Music
Essays, blog posts, playlists, and more focused broadly on music. For more playlists visit my Spotify profile.
- Tapes ‘n Tapes at Turf Club (St. Paul, MN) ()
An announcement made via the band’s mailing list and MySpace site the day of the show excited the limited few who came across the information: Tapes ‘n Tapes would be the surprise headliners to the already exciting Vampire Hands/The Blind Shake show at the Turf Club. While hearing the nationally recognized band play around the […]
- “Lily Allen & Friends” Debuts, Is Sure To Fail ()
Lily Allen & Friends debuted on Tuesday night to a stream of skepticism, The Times‘ Adam Sherwin adding “Lily Allen reduced BBC Three’s average audience for the 10:30pm slot by some 200,000 viewers. The E4 channel attracted a higher share of the target youth audience during the evening. ITV2 attracted more viewers than Allen with […]
- Daniel Johnston at First Avenue (Minneapolis, MN) ()
Opening with “Mean Girls Give Pleasure,” Daniel Johnston quickly abolished any sense of discomfort that lingered in the crowd, chugging along on his unique electric, versing about the toils of following one’s passion at the cost of the heart. Johnston continued with a brief solo set before being accompanied on stage by long-time collaborator Brett […]
- MGMT & Yeasayer at 7th St. Entry (Minneapolis, MN) ()
The Battle Royale’s frontman, Mark Ritsema, disclosed to me before the show that the group had almost gone into a panic mode when the recent blizzard-like conditions here in the Midwest left the state of half the band in limbo. “We were going to leave at 5:30 this morning and get them,” he said, speaking […]
- Cat Power at First Avenue (Minneapolis, MN) ()
Performing a classic set of standards, rarities and originals Chan Marshall and her Dirty Delta Blues band played to a near-sold out First Avenue. Marshall’s theatrical approach to the performance lit up the dim stage with terrifying consistency, her movements brash and continually intensified by the night’s band which included The Blues Explosion’s Judah Bauer, […]
- Drive-By Truckers “Brighter Than Creation’s Dark” Review ()
On “Not Everybody Likes Us” Hank Williams III lays into modern country music, grumbling “Well I think I’d rather eat the barrel of a double-barrel loaded shotgun, than to hear that shit they call pop-country music on ninety eight point one.” To some degree such sentiments could never be thought of when considering the path […]
- Soft Focus Feat. My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields ()
Weeks ago this episode of VBS’ Soft Focus crossed my trail and I was as enthusiastic about it as I watched it then as I am now as revisiting it. The first segment in particular branches out a bit as host Ian Svenonius and Kevin Sheilds bat about ideas far outside musical terms eventually balancing […]
- Cat Power “Jukebox” Review ()
For someone who finds her music often preceded by her reputation, various stages of Chan Marshall’s second covers album Jukebox are dominated by the reputations of both those who came before her as well as those who accompany her throughout. From Sinatra to James Brown, Joni Mitchell to Billie Holiday, Jukebox is meant to be […]
- The Hands “Praying Hands Make Fists (Or Be Chopped Off)” (Influenza) ()
Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. In this, the second of two parts, bassist Michael Tyler of Seattle’s The Hands reconciles the idea of staring into the nothingness of […]
- The Hands “Lies, Lies, Lies” (Influenza) ()
Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. Here, bassist Michael Tyler of Seattle’s The Hands discusses the concept of war and how the term’s disassociation impacted the band’s ultimate decision […]
- Pete Rock feat. Jim Jones: “We Roll” ()
Since first hearing of Pete Rock I’ve come to enjoy the producer/MC most when he’s collaborating with other artists. Rock seems at home when he’s working with some of hip hop’s biggest names and egos, and as such my favorite track of his comes from his 1998 debut solo album, Soul Survivor, featuring the ever-sharp […]
- The Battle Royale “Wake Up, Thunderbabe!” Review ()
The first release in two years from The Battle Royale combines the abundance of rock bands attempting to fuse electronic overtones into rock ‘n roll with the skill of musicians who can actually combine the two ever merging genres appropriately. The Battle Royale’s Wake Up, Thunderbabe! capitalizes on the group’s youthful fervor while scantly sounding […]
- MacBook Air Ad’s “New Soul” by Yael Naim ()
Apple has helped create a string of fantastic success stories in terms of the music behind their often clever ad campaigns. Take Feist or even Jet for example – both widely known before their respective ads aired…but did you ever think you’d see the day when Feist was on morning TV and in Targets nationwide? In […]
- Del The Funky Homosapian: “Bubble Pop” ()
Having not since released a solo album since 2000’s Both Sides of the Brain it would be a bit of an understatement to call Del’s forthcoming Eleventh Hour highly anticipated. Dropping albums this year with both Hieroglyphics and Deltron 3030 (rumored) in addition to his solo record, 2008 is shaping up to be not just […]
- Blue Ribbon Glee Club, Fugazi & The Resistance ()
