Wake The President - "You Can't Change That Boy" cd  (Magic Marker)
My introduction to this band was via the "Get While The Getting's Good" cd on Aufgeladen Und Bereit Records a few years back, which compiled a bunch of up and coming Scottish groups (it was also the first place I heard Bricolage) alongside a handful of more established ones. I remember liking their track on that compilation, but the songs on this record (which also contains a re-recorded version of that older one, "Mail, Alice") is considerably more exciting! Obvious comparisons include fellow Scots, Orange Juice, but they actually sound more Swedish in style - particularly the vocals in many of the songs - reminding me of Lasse Lindh, Ronderlin and Bedroom Eyes. Though with a name like Bjorn Sandberg, it's a safe bet that their singer's got some Scandinavian roots! They play jangly pop, but the songs tend to be a bit subdued, underlying the sound with acoustic guitars much of the time, though you'll still find plenty of electric guitar melodies. While in their softer moments, they sound a bit closer to Ballboy or the Delgados (especially in "Wake"). This is a fine debut album, and I thank Magic Marker for bringing it to our shores!   MTQ=9/10

Walker Kong - "Distant Lovers On Listening Stations" cdep  (Smoke + Mirrors)
Here's a nice surprise from out of nowhere! This ep is the second release from this MN combo. At times, they have a strong Postcard feel to them, sounding like later Aztec Camera and Orange Juice, as well as the Pale Fountains or Dislocation Dance. I'd say a closer (well, proximity-wise, anyways...) reference would be Jim Ruiz. Actually, the third song, "Televisions", reminds me a lot of the Talking Heads. Very full of congas & farfisas. Pretty fun-sounding cd, I'd say!   MTQ=3/4

Walker Kong - "There Goes The Sun" cd  (Magic Marker)
Last week, I was telling Curt from Magic Marker that I'd been listening to a lot of Flying Nun stuff lately, and he said that this new Walker Kong cd would be right up my alley. And it's true; both that I would like this, and that it's reminiscent of a few Flying Nun artists, particularly early Chills & Verlaines. In fact, a lot of this record has the feel of a record that was released many years ago, but you never knew it existed until now. It contains lots of farfisa & hammond organs, some occasionally manic guitar sounds, and a little violin and horns at times. Almost everyone sings in this 6-piece from Minneapolis, though it's the band's leader, Jeremy Ackerman, that sings the most. And I like almost every single song on this record, from the upbeat "Pulitzer Prize" to the minimal acoustic "Vivian Girls" (I'm not too into the disco feel of "New Fallout Fashions"...). This is their second full length, and fourth cd release, so let's hope that this is the record that breaks them out of obscurity!   MTQ=11/12

Walker Kong - "Transparent Life" cd  (Magic Marker)
This is Walker Kong's second album for Magic Marker, after their critically-acclaimed "There Goes The Sun", and like that record, "Transparent Life" proves once again that Walker Kong are one of those bands that defy classification. They have their own unique sound, combining all sorts of influences and styles, the biggest and most obvious of which seems to be the Velvet Underground, from the rocking "The Leisure Class" to the jangly "Margot Andilieu" (with its extended outro) and other bits in between. There's also a little bit of 70s soul ("The Neutral Kids") and country ("The Salt Lick", a rather long, dull song, and the only one of the bunch that I didn't really like) mixed in. "Battleship Of Thieves" (my favorite song on the record) reminded me a lot of the New Pornographers or the Shins, and I also hear a bit of Papas Fritas in some songs (especially the backing vocals). Even though this album is all over the map, style-wise, it really comes together quite well as a whole; nothing seems out of place.   MTQ=10/11

Walker Kong - "Deliver Us From People" cd  (Magic Marker)
Walker Kong is a complex recipe, and by that, I mean they do a very good job at mixing their influences. You can pick out bits and pieces and name names here and there, but no one song sounds like any single band - and you would certainly have a difficult time trying to describe the band with just a few words. The main ingredients are the Velvet Underground, Go-Betweens, Chills and Aztec Camera, but you can also hear hints of the New Pornographers, Belle & Sebastian and the Clean, among others. They've been doing this for a while now, but they just keep getting better at it, which makes this third record from them their most diverse and enjoyable record yet. There are lots of highlights on here to choose from, and this one is thoroughly enjoyable all the way through, while their previous full-lengths came very close, but with just one song I didn't care for at all. An impressive record and a tasty recipe, indeed!   MTQ=11/11

