Glancing Backward, Musically Speaking, in Order to Look Ahead

This is the time of year when the supporters of self-help, the boosters of betterment, the promoters of purposefulness, and everyone else who exalts in the ethics of uplift, start hymning the glories of making New Year’s resolutions. Oh, joy. The general belief is that the start of a new calendar year affords a kind… Continue reading Glancing Backward, Musically Speaking, in Order to Look Ahead

A Collection of New Songs for Celebrating the Fall of Summer

For those of you who have school-age kids or who work in education, summer probably feels like a distant memory right about now. Nothing like the stench of bus diesel fumes or the frantic honking of a carpool driver to wake you rudely from your blissful California dreaming. However, for the rest of the neighborhood,… Continue reading A Collection of New Songs for Celebrating the Fall of Summer

Did You Hear What I've Heard, So Far This Year?

Musically speaking, 2009 has gotten off to a quiet start. Unlike the first six weeks of last year, which produced much-lauded roll-outs from the likes of Vampire Weekend, Radiohead, Bon Iver, The Magnetic Fields, MGMT, The Helio Sequence, The Mars Volta, Adele, and Nada Surf, among others, there have been few notable releases so far in… Continue reading Did You Hear What I've Heard, So Far This Year?

Indie Summer Songs

Port O’Brien, Throw Me the Statue, and Fleet Foxes. Three unlikely names for rock bands that are making some of the most promising, interesting, and enjoyable music I’ve heard in awhile. It’s great laid-back, loose, wild, indie rock for a warm summer afternoon.  Port O’Brien, who hail from San Francisco, serve up a world-music-influenced sound that shares an aural… Continue reading Indie Summer Songs