Updated Articles and Resources
- New Alternative Music - Forthcoming Album Release Dates…Created: 2009-12-08 @ 18:22:44 EST
Sort through the glut of new releases with this guide to the upcoming indie-music release schedule… - Top 10 Indie Band-Name Clichés of the '00s - Alternative Music …Created: 2009-12-07 @ 08:04:22 EST Updated: 2009-12-07 @ 08:51:57 EST
Whilst alternative music fused into strange new shapes in the '00s, all the band names started to sound the same… - Cat Power Moon Pix - Review of Cat Power's Definitive Alternative Al…Created: 2009-12-05 @ 06:31:40 EST Updated: 2009-12-05 @ 10:36:02 EST
Chan Marshall's spooked séance is a suite of songs sweated out in the middle of an Australian summer… - Cat Power Interview - An Interview with Chan Marshall of Cat PowerCreated: 2009-12-04 @ 15:02:03 EST Updated: 2009-12-05 @ 06:33:31 EST
Working on her ninth album, the Cat Power songstress is reminded of making her classic 'Moon Pix' LP 12 years earlier… - Vampire Weekend Interview - An Interview with Ezra Koenig of Vampire…Created: 2009-12-03 @ 09:03:12 EST Updated: 2009-12-03 @ 18:50:55 EST
The VW frontman defends himself against charges of cultural appropriation… - Godspeed You Black Emperor! Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to H…Created: 2009-12-02 @ 07:24:25 EST
Post-rock's cinematic landmark finds the Canadian co-op raging against the dying of the light… - 10 Great Debut Albums from 2009 - Best New Alternative Music…Created: 2009-12-01 @ 05:54:11 EST
These 10 acts arrived in style in 2009, delivering debut discs that impressed many… - Dead Man's Bones Dead Man's Bones - Review of Dead Man's Bones Self-…Created: 2009-11-30 @ 20:09:28 EST Updated: 2009-12-01 @ 04:48:08 EST
Clearly the greatest nightmare-doo-wop-with-children's-choir soundtrack to an imagined monster movie recorded by a Hollywood celebrity ever… - Lightning Bolt Interview - An Interview with Brian Chippendale of Li…Created: 2009-11-22 @ 23:26:20 EST
The Bolt's drummer/vocalist on playing on stages and off, and why it's good to take two-year breaks now and then… - Fool's Gold Interview - An Interview with Luke Top of Fool's GoldCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:04:04 EST
Luke Top talks about his band's polycultural jams, singing in Hebrew, and trying to make something truthful in LA… - History of Slumberland Records - Slumberland Records ProfileCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:04:03 EST
Discover the Washington, DC label's two impressive decades of twee… - The Very Best Interview - An Interview with Johan Karlberg of The Ve…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:04:02 EST
The Swedish half of Radioclit talks homecomings in Malawi, his love of David Attenborough, and making good use of rejected productions made for Lil Wayne… - Kings of Convenience Interview - An Interview with Eirik Glambek Bø…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:04:00 EST
The non-spectacled half of the Norwegian soft-pop bards talks about staying true to their 'Quiet is the New Loud' ideal… - Michael Hurley Armchair Boogie - Review of Michael Hurley's Definiti…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:59 EST
40 years ago, the New Weird American Folk Underground was essentially just one guy: Michael Hurley… - Michael Hurley Ida con Snock - Review of Michael Hurley's Album Ida …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:59 EST
The latest LP for the progenitor of the New Weird America is familiar Hurley: simultaneously wacky and touching… - The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - Review of The Fla…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:57 EST
'Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots' is the Flaming Lips' ultimate tribute to living life in the face of the inevitability of death… - Kings of Convenience Declaration of Dependence - Review of Kings of …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:56 EST
After five years apart, Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe are back on record together, writing a love-letter to each other… - Devendra Banhart What Will We Be - Review of Devendra Banhart's Albu…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:55 EST
Unlike recent Banhart records, here the ambling, genre-dabbling, pastichey feel isn't a product of lazy happenstance, but written into the album's ambition… - Built to Spill There is No Enemy - Review of Built to Spill's Album …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:54 EST
Doug Martsch and co sound like there’s nothing they’d rather be doing than making this record… - The Flaming Lips Embryonic - Review of the Flaming Lips' Album Embry…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:53 EST
For most, the double album is a place to harness one’s conceptual ideas. For Wayne Coyne, it's a chance to deliberately lose the plot… - Boredoms Vision Creation Newsun - Review of Boredoms' Definitive Alt…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:51 EST
