We here at SIC have watched a few of our music-babies grow up right before our eyes. And while we’re absent parents most of the time, just visiting these kids when either convenient or prompted to, that doesn’t mean in the least that we don’t love ’em just like the day the popped, all doe-eyed … Read more
It’s no secret – Speakers in Code doesn’t exactly “specialize” in the hip-hop genre. But that’s cool, we throw our folk-game like we were born with a golden harmonica in our mouths. But sometimes, even WE get a little run down listening to all those ladies and gents slinging-acoustics, and we need something that’ll spark some new movement from … Read more
Lo-fi melodopop is the recorded equivalent of the small club concert. Inherently entrancing, it tricks the listener into feeling they’re somehow participating in the creation of the music. In the case of “Lonely Richard,” I feel like we’re waxing lyrics while our lady strums her guitar. And maybe it’s the boobies above, but that lady is … Read more
“I started writing music late, probably early 20’s. I just didn’t want to do anything else, it’s relatively simple” We are so glad you did, Jesse. This Austin based, self-produced folk artist is cleverly captivating and irresistible. Jesse Woods music certainly has much more creativity than the normal acoustic folk sound. Winning over the support … Read more
And I’ll tell the world, How great you are. That you saved me life, And you ruled my heart. Based out of the UK—a clash of folk, acoustic, soul, and all around beauty reveal a new trio that is hard to compare to any other. I has stumbled upon The Intermission Project purely out of … Read more
I first listened to “Carissa” on a bitterly cold and snowy day in North Carolina. I was snowed in with the wife, working from home on the couch, watching the snow blanket our normally green and sunny area with a silky-smooth coating of fresh powder. Strangely, a neighbor (I’m guessing) skied down our street for exercise I … Read more
No matter which holiday, if any, you celebrate — I’m pretty sure we can all agree that “Christmas” music beats any other December-based-festive-music out there. Hell, I spend 99% of the year complaining about each and every religion on earth, but I spend the entire month of December spinning records that celebrate baby Jesus by everyone … Read more
Northwest guitar pop, like brunch, comes in many forms. It can be bright and shiny like some poached eggs sided by a lil’ cantaloupe. It can be heavy and bloated like some pain perdu topped with homemade creme fraiche. In the case of S’s “Brunch” its best comparison is probably Quiche Florentine and one of those fancy … Read more
Pull me down if you want to And I hope that you want to Cause I want to be your man And I want to say it loud You can show me where trouble goes Tell me secrets only trouble knows Cause you want to be my girl And you want to say it loud … Read more
Sufjan Stevens released his “All Delighted People” EP with little fanfare, just prior to the arrival of The Age of Adz. The EP offered us “Heirloom,”a poignant ode to the past and the promises of love. It is exactly the kind of song to play as you gather around your family’s table and reflect on … Read more
It’s freaking Friday, y’all, and it’s been a looooong, hard week. So, let’s throw on a record that not only has some kickass licks but also possesses an ample amount of boogie to get that ass movin’ when the sun goes down. Psych rock warriors Pond have provided us with the perfect Jam of the … Read more
I can’t walk through the harrowed halls of the high school where I teach without feeling the lingering, raucous spirit of White Rabbits drifting between classrooms and custodial closets. Okay. Kidding. But, I still love the fact that I live and work where Greg Roberts and Jamie Levinson hit puberty and rocked out in … Read more
Just to want it, And not to need it, Makes me let it go. But then you let me in, And I don’t want it. But you made me believe it. So do I really? Do I really? Brooklyn’s Snowmine drifted onto my radar one random day while I was cruising Bandcamp. Something told me … Read more
As Mary kinda-said yesterday, the word pop, when used in certain musical circles, can be compared to one of those naughty words that can’t be spoken on network television. And while corporate radio and talent shows have helped us foster this hatred for an undeserving musical genre, there are still those glimmering hopes — the … Read more
Listening to pop music doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure, especially when it’s good. Ellie Goulding has matured on her new album Halcyon, hitting the sweetest spots while singing about life’s lowest blows. It’s a 1-2 punch to the gut with uppercut beats and emotive left hooks. Funny enough, my favorite track on the … Read more
It’s pouring in Nashville. Weather for reflection. As I approach my one year anniversary in this town, I’m reminded of all the changes that have occurred. Memories of time spent out West fill my brain, while an appreciation of Southern comfort settles deep in my belly. If my life is a movie, the band scoring … Read more
Thinking back over the last decade, we’ve come a long way as a society. Gay marriage is becoming more acceptable (although not fast enough), medicinal marijuana is being prescribed for everything from glaucoma to phantom knee aches, and we have a president who balls instead of riding horses around his ranch. But one thing lacking … Read more
Ever look around a meeting and wonder what’s going on inside the heads of the people who surround you? They appear to be mentally present, and cognizant of the meaning of the words they are nodding their heads to, but I have a feeling that most of them are either: A) recounting the previous night’s … Read more
Song is not a history of voice, but of breath. – Anna Moï Throughout our lives, we stand still and we move in a constant state of transformation. Photographs, language and music accompany us, marking our evolutions. Charcoal lines on door frames. UK-based Alt-J (∆) meets metamorphosis head on; the delta symbol itself signifying change … Read more
I’m here to love you, but I don’t know what that means. I just want to feel what I feel, not wonder if it’s real… I want you to be real. Call me romantic, delusional even, but I believe in soul mates. This summer, for the first time in my life, I’ve felt that thing … Read more
Louisiana’s Royal Teeth haven’t been playing music together long, but listening to their EP “Act Naturally,” you get the feeling that they’ve been horsing around since birth. On “My Donna,” the sextet’s chemistry is undeniable, the harmonies effortless. In fact, it reminds me of the tea parties I would host in the backyard as a … Read more
Shai Halperin is the man behind Sweet Lights. What is it about discovering new musical polymaths like him that makes me smile like I did as a kid on Christmas morning? His is a multi-dimensional and complex sound made by just two hands and feet, ten fingers and toes. It’s walking into a dark living … Read more
“Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. Alice: I don’t much care where. The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go. Alice: …So long as I get somewhere. … Read more
Photo credit: Rob Stephenson Ocean Carolina is the Brooklyn-based creation of singer-songwriter-producer Michael Simone who began performing as a solo artist in good ol’ North Carolina in the late ’90s, before moving to New York in 2002. And almost ten years later, we have the result of his experiences both performing in the Tarheel State … Read more
As of spring 2010, Blake Sennett, had quit music. Abandoned it completely. No more Rilo Kiley, no more The Elected. The former guitarist and songwriter focused his efforts elsewhere, writing and directing a short film, moving out of his house of twelve years, and taking in a rescue dog affectionately named “The Baby.” Music was a … Read more
Back in 2008, a lot of heads turned to clock Crystal Stilts‘ Alight Of Night, their first album after a string of here-today-gone-tomorrow singles and EPs. It wasn’t exactly a surprise – Crystal Stilts felt like part of a new age dawning of underground collectives and random crazy groups who’d rediscovered the joys of noise-pop. … Read more
Gifted with a voice that is as much sandpaper as it is silk, Wylie Hunter has taken his talent to the next level by also wielding a heavy pen. His lyrics are intimate and poetic, and play well beyond the songwriter’s twenty-three years. And the highs and lows that he speaks of are matched by … Read more
Floating. Fluttery. Sparse. Intimate. All words that have been used to describe the music Lia Ices creates, and while all are spot on, I hear a quiet reservation bubbling below the surface of her songs. And while they are melodic, and whisper-quiet at times, the energy behind the effort is palpable. As you hit repeat, … Read more