The psychedelically syncopated sounds of Cleveland’s mr. Gnome draw on a visceral mix of contrasting textures. Masculine and feminine, soft whispers and shrill yelps, pounding drums and soothing lullabies combine to form a discursive indie-rock collage. The duo’s jagged symphony of sound has them compared to a scattershot of artists ranging from Portishead, Cat Power, Massive Attack, and Joanna Newsom, to Death From Above 1979, Blonde Redhead, Sonic Youth, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Micachu / Vultures
The first song I heard from this talented little lady from the U.K. This song abruptly shifts multiple times but somehow always makes sense in the end. I love music that surprises me.
If These Trees Could Talk / What’s In The Ground Belongs To You
Our good friends from Akron, Ohio. This is the first song off of their new album. They create some incredible textures and layers that build within a song and manage to be beautiful, climactic and heavy at the same time. We heart them.
Joanna Newsom / Sprout and the Bean
I was actually compared to Joanna Newsom for some time before I even knew who she was. She plays these complicated harp parts while singing twisted tales from her heart. She sometimes reminds me of Lisa Simpson and it is awesome.
Otis Redding / These Arms of Mine
Otis Redding may have the greatest voice of all time. He sang like a man who had lived for centuries. This is an extremely timeless song and artist for me.
Beat the Devil / Shine in Exile
This excellent Brooklyn band called it quits not too long ago. A good friend of ours in Seattle introduced us to these guys. Extremely creative and catchy, and her lyrics are very honest without taking herself too seriously.
Built To Spill / Goin’ Against Your Mind
The first song on their amazing album, You In Reverse. One reason I love this track is that after introducing the verse and chorus, they deviate from this structure and go off on these long jam sessions that aren’t typical or boring. Every note in this song seems to make sense and just connect you to the beginning again. We’ll be on tour when they come to Cleveland. I am very sad about this.
The Good, The Bad and the Queen / History Song
This record was one of my favorites of 2007. This track kicks off the album and introduces the fusion of the U.K. super group and the magic of Danger Mouse.
The Frogs / Grandma’s Sitting in the Corner with a Penis in Her Hand Going No, No, No, No, No
This song may be extremely ridiculous (can you tell by the title?) but I’ve never laughed so hard while listening to an album. My sides still hurt. Thank you Johnny Cop for introducing these guys to us.
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