Dutch Elms

I can’t find out a damn thing about the Dutch Elms, but does that really matter when they purvey such pristine pop? No indie snobbishness, no “we’re making art” pretentiousness; just jangling, dancing, harmonizing fun. This pop is as pure as it can get.

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Dirty on Purpose

Dirty on Purpose are at once oddly familiar and distressingly hard to put a finger on. American Analog Set meets Modern English? Yo La Tengo meets Arab Strap? Or Belle & Sebastian meets Clan of Xymox (…I know, don’t ask)? Or is it just me? They are crisp and clean, their guitars and vocals soaring above the driving rhythms. So listen to “Mind Blindness.” If you like, then and only then download “Monument,” as it’s a miserly 80 kbps.

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Rocketship

Ah, Rocketship… Back in 1995, Sam and I were college roommates and I bought a Rocketship 7-inch. I should have bought two copies, ’cause I listened to the song “Naomi and Me” so much that today that vinyl is unbearable to listen to, with all the hisses and crackling from overplaying. So, Sam, as you listen to these songs, just close your eyes and think back to our room and the Kylie Minogue poster on the wall.

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Ulysses

To be fair, if we do one Apples’ side project, we’ve got to another, right? This time it’s Robert Schneider, going where no Brian Wilson has gone before, and that’s rock ‘n’ roll. Quite a change of direction, but this is probably what he sings in the shower.

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Figurine

Just to help get us through the rough time waiting for a new album from The Postal Service (someone please tell me there’s gonna be another one), here’s a gem from the past of Jimmy Tamborello under his stage name of James Figurine. With pals David Figurine and Meredith (you guessed it) Figurine, their stated goal was to sound like Depeche Mode. Fortunately they ended up more of a Severed Heads/New Order/Aphex Twin hybrid.

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Volcano, I’m Still Excited

Comparisons are usually poor. However, just imagine a four-way intersection in a small town, the only intersection in town. Now imagine that Modest Mouse, Human League, Peter Hook, and, let’s say, an ice cream truck are converging on this intersection. Well, Mr. Hook, the crazy Brit, is driving on the left-hand side of the road! From the resulting crash emerges Volcano, I’m Still Excited.

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The National Splits

Let us celebrate the midpoint of summer with the National Splits. Mike Downey of the famed Chicago popsters Wolfie decided to go his own way a few years back, hence the National Splits. Perfect for BBQing, pool-crashing, and road tripping.

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