My friend Chris wrote off Vivian Girls after he heard their debut single. He thought they were Shop Assistants copyists and never gave them a proper listen. I defended them, but at that point it was useless. He’d already made up his mind. Chris is like that. He had other records to buy, I guess.… Continue reading Real Numbers – Wordless Wonder
Author: Jeremy Underwood
Teenage Fanclub – Here
I once heard someone compare Teenage Fanclub to the talking trees in The Lord of the Rings: slow moving giants who come out of the forest every few years to restore order. Teenage Fanclub have been releasing classic guitar pop records since 1990. They were birthed out of the C86 scene in Glasgow when Norman… Continue reading Teenage Fanclub – Here
The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners
The Lucksmiths make perfect pop music sound so easy. So much so that they are often slapped with the “t word”: that dreaded, and often misguided, descriptor of simple, childish indiepop otherwise known as “twee.” The Aussie foursome consistently cranked out dozens of pop tunes during their 16-year career before they disbanded in 2009. Matinée… Continue reading The Lucksmiths – Warmer Corners
Radiator Hospital – Something Wild
Sam Cook-Parrott, principal songwriter in Radiator Hospital, seems like a nice guy. If you stopped by his house unexpectedly on a Thursday afternoon, there’s a good chance he’d be sitting in his kitchen listening to Motown/Stax records, eating a bowl of cereal. He’d probably offer you some cereal. You’d decline because you were just riding… Continue reading Radiator Hospital – Something Wild
Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
There’s something about the new Waxahatchee record that keeps me coming back. This “something,” however, is not readily apparent. After listening to this record nonstop since it was released and pouring over the lyrics and liner notes, I couldn’t quite figure out what was so alluring about it. Ostensibly, the record, the second solo effort… Continue reading Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
Merchandise – Totale Nite
Tampa, Florida’s Merchandise are mysterious fuckers. A search for the band’s name on Google finds random images of apparel and websites for customer service companies. This may be intentional; “We are sort of sidestepping the music industry, and we have been for years now,” says Carson Cox, lead singer and songwriter. Despite their intentions, the… Continue reading Merchandise – Totale Nite