Bitmap is the solo project of one Luke Barwell, formerly of the British band Salako (not to be confused with former Crystal Palace, Coventry, and Reading winger John Salako, now at Brentford, if you’ll pardon the English soccer reference). For all of you out there wondering what Revolver would have sounded like had Beck been fronting the Beatles, with Brian Wilson as sound engineer, Bitmap’s latest album Micro/Macro will satisfy that curiosity.
Low on Fresh Air
Detroit Shows
Fancey
Fancey is the name of both the solo project and album of the New Pornographers’ Todd Fancey. Like many people his age, Fancey grew up listening to AM radio playing the soft rock hits of ’70s. In this day of ’80s plagiarism, Fancey and like-minded souls From Bubblegum To Sky provide a refreshing take on pop music. That New Pornographers sound is there, but throw in some Beach Boys, some Association, and some Todd Rundgren, and you’ve got that “Rock N Roll Rhythm.” Hmmm, makes you wonder what kind of music the kids of today growing up on Playstation/Xbox are gonna put out in another decade or two…
Subtle
I just scratched the post I wrote about Subtle when, upon doing a bit of research on the band, discovered that they were in a car accident while on tour in February, and their synth/sample player, Dax Pierson broke his neck and is going through massive rehabilitation. He received $2,000 from insurance and the wheelchair he needs alone costs $30K. So you can imagine the situation he’s in. A career as a touring musician doesn’t offer much in the way of insurance or stability.
His friends have set up a recovery fund to assist Dax in his healing and recovery. I made a donation, and it would be amazing if some of our readers could do the same. Check the site for all the info and for upcoming benefit shows. If you’re not able to support financially, download the tunes, enjoy, and send good vibes in Dax’s direction.
Say Hi to Your Mom: New MP3s Posted
Thao Nguyen
Imagine walking into the Nguyen family laundromat in suburban D.C. and hearing these sounds coming from behind the counter as young Thao honed her raspy lovelorn poetry between bundles of laundry. Man, I would have run up such a huge bill…
Youth Group
A mature, well-crafted, dark bit of pop by an Australian trio who, if they enjoy any kind of longevity, are gonna have to face the music when they’re not so youthful. Hell, it’s worked for Sonic Youth after all these years. Perhaps by invoking youthfulness, they actually tap into the fabled fountain. I back Woody Allen’s take on the matter when he says, “I want to achieve immortality by not dying.”