It's the most unexpectedly influential album of the '00s: the percussive noise orgy that rewired and inspired Gang Gang Dance, Black Dice, and Animal Collective… - Animal Collective Interview - An Interview with Geologist of Animal …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:50 EST
2009 breakout superstars Animal Collective began life as shadowy and mysterious. Geologist talks about their journey into the spotlight… - Shannon Stephens Interview - An Interview with Shannon StephensCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:49 EST
Shannon Stephens played in a band with Sufjan Stevens in the '90s. She disappeared. He became a superstar. She was jealous… - Kurt Vile Interview - An Interview with Kurt VileCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:49 EST
Growing up, Kurt Vile dreamed of being signed to Matador Records. Now he is… - Meeting People is Easy - Review of the Radiohead DVD Meeting People …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:48 EST
Grant Gee's soul-crushing chronicle of life on the promotional trail methodically tears down the myths of the bon-vivant touring band… - Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions Through the Devil Softly - Rev…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:47 EST
Where the Mazzy Star starlet's every whisper is as tangible yet elusive as the breeze… - Get Back Guinozzi! Interview - An Interview with Èglantine Gouzy of…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:46 EST
The singer of the mad French duo talks recording in Indian jungles and old post-punk records… - The Feelies Crazy Rhythms - Review of The Feelies' Definitive Altern…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:45 EST
The Feelies preferred coffee over beer, precision over swing, and, most notably, tension over release… - Public Image Ltd. Metal Box - Review of Public Image Ltd.'s Definiti…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:44 EST
The continued celebration and canonization of the Sex Pistols has made one thing clear: history's picked the wrong band… - Wavves Interview - An Interview with Nathan Williams of WavvesCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:43 EST
Post Primavera meltdown, Nathan Williams talks about being the most hated man in the blogosphere… - El Perro del Mar Biography - Artist Profile of El Perro del MarCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:42 EST
Sarah Assbring finds rapture in girl-group grooves and truth in hushed musical sadness… - El Perro del Mar Interview - An Interview with Sarah Assbring of El …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:41 EST
Sarah Assbring talks about her first three LPs: the sad one, the happy one, and the break-up record… - The Big Pink A Brief History of Love - Review of The Big Pink's Albu…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:40 EST
In 2009, the emperor’s new clothes come in a hot new shade of Big Pink. … - Tiny Vipers Interview - An Interview with Jesy Fortino of Tiny VipersCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:39 EST
The stark songsmith laments that, though you can leave your small-town upbringing behind, it never really leaves you… - The Pixies Biography - Artist Profile of The PixiesCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:38 EST
The Pixies blistering use of broad dynamics and innovative re-write of pop-song forms redefined guitar music… - The Pixies Doolittle - Review of The Pixies' Definitive Alternative …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:37 EST
With over two decades of impressive influence in its wake, dare we ask: is 'Doolittle' alternative music's high watermark?… - Fool's Gold Fool's Gold - Review of Fool's Gold's Self-Titled AlbumCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:36 EST
This Los Angeles-born Afro-Islamic-Hebrew jam-band is the music world's digitized global village made manifest… - Clouddead Clouddead - Review of Clouddead's Definitive Alternative A…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:35 EST
Inspired by obscure space-rock records and armed with cosmic lyrics, Clouddead took hip-hop to its final frontier… - Why? Eskimo Snow - Review of Why?'s Album Eskimo SnowCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:34 EST
The master of the lyrical overshare, Yoni Wolf views the world as his "lit confessional marquee."… - Why? Biography - Artist Profile of Yoni Wolf's Project Why?Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:33 EST
A look at the life and work of indie-pop/backpacker-rap confessionalist Yoni Wolf… - The Avalanches - Review of The Avalanches' Definitive Alternative Al…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:32 EST
Irony ruled alternative music in the '90s, but The Avalanches' sterling debut swiftly cemented the '00s as a decade unafraid of earnest romanticism… - Gossip Music For Men - Review of The Gossip's Album Music For MenCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:31 EST
