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Unstable Shapes (Album Release Tonight!)

After several years of honing their craft live, and a series of singles, locals Unstable Shapes are dropping their debut Delicate Machinery on Learning Curve Records today. The 10-song album propels through a solid 38 minutes driven by jagged guitars, tight muscular drumming, melodic bass and raw passionate vocals. Right from the opener, “Prince Kissinger,” you can hear the band’s influences…

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The Weather Station (Show Tonight!)

Toronto’s The Weather Station, led by Tamara Lindeman, has refined and grown its sonic palette of folk, jazz, and ambient music over the course of seven albums and a range of different players. This year’s Humanhood album dropped in January, offering a new set of dreamy sounds accompanying Lindeman’s intimate and beautiful vocals. The visuals for the single “Lonely” take the song’s low-key jazz…

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The (Local) Fresh Five: Mean Magic, Matt Monsoor, Vespen, Maddie Thies/Lucas Rollo, and Full Catholic

For the Fresh Five we pick out five great new(ish) jams that we’re currently obsessing over. All of these songs come from local (Minnesota) bands/artists. II by Mean Magic Mean Magic are a local rock quartet that released their debut way back in 2014 and at least online have not released anything since. Until now. II is a new collection of songs that mixes up garage and psychedelic rock with…

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We Went There: Hard Quartet at First Ave

I’m not sure if they actually like each other as much as they seem, but I can hope. I have really like the debut, self-titled album from Hard Quartet, the indie-rock super group featuring Stephen Malkmus, Jim White, Matt Sweeney, and Emmett Kelly, dudes who have played in some of our favorite bands of the last 20 years. Their record is slack rock, Big Star-esqe power pop, fuzzy indie rock and…

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Photos: Year 1: A See/Saw Party at Eagles 34

Year 1: A See/Saw Partywith Retail Simps, Judy and the Jerks, Neo Neos, Artificial Go, 208, Abi Ooze and PanelEagles 34, Minneapolis, MNApril 5th, 2025

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Review: Anthony Newes' "Love Songs About Love"

Last month local songwriter Anthony Newes released his follow up to 2022’s excellent In The Dark of the Sea EP. Love Songs about Love is an EP consisting of five new songs which Newes self-released with contributions from Chris Bierden, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Ryan Young, and Paul Nevins.  News describes the new tunes as “mostly sample-based, electronic love songs, layered with analogue textures.” If…

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Photos: La Femme | Sam Quealy At The Fine Line

La Femmewith Sam QuealyThe Fine Line, Minneapolis, MNNovember 16th, 2024

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Listen to "The Rain" By Pew Pew (formerly Total Gaze) and Catch Their LP Release Show TONIGHT at Zhora Darling

Pew Pew is the new name of the band formerly know as Total Gaze, and the group is reintroducing themselves with a new LP called They Crumble. You can listen below to “The Rain,” a buzzing, two-minute ditty that showcases their scuzzy, shoegaze-y punk. To celebrate the release of their new LP, the band will be joined by Battery Eyes, Engine Summer and Unstable Shapes for what should be an awesome…

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The (Local) Fresh Five: Time Room, dre dk, Mouthful, Kaitlin Cassady, and Cariah Brinaé

For the Fresh Five we pick out five great new(ish) jams that we’re currently obsessing over. All of these songs come from local (Minnesota) bands/artists. Yeehaw!!! by Time Room Time Room is an excellent local art punk group whose 2022 album Something New I highly recommend. They have a new single out last month called “Yeehaw​!​!​!” It’s a mix of garage rock and angular post punk that really…

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Photos: Sadness at Underground Music Venue

Sadnesswith Kaldeket, Gates of Dawn and Pain SeminarUnderground Music Venue, Minneapolis, MNOctober 27th, 2024

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Listen to the Cacophony of Guitar Noise of "Dust From the Minds" From Ava Mendoza's New LP The Circular Train (MINNEAPOLIS SHOW TONIGHT!)

I find saw/heard Ava Mendoza as part of the outstanding live version for the Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet, an album (Music for Four Guitars) that became a band with a surprise Tiny Desk hit that became a live album. Unsurprisingly, all three members of the Quartet that joined Orcutt are serious players doing interesting, challenging and genre-expanding work. Following great albums earlier this…

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The Fresh Five: Being Dead, Caribou, Porridge Radio, Dua Saleh, and Adrienne Lenker

For the Fresh Five we pick out five great new(ish) jams that we’re currently obsessing over. Last year’s When Horses Would Run ended up being one of my favorite albums of the year. So I was pretty psyched to hear that Texas’s Being Dead would already be releasing another this year. EELS came out a couple weeks back and it’s fantastic. Album opener “Godzilla Rises” wasn’t one of the singles per…

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Watch a Video From "If You Hear Me Crying" Off (*year end list spoiler alert*) Album of the Year Diamond Jubilee by Cindy Lee

I shouldn’t be so sure, as there are two months left in the year that could see some epic, life-changing album dropped into my lap, but I feel fairly certain that my year end list will be topped by Cindy Lee’s amazing Diamond Jubilee, which has somehow eclipsed even the silly hype surrounding it’s release earlier this year. While some of the specifics around the album (like it not excising…

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Photos: Mdou Moctar | FACS At First Avenue

Mdou Moctarwith FACSFirst Avenue, Minneapolis, MNOctober 14th, 2024

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Tape Tuesday: Günter Schlienz's Sunny Electronic Spa Soundtrack Kurpark

In my experience local label Lighten Up Sounds creates music on the more dark and ominous side of the spectrum, but their latest release couldn’t be more sunny and joyous. The tape, Kurpark by German sound artist Günter Schlienz, is a soundtrack for/from a health spa park (side note: what is a health spa park and why don’t we have them here?) that is as sparkling and felicitous as anything I have…

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We Went There: Moor Mother at Walker Art Center

Moor Mother, the nom de guerre of artist Camae Ayewa, brought her project The Great Bailout to the Walker Art Center on September 14th for the pieces first ever performance in the United States, and it lived up to the hype. Bringing together an all-star eight piece ensemble of performers from across the country, the group performed the piece for the first set, then expanded into a jam session…

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Listen to Samples from Moon Drones, the New Drone Not Drones Curated Vinyl by American Cream Band and Caldwell/Tester (Release Show TONIGHT!)

Over the years the Minneapolis-based Drone Not Drones has expanded from a yearly concert to a place where new music is being released, and now they’re venturing into releasing their first ever vinyl. It’s two side that each feature long drones, with a musical/spiritual connection to the moon. I’ll grab the full expiration from the release, written by local artist Michael Gallope, to explain the…