New Wet Kojak Do Things Beggars Banquet By: Eric G. Ignoring the smarmy joke factor inherent to this band, New Wet Kojak manages to overcome its self-imposed limitations with solid songwriting and dynamic playing. Scott McCloud and Johnny Temple from Girls Against Boys lead this quartet down the lounge path with hyper cool riffs and […]

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Sick Bees My Pleasure Up By: Eric G. Some bands have that unique ability to sound completely disturbed without really being showy about it. Sick Bees is one of those bands. On the surface the sound isn’t too unfamiliar: bipolar, discordant guitars, strained female vocals, and volatile dynamics, but at the core is true damage. […]

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John Dugan D!1 Her Magic Field By: Eric G. John Dugan’s solo debut EP (after having left the Washington DC trio Chisel) is a weird amalgam of Britpop, post-punk, and ambient prog rock. Dugan assumes the role of multi-instrumentalist here, playing everything himself, despite being predominantly a drummer. The weakest aspect of his talents is […]

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Sweep The Leg Johnny Sto Cazzo! Southern By: Eric G. The cacophonous skronkfest known as Sweep The Leg Johnny is a beautiful brutality. This band adheres to very little in the way of traditional structure. It’s no free-form festival of noise- it definitely has structure, but the musical direction is often unpredictable. The band’s influences […]

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Bangs Sweet Revenge Kill Rock Stars By: Eric G. Sweet Revenge would be if this album took over commercial radio. Bangs churns out old school Ramones-style punk and inserts a fifties bad girl flare along with some of the catchiest hooks to come out of the Northwest in a decade. With Sarah Utter and Maggie […]

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Maquiladora White Sands Lotushouse By: Eric G. Maquiladora explores a lo-fi, ghost-town-saloon aesthetic not too unfamiliar but slightly askew with a whole host of vintage instruments and versatile voices, creating an album of remarkable craft and beauty. The band certainly takes cues from Neil Young, Tom Waits, Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen and probably even Mercury Rev. […]

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Hefner Boxing Hefner Beggars Banquet / Too Pure By: Eric G. Hefner is a pure pop outfit that plays the self-deprecating songs of Darren Hayman. Hayman’s voice is very English and very strained, but he delivers his heart-felt musings with a tone not too unlike Jonathan Richman’s exaggerated inflection. Hefner’s inherent cleverness brings Belle And […]

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