Mini Reviews : stuff I reviewed for the radio station....

Not one title I am shouting from the rooftops about but if I had to pick a favorite among the bunch I think Hanne wins.

Artist: Tereu Tereu
Title: All That Keeps Us Together
Hometown: VA
Label: Band Mom
Street Date: Out Now
RIYL: Latter day Dischord
The Hits: Cheers,Neal Cassady, Building Symmetry
Richter Magnitude Rating Scale: Moderate

Review: Nice guy melodic indie rock from just slightly north of us in Fredericksburg, VA. Add a dash of horns and the spirit of Dischord bands like Q and Not U or Dismemberment Plan and you will have a good idea of what lies at the core of this band’s sound. Viva the DC music scene.

Artist: The Curious Mystery
Title: Rotting Slowly
Street Date: Now
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Label: K Records
RIYL: Mazzy Star

The Hits: Preperations, Strong Swimmers, It's Tough, Wrong Way

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale: Moderate

Review: Oh what to call them. DIY Americana? The Mazzy Star of Bluegrass? A barefooted Chan Marshall dueting with Thurston Moore? Droney with a hint of psych – The Curious Mystery is a cool twist on country.

Artist: Casper & the Cookies
Title: Modern Silence
Hometown: Athens, GA
Label: Happy Happy Birthday
Street Date: Now
RIYL: Elephant Six tenth generation

The Hits: Eulogy for Marcel, Meredith, New Day Zero

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale: Light

Review: Bubblegum pop by an ex-member of Of Montreal. Seriously, think Apples in Stereo and there you go, a band living in the shadow of a well developed sound that they themselves haven’t managed to crawl out of.

Artist: Hanne Hukkelberg

Title: Blood From A Stone

Hometown: Oslo, Norway

Label: Nettwerk

Street Date: Out now

RIYL: Fever Ray, Bat for Lashes

The Hits: Bandy Riddles, Salt of the Earth, In Here/ Out There, No Mascara Tears

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale:Moderate

Review: Hanne offers a much more stripped down (skeletal) version of the kind of majestic haunting pop ALA Bat For Lashes or Fever Ray ( her bio suggests PJ Harvey) I love a record that is spooky enough to make me want to look over my shoulder as I am listening to it…no less with percussion made from an oven and freezer. Blood from a Stone will make you re-think the purpose of your kitchen, literally.

Artist: Headless Heroes
Title: The Silence of Love
Hometown: NYC
Label: World’s Fair
Street Date: Now
The Hits: True Love Will Find You, Here Before, Nobody's Baby, The North Wind
RIYL: Bands who specialize in playing downtempo covers

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale:Moderate

Review: The sleepy sexy voice of Alela Diane will wash over you as she sings nothing but covers in a very jazz meets folk approach to some great classic songs. Highlights 1) Daniel Johnson 2)Everly Bros 3) Vashti 6) Jackson Frank 7) Linda Perhacs 8) Nick Cave

Nouvelle Vague fans will have something to appreciate here.

Artist: Phoenix
Title: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Hometown: France
Label: Glassnote
Street Date: Out Now
RIYL: A spring fling that carries into the summer

The Hits: 1901,Lisztomania,Lasso, Countdown, Armstice

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale:Moderate +

Review: Phoenix are experts at mixing sexy with fun – think strokes in speedo and if that doesn’t scare you away Phoenix is the band for you. Wolfgang is a mindless spring fling of a nouveau retro dance record; the Cars for the modern new waver. I will steal a line from the Dusted review here – “it is slick but not stupid… the results of a traditional rock band working closely with a producer of electronic music, one which merges the clean lines of dance music with the grandeur of a crack studio band well-heeled in ’70s pop and ’90s indie rock.” YES!