Author: mike

High Violets at Collapse Board

Through my job, I’ve seen more gourmet cakes in six months than in my 25 years of admiring cakes. The real luxury in these confections usually isn’t the cake itself, but the two-inch glove of gummy fondant frosting, often curled into pink ribbons atop the solid white base. Now, most guests just can’t handle that… Continue reading High Violets at Collapse Board

Jeff Runnings at Collapse Board

Come to think of it, “dreampop” is a horrible tag. Rarely anything that the indie world perceives as “pop” is ever popular, and then the stuff we perceive as “dreamy” rarely lulls us into any dream-like state of bliss. Mired in the existential angst of post-punk, “dreampop” done right leads us further into ourselves, to… Continue reading Jeff Runnings at Collapse Board

Eureka California at When You Motor Away

You might think that a band called Eureka California is from California.  You would be wrong.  The band is a duo comprised of Jake Ward (vocals/guitar) and Marie Uhler (drums), and they are based in Athens, Georgia.  Of course, the location really doesn’t matter.  What matters is that when is comes to punk pop and… Continue reading Eureka California at When You Motor Away

Emily Rodgers at Austin Town Hall

Be forewarned. Listening to this Emily Rodgers track takes some time. Not because you’ll not be immediately struck by Rodgers’ voice, but because the song sprawls over 7 minutes. In order for you to fully capture the emotion within, you’ll need to stay tuned til the end. Clearly, the voice is the star here, but… Continue reading Emily Rodgers at Austin Town Hall

High Violets at Dagger Zine

I’ve never been a hardcore shoegaze disciple or anything but I do like the genre and this American label, out of Texas, has quietly been releasing some of the best stuff the past few years (also check out the new EP from New Jersey’s Deardarkhead). Anywho, funny thing about this band is that they’re based… Continue reading High Violets at Dagger Zine

Witching Waves at Stereo Embers

These being the days they are, where every man woman child and mother in the indie world are clambering onto a bandwagon laden with carelessly spangled neo-lysergic tropes of every dredged-up variety, its understandable that one could hear the band name ‘Witching Waves’ and be immediately beset by mis-impression, ie assume them to be some… Continue reading Witching Waves at Stereo Embers

Witching Waves at Finest Kiss

Full of buzzing noisy guitars that trace their lineage back through a jagged line connected byth’ Faith Healers, Pixies and Wire, Witching Waves second album Crystal Cafe is sure to of interest for folks who like noise rock with gashes of melody and ambient interludes. The band have professed a love of Sleater-Kinney, Dischord Records… Continue reading Witching Waves at Finest Kiss

Witching Waves at Dagger

This U.K. trio’s 2014 debut, Fear of  Falling Down completely passed me by, but this one, a domestic release on HHBTM, surely didn’t. Along with bands like Joanna Gruesome and Veronica Falls they’d seem to have some cacophonous brethren in their homeland and I also hear bits of Sonic Youth, The Vaselines and Shop Assistants… Continue reading Witching Waves at Dagger

Try the Pie at Independent Clauses

Try The Pie’s latest album, Rest, departs from their slightly heavier punk sound from previous albums. Recorded in frontwoman Bean Tupou’s San Francisco bedroom, Rest has a refreshingly raw acoustic-punk sound. The tracks contain lovely acoustic guitar instrumentation with layered female vocals and an occasional dying smoke detector. The idea of Rest is simple: the album… Continue reading Try the Pie at Independent Clauses