Gossip's major-label debut sounds somewhere between stilted and self-conscious… - Stereolab Emperor Tomato Ketchup - Review of Stereolab's Definitive …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:30 EST
The groop played their best album ever… - We Were Promised Jetpacks Interview - An Interview with Sean Smith o…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:29 EST
The young Scottish guitar-rockers talk drinking 'til you hit the gay bars with the Twilight Sad, and the scourge of being called "Scottish Emo."… - Neu! Neu! - Review of Neu!'s Definitive Alternative Album Neu!Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:28 EST
For many, Neu!'s debut 1972 LP served as the unofficial birthplace of the krautrock movement… - Neu! Biography - Artist Profile of the Band Neu!Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:27 EST
The German krautrock legends gave the world motorik rhythm and the infamous proto-remix Side 2 of 'Neu! 2'… - Discovery Interview - An Interview with Rostam Batmaglij and Wes Mil…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:26 EST
On (brief) hiatus from their Vampire Weekend/Ra Ra Riot day-jobs, the Discovery duo talk of embracing Auto-Tune, buzzy synths, and inevitable backlash… - The Field Mice Snowball - Review of The Field Mice's Definitive Alte…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:25 EST
Bobby Wratten was neither brave nor special, but his debut Field Mice LP helped define the budding twee movement when released in 1989… - Yo La Tengo Popular Songs - Review of Yo La Tengo's Album Popular So…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:24 EST
For their 14th-ish album, Yo La Tengo return to the 'variety show' format of 'I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One.'… - Julian Plenti Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper - Review of Julian Plen…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:23 EST
From Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines to Beyoncé Knowles as Sasha Fierce, the musical alter-ego has a long and pitiful history… - Scott Walker Scott 4 - Review of Scott Walker's Definitive Alternati…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:22 EST
Walker's unquestioned masterpiece is an uneasy mixture of MOR balladry, lyrical savagery, and hesitant avant-gardism… - Scott Walker 30 Century Man - Review of the DVD Scott Walker 30 Cent…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:21 EST
Documentary chronicle of the life and work of the reclusive crooner both builds up and tears down the Walker mythology… - Scott Walker Biography - Artist Profile of Scott WalkerCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:20 EST
Teen pin-up turned avant-garde recluse. The strange music and even stranger life of Scott Walker… - Interpol Biography - Artist Profile of InterpolCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:19 EST
Chronicle of these well-dressed New Yorker dudes and their moody post-punk gloom… - Mazzy Star So Tonight That I Might See - Review of Mazzy Star's Defi…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:18 EST
What was it that took this slowed-down, strung-out take on narcotic country to the ears of a million listeners?… - Mazzy Star Biography - Artist Profile of Mazzy StarCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:17 EST
Their narcotic balladry went platinum in the '90s, then they disappeared. The story of Mazzy Star… - Dean Wareham Black Postcards - Review of Dean Wareham's Memoir Black…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:11 EST
The spill-all memoir looks at the mundane realities and emotional messiness of doing time in bands rich in critical acclaim, less so in wealth… - Discovery LP - Review of Discovery's Album LPCreated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:08 EST
Vampire Weekend + Ra Ra Riot + Copious Amounts of Auto-Tune = Discovery… - Radiohead Kid A - Review of Radiohead's Definitive Alternative Album…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:28 EST
Radiohead ushered in the new millennium with a radical reinvention that crystallized the unease of the era… - Alternative Music Artists and Record Labels - Names to Know in Indie…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 08:57:00 EST
Get to know the names of Alternative and Indie Music: Artists, Bands, Record Labels… - Alternative Music Reviews and Recommendations - Top 10 Lists - Defin…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 08:53:57 EST
Reviews and Top 10 Lists to help you make sense of the sprawling alternative music realm… - Skip Spence Oar - Review of Alexander Skip Spence's Definitive Alter…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 08:37:19 EST Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:04:07 EST
Spence's schizophrenia-addled suite of half-finished songs sold almost no copies in its day, yet ended up influencing the entire lo-fi movement… - The Power of Salad - Review of the Lightning Bolt Tour Documentary D…Created: 2009-11-21 @ 06:31:56 EST Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:04:01 EST
