Features

Feature:

Fairmont: Okay with Not Making It. Fairmont is on a much different track through the industry than most, and they're just fine with that.

Interview:

Don Juan Dracula: Back and Better than Ever. DJD discusses their break-up and reformation, their new album, and what makes a perfect performance with Nick.

Article:

Trouble Books: An Appeal. An open letter to Trouble Books, asking for more info on their cryptic selves.

Unlikely Guitar Solos. The 80's pretty much killed the solo, but it struggles on in the music of many indie heroes.

Responsible Buying and the RIAA Radar. A neat website to help you determine if you're buying indie or not.

Column:

March Singles Reviews. Nick and Declan make sure no band falls through the cracks: Triple Entendre, The Vincent Black Shadow, and more.

Weird, Weirder, Weirdest. A slightly less absurd (but no less hilarious) month of odd press release and strange government actions is chronicled.

Mixtape:

IC Mixtape 1: Top Ten Unsigned Hall of Famers. An indie-rock mixtape compiled by Stephen, ready for your consumption. We'll even send you one for free.

Well, Now That You Asked:

Why Does Your Scene Suck?. It's because you don't do anything but complain, kid.

Editorial:

Music Obsessives and the Lives They Lead. An essay praising the highs and decrying the lows of the double-edged sword that is music obsession.

Chart:

Top Ten Unsigned Chart. A purely subjective chart of who's the best artist on Purevolume.com right now.

Featured Album Review

Plotz! - Extraordinary Renditions

Combining an absurd amount of influences from the gypsy party tunes of the Balkans to dance jams that rock, Plotz!'s Extraordinary Renditions is a thirty-six minute experience of instrumental virtuosity sure to impress even an experienced listener.

New Album Reviews

Ringer T - All Too Well

A near-perfect transcription of the sound of a broken heart in a beautiful Americana style.

ReedKD - The Ashes Bloom

Infectiously catchy songs, poetic lyrics, and deft pop sensibilities characterize this experimental folk-rock.

Hero Pattern - The Deception EP

Indie/pop/rock that succeeds in almost every way possible, resulting in an EP that anyone who enjoys the genre will love.

Writer - Cover Your Tracks

Shuffling, beautiful, slow-moving yet distinct indie-pop from this magnificent threesome.

A Cat Called Cricket - Here Comes Another Melody

An album full of well-crafted, intimate, listenable folk.

Alphabeat - S/t

Relentless energy and gleeful pop hooks abound in this excellent pop album.

Joshua Marcus - Make/Believe

Beautifully written folk melodies and harmonies guide this banjo-heavy album.

Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position

Folk/synth pop songwriter poised to break out of his cultish status with this polished, excellent set of tunes.

Jacob Furr - Form & Distance EP

Mellow tones and meditative lyrics anchor these coffee-shop acoustic & blues tunes.

Logh - North

A beautiful rock album that shows Logh progressing from guitar worship to good songwriting.

Denelian - Demos

Breaking out of new-wave worship, Denelian appears as a shimmy-inducing dance-punk machine.

Dover - Follow the City Lights

A giddy pop/dance record that doesn't press boundaries but impresses nonetheless.

Army Defense - 77' World Tour

A well-developed, well-produced, well-written album with one indie-pop song for every country in the world. Seriously.

Lucky Soul - Ain't Never Been Cool EP

Sugary pop that keeps one foot in the past and one in the future without being over-the-top.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Arcade Fire surpasses the hype by writing genuinely great rock'n'roll on their proof-bearing sophomore disc.

Jann Wilde & Rose Avenue - Tokio Okei

Fun, powerful glam-rock that pulls from many genres to strut their stuff boisterously.

Lobster Records Presents - Gems

A solid collection of innovative rock/indie/pop, a la Over It, Park, and Staring Back.

Pleasure - Pleasure 2

A delicious dancehall diatribe that proselytizes the gospel of the 80's like no tomorrow.

Sebastian - The Vintage Virgin

A perfectly paced pop record that has everything you expect it should.

Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob

The Chiefs avoid the sophomore slump but lose some of their freshman charm.

Vayikazu - It Begins

Solid pop punk with some clever instrumentation but a need to develop a unique sound.

Deal by Dusk - Thread to the Torn

An avant-garde rock genre-colliding collage of Dylan, Hendrix, Grohl, and more.

Naomi Hall - Love Full of Punches

A talented electronic-influenced rock album with beautiful vocals and piano.

Springhill - Contemporary Theories

Pop/folk that has some great individual pieces but lacks a full, interesting effect.

Fangboner - A Joke Gone Bad

Lewd, loud and loving it, Fangboner play a mixture of punk and 80's rock that doesn't strike home.

The M.U.T. Show - To a Town Near You EP

Pop punk with a great amount of energy and comedy that falls a little short.

Dick Taut and the Ripcords - The Sage-Quest of Unknown Mustang

Ridiculous experimental pop doesn't meet with much success.