Wall Of Orchids - "Great Blue" cdep  (Bus Stop)
Almost ten years ago, this 7" single was released with an A-side so magical, so perfect summery pop, that it found its way onto practically every fun mix tape I made for the next few years. Though it wasn't listed on the sleeve (hand-screened, no less!), I had heard a rumor that the release was somehow related to Bus Stop Records, which would've made sense, except that the label listed was Pop Look & Listen, and there was no address information anywhere. Research yielded no results, so I just figured this perfect little gem was a one-off single for a small band stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Well, almost a decade later, I get a package in the mail from Bus Stop Records, including both this cdep (including both sides of the classic 7"!) and a cdep from Tan Sleeve, the new project from Lane Steinberg, the man behind Wall Of Orchids. There is still no information on this release (ie. when the songs were recorded, though I can tell you 7" versions are intact), but I can tell you that the songs are the same caliber of perfect pop, with equal parts of Brian Wilson, 70s pop and some early Squeeze, too. The title track is a country tune; "If Not Now, When?" is reminiscent of the Silly Pillows when they're at their best moments; and the production of "No One Is Looking At The Rain" seriously sounds like it could've been lifted directly off of an early 70s soft rock record... Definitely recommended.   MTQ=5/5

Chris Walla - "Field Manual" cd  (Barsuk)
Though Death Cab For Cutie are frequently maligned in the indiepop world, I still stand behind them and believe that they are a damn good pop band that just got wildly popular. While this is the first album released under his own name, Chris Walla has been tinkering with a solo career since before joining Death Cab (maybe you're one of the lucky few to have heard the Martin Youth Auxillary cassette?) - he's just been incredibly discreet about it, having played only a small handful of intimate solo sets over the past several years. Of course, his scant solo discography also has to do with the fact that he's one of those sorts that is never happy with his own work, having to tinker with the sound until it's just right; I know that this record has been in the works (with countless variations) for ages, and I have to wonder how much arm-twisting there was to actually finish and release it! That said, the end result is definitely a good record, with an overall sound not wildly different from Death Cab (which isn't surprising, as Walla has been the brains behind that band's sound for years). The songwriting, however, is where the key difference lies; Chris's songs have a tendency to be a bit more concise (with the majority of them staying in the three minute range) and a bit catchier (though a couple of these did take a couple listens to grow on me). While most solo records tend to find the artist experimenting and branching out far from his regular band, this one proves how much of a major factor Chris is in Death Cab's sound and that he's a very good songwriter on his own!   MTQ=11/12

The Walnut Dash - "Titbits" cd  (Vinyl Japan)
This is the debut album from this new British mod-pop group, and it's simply brilliant! I don't know why I hadn't heard of this group before, as they're right up my alley - they take the jangle and vocal harmonies of Teenage Fanclub and combine it with the immediacy of the Buzzcocks to make 2-3 minute songs full of melody and energy. Some songs like "Cheers To Yer" add a bit of Mersey influence, as well. Even when they slow it down, like on "Stupid O'clock (In The Morning)" or "Sarah H.", the songs are still exciting in a way. These are all hit songs, which shouldn't be too surprising as the first six songs are taken from their three singles, with the final two being exclusive to this release (but since I don't have the singles, I'm not complaining!). If the band can continue to write songs of this caliber, then they'll be a great band to watch out for!   MTQ=8/8

Waltz For Debbie - "Gone And Out" cd  (Hidden Agenda)
This definitely reminds me a lot of Saint Etienne and the newer Club 8 songs: totally catchy dance-pop songs with lots of sequencers and female vocals. Unfortunately, like Saint Etienne records, the more upbeat and catchy songs are great, and the slower ones drag. It's not like I'm looking for "Booty Mix '96" or anything, but I do like a lot of dance in my dance-pop. The slow grooves just aren't for me... The exception, though, is the last track on the album part of the disc (this Hidden Agenda version gives us two bonus tracks from their Swedish singles), "Sun Song", which is a very nice vocal/piano song. The winners here (such as "You And I And Brett And Alice" and "He Loves Anna") make this cd worth it for all dance-pop lovers!   MTQ=8/12

