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Horizon: The Phusion
In ESPN’s 30 for 30 film “Jordan Rides the Bus,” Michael Jordan is noted as being relieved that his first professional baseball spring game experiences were terrible. He wanted to get the initial...
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Quick Hit: Again, for the Win
The moment from Again, for the Win‘s We’ve Been Here Forever which imprints itself on my mind occurs in the opener “Merkabah,” when lead singer Carter Francis first hollers, “We came on chariots!”...
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A new definition of post-rock
There’s already a genre called post-rock, but I think that’s not thinking big enough about the term. Post-rock implies an ideology shift, a movement past whatever “rock” meant. While the genre that...
View ArticleTop 20 albums of the year: 20-11
Independent Clauses is somewhat of an alternate universe when it comes to music reviewing. I rarely cover the hip bands, often love things no one else does, and generally attempt to be true to what I...
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Kursed / American Wolf
I don’t cover much rock these days. It’s not because I’m anti-rock; it’s just not my primary interest. Since I don’t seek it out, I don’t have a network of rock bands that are passing my name among...
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Quick Hits: Cloud Person / Cfit / Inner Outlaws
Cloud Person‘s Monochrome Places mashes up Irish folk arrangements, Spaghetti Western drama, folk-pop melodies, and a dash of indie-pop flair to create a unique amalgam that is anything but...
View ArticleLast MP3 post of the year!
Here’s the last MP3 drop of 2013. Some punk, some rock, some electronic, but mostly folk and indie-pop. It’s a good microcosm of how we rolled in 2013. Here’s to 2014! 1. “Hot Dad Calendar” – Cayetana....
View ArticleMP3 Catchup, pt 2: Dusky Tunes
Dusky Tunes 1. “Holy Ghost” – Michael Flynn. Flynn spent more time in the Radiohead school of electronica than in the club, it appears: Haunting, hooky, high falsetto. 2. “Time Between” – Bear in...
View ArticleMP3s: Rock Out / Quirk Out
The first half of this list is marked by songs that rock out really hard. The second half is marked by songs that are outside your normal arrangements. Rock Out / Quirk Out 1. “Station Wagon...
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Andrew Judah’s Monster: A whirlwind ride of unusually-juxtaposed instruments
The toughest part of writing about Andrew Judah‘s Monster is trying to figure out how to explain the thing in genre terms. Is it OK Computer-era rock without the guitars? The Decemberists’ indie-pop...
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Grab Bag 2: Morgan Mecaskey / James Robinson / Angelo De Augustine
December is a tough month to release music: you’ve got orgs like Paste that have already released their year-end lists by the beginning of the month, blogs that are trying to clear out the files from...
View ArticleMP3s: Left Right Left Right
Left Right Left Right 1. “Make Me Wanna Die” – White Reaper. If Oasis had been playing at 40 bpms faster and way thrashier, you’d end up with this catchy, snarling, fun track. 2. “Hard 2 Wait” – Iji....
View ArticleBits and Bobs: Rock
Bits and Bobs: Rock 1. “Dark” – Birds of Night. Dark is the massively impressive synthesis of Springsteen’s road-readiness, Arcade Fire’s sweeping drama, and The Walkmen’s trebly guitars and keening...
View ArticleI Don’t Know If My 2006 Musical Self Would Recognize My 2015 Musical Self...
I Don’t Know If My 2006 Musical Self Would Recognize my 2015 Musical Self (Mid-month Mp3s) 1. “Started a War” – My Own Ghosts. Builds from a fragile, rickety beginning to a full-on indie-rock/shoegaze...
View ArticleMid-October: Acoustic
1. “Spring” – Sam Burchfield. Measured guitar strum and an evocative vocal performance draw me in, but it’s the gentle keys and the ragged drumming that give the song character. The rest of the song...
View ArticleLast 2015 Singles, Pt. 3
1. “The Itch” – Brother O’ Brother. Stripping some of the Black Keys-esque arena-rock sheen from their guitar-and-drums approach ends up with a raging, distortion-laden tune that has The White Stripes...
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Sunjacket: Weighty, thoughtful, inventive, unique
For a person who came of age on OK Computer, it’s hard for me not to jump straight to Radiohead’s magnum opus when describing rock led by minor-key distorted guitars that is intended to be taken...
View ArticleDecember Singles: More Acoustic
1. “The Beginning” – Celebration Symphony Orchestra. I love the ambition of an 11-minute indie-orchestra suite, but I even more love the expertise with which it is pulled off. The piano and percussion...
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Quick Hits: Eric and Happie / The Soldier Story / M. Lockwood Porter
Eric and Happie‘s It’s Yours is a pristine example of a male/female duo folk-pop album in 2016. The eight songs of the album rarely feature more than guitar/bass/drums, which is just the way I like...
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