Foxes in Fiction – Swung From The Branches

Warren Hildebrand, the man behind Foxes in Fiction, is another in a line of them this year that have been flooding my inbox with their admirable work. Foxes in Fiction have released a 19 song album for free. The album is filled with dreamy songs that barely coalesce enough to call them songs.

March 6th, 2010  |  by svotel  |  published in experimental, folktronica, indie pop

She & Him – Thieves

I am pretty ambivalent about She and Him. I like them; I dislike them. From day to day, I never know how I feel about them. I have legitimate complaints about the band (they are far too cute for their own good), but I also hold grudges against them that are patently unfair (they are fronted by a movie star). And although I liked their debut album enough, I wasn’t clamoring for another outing from the duo. But goddam if “Thieves,” the newest song to leak from the album, doesn’t confuse the situation a bit. The song is 4 minutes of perfect pop.

March 1st, 2010  |  by svotel  |  published in alternative, folk, indie rock  |  10 comments

Panthu du Prince – Black Noise

Like most minimal techno artists, Pantha du Prince (Hendrick Weber) requires deep listening. You cannot trust his records to passively play in the background. Unless you’re actively listening to him, he’s not really playing. Try to sweep up your apartment while listening to his latest album, Black Noise, out this week on Rough Trade, and you’ll see that you soon forget that it’s even playing.

February 16th, 2010  |  by svotel  |  published in ambient, techno  |  2 comments

The Besnard Lakes – Are The Roaring Night

The whole album kind of plods along. About my fourth time through “Chicago Train,” it occurred to me that playing the song live probably isn’t any fun: there’s nothing in here to hook an audience. And “Glass Printer” is a shockingly forgettable song. Literally. I’ve listened to the album quite a few times now, and I can’t seem to remember that this one exists. Even “Albatross,” the good first single, loses a little bit of its luster when its couched by glassy-eyed dead-enders.

February 10th, 2010  |  by svotel  |  published in post-rock, shoegaze  |  5 comments

Spirit Spine – Jungle Bridges

Jungle Bridges is not a perfect album, but it is certainly an important album. With the release of the album, we are witness to the official arrival of a significant artist who has managed to digest and process an aesthetic that most are simply aping.

February 7th, 2010  |  by svotel  |  published in indie pop  |  4 comments

Beach House – Teen Dream

By the time you finish the harrowing and gut-wrenching “Real Love,” it is apparent that Teen Dream marks the ascendancy of a great band. Not only is the album the best of Beach House’s short but brilliant career, it is also an early candidate for album of the year.

January 27th, 2010  |  by svotel  |  published in indie pop, shoegaze  |  3 comments