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<title>Update: January 3rd, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[Ahoy there - long time, no speak! So I had a pretty good break these last few months, doing much more relaxing than I&#39;d expected to, though that&#39;s certainly not a bad thing... Anyways, it&#39;s good to say that we&#39;re back now, and with an entirely new site!<br /><br />The biggest change that you&#39;ll notice (besides the new design, obviously) is that I&#39;ve done away with the regular weekly update system, in favor of more occasional updates - thus removing the self-inflicted pressure I used to experience to post a new update each week! However, to make it all easier for everyone, I&#39;ve started an <a href="http://indiepages.com/IPfeed.xml">RSS feed</a>, which you can sign up for to get updates as I post &#39;em. I&#39;ve also signed up for a Twitter account, but I honestly have no clue what I&#39;m ever gonna do with it!<br /><br />There are also changes to the reviews section, but I&#39;ll save that for another post later. Have fun, and thanks for coming back!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:37:16 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Noise Annoys Simon - "You Say It I&#39;ll Know It" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[I&#39;ve already heard at least half of this record via the band&#39;s previous EPs - I loved each and every one of those songs the first time around, and the rest of the songs on their debut album are just as great! I haven&#39;t gotten around to making my best of 2009 list yet, but I suspect that this record will be somewhere near the top - easily in the top five for sure. Their sound is pure and gorgeous jangly pop that makes you forgive Teenage Fanclub for not releasing a record in so many years or Monograph for pretty much dropping off the face of the earth nearly a decade ago. I could listen to this record on repeat for an entire day and never tire of it. Highlights are impossible to narrow down, so just sit down, relax and let it all soak in... Psst, while you&#39;re at it, be sure to check out main songwriter Simon Bish&#39;s solo project on the same label! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=12/12]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:39:38 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Magic Bullets - "Lives For Romance EP" lp review</title>
<description><![CDATA[The first time I heard this band was via their debut album on Words On Music last year, and I just didn&#39;t really like them. I loved the music, but the vocals just kind of grated on me - even after a couple listens. I can&#39;t decide if my feelings about the band have changed because this self-released EP is that much more enjoyable than the album or if their stellar set (and generally friendly demeanor) at last year&#39;s Popfest in San Francisco shattered any negative feelings I ever had about them. Either way, I am definitely pro-Magic Bullets at this point! Their style is that jangly guitar pop perfected by countless bands in the &#39;80s, and though it would be easy to compare this group to the Smiths after listening to a song like "Not Just A Long Face", I&#39;d say they delve deeper into territory mined by lesser-known bands, like 1000 Violins and Remember Fun. I hear they&#39;re at work on a new record, and I look forward to hearing it! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=4/4]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:40:46 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Land Of Ill Earthquakes - "Heartbreak Bombadier" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[This is the band&#39;s third or fourth release (depending on whether or not you count their limited tour cd-r), and it&#39;s their best work to date! Though it contains one song from each of the three afore-mentioned discs (same recordings, even), the songs sound much better and flow more consistently than on their prior releases, where the fidelity could vary wildly. Their earlier recordings suggested a somewhat fanatical devotion to the Aislers Set, and though you can still hear elements of Amy Linton running through these songs, the band I&#39;m reminded most of now is the Besties ("Don&#39;t Pose For The Picture", "Off To The Races" and the title track all could&#39;ve appeared on that band&#39;s final album without sounding one bit out of place). Both bands share the same dual-female lead vocal style, as well as the way they arrange the songs, with more focus on the keyboards than guitar, and almost including an upbeat and catchy-as-hell chorus! The band self-released this disc, but for those who&#39;d like a cassette version, you can pick one up on the Bridgetown label. &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=8/8]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:41:17 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Animal Dads - "Horrible Night To Have A Curse" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[Luckily, I&#39;d already heard this band and knew that I liked them, otherwise their truly awful wrestler cut-out-themed sleeve really would&#39;ve steered me away! But despite having one of the worst covers I&#39;ve seen in quite some time, the record itself is quite good - barely missing my top ten LPs of 2009 list by one slot. This is the band&#39;s first release, and though they hail from South Korea, you&#39;d never know it from listening to them. Their sound fits nicely along with the solid indie rock of Superchunk, Urusei Yatsura and the first Seafood album, with hints of a scaled-back (mid-period) ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. They&#39;re usually loud - but not overpoweringly so - and always melodic, with stand-out tracks including "Operator, Operators", "Around" and the first three songs on the album, which could bowl over any fan of good indie rock.  &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=9/9]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:41:57 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Demo of the Week: Sweater Girls</title>
