The Umbrellas Album Cover

The Umbrellas Release Debut Album (Album Review)

The Umbrellas The Umbrellas Slumberland Records Link: Bandcamp Embedded into the psyche of the late 1990s, I had a deep admiration for the indie pop scene and enamored by its glowing sensibilities. The West Coast sound and Washington state aura permeated the moment and became an addiction that grappled on … Read More ›

Sunshine Boys

Sunshine Boys Are All Play with their New Album

Sunshine Boys Work And Love Room F/Pravda Records Link: Official Site There is a distinct yearning for the nostalgia of 1990s college rock nestled into the trapping of Work and Love. The Sunshine Boys’s sophomore effort presents a collection of endearing Vitamin D pop nuggets that is perfectly balanced. Featuring … Read More ›

Hala

Hala Uses Red Herring to Go Beyond Genre

Hala Red Herring Cinematic Music Group Links: Official Site | Cinematic Music Group Although Detroit-based musician Ian Ruhala does not follow the strict confines of late 1970s/early 1980s AOR musicianship, his songwriting capabilities hold up with that sincere era as a singer/songwriter in the purest of senses. Yet beyond this … Read More ›

Thurlowood

Thurlowood Sounds the Alarm

Thurlowood Discontinue Normal Program Independent Links: Facebook | Bandcamp There is beauty in its sweet destruction. That may be the unintentional purpose behind Thurlowood’s Discontinue Normal Program. Andrew Thurlo Wood came across the book, Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan To Save Itself—While the Rest of … Read More ›

Circa Waves

Circa Waves taps into an emotive state

Circa Waves Sad Happy Prolifica Inc/PIAS Links: Official Site | PIAS Focusing on the concept of boundaries, Circa Waves segregates their fourth long player into two emotional states: the “happy” side and the “sad” side. What makes this idea interesting is that without the experience of vinyl or actually being … Read More ›

Modern Air Album Cover by An Horse

Album Review: An Horse – Modern Air

An Horse Modern Air Lame-O Records ★★★★★ An Horse has been a prominent statement in the modern indie rock arena. Two albums worth of substantial music, their return with Modern Air is, at its core, brilliance. With a six year hiatus, that time off may have been the means for … Read More ›

Barrie on Selective Memory

Album Review: Barrie – Happy To Be Here

Barrie Happy To Be Here Winspear ★★★★ Barrie’s debut disseminates from uncertainty and leads into discovery, creating a safe space out of new terrain. For us, it’s an internal feeling. For them, it’s external experience. As cliche as this seems, I cannot think of a better way to describe Happy … Read More ›

SM Wolf Band Photo

S.M. Wolf – Bad Ocean

S.M. Wolf Bad Ocean People In A Position To Know ★★★★ If you plan on doing one thing for June’s First Friday celebration in Indianapolis, make it S.M. Wolf’s album release show at the White Rabbit. This indie psych-pop band will be releasing Bad Ocean on People In A Position … Read More ›