Review / 200 Words Or Less
Farmers Market
Surfin U.S.S.R.

Ipecac (2008) Kevin Fitzpatrick

Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. cover artwork
Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. — Ipecac, 2008

Those familiar with Ipecac Recordings know that regardless of the release, whether the listener likes it or not, it will, above all else, be different.

Farmers Market is a Norwegian band specializing in Bulgarian folk music presented at an even faster tempo, with a smattering of just about everything else you can think of. The result can most assuredly be called "quirky." Taking a page from their North American peers, the Market have ridiculously long song titles (only unlike their peers, the titles are actually clever) such as "One Day, Son, All I Own Will Belong to the State" and "From Prussia With Love." Sure to be noted by the listener is the band's cover of "Lodtschitze Mini Maritza" otherwise known as "Ferry Cross the Mersey." The klezmer and surf guitar sound serve the music well, adding an absurd quality that rides but never crosses that oh-so-fine line between self-deprecation and self-parody.

Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. cover artwork
Farmers Market – Surfin U.S.S.R. — Ipecac, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

The Library Is On Fire

Degeneration Elegies
The Abyss, Ltd. (2026)

There’s a certain kind of band that never quite fits the moment they arrive in. Sometimes too jagged for one scene, too melodic for another. The Library Is On Fire were one of those bands in the early 2000s, hovering somewhere between indie-punk urgency and power-pop instinct without fully settling into either. On Degeneration Elegies, their first full-length in over … Read more

Nicole Alexis

Mirrors & Smoke
Independent (2026)

There’s a fine line between stripped down music and so stripped back that is sounds empty. On Mirrors and Smoke, Nicole Alexis lands comfortably on the right side of that line, delivering a debut EP that leans into simplicity without losing its emotional weight. Built around acoustic arrangements and minimal production, the EP feels intentionally close. It feels like these … Read more

The Remote Controls

Too Tough
Fail Harmonic Records, Mom’s Basement Records (2025)

There’s a certain kind of punk band that doesn’t overthink things. No reinvention, no genre-bending manifesto, just fast songs, big hooks, and enough attitude to carry it all. Indianapolis’ The Remote Controls lean hard into that tradition on Too Tough, a record that feels less like a statement and more like a well-earned victory lap. Built on a steady diet … Read more