Bees and the Birds – S/t EP Our Neighborhood Records Passionate, straightforward, and immeasurably catchy, this indie-pop EP makes a huge impression. Nuance and restraint are sorely overrated in this point in musical history. Being introspective is great, but you don’t have to sound like you’re underwater to do it. Sufjan is amazing, but...
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Dishwater Psychics – Dry Night Riverbed Friendly Psychics Music A moody, dark indie-rock experience that draws from lots of genres perfectly. First off, I must admit that I love Friendly Psychics Music. I love music collectives, I love prolific artists and labels, I love the DIY ethic and I love people who release music...
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First to Leave – Forging a Future Lobster Records An arm-flailing, head-banging, yell-along-with-your-fist-raised epic of a punk album. For every genre, I have a gold standard. Sometimes it’s a band (Ska: Five Iron Frenzy; Power-pop: Fountains of Wayne; Dance-rock: Free Diamonds) and sometimes it’s a not-yet-achieved combination of individual genre characteristics. Punk is one...
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Handjobs for Hobos – Right Now Self-released A musical juvenile comedy duo that doesn’t deliver much music or many laughs. I don’t really know what Handjobs for Hobos expects me to write about their album Right Now. Here’s the facts: Handjobs for Hobos is a joke-y band composed of two guys who sit around...
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Kris Racer – Has a Banner Year EP Two Thumbs Down Records A reformed punker delivers acoustic-based pop songs that don’t strike any particular nerves. Reviews of good CDs are relatively easy to write. So are reviews of bad ones. It’s the CDs that fall squarely in the average category that are so hard...
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Pandora: The Decemberists One of the most unique bands to find nearly-mainstream acceptance in the past few years is definitely the Decemberists. Between their bookish love of historical themes, their quirky instrumentation and Colin Meloy’s unforgettable vocals, they make intelligent indie-pop that often seems more suited to a history classroom than a dingy bar....
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State of the Magazine I usually take this space to talk about a music-related issue that’s pressing on my business or personal life, but this month I want to take a step back and give you all a state of the magazine address. We’re at an amazing point here at Independent Clauses – we...
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Street Smart Cyclist – S/t 7” Our Neighboorhood Records Extremely intricate, creative, passionate and talented 90’s emo followers create an astounding 7”. When a press release says that you’ll know ten seconds in, it’s almost never true. There’s just not often reason to jump up and down about a band after ten seconds of...
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