Where to start with Andrew Bird? I go back a ways to early albums which played off musical eccentricity. I read his bio as being an ancillary member of Squirrel Nut Zippers and attributed those characteristics to his music. At the time, I heard a musician staking out his lineage to Beefheart and Waits.

A friend of mine was one of the very earliest ( Read more... )

The Dream Syndicate have a rather fascinating story. Four albums in the 80s that solidify their reputation as one of the great American indie bands, though never quite breaking through like REM (to be honest, few did). Then a 20 year career for Steve Wynn which generally was well received. But nothing really prepared listeners for a second run of ( Read more... )

One of my favorite bands of recent years are the Interrupters. It seems a requirement to mention the ska craze of the 90s that brought No Doubt and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones to the masses ( Read more... )

There are millions of Joy Division influenced bands. Millions? Probably not. Still maybe? There are of course some who became favorite bands of mine - the obvious (Editors, Interpol) to a variety of others (as varied as Sweden’s synth outfit Holograms to Los Angeles hardcore punks Cemento to dark wave favorites She Wants Revenge). U2 would ( Read more... )

One of the consistent albums in 90s cutoff bins was 1990 Geffen/DGC release Meet John Doe. The solo debut from the X leader featured Richard Lloyd on guitar and writing contributions from Exene Cervenka and John Hiatt ( Read more... )

I think there were a lot of us impressed by Arcade Fire’s “Funeral”. I (at least very briefly) contemplated traveling across the country to see them live. It was such a scene-changing disc.

Arcade Fire seemed a bit more grounded in rock on their next two records, shifting into a band that was defining 00s indie rock as influenced as much by Bruce ( Read more... )

One of my recent discoveries is the Colorado based Tejon Corner Street Thieves. Last years Stolen Goods was an enjoyable listen- old folk songs given a modern touch

TCST are out of that tradition of mixing punk ethos and classic Americana themes. They call their music “trashgrass”. There weren’t many bands like this 20 year ago, but there’s quite a ( Read more... )

I’ve written about Belle and Sebastian plenty, but here goes. The first four albums are every superlative in the book in my eyes. After the fourth album, Isobel Campbell left the band and the band seemed to move into a more pop oriented (or as pop as this band could possibly get) direction that has defined them since. (All writing about the band ( Read more... )

Let’s talk first a bit about Calexico’s “Hot Rail”. When I first heard the 2001 album, I was blown away. It was the kind of genre mashup like the first time I heard the Pogues (Celtic punk) or the Mighty Mighty Bosstones (ska and hardcore punk). Though not the bands first album, it was my first exposure to them and still holds up as this completely ( Read more... )

A few years ago, someone shared an Indianapolis and Indiana-centric Punk playlist with me. Although there was a lack of big names (Sloppy Seconds probably remain the biggest punk band to come out of the Circle City, or at least were until Margo and the Nuclear So and Sos), there was a lot of talent.

One that especially grabbed me was a relatively ( Read more... )