We literally stumbled across San Diego's Writer in a bar off the Las Vegas Strip. Their hard driving indie Amercana was an odd cross between the quirky tunefulness of earlier era Wilco and the anthemic reaching of Coldplay or U2. All in this tiny, smoky, cramped bar where there were so many bands on the bill the bartender couldn't even identify one band from the other for us. Luckily two of the band's fans in the audience schooled us and the band sent us their Blood Drops EP. more ›

The first time we heard Super Furry Animals, just about a decade ago, we remember thinking "what the hell are these guys on?!" before falling under the intoxicating and influential haze of their abrasive psychedelic dance-rock and begging to "take whatever the hell those guys are on!" more ›