<description><![CDATA[Soft and gentle indiepop that fits somewhere between a full-band Softies and a calmer Black Tambourine. These are their first recordings, and I look forward to hearing more!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/demo/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:42:41 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Tacocat - "Shame Spiral" lp review</title>
<description><![CDATA[This might actually be my new favorite riot-grrrl record (American-style, that is; this is hardly related to the UK flavor of riot-grrrl). Tacocat hails from Seattle, and take all the right cues from their Olympian ancestors Bikini Kill, Heavens To Betsy and Bratmobile, but leaving out the politics, rage and, well, brattishness attributed to those bands. Without those elements, we&#39;re left with an incredibly fun and playful 24½ minutes of punky pop. Their songs range a variety of serious to silly topics from marshmallow Peeps and enjoying their room in the basement to Anna Nicole Smith and the movie Waterworld. You&#39;ll of course find their take on standard topics, like the uncomfortableness of gynecological exams, fear of toxic shock syndrome and the nightmare of UTIs (the faint-hearted might want to steer clear of this one, though I think the song&#39;s pretty funny), though my favorite "grrrl-themed" tune is "Leotard", which explains how to keep the guys on first base by wearing a leotard. But the band generally keeps things lighthearted; even when pretending to be angry, you can tell they&#39;re smiling about it all along. Oh, and if possible, try to pick up the lp version of this, which includes a full lyric sheet, poster and band-themed tarot cards! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=11/13]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:01:20 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Cheap Red - "Cheap Red" dbl cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[Of course, I like this record - it&#39;s the debut (and only?) release from yet another band starring one of my friends/musical heroes, Stewart Anderson of Boyracer, and his wife, Jen! For this project, they&#39;re joined by Akina &amp; Arland from Kanda of Portland. Musically, it&#39;s not really like either band, though you could certainly draw comparisons in particular songs. Instead, I&#39;d say this record sounds closer to some of the Australian projects that Stew is often associated with, such as Huon and the Cannanes. The arrangements are fairly basic and the sound is sparse in parts, even in the peppier songs. The mood of the record is also lighter and more fun, as evidenced in the lyrics, their choice of covers (including the Vaselines&#39; "The Day I Was A Horse" and the Maggots&#39; "Let&#39;s Get Tammy Wynette") and the minute of silly studio banter that closes off the album. But you&#39;ll also find quieter songs, such as "Red Shoulders" and "Unlucky In Love",  that feature Jen&#39;s soft voice and Akina&#39;s violin more prominently. Now, I should probably mention that there&#39;s a bonus disc of remixes of various album tracks by 13 artists (including Kid606, Jason Sweeney, DJ Downfall, and the like), but I&#39;m mentioning this only in passing, as I generally find remixes useless fodder and these are no exception. But they&#39;re on their own disc, and the album is sold at a single cd price, so you can ignore that &#39;bonus&#39; disc and not feel the least bit short-changed. &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=11/14]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:52:19 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: January 11th, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[So I&#39;m, like, mere days away from announcing my exciting big news. I just have a couple small things to arrange, then I&#39;ll tell you all about it. Oh, it&#39;s truly exciting alright...<br /><br />Thanks to everyone for all the kind words and compliments on the site this past week - it&#39;s great to be back online and hear from so many friendly (internet) faces again!<br /><br />Talk more soon!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:07:45 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: January 12th, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[Awesome! Even though I spent nearly half of 2009 taking a (much-needed) break, IndiePages still managed to snag the number one slot for "best indiepop website" on the <a href="http://www.twee.net/list/polls/poll2009.html">Twee.net poll</a>. Thanks so much to everyone who voted!<br /><br />Here&#39;s a fun fact: IndiePages has won that title every year since starting in 2000. Yay!!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:36:47 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Demo of the Week: Swimteam</title>
