Feb 09, 2011
Music
Issue #34 - Year End 2010 - Sufjan Stevens
Fine purveyors of muscular power pop, Cold War Kids make a play for stardom on their third album, Mine Is Yours. Playing to arenas that have yet to be filled is a dangerous game, one dependent mostly upon confidence and a specific brand of talent that translates easily to a bigger venue. More
Feb 07, 2011
Music
Issue #34 - Year End 2010 - Sufjan Stevens
Before Animal Collective and their freak folk brethren came along, Gang of Four were the influence du jour throughout the indie scene. The Rapture and Bloc Party in particular made a career of aping the band’s angular riffs and taut, throbbing dub-inflected basslines. Not that there was anything wrong with this. 1979’s Entertainment! is widely recognized as a classic, having influenced everyone from U2 to R.E.M. to Nirvana. More
Feb 04, 2011
Music
Issue #34 - Year End 2010 - Sufjan Stevens
There's really only one way to approach a new Deerhoof album: with the expectation that you didn't really see it coming. The band, after roughly 15 years, is still reliably unpredictable. More
Feb 02, 2011
Music
Web Exclusive
On their second full-length, New Jersey husband-and-wife duo Ben and Vesper Stamper perform like confident indie-rock vets. More
Jan 31, 2011
Music
Issue #34 - Year End 2010 - Sufjan Stevens
Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar sings "I write poetry for myself" during Kaputt's "Blue Eyes," and it reads like a modus operandi for his adventurous will over the past decade. The track's New Wave-y, rainy day disco and smooth jazz filigrees speck many of the songs on Bejar's latest musical wonder. More
Jan 28, 2011
Music
Web Exclusive
Ryan Adams catches so much shit for being unable to define a cohesive artistic vision, but it's time for people to acknowledge that a big part of Adams' appeal is never knowing what you're gonna get. More
Jan 26, 2011
Music
Web Exclusive
One can’t blame Geoff Barrow (Portishead, BEAK>) for wanting to team with political journalist-turned-singer Annika Henderson. All blonde locks and elongated syllables, she is unquestionably a modern-day Nico. However, lacking both the control and originality of the late German chanteuse, Anika fails to rise above this comparison. Still, she is not the problem here. More
Jan 20, 2011
Music
At the outset, things may seem easy for a band that sounds an awful lot like other bands—they're easy to define, people find them without much trouble, and there's a track laid out for them. More
