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Birdmonster
The SIS Interview by Mike Randall
Reader, have you ever met Birdmonster? If so, please reintroduce yourself because things have changed. If not, welcome, you’re sure to enjoy your stay. With the August release of their second full-length, From the Mountains to the Sea, the San Francisco quartet has pulled one of the great 180’s in indie-rock history, removing the abrasive freak-out-laden guitar assault of their debut, No Midnight, in favor of a more melodic, folk-and-70s-rock-based style. Think less Replacements, more Springsteen. Songs like “New Country” clearly lean more toward the Stones’ side of the track, and Ryan Adams’ Gold comes to mind in that the record is choc full of richly crafted songs that run the gamut of tight, heartfelt folk (“My Love For You,” “Lost at Sea” are highlights) and driving, straightforward rockers (“The Iditarod,” “Greenland Sound”).

In talking to Birdmonster frontman Peter Arcuni, one gets the sense that Mountains is the record he would have preferred to make all along. Arcuni checked in with Stranded in Stereo while driving the hills of San Francisco en route to rehearsal with his band to let us know why the sudden shift really wasn’t that much of a surprise, and how Birdmonster once was compared to Huey Lewis and the News.
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¡Forward, Russia!

It was only about two years ago that I heard a mysterious song named “Four.” Things changed. It was the b-side to “Twelve.” It was difficult to describe at the moment, kind of a dancey and angular post-punk. There was a sense of immediate understanding..
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Dr. Dog

In the waning moments of “My Friends,” Dr. Dog closes out their stunning fifth full-length, Fate, with a recapitulation of a few interludes that had already taken place earlier in the record. A hazy bending of a classic-rock riff here, a spiraling vamp there.
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Albert Hammond, Jr.

If Albert Hammond, Jr. made a u-turn from his main gig as a guitarist for the Strokes with his first solo release, Yours to Keep, he’s driving in a “z” pattern with his second attempt, Como Te Llama With this latest endeavor, it’s almost as if Hammond was looking to please people in two camps..
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Mystery Jets

Being in a touring band with your father can be a rather daunting task. With their first album, Blaine and Henry Harrison were joined by three of the former’s friends to create music that wasn’t easily pinned down, drawing equal influence from folk, Americana, and eastern European sounds.
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Step Brothers

The comedic super team of Mckay and Ferrell are back for another round in their man-child comedy series. The director/actor duo who brought us films like Anchorman and Talladega Nights take their mentally regressed male protagonists to a more literal, realistic and vulgar world in Step Brothers.
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Stranded In The Kitchen

You have listened to them on record. You have paid to see them live, unless you're broke and watched them on YouTube. I am here to force feed you your next obsession: learning about your favorite band's skills in the kitchen. Learn where your favorite artists get all of the energy to light up the stage or create a new masterpiece
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volume 8
The cover of Stranded in Stereo Vol. 9 features artwork by Adam Turman
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