<description><![CDATA[Brian from the Tartans passed me this disc when they were in town last summer. It&#39;s his solo project, and it&#39;s fine pop in the fashion of the Windmills or the Lucksmiths&#39; quieter moments.]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/demo/</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:26:44 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: January 15th, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[So remember the other day when I posted a teaser about some really exciting news? Well, here goes: I&#39;m opening up a record shop here in Seattle! A real, proper shop with records you can flip through and cds you can look at and a cash register and probably a little couch (under a sign that reads "Yes loitering"). I had an opportunity that was just too good to pass up!<br /><br />And along with this shop, of course, there will be the requisite webshop/mailorder where you can look at titles and add &#39;em to your cart and whatnot (you have to supply your own couch, though).<br /><br />All of this will be ready on March 13th, but I&#39;m getting all of the stock together now - go to <a href="http://jigsaw-records.com/">jigsaw-records.com</a> to learn more about that. Yay, yay, yay!!!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:59:59 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>The Seldon Plan - "Lost And Found And Lost" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[This is the third record from this group from Baltimore, and the flagship band for the Beechfields label (or at the very least, my favorite on the roster). Their albums have always been rich with melody, and this one is certainly no exception, but I also find it a bit more subdued and softer than their previous one, "Making Circles". The rough edges that record showed at times have all been polished down to a much friendlier tone this time around. Whereas the Weakerthans (albeit a somewhat softer version) or Sunday&#39;s Best might&#39;ve been a decent reference point for the band then, now I&#39;d use Saturnine, Citified or maybe even the softer moments on the last few Teenage Fanclub records (check out their frequent use of vocal harmonies!). Simply put, the keyword for this record is &#39;understated&#39;. You may not exactly be bowled over when listening to this, but there&#39;s no way you won&#39;t at least be charmed by its simple beauty. &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=11/12]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:57:49 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Demo of the Week: Gold Bears</title>
<description><![CDATA[With a sound that fits somewhere between Superchunk and the Faintest Ideas, of course I think this band is awesome! Plus, it&#39;s got ex-members of Plastic Mastery (another big fave) and Stew Boyracer on drums on the second track, so bonus!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/demo/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:56:46 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>[V/A] - "Home And Abroad Songs Vol. 1" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[Here&#39;s the first release on this new label from Connecticut whose goal is to help out bands from their home state, but like the comp&#39;s title suggests, this collection also includes songs from outside of their borders, with even a couple international groups. Many of these songs have actually been released elsewhere on albums and singles, but I was still introduced to a number of good new bands, such as Panda And Child, Submarine Spaceship and the Bynars. Other highlights came from Chariots Of Tuna (who I have been LOVING as of late), the Transmittens (one of the few exclusive tracks, and a real winner at that!), a song from the forthcoming Cavemen Go record (which just might be my favorite track of theirs yet) and the seemingly ubiquitous "Really Really Weird" by the Simple Carnival (this is the third comp I&#39;ve gotten that it&#39;s appeared on!). A fine collection of songs, and a good start for the label! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=11/15]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:58:22 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: January 21st, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[So I&#39;ve got a silly question: I signed up for a Twitter whatchamathingy for IndiePages, but what the heck do I post on it? What I&#39;m listening to? What I&#39;m reviewing? What I&#39;m eating? What does one do with these things anyways... ?<br /><br />Here, I&#39;ll post something now - we&#39;ll see if it&#39;s ridiculous or not...]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:03:15 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Free Loan Investments - "The Last Dance" 7" review</title>
<description><![CDATA[I&#39;ve gotta say - it&#39;s not too often that labels release a 7" with brand new songs from a band that broke up years ago (not counting the semi-lucrative reissue niche some labels have going on), and I seriously admire Magic Marker for getting these previously unheard FLI tunes out in the open! In case you don&#39;t remember them, or just missed &#39;em the first time around, the band is something of a supergroup (comprised of members from small, yet absolutely super groups, such as Nixon and the Shermans) from Stockholm who played short and catchy punky pop songs in the vein of Talulah Gosh, Vacaciones and the Besties, and released records on Shelflife and WIAIWYA. They even got to play a few dates in the US before they split in 2003! These songs were the last the band recorded, and fit in perfectly with the rest of the band&#39;s output. Make sure to pay attention to the accompanying download code, though (I personally usually ignore them), as it contains a bonus track that didn&#39;t fit on the single! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=4/4]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:38:54 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: January 24th, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[Oh man - not only is Jigsaw Records (the record shop) going well, but the label might be coming back, too! Right now, I&#39;m working on releasing the "lost" Spraydog record which was recorded a couple years back, but shelved. So exciting to be working with one of my favorite bands!<br /><br />Details to follow, but now might be a good time to bookmark the <a href="http://jigsaw-records.com/">website</a> and follow the <a href="http://twitter.com/jigsawrecords">twitter</a>...]