Many moons ago, a band named Weezer released a couple of solid records. Featured on bass and backing vocals on those albums was one exceptionally talented individual named Matt Sharp. Besides his contributions to Weezer, Sharp has been involved in a number of other projects -- occasionally solo, but most notably the lovable act named The Rentals. The Rentals released two albums (Return Of The Rentals and Seven More Minutes) in the 90’s. The band... more ›

Bermon's full-length is airplane music for the soul: soft, lilting compositions comprised of acoustic guitars, piano, synths, found noise and electronic percussion that walk the line between ambient folk and opening credits majesty. "Farewell Lunch for Laura" opens with an off time back beat and snare play that quietly pulses through the rest of the song's subtle horn and string whispers, creating an atmosphere that lingers for the entire album. If Bill Evans-inspired instrumental tracks that work with layers of both real and produced sounds seems appealing to you, you will no doubt enjoy this record. more ›

Having never seen the Rentals play during their initial run, we haven’t anything to compare last Thursday's show to, but we can safely say that we were disappointed. We weren’t expecting miracles – a band that hasn’t produced any new material since 1999 is within its rights to sound a little dated – but the show wasn’t the nostalgia trip we wanted it to be, either. After an intolerably long soundcheck, the Rentals tore... more ›

The Rentals were a mid-to-late-'90s (say that five times fast) indie pop project spearheaded by Matt Sharp, former bassist for Weezer. They were cute, they were fun, they had boy-girl harmonies and sharp synthesizer lines, they scored major radio play with "Friends of P" -- and then they broke up. more ›