Tried to get this up last night after watching more episodes than intended of Jericho Season 1 on DVD -- just couldn't shut the damn TV off, somehow -- and I couldn't do it; sorry, y'all, for this being a bit down-to-the-wire. sigh... I wanted to make absolute damn sure to get some new reviews online today, at the very latest, specifically so I could rant & rave about holy-fuck-they're-good pop-punk-folk duo The Femurs. I must confess that I'd initially set the band's album, Modern Mexico, aside for one of our writers after a cursory listen (this is what you do when you're the editor, yo), and only picked it up again when I saw the band listed on the schedule for tonight up at The Mink.

And dear lord, am I glad I did. Having the CD spinning near-continously for the past three days or so has almost made me feel less like the heel of The Man has crushed me down this week, and that's a very, very nice thing. The Brothers Femur (not their real name, obviously) play a desperate-sounding, fast, impassioned (but not, mind you, emo) kind of folk-pop with totally "clean" guitars, driving rhythms, a smart-guy smirk, and the best, most picture-perfect pop sensibility sense, well, Fountains of Wayne. The songs these two guys throw out are smart and romantic without the irony, sweet and beautiful and head-nod-inducing all at the same time. They're like The Ramones, if The Ramones listened to a hell of a lot of Jonathan Richman or Nick Lowe. I could go on and on, but instead I'll aim you towards the brand-new review, up here.

Now, of course, I'm struck by a terrible dilemma -- hang out with the fam at the house this evening, like I'd initially planned, or risk my wife's displeasure by bailing and running over to The Mink to catch the band, along with cool-as-fuck locals Something Fierce & Teenage Kicks, as well as headliners Teenage Bottlerocket & Broadway Calls. So basically, I have to choose between an evening of catchy, garagey pop-punk heaven and, uh, marital bliss. Dammit...

Anyway, we do have some more new reviews up, as well; sorry to get off-track, there. On top of the Femurs disc, there're also reviews of a cool new album by The Milwaukees, the long-awaited full-length from Chris Thile's Punch Brothers project, and a solo disc from ex-Erase Erratta frontwoman Jenny Hoyston (who, sadly, was scheduled to play this week but had to cancel due to illness striking down one of her band members). Good stuff, all, I swear. And if I can bolt myself back to the computer at some point later on this weekend, there'll be a couple pretty new live reviews up here, too, so check back for that. Here's the whole deal for now, though:

Reviews: The Femurs; The Milwaukees; Punch Brothers; Jenny Hoyston; Cricket; LEK; Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity; & So They Say.

Check back soon, y'all.

Labels: Pseudo-Reviews, Random Rambling, Reviews, Things To Do

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