Jerard Fagerberg, City Pages Review of Ice Palace – How I Came To Win The War: “Adam Sorensen is at home – and making the best music of his career…”
Project Poppycock Review: The Starfolk Amaze on Forthcoming Self-titled Debut LP “It’s the greatest 90’s album made in 2013 and I mean that in the highest regard. This is a sound I thought lost to a new genre of pop…”
Matt Collar, Allmusic.com : The Ocean Blue “Ultramarine” (4 Stars) “…’Ultramarine’ isn’t just a return to form; it’s one of The Ocean Blue‘s best albums.”
Bill Kopp, Musoscribe : Review of Jim Ruiz Set, Mount Curve Avenue “Mount Curve Avenue is one of the best new, non-rock albums I’ve heard in quite some time. Immediately appealing on its first listen, the album only improves on subsequent spins.”
Jon Hunt, l’étoile : review of Typsy Panthre – Typsy Panthre “a sumptuous album filled with clever/cool euro songwriting, coy breakbeats and super-cool electronic textures…It’s great stuff, and if you’re so inclined, you’ll be quite damn captivated.”
Rob Van Alstyne, City Pages The Starfolk Shoot For the Moon “Tighe still boasts that distinctively airy tenor and a penchant for setting beautiful vocal melodies atop unusual chord progressions — recently described with rightful awe by Messersmith as “like doing ballet in a minefield.” In fact, the Starfolk achieve a far broader sound than that of their frontman’s power-pop past.”
Matt Moore, Associated Press: The Ocean Blue Strong with ‘Ultramarine’ “The 12 songs on ‘Ultramarine’ recall the sincere clarity of the band’s self-titled 1989 debut and 1991’s “Cerulean” with songs that soar with grace, blend cascading guitars and rich keyboards with lyrics that manage to evoke sentimentality, optimism and an appropriate romantic longing without being cloying or grating…”
Chris Riemenschneider, Star/Tribune, The ‘legend’ of Jim Ruiz continues “…opening track ‘Little Luvver’ and bright gem ‘Young Mr. Ruiz’ sound like lost love letters from more naive days. Another highlight pays homage to a favorite watering hole, the Viking Bar, which closed in 2006. ‘Down at the Viking’ at least confirms that Ruiz never stopped writing songs. More proof comes from the timelessness and sheer strength of the music. It’s a comeback record on all fronts.”
PNSmith, GIGSoup Track of the Day “Easy, easy, easy winner of today’s GIGsoup Track of the Day. The catchy, guitar thrashing “Into the Clouds” from The Starfolk is one of the stand-out tracks from the bands self-titled album (released via Korda Records) and deserves its single release. The album really is one of the best from 2013 and we at GIGsoup certainly recommend you take a listen. It’s a beautifully written and well produced selection of 12 tracks that simply don’t seem to tire.”
Keith Creighton, David Schelzel of The Ocean Blue: The Popdose Interview “The Ocean Blue returns with a new album, Ultramarine(four and 1/2 stars out of five). It is a true return to form for fans of their two biggest albums while providing a perfect entry point for fans of heartbreakingly gorgeous, shimmering guitar pop…”
Jon Hunt, L’étoile Magazine “The Starfolk is an auspicious debut from this group that’s every bit as great as the best Hang-Ups record was, and that’s saying something.”
Whitney Matheson, USA Today: Fave 90’s Band The Ocean Blue Resurfaces “This month The Ocean Blue returns with Ultramarine, its first new record in more than a decade. I’ve had it on repeat, and I can tell you that it’s fresh but also sounds like beautiful, vintage Ocean Blue.”
Erik Thompson , City Pages Gimme Noise: Korda Records Showcase With Jim Ruiz Set, the Ocean Blue, the Starfolk, and Typsy Panthre 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis
January 12, 2013 “On a frigid Saturday night in Minneapolis, the four bands associated with upstart local label Korda Records made everyone temporarily forget about the cold outside by delivering a solid showcase filled with bright, buoyant pop songs that heated up the Entry. The club was filled with tiny electric candles…”
Geoffrey Stueven, The Big Takeover “The present iteration of Tighe’s Anglophilia lands The Starfolk somewhere near the land of The Left Banke in the time of The Three O’Clock, and that’s the kind of music that gets me all fired up with religious fervour.”
Thomas Connor, Chicago Sun Times: The Ocean Blue returns for shows, new album “David Schelzel says the upcoming new album by the Ocean Blue — their first full-length in nearly 14 years — sounds a lot like the pop band’s first two records. Why? Because he’s been listening to a lot of current indie pop — a good chunk of which sounds a lot like ‘The Ocean Blue’ (1989) and ‘Cerulean’ (1991). ‘Stylistically, my headspace right now is more in the music I loved from that time period, and the new music I listen to now sounds more like the music I loved growing up,’ Schelzel says. ‘I love the xx, Beach House’…”
Matt Sebastian, Slicing Up Eyeballs: The Ocean Blue to release 2 new songs next week, play 2 live shows in January “Indie-pop outfit The Ocean Blue is releasing its first new album in 13 years this January, but fans can get an early listen to two of the record’s tracks next week when they appear on a new compilation being released by Korda Records, the new label launched by the band’s David Schelzel and three fellow musicians…”
Danny Sigelman, City Pages Gimme Noise : Typsy Panthre’s Allison LaBonne talks Korda Records “With a unique style for a Twin Cities band, Typsy Panthre’s sound mixes an almost-European electronic pop sound that’s cute and clever on some tracks, and dark and morose on others. Filled with strummed guitars, electronic ambiance and plenty of cooed vocals, Typsy Panthre’s record works as a perfect vehicle in building on a lineage of musical projects under Crozier’s belt…”
Erik Thompson, City Pages Local Frames : Typsy Panthre “Hal” Video Release “The ruminative video stars Farrah Briest, and perfectly captures the relaxed, wistful vibe of a warm summer’s day in Minnesota. You should seriously pick yourself up a copy [of Typsy Panthre’s full length]–you won’t regret it.” –Erik Thompson, City Pages Local Frames
Danny Sigelman, City Pages Gimme Noise : Typsy Panthre release icy cold ‘All Fall Down’ video, talk about their upcoming LP “Directed by filmmaker Phil Harder, the video features Typsy Panthre vocalist Allison LaBonne lying on a chilly frozen Mississippi river making snow angels to the methodically pulsing beats and synth arrangements of the ever-reclusive Minneapolis musical brain, producer, and guitarist John Crozier.”