Song Obsessions for March

Deerhunter – "Fluorescent Grey" off Fluorescent Grey [EP] (2007)

Beautifully hypnotic. That’s all I can say about the title track off Deerhunter’s recent EP, their third release overall. The sound is a lot more focused than anything they’ve recorded prior.




A.C. Newman – "The Town Halo" off The Slow Wonder (2004)

The singer for The New Pornographers released a solo album a few years back which has a sound similar yet distinct from the playful Vancouver octet. There are plenty of great songs to be found on it, and this one stands out as one of the stronger numbers.




Lansing-Dreiden - "The Advancing Flags" off The Incomplete Triangle (2003)

Self-described as an "art collective" rather than a band, this group remains elusive by refusing photoshoots and interviews and supposedly never performs live. This track off their 2003 debut churns up contradictory echoes of disinterested post-punk vocals and engaging progressive rock guitars. They blend together perfectly.

Earth – The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (2008)

The latest release from this Seattle drone/doom outfit offers seven lengthy instrumental pieces that embody the darker side of post-rock (think Mogwai’s sinister cousin). The slow-moving, murky tunes give rise to shadowy atmospheres that somehow remain relaxing despite an underlying sense of dread.

This album follows in and builds upon the style offered by the last two, 2005's HEX: Or Printing in the Infernal Method and 2007's Hibernaculum.

Streamable Track: "Omens and Portents I: The Driver"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Dead Meadow – Old Growth (2008)

Those familiar with their meandering psychedelic-blues guitar rock will welcome this 5th studio album to their catalog with open ears. Over the years they’ve refined their sound, moving slowly away from the bass-heavy murkiness of Black Sabbath to lusher neo-psychedelia embodied by bands like the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Warlocks.

The AllMusic review of this album concludes with a skeptical "isn't stoner rock supposed to sound destructive?" For the sake of argument, I'll concede that Dead Meadow might be categorized as 'stoner rock,' but who's to say what type of sound that genre must possess? Perhaps the stoners wouldn't mind something mellow for a change.

Streamable Track: "Till Kingdom Come"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams (2008)

Destroyer is essentially the one-man band of Vancouver-based Dan Bejar, who also plays with the New Pornographers and Swan Lake. This is his 10th full-length under this name, one that is full of abstract lyrics and beautiful melodies.

He pulls off a convincing Robyn Hitchcock, while pulling from other influences including Bowie and Reed. The album moves between sounds and styles rather quickly, allowing comparisons to be made to diverse groups like The The, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Soft Boys, and Television.

Streamable Track:
"Shooting Rockets (from the Desk of Night's Ape)"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (2008)

Atlas Sound, the solo project of Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox, resembles Deerhunter’s noisy experimental rock but drifts into looser, lush electronic soundscapes that are tighter and more focused in production. In fact, these songs bring to mind a less-manic Animal Collective more often than prior Deerhunter releases.

The entire album flows well from start to finish, and the meandering dream-like, ambient atmosphere makes it perfect for background listening. If this subtle change in production direction is any indicator, let’s hope more releases from both Atlas Sound and Deerhunter are seen in the near future.

Streamable Track: "Recent Bedroom"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Giraffes? Giraffes! - More Skin with Milk-Mouth (2007)

For fans of Battles, these instrumental progressive/math rockers bring more spastic fun to the table (minus the indecipherable chipmunk clamoring). They hail from Santa Cruz and offer a more than enjoyable debut.

The two best things about this album (beside the music itself) are the humorously long track names and the freak-collage of cover art. Additionally, their name is never not fun to say.

Streamable Track: "When the catholic girls go camping, the nicotine vampires rule supreme."


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Old Time Relijun - Catharsis in Crisis (2007)

For those of you who happen to be fans of noisy/artsy punk bands of the past like Pere Ubu and The Birthday Party, this Portland group might be right up your creepy, dimly lit alley.

The four-piece ensemble features a guitarist/bass clarinetist/vocalist, upright bass player, saxophonist, and drummer. They’ve been around since 1995 and have been putting albums out with a fairly regular frequency (this is their 8th full-length).

Streamable Track: "Indestructable Life!"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Elf Power - In a Cave (2008)

While Back to the Web, one of my favorite albums of 2006, was an exploration in gentle, acoustic psych-folk, they have returned to their roots on this release with straight-up noisy psychedelic rock. With their ninth album, Elf Power (joined by Eric Harris of Olivia Tremor Control) continue to give elves everywhere a just sense of empowerment. For the rest of us, we’ll have to settle for some great 60s-inspired tunes.

Speaking of Olivia Tremor Control, it should be noted that Elf Power is an original member of the Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands brought together by friends from Athens, Georgia who wished to form an independent record label in the early 90s. Aside from Elf Power and OTC, this included Neutral Milk Hotel, the Apples in Stereo, and Of Montreal, among others.

Streamable Track: "Spiral Stairs"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Vermillion Lies - What's in the Box? (2008)

Sisters Zoe and Kim return with their second full-length (a Scream-a-Long EP released between them) of theatrical cabaret folk music. If that sounds like a unique description, it’s because these ladies make unique music. Their song topics range from a humorous take on the concerns of global warming to the arousing aspects of astronomy to twin sisters born mortally attached by the hair.

To accompany their amusingly morbid and oftentimes strangely sexy tales, it isn’t unexpected to find yourself hearing a toy piano, accordion, kazoo, typewriter, or tricycle bell. The closing tune "Found Myself" even features a BBQ grill solo. It should be noted that the sisters Vermillion put on one hell of a live show, which often includes burlesque dancers and lobster squeaky-toys (used for audience participation, of course).

Streamable Track: "Long Red Hair"


Artist Website / Album Purchase