Santa Rosa’s the Velvet Teen have an albatross around their neck. Seemingly every review of theirs manages to reference the same band, claiming the two are of the exact same ilk, with the Teen aping more than just a similar-sounding lead singer. And while yes, that band (starts with “radio,” ends with “head”) serves as […]
Rob Simonsen
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Change and Stay the Same
The Rolling Transitions of Fog
The relationship between rock and electronic music tends to be a one-way street, with rock musicians more willing to dabble in electronic elements than electronic artists are eager to add a wailing guitar solo to the mix. But Minnesotan Andrew Broder—better known for his work as the chief songwriter and man behind the ever-changing band […]
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Teen Wolf No More
The Evolution of Patrick Wolf
Growing up is not easy: The road from youth to adulthood is often paved with regrets, awkwardness, and cringe-worthy events. Growing as an artist is no different, but in the case of wunderkind Patrick Wolf, it appears to have been the most natural, easy, and rewarding process one could hope to encounter. Three fantastic albums […]
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Of Horses and Lakes
The Staying Power of the Besnard Lakes
Naming your album …Are the Dark Horse is probably not the best way to inspire confidence in your band, but in the case of the Besnard Lakes, no other description is more apt. Hailing from Canada—the second most indiepop-driven country in the world (behind Sweden, of course)—this quartet maintains close ties to mindless pop bands […]
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Stay Simple
It’s Pop Music, Stupid
The thing about pop music is that it is capable of hitting you like a ton of bricks. And really, that’s its function. A good pop song can capture you within the first few bars, have you hooked by the first chorus, and seal the deal by its climactic end. Possessing the harnessed power of […]
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Also Known As…
The Many Names of Jason Molina
What’s in a name? If you’re Jason Molina, apparently not very much. Since releasing his first album under the Songs: Ohia moniker in 1997, he’s recorded under that name, his own name, Magnolia Electric Company (which is also the title of the last Songs: Ohia album), and now the abbreviated Magnolia Electric Co. And while […]
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God of the Guitar
The Axe Man Cometh
When not referencing one of the greatest videogames of all time, the words “guitar hero” typically relate to the classic axe masters of yore—Hendrix, Clapton, Page, etc. These are the guys who took the instrument to entirely new levels, mixing technical skill with serious chops. That being said, it’s bizarre that one of the greatest […]
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Spirit of ’04
Maxïmo Park Is on the B-Team
2004 will go down as the year that indierock officially broke into the mainstream. The first season of The O.C. was well underway, Garden State was melting hearts, โFloat On๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ� became the anthem that would not die, and the British press was hyping the hell out of the little Scottish band that could, Franz Ferdinand. […]
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Memory Lapse
Battles Cannot Be Forgotten
My memory kind of sucks. While I have no problem with factoids and trivia, when it comes to recollecting personal experiences, I often draw a blank. This is incredibly frustrating when it comes to, say, remembering concerts I’ve seen. Most people seem to have the uncanny ability to remember set-lists spot on, between-song banter verbatim, […]
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On the Outside
Dan Deacon’s Grand Ole Party
Dan Deacon is the current ruler of the “outsider” music scene, constantly garnering comparisons to the late Wesley Willis. While Deacon wears sweatpants in public and used to duct tape his glasses (not any longer—it turns out duct tape is, in his words, “like, really, really toxic”), the man exudes charm, is endlessly enthusiastic, and […]
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Slow it Down, Speed it Up
AiH’s Walking Contradiction
We live in an ADD-driven world. From 24-hour news tickers to instant touch-of-the-finger information, time has been optimized to its fullest, wasted time being society’s cardinal sin. Music is no exception. It has been dying—we are constantly reminded of this—from the onset of the internet age. CDs are useless, and the album is obsolete. With […]
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Hot Chips Ahoy!
Describing the Indescribable Band
There’s a good reason why the act of tagging a band with multiple genre titles (e.g., neo-soul-funk-smoothed-out R&B hiphop jazzsters) is cliché and the easy way out. Cast a wide enough net with the lazy adjectives and you’ll surely capture any band’s sound. That in mind, few acts—Sly & the Family Stone being the prime […]