Chris DeLine

Bad Brains‘ first studio record in over a decade drops next month with Build a Nation, produced by long time fan and Beastie Boys MC Adam Yauch. The album will come fresh on the heels of the band’s successful recent performance at this year’s Sasquatch Festival. Brooklyn Vegan recently documented a few reactions to the […]

I can’t help but wonder about the different ways people love The New Pornographers. Sure, the band is brilliant and with its forthcoming album Challengers it will probably claim the airwaves (including but not exclusive to all college radio stations across America). But do I love the band for its musical merit alone? I think […]

2007 has thus far provided no shortage of foot stomping, hand clapping songs akin to that of how you might imagine a tribal gather sounding. The realm of this intense urgency is beautifully captured by Frog Eyes on their recent Tears of the Valedictorian. Similar to form, Brooklyn’s Yeasayer proved an unexpectedly commanding force during […]

Forming in 2004 the trio of Twinkranes (aka T. Krane, The Rooster and Dr. Raymond Crane) spent its first two years together establishing the band’s musical focus and creating a number of visual pieces which would later accompany the group’s live performances in the form of an electronic slide show. After playing a list of […]

Following an extended stint with the Swedish six piece Edson, Pelle Carlberg continues to branch out with his own lively pop ballads. While much of his upcoming album In A Nutshell focuses on bit of dreary wit, tracks such as “Clever Girls” and “I Love You, You Imbicile” insert a playful theme that gives it […]

One of the highest profile hip hop releases of the year is Common’s forthcoming Finding Forever which is slated for release in late July. I can’t help but recognize Common’s attempts to market the longevity of his career, but after six solid albums shouldn’t he be allowed to do so? After rapping for The Gap […]

“Can’t Tell Me Nothing” furthers Kanye West’s ongoing public introspection surrounding integrating his celebrity into his life, all the while attempting to figure out how to live freely in spite of it. How can you follow your religion when it asks for humility, live like you once did with your family and friends and most […]

There’s a sense of spectacle when you unknowingly stumble into a piece of music that catches you entirely off guard. Even despite its kitschy pop sentimentalism, such is the case with the first single from the Manic Street Preacher’s latest Send Away the Tigers entitled “Your Love is Not Enough.” The Cardigans‘ Nina Persson adds […]

Je Suis France takes surrounds itself with as much myth and humor as the acts many might suggest it sounds like. The group’s off kilter experimentalist Ween-ish melodies roll hand in hand with its peculiar history. With the group’s Mind Zappa release it attempted to construct renditions of Frank Zappa songs that the band had […]

As we progress closer to the release date of Era Vulgaris the releases become more exciting and fresh with every listen. Today I was graced with an advanced listen to another new track entitled “Turnin’ on the Screw.” It’s a little bit slower than the album’s other advanced releases with a tone similar to the […]

Big thanks to Bill (voted Cleveland’s most handsome man two years running) over at I Rock Cleveland for the heads up on a special internet exclusive EP released yesterday by his fine city’s The Black Keys. For those who are already familiar with the band I imagine you’re not even reading this and have simply […]

This 1998 documentary does little to expand on what is now commonly known to black metal fans familiar with Varg Vikernes, Øystein Aarseth and the Norwegian church burnings of the early to mid 1990s however it does provide a lot of footage that adds weight to the story. Along those lines, the film takes time […]

It’s been a couple years since the stigmatic shadow that trails Eminem’s legacy was once relevant and white MCs are still creating some of the most interesting and undeniably talented lyrical webs in the game. It’s not the color, but the introduction to the art that is what’s important however and in the case of […]

I’ve never been one to shy away from banjos, so after becoming informed of Dawn Landes‘ cover of Peter, Bjorn & John’s “Young Folks” I was rightly impressed. Though not something typically covered on this site, that being bluegrass, to this day I find it to be a thorn in the side of music that […]

There’s some strange romanticism I have with strong female leads and in the Amy LeVere story “Killing Him” I find myself helplessly falling for the passionate murderer. “Killing him didn’t make the love go away.” Can I say that I’ve never felt anything similar? Not really, in times gone by I’ve wondered what would happen […]

There have been some fantastic music video releases this past month but it is this, “Mer du Japon,” by Air and Fujiya & Miyagi’s “Ankle Injuries” that I think explain why modern television has got nothing on the internet. Are these things even still played on TV anywhere? I don’t know…but what I do know […]

When I first heard the single I was a little taken back. While it’s overtly hard sounding I couldn’t get around the slow, almost dullness to the chops. Take a few weeks, a few dozen listens and it starts making sense. While it’s still not the better than, nor as easy a choice for a […]

“Rats” is such a lowly song for the better part of its running time, slowly chiming in with lyrics that further exasperating its already ready to burst tempo, “You’ve got me on my knees again.” The song comes to a head with an unusual psychedelic mixed bag of wavy distortion and feedback treats that seem […]

When faced with such a dilemma as to having to define your favorite song by one of the most amazing musicians in history I figured it best to justify the top choice with a few alternate picks that also mean a lot to me. As such, when a good friend told me yesterday that her […]

In one way, this Fujiya & Miyagi video is entirely unique and reflects a building thought that I have which suggests that we are all worse off for not having a television station dedicated to playing music videos. In another, The White Stripes kind of did it first. Legos or dice, it still kind of […]

Jarvis Cocker is the type of artist that I’ve long since built respect for but without entirely basing that respect in omnipresent fandom. I L U V loved “Common People” when it came out and at the time I believe I purchased the album through the bottomless pit known as Columbia House(random side note). Since […]

Listening to music, just having it there simply as a supporting cast member in the scenes of your life is something entirely enjoyable and fulfilling all unto itself. Yet many times in life it unknowingly attaches itself to bits and pieces of your life, but until now I’ve had no Wilcostories. Today my Wilco story […]

There’s little argument against R. Kelly’s talent – it’s there and no one is disputing that. The man is a baller and is always associating himself with a fine lineup of talent. Just look at the upcoming lineup for his upcoming release Double Up: Swizz Beats, Snoop Dogg, Chamillionaire, Nelly, T.I., Ludacris…and Kid Rock?…well, he’s […]

In all fairness – who hasn’t had KRS One lay down lyrics for a few songs for their largely unknown album? Hands? Psalm One? Not so much? I it would be fair to say that Chicago-based producer Copperpot might have very well pulled a coup with his sophomore release WYLA? in that it looks just […]

The first time I had heard any of the new instrumental material was yesterday when the ol’ Stereogum unleashed “The Rat Cage.” I can understand why some fans might not be entirely receptive as, up until now, the entire album is expected to represent merely a niche of the group’s sound. Fortunately for me however […]

Thought I’d take a second peak back at the Beastie Boys‘ site for the day and low and behold everything in the world has changed; well, not everything – but there’s a fresh video of the band in studio recording “Off The Grid.” It is Caucasi-funk at its peak: a guitar that sticks its head […]