Saturday, April 12, 2008

12 Apr 2008

phaser- sway
Formed by brothers Siayko and Boris Skalsky, Phaser is a Washington, D.C. based quartet that has been writing, performing and recording throughout the East Coast for over 2 years. Augmented by guitarist Paul Wood and drummer Rich DeJong, the band has been compared to the current British scene -- accoridng to the Washington Post "an auspicious preamble to a new D.C. sound." ..."An effortless glide between ringing shoegazer rock to sparse acoustic pop. Full atmospheric washes, chiming guitars, haunting refrains and elegant arrangements."

Phaser has played numerous venues and performed with British bands Gomez and Super Furry Animals as well as opening for American acts such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
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monochrome set- love zombies
The Monochrome Set were an English post-punk band originally formed in 1976 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides (whose members had included Stuart Goddard, a.k.a. Adam Ant[citation needed]). The band is notable for its witty lyrics, the laconic delivery of lead singer Bid, and the idiosyncratically retrogressive playing style of original lead guitarist Lester Square.

Trouser Press described the album as possessing "a smoother and more accessible sound" than the band's debut, "Strange Boutique", praising its melodies, as well as "lyrics that take sharp, light jabs at emotional traps and social mores."[1]

The liner notes on the front of the original LP sleeve described the album as:
"An unashamed look at their weird lives.....their wild loves...in a jazz-haunted, desire-tormented world."

On the back of the sleeve was written:
"Once this record is in the house two's company and four is a party. Roll back the carpet, switch out the light and dance in the glow of the firelight as 'The Monochrome Set' provide your very own music far from the maddening crowd of the dance halls."

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mew- half the world is watching
Second release from Danish alternative pop wonders Mew, and quite a fulfilling piece of work. The album kicks off with the intense "Am I Wry? No" which is followed by three pure pop songs, "Mica" being the most successful of these. Whereas the first half of the album, except for the opening track, is pretty straightforward pop music, the second half is more moody, starting out with the piano/guitar-driven "Her Voice is Beyond her Years", a duet between lead singer Jonas Bjerre and elf-like Swedish singer Stina Nordenstam. It's followed by the strange, but catchy "156", before entering la grande finale with the ballad "Symmetry", a sweet duet between Jonas Bjerre and American teenager Becky Jarret, and the last track, the majestic nine-minute epic "Comforting Sounds".

A bunch of these songs were re-released, in slightly different versions, as part of Mew's international debut album Frengers
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lowdream- between my dreams and real things
Brazilian shoegaze. That's all i know.
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the new rags- take jennie to brooklyn
Review
If you've been waiting with bated breath for the resurgence of Ragtime as a force in popular music, your prayers have been answered at long last... Enter the New Rags, determined to resurrect the ghost of Scott Joplin for a new generation. Their sound is really more of a mash-up, a Ragtime-y aesthetic over a foundation of pure rock and roll - reminiscent of the Delta 72 at times, but with a much more freewheeling, party-time vibe. What's most impressive, there's only two guys behind this racket, banging it out on a Fender Rhodes and a drum kit, with nary a guitar in sight... Just check out the opening riff of "Your Room" to see what I'm talking about.

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the icarus line- black presents
Product Description
This CD EP features two tracks from the band's highly anticipated sophomore album on Dim Mak. Two rare tracks.
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the shops assistants- self titled (will anything happen)
In 1997 the album was issued on CD by Overground Records with the catalogue number OVER62CD. It also contained two extra tracks which were Looking back and All Day Long (Slow Version) which were on the b-side of the 12" version of I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You
Known mostly for putting out great pop singles on C86, this is the bands only full-length. The split up soon after. They idolized the Shangri-Las.

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