Voxtrotting

I’m smiling big on the drive to work today. And I’m listening to Voxtrot’s latest EP and I’m not caring about anything, because this album is feeling like Xanax to me, only without the comedown. And I’m daydreaming about buying a hot-air balloon

Austin, TX’s Voxtrot are gaining critical acclaim despite having yet to release [...]

Lions and tigers and _____

Once upon a time, not too long ago, in an enchanted land somewhere in middle America (hint: Cleveland, Ohio) lived two humble boys. The two humble boys soon discovered that they shared a fierce (perhaps fanatical) love for music. So the two humble boys formed a band, which they decided to call Bears. The two [...]

Portugal… the men!

There’s this band from Alaska with a weird name. And they recently released an incredibly delicious album of hypnotic and danceable indie rock. And it’s one of the greatest albums I have heard this year.
Ladies & dudes, meet Portugal. The man.
They sound like they are from Alaska (In other words kind of cold and isolated). [...]

Negative voltage

Sometimes musicians can do no wrong. Thousand of critics and fans alike cite the likes of Thom Yorke, Robert Pollard, Sufjan Stevens and others as demigods of their craft.
But there are those who can do wrong. It turns out Omar Rodriguez and Cedrix Bixler fall into this category.
It pains me to say it, and it [...]

Homerun derby

I don’t know how rare it is for weirdo hipsters like me to be smitten with sports. I’m guessing the rarity is parallel to an early Modest Mouse vinyl. Or something. My love for sports is just about as great as my love for music. Also, just so you know, I do own some early [...]

Me in reverse

Doug Martsch has a nasally voice. He sounds a lot like Neil Young.
Neil Young is cool, but I’m only 24 — I wasn’t even alive during Vietnam. And the 60s were awhile ago. Don’t get me wrong — I love old music, but usually only when the dude (or dudette) is dead. That’s how I [...]

Pitchfork: shoveling shit

In case you weren’t aware: Pitchfork is this: blows.
An embarrassment to indie music, to intelligence and to writers and reviewers in general.
Their recent review (and ensuing grade-schoolesque taunting) of Sound Team’s new record (Movie Monster) is what finally put me over the edge. Not that this surprised me — I never fail to laugh at [...]