Music

Much like their name suggests, The Postmarks‘ debut disc is the stuff of lost love letters, perfume-soaked postcards, and twenty-something hopefulness. It’s downright infectious.

It would almost be too easy to compare Notes to Fugazi’s 13 Songs, except for the fact that its not nearly as good. The album starts off with a cool little noisy bit called “Tinnitus” before diving headfirst into “post hardcore.” I am not even sure if I know what that means except for it usually sounds a lot like Fugazi.

The Advantage, the world’s finest Nintendo cover band (no offense obscure electronic outfit Kraftkäse), are back again with another jam-packed full-length of eight-bit soundtrack romps. The guitar/guitar/bass/drums arrangement does the original tunes more justice than one would imagine, and man, does it rock.

Hailing from the West Coast, singer Goapele (gop-pah-lay) arrives with her second full-length release, Change It All. Combining a unique voice and musical dexterity, Goapele carves her own niche into contemporary music.

I first learned about the little-known magic that Jens Lekman makes during an interview with some adorable local Boston heroes known as Pants Yell! Slipping into Jens Lekman’s world was like climbing into a warm bath after a long day.

The best thing I can say about Latterman is that they sound like a watered-down punk version of Jawbreaker’s Unfun. This album was originally released in 2002, and since then has been out of print until the fellas decided to re-release it.

It’s been two years since Sicbay’s last release, and one has to wonder exactly what happened in that time period that would result in such a mellowing out of their sound. Forget about the Nick Sakes of Dazzling Killmen, much less Colossamite, this is a new, calmer animal.

I first remember seeing Mother Hips at a house party in Chico, California in about 1991, and they weren’t very good at all. A few years later, they played at a bar in Santa Barbara, California, and boy, did they get good.

This record is fucking sick. Donovan Quinn and Glenn Donaldson are geniuses. This is the album that Brian Jonestown Massacre should have made, instead of the crappy one they just put out. Amon Duul are freaking out on this.

In the tradition of Blue Note revisited and Verve remixed, Impulse is the latest Jazz label to jump onto the remix wagon in hopes of turning today’s youth on to the old sounds of jazz. In the 60s, Impulse was considered hip with its “new thing” sound.

It’s somewhat interesting that given his successes, Pinback mastermind Rob Crowe is still in need of further musical outlets. With last year’s Summer in Abaddon bringing the band’s popularity to new heights, it was hard to imagine a project like Goblin Cock in Crowe’s immediate future.

Don’t you hate it when the first song on an album temporarily delays the realization that you’re about to sit through 52 minutes of boredom?