Lo-fi is not a boring genre; likewise, DIY does not need to sound like shit. The Atlantic Manor’s new album, The World Beneath This World Is Brightening –their eleventh since their 2000...
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Rachel HelmAfter Seattle underground superheroes Carissa’s Wierd disbanded, Sera Cahoone went on to do her own thing, Ben Bridwell came up with Band Of Horses and Grand Archives, and Jenn Ghetto became S. If you weren’t around ora conscious while...
Starting strong with those home-styled, apple pie sensibilities, You Didn’t Know I Was Alphabetical quickly declines into another emo-folk album — a hair shy of Conor Oberst and not quite as satisfying. “You, Too” opens the...
A lot of bands today seem to like going for ironically harsh-sounding names and album titles; punching against the hipster grain is Kill To Kill, whose Fighter EP sounds a lot like a parking lot brawl after a hardcore show. Listen to “Radical...
This album could probably be used as a case for why recording equipment should not be so readily available to the public. At least back in the day when shitty bands were making shitty albums, it was on shitty-quality cassette tapes that could be...
It might take a few listens to get into, but Raina Rose’s third full-length album, When May Came, will surprise you with its cohesion and simplicity. Between her big voice, with its unusual blend of twang and jazziness, and her whimsical sense...
The past few years of mellow European albums show the poorly-executed experimental turn that melodic pop has taken. Replacing the simple, guitar-accompanied vocals of bands like Death Cab for Cutie are the synthesized sounds of Phoenix and nameless...
The Australian band Firekites are reminiscent of Kings of Convenience, and maybe Elliott Smith, though without the infective pop sensibilities. In short, they make the kind of music to get you through a Sunday afternoon, but without the risk of...