Album Reviews

Silversun Pickups
Neck of the Woods

May 15, 2012 Web Exclusive

If the cover image on Silversun Pickups' new album seems alluringly Hitchcockian, leave the lights on when you give the record a spin. The L.A. band has never been a Prozac popper, but the 11 tracks on Neck of the Woodstakes moody to a whole other psychological level—one that moves beyond science to a technological outsmarting.

Classic Interviews

Neon Neon

Neon Neon
Where There are No Roads

Apr 01, 2008 Spring 2008 - Flight of the Conchords

Any child of the ’80s knows the idea of the year 2000 back then was really insane,” says Bryon Hollon (aka Boom Bip). “There were a lot of TV shows and movies with laser guns and hover cars and stuff. According to Gruff, all roads from the ’80s lead to John DeLorean.”

Comic Book Reviews

American Vampire Volume 3
DC/Vertigo

Apr 16, 2012 Web Exclusive

American Vampire Volume 3 collects issues 12-18 of the ongoing series from Vertigo as well as the American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest mini. The contents are nothing short of stunning.

Book Reviews


Shadows in Flight

Feb 29, 2012 Web Exclusive

Once upon a time there was a boy name Bean who saved the world from destruction both alien and human, helped install a one world power and fathered a brood of children with his best friend Petra, all before the age of eighteen. Not a bad resume. That is, if the Bean of previous Shadow books had anything in common with the passive giant in Shadows in Flight.

Video Game Reviews

Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (Android)
HeroCraft Ltd

Aug 12, 2011 #37 – St. Vincent

The purest measure of any game on a phone or tablet is addictiveness, and Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim ends up somewhere right around crack. 

Interviews

White Sea

May 01, 2012

You have Morgan Kibby to thank for the can’t-get-‘em-out-of-your-head lyrics of “Midnight City.” A vital part of M83 since 2008’s Saturdays=Youth, Kibby has been responsible for her fair share of “lighters aloft” moments in the French/Los Angeleno collective, writing lyrics and providing vocals for the electonic/ambient/shoegaze/dance group. Currently touring M83’s 201l album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, she has also been hard at work on her solo project, White Sea.

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Pleased to meet you

Keep Shelly in Athens

May 02, 2012

Keep Shelly in Athens actually hail from Athens, Greece. This much we do know. But very little else has been said about the enigmatic duo, who seemingly snuck onto the music scene with last year’s debut EP Our Own Dream.


 

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Lists

Under the Radar’s Top 40 Debut Albums of 2011

Feb 08, 2012

It may have been a difficult year for many people for a multitude of reasons (not least of all, the weak economy), but 2011 was certainly a great year for music. Here at Under the Radar we'd argue that it was an even better year for music than 2010 was, which is why this year we've come up with a Top 40 best debut albums of 2011, versus last year's Top 30.

Each of Under the Radar's writers submitted a list of their Top 20 favorite debut albums of the year. Those lists were all combined and tallied up to form Under the Radar's master Top 40 debuts of 2011 below.

 

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Galleries

Bon Iver
Bon Iver at Santa Barbara Bowl, April 22, 2012


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Live reviews

Pulp (with Chromatics), Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY - April 10, 2012

Apr 18, 2012 By Mark Redfern

Britpop heroes Pulp returned to the U.S. last week for their first American shows in 14 years, starting with a show at Radio City Music Hall last Tuesday night.

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Blog

From the Road Part 7: White Sea’s Morgan Kibby on Tour with M83

Apr 29, 2012 By Morgan Kibby

It was apparent that it was that point of the tour: survival mode.

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Current Issue

Issue #40

Mar 26, 2012 Issue #40 - In the Studio 2012 - Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, and Twin Shadow

Media





Cinema Reviews

Bernie

Apr 26, 2012 Web Exclusive

Richard Linklater has traversed a stunning stylistic breadth over a sublime filmmaking career spanning more than two decades. Bernie, the director's 15th feature film, feels oddly safe for the iconoclastic visionary.

DVD Reviews

Manhattan Blu-ray
Studio: MGM

May 06, 2012 Web Exclusive

Likewise to many of Woodly Allen's films, Manhattan is awash in conversation; but even more so than Annie Hall, the visual backdrop of Manhattan presents the viewer with riveting visuals of New York City in the late '70s. This is primarily attributable to the absolutely indispensable cinematography of Gordon Willis, the fulcrum of perhaps the most visually arresting film he and Allen collaborated upon.

Television Reviews

Don’t Trust the B——In Apartment 23
ABC, Wednesdays 9:30/8:30 Central

Apr 09, 2012 Web Exclusive

Hayseed June (Dreama Walker) moves to New York City from Indiana, where her parents have put all their hopes and money into her future.