Jan 21, 2014
By Laura Studarus
Cocteau Twins
When Cocteau Twins released their sixth album, Blue Bell Knoll, in 1988, critics hailed it as a major step forward for the abstract pop trio. But to hear members Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie tell it, the record wasn’t so much a quantum leap as a natural evolution. More
Jan 17, 2014
By Laura Studarus
Nils Frahm
Irish-born, London-based actor Cillian Murphy has made a big-budget name for himself with roles in Inception, Tron: Legacy, and the Dark Knight Batman trilogy. Despite an ongoing flirtation with Hollywood, Murphy has also carved out a dual niche for himself, appearing in more independent films such as 28 Days Later (his breakout role), Breakfast on Pluto, and Sunshine, and performing in Enda Walsh’s one-man play, Misterman. Coming up are roles in Cry/Fly, Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea, and opposite Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman in Transcendence. And he also currently stars in the BBC TV drama Peaky Blinders. But for all his show business experience, he admits that the thought of speaking with Berlin-based pianist Nils Frahm makes him a bit starstruck. More
Jan 17, 2014
By Laura Studarus
Snakadaktal
“We often play games like creating our alter-ego animals,” says Phoebe Cockburn, vocalist for Melbourne-based quintet Snakadaktal. “I’m a squirrel because I like nuts a lot…. Our drummer was a sea elephant. Like a seal type of thing.” More
Jan 14, 2014
By Selena Fragassi
Big Scary
The opening song on Big Scary‘s new album Not Art (on Barsuk) begins with a list of all the things Tom Iansek is not (a painter, a poet, a teacher, a preacher), but it is clear that the frontman of the Melbourne, Australia duo is selling himself short of his many talents—music and all. More
Jan 13, 2014
By John Everhart
Issue #48 - November/December 2013 - HAIM
The Brooklyn-based indie label Captured Tracks was founded in 2008 by Mike Sniper of Blank Dogs. Beginning with releases from Sniper’s band and the first ever EP from Dum Dum Girls, the label’s growth occurred organically. More
Jan 10, 2014
By Frank Valish
Painted Palms
Google the name Chris Prudhomme and you might be surprised by what you find. Prudhomme, one half of Painted Palms, the electro-pop duo he fronts with his cousin Reese Donohue, dubiously shares a name with another more sinister character. More
Jan 09, 2014
By Matt Fink
Web Exclusive
Willis Earl Beal wants you to know that he considers himself a fortunate man, or, in his words, “more fortunate than unfortunate.” But from the outset of our hour-long interview, it’s clear that Beal is growing weary of his life as a musician. More