When Panda Bear gave us Person Pitch a few years back, the album’s popularity was bound to create a movement of like-minded experimental psychedelic electro-pop. Already this year, we’ve been introduced to some pretty amazing artists that fit the mold, like Candy Claws and Golden Ages. Big Spider’s Back is the latest to please us with collating infectious instrumental loops that build into
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Titiyo’s deep vocals are dark and full of mystery. It doesn’t matter whether the song is an upbeat Swedish electro-dance tune, as she often creates, or one soft with subtle, heartfelt melodies. Her latest endeavor, Hidden, is out soon on Despotz Records. It finds her collaborating with the likes of Moto Boy, whose Jeff Buckley style guitar/vocals mesh perfectly with Titiyo’s for a sound t
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Experimental pop and electro-pop meet in Beat Radio’s Safe Inside The Sound. Opening track “Follow You Around” surfaces somewhere around eerie folk artist Okay, but with fuller instrumentation, less heartache, and a bit more experimentation. It’s a valid beginning, leading straight into the album’s highlight, “Sleepwalking”. Heavy with guitar-meets-synth instrumentation, the album
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The second installment of A Retrospective, in which I recap my favorite albums released from 2000 to 2008, this time: 2001. Wrought with turmoil and watching a life fall apart as so many others were having similar experiences but in a different manner; that was 2001 for you. The year I turned 21 (hence the wine bottle photo above). A year that lives in infamy. Young or old, we all seemed to...
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This takes me back. Way back. Back to the early to mid 90s, when as an early teen I was a camper at a little place called Camp Orkila. My counselor was an eccentric and short fellow, whose initials were E.L.F. and that’s what he went by. Each morning we woke up to “People Are Strange” by The Doors. I haven’t thought about it in years. Robot Koch gives the song a complete overhaul, tr
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Imagine the pre-Islands band The Unicorns in all their glory; that album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone. Now think of their triumphant return, matured a decade and now female-fronted. The songs are no longer bizarre and there’s been a complete turnaround when it comes to their accessibility to the general public. Imagine that, added with a newfound influence by, say, Fiery Furnaces,
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Have you ever wondered what Joe Walsh would have sounded like if he came out in 2005? Or if he was actually any good at any time? Well, wonder no more! Alan Semerdijan and his sophomore release The Big Beauty has brought to light an accessible and bouncy pop/rock album so many artists have attempted to do in the past. But, this guy got it right. With a collection of heartfelt lyrics and a ...
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Here’s a name we (or, at least, I) haven’t heard in a while: Nouela Johnston. The former front-woman of Mon Frere gives us her self-titled solo debut under the moniker People Eating People this week and it includes the joyous pop romp “All The Hospitals”. The track finds People Eating People dishing out precocious percussion, hints of bouncy jazz piano, and vocals slightly reminiscent of
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Washed Out channels an 80s-style synth pop and hones the influence into a soft, electro-atmospheric calm. There’s this airy quality about the songs, from the more electronic “You’ll See It” and “Hold Out” to the softer, laid-back “Feel It All Around”. Washed Out is on par with The Radio Dept. circa “Against The Tide”. It has that chill downbeat sound, what some dub as chillw
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Fieldhead’s They Shook Hands For Hours is that midnight hour electronica album anyone can enjoy. It is a true aural ambiance filled experience. As well as a digitalized scratch to the face. P. Elam (of The Declining Winter notoriety) has successfully broken out on his own with this fine first full-length solo release. At times it is very easy to criticize the instrumental electronica artist.
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Yesterday Weezer (yes, that dorky band we all fell in love with upon the release of their debut LP way back in the 90s, and that has since gone on to be quite popular in the world of music) introduced to the world their very own Weezer-branded Snuggie. And yes, that’s the ridiculously popular sleeved blanket (the most genius product idea since bottled water). You can get your very own Weezer .
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Like any genre, folk has artists that are true to the origins of its particular style of music. And, like any genre, it has artists that push the boundaries. Capybara is of the latter classification. Try Brother sees the group expanding into new arenas, mashing pop and freak-folk, and sure, let’s throw in a splash of psychedelic as well. That being said, Capybara’s relation to folk is one
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Iceland’s Bloodgroup creates dark electronic pop, or so they say. It’s so dark and so electronic, the pop sensibilities are practically lost, or at least buried beneath layers of electronics beats and synth loops. However, they do loop in a wonderful little string part put together by Ólafur Arnalds. Here they perform live during Iceland Airwaves for Seattle’s (and the world’s) best ra
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There isn’t much you could say about a group like Alan Cohen Experience that wouldn’t be bloody obvious after a quick listen to Alan and his orchestra’s latest experiment, Eat The Peace. This is piano-laced and hippie-friendly southern driven rock and roll that also parallels Phish at their happiest moments. It’s happy-go-lucky storytelling about every free-loving individualist’s favor
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Over the summer, I fell in love with two songs by The Antlers off their debut LP, Hospice. Those songs were “Bear” and “Two”. Mysterious drones and pleasant horn breaks fronted by vocals that lapse into momentary angst with unique harmonies. That’s what had me sold on “Bear” by this band. “Two”, on the other hand, kicked off with that light strum and high-pitched falsetto voca
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Heavy Days by Jeff The Brotherhood may be my sleeper album of the year. It comes and goes, leaving and re-entering my playlist on a moment’s notice. And with each new re-entry, it stays a bit longer and I get a little more blown away. It is garage rock to the max; the band consists of powerful rock guitar riffs and rock-your-face-off drums. That’s it. The latest from JTB is a video for tr
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Production designer Jed Hathaway and sculptor Arthur Ganson may very well be two of the greatest visual artists of our time. Tim Burton has got nothing on this crew. Their creative effort on Dead Mans Bones’ latest video for “Dead Hearts” is absolutely stunning in a kooky chill-up-the-spine and smile-to-the-lips kind of way. Of course, they had great concept-themed musicians backing them
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Capgun Coup’s pure pop sensibilities are thwarted by a distorted fuzz in every element of “Bad Bands”, the first single off their new LP, Maudlin. Yet without it the song wouldn’t have the energy in the crazy jangly guitars and pointed percussion. This energy is channeled through the raucous vocal shouts of Bad bands are my favorite bands and the wild California surf guitar solo that bow
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A typical hip hop team might save two EP’s worth of material for one big exploitative piece. But, The Forcefield Kids are far from typical. They have an agenda and they stick to it. That is why their second EP, this year, Harmony & Discord was absolutely necessary. It is obviously too dark to fit the agenda of their prior release, Home. But, Newcastle’s finest duo have not lost their abil
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KEXP has announced details behind their 7th Annual Yule Benefit, happening this year on Saturday, December 12 at Neumos in Seattle. Showcasing select favorites from the Northwest, concert-goers will not only be treated to excellent performances by the likes of The Thermals, The Cave Singers, The Builders And The Butchers, and Grand Hallway, they’ll also be supporting KEXP. For those of you not.
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