Pela: Anytown Graffiti May 6, 2007With Brooklyn bands as ubiquitous these days as rats in the subway, I was a little whatever about...
Annuals: Be He Me October 18, 2006I’m generally not a fan of ethereal music. That’s my issue with the Annuals and their kind of...
Robert Pollard: Normal Happiness October 11, 2006Wow, it’s the new “peppy” Robert Pollard. Sunshiny and ready to rock ‘n roll. Of course he’s just...
Tapes ‘n Tapes: The Loon June 25, 2006I always forget about these guys. Lost in the wash of mid-aughts indie music and Surfer Rosa-era Pixies...
Sunset Rubdown: Shut Up I am Dreaming June 21, 2006Mixing the theatrics of Destroyer and the indie rock bombast of Arcade Fire, this Wolf Parade “side-project” I...
Evangelicals: So Gone June 13, 2006So this is the band that had George W in its pocket? What? That’s actually a group of...
Silkworm: Firewater May 15, 2006What more can you ask for than catchy rock songs about drinking and falling down? Almost every song...
The Oranges Band: The World & Everythying in It May 13, 2006I’ll take some reverb, and lots of it! I mean how else are you going to make a...
Robert Pollard: From a Compound Eye January 25, 2006I really did give up trying to track Pollard’s solo stuff after Choreographed Man of War. That album...
Pavement: Wowee Zowee January 7, 2006I think this album got a bad rap. I mean it’s certainly hi-fi compared to some of their...
Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary January 1, 2006Wolf Parade sound like a lot of other bands and none at all. How is that possible? They...
Guided by Voices: Half Smiles of the Decomposed August 24, 2005I like it! It’s been a while since I’ve actually tapped my toe and/or bobbed the old head...
Butterglory: Downed July 25, 2005I’ll never really understand what makes an album a classic. Or a movie, really. I hear and see...
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: Face the Truth July 4, 2005I was reading somewhere recently about aging indie guys. It was scary how much of me I saw...
Robert Pollard: Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department May 6, 2005Whoa, did Pollard actually use a professional studio for this one? There has been a general trend towards...
The 3Ds: Strange News from the Angels November 2, 2004Hey, look who came back with some actual songs in the queue! After practically disappearing just when they...
Archers of Loaf: The Speed of Cattle April 5, 2004Usually collections of B-sides, outtakes, etc. are hit-or-miss. I love the song “What Did You Expect?” and “Ethel...
Archers of Loaf: White Trash Heroes April 1, 2004They ain’t brash no more. They’re road weary and beaten down. They’ve had too much booze and too...