Listen: Under the Radar’s Weekly Playlist Featuring SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, Twin Peaks, BANKS, and More

Jul 25, 2014 Michael Wojtas

Welcome to Under the Radar's weekly playlist, where we compile the best and most exciting tracks to debut online in the last week (give or take). In this mix we've got new songs by SBTRKT (featuring Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig), Jessie Ware, Twin Peaks, BANKS, How to Dress Well, A Sunny Day in Glasgow remixed by Ice Choir, TOPS, Halls covering Cat Power, Devendra Banhart remixed by Liars, The Rentals, Gap Dream, The Weeknd, Ex Cops, Ballet School, Esben and the Witch, Owl John, Electric Youth, and more.

Throwback Thursday: Grizzly Bear Interview from 2006

Jul 24, 2014 Summer 2006 - The Dears

For this Throwback Thursday we revisit our 2006 article on Grizzly Bear, our first print magazine interview with the band (we did interview them a year earlier on our website about their debut album,Horn of Plenty). Read on as Ed Droste discusses the band's sophomore album, Yellow House, and his hope for some hometown recognition.  

Wye Oak - Jenn Wasner on Sexism in the Music Industry and Their “Intensely Dark” New Album

Jul 23, 2014 Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

Wye Oak's stunning new album Shriek, at the surface, lies in stark contrast to their earlier work. The duo of Jenn Wasner (synths, bass, guitar) and Andy Stack (percussion) have eschewed their trademark guitar and drums sound in favor of something more silvery and abstract, no doubt informed by Wasner's foray into electronic textures on her 2013 side project Dungeonesse. 

MONEY

Jul 23, 2014 Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

Most bands retain the stamp of their home towns and cities, but Brits MONEY came together as usurpers in their adopted Manchester, the uniquely creative environment that gave us The Smiths, Joy Division, and Factory Records. Decamping to the north of England in his late teens, London-born vocalist and frontman Jamie Lee credits the city with indelibly shaping the sound and identity of the Bella Union-signed band.

10 Spectacular Pet Shop Boys Songs That Aren’t “West End Girls”

Jul 17, 2014

"Those are the guys that did 'West End Girls' and that song about brains and money or whatever, right?"

Sigh.

Invariably, that's the response I get from fellow Americans when trying to discuss Pet Shop Boys with them. And I'm tired of it. Sick and tired of it, folks.

Don't get me wrong, I love "West End Girls" and "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," but there is so. Much. More.

I'm fanatical about Pet Shop Boys. I'm fanatical about them in the same way the Depeche Mode fans who commented on my recent Depeche Mode piece are. Although, I think I'm less angry? Then again, perhaps not. The conversation outlined above does make my blood boil and fill me with inexplicable rage. But I mean, I'm not so fanatical of a fan that I can't recognize when Pet Shop Boys put out a clunker; Bilingual, Nightlife, and Release weren't great. Rather spotty, if I'm being honest. In fact, some bits of that album run are downright silly.

But still.

Here are some things, according to Wikipedia, Americans should know about Pet Shop Boys right freaking now:

• Guinness Book of World Records has named Pet Shop Boys the most successful duo in U.K. music history.
• According to Billboard, as of 2003, they were listed as the 4th (behind Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Donna Summer) most successful act on the U.S. Dance/Club charts.
• They've sold over 50 million albums worldwide, had 42 Top 30 singles, and 22 hits in the U.K. Top 10.
• They are three-time Brit Award winners and six-time Grammy nominees.
• We named last year's Electric as one of the 125 best albums of the year (just sayin').

And I could go on and on.

But I won't. Instead, I present for your edification, 10 Pet Shop Boys songs that are not "West End Girls," but just as good, maybe even better? (And these songs weren't even singles!)

Once again, we've dumped these tunes into a Spotify playlist for ya, too.

By Kenny S. McGuane

Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA, July 14, 2014

Jul 18, 2014 By Frank Valish

Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven thrilled Sellersville, PA as an acoustic-based trio. 

Nocturnal Admittance: Orenda Fink on Her Most Vivid Recurring Dream

Jul 25, 2014 By Orenda Fink

Nocturnal Admittance is our series where an artist writes about their most vivid recurring dream or nightmare. For this Nocturnal Admittance, Orenda Fink writes about a nightmarish experience in India that has inspired a recurring nightmare. The former Azure Ray singer is releasing her fittingly titled new solo album, Blue Dream, on August 19 via Saddle Creek.