Review: LaSalle – Expedition Songs (or) down the mississippi in a canoe
LaSalle is a band from central Michigan that plays melodic angular post-punk. They consist of the husband/wife duo of Mike & Katy Reed and long time friend and drummer Dan Jaquint (both Mike and Dan were in Small Brown Bike). The music of LaSalle is steeped in punk rock tradition but brings an indie-rock sense (Read more…)
May I please take a picture with you
Okay. This post would have been up yesterday, but my wife, my daughter, and I have all been sick. Us adults are recovering quickly from the stomach flu, but the baby is still quite under the weather. She’s not a happy camper so neither are we. So everyone loves Wolf Parade, right? Their most recent (Read more…)
Review: Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere (or) your mom goes to college
While Charles Barkley was known to many as “the round mound of rebound,” this Barkley is something altogether different. Gnarls Barkley is a unique collaboration between rapper (and Goodie Mob member) Cee-Lo Green and DJ/producer extrordinaire Danger Mouse (who recently produced the Gorillaz album Demon Days. The above picture of them dressed as Napoleon & (Read more…)
I got tapeworms in my belly
It’s Saturday evening and the baby and I are just relaxing at home watching basketball, reading some books, and listening to music. Amy is out working, so tonight its just the two of us. Hailey (and Daddy) decided that she wanted to listen to some Wilco rarities while she watched “Big Baby” Davis jiggle around (Read more…)
Review: Dirty Little Secret – Cabin Fever
Exactly two days ago I got a little package in my mailbox from Devious Planet and inside was the latest album from Dirty Little Secret. They are a (sorta) new-wave indie power-pop band outta Los Angeles that came together in 2002. I posted a little bit about them way back when. I am still surprised (Read more…)
Review: Bonobo – Dial M For Monkey (or) please wait system is initializing
I only recently discovered the downtempo music of Brighton, England’s Simon Green (aka Bonobo). He infuses organic atmospheric tones with catchy little melodies and ties them together with thumping beats. Equal parts chilled-out hip-hop, weighty jazz, broken beats, Latin, funk, and soul, his most recent full-length Dial M For Monkey is a great multi-layered and (Read more…)
Review: Parts And Labor – Stay Afraid (or) sleeping under the subway tracks
I got an email a week or two ago urging me to check out this Brooklyn trio called Parts & Labor. So I did and I’m now eagerly waiting for the release of their new album Stay Afraid which comes out April, 11th on Jagjaguwar. P&L dish out great indie-punk tracks and smother them with (Read more…)
Review: Built To Spill – You In Reverse (or) who is Mike Jones?
So everyone knows that the new Built To Spill album You In Reverse is officially due out on April 11th but leaked copies have been circulating around the internet for a few months. There is (however) a catch. Houston based rapper Mike Jones (also on Warner Bros.) appears roughly every 45 seconds on each of (Read more…)
An incomplete history of Chicago punk rock (vol. 6)
No Empathy began as a glam/thrash/metal band sometime in 1988, but soon after releasing their first album decided to adopt a more straightforward punk rock sound. Their second album was released on Roadkill records in 1989, with their other three full-length albums all being released by singer Marc Ruvolo’s Johann’s Face Records and a handful (Read more…)
