Rose Reiter Real v3.0 Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada www.rosereiter.com In the 90s when female fronted, down-tempo, piano rock graced the airwaves, sold millions of records and sold out concerts, it could have been considered the prime era for this genre. As we’ve seen from some of those leading ladies, it’s kind of tough to make it playing the same music…

Wayne Hsu A Boy Named Hsu EP www.waynehsu.com Picture this: you’re wearing off-white linen clothes, barefoot on a pristine private beach. It’s partly cloudy outside with a light breeze while you sip your mimosa; the gentle waves of the ocean lick the legs of the chaise lounge chair you’re sitting on as the lime green VW bug drives by with…

Straitlaced Straitlaced EP Abington, PA www.straitlacedrocks.com Power pop, screamo, punk… however you describe the band Straitlaced, they can be compared to [insert name of any Warped Tour band here]. That is in no way a low blow to their originality; it shows that they are worthy of being thrown on tour with dozens of other bands in the same genre,…

Roselind Roselind Philadelphia, PA www.Roselind.com One thing that Roselind likes to do is harmonize. There must be a harmony of some form or another in every track off their self-titled EP. And they don’t just do it, but they perform it well. Especially on the radio friendly “Never Be The Same”, not only are there vocal harmonies but they have…

OK Go Oh No Capitol Records www.Okgo.net What do you expect as a follow up to a band’s debut album that had loveable lyrics and heart-winning hooks? Something exactly like this. If their first record didn’t convince you that they had what it takes to swoon indie kids to enjoy poppy music, then Oh No, sure will. Thirteen explosive tracks…

Maggie, Pierce and E.J. The Silver Album Philadelphia, PA www.mpeband.com This band fooled me! I thought I was reviewing a record for MPE Band… not Maggie Pierce and EJ!! I didn’t even know they had such a compilation out. I remember buying their first record when they played at my day camp, and I’m really not that old. Anyway, it’s…

www.lizphair.com AN OPEN LETTER FROM IRIS: As one of indie rock’s most celebrated icons, Liz Phair has created a standard for herself that I’m sure she is struggling to live up to with her second pop album release.  But I don’t want this to be like every other review.  I know her fans, both old and new, are going to…

http://www.myspace.com/lindimusic Proving that Canada has yet to produce an artist that isn’t solid, Lindi Ortega emerges without disappointment.  This is flat out chick music, so if you’re not a fan in general, it might be kind of difficult to get into the groove.  Having been around for a while, Lindi recently had 2002 works released on a CD entitled The…

www.lexingtondown.com New Jersey rock outfit Lexington Down have this going for them: they write and sing that coveted stereotypical Mid-Atlantic rock that is usually found in the far-off land of Baltimore but instead in Jersey, so it makes them unique, right?   They have a self-released EP with a full length in the works and hopefully the tracks that are blueprinted…

Last Week Thoughts to Keep You Company Lawrence, NY www.lastweekrock.com One of the more “softer” rock bands that you might have caught at the Warped Tour, Last Week has written their songs, not to quote “Bubble Tape”: for you, not them. Alternative radio friendly, Thoughts to Keep You Company is a record that you might find in the Dickies’ messenger…