I love Menomena side projects because they inevitably sound like Menomena in some fashion. This is no different, as it sounds like elements of Menomena... similar production style, familiar vocals and instrumentation. If Menomena never existed, I think it is safe to say I... More

For me, this record can not be appreciated without knowing the back story. As a work independent of context it is an indie pop record inspired by the likes of Tropicalia, Elliott Smith and bedroom pop everywhere. Knowing the backstory of sixteen year old Vinicius Gageiro... More

Sort of dancey, sort of dark, sort of slow, sort of constant rising tension. It's a lot of different things and it's sort of hard to pin down. Feels like a record I might not ever think to conciously put on but whenever it comes around it's pleasing, enjoyed and appreciated. More

Great Lake Swimmers, along with the likes Band of Horses or Iron & Wine, are successfully reviving a traditional folky sound made popular by Neil Young and a bunch of other bands my Dad used to listen to. It's a softer, more personal sound than the screamo and pop music the... More

Neil Young has kept his career relevant and fresh for forty years by one simple trick. He maintains his guitar skills at the second year level. The ragged and dirty soloing on the 18 minute "Ordinary People" is as amateurishly exuberant as that on "Down by the River." This... More

They say the hardest thing about singing in a band when you're trying to make it is finding your own voice. Even Scott Weiland, who now seems like he was born to be a rock star, spent much of his early days in Stone Temple Pilots trying a little too hard to sound like Eddie... More

The members of June play melodic rock music that, despite landing them a record deal with Victory, is more akin to the music currently being released by the Fueled By Ramen roster. Like many of those bands, June's mainstream appeal and notoriously ad-happy record label all... More

If nothing else, the fourth release from Philidelphia-based outfit The Asteroid #4 offers enough oceans of static to more than satisfy any fancy for psychedelic pop. It's too bad that this same ocean then overwhelms the album. It eliminates any immediacy in the ballad "Ask... More

Before the levees broke and Fats Domino was counted among the missing of New Orleans, his career wasn't exclusive to the music of that city. That's changed now, he being among the survivors and his music has been given a historic authenticity. In my view, Fats Domino... More

If there's one thing The October can do, it's create a mood. Their second album, ...Bye Bye Beautiful is an endeavor as crisp as the month their name invokes. Unlike their seasonal namesake, however, they have yet to create something terribly different or unique. Stuck... More