New Album Review: Efterklang's Magic Chairs Anglofiles, May 24, 2010 It’s a nod to a Jorgen Leth film more than anything else, but Magic Chairs does seem like the perfect thing to name your record if you’re Efterklang out of how it evokes both a sense of wonder and ... Slash and The Titans A Side,May 04, 2010 What do Ozzy, Lemmy, Iggy Pop, Chris Cornell, Kid Rock, and Dave Grohl all have in common? These titans of rock all appear in the debut solo album, the self-titled Slash ... A Slice of Sugoi from Shonen Knife March 22, 2010 The female group started out as a tribute band to the Ramones, fueled by vocalist Naoko’s passion for punk rock. It’s remarkable how their rise to cult status in the 80s influenced much of the alternative... New Album Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks Indiscreet, February 23,, 2010 If you follow this thread regularly (and why wouldn’t you?), then you will remember at the end of my bands to watch in 2010 review, I asked; ‘Where are the jetpacks and robot slaves we were ... The Real Tuesday Weld Discount Bin, February 5, 2010 Loosely defining their music as ‘antique beat,’ The Real Tuesday Weld’s style is highly regarded, and some of their songs have been used in short animation films, TV, and advertising. Extraordinary ... Fresh for the Picking: Top New Singles in Asian Popdom for 2010 February 2, 2010 We're officially saying goodbye to the boy band troubles and plagiarism woes that plagued Asian acts in 2009, and happily raising a bubbly to the new music that will hopefully make this year... Elephant Stone’s ‘Hindie’ Rock Discount Bin, January28 , 2010 This Montreal-based indie rock band’s name is an obvious ode to The Stone Roses, but the band has influences that do extend beyond what’s apparent. Lead singer and ethnically Indian multi-... Puya’s Fundamental:Metal Mayhem from the Carribean Discount Bin, January 18, 2010 The band name Puya sounds almost tribal, and the music they make partly is - it’s visceral and spontaneous. Their sound is the bastard offspring of two genres, both poetic and evocative ... Vampire Weekend’s Second Album: A good rollercoaster long lines that ended too quickly A Side, January 12, 2010 After the success of their debut album American indie band Vampire Weekend look set to once again redefine what we expect from the indie vgenre. Contra, the band’s second album has just ... Bands to Watch Out for in 2010 January 10, 2010 What really counts is what hot new music we’re going to be humming along to as the earth splits apart and John Cusack flies past you in a limo. So here it is, the much-fabled shortlist of bands ... JYP's Sad Freedom December 29, 2009 You can blame Park Jin Young for that inescapable bubblegum ditty stuck in your head, and the dancing frenzy that goes with it. The Korean singer-songwriter, also known as JYP, is the force ... Top 5 Pixies Songs: A Big Big Love December 20, 2009 On the 20th anniversary of the Pixies’ debut album, let’s look back at the alternative rock band’s Top 5 most memorable songs ... Mull Historical Society December 17, 2009 Mull Historical Society is the nom-de-guerre of one-man Scottish indie band Colin Macintyre. He hails from a tiny island of Mull off the coast of Scotland, and the offbeat name actually comes from ... Cat Empire December 15, 2009 A sextet backed on tour by a solid horn section and string section, a massive rotation of guest artists, a turntablist, and a bevy of dancers, Australian indie band Cat Empire is a revelation as an already ... The Top5 AsianBoy Band Singles of 2009 Top 5, December 14, 2009 There’s no other place in the world where boy bands thrive as successfully - with sparkles on top - as they do in Asia. 2009 witnessed the