Seattle’s Big Eyes play a buzzsaw strain of pop music that’s impeccably catchy and rough around the edges in a welcome way. That they’ve chosen to name their new album after a Cameron Crowe film doesn’t hurt; neither does singer/guitarist Kate Eldridge’s stated fondness for the novels of Octavia E. Butler. I caught up with Eldridge to discuss their new album Almost Famous, her cross-country move, and science fiction novels.
Washington, DC’s Priests play punk rock. I could go on a tangent about the role of their city in their sound, or talk historical context, but, really, the simplest statement is the easiest: they’re a punk band. Smart, politically charged, and furious. I talked with vocalist Katie Alice Greer and drummer Daniele Daniele about the band’s seven inch, their live setup, and more.
Odonis Odonis is a fantastic noise-rock band from Toronto that mixes the vampiric growl of lead singer Dean Tzenos with a variety of instrumental moods and tempos, ranging from the rockabilly-postpunk of EP-opener “She’s A Death” to the jittery death disco of “Better”. Released two years after their well-received debut Hollandaze, their new offering, Better, is a textured and multifarious amalgam of postpunk styles, skilfully produced and structured to keep listeners guessing what they’ll hear next. I caught up with the band just after […]
Seattle’s La Luz plays sharp, suffused rock music that seems to have emerged from some weird parallel 1950s. It’s beguiling and textured, the familiar interwoven with the ambiguous — a combination that’s uniquely modern. I’d first encountered singer/guitarist Shana Cleveland via her previous band The Curious Mystery; Cleveland is also a writer, with publications as diverse as Black Clock and Vice to her credit. With a new seven inch out on Water Wing and another one coming on Suicide Squeeze, I thought […]
Conor O’Brien has been making music under the Villagers moniker since 2008, after the breakup of the Dublin-based rock band The Immediate. His first album, Becoming A Jackal was received in 2010 to acclaim from Vanity Fair, New York Times and other publications. While his first album drew comparisons with folk-ish bands like Bright Eyes, the latest material boasts a more collaborative approach with the band and has moved in a more experimental and eclectic direction. The band has been […]
In the world of Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Wes Eisold very much falls into the archetypal “this person needs no introduction” category. As a musician, he’s made visceral, charged hardcore as part of Give Up the Ghost and Some Girls; via his current group Cold Cave, he’s retained that intensity but opted for a more synth-drenched, blissed-out approach. Following 2011’s triumphant Cherish the Light Years, Cold Cave has released a series of 7″s. It was with this series in mind, along with the news […]
Colleen Green makes buzzsaw pop: fuzzed-out guitars atop minimal rhythms, with her melodic vocals atop it all. Her new album keeps a certain blissed-out pop-punk sensibility, but also delves into more complex structures, recalling — among others — Velocity Girl. On the eve of her departure on tour, we talked about said new album (titled Sock It To Me), unorthodox beverages as sonic inspiration, and more.
Marc St. Louis and Tillie Perks are the duo behind electronic Montreal-based band Valleys, whose newest album Are You Going to Stand There And Talk Weird All Night? will be released April 30th on Kanine Records. Marc and Tillie have been making music since the mid-’00’s, trading places on guitars, synthesizers, drums and sequencers. On previous River Phoenix and Stoner EPs, and their Sometimes Water Kills People LP, they have skirted the line between dream pop and post rock, with an increasing if subtle introduction of electronic elements and rhythms. Their […]