Playing in and amongst the crowd, Lightning Bolt draw as much attention to the audience as to themselves… - Why? Interview - An Interview with Yoni Wolf of Why?Created: 2009-11-21 @ 04:23:08 EST Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:04:06 EST
Why?'s wordy lyricist talks sessions with his psychologist, laying out neurosis, and handling Woody Allen comparisons… - Godspeed You! Black Emperor Biography - Artist Profile of Godspeed Y…Created: 2009-11-13 @ 08:10:57 EST Updated: 2009-11-13 @ 08:30:17 EST
The intently political Canadian co-op authored the blueprint for cinematic, apocalyptic post-rock… - The Fearless Freaks - Review of the Flaming Lips Documentary DVD The…Created: 2009-11-06 @ 05:03:31 EST Updated: 2009-11-06 @ 08:44:44 EST
An intimate portrait of the Flaming Lips' bizarre quarter-century of ridiculous rock'n'roll… - Top 10 Breakout Acts of 2009 - Best New Alternative and Indie Bands …Created: 2009-10-28 @ 17:55:09 EDT Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 10:04:07 EDT
From Passion Pit to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The XX to Girls, here are the 10 bands who came from out of nowhere to suddenly be everywhere in '09… - Built to Spill Perfect from Now On - Review of Built to Spill's Defi…Created: 2009-10-16 @ 11:15:21 EDT Updated: 2009-10-16 @ 11:58:38 EDT
Perfect? Well, yeah, almost… - Built to Spill Biography - Artist Profile of Built to SpillCreated: 2009-10-16 @ 10:17:57 EDT Updated: 2009-10-16 @ 10:45:01 EDT
The history of bearded fretboard warrior Doug Martsch, and his merry band of Built to Spill men… - Devendra Banhart Biography - Artist Profile of Devendra BanhartCreated: 2009-10-14 @ 05:26:23 EDT
The bearded freak-folk bard is, in his words, just a "song and dance man."… - CMJ Hot Picks - 10 Bands to Watch at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon…Created: 2009-09-15 @ 09:30:26 EDT Updated: 2009-09-15 @ 09:47:06 EDT
From The Antlers to The XX, Broadcast to the Very Best, here's ten perfect picks from CMJ's sprawling slate of performers… - Tiny Vipers Biography - Artist Profile of Tiny VipersCreated: 2009-09-04 @ 19:06:28 EDT
The genesis of Jesy Fortino's sparse, slow-burning music, as told by Fortino herself… - Top 10 Twee Albums - The Best Twee-Pop Records of All TimeCreated: 2009-08-12 @ 04:06:37 EDT
The class releases that defined the growth of twee from tiny, self-contained English scene to global underground culture… - Genre Profile - TweeCreated: 2009-07-30 @ 05:27:56 EDT Updated: 2009-07-31 @ 04:05:56 EDT
A back-to-basics primer on the indie-est of indie genres, in all its guitar-jangling, cardigan-clad, 7"-swapping glory… - Must Reads: Essential Articles and Resources about AltmusicUpdated: 2009-12-07 @ 08:50:36 EST
- Best Records of '09 - Top Alternative Music Albums of 2009…Updated: 2009-12-02 @ 10:41:34 EST
2009 featured an avalanche of inspiring music made by independent artists out to cross boundaries, break down borders, and dance long into the strange, weird, beautiful night… - Deerhunter Interview - An Interview with Bradford Cox of DeerhunterUpdated: 2009-12-02 @ 07:43:14 EST
B-Cox talks blog haters, the Bob Pollard Curse, record stores, and about himself in the third person… - Elliott Smith Either/Or - Review of Elliott Smith's Definitive Alter…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:16 EST
Not merely some cry-for-help, 'Either/Or' is a near-perfect pop record… - Elliott Smith Biography - Artist Profile of Elliott SmithUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:15 EST
Chronicle of the rise and demise of the ultimate depressive songsmith… - Galaxie 500 Biography - Artist Profile of Galaxie 500Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:13 EST
Look at the brief, blindingly beautiful career of cult indie-rock outfit Galaxie 500… - Galaxie 500 On Fire - Review of Galaxie 500's Definitive Alternative…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:12 EST
Capturing Galaxie 500's tender, swirling psychedelia at its best, 'On Fire' echoes with a quiet, humble perfection… - Dinosaur Jr Farm - Review of Dinosaur Jr's Album FarmUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:10 EST
Has there been a better rock'n'roll comeback than the return of the original Dinosaur? … - Dinosaur Jr You're Living All Over Me - Review of Dinosaur Jr's Defi…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:10 EST
Review of Dinosaur Jr's 'ear-bleeding country' classic from 1987… - Tortoise Beacons of Ancestorship - Review of Tortoise's Album Beacon…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:07 EST
Five years since 'It's All Around You,' these slow-and-steady titans of mighty instrumentalism have picked up right where they left off… - History of Thrill Jockey Records - Thrill Jockey Records ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:07 EST
Profile of Chicago's influential independent label Thrill Jockey… - Tortoise Biography - Artist Profile of TortoiseUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:06 EST