unstoppable domination of K-Pop and J-Pop boy bands across ... Uh Huh Her Is this electropop duo pretty good or pretty plain? A Side, December 12, 2009 They are hot. That much is undeniable. They are the women you either want to be or want to be with. Meet Uh Huh Her - an electropop duo composed of the stunning blonde Leisha Hailey and the ... When Stars Align: Them Crooked Vultures’ Debut Album Review Indiscreet, December 8,, 2009 The rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures (TCV) comprises rock ‘n roll juggernauts Dave Grohl on the drums, Josh Homme as lead vocalist and guitar, and John Paul Jones, of legendary American ... The Drums: The Happy American Indie Band A-side, December 4,, 2009 American Indie Band The Drums is all about having fun and their sunny optimism is evident in Summertime! -- a six-song collection that could easily be a soundtrack to any vintage beach party ... The Weepies: American Indie Duo Indiscreet, November 23, 2009 American indie duo The Weepies is getting more and more inseparable from success ... New Album Review: Hsu-nami’s The Four Noble Truths A-side, November 22, 2009 In Hsu-nami’s second album The Four Noble Truths, the Asian-American band proves that the real test of a group’s music-making philosophy isthe extent of how far the strings can be pulled without ... SHINee Happy People Dancing Orientation, November 20, 2009 Korean R&B just got quirkier and a lot more fun in SHINee’s new mini-album, Year of Us ... Peanut Butter Bets On Hawthorne A Side, November 16, 2009 American Indie artist Mayer Hawthorne is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from California. His current body of work has had critics and fellow musicians comparing him to ... Ally Kerr: Rising UK Indie Artist Extraordinaire Discount Bin, November 14, 2009 Ally Kerr is one of the fastest-rising UK Indie Artist to come from Scotland. He’s getting some much-deserved recognition with his second album Off the Radar that was released in 2008 ... Hwanhee Bares H Soul Orientation, November 13, 2009 Hwanhee is no longer the other half of high-flying Kpop duo Fly to the Sky, but his mini-album ‘H Soul’ shows he’s comfortable taking the solo flight. A darn good singer and ... Dinosaur Pile-Up: Indie Rockin’ with an 8-track Recorder Indiscreet, November 7, 2009 Dinosaur Pile-Up, the UK indie band who released 'The Most Powerful EP in the World' recorded their songs with an 8-track recorder... Clazziquai: A Much-awaited Comeback Orientation, November 8, 2009 Clazziquai keeps its finger on the pulse of electronica with the new album Mucho Punk. They’re far removed from their days as a Korean indie band, having found a place in a music scene ... The Mathematics of Little Boots Chick Picks, November 2, 2009 Victoria Hesketh, a.k.a. Little Boots, makes every lovelorn song seem to be made of lyrical and musical genius... Scrubb Behind Your Ears Discount Bin, October 31, 2009 Thai power-pop and rock group Scrubb highlight their softer side on the brilliant ‘Best of’ album... Loney, Dear: Swedish Indie Artist Discount Bin, October 31, 2009 Emil Svanängen, a.k.a. ‘Loney, Dear’ is one of the many indie musicians who came from Sweden - where they probably have more indie-music artists per square mile than any other place on Earth! The Hardy Souls Indiscreet, October 31, 2009 The Hardy Souls are among the many great Scottish bands who continue to bring new sounds to the indie scene ... Youth Group: Not Your Average Indie Act  from Down Under Discount Bin, October 18, 2009 The Youth Group were virtual unknowns from Australia until the American teen tv drama The O.C. picked it up and started playing the band’s cover of ‘Forever Young’ by Alphaville incessantly for ...

