Nov 21
20120
commentsIn Music Reviews, Music Reviews, Podcast, Reviews
TagsAntlers Appleseed Cast Dandelion War Deep Elm Records Explosions In The Sky Moonlit Sailor Sigur Rós We Were Always Loyal To Lost Causes
Artist: Dandelion War
Album: We Were Always Loyal To Lost Causes
Label: Deep Elm Records
RIYL: Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros, Appleseed Cast, Moonlit Sailor, Antlers
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Artist: Big Awesome
Album: Birdfeeder EP
Label: Self Released
RIYL: Algernon Cadwallader, Minus The Bear, Samiam
With a name like Big Awesome it’s easy to assume they could be an Andrew WK party band. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Mixing melody with the grit of punk rock, Big Awesome’s EP takes hold and after four songs you wanting more.
Nov 20
20120
commentsTagsAmbient music California Chris Martin Coldplay Dandelion War Deep Elm Records Friday Night Lights Larry Fernández Oakland Sigur Rós
Artist: Dandelion War
Album: We Were Always Loyal To Lost Causes
Label: Deep Elm Records
RIYL: Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros, Appleseed Cast, Moonlit Sailor, Antlers
It’s easy to get lost in the wasteland of post-rock, ambient, shoegaze bands. They seem to have saturated the music scene in the past few years, I blame Explosions In The Sky and Friday Night Lights. While most of these bands are capable in creating lush, ambient landscapes, most of these sounds bleed from one band to another making it hard for anyone to stand out. Enter Oakland, California’s Dandelion War. While they are very much in the same vein of these bands, Dandelion War seem to take the best elements of this sound and craft them into something wholly their own.
Artist:Â The Keystone Kids
Album:Â Things Get Shaky
Label:Â Deep Elm Records
RIYL:Â The Postal Service, Stars, Death Cab For Cutie, Public Radio, Rilo Kiley
Pennsylvania natives, singer/songwriter/pianist Carly Comando and punk rocker Ryan O’Donnell (Yo Man Go) team up for a collaborative project called The Keystone Kids. Their debut EP Things Get Shaky is, in many ways,  a fun and charming experiment with many highs. However, the electronic element drags the experiment down and as a whole making Things Get Shaky a frustrating experience depending on your musical preferences.
Nov 16
20120
commentsIn Music Reviews, Music Reviews, Podcast, Reviews
TagsCarly Comando Death Cab For Cutie deep elm Public Radio Rilo Kiley Stars the keystone kids The Postal Service Things Get Shaky
Artist: The Keystone Kids
Album: Things Get Shaky
Label: Deep Elm Records
RIYL: The Postal Service, Stars, Death Cab For Cutie, Public Radio, Rilo Kiley
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Artist: The End of America
Album: Steep Cove
Label: Forest Park Recordings
Rating: 
It’s easy to get jaded with music these days. Most of the mainstream music today is over-produced, soulless, brainless, and boring. However, there are still many bands out there creating genuine art, which (if discovered) can go on to becoming timeless and inspire generations of aspiring musicians. These are the bands I seek out. They’re hard to find, but now and then you discover a gem that needs to be shared immediately. The End of America is one of those bands. Their new album, Steep Bay, is a breath of fresh air in a stale landscape of generic music.
Recorded over one week in a remote cabin on Schroon Lake, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, Steep Bay has an energy and honesty that can’t be re-created in a studio. They recorded by a campfire under the stars, on the porch, out in the woods. It’s amazing what 2 microphones in a 100% desolate area can pick up. 9 songs were recorded over and over, and the best takes (flaws and all) make up the album Steep Bay.
Rating: 
NOFX has been a part of my life now for 16 years.  I first was introduced to them in 1993 by a friend of mine and I can say that NOFX was my gateway drug into Punk Rock.  The first song I remember hearing was The Moron Brothers off of their 1990 album Ribbed.  (The song was later used in the movie Glory Daze with none other than Ben Affleck.) So, NOFX has always had a special place in my heart.
So, 16 years after my first introduction to the band and 22 years after their first full length (Liberal Animation) NOFX are still at it with their newest release, Coaster.  A no holds barred, honest, insightful, thought provoking, and fun listen from a band that never seems to let up.  What I like about NOFX is they’ve always stayed true to who they are as a band.  Unlike their ska-punk peers The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who I stopped listening to when their shit album Let’s Face It blew up.  While NOFX isn’t breaking any musical barriors or experimenting, they’re a band that builds on their established sound and have given us the best album of their career with Coaster.
