Album: Born Again Revisited

Artist: Times New Viking

Label: Matador

By their fourth album, Times New Viking’s dogged loyalty to blowing out every level on the board is starting to seem less like scrappy spontaneity and more like a well-worn aesthetic groove.  As usual, their appeal rests on the ability of solid pop songcraft to shine through the sh*tgaze haze-some tracks make it, some don’t.  A pretty standard TNV album, all told, but if you haven’t heard them before, consider this your introduction to one the first and best bands of the ‘oos lo-fi revival.  Times New Viking has soared to the top of the charts this week.

This is KSPC’s #1 album for the week of October 26, 2009.

Album: Help

Artist: Thee Oh Sees

Label: In The Red

This album is yet another lo-fi, semi-psychedlic, garage rock release, but this one actually stands apart.  John Dwyer has worked to balance his various influences, allowing the album to be catchy, but not cheesy, and rough around the edges without sounding amateur.  Maybe it’s because of the wide range of groups he’s been in, but this album is focused, mature, and a lot of fun. Thee Oh Sees have floated all the way up from number 17 until finally making the jump to number one this week.

This is KSPC’s #1 album for the week of July 20, 2009

Click here to see what else has charted at KSPC this week

Mandy’s Performance Quality Scale- C+
I have seen many shows during my two years at the Claremont Colleges. There have been highs and lows in terms of performance and band personality, and after many months I have created a Performance Quality Scale in my mind. Ponytail at The Smell on 10/10/08 being at the high end of the scale and Band That Shall Remain Unnamed on 11/22/08 in Dom’s Lounge, Pomona College at the other end of the scale. On this scale, Nathan “Wavves” Williams lands somewhere in the middle.
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