• Indie,  Pop

    Brent Randall and his Pinecones

    I dipped into the inbox tonight and discovered this little gem from Halifax, Nova Scotia’s own Brent Randall and his Pinecones. Hell yeah, Brent and Band. It’s a catchy, dreamy little ditty and I thought I’d pass along…oh, and there’s…

  • Local,  Pop,  Roots Rock

    Tractor Pull Divas

    It’s time to spread the word about some quality music in my neck of the woods here in Arizona.  I don’t do it enough.. Tractor Pull Divas hail from Chandler, one of Phoenix’s ‘burbs just southeast of the city. They’ve…

  • Trashcan Sinatras
    Laid Back,  Pop

    All the Dark Horses

    This tune came out of nowhere one day, swooped me right up and carried me along with it. Beautiful song, beautiful lyrics, and judging by the strong 2004 album that this song is a part of (‘Weightlifting’), a grossly underrated…

  • 100 Words,  Indie,  Pop

    100 Words on “Daylight”

    I honestly don’t think that I’ve ever taken a cue from MTV but I was flipping through the channels and came across the video for “Daylight (mp3)” by NYC hipster hype du jour Matt & Kim. The hook was embedded…

  • Pop

    One Last Song

    The return of American Idol (and my overall ambivalence towards it) reminded me that 2009 will bring the release of young Josiah Leming‘s record. You may recall Josiah as the most talented contestant to not make it past the second…

  • Ick's Pick,  Pop,  Rock

    Ick’s Pick (Week I): Glasvegas

    One of my resolutions for the new year – other than cutting down on the mass consumption of junk food – is to listen to one new album release every week. That’s where that super clever title up there comes…

  • Pop,  Punk

    My, What Cute Lepers

    Okay, well, this band hasn’t grabbed hold of my love handles like the Hawaii Mud Bombers, but the Cute Lepers (besides the catchy moniker) lay down a nice brand of retro pop-punk. Their debut album for their new label, Blackheart…

  • Pop,  Prince,  Rock

    New Wendy & Lisa: Balloon

    Prince may have dropped Wendy & Lisa from the band back in the 80’s, but the ladies certainly never hung it up and called it a day. They’ve released a number of well received albums over the years, and contributed…

  • photo of George Michael
    Live,  Pop

    Review: George Michael in Phoenix, June 22

    You know what’s entertaining to me? The looks I got from people over the last couple of months – some of them close friends of mine – when they found out I was going to see George Michael in concert.…

  • BritPop,  Funk,  Indie,  Pop,  Rock,  Video

    Levi Goes *Pop*

    I was recently implored to check out Pop Levi, whose music was described to me as “Bowie meets Prince.” Ummm…sign me up! Only a year after his first full length, The Return to Form Black Magick Party, Liverpool’s own Levi…