Indie and Lo-Fi music reviews

A wonderfully canny look at the naivete of human emotions as seen through the lace curtain windows of the Lochamy's household and the many eyes of their five cats glaring accusingly at passerby.

Lovers of Luna, Galaxie-500, Yo La Tengo and, the Magnetic Fields will certainly find something to shout about.

You really don't have to go to the island nation of New Zealand to understand it's beauty when you listen to Scenes From The South Island. Put the CD into your player and you are transformed there quicker than e-mail. Memorizing, haunting yes but mostly shows Roy Montgomery's genuis for creating beautiful works without using much fancy equipment. Not your run of the mill instrumental work. Too much creative guitar feedback to be "New Agey", not to mention depth of feeling puts it into it's own category. Your new "must have" CD!!

Selective Service is a singles anthology of sorts, with GBV and Airport 5 singles that were only available on vynil before (I believe). These songs are truly amazing. They become one in this EP, creating a feeling of warmth, the kind you could only feel when you hug someone in the dead of winter. My favorites are "Dayton, OH 19 Something And 5," "Cold War Water Sports," and "The Wheel Hits The Path (Quite Soon)." The music is great, the lyrics obtusely cohesive, and in a way, touching and inspiring. A defenate must for any GBV fan. And I must say, any GBV fan needs to get an Airport 5 CD, you'll thank me. Probably not, but you'll be happy you listened to me.

Some of the best music out there is often the simplest. I bought this after seeing Coast open for Elf Power last year, and it has quickly made its way to the top o' the heap of my collection, which includes lots of E6 stuff and a hefty amount of Joy Division. Seniors and Juniors is so heartfelt and endearing, but what's more is that these Southern youngsters actually have talent for makin' with the nice melodies. Great piano work, especially, and lyrics that bring a tear to this weary sailor's eye. Aye.

...This CD is extremely rare and like many Japanese releases absolutely loaded with hard-to-find extras. You get the entire Pacific Trim EP (Saganaw, Give It A Day, Gangsters & Pranksters), as well as a novel remix of Stereo, the fun instrumental Birds In The Majic Industry, the pretty essential Slowly Typed, and the utterly breathtaking I Love Perth. I Love Perth is perhaps the best of the rare Pavement tracks, and is frequently my favorite Pavement song of all time. Its all wrapped up in a nifty Japanese-package with a detailed Pavement discography as an insert and some archaic information about a (get this) MTV-sponsored tour in Japan. For any Pavement fan, its utterly essential.

This album is a drastic departure for David Longstreth, while remaining essentially the same. The album is split into two sections. The first 7 tracks are David working with a ten-piece chamber group called The Orchestral Society for the Preservation of the Orchestra. His distinctive warble works well against the beautiful orchestral arrangements, most notably in "(Throw on the) Hazard Lights". The latter portion of the cd is composed of sparse acoustic numbers, with few exceptions (e.g. "Weather I'm Under). Overall this cd is much more laid back than it's predecessor, but this does not imply lack of quality at all. Overall this is a wonderful album worthwhile of a listen, and most certainly a purchase.

This album is excellent, and quite a steal with over 20 songs on it. All of them, of course, are top notch, and only improve with further listening. The songs are very reminiscent of The Smiths, and are quite a pleasent as a collection. Highly recommended!

For fans of Pop music who think there is no hope, I give you Dump. Sensitive songwriter James Mcknew who also plays bass for Yo La Tengo. He wrote and sings "Stockholm Syndrome" on "I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One." He plays all instruments with a little help from Ira and Georgia on one or two tracks.Features casio beats, analog keys, noisy guitar and beautiful vocals. This is the first full-length by Dump and it is still my favorite.

This album from start to finish is flawless. The musical style of [The]Caseworker is completely original and it shows. Trying to describe the sound the band has on this album would do it no justice. Extremely chill cuts with melodic beats and chords, to the faint lyrics that put you into a trance. Completely soothing yet dark at the same time. Most would classify this as indy rock, as would I.
However, they are in their own category and rightly so. Track 4 is the only cut I don't care for on this album. The abrasive sound of track 4 is a completely seperate sound from the rest of the album. This album is a must have for ANY collection.

I listen to this CD at least once a day...and so should you. You won't be dissapointed.

Dan Ackerman's "This Moment Has Happened Before" is a colorful yet low-key collage of styles. The album opens with "Static," a compressed two minutes of bass-heavy funk. From there it moves through Lou Reed singer/songwriter territory, into pumping worldbeat and eventually into jazzy song sketches. --IndieMusicGuide.com