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:43:15 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Watercolor Paintings - "Open Your Mouth" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[I have so many fond memories of this band from a fun weekend last summer (that could&#39;ve been a fun two months, had I actually been able to join Iji on tour), but this album will have to do until I see them again. They&#39;ve got a number of releases out, on 7"s and cassettes, but this debut cd of theirs is their best work to date. A few of the songs on here have been previously released in various forms, but these recordings capture the band at their best. Clocking in at just over 17 minutes, these ten brief songs are both super-sweet and heartbreaking ("Indiana" still gets me every time), with a fragile instrumentation of harp and ukulele backing Rebecca&#39;s dulcet voice (as well as her brother Josh&#39;s occasional backing vocals). A common complaint about this band is their tendency towards somewhat childishness in the lyrics (sometimes approaching Kimya Dawson levels), but apart from "Snail" (a song sympathizing with their demise by strollers or salt), that component seems to be kept to a minimum here. This is a gentle record that soothes me any time. &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=10/10]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:41:36 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: February 2nd, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[No update in a week - sheesh! The old me would&#39;ve been stressing the hell out about that, and, well, that&#39;s why the site imploded last summer. Now that I&#39;m taking it easy with self-imposed deadlines and rules, I can just update the site when I have time. Which unfortunately seems to be never these days, thanks to the record shop planning/preparations, recording the next Iji record and an increased dayjob workload! Oh well, it&#39;s a good kind of busy...]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:48:33 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Spencer McGillicutty - "Games" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[This Spencer McGillicutty fellow is not a fellow, but rather a large collection of musicians from Minneapolis. The core of the group is two boys and two girls, with the music fleshed out by over a dozen friends on a variety of instruments, including all flavors of percussion, brass and woodwinds. Their sound is firmly rooted in the sunny and swinging &#39;60s, with influences coming from a range of the era&#39;s best girl groups, beat groups and songwriters (think Bacharach, Walker or Diamond). The lead vocals are mostly female (with two different lead singers), but everyone sings a ton of backups, including a fair share of bas, das and even some shooby-doo-wops! My only problem with the record is that a few of the songs sound just a bit too radio friendly, from the AM Gold-ready "Telephone Signals" to "Lock Myself Away" which might as well be an Olivia Newton-John or Anne Murray ballad. But with jaunty tracks like "Claire Carnaby", "Secret Best Friend" and "Hide And Seek", I&#39;m more than willing to overlook a couple duds... &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=8/11]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:47:48 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Demo of the Week: Boshus</title>
<description><![CDATA[You know when you go and see a band, and their ten biggest fans are in the front all shouting along to the lyrics? That&#39;s what this band sounds like all the time. These guys seem to have more singers than instrumentalists, which only adds to the fun and even adds a wee bit of chaos to these otherwise simple pop songs!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/demo/</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:15:50 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Bunnygrunt - "Matt Harnish & Other Delights" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[Ever since their return five or so years ago, Bunnygrunt have been transforming themselves into a solid rock and roll band (the surprise for me wore off long ago, but it&#39;s always fun to watch an older fan&#39;s reaction when they see them again now). Their previous album, "Karen Hater&#39;s Club", started this trend, but was a really disjointed and even almost incomplete record to listen to. A couple intermediate singles showed the band was improving, but this new record proves that they have found exactly what they were looking for. The days of cute pop are long behind the band (though they&#39;ll never lose their mischievous sense of humor), and in its place we have an amazing power pop record. It&#39;s Karen&#39;s songs that are taking the spotlight this time around, with "Where Eagles Dare Pt.2", "You Get What You Get" and "The Limits Of Southern Hospitality" ranking among the best I&#39;ve heard from her, but the recent live staple "1000% Not Creepy" (a Matt song from the Wee Pop! EP) is another standout track. Finally, a record to match the band&#39;s fun and energetic live set! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=9/10]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:59:32 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: February 22nd, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[Oh dear - I just realized it&#39;s been nearly three weeks since I last updated! Well, things have been mighty crazy around here. This weekend has been spent getting furniture & supplies for the store, working on the new Jigsaw website, compiling orders for distro stock and building shelves, among other things.<br /><br />Oh, and I joined another band, too; I&#39;m now the live drummer for Math & Physics Club, who are just wrapping up their second record and are planning some shows this spring/summer! (And the new record&#39;s really great, of course!)<br /><br />There will be updates soon - I&#39;ve got a great idea for new sounds, but just need to find the time to do it. And the reviews, too, I know. You should see the area around my desk (or at least where my desk would be, if you could see it). Also, I&#39;ve been staying up *way* too late these past couple weeks. Wonder if that&#39;s why I can&#39;t shake this cold. It&#39;s now officially the longest-running cold I&#39;ve ever had for as long as I can remember in my life!<br /><br />Okay, sleepy snoozy-snooze time...]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:33:54 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>A Million Years Ago - "1000000000000000000000000000" cs review</title>
