Pop Matters Loves What Hearts Debut LP!

"Portland’s What Hearts is the brainchild of one Julie Vitells, a singer-songwriter who wrote the 10 songs that appear on her band’s first full-length album, which is self-titled, in a converted schoolbus named Marjorie. It turns out that it must be a magic schoolbus (like the kids’ cartoon show), because the songs that appear on What Hearts are stunning and beautiful. They shimmer and shine, a kind of marriage between the Velvet Underground and the jangle rock of the Byrds." Read the full review over on Pop Matters!

The Pack a.d.'s "Unpersons" Named One of The Top Five Canadian Albums of 2011 On Pop Matters

"In the past, the Pack A.D. have generally been known as the kind of gutsy, ramshackle garage punk act that, while a guaranteed good time, still carry very little cerebral resonance. But on Unpersons, the band dives deep into the gutters of their psyche and tell the kind of harsh break-up story we’ve all experienced. Unpersons simply articulates that universal pain, anger and frustration." Read Pop Matters complete list right here.

Pop Matters Reviews Shelby Earl's "Burn the Boats"

"With songs that transcend trends and musical boundaries, Shelby Earl’s Burn the Boats is a fine example of a singer-songwriter who has honed her craft to a fine point and whose songs are both touching and inspiring." Read the complete review of Burn the Boats on Pop Matters.

Street Eaters Interviewed on Pop Matters!

"Our self-imposed equipment limitations, which have remained basically the same since we started, have always left a certain amount of sonic space open. To fill it, we use things like cascading vocal harmonies, open bass strings, layered distortion, and melodic tom tom-centered drum parts. I’ve only played bass in one band before [Harbinger], and that was a long time ago, so since I really wasn’t much of a bass player before this band, my entire style has been developed in response to our particular sonics." Read on for the full interview with Street Eaters on Pop Matters.

The Pack a.d.'s "Unpersons" Reviewed On Pop Matters

"Singer/guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller of Canadian duo the Pack A.D. manage to, uh, pack a lot of meaning into the title of their fourth full-length, Unpersons. In the broadest sense, they subsume their identities for the great glory of being in a kickass band, and in the process place themselves in the pantheon of messy garage punk ‘n’ blues ‘n’ roll." Visit Pop Matters now for the complete review of "Unpersons," and just in case you missed it last time around, their latest video "Take" is up there as well!

Pop Matters calls the new Solvents' album a lo-fi masterpiece!

"Based in the tiny coastal town of Port Townsend, Washington, Solvents offer up a compelling mix of acoustic and electric tunes on the self-released debut, Forgive Yr Blood. Built around the vocals and guitar of Jarrod Bramson, filled out with Sascha Landis on drums and Emily Madden’s expressive violin, Solvents take the listener through a varied musical journey. Lo-fi production adds ambience to Bramson’s urgent delivery on songs like “Forgive Yr Blood” and “Empty Vessel Blues”, while unexpected bursts of distortion enliven “Soft Reminders” and “We Were Guests Here”. Through it all, Bramson reveals a strong sense of melody, making the best use of his rough-hewn, often distorted voice and the band’s chosen sonic palette, which is substantive but never flashy. By the time you reach album closer “The Coastal Plain”, with its rumbling drums, siren-wail guitar, and mumbled vocals, you realize you’ve just sat through a record made by a hell of a band. Forgive Yr Blood is anti-arena-rock made perfect. It’s a small-scale, lo-fi masterpiece." David Maine, Pop Matters

Pop Matters heaps praise on Hosannas!

Pop Matters weighs in on Then & Now & Then... click to read the full review.

"Like Brian Wilson, these guys love harmony and revel in both the simple joy of a sound, and the power that comes from intricate layering. With Hosannas, though, there’s something far more dissonant to what they are doing. Even as the melodies are warm and inviting, the sounds around them cool and spread out, adding a lonesome air to even the biggest, most bracing tracks."