December 2011
26 posts
7 tags
Delay
“Plain Language”
CD/LP Salinas Records
Power Pop
Delay is a band from Ohio fronted by twin brothers. Their latest record “Plain Language” is a power pop gem. This record feels to me a little bit like sped up Superchunk. It seems like they’ve sped it up so that you’ll understand how desperately they want you to hear these songs. Like they’re blurting it...
6 tags
Drew Price's Bermuda Triangle
“Cat In The Rain”
Digital Only Friday Wash
Bedroom Psych Pop Rock
This is a post I’ve wanted to make for a while, and for several reasons (Drew’s deep catalog, my own musical involvement with him etc.) I haven’t done it. The best place to start is the beginning. Drew’s first solo record “Cat In The Rain” is a masterpiece of bedroom innovation and...
8 tags
Four Eyes
“Towards The End Of Cosmic Loneliness”
7” Puzzle Pieces
Emo meets College Rock
If you’ve been following this blog you know how psyched I was on Four Eyes first 7”. With “Towards the End of Cosmic Loneliness” they’re getting a little less punk and a little more pop (and in this instance it’s a very good thing.) This record is a tasteful...
9 tags
Kleenex Girl Wonder
“Ponyoak”
CD/LP March Records
Lo-Fi Indie Rock
Ponyoak is the 1999 magnum opus of one man band Graham Smith AKA Kleenex Girl Wonder. This 25 track behemoth was written and recorded completely by Smith long before the bedroom artists of today had MacBooks and Garage Band. It sits somewhere between classic Kinks/Beatles style pop-rock and overdriven 90’s indie (with a few...
9 tags
Alden Penner
“Odes to the House”
CD Beep Beep, Back Up the Truck
Classical Guitar Folk Indie
Alden Penner, best known for The Unicorns, is back with a quasi spiritual classical guitar EP that he recorded on a pilgrimage across Europe and the Middle East. Needless to say, these aren’t the silly songs about ghosts and child stars we’ve come to expect from him. Stripped down to just...
6 tags
Famous L. Renfroe: As The Flying Sweet Angel of...
“Children”
CD/LP Big Legal Mess Records
Soul
Famous L. Renfroe doesn’t exactly fit the mold that this blog usually adheres to. That fact, combined with the bizarre backstory on this record, is precisely why I wanted to post it. Beyond just DIY I want this blog to expose things that don’t seem to have a niche in the blog-o-sphere. Thus I give, you Famous L. Renfroe As The...
4 tags
Xerxes
“Xerxes/Midnight Souls Split”
7” Mayfly Records
Screamo
Xerxes is the latest in the long line of cool DIY bands from Louisville (Shipping News, Slint, Bonnie Prince Billy, Coliseum, Young Widows etc.) With a powerful live show and some solid songs in their pocket, they’re killing it in the screamo scene right now. The songs on this 7” are their best recordings to...
5 tags
Nightmare Boyzzz
“Nuclear Summer”
7” Happenin Records
Garage Rock
North Alabama’s Nightmare Boyzzz are back with a late entry for 7” of the year. This record’s namesake, the undeniable Nuclear Summer, is perhaps the bands catchiest song to date. They’ve paired this megahit with three newer bubblegum punk tunes. The record does a great job of showing off these...
GET BENT!: Review: Henry Dunkle - EP →
letsgetbent:
By Paul Blawat
When Fat Possum Records began, it was mostly dedicated to reissuing classic delta blues LPs and releasing recordings of little known juke joint lotharios. It seems that in the wake of releases by Smith Westerns, UMO, Yuck, and others of that garage-indie ilk, a void was…
I played bass, organ, trombone and stuff on this record, so I can’t really write...
9 tags
Iji
“Easy Potion”
Cassette Wizards of the Ghost
Pop Folk Indie
2007’s Easy Potion is the latest installment in the ilockedthedoor Iji retrospective. Easy Potion, as the name would imply, goes down easy. This is the folkiest of what I would call the higher-fi Iji records. What this record lacks in the triumphant rock of In Celebration or the surf vibes of Cool Dream it more than...
5 tags
Robot Whales
“Vehicle”
CD/LP Collapse Records
Post Hardcore
In the interest of maintaining some sort of balanced mix, here’s a heavy record and a bit of a throwback. Robot Whales was one of those bands who was really about to hit it big (like, hardcore big), and right on the cusp of success, they broke up. Those tend to be the kind of bands we romanticize because they never had time to...
9 tags
Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt
“Have The Best Day Of Your Life”
LP Luaka Bop
Electronic Pop
This album sounds exactly like that artwork looks: bright, busy, and exciting. Terror Pidgeon Dance Revolt plays driving in your face synth pop. It may not be quite as in your face as say, Dan Deacon but it’ll get pretty close to your face. ”H.T.B.D.O.Y.L.” sits somewhere between the neon assault of Dan...
7 tags
Little Viking
“Howling at the Earth”
Cassette Jeffrey Drag Records
College Rock
Little Viking’s “Howling at the Earth” is kind of like a combination of all things cool about the late 80’s through the early 90’s. The first track Nicole and Carl Sagan features a synth line and dense guitars worthy of Weezer masterpiece Pinkerton. The second track Mayday gets into...
8 tags
Pile
“Big Web”
7” Self Released
Indie Rock (emphasis on rock)
In honor of my pilgrimage to Atlanta on the 6th to see Pile, here’s their newest 7” Big Web. This may be my favorite 45 of 2011. Pile does 90’s indie better than a lot of bands who did it in the 90’s, but don’t call them a throwback. This 7” doesn’t sound dated or tired at all....
7 tags
Pygmy Lush
“Old Friends”
Cassette/LP/CD Lovitt Records
Folk/Ambient
“Old Friends” is an album I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time, and somehow it kept ending up on the backburner. I just listened through it again, and it has to be posted. Pygmy Lush’s claim to fame is that it features members of screamo cult favorites Pg. 99. Since their inception Pygmy Lush has...
9 tags
The Green Seed
“Crack Kills b/w Preservation”
7” Communicating Vessels
Hip-Hop
Birmingham’s best and brightest emcees have finally put something on wax! They’ve got an extensive back catalog, but this is their first 7” and it couldn’t come at a better time. They’ve been gaining steam all year opening for the likes of G-Side, Jurassic 5, and GZA as well as some...
5 tags
Caddywhompus
“The Weight”
Cassette Community Records
Indie Noise Pop
New Orleans’ Caddywhompus is one of my favorite active bands. They’re just doing everything right. They have catchy songs, a mind blowing live show, innovative guitar sounds, interesting time signatures, full sounding noise parts… WHAT THE FUCK ELSE DO YOU WANT? New EP “The Weight” continues...
Brand New Zachary David Jammin track!
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4 tags
Capsule
“No Ghost”
LP/CD Rorschach Records
Heavy Noisy Punk
Capsule’s “No Ghost” doesn’t really sound like anything… that’s what makes it so awesome. Part punk, part tech riffage, it’s kind of like they took the backbone of Smoke or Fire style punk songs and fucked them all up with Converge’s rippin riffs and odd timings (and maybe a hint of...
4 tags
Iji
“Bird Man Movement Team”
7” Off Tempo Records
Funky Indie Pop
“Bird Man Movement Team” is part three in my Iji retrospective. This 2011 release is Iji’s first 7” to my knowledge (which is insane, the dude has recorded and released mountains of material). Slightly less rocky, less beachy, and more funky than 2010’s Cool Dream, BMMT is packing all...
