Rating: 8.0
The High Violets are high on the obscurity radar, even as far as Myspace bands go. However, the Portland band stands apart from many of its dream-pop contemporaries through its marriage of the right mixture of bite and beauty. To Where You Are is a potent little album that raises quite a bar above its bland name.
Hello, cheese? NO! Cheese can’t dial a phone
Sweet Andy Partridge has been working on an experimental and improvisational collaboration called Monstrance to be released April 3rd. Here’s a track called I Lovely Cosmonaut that you might enjoy if you are currently preparing for 2007: A Space Odyssey.
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The Cassidy Sisters new album, The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn, will be releasted on April 10th. You like horse sounds? You got it! Check out the Rainbowarriors mp3. Sounds like Bjork, Lemon Jelly and some horse got together and layed down a serious track.
Rating: 5.0
As everyone and their grandmother have heard by now, The Stooges, have had a fairly recent reunion and, in their current incarnation, they have just released their first studio album in thirty-seven years this past month. Technically, they have already recorded together as they perform three songs on Iggy Pop’s last solo record entitled Skull Ring. Since then, Mr. Pop, Ron Ashton, Scott Ashton and bassist Mike Watt (filling in for the late Dave Alexander) have been touring together over the past few years. Admittedly, I was skeptical before I saw them live in 2004, but their energetic performance was rather shockingly terrific. The Weirdness is the title of this somewhat unexpected new album and it has been highly anticipated since their recording plans with producer Steve Albini were announced last year. So far, this record has been thoroughly panned by critics across the globe, but considering the ages of the band members, and more importantly, if one remembers that Funhouse was released almost four decades ago, I would have to say that this new recording, although it has it’s faults, is not a bad one.
Photo by Kelley Bingham
Today’s USOUNDS new band features five-piece orchestral indie pop band, Stencil (Jared Fiechtner, Sean Anderson, Joseph Schultz, Brad Martin, and Glen Yoshioka). Jared dropped by the USOUNDS HQ to answer a few questions about the new album, Weekend at Bernie’s III, and barrel-chested actor Brian Dennehy.
USOUNDS: Your new album, the dead lie golden was recently released in February. Did you plan this release around National Hot Breakfast Month?
Jared: Well, we all really love a good hot breakfast. I mean how can you not like a nice warm meal directly after waking? Pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash browns, they’re all great. Hell, we went entire weeks without eating anything but Huevos Rancheros while mixing the album. And although I can’t honestly say we planned the release of the dead lie golden around the celebration of National Hot Breakfast Month, it has worked our rather nicely.
Rating: 4.4
The new EP from the French Kicks, emergent band borne out of the D.C. hardcore resurgence of the 90s, lacks grit and charm. A new exclusively eMusic release, The Roller EP, stuns with a bit of boredom and a less than vicious bite. Turning from post-punk/garage rock into wistful pop-rock is no simple task, but the French Kicks have mastered the downward spiral well.
Photo by Laura Musselman taken at Easy Street Records in Seattle, WA 3/17/06
Crocodile Cafe
Seattle, WA
March 17, 2007
Let’s spend it all like sailors, babe, and pretend we just got paid…
The brief history of Philadelphia quintet Dr. Dog has been an extraordinarily lucky one. After their home-recorded 2004 album Toothbrush caught the attention of Jim James, he invited them along on tour with My Morning Jacket. Since then, Dr. Dog has toured with The Strokes, The Raconteurs and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and has garnered mainstream praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, SPIN and The New York Times.