REVIEW: GOODNIGHT MR. MAX – SLEEPAWAY (2012)
You have to be a little patient with Goodnight Mr. Max. The Grand Rapids, Mich., duo released their debut EP last month, and it can be a bit slow-going at points. But take the time to really dig in, and you’ll find Sleepaway has something great to offer. Band members Graham Liddell and B
REVIEWS: UNDERWORLD – A COLLECTION (2011) & 1992-2012 THE ANTHOLOGY (2011)
When Underworld released their initial Anthology in 2002, ten years after their first album as an experimental dance act, they probably felt it was apt to wrap up what was in a sense the end of one era and the beginning of another. The young DJ, Darren Emerson, who many believed had transf
PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEO: ASTRONAUTALIS AT L’INTERNATIONAL (PARIS)
Astronautalis (Minneapolis, MN) and Bleubird (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)January 18th, 2012L’International in Paris, France The past few years it’s always a thrill to hear that Astronautalis is coming to town, kinda what you would imagine it’d be like back in the 1880s when the cir
Review: Loma Prieta – I.V. (2012)
If you’re unfamiliar with Loma Prieta (like I was a few short months ago) this is their 4th full length, first with Deathwish Inc. If you’re unfamiliar with Deathwish, it’s run by Converge frontman Jacob Bannon, and whether you like the bands on the label or
Review: First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar (2012)
To say I’d been anticipating First Aid Kit’s sophomore album, The Lion’s Roar, is one hell of an understatement. Since 2008, I’ve been following Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg through their dreamy world of folk-rock, and I still haven’t tired of them. Finally, I wen
REVIEW: BRIGHT ARCHER – HIDDEN SYSTEMS (2011)
Refreshing. That’s what Hidden Systems from Portland’s Bright Archer is in one single word. Admittedly being awash in dream pop these days or songwriters attempting to tweak the genre this way or that in collectively unorthodox ways can get tiring. That’s where Johanna Kunin is that break
REVIEW: CRIBSHITTER – METHLEHEM (2011)
A lilting banjo melody lulls the listener into the first track of Cribshitter‘s, Methlehem. The simple instrumental beauty is cut short by second track, “Boom Goes the Vaginamite.” Jarring, yes, but essential. The earnest irony of Cribshitter is enough to warm any c
Review: Blouse – Blouse (2011)
Dream pop has been gaining massive momentum lately and one of the newest players to the game, Blouse, was born in the summer of 2010. Charlie Hilton and Patrick Adams began collaborations with Unknown Mortal Orchestra‘s Jacob Portrait in a Portland warehouse and a little over a year lat
Review: Poliça – Give You The Ghost (2011)
Poliça is the latest band to come out of the ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes’ and they are quickly making a mark with their debut album, Give You The Ghost. Originally set to release in February, it seems this one was just too good to keep to themselves and personally, I’m happy they were feeling gener