Most Americans’ notions of Sweden involve blond bombshells in bikinis or peace-loving liberals with a rigid stance on neutrality. So, what kind of visions do the Swedes have of us? “We usually call Sweden ‘Little America,'” jokes Jesper Anderberg, synthesizer whiz for the Sounds. “We have great architecture, we have…

With fourteen tracks and a running time of over one hour, Abstract View is a dense and ambitious debut. View (slated for release this Saturday, November 18, at the Oriental Theater) exhibits a particularly straightforward approach to mainstream rock. At times the guitar tones are fuzzed just enough to recall…

Since the breakup of At the Drive-In, fans have blogged relentlessly about which ATDI offshoot should be more acclaimed. The Mars Volta consistently receives high praise for its proggy, experimental rock, while Sparta hasn’t been able to impress critics as easily with its much simpler classic-emo approach. But after two…

Max Bemis writes shrill confessionals that are aptly backed by wussified pop-punk choruses. But that’s sort of the Say Anything shtick. The Los Angeles-based act formed in high school as an outlet for Bemis to pen sappy songs about girls. By the time he entered college, the group had a…

If Sage Francis and Atmosphere are supposed to be where independent hip-hop is going, then pH10 is way ahead of the game. The atypical duo mixes and remixes tight rhymes with an assertive electronic thump that makes punky techno accessible in a way that Atari Teenage Riot never did, and…

Ben Folds plays the ivory keys like an eleven-fingered man suckled on Elton John records. The former frontman and namesake of the Ben Folds Five has a clamant, albeit sometimes goofy, presence and an overwhelming talent that at times makes it hard to distinguish his solo work from his group…

Joanna Newsom certainly is hush-hush these days. The young folkie princess has been shying away from interviews for this tour, instead relying on her buzz-worthy name and recently released EP, Ys, to generate interest. Raised in Nevada City, California, Newsom now resides in San Francisco. In a scene where musical…

In the mid-’90s, Jeremy Enigk fronted the critically lauded Sunny Day Real Estate. Enigk was an indie god. And then he found God. He took a spiritual exodus, briefly leaving Sunny Day, but later reunited with the often-tumultuous group before it finally dissolved in 2001. During that time, Enigk also…

You can’t really trust too many people in the industry, unfortunately,” declares Hawthorne Heights drummer Eron Bucciarelli via phone from Scottsdale, Arizona, where the Heights are about to headline a packed house. “I think we’ve all sort of kept everybody at arm’s length when possible.” Bucciarelli’s cynicism undoubtedly stems from…

Every time Anton Newcombe sings, the Black Angels get their publicity wings. The Austin-based band got a flock of press at this year’s South by Southwest festival when the infamous Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman joined the band on stage for a stellar thirteen-minute-plus improvised session. It was like the goddamn…

Politically charged punk rock has always been an iffy thing to take on. Bands start off with a hopeful anarchistic stance and, if able to survive for longer than a couple of small tours, inevitably end up at that music-industry fork in the road. It’s usually a question of going…

The trouble with an act like the Chromatics is that they’re really cool. It’s intimidating, really: You can’t listen to Nite, their newest Troubleman release, without second-guessing the hipness of the rest of your record collection. Hailing from Seattle (the land of the too-cool- for-school mindset), the act is an…

Local feel-good mavens the Nancy Drews are going to rot their teeth on so much sugary pop music. The appropriately titled Fridge Full of Food, self-released on their own label, is like gorging on the stale leftovers of such late-’90s power-pop confections as Superdrag and Nada Surf. But the Nancy…

Mustangs and Madras are, like, almost a real band now. The past six months have been a whirlwind for the Longmont-based five-piece — recording an album, getting a manager, booking a tour — and the group hasn’t even left the city limits yet. All of this sudden productivity can be…

The amenities are sparse backstage at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis. There’s a cold plate of half-eaten Tater Tots, a bottle of whiskey and some plastic bins filled with ice and beer — nothing to get too worked up over. The real excitement tonight is waiting on the…