Super Junior finally earns the ‘Super’ title Orientation, October 18, 2009 Sorry, Sorry, the third album from K-pop super boy band Super Junior (nicknamed by fans as SJ or SuJu), has conquered Asia with its more mature sound, sleek production, and insistent ...

Arashi Storms into the Decade Orientation, October 18, 2009 Arashi is thankful. For one phenomenal group in Jpop entertainment, it's been a stormy yet fortuitous ride through ten years of maddening boy band existence ...

Haymaker: The New Grunge Sound A Side , October 18, 2009 There is one place above all others when you think of grunge music - Seattle. The city that gave us some of the most influential and successful bands of the 90’s is still seen by many as a music ...

Mary Win’s Golden Harp and My Everyday Soundtrack Chick Picks, October 18, 2009 A thought I love to dwell on is that life should be equipped with an omnipresent music player with a personal playlist for each individual.  Whenever something significant would happen, this ...

Skunk Anansie: Of Skin, Grit, and Rock Anglofiles, October 18, 2009 Skin scares me. Skunk Anansie’s fiery frontwoman has the kind of demeanor that would intimidate grown men. It is the same kind of female aggressiveness that she brings to her music ...

Tears of a Little Fox Orientation, October 18, 2009 Mahasmut Bunyaraksh: So On Dry Flower Music, 2007. Little Fox exposes the softer, more vulnerable side of Thai performer Gene Mahasmut. His latest role as folk musician perhaps ...

The Hsu-Nami: Face-melting Er-hu Rock Discount Bin, October 18, 2009 Anyone with an appreciation for experimental rock should sit up and pay attention because The Hsu-Nami is unlike anything you’ve heard before. This Taiwanese-American group ambitiously ...

To Taiwanese Pop Singer Alexander Lee Hom Wang Chick Picks, October 18, 2009 It was an ordinary day. Being bored, I was typing random phrases into Google search – ‘funny cats’, ‘famous chickens’, and finally, ‘hot Asian singer.’ It is undeniable: fate played a part in ...

Allow Him to be  'Prank' Orientation, October 7, 2009 I thought my earphones were broken. The pair cost me a thousand flat, and yet I wasn’t getting that crisp hi-fidelity sound I’m so accustomed to.  Perhaps my discman is suspect ...

The Ballad of Day Cart Indiscreet, October 7, 2009 That’s a Jim Morrison pose right there. In Day Cart’s MySpace page, Graham Madden greets visitors with his version of the lizard king’s self-effacing homage to himself ...

Did Ayumi Hamasaki Rule? Orientation, October 7, 2009 Jpop icon Ayumi Hamasaki is no stickler for convention. Her single ‘Rule’, which was the theme song of Dragonball Evolution, showcases her unperturbed dominance in the music scene ...

The Franks Indiscreet, October 7, 2009 Let’s be frank. When it comes to UK Indie bands, there are those who are great, and those who simply mimic the great. Some bands can convey emotions and sentiments in a new and ...

The Slants: Chinatown Rock Discount Bin, October 7, 2009 If you think everything that can be done has been done, you obviously haven’t heard this band. The band hails from Oregon and is possibly the only American Asian electroclash band around ...

Addictive Shock Therapy from an Electronic Rock Band Orientation, October 7, 2009 Thai band Nologo mixes post-punk riffs and bleeping electronica with dizzying infectiousness. Nologo’s third album, aptly titled Gravity,’ shows the band armed with heavier guitars ...

A Trip on The Subways Anglofiles, September 23, 2009 First time I heard of the Subways was in the music forums I frequent. From the name alone, I was thinking that their sound may be another attempt at the retro ‘70s rock The Strokes ....

Portastatic: Mac McCaughan’s Audio Journal Discount Bin, September 23, 2009 Side projects could be strange entities; you can never predict where it’ll go. Take Portastatic – a shining example of how underrated greatness could emerge from the periphery....

Hikaru Utada: The One That Got Away Orientation, September 23, 2009 When Japanese American singer-songwriter Hikaru made her US debut in 2004, her album ‘Exodus’ didn’t lead to the promised land of fame and stardom. A few years passed, she’s back ...

The World Needs More Intolerant Music Orientation, September 23, 2009 As the longhaired juggernauts of heavy music retreat to the fringes of mainstream, the genre of churning guitar riffs and skull-pounding drumbeats predictably takes a backseat. Once again, ...

Swing Boys A-ha! A-ha! Orientation, September 9, 2009 Thai pop upstarts August Band swing their way through teen love and heartaches with giddy horns and youthful abandon...

UK's Music Scene: Bubbling Under Anglofiles, September 9, 2009 A few weeks ago, electronica artist and hardcore vegan Moby got uncharacteristically crabby and declared that UK’s music scene is no longer sexy or exciting. He then continued lambasting it by ...

Sunday Ear Candy Discount Bin, September 9, 2009 This Chicago psych-pop septet would fit right into a playlist that has The Shins, Rufus Wainwright, and Belle & Sebastian. The band 1900s is arguably this generation’s spunkier version of ...