Love and Rockets Get Love and Rock
Love and Rockets are one of the underrated bands of the ’80s and ’90s, often overshadowed, unfairly or not, by their gothic forebears Bauhaus. But the space-rocking trio still had […]
music that matters
Rest in Peace, Les Paul (1915-2009)
A rock and tech legend passed away today. I charted his influence in short form on Wired, mostly because words can’t express one man or woman’s influence, especially one like […]
Metromixed! Portugal The Man, Modest Mouse, The Dandy Warhols
Dude, I’m writing so much that my eyes are falling out. Well, my ears too, considering how much I’ve been writing about music lately. In fact, I’ve reviewed several releases […]
Dinosaur Jr. Rules the Rock Farm
Dinosaur Jr. plugged the ’80s back into distortion and riffage, and changed music for better in the process. Then, it fell apart. But now, it’s back together again, and the […]
A Note From Pixies’ Black Francis
I have always been a singer, a writer, and a musician, not as a prodigy or as in a trade handed to me by my parents, but because of an inner voice or maybe a command from beyond reality as it is usually defined.
Hip-Hop’s Good, Great and Not Great
Mos Def’s hyper-aware culture raps keep it smart the whole way.
Sonic Beacons: An Interview With Tortoise
Tortoise’s Beacons of Ancestorship, a potent dose of unclassifiable sound that veers from dub, funk and hip-hop to jazz, punk and rock without ever dissipating into incoherence, is the Chicago-based […]
Jack White: Rock’s Great Multitasker
I put together a retrospective of The White Stripes frontman’s various sonic disguises for Metromix last week, which was a hoot. As much as I love White’s musical talent, I […]
Pink Mountaintops Find Love In Hypno-Pop
Someday I want to move to gorgeous Vancouver, home of Stephen McBean. It’s the kind of place that inspires beautiful music, whether that is McBean’s crushing metal band Black Mountain […]
The Kills Fall Through The Kracks
I interviewed The Kills’ Allison Mosshart, who is now fronting Jack White’s new band The Dead Weather, about her various groups, The Mighty Boosh, why The Killers aren’t cool and […]
Great Northern Seeks The Lynchian Light
Los Angeles thrives on space rock, but local heroes Great Northern filter it through David Lynch’s Twin Peaks gothic pop for good measure. I reviewed the band’s latest effort for […]
Grand Duchy, Black Francis’ Family Affair
So I rapped with the pair for Rolling Stone and reviewed the disc for Metromix. All is well.
Mr. Lif Walks the Talk
“Whether you’re a suit with a desk job or a creative artist, you are still programmed to work. You can never ultimately escape from your responsibilities.”
The Thermals Transmit Warm, Poppy Punk
What can I say? I am a sucker for Portland, and its myriad bands. The Thermals are one of its best, sure-shot pushers of power-pop, or pop-punk, or whatever they […]
Pontiak’s Stoner Rock Is Sweet And Loud
Pontiak, Maker [Scott Thill, Metromix] Pontiak fit in just fine with past purveyors of atmospheric riffage like Kyuss, Earth and the like. The 13-minute-plus title track on “Maker” is a […]
Pop Lifer Robyn Hitchcock Dreams of Oslo, Synesthesia, Snow
Robyn Hitchcock is a gentleman, an artist and one hell of a prolific songwriter. From his work in the ’70s with The Soft Boys to his escape-minded recent effort Goodnight […]
Aceyalone Rejuvenates Lonely Hip-Hop
Aceyalone is one of hip-hop’s unsung virtuosos. No longer. On the freestyle vet’s latest effort The Lonely Ones, every soul genre is freaked and every song is stunning. It’s still […]
Indigo Girls Get Bitter, Beautiful
Catching up with my Metromix reviews. This one was a mellow pleasure.
Metromixed! Looking For Horror? Two Words: Chris Cornell.
Happy Friday the 13th! Now are you ready to be scared out of your underwear? Chris Cornell just made a crunk album. I am not kidding. That horror awaits you […]
Watchmen Tunes Merge Comic, Cash
The slightly good news is that some of the music that made it into the film, but not the comic, didn’t make it to the soundtrack. The bad news? Some lousy songs made both the film and the soundtrack, but never made the comic at all.
Metromixed! Black Lips, The Whip, The Prodigy Make Noise
Man, I’ve been on a reviewing tear lately, especially for my pals at Metromix, who publish my love online and in the papers. From the retro garage thrash of Black […]
Tearing Down The Century of the Self With And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
So for the band’s latest effort, named after Adam Curtis’ The Century of Self, I went on the blitz for Wired, Metromix and Filter.
Vetiver’s Dream Folk Grows On You
Call if freak folk, call it nu-folk or just call it whatever the folk you want. But mellowed, measured folk is back with a vengeance. Andy Cabic’s Vetiver is one […]
J.J. Cale Still Has It
This laid-back guitarist gave Eric Clapton “Cocaine,” and he gave it to him “After Midnight.” But can he still roll the rock now that he’s in his ’70s and the […]
A Heart-to-Heart With Heartless Bastards
Back to Socal from snowy NorCal at last. Found some killer road and snowboarding music. This rocker from Dayton named Erika Wennerstrom and her band the Heartless Bastards. She is […]