A Blog Of Ill Repute

review by Suzanne Casazza The Bran Flakes continue their quirky pop mash-ups with their short but striking song, “What’s It All About” off their album I Have Hands released February 2009. The Bran Flakes’ album art features two people with giant purple paper mâchéd heads. It sets the tone for the kooky album of collage audio fun. “What’s It All About” combines sampl

review by Kristine Ugalde Little Brother is one of those underground hip hop groups that gained critical acclaim a couple years back, but never received widespread attention. While it may seem like an odd collaboration, I don’t know why I’m still surprised that Weezy is on the track. It's certainly the right direction to go, not only because the self-proclaimed “Best Rapper A

review by Monica McCallum The opening chords of Vetiver’s cover of Michael Hurley’s “Blue Driver” evoke, in my mind, a very particular image. Driving through the desert, in an old beat up van with bad coffee, sporadic air conditioning, and stops at shady diners planted haphazardly in the middle of nowhere – I can understand why folk music is so popular out here. Of course

review by Joanna Clay Birthed in the Big Apple in 2007, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is comprised of Alex, Kip, Kurt and Peggy. The band name comes from an unpublished children’s story written by a friend of Kip, and the band notes musical influences such as Black Tambourine and My Bloody Valentine. The melancholy melodies of the talented four-some are reminiscent of dream in

review by Joanna Clay “Purple Flies” by the Window Twins sends you into a mystical world of ambient infused folk that brilliantly exposes the debut collaboration between Tim Cohen (Black Fiction) and Jon Bernson (Ray’s Vast Basement). It showcases Tim’s audacious psych-pop roots, but at the same time it doesn't overwhelm Jon’s understated hippie-rock. The song begins hesi

review by Lorraine Chambers "You! Me! Dancing!" begins with a slow introduction, and then explodes into a surging wave of guitar strumming fun! You start jumping around and wishing that your earplugs had a longer cord! Then the singer begins to talk--is that a Welsh accent from a band named Los Campesinos? Yes, this is not a band from East L.A. This is a Welsh big band of seven! Ba

review by Joanna Clay Finding meaning in an Andrew Bird song is sort of what it is like when I try to analyze In Rainbows. He’s one of those artists that really uses instruments and vocals in true harmony to create pieces that are uniquely beautiful and poetic. However, many contend that it is simply that- words artfully thrown together without much thought for an actual story. R

review by Kristine Ugalde No stranger to the game, Presto has been producing and DJing for almost 20 years. He describes his sound as “hip hop with a soul backdrop and jazz edge.” It is almost too easy to guess his influences: DJ Primo, Pete Rock, Jay Dee, Tribe--yet, he brings to the (turn)table a definitive edge. Although State of Art was released June 2008, hip hop heads con

review by Robbie Santos Lee Bob Watson’s track “Let The Hate In (I Won’t)" comes from his CD Family Album (Grass Roots Record Co.). Watson does not adhere to a set genre and is not quite country or indie rock. But rather, he brings together a unique blend of folk, country, and soul-jazz. Heavily influenced by the music of the late 60’s and 70’s, he combines different seve

review by Perry Chavez Sparxxx is an experience that is lighter sound-wise than the Love Language’s debut single Lalita with a bouncy guitar and harmonies that channel the Beach Boys. It has a somber tone in comparison but equal amounts of awesome. More emphasis is placed on the melody and vocals on this track as they sweep over the fast guitar whose prominence sometimes changes