Idolator’s Maura Johnson posted a fantastic video mashup by Chicago’s Blue Ribbon Glee Club this past week, which sparked a trend of comments (well, just two actually) which bounced about the accessibility of Fugazi’s “Waiting Room.” The limited query was started by one comment asking, “My only question is, why is ‘Waiting Room’ ALWAYS the […]
- Gnarls Barkley “Run” ()
Before everyone starts flipping out and getting violent & bitter because the new Gnarls Barkley single is being played on every station, across every possible medium I thought that it would be nice to share it here, on the internet, as god intended. The only starting point that I’ve read in regards to what the […]
- Yacht Rock Episode 11: “Footloose” ()
Jason “Holy Jumpin’ Christ” Lee makes a return to fine form in this the (unexpected though kind of expected) eleventh episode of my favorite online series ever, Yacht Rock. How about a brief glimpse of what you’re about to watch: James Ingram: “It’s mellow, but not smooth. Kind of shitty…”Michael McDonald: “Jimmy Buffet!” Michael McDonald: […]
- Muja Messiah & Of Montreal Cover M.I.A. ()
Last week I heard (live nonetheless) one of the first covers using a sample from M.I.A.’s brilliant Kala; that being from local Minneapolis MC’s Muja Messiah and M.anifest who take on “Paper Planes” with their own vibrant flow of street-theory. The track isn’t necessarily a cover in the typical sense, but rather follows more of […]
- Make Fists or Be Chopped Off: The Hands ()
How refreshing a thought it is to think of a Seattle band without even conjuring up the slightest thought of grunge. Breathe in the air, it is 2008 and while a haze may surround the ivory tower of Count Amazon, the time seems to have finally arrived when music can go back to resembling some […]
- Bone, Teeth, Dirt: Flowers Forever ()
Out of a disastrous feeling described as either having seen god or having had a bad bout with mono came Flowers Forever. Awaking one morning on the verge of a nervous breakdown lead singer and guitarist Derek Pressnall came to earth shattering resolve that there was something he needed to inject into his life; as […]
- Spoolwork: Dave Fischoff Remixes Jens Lekman ()
This Jens Lekman remix serves as the first piece in musician/producer Dave Fischoff’s latest project entitled Spoolwork. Fresh off opening a select few Midwest dates for Lekman, Fischoff returned to his native Chicago and began cultivating the idea behind the series where he will be “adding details and flourishes and sonic decorations to structures that […]
- Black Mountain “In The Future” Review ()
A few weeks back, during a discussion on what makes LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” such a fantastic track, a friend of mine fell heavily into the details underlining his enjoyment of the song. “Patience eludes me,” he said, “I strive for patience, I so desperately want to learn musical patience.” “The beginning of ‘All […]
- First Avenue’s Best New Bands (Minneapolis, MN) ()
First Avenue’s annual showcase of the Twin Cities’ best new bands returned this year bringing together 2007’s unusual talent pool that included acts ranging from ambient noise to African hip hop to stoner rock. Though each set was far too short to allow any band to leave an honest impression the overall consensus was that […]
- Chairs in the Arno “Popsicle” (Influenza) ()
Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artist. Here, Chairs in the Arno singer Jeff Excell discusses the spirit which brought the band to begin recording music and recalls the inspiration […]
- Moby’s “Last Night” May Be Moby’s Last Call ()
The first time I ever heard of Moby was when I saw him on the cover of a magazine’s year end release circa the turn of the new year 1997 (Magnet?). The picture caught my eye, and though I can’t find it online to save my life (Moby seemed to be growling with a clump […]
- Chairs in the Arno “File Folder” Review ()
Chairs in the Arno’s debut, File Folder, is strikingly smooth in comparison to the band’s electronic-driven rock counterparts, focusing on casual lyrics and vocal harmonies rather than attempting to struggle towards making each track 2004-chic or danceable. The eight song set serves as a short-playing scrapbook of stories and inside jokes amongst the band, each […]
- Joe Duplantier (of Gojira) Interview ()
Gojira will be playing the Myth in Maplewood this Wednesday, taking the stage with All That Remains, 36 Crazyfists and In Flames. Recognized as one of the greatest French Death Metal bands of all time, Gojira recently released its fourth studio album to a wave of critical acclaim. Prior to taking its world tour to […]
- Chairs in the Arno “Winter Song” (Influenza) ()
Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artist. In this, the second of two parts featuring music from the Saint Helena based electronic quartet Chairs in the Arno, bassist Jeffrey Knight […]
- Chairs in the Arno “Size Thirty” (Influenza) ()
Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artist. In this, the first of two parts featuring music from the Saint Helena based electronic quartet Chairs in the Arno, bassist Jeffrey Knight […]
- Kelly Stoltz “Your Reverie” ()
The first time that I was introduced to Kelly Stoltz’s music he was opening for The Raconteurs here in Minneapolis. He seemed a bit possessive, slightly compulsive and entirely indulgent in each layer of sound that he created while on stage. But all the while he seemed genuine in his delivery, his music simply didn’t […]