Shannon Wiedey

Laurel Halo – King Felix Album Review

Laurel Halo’s King Felix has an ambient, spacey style that’s brought down to earth with choral, hymnal vocals. Halo’s vocals are sometimes hard to decipher, but also have a straight-forward side to them. Almost all of the beats evolve as the listener travels through them, but they still offer somewhat distinguishable pop structures. “Supersymmetry” starts...Read...

Dec 5

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by Shannon Wiedey

The Titans Of The Industry – LMNOEP Album Review

The Titans Of Industry is a Seattle-based indie rock band with some oddball elements and vocals, which create a vibe reminiscent of bands like Of Montreal. Their new LMNOEP EP begins with “These Cold Hands,” a catchy track with a curious mixture of pounding keys, strings, and crunchy guitar riffs; “Touch And Go, Snowy Snow”...Read...

Nov 16

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by Shannon Wiedey

Jupe Jupe – Invaders Album Review

Jupe Jupe’s Invaders is a fun dance album that would appeal to anyone that loves the ’80s and throbbing beats. There’s a very strong ’80s sound, especially in the first half of the album, which has heavy Depeche Mode stylings, including low, moody vocals. The best of these songs is “Something About Love,” which offers...Read...

Oct 24

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by Shannon Wiedey

Geographer – Animal Shapes Album Review

Geographer’s new EP, Animal Shapes, is a pop rock album with a mixture of synthetic and natural elements. The band consists of three members: Michael Deni (guitar, synth, vocals), Nathan Blaz (cello), and Brian Ostreicher (drums). Geographer often mixes an organic cello and airy vocals with synthetic beats, creating an interesting contrast. The melodies...Read...

Aug 22

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by Shannon Wiedey

Dan Mangan – Nice, Nice, Very Nice Album Review

Nice, Nice, Very Nice is more than just nice. Mangan expertly blends folk rock and country with expressive lyrics that build vivid stories. Mangan’s voice has the gravelly tones and vulnerability of Damien Rice or Conor Oberst, but with a deeper, heavier quality. Most of Mangan’s songs have both gentle and thunderous characteristics. They...Read...

Aug 13

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by Shannon Wiedey

Sebastian Blanck – Alibi Coast Album Review

Sebastian Blanck’s Alibi Coast is a folk album with an intimate feel. Blanck’s vocals are heavily doubled in an attempt to sound harmonized and choral (think: Fleet Foxes). As the album plays, the songs begin to melt together, making them seem more like one long track rather than a collection of those which have been...Read...

Aug 12

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by Shannon Wiedey

Matt Dahan – Shadowboxing Album Review

Matt Dahan’s solo album, Shadowboxing, mixes very distinctive ’80s-style synths with a powerpop — and sometimes quieter a folk rock — sound. This results in a lot of light, fun songs, but at points, they verge on cheesy and become way too sugary. Having trained at Berklee College Of Music, Dahan is certainly a capable...Read...

Jul 20

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by Shannon Wiedey

ceo – White Magic Album Review

ceo is the mysterious lower-cased synthpop project of Eric Berglund, one half of the Swedish electropop duo, The Tough Alliance. Self-described as “raspberries and Chlamydia.. lost love and Rihanna’s voice” — amongst many other things — White Magic may bring Of Montreal to mind, but the quirky use of samples and the interesting mix of...Read...

Jun 11

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by Shannon Wiedey

Italian Japanese – The Lush, Romantic Weirdness Album Review

Italian Japanese are an alt-rock band from Southern California established by Allen Nicholas (lead vocals, guitar) and Chris McLaughlin (guitar, keys) and rounded out by additional members (Greene, Rodriguez, and Willis). While their debut LP The Lush, Romantic Weirdness would fit nicely in the iTunes library of teens and young adults around the country, it...Read...

Jun 11

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by Shannon Wiedey

Kacey Johansing – Many Seasons Album Review

Many Seasons is Bay Area singer-songwriter Kacey Johansing’s debut solo album. It takes the listener more through years than seasons, with a jazzy folk feel that sounds like something out of another classier time. It’s the kind of album that everyone can enjoy — something you could play for a mixed crowd and no one...Read...

May 10

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by Shannon Wiedey