Tag Archives: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Poetic Memory: Picastro (List)

MP3: Picastro – “Skullduggery”
Stream: Picastro & Nadja – Fool Redeemer EP

Toronto experimental trio Picastro has released four full-length albums since its 2002 formation, the latest of which is 2009’s Become Secret. This year, the band collaborated with fellow Canadians Nadja on a split called Fool Redemer. Unlike a traditional split album, with side A featuring tracks by one band and side B by another, members of both groups contributed to each other’s songs, creating a tour de force of atonal experimentation.

Picastro will join Scout Niblett at the Soda Bar on December 5; in anticipation of the show, band leader Liz Hysen sent us a list of her influences. Continue reading…

Poetic Memory: White Denim (List)

Austin quartet White Denim released D, their fifth studio album in May; now, they’ve announced plans to release an EP, Takes Place in Your Workspace on October 25.

The experimental indie band has been compared to the Minutemen and Randy Newman (yes, both), and is known for infusing anything from punk to funk to piano ballads into their songs. White Denim has wowed crowds across the ‘States and abroad, even catching the ear of Jack White, who invited them to record a live LP at Third Man Records in Nashville.

To prep yourself for the show, check the above video for their 60’s rock-inspired single “Drug,” from D. After that, scroll down to read singer/guitarist James Petralli’s Poetic Memory. White Denim will play House of Blues on October 26. Continue reading…

Poetic Memory: Ivan & Alyosha (List)

MP3: Ivan & Alyosha – “Glorify”

In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s final novel, The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan reads a parable to Alyosha called “The Grand Inquisitor,” in which Jesus returns to earth during the Spanish Inquisition, only to be arrested and sentenced to death by the church. This take on human nature is regarded as one of the most important passages in modern literature.

It’s that kind of source material that lends Ivan and Alyosha — an indie-folk outfit named after the novel — their air of intrigue. New light will be shed on the Seattle quartet, however, as it plays SxSW and travels the West Coast like a band of Karamazov brothers. Ivan and Alyosha are touring to support their new Fathers Be Kind EP, a harmonious collection of soulful, sincere songs with a pop sensibility to match, and they play the Tin Can Ale House on March 24th.

Band member Tim Kim was kind enough to send us a list of the songs inspiring the guys as they travel, and you can read it below. Continue reading…

Poetic Memory: Linfinity (List)

New York’s Linfinity began as a solo project of Dylan Von Wagner, but it soon morphed into a full band effort to channel his creativity after “something unknown” popped in Von Wagner’s brain.

After a well-received solo release (2007’s Live at Marcata), Von Wagner assembled a full band. In 2008, Linfinity the band released a free EP called The Weeping Willow, and last year, they released the excellent Martian’s Bloom. The New York Press has likened Martian’s Bloom to “everything from Southern Gothic tropes and rockabilly to beautiful, string-laden Moorish stomps and bombastic chamber Pop.”

Linfinity will play the Casbah on April 11, along with Murder By Death and Ha Ha Tonka, and it’s sure to be a great show. Linfinity’s Poetic Memory is below. Continue reading…