<description><![CDATA[I was introduced to this Seattle band last summer by playing a show with them, but regrettably they broke up not long after (though they recently played another show, so hopefully that previous statement is false!). Before they split, however, they managed to record this cassette (though it was self-released posthumously) containing nine energetic tracks that I already knew after seeing them live only a couple times. The band&#39;s a three-piece, consisting of guitar, keyboard and drums, though while listening to these songs, you&#39;d never know they were mising a bass player, thanks to Jordan&#39;s clever synth parts. If I had to describe the band&#39;s songs in a word, it would have to be "anthemic". Between their big sound and the the catchy songs, it&#39;s impossible not to sing or shout along once you&#39;ve got even a minor grasp of the lyrics (seriously - try sitting still to "You Got A Heart" or "What You Are"). Anyways, seek this band out! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=9/9]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:50:36 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Update: March 1st, 2010</title>
<description><![CDATA[Okay, I really really started out today with the intention of clearing out all of those Februarys to my left here (oof!), but unfortunately the day did not go as planned... After an especially irritating project, an ill-fated shelf-building incident and one heavily-medicated (but still persistent) headache, all I have to show for it is this one review I did this morning before things turned sour. But what a fine record it is...<br /><br />On the plus side, I finally kicked that pesky cold! Two weeks - the longest I&#39;ve ever had a single cold in my life by a factor of three! Seriously, I think I recovered from my wisdom teeth removal and sinus surgery faster... What the hell happened to my once-superb immune system?! The past few days were spent in a day/ny-quil & decongestant haze, as I finally gave up late last week and bought all the over-the-counter medicine I could. Not sure if it was that or the seemingly endless sleep I got as a result, but I&#39;m glad to be able to go fifteen minutes without coughing again...<br /><br />Okay, more updates later this week - for real!]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:10:53 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>New Century Schoolbook - "The Happy Detective" 7" review</title>
<description><![CDATA[The debut album from this Portland group was nice, but never really grabbed my attention. This single, however, shows that the band has improved tenfold since then, with all three songs sounding great and each one of them proving themselves as A-side material (I certainly don&#39;t know how the band could ever choose!). The title track is a driving little pop song with punchy electric piano and bassline, sounding like a slightly softer Salteens. "Icebergs" is the other song on the first side, and is a subtler song with a memorable flute melody. On the flip, we&#39;ve got "The Vetting Process", which is a grand affair comparable to something from the first few Belle & Sebastian or Decemberists albums. Oh, and the whole thing comes on nice, grey marble vinyl - definitely a single to check out! &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=3/3]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:45:54 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Snowstorm - "Snowstorm" cd review</title>
<description><![CDATA[Most of Kevin&#39;s music that I&#39;ve heard in the past (and most of the Monotone catalog, for that matter) has been pretty low key and quiet acoustic stuff, and though this is still acoustic-based, the songs are quite upbeat and catchy. So it should come as no surprise that it&#39;s my favorite thing that I&#39;ve heard from Kevin to date! Though this is a solo release, there are usually at least two guitars playing together (often doubling or even exchanging melodies), along with frequent keyboards and drums (or at least some form of percussion). Still pretty lo-fi, of course, but it does sound really good overall. Musically, I&#39;d have to say the closest resemblance is to the early Moon Socket stuff, but with a little more consistency and without the extraneous sounds. Plus the songs are all pretty short, so we&#39;ve got ten of &#39;em in twenty minutes! Though the band&#39;s name may suggest winter, this is more for the winter days when the sun is shining bright and you can go out and enjoy the foot of snow all around you. &nbsp;<b>MTQ</b>=10/10]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:22:54 -0800</pubDate>
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<title>Demo of the Week: Phase 4</title>
<description><![CDATA[Delightful jaunty bedroom pop from somewhere in the UK that reminds me a lot of the Silly Pillows.]]></description>
<link>http://www.indiepages.com/demo/</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:44:25 -0700</pubDate>
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