likes of Duran Duran, The Cure, and whichever early eighties phenomenon you wish to choose. Their latest single, “Spectator”, is a disturbing dance cut set perfectly to the tone of fear and the reprisal of the common good. The song is off The Bravery’s latest album, Stir The
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The Family Curse … good god. When people tell me a band is “crazy” I usually chuckle to myself heartily and think about Edward Ka-Spel. That makes me feel better, usually …But in this case “crazy” is actually a fairly apt descriptor (hear it for yourself; listen to all 6 minutes of “Bodies in Rooms” for free down below). The Family Curse are dollars-to-donuts one of the kookiest
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An online tour: what a great concept. It allows a band with no means of world exploration (i.e. minimal cash, unacceptable transport, no Samsonite baggage, etc.) to tour the world through the eyes of blogs. FensePost is excited to premiere (for Bellingham and the rest of the world) the Candy Claws video for “Island Grows”. So come one, come all; see the wondrous Candy Claws, one of 2009’s
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In defining folk rock, one rarely sees an association made with rockabilly. But it’s a pertinent inclusion in the music Charles Leo Gebhardt IV makes. On his recent GGNZLA Records EP, Unfaithful, it’s the jangle in his guitar – that almost country sound that definitely fits the rock genre (as opposed to jangle pop). “Look Out, Look In” and “Better At Love” have that old-time 50s r
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Buried in the synth-heavy 80s and the modern fashion throwback to that era is the aptly titled SlapBracelet. The band is a recent transplant to the San Jose area by way of Seattle (well… at least one member was a recent local here). Their song “Sophisticated Lady” is a clash of 80s-synth and modern electronic hype, what they dub electrock. The name is fitting; it’s very much a modern in
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This week we bring you another, by way of Viva Radio’s Me + You, exclusive track. This time from Brooklyn tropical punk group The So So Glos. The song “Island Loops” is given somewhat of an acoustic makeover, dropping out a small amount of the percussion and the more ferocious aspects of the electric guitars. These brothers (yes, a band of brothers) take the tropical sound that seems to h
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Experimental electrofolk is what you get with Portland’s Cars & Trains. The one man band of Tom Filepp is set to release their new LP, The Roots, The Leaves, early next year. “Intimidated By Silence” is the first single from the album, and it finds Filepp utilizing laptop-created electronic sounds and an array of accompanying instrumental samples. The lyrics are poetry, and the music is c
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Experimental electronic folk never sounded so dreamy. “Cotton Curls” by Sleep Whale has soft, pleasant melodies supported by a heavy percussive tromp. Fronted by mysterious, psychedelic, cooing vocals, the song splits reality with the dream-life. It’s like an Animal Collective track without all the bells and whistles; just peaceful and colorful. It’s evocative of a midsummer afternoon
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What do you get when you combine bay-area love-folk and southwest obscurity with a pinch of world music influence? Well, all corniness aside, you would have Mark Matos & Os Beaches and their album Words of the Knife. Mark Matos, formerly known as Tucson-based folk vagabond Campo Bravo, brings a stellar collection of ParrotHead friendly tracks that make him sound like a Portuguese Jimmy Buffet...
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With more recently-released 7″ singles, you never really know if it's 33 & 1/3 RPM or 45 RPM. Many do not say. With this single, I started out on 33 & 1/3 and it took me a moment to realize it should have been on 45. That's the beauty of Animal Collective: it could almost work on both levels. Animal Collective is one of those special groups that will never hit mainstream, but that doesn't m.
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It’s been approximately three and a quarter years since I first wrote about BOAT, what was once a Seattle by the way of Chicago band. They’ve now fully integrated themselves into the northwest, and have given us three stellar albums (the most current of which was released last month; a fact I just recently, to my surprise, discovered). I’m waiting for that call; the one from the record sto
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“Time Concerns” is filled with echoing guitars that swirl and ring through the atmosphere while dreamy vocals create an aura-like melody. Not quite pop, not quite rock, but some concoction containing incremental elements of both, Collider’s first single off their upcoming Big Bang Machine (slated for release the last day of 2009) is, on one hand, a throwback to the shoegaze of the 90s, and
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Brent Knopf has never failed to impress listeners with his Portland based group Menomena; cult followings happen for a reason. And fans are sure to follow Knopf as he embarks in his first solo efforts under the kooky moniker Ramona Falls. Hooking up with Sundance prize winning animation director Stefan Nadelman (who, by no coincidence is a former Menomena video director) on the video for his ...
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