A career-long look at Chicago's genre-razing, forever-experimental instrumentalists… - Guided by Voices Bee Thousand - Review of Guided by Voices' Definiti…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:05 EST
Knocking out 30 songs in three days, GBV enshrined the lo-fi aesthetic on an ad-hoc 'album' afforded instant-classic status… - Jenny Wilson Interview - An Interview with Jenny WilsonUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:04 EST
The Swedish starlet explains how, artistically, motherhood and war go hand-in-hand… - Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca - Review of Dirty Projectors' Album Bitt…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:03 EST
After years of toiling in the shadows of obscurity, Dirty Projectors' time to shine is now… - Sonic Youth The Eternal - Review of Sonic Youth's Album The EternalUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:02 EST
With their rocking 16th LP, the forever-noisy greybeards prove themselves to be the Eternal Youth… - Tortoise Millions Now Living Will Never Die - Review of Tortoise's D…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:01 EST
Tortoise's sea-tide grooves and pointillist hand-percussion put the post-rock sub-genre on the map… - Belle and Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister - Review of Belle and…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:03:00 EST
The Scottish pop outfit's second LP is one of the greatest records ever committed to disc… - God Help the Girl - Review of God Help the Girl's Album God Help the…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:59 EST
The soundtrack to Stuart Murdoch's imagined musical doesn't measure up to a Belle and Sebastian album… - God Help the Girl Interview - An Interview with Stuart Murdoch of Be…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:57 EST
The B&S frontman talks of his 'story set to music,' his other band's history, and how there weren't any decent records released in the '90s… - Belle and Sebastian Biography - Artist Profile of Belle and SebastianUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:55 EST
The life and times of the Scottish twee institution… - My Bloody Valetine Loveless - Review of My Bloody Valentine's Defini…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:54 EST
My Bloody Valentine's all-time-classic second album changed the way a whole generation of artists looked at the guitar… - Grizzly Bear Biography - Artist Profile of Grizzly BearUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:53 EST
An in-depth look at the harmony-draped folk-pop experimentalists… - Grizzly Bear Interview - An Interview with Daniel Rossen of Grizzly …Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:52 EST
Daniel Rossen talks his Elvis-obsessed childhood, mimicking Nick Drake, Department Of Eagle's dark songs, and the joyousness of 'Veckatimest'… - The Fall Hex Enduction Hour - Review of The Fall's Definitive Altern…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:51 EST
For all intents and purposes, The Fall begins and ends with 'Hex Enduction Hour.'… - St Vincent Actor - Review of St. Vincent's Album ActorUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:50 EST
Playing the part of St. Vincent, all the world's a stage for Annie Clark… - History of Language of Stone Records - Language of Stone Records Pro…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:49 EST
Profile of the Espers-helmed Language of Stone label, which catalogues a cornucopia of psych-folk wonder… - St Vincent Biography - Artist Profile of St VincentUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:49 EST
A look at the life and career of fearsome fretboard shredder, old-fashioned romantic, and all-around dork, Annie Clark… - Papercuts You Can Have What You Want - Review of Papercuts' Album Yo…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:48 EST
The work of gifted producer Jason Quever, Papercuts' retro-pop records are mood in search of a tune… - Clues Clues - Review of Clues' Debut Self-Titled AlbumUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:47 EST
Alden Penner's post-Unicorns outfit debuts with an album of dense, dark, distorted, '90s-ish alt-rock… - History of Constellation Records - Constellation Records ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:46 EST
Chronicle of Canadian post-rock powerhouse Constellation Records… - Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band Outer South - Review of Cono…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:45 EST
If 'Conor Oberst' gave off the wafting aroma of a sausage party, 'Outer South' positively reeks of it… - Here We Go Magic - Review of Here We Go Magic's Album Here We Go Mag…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:44 EST
After two albums of cold classicism, Luke Temple is getting warmer, warmer… - Grizzly Bear Veckatimest - Review of Grizzly Bear's Album VeckatimestUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:43 EST
