Author Archives: Jon Rooney

Interview with Carlos Forster, Who Is Touring the West Coast

I reviewed Carlos Forster‘s new album, Family Trees, last year on this very blog. A couple of years ago, I wrote a short, somewhat random posthumous tribute to Forster’s former band, For Stars, on Fensepost. Forster is about to set … Continue reading

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2011 in Review: New Is New, Old Is New and Lulu Is the Future

A couple of weeks ago I asked a friend what she thought would end up being the consensus album of the year.  A potent combination of aging, new fatherhood, acute self-absorption, and YouTube-fueled distraction kept me from really having a … Continue reading

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Album Review: Western Ghost House – Kaleidoscope Tower

Western Ghost House - Kaleidoscope Tower (2011, self-released) Western Ghost House‘s second release,  Kaleidoscope Tower, is a tasteful, thoughtful collection of songs from a young Austin band that evokes the likes of Calexico, Shearwater, and Papercuts. Brooding, cowboy-esque opener “Varicose Veins” … Continue reading

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We are all Absolutely Kosher

Last week, venerable Bay Area label Absolutely Kosher announced that they would cease releasing new music this fall due to financial hardship and the inability to find a model that makes running an independent label viable. While not a mega-indie … Continue reading

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Album Review: The Foghorns – To the Stars on the Wings of a Pig

The Foghorns – To the Stars on the Wings of a Pig (2011, Knick Knack Records) Count this review as another in a long line of conflicts of interest here at the Blog ‘o Wax. The Foghorns are a Seattle … Continue reading

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Album Review: Carlos Forster – Family Trees

Carlos Forster – Family Trees (2011, HUSH Records) Carlos Forster once led a fantastic, woefully unheralded band called For Stars, about which I’ve written wistfully elsewhere. It’s been 7 years since the release of For Stars’ swan song, It Falls Apart, … Continue reading

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Album Review: Jack Shriner – Dismember​/​Remember

Jack Shriner – Dismember​/​Remember (2011, Self-Released) On Dismember/Remember, Seattle-based Jack Shriner (as heard on Ball of Wax volumes 12 and 17) augments some pretty classic pop song conventions with smatterings of fuzz, synth outbursts and largely interesting instrumental asides. Opener … Continue reading

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Album Review: The Shivers – More

The Shivers – More (2011, Silence Breaks) The Shivers, whose many virtues have been extolled on these virtual pages, return with a new full-length, More, on a nascent Brooklyn imprint called Silence Breaks.  On More, Keith Zarriello and Jo Schornikow have … Continue reading

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Album Review: Art Deco Cathedrals – Every Pain & Every Pleasure

Art Deco Cathedrals – Every Pain and Every Pleasure (2011, self-released) Portland’s Art Deco Cathedrals makes sparse, purely instrumental music with plucked strings, reverb, and the occasional drum machine. Rather than the quiet->less quiet->kinda loud->loud loud->quiet comedown arc of contemporary … Continue reading

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Discover the Magic of Multiples

Brooklyn-based the Magic of Multiples (heard on Ball of Wax Volumes 19, 23, and the forthcoming 24) is one Alex Drum, a lo fi classicist in possession of the indisputable formula for fuzzy, charming bedroom pop.  The goodness found all … Continue reading

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