Turtles are among my favorite animals. Some of the best albums are recorded in bedrooms. So, when I saw Alex Full Of Wonder’s album cover for I Am A Turtle, I knew I had to write about them. Only 58 people like this music on Facebook? What’s wrong with the world today?
Lowercase Noises from Albuquerque, New Mexico is a refreshing take on experimental, ambient, drone, post-rock. Multi-instrumentalist and producer Andy Othling has been gathering quite a many fans recently on Facebook, and his latest project, the five-track album “Vivian”, is really worth the recognition.
I haven’t enjoyed modern Reggae and Ska in quite a while. I spent most of my live in Knoxville, TN, a town which held a “Ska Weekend” every year and attracted bands from all over the country. That scene was great, but it wasn’t really anything I could enjoy very long without being at a show. That sort of third-wave Ska was mostly punk influenced, and that tends to be what I associate with Ska.
However, The Blue Hornets are no such punk rockers. They list their genre as Reggae / Rock Steady / Ska. Those are three very different genres originating at quite different times in Jamaica with quite different associations, but just the fact that they listed all three instead of Punk or Rock shows their interests. The Blue Hornets are solid musicians, writing solid, fully enjoyable songs. Read more about The Blue Hornets
I’m sitting in my bed, it’s sort of rainy outside. I need something to eat, but I’m too apathetic to get up. What should I listen to? Aaron Lewis. This guitarist/composer has been writing some of the most beautiful mood music for various ensembles around Albuquerque for a while now.
Read more about Aaron Lewis
This Albuquerque quintet does a nice '90s-inspired psych rock, drawing upon the likes of Jesus and Mary Chain, Archers of Loaf, and Adorable, with a vocal delivery reminiscent of The Long Winters. Their debut single released earlier this month is a promising start already. And I've got to say, they wear one of the better band names I've stumbled upon in a while.
WasteLand InKorporated describes themselves as Punk/Psychedelic/Hip-Hop/Rock, and it’s easy to see what happens when you combine all of those genres in the songs on their Myspace.
Do you like garage metal? If you do, then you should definitely check out Tenderizor’s album “Touch The Sword” for eight tracks of desert thrash noise. It’s great when a band calls itself something you can’t help but immediately agree with.
Tenderizor’s first track begins with 8-bit guitar arpeggios, and when you think there couldn’t possibly be more lead guitar parts, swoops in with droning whole notes. After almost a minute and a half of suspense, chords blare and “Hellucination” begins in earnest. Vocals begin well after the three minute mark, as does a pounding bass drum. This is indeed desert thrash noise.
The Shins are one of the biggest bands in the history of the Albuquerque music scene. They are one of my absolute personal favorites as well, and they’re going to be making a new album in 2012. You can be sure that I will review it in detail the week that it is released.
Read more about The Shins Side one off of Glowhouse's two-track EP Slow Tide channels whispery pop vocals into slow, thick ambient grooves. It's a weird little hybrid of a track that does nicely for itself despite its disparate sources.
Read more about Glowhouse - 'You Are Alone' 
What does a band that is influenced by Romania, Turkey, The Kings, and Duke Ellington sound like? The answer is Albuquerque’s A Hawk And A Hacksaw. This Balkan Folk band is sure to appeal to anyone who likes horns, exoticism, or Beirut.
Read more about A Hawk And A Hacksaw