It’d be a shame if Shearwater’s ultimate legacy was as Okkervil River’s de facto kid brother. Originally envisioned as an artier side project for the wordy indie-rock artisans of Okkervil, Will Sheff and Jonathan Meiburg, Shearwater has evolved considerably. A lot that’s due to the amicable division of labor between the two bands: Meiburg has emerged as Shearwater’s figurehead, while Sheff generally keeps to Okkervil River these days, and under the tutelage of their respective artistic directors, both outfits have […]
Indie Rock
The Singles Bar: I Come To Shanghai’s “In Your Own Way”
Nostalgia is in. With bands like M83 and The Radio Dept. dusting off many a drum machine and synthesizer, it’s fair to say that a reverence for the past is common building block for most modern bands. Music, in a way, is like your favorite cocktail. You stick with what you know, but it’s the twist that sets itself apart. That’s not to say that this Athens, Georgia-based duo sounds anachronistic by any standards. Conversely, I Come To Shanghai has the penchant for implementing the “blips” and […]
Who The Hell Is…Bear Ceuse?
I am far from a hipster (or even a blipster), but based on what I know about the skinny-jeans scene, there are a lot of bears out there, and I’m not talking about bears of the Yogi variety (or of the hairy leather wearing variety, either.) From the massicely successful (and reasonably dope) Grizzly Bear to upstarts I Wrestled A Bear Once, people do dig themselves some bears. Enter Bear Ceuse-the New York based band has gotten quite a bit […]
Spin Cycle: Joseph Arthur’s “Redemption City”
Joseph Arthur is a prolific mad genius. Like contemporaries Ryan Adams and Robert Pollard, Arthur is a man who simply can’t seem to help making music. He once described songs that made up the four EPs he released in 2008 as “strange animals in a cosmic cage begging for release”; he released an album a scant seven months ago; and now, seemingly out of nowhere, he’s dumped Redemption City on his devoted fanbase as a free digital download, and surprisingly to […]
The Viewfinder: Bon Joviver’s “You Give Love A Bad Name”
Here at Popblerd, we enjoy using our Viewfinder and Singles Bar columns to highlight new and exciting tracks for your listening pleasure. We also like drawing attention to videos that make music nerds giggle. Bon Joviver falls into the latter category. As it turns out, Bon Joviver is exactly what it sounds like: an uncannily accurate facsimile of the bearded folkie who made Popblerd’s Top Album of 2011, singing the irrepressible New Jersey rocker’s mega-hit “You Give Love A Bad […]
Spin Cycle: Little Barrie’s “King Of The Waves”
Album Reviews / Indie Rock / music / New Releases / Pop Music / Release Dates / rock music / Spin Cycle
’60’s psychedelia mixed with The Von Bondies and a hint of Social Distortion fronted by the current guitarist of Primal Scream? That’s Little Barrie for ya in a nutshell. On King Of The Waves, the band effortlessly mesh surf rock with the indie garage aesthetic to create and album that has roots in the past but steadily moves headfirst into the future. Produced by Edwyn Collins (Yes, THAT Edwyn Collins) at his studio, Little Barrie’s third album travels to contemporary […]
Spin Cycle: Craig Finn’s “Clear Heart Full Eyes”
Craig Finn’s new solo album is out tomorrow. Does it measure up to the standard set by The Hold Steady’s catalog?
Spin Cycle: Of Monsters and Men’s “Into the Woods” EP
There’s more to Iceland than Bjork! Check out Of Mice and Men, who have a new album out now!
Spin Cycle: BLACK TAXI’s “We Don’t Know Any Better”
I almost feel bad for the rest of the artists releasing new music in 2012 because BLACK TAXI’s sophomore record, We Don’t Know Any Better, is gonna be hard to top. I’ve had this thing for over a month now and I still can’t stop listening to it (Hence all the write-ups here). We Don’t Know Any Better is addictive, it’s fun, it’s elegant, it’s dirty, it’s… seriously, if this album doesn’t make it onto most top 10 of 2012 […]
This Year’s Coachella Lineup Is Hipster Heaven!
After several false-alarms and Photoshopped posters, the official lineup for the 2012 Coachella Music and Arts Festival has been released. For the first time, the festival, which takes place in Indio, California, will be stretched out over two weekends; beginning April 15th-18th and finishing April 20-22nd. This is likely to accommodate for the large crowds (last year the the attendance record was estimated at about 100,000 people) that travel world-wide for the outdoor festival. Each weekend will have identical lineups, […]
Calculating Hipsterdom: Determining Your Overall Hipster Magnitude (OHM)
A little over a year ago, I wrote an editorial piece about Pitchfork’s cultural hegemony and the “dullard hipster masses” that keep it afloat, arguing that the collective idiocy of Pitchfork’s readership was responsible for their stranglehold-verging-on-monopolization of the critical tide. It was part of a long line of anti-hipster rants and ravings I produced before taking an extended sabbatical from music writing (which I took to fulfill my lifelong dream of sleeping on a couch and working retail). I’ve noticed a lot […]
The Singles Bar: The Shins “Simple Song”
James Mercer and The Shins have a new album coming later this year. Check out the first single, “Simple Song.”