REVIEW: WILDLIFE – STRIKE HARD, YOUNG DIAMOND (2010)
It’s happened to me annually. Every time Daytrotter‘s Barnstormer tour hits the road, I walk away from my barn or barns of choice with a few things: A wicked hangover, a few bruises of mysterious origin, and a new favorite band of the moment. So when it happened to me just a few days
Review: Chris Bathgate – Salt Year (2011)
I realized upon first listen that Salt Year, the latest release from Michigan’s revered Chris Bathgate, was a record that would affect my life in a very real way. I wasn’t sure why exactly but as I first listened to the album, months ago, I intrinsically knew that Salt Year w
Review: Eisley – The Valley (2011)
The interesting thing about the band Eisley is the fact that casual Eisley fans are few and far between. Either you’re completely ambivalent about the Texas five piece or you’re completely obsessed so the fact that I’ve always liked Eisley well enough but never really loved the group
Review: Sara Lov – I Already Love You (2011)
If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good cover song. In fact, I love a good cover song so much that I started a weekly column about cover songs over at Radio Free Chicago, People Covering Songs I Love. With People Covering Songs I Love, I get to share my vast collection of cover songs
Review: The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library – Volume One (2011)
It’s interesting how The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library came into my life. I’ll be the first to admit that I thought The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library was an actual library when I first saw mentions of it popping up on my facebook feed but a quick click of link told me that
REVIEW: MATT JONES – THE BLACK PATH (2010)
One of two things can happen when you discover a slept upon masterpiece. Either you can feel special, like you’re in on a secret that so few others are privy to or you can feel genuinely irate, which is how I felt when I discovered Matt Jones, another phenom from the mounting scene of the Ann
REVIEW: JOHN VANDERSLICE – WHITE WILDERNESS (2011)
It was just a little over a month ago that I posted, recanting in review form how I started my love affair with John Vanderslice, right here at Mezzic. You see, I’d known who Vanderslice was for years and I knew why he mattered to indie music. I just hadn’t ever gotten around to lettin
Review: Strand of Oaks – Pope Killdragon (2010)
One of my very favorite songs of 2010 was “Oh, What A Time!” by Pearly Gate Music, a band I reviewed for Mezzic a couple months back. The reason I was so taken with “Oh, What A Time!” was because of how completely unexpected it was. Swimming in a sea of sincere folk, “Oh, Wh