Grizzly Bear's glorious third album is wondrous in its grandest gestures and its smallest details… - Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Review of Phoenix's Album Wolfgan…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:42 EST
Every time Phoenix releases an album, you're guaranteed a smattering of killer pop-songs… - Peter Bjorn and John Interview - An Interview with John Eriksson of …Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:40 EST
John Eriksson compares PB&J's hit single Young Folks to "a lucky star in a computer game."… - Nirvana Bleach - Review of Nirvana's Definitive Alternative Album Bl…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:39 EST
The best $606.17 recording budget Sub Pop ever presided over… - Jeffrey Lewis Em Are I - Review of Jeffrey Lewis's Album 'Em Are IUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:38 EST
Once again, the anti-folk bard searches for the silver lining on a dark cloud… - Jeffrey Lewis Biography - Artist Profile of Jeffrey LewisUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:37 EST
Profile of NY's "maker of comic books, tragi-comic folk narratives, and acoustic psychedelia."… - Pavement Slanted and Enchanted - Review of Pavement's Definitive Alt…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:36 EST
The debut disc for the sultans of slack is, with two decade's worth of hindsight, an interesting proposition… - Yeasayer Biography - Artist Profile of YeasayerUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:35 EST
Yeasayer are a quartet that accomplishes no small task: defying genre… - Bat for Lashes Two Suns - Review of Bat for Lashes' Album Two SunsUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:34 EST
Natasha Khan's second Bat for Lashes record mixes its metaphors for duality… - Bat for Lashes Biography - Artist Profile of Bat for LashesUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:33 EST
History of glamorous English songstress Natasha Khan… - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Biography - Artist Profile of Yeah Yeah YeahsUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:32 EST
The history of the rock'n'roll trio, as told by Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase… - Wolf Parade Biography - Artist Profile of Wolf ParadeUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:32 EST
A tale of four Canadian gentlemen and their merry rock'n'roll band… - The Decemberists Biography - Artist Profile of The DecemberistsUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:31 EST
Profile of the fore'er whimsical folk-pop troupe from Portland… - Spiral Stairs Interview - An Interview with Spiral StairsUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:30 EST
Spiral Stairs talks about his forthcoming solo debut on Matador, and the possibilities of a Pavement reunion… - Handsome Furs - Review of Handsome Furs' Album Face ControlUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:29 EST
HF have authored an album as Russian travelogue, journeying deep into the dark heart of the neo-Soviet-Union… - Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! - Review of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Album It's …Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:28 EST
The third YYY LP finds the band finally comfortable in their own commercially-accessible skin… - The Decemberists The Hazards of Love - Review of The Decemberists' A…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:27 EST
Long live the rock-opera! So sayeth these ramblin’, politickin’, folk-pop purveyors of twee antiquity… - Christmas on Mars - Review of the Flaming Lips DVD Christmas On MarsUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:24 EST
The Flaming Lips' first-ever feature film is a low-budget oddity that has more to do with underground cinema than underground music… - Dark Was the Night - Review of the Compilation Album Dark Was the Ni…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:23 EST
The National's Dessner brothers solicited every indie act in existence to help them achieve one goal: making a charity compilation that doesn't suck… - Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - Review of Franz Ferdinand…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:22 EST
After three years on the sidelines, the gamine Glasgow art-punks come back with designs on the dancefloor… - Daniel Johnston Yip/Jump Music - Review of Daniel Johnston's Definit…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:21 EST
Johnston's helium voice and battered chord-organ chords have made him the embodiment of the individualist, iconoclast spirit of self-recording… - Gang Gang Dance Biography - Artist Profile of Gang Gang DanceUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:17 EST
A potted look at the spotty history of the genre-defying New York band… - Andrew Bird Noble Beast - Review of Andrew Bird's Album Noble BeastUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:15 EST
The Chicagoan multi-instrumentalist continues to forge further into his own unique take on Americana… - Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion - Review of Animal