The Wannadies - "Before & After" cd  (Hidden Agenda)
The Wannadies have been around for well over a decade now, and after achieving great success in their home country of Sweden (as well as the UK), this is their second crack at the US. The first came several years ago, when RCA (presumably hoping to cash in on the Cardigans' success in America) released a self-titled disc compiling songs from two of their recent albums, "Be A Girl" and "Bagsy Me". Unfortunately, RCA had little success, and gave up fairly quickly. Which was a shame, as I bet the Wannadies' infectious pop would've caught on here soon enough. Now, Hidden Agenda (champions of Swedish pop in America) are giving it a go with the re-release of the band's sixth album (originally released in 2002 on the band's Swedish label, Indolent). "Before & After" really isn't too different from their last few records, with a generally upbeat sound, reminiscent of This Perfect Day and later Popsicle, and a lot of really catchy songs like "Little By Little", "Nothing Wrong" and "Uri Geller". My only problem with the disc is that it feels a little lopsided, with the album closing on four slower songs in a row, which makes it lose a lot of momentum. Also, as an added bonus (or incentive for those who already have the original), there are four videos included on the cd!   MTQ=9/12

The Warm Fuzzies - "The Bubblegum EP" cdep  (no label)
Well, right off the bat you've gotta give this an A+ for packaging! It comes in one of those matchbook-like flappy cardboard sleeves that I'm seeing more of these days, designed to look like an old-timey package of bubblegum (hence the title). Open it up to find that not only are the liner notes presented as a Bazooka Joe-esque comic, but the disc itself is coated in a bubblegum-scented scratch and sniff ink (you can do that?!), which is especially apparent when you put it in your cd player! The songs on here are equally playful, with Weezer/Rentals-esque tunes and melodies replete with big guitars and analog synths. Many of the lyrics run on the silly side, and though they can go a bit too far ("Your Dairy King" is especially dorky and their ode to cheese, "Queso Love", is ...um... a bit cheesy), the playfully paranoid "Why Do Girls Wear Big Sunglasses?" was kind of fun, and they also give us the best song about befriending robots since Barcelona. Basically, the band seems to be all about fun, and it really shows!   MTQ=5/6

Warm In The Wake - "Gold Dust Trail" cd  (Livewire)
This band comes from Alabama, and that isn't too much of a surprise, given how steeped their songwriting style is in southern and Americana influence (check out that pedal steel playing in the brief and jaunty "Iron Worker"!). But unlike most Americana-influenced groups I've come across, this band's songs are also fairly catchy and interesting, with favorites being the Mendoza Line-ish "Hearts Vs. Heads" and "Good King" (although the first time I heard it, I thought the chorus went "everybody wants a cookie..."). The rest of the songs are a bit sleepier, frequently reminding me of Grandaddy at times (seriously - the lead track, "Tame Thoughts", could've come right off of "The Sophtware Slump"), but as this mini-LP is only 25 minutes long, it's more of a refreshing nap than a long snooze. And then it's over before the yawns kick in...   MTQ=7/7

Watercolor Paintings - "Open Your Mouth" cd  (Destructo-Charo)
I have so many fond memories of this band from a fun weekend last summer (that could've been a fun two months, had I actually been able to join Iji on tour), but this album will have to do until I see them again. They've got a number of releases out, on 7"s and cassettes, but this debut cd of theirs is their best work to date. A few of the songs on here have been previously released in various forms, but these recordings capture the band at their best. Clocking in at just over 17 minutes, these ten brief songs are both super-sweet and heartbreaking ("Indiana" still gets me every time), with a fragile instrumentation of harp and ukulele backing Rebecca's dulcet voice (as well as her brother Josh's occasional backing vocals). A common complaint about this band is their tendency towards somewhat childishness in the lyrics (sometimes approaching Kimya Dawson levels), but apart from "Snail" (a song sympathizing with their demise by strollers or salt), that component seems to be kept to a minimum here. This is a gentle record that soothes me any time.   MTQ=10/10

Laura Watling - "When You Didn't Come... e.p." cs  (Popgun)
Ah, what a little joy! This is a tape of five songs Laura banged out one afternoon, when her band members flaked on practice. It's funny how some people's demos can be way better than other bands' real releases! Granted, the sound quality isn't great (very quiet levels and lots of hiss!), but the song quality is excellent! In fact, three of these songs have since been rerecorded and released on various comps. Musically, this is like Autocollants songs being performed by the Best Wishes, with quiet, breathy vocals.   MTQ=5/5

Laura Watling - "What's Your Favorite Color?" 7"  (Shelflife)
This is an absolutely wonderful perfect pop single! If you didn't know, Laura is one half of the Casino Ashtrays, was an Autocollant, and is a great songwriter. If you like any of those bands, then you'll surely like this! She plays all the instruments here, and this record has four songs about being happy, being in love, and summer. It's as heavenly as, um, Heavenly!   MTQ=4/4

