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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Seely Winter Birds Koch By: Eric G. Seely sounds like Stereolab only on the most basic level; careful listening reveals that Seely inhabits its own unique and heavily stylized world. The bass tones and the propulsive rhythms are warm and fleeting while the guitars pluck out beautiful arpeggios that float above the fluttering soundscapes. Electronic […]

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Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai Directed By Jim Jarmusch Artisan By: Eric G. There is no way to tell from the previews how stylish this movie actually is. All you see is Forest Whitaker swinging a sword alone on a dank rooftop covered in pigeon shit. The promotional company obviously didn’t market this […]

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Knodel The White Hole Spongebath By: Eric G. Any band that purports to emulate the doctrine of Phil Collins and ends up sounding like a mutant mix of Six Finger Satellite, Gary Numan, and Kraftwerk is all right in my book. Knodel is a trio from Portland, Oregon, but the band claims its hometown is […]

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Bald Rapunzel Diazepam Resin/dischord By: Eric G. It’s hard to get past a name as awful as Bald Rapunzel, but, luckily, the band is much better than its turgid appellation would lead you to believe. Led by the soulful voice of Bonnie Schlegel, Bald Rapunzel fuses D.C. post-punk tendencies with haunting pop melodies. This debut […]

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The Ruby Doe The Flame And The Fury Burnout By: Eric G. If you’re looking for a relentless yet melodic assault on the ears in the vein of Karp or Mule, then The Ruby Doe is your band. The Flame And The Fury is full of explosive guitars and pounding rhythms. The vocals are guttural […]

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Devo Dev-o Live rhinohandmade.com By: Eric G. The importance of Devo cannot be overstated in modern music. Countless bands have dug deep into the Devo songbook and taken the band's innovative cues to create splinters of the de-evolutionary process. This CD combines two promotional live albums and one commercially available EP that has long been […]

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