Monday, April 18 2011
Modern-Indie-College-Alternative Rock for Hipsters (MICAH for Short)
Here's your introduction to MICAH rock, my admittedly cheesy acronym for music that has, at one time or another, been defined as modern, indie, college, alternative, and hipster music.
Thursday, April 14 2011
Figurines: Figurines
This is not the sound of a band trying to branch out and try something different, per se; Figurines winds up sounding like stuff you’ve heard elsewhere, and done a whole lot better.
Wednesday, April 13 2011
Eisley: The Valley
Painful experiences lent a helping hand in transforming a good indie rock band into a great one.
Thursday, March 31 2011
Peter Bjorn and John: Gimme Some
For all intents and purposes, Gimme Some is the logical follow-up that should have come on the heels of Writer’s Block.
Tuesday, March 29 2011
Hotels: On the Casino Floor
Imagine if the Smiths collided with OK Computer-era Radiohead on the set of a spaghetti western, and you’ll get an idea of the cinematic scope that Hotels is shooting for.
Tuesday, March 22 2011
Empress Hotel: Empress Hotel EP
This is an inconsistent but fairly engaging EP, one that shows a band trying out a bunch of different things.
Monday, March 21 2011
Eulogies: Tear the Fences Down
Eulogies can mix styles as smooth as a food processor, but lack the melodies to spice things up.
Monday, March 7 2011
New Numbers: Vacationland
New Numbers is basically reinventing the wheel, but the tunes are generally catchy and the band knows its way around a good hook.
Thursday, March 3 2011
Easter Island: Better Things EP
Well-crafted, short album with an obvious high point in the pretty piano ballad “Into Bedrooms”, which could easily pass for the best song Coldplay never wrote.
Tuesday, March 1 2011
The Rural Alberta Advantage: Departing
When all is said and done, if Departing doesn’t make the Polaris Music Prize shortlist this year, I will quite handily eat my toque and take a New Year's Polar Bear plunge into the sub-zero temperature of the nearest river.
