04.May.2011 “Traitor” by Richard Buckner
It’s hard to get a real appreciation of the work of Richard Buckner when you encounter him as an opening act (For a band like Sebadoh) at a venue (Like the Grog Shop), when those in attendance are more interested in chit-chat and beers than what’s going down on the stage. Here, removed from the [...]
24.Mar.2011 Top Jam: “California” by EMA
Not enough people got their ears around Gown’s stunning 2007 release, Red State, but those who did were blown away by this little band outta nowhere and their droning and trippy folk. Gowns is gone. Their visionary frontwoman, Erika Anderson, meanwhile, is back. Listening to “California” from the debut of her new outfit, EMA, one [...]
20.Mar.2011 The Rockometer: Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey Let England Shake Vagrant At its core, Let England Shake, the tenth album by English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey, is a protest album in the grand folk tradition. Blunt and brutal imagery is used throughout as she condemns the mental and physical toll of war (WWI, Iraq, and more broadly, human conflict, in general) [...]
17.Mar.2011 The Rockometer: No Witch by Cave Singers
The Cave Singers No Witch Jagjaguwar For Pretty Girls Make Graves founding member and bassist, Derek Fudesco, the transition from the scathing post-punk of his former band to the sounds of the pastoral, Northwest in his new band, The Cave Singers came natural. Maybe, too natural. Along with vocalist Pete Quirk, and Marty Lund, the [...]
The Rockometer: Several Shades of Why by J Mascis
J Mascis Several Shades of Why Sub Pop Writing for the Onion’s AV Club, and noticing the distinct lack of shredding on Several Shades of Why, the solo-acoustic offering by Dinosaur, Jr’s lead axe man, J Mascis, Noel Murray makes the following observation: “A mellow Mascis is like a sports car stuck in a school [...]
09.Mar.2011 The Rockometer: Smoke Ring for My Halo by Kurt Vile
Kurt Vile Smoke Ring for My Halo Matador When Kurt Vile sings of never wanting to leave his couch, or sipping soup straight from the can, in his now trademark half-grumbled, partly-mumbled drawl, he sounds like a slacker archetype, a man kinda, sorta engaged with life. Don’t believe this front for one second. Despite his [...]
10.Feb.2011 Moving Pictures: “The Last Living Rose” by PJ Harvey
If you haven’t been paying attention to PJ Harvey’s career of late (And to be honest, I haven’t either), it’s the right time to start. Her latest album, Let England Shake, will be released this coming Tuesday in the States, and it’s one that’s found itself in heavy rotation round these parts. Single, “Last Living [...]
02.Feb.2011 “Silly Bears” by Akron/Family
Akron/Family take things to a different level with “Silly Bears,” the first track on their new album, S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT. As you can tell by the album title, it’s a level you and I don’t live on. We’re down here, in the Midwest, trying to live our lives [...]
01.Feb.2011 “Under Mountain, Under Ground” by Lighthouse and The Whaler
It should come as no surprise that Cleveland’s The Lighthouse and The Whaler have garnered significant airplay on Seattle’s influential, free-form radio station, KEXP. You can’t walk half-a-block in the Northwest without running into a coffee shop and a beardo in that coffee shop who plays in a folk band. And, The Lighthouse and The [...]
07.Jan.2011 Folksy Friday: A Selection of Folksy Numbers by J Mascis, Papercuts, Kurt Vile and Cave Singers
Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis is rightfully known as one of our generations greatest guitarists — The man can shred like few others. Yet, that very designation which has sealed Mascis’ reputation in the underground can also be a detriment to his legacy. Ask yourself, who are the greatest songwriters of the alt-rock generation? Did you [...]
