Swami & The Blind Shake – Modern Surf Classics Album Review (Swami Records)

INTERVIEW WITH MATT SCHARENBROICH CONTINUED BELOW
Our third-annual album cover art feature uses interviews with artists and musicians to highlight the philosophical, thematic, and conceptual significance of great album cover artwork. THE BREAKDOWN 12 Collage + 14 Digital Illustration, Drawing, Design + 19 Illustration, Painting, Drawing + 8 Black And White Photography + 22 Color Photography + 6 Deluxe Packaging + 10 Fashion,...
I enjoy this video to no end, and it alone puts Low up 20,000 points in my book. For starters, IT HAS JOHN STAMOS!!!!!!, looking as fine as ever. The video itself is a throw-back to the days of black and white pictures. A romantic scene takes place between a couple...
With their latest disc, Wild Go, Dark Dark Dark has honed in on a vibe that is equal parts gypsy and jazz. Aided by dual male-female vocals and a complementary combination of strings, accordion, and piano, Wild Go is packed to the brim with content, which ultimately proves to be...
If music were purely about aesthetics, then Hunting Club would win out in my book. The indie-rock quintet's The Plaid Album manages to poke a bit of fun at the lazy "color" naming scheme of Weezer while still out-nerding the band on their album artwork. The inside flap of the...
Gospel Gossip are yet another Midwest discovery from Northfield, Minnesota. They're a rather young three-piece that formed in 2007, with one prior ful-length album. It's said they began as twinkling dream-pop; with Drift, they've sharpened their sound and are buzzing with experimentation. What comes to mind is "shoegazed power pop" --...
Hailing from the great Midwest, The Sextons have an unfortunate handle on the atmospheric folk genre. They seem to be aiming for the Coldplay market, and in that aspect, they are succeeding. Their songs blend nicely into one large lump, with each indistinguishable from the others -- even on repeated...