album reviews
Lauren Mayberry (Chvrches) Talks Braids’ Flourish // Perish
It seems to me that, each in their own way, musicians strive to create something beautiful – but for me, the truly beautiful songs are, for want of...
Sean Yeaton (Parquet Courts) Talks the Vaccines’ Melody Calling
I was recently in Portland performing at a festival at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, which, to digress for a moment, was fantastic — the vibes...
Rick Smith (Torche) Talks Medicine’s To the Happy Few
I was curious if a new Medicine record would be any good. Their debut Shot Forth Self Living was released in 1992 by Creation Records...
Zac Pennington (Parenthetical Girls) Talks Van Dyke Parks’ Songs Cycled
Opinions are fickle things. What appeals to the pleasure centers at first blush doesn’t always maintain stamina. Likewise, the longer it takes for...
Kathy Valentine (the Go-Go’s, the BlueBonnets) Talks Blue October’s Sway
The first time music made me cry, it was because of the sheer melodic and soulful beauty of what I was listening to, not because the lyrics were...
DJ Nu-Mark (Jurassic 5) Talks Mayer Hawthorne’s Where Does This Door Go
The third album for any artist seems to send them on a soul-searching adventure that eventually leads most of them to the age-old question...
Chris Funk (the Decemberists, Black Prairie) Talks Weekend’s Jinx
I grew up in northwest Indiana, which is basically an endless and extended suburb of Chicago. As it was the suburbs, there was no geographic...
Luke Temple (Here We Go Magic) Talks Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines
Robin Thicke and I are probably not too different in terms of the music we love — I'm a big lover of soul and r&b. But right now it seems like it's...
Peter Holsapple (the dB’s, Holsapple & Stamey, Continental Drifters) Talks the Civil Wars’ The Civil Wars
Some music comes along at a ripe emotional moment. It serves its purpose by distracting from the brittle feelings of what’s actually happening to...
Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater) Talks Fuck Buttons’ Slow Focus
It’s a funny time for electronic music. In the pre-digital world, it used to be a real challenge to force synths, drum machines, and occasional...
People Get Ready Talk Dawn of Midi’s Dysnomia
IAN: Are we allowed to talk while this is happening?JAMES: Oh yeah. Just say what's on your mind.JEN: Grapes. Squeeze the sweetest juices.
Elizabeth Sankey (Summer Camp) Talks Hookworms’ Pearl Mystic
Hookworms are a band who aren't afraid to get angry. Self-professed admirers of the punk/DIY spirit, a recent NME interview saw lead singer...