Laura Watling - "Early Morning Walk" cd  (Shelflife)
Everyone knows Laura from her days in the Autocollants, but have you heard her solo works? Well, seeing as in the past, she's only released things on cassettes (that were mostly hard to find anyways) and one 7", maybe you haven't. Laura is quite possibly the queen of indiepop - writing and playing perfect pop songs in the vein of Go Sailor, the Cat's Miaow, and of course the Autocollants! This cd was completely written, played and recorded by Laura on her 8-track (except friends Dwayne & Dean played trumpet and clarinet on one song each, and she covers Motorcycle Boy's "World Falls Into Place"), and almost every song is absolutely perfect. Like her previous releases, a lot of these songs are pretty short, and very upbeat and bouncy, but this time she has a few slower songs, such as "The One For You", "Another Place", and "Recover", which is over 4 minutes long! And also unlike her previous releases, the sound is a lot better with almost no tape hiss. Her lovely high-pitched voice comes through quite nicely. There are way too many high-points to try to list favorites, so I'll just say that you simply have to get this!   MTQ=16/16

Laura Watling - "Twenty-Five" cdep  (Sofa)
I'm not sure which cd came first - this ep or her full-length on Shelflife, and I bet the songs were even recorded at roughly the same time (at least this batch sounds as good as the other), though there are no duplications between the two releases. This ep seems to be slower than the lp. Sure, there are upbeat songs like "The Wonderful Disappointment" and "You've Got Everything", but the majority of this is comprised of slower songs, which lets her shoegazer influence show through, especially noted on the cover of Moose's "This River Will Never Run Dry". It really is nice, but a little too sedate for me. The last track, "Under The Ice", is an instrumental that sounds like it would make a great end-credits song in a movie.   MTQ=6/7

The Waves - "Flame A Little Brighter" cd  (March/Grimsey)
A few years ago, this band (an off-shoot of the Hang Ups, with Jeff Kearns & Brian Tighe) released a 7" with two beautiful jangly guitar-pop songs, not unlike the Hang Ups. I've been waiting anxiously for this full length for over a year now, but it's not quite what I was expecting! Instead of the jangly songs, this time around there are bouncy songs with big organs and drums ("Roller Rink" and "Shrug It Off"), stark, acoustic songs ("Taken By"), and Kinks-inspired introspective mid-tempo songs ("As The Rain" and "Hey Boo", the latter of which features a lovely piano line). As varied as it is, the whole thing really fits together well, the only exception being the strange Pink Floyd-esque art rock-y "Order".   MTQ=11/12

We & Lisa - "Dreams Within A Dream" cd  (Series Two)
This disc collects a dozen songs from this Swedish group, which have been released by the band themselves on several cd-r EPs over the past few years. Many of their songs fall in a discopop vein that sounds somewhere between Pet Shop Boys ("Ana", the band's most recent single, is the perfect example of this, and a great track, to boot) and the times when the Field Mice went electropop (with the same mixed effect). Other times, they sound like a number of mid-'80s British groups, like the Lilac Time and Trash Can Sinatras, mixing jangly guitars and a multitude of effects and electronics. The sound can be a bit much in the production department sometimes, but usually not distractingly so; "C'mon C'mon" and "Fallin'" both have very annoying vocal effects, though I still like the latter tune. "Too Close For Comfort" is one of the few songs that doesn't sound over-produced, instead sounding like something that would've been released on Sunday Records directly in between singles from the Pristines and the Proctors. Overall, this is a fine collection of gentle pop songs!   MTQ=10/12

We Are Soldiers We Have Guns - "Wild World" 7"  (Lavender)
This very short 7" contains a pair of covers from this Swedish one-girl band. I'm a fan of the first few Cat Stevens records, and though "Wild World" was never a favorite of mine, I quite like what Malin did on this version (particularly the finger-picked guitar melody on the verses). On the flip is a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)"; I've not heard the original, so I can't compare the two (though I'm sure it didn't involve a Casio), but she also did a very good job with this song. Both songs remind me a bit of the early records from Mirah and the Blow. On the back sleeve, Malin says that she didn't cover these traditionally male-sung songs for a cheap laugh, but rather because she wanted to prove that these songs (and the million others like them) need not be gender-specific. Concept or not, this is still a pleasant single.   MTQ=2/2

