With former members of Aberdeen and Trembling Blue Stars making up their band and a Mighty Lemon Drop on production duties, you could be forgiven for believing that The Luxembourg Signal are trying to capture a feeling which started twenty years ago. In truth that’s not a bad prediction for there are large chunks of… Continue reading Luxembourg Signal at Leonard’s Lair
Author: mike
Black Watch at Magnet
After 20-plus years, L.A. indie-pop group the Black Watch are calling it quits. Their last release, Sugarplum Fairy, Sugarplum Fairy, came out in early November, with all instruments, save drums, done by TBW songwriter John Andrew Fredrick. The title track is short, clocking in at about 1:30, and sweet, consisting of dreamy acoustic guitar bliss,… Continue reading Black Watch at Magnet
Pinkshinyultrablast at Magnet
Bands with odd monikers like Pinkshinyultrablast slip through the cracks of the music world simply for their strange and sometimes stupid names. However, music is about music, not names, and Pinkshinyultrablast is way better musically than its name suggests. The Russian shoegaze outfit readies for the release of debut Everything Else Matters via Shelflife Records on January… Continue reading Pinkshinyultrablast at Magnet
Crayon at Linear Tracking Lives!
This might be cheating a bit, but the above is my favorite album art from this year. You might be wondering how I could choose a cover from a piece of music that came out two decades ago. Well, back in the day, Crayon’s ‘Brick Factory’ was released via Harriet Records on CD and cassette…… Continue reading Crayon at Linear Tracking Lives!
Crayon at Dagger
Click through for some year-end lists. Crayon is a best reissue! [Link]
Crayon at Vinyl District
Such is not the case with the ’94 album from Bellingham, WA’s Crayon, Brick Factory given a long overdue reissue for the first time on LP this year by Happy Happy Birthday To Me. One of thousands of bands to emerge during the ‘90s indie boom, Crayon specialized in and at times nearly perfected a… Continue reading Crayon at Vinyl District
The Safe Distance at Vinyl District
Run by husband and wife team of Stewart Anderson and Jen Turrell, The Flagstaff, AZ-based label Emotional Response flies the flag of punkish indie pop and specializes in the tried-and-true format of the 7-inch EP, with much of the focus on the projects of the operators including Hulaboy and Boyracer. Of particular interest is “Songs”… Continue reading The Safe Distance at Vinyl District
Boyracer at Magnet
Boyracer has put out an impressive 800 songs since its birth in 1991, and the indie/garage group is back for one last hurrah. Now, the band has released “Pete Shelley,” a track from its new four-song EP. The EP was recorded after a four-year hiatus and is slated to be the band’s last release. “Pete Shelley” is short… Continue reading Boyracer at Magnet
Emotional Response at Scared to Dance
Click through to listen to the podcast! [Link]
Emotional Response at Backseat Mafia
Still in the glow of the new year and the full flow of obligatory resolutions, its sort of gratifying that pretty much everything about The Safe Distance and their new (sort of) video “Sandpits” has more than a whiff of DIY about it, that old favourite of those new year promises that last not long… Continue reading Emotional Response at Backseat Mafia