A Better Mousetrap

Spiderbait Spiderbait LP Reviewed by Brent D. Tharp   Oh musical gods, why hast ye forsaken me? Once, long ago, in a place where only vinyl and 8-track tapes existed, a band’s first album was titled using the band’s name, i.e., eponymously. That’s how we got Bread, Boston, [The] Chicago [Transit Authority], [Fresh] Cream, Supertramp, Buckingham Nicks . . . […]

Run Brothers Run

Wheeland Brothers Muchos Mahalos LP Reviewed by Brent D. Tharp   The musical landscape is littered with acts that are ubiquitous, and sadly, completely interchangeable. Many also claim some distant but unexplained California nativeness. At the risk of generating skeins of hateful email from the feel-good music crowd, I include John Mayer and several others in the aforementioned categories. Then […]

album review: Sonia Rao, Los Angeles Part I EP

[New Music] Sonia Rao, Los Angeles Part I Tweet   Indie X   Release Date: September 17, 2013, digital download and CD   Release Events: Los Angeles—September 12; San Francisco—September 20; New York City—October 5   Reviewed by Brent D. Tharp   Sometimes, the choice of an album title conjures up all sorts of past-life imagery. Sonia Rao’s sophomore effort, […]

album review: Kut U Up, Worse Than Wolves EP

  Chill Punks   Release Date: July 2, 2013, digitally and on limited edition 12” black-and-clear swirl vinyl EP   Reviewed by Brent D. Tharp   Local San Diego band Kut U Up* have chilled out. Apparently, it took a while. More than ten years have passed since they put out Pulled Over…Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son, and starred in […]