We Are Vikings - "s/t" cd  (Sauce)
This Washington, DC band is definitely into the whole 60s British pop scene, like the Kinks & the Hollies. Many of their songs fit in this description, while others recall more modern bands (but still ones with the 60s influence) like Olivia Tremor Control or Kleenex Girl Wonder. And they have a lot of songs with singalong choruses, like the Bright Ideas. The song titles are occasionally on the odd side, like "Jim, They Just Froze Her" or "Clusters Need Their Say!". Their only major flaw is that the songs that aren't instantly catchy tend to be rather boring. Luckily, there aren't many cases of that, though "Dave Heller's Epiphany" sounds like bad 70s rock. Highlights include "Foregone Conclusions", "Don't Hang Me For That", and "1969".   MTQ=9/13

We Were Pirates - "The Wolf EP" cdep  (no label)
We Were Pirates is the nom de plume of a DC fellow named Mike Boggs, and as far as I can tell, this is his first release. Musically, these gentle songs remind me of Death Cab For Cutie, though the songwriting and lyrics are more in line with Weezer (with Mike's voice falling somewhere between the two). I'll admit that I wasn't too sure about this disc on first listen (though I love Death Cab, I'm rarely able to find one of their multitude of disciples interesting), but I warmed up to it fairly quickly. These songs may be relatively subdued, but they all have their fair share of melodies and some of them still manage to be pretty catchy; particularly the title track and "Move Around The Room", which is probably the calmest song about parties (sorry, I can't bring myself to use the word party as a verb) since True Love Always' "Party Time". A couple songs get dangerously close to the alt-pop precipice that most of the aforementioned disciples dive over, but none actually fall in, ensuring pleasant repeat listens.   MTQ=5/5

The Weather Machines - "The Sound Of Pseudoscience" cd  (Tigers Against Crime!!!)
This is the debut release from this new band from South Dakota, and it's right up my alley! The band sounds quite a bit like Chisel (with hints of Ted Leo's solo stuff as well), but not in a derivative way - more that they share the same influences, and take the mod/punk-flavored sound of the Undertones, the Jam and Elvis Costello, and mix it with a more modern indie rock style (besides ol' Teddy, I can also hear a slight similarity to Volcano, I'm Still Excited!! or Spoon at times). Along with their impeccable influences, the band also writes some damn terrific songs - some of my faves include "Northern Lights", "Old School Vs. Liberty Girls", "Last Stop" and "32,000' Above Suck City", although I could've picked plenty of other examples! Almost all of the songs are in the two-three minute range, although a couple run a bit longer (like "Stains Of Saints", the album's only low point, although that's only in comparison with the rest of the record). If I hadn't been so backed up in the reviews department, this definitely would've made my top 20 of 2005 list!   MTQ=11/12

The Weather Machines - "Bones & Brains EP" cdep  (Tigers Against Crime)
I quite enjoyed this band's debut album a couple years back, and though this EP finds the band in a new location (Portland) and scaled down to just its chief songwriter (Jason Ward), these songs are just as strong and enjoyable as before. The music on this record seems to draw from the same influences as before (including Elvis Costello and Spoon), but this time around the mood is a little more subdued in songs like "Last Known Tropic Control" and "202". And the opening "Parts Of Speech" with its glockenspiel and joyous chorus is a big change from the straightforward, stripped-down rock of the first record. I hope Jason finds a full-time lineup down in Portland and makes it up here sometime soon, and maybe even finally finish that follow-up album!   MTQ=5/5

The Wedding Present - "Search For Paradise" cd  (Manifesto)
Man, the Wedding Present have always been kind enough to collect single b-sides and comp tracks in the past, from "Tommy" all the way to their last release, a singles comp on Spinart (although there's an unfortunate gap around "Watusi") - but they usually wait at least a year or two, to let the singles go out of print. The three EPs collected here are from the last year or so, since the release of their "Take Fountain" album. Each of the singles are presented here in their entirety (including the three A-sides from the album), and the b-sides are mostly in the same vein, from the upbeat "American Tan" and "Nickels And Dimes" to the noisy "Bad Thing" to the moodier "Snapshots" and "Rekindling". Also, there's a "Klee remix" of "I'm From Further North Than You", which sounds more like a cover than a remix (which almost makes up for the surprising lack of covers that the Wedding Present usually includes as b-sides)! In addition to those eleven tracks, there are previously unreleased acoustic versions of the afore-mentioned three A-sides ("Interstate 5", "I'm From Further North Than You" and "Ringway To Seatac"), which are actually more lively than acoustic versions usually are (and their brevity improves them greatly).   MTQ=11/14