J. Zumpano
Living Room Recordings
By Chris Whibbs

It’s been a rocky road for Mr. Jason Zumpano. From the titular Zumpano, where he shared a band with the New Pornographer’s Carl Newman, to the awesome Superconductor, a band still revered by a select few, to the recent Sparrow, where this drummer turned to keyboards, it’s been an interesting journey. However, it seems to have come to the point where it started, with nothing but the man and his innate ear for melody. As the title foreshadows, this is nothing more than Jason Zumpano, his voice and keys in a lo-fi setting. And, man, are these tunes ever cute and catchy. “Summers of Decay” is the first flash of brilliance but it is “Clever Heartless Sound” that moves this album beyond its humble surroundings. With cascading piano and Zumpano’s pining voice, it tugs in the best twee indie ways. Indeed, this entire album is in a class of its own for minimalist pop. All these songs scream for added instrumentation, but I have the feeling that if they get them I might be pining for the bare bones recording. Though there’s gossamer instrumentation, this is still beautiful, catchy and affecting music. More please. (Powertool)
The Cribs - Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever
In their bid to become a rather decent indie band, Leeds, England’s the Cribs have accidentally become one of the UK’s best to emerge in the post-Britpop era. Of course, they’re destined to be forever overlooked — the best often are — but with a dependable surplus of tireless pop hooks in their syst ...Read More
Los Campesinos! - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets
Arts & Crafts has prided itself on being a label that works communally with a circle of friends, so it’s nice to see them branch out (read: find an artist without a Broken Social Scene member) and bring this buzzed about Welsh band overseas to our shores. Sticking Fingers Into Sockets is this Cardif ...Read More
St. Vincent - Marry Me
St. Vincent is neither a saint nor named Vincent. Discuss amongst yourselves. Yes, the moniker belongs to one Annie Clark and her voice and guitar have graced works by the likes of the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens. And, man, is she brimming with ideas. This debut is incredibly restless, as Cl ...Read More
Tegan and Sara - The Con
Thanks to the help of Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, Tegan and Sara’s latest musical project, The Con, has taken on a rockier, bubblier sound, all while maintaining the twins’ signature minimalism and folk sensibilities. The Con came to life in Walla’s Portland, OR studio in Januar ...Read More
Wax Mannequin - Orchard and Ire
Previous albums hinted at the masterful genius Wax Mannequin was capable of but Orchard & Ire is the glorious bloody document of Canada’s champion of DIY making good. Retaining all his endearing idiosyncrasies while amping up the rock’n’roll bombast and polishing the wistful beauty of his fol ...Read More
1990s - Cookies
27 - Holding On For Brighter Days
Adam Franklin - Bolts of Melody
Arthur and Yu - Camera
Ash - Twilights of the Innocent
Ash - Twilights of the Innocent
Au - Au
Bishop Allen - Bishop Allen & The Broken String
Black Strobe - Burn Your Own Church
Boat - Let’s Drag Our Feet
Boggs - Forts
Boys Night Out - Boys Night Out
Concentrick - Aluminum Lake
Crowded House - Time On Earth
David Karsten Daniels - Sharp Teeth
Deleted Scenes - Deleted Scenes
Dora Flood - We Live Now
Editors - An End Has A Start
Ez3kiel - Naphtaline
The For Carnation - Promised Works
For the Mathematics - We Impend
Gore Gore Girls - Get The Gore
Grampall Jookabox - Scientific Cricket
Harrisons - No Fighting In The War Room
Hot Little Rocket - How To Lose Everything
Hot Panda - Whale Headed Girl EP
Infighter - Infighter
Jackob Olauson - Moonlight Farm
Kelly Clarkson - My December
Kelly Jones - Only The Names Have Been Changed
Kids On TV - Mixing Business With Pleasure
Les Petits - The Mighty Antlers of Song
Les Petits - The Mighty Antlers of Song
The Lonely H - Hair
Mark Ronson - Version
Mick Harvey - Two of Diamonds
Mick Turner / Tren Brothers - Blue Trees
Minus Story - My Ion Truss
Misha - Teardrop Sweetheart
My Morning Jacket - At Dawn/Tennessee Fire Demos
The New Rags - Take Jennie To Brooklyn
The Original Mark Edwards - The Doom Loop
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
Pumice - Pebbles
Rocky Votolato - The Brag & Cuss
Rooney - Calling the World
Rooney - Calling the World
Russian Futurists - Me, Myself and Rye
Schooner - Hold On Too Tight
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
They Might Be Giants - The Else
They Might Be Giants - The Else
Two Hours Traffic - Little Jabs
Various Artists - Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation
The Voyces - Kissing Like It’s Love
William Tell - You Can Hold Me Down
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game [PS3 / Xbox 360]
Scott Pilgrim may be targeting today's 20-something hipster, but the videogame-inspired book-turned-movie-turned-videogame franchise is embedded with references to creator Bryan Lee O'Malley's late '80s and early '90s youth.

So no surprise then that the game adaptation, which f... Full Review
Ray LaMontagne & the Pariah Dogs - God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise
As reticent as he can be, Ray LaMontagne has established himself over his previous three albums as one of the most compelling singer-songwriters in the world today. His country-tinged soul is often compared to Van Morrison's classic early work, something (as was the case with Morrison) that can be c... Full Review
The Sound Of The Drums
"Right now I am on a plane from Tokyo to London and I have no idea what day it is," says Jonathan Pierce, singer, songwriter and co-founder of the Drums. He and his band-mates have been forced to deal with a ridiculous level of demand as of late ― the kind of demand that fuels meltdowns, self-doubt and splits.... Read More
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the August 2007 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front  •  Points  •  Comics  •  Questionnaire  •  Release Dates  •  Research  •  Timeline  •  Conversations • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  No Future  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews  •  Videogame Reviews • Music School --> Label Life  •  Where I play • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues • Privacy Policy