REVIEW: SISTER CITY – SMALL TALK (2013)
A fragrant, calculated desperation clings to the sonic atmosphere of Small Talk; it appears that Sister City needs a good Oedipal hug and tug from an early 90’s Weezergroupie. The musical tricks that Adam Linder, lead songwriter, employs are surprising, calculated, and infectio
REVIEW: FEVER FEVER – NATIVE COLOR (2013)
Fever Fever are an ambient rock quartet from Columbus, OH. The guys are known for their stellar musicianship, energetic live shows, light bulb flanked stage shows and the epic dreadlocks of guitarist Wes Black and lead vocalist Drew Murfin (though we still have love for Sam Smith and Vince Gaeitto).
REVIEW: DESSA – PARTS OF SPEECH (2013)
Dessa is consistent, but not. This Minneapolis MC, poet, frequent college speaker, “underrated writer, overrated rapper, undecided major” has been all over the place since 2005’s Falsehopes, including creating her own lipstick with The Elixery to support CARE.org (an organi
REVIEW: THE NATIONAL – TROUBLE WILL FIND ME (2013)
Both their harshest critics and most devout fans will agree, one of the most prominent elements of The National’s music, is, and always has been, the sadness. From the alt-country beginnings of their 2001 self-titled debut, on through the promising musical growth of 2003’s Sad Songs fo
REVIEW: OHIO ON HI – THE BITTER HELLO (2013)
A friend of mine remarked recently on the disproportionately small pop punk scene in central Ohio. I mean, Columbus has been a breeding ground for some pretty big names as well as a myriad of rising stars in their respective national scenes – O.A.R., Blueprint, twenty one pilots, Attack Attack! an
REVIEW: VAMPIRE WEEKEND – MODERN VAMPIRES OF THE CITY (2013)
Life is short; that insight is passed on to us throughout our lives but we only begin to take it increasingly more seriously as we grow older. How old before the preciousness of our time on Earth begins to sink in? Of course, it varies from person to person, and even in each person, our […]
REVIEW: OBERHOFER – NOTALGIA (2013)
Last November, I caught up with Oberhofer’s leading man, Brad Oberhofer, while the band was in Milwaukee touring with fellow Brooklynites, Matt and Kim. It was then that I first got wind of the collection of songs that would become Notalgia. Oberhofer had actually been lis
REVIEW: BORN RUFFIANS – BIRTHMARKS (2013)
Birthmarks is a curious title for Born Ruffians’ third LP. What is a birthmark– an inconsistency, a blemish in the skin that forms at or around birth and doesn’t go away, stays with that person for life. They are generally harmless; in different cultures there are a number of myths a