Two parts garage rock, one part pop, one part wow, shake well, and you’ve got The Stedwells.
Indie Rock
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Interview: Alex Northrup and the Backup
In advance of Alex Northrup and the Backup’s two upcoming concerts at The Spirit Room and Small World Books, Alex Northrup recently spoke about Jon Lewis Band’s impact on The Backup and the
surprising source of Northrup’s songwriting inspiration.
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Album review: ‘Somnium’
Walrus Junction ‘Somnium’ Self-released facebook.com/WalrusJunction From the opening seconds of “Somnium,” the upbeat energy of the music clings to you like a welcome scent. Walrus Junction makes the kind of well-crafted, melodic rock that might be easy to discredit as pop pleansantries, but the subtle intelligence of the songs makes them hard to forget. With […]
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Album review: ‘Purblind’
Hinkley ‘Purblind’ Self-released hinkleysounds.com Hinkley’s latest, full-length offering, “Purblind,” is an enigmatic album that evokes the homespun warmth of folk and Americana without belonging to either genre. What we get instead are sophisticated rock songs featuring simple, charming vocal melodies and full, harmonic textures in the guitars and keyboards; Will Veeder’s voice frequently recalls that […]
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Album review: ‘Ennui’
Animal Sounds ‘Ennui’ Self-released animalsoundsband.bandcamp.com You could label Animal Sounds’ style as “indie rock,” but it’s a bit of a misnomer that sells the maturity of the music short. “Ennui” is a fun, but understated record, with the local five-piece band (featuring guitarist Shawn Brogan of Jon Lewis Band) riding the brake and not getting […]
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Album review: ‘Don’t Stick Around’
Fortunato ‘Don’t Stick Around’ Self-released wearefortunato.bandcamp.com Although only 22 minutes in duration, Fortunato’s new EP “Don’t Stick Around” is a complete artistic statement, packed with emotional moments and sideswiping climaxes. The four-song set is like a dark body of water electrified by a ray of indigo light shining down. Although no longer in the band, […]
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Album review: ‘Purple, Green, and Yellow’
Anamon ‘Purple, Green, and Yellow’ Self-released anamon.bandcamp/com On its recent platter-that-matters, “Purple, Green, and Yellow,” Rochester band Anamon invites the listener into the ether and reverb. The atmosphere envelops the dismissive, yet sincere vocals of frontwoman Ana Emily Monaco. The weaponry wielded wonderfully and wildly within is that of a classic rock ‘n’ roll quartet. […]
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Interview: Leland Sundries
New York City band Leland Sundries wears its heart on its sleeve most unapologetically. Whether it’s wielding influences from the city they inhabit–Jim Carroll Band and the Velvet Underground–or giving a nod to non-Gotham superheroes like The Replacements, Leland Sundries is a band of geographic reference and irreverent humor. It looks like New York, it […]
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Pandafan takes indie rock down to its roots
When Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused blackouts on Long Island, Grace Denatale and Delaney Hafener resorted to old-timey entertainment with their friends. They grabbed a guitar and started singing. The lights eventually came back on, and Denatale and Hafener kept playing together and developed Pandafan. Combining indie rock songwriting and folk instrumentation, Pandafan paints a […]
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Fresh Cut: ‘Little Girl’ by Sam Nitsch
“Little Girl,” the first single off Sam Nitsch’s “Conscience,” is an innocent love-ballad for a teenage crush
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Fresh Cut: ‘Faberge’ by Vacation Daze
Some bands spell out their influences on their sleeves, but Vacation Daze sounds like a grand composite of different genres. It’s evident on the band’s new track, “Faberge.”
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John Valenti perfects a suave persona on Passive Aggressives Anonymous’s ‘The Mauve Album’
When John Valenti sings, he sounds like a man who perpetually walks around with cocktail-in-hand as he haunts some candlelit speakeasy.
