Carefree Theatre feels almost like catching up with old friends.

Surfer Blood has delivered an album that actually sounds like the band heard on its impressive debut.

[xrr rating=3.75/5]Finally! Three years is a veritable eternity between LP releases, especially when the first was a debut record that caused more than a minor sensation. As a follow-up to 2010’s excellent Astro Coast and the following year’s teaser EP Tarot Classics–both released through Kanine Records–Surfer Blood returns with their hotly anticipated major label album, Pythons. But woe to those …

Surfer Blood Tarot Classics Rating: 3.7/5.0 Label: Kanine Records The debut of Surfer Blood in 2010 was remarkable for more than just the terrifying cover art. The checkerboard mosaic of a shark’s ravenous maw – ready, willing and oh-so-able to chomp any tasty limb straight through to the bone – gave little indication as to the delightfulness of the contents …

25. Arcade Fire “Modern Man” [Merge] It’s a lament for the piling up of years; it’s a poem for those of us who fear our own ordinary lives; it’s a lyrical confrontation between ourselves, age, responsibility, loss and adulthood. “So I wait in line, I’m a modern man/ And the people behind me, they can’t understand,” sings Win Butler. Your …

Hype is the worst thing in the world. It can make gods out of mortal men, building false expectations that could ruin a band in a single, false step (or boring album). Similarly, too much expectation and goodwill can make what should be a fun, bouncy experience into an extraordinarily frustrating one. Case in point, my enjoyment of indie rock …

Surfer Blood Astro Coast Rating: 4.0/5.0 Label: Kanine Records Whether it feels like it or not, it’s been a while since the grunge-influenced power-pop of the ’90s dominated radio airwaves. Hell, it’s been a while since radio was particularly influential. Nirvana, Weezer and Fountains of Wayne all backed up their pop chops with muscular guitars and propulsive rhythm, influencing a …