Jul 23, 2014 By John Everhart 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.  More

Jul 22, 2014 By John Everhart Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

Growing stronger with every record, while incrementally increasing its audience for a good part of the past decade, Wye Oak well could've trodden the beaten path and continued with its trademark guitar and drums sound, one that had endeared it to a progressively mainstream audience, including appearances of 2011's Civilian's title track on the likes of The Walking Dead, Being Human, and Safety Not Guaranteed. More

Jul 17, 2014 By Marcus Kager Issue #26 Spring 2009 - Bat For Lashes

For this Throwback Thursday we revisit our 2009 article on Depeche Mode. Read on as Dave Gahan and Andrew Fletcher discusses their 2009 album The Sounds of the Universe, their classic album Violator, their legacy, and Martin Gore's triumph over addiction. More

Jul 15, 2014 By Matt Fink Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

One of the hardest questions a band has to answer is, unfortunately, probably one of the most common ones they are asked: what kind of music do you make? For Slow Club's Rebecca Taylor, that question came recently when she was making a routine stop at the hairdresser. More

Jul 14, 2014 By Matt Fink Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

Slow Club's Charles Watson tells a story about the British band's 2009 American tour with Norwegian synthpop band Casiokids, explaining how he and co-leader Rebecca Taylor would stand at the side of the stage and marvel at how the audience would dance in unison during their tourmates' set, as if surrendering themselves to the music. More

Jul 10, 2014 By Matt Fink Summer 2005 - Death Cab for Cutie

For this Throwback Thursday we revisit our 2005 article on Sufjan Stevens. Read on as Stevens discusses his acclaimed 2005 album Illinois, the seemingly since abandoned 50 states project, his relationship to the press, and his discomfort with all the attention he was receiving at the time. More

Jul 09, 2014 By Matt Fink Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

When I ask Lykke Li if her songwriting process is cathartic, she seems to feel insulted. It's a lazy question, I admit, one that's almost guaranteed to elicit a certain answer from a songwriter who writes songs so full of insecurity, restlessness, and self-reproach.  More

Jul 08, 2014 By Matt Fink Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

Lykke Li does not want to be a pop star—she wants to make that clear. Though recent years have eroded much of the boundary, as well as the stigma, separating the pop and non-pop worlds, she nonetheless expresses frustration over the fact that after seven years of writing and singing her own songs she is still categorized more with pop singers than singer/songwriters. More

Jul 03, 2014 By Chris Drabick Winter 2008 - She & Him

For this Throwback Thursday we revisit our 2008 article on Fleet Foxes, our first interview with the band. In fact, this was the Seattle band's first interview for a nationally distributed print magazine. At the time of the interview they had only recently signed to Sub Pop and were some six months away from releasing their debut album, which was then to be titled Ragged Wood but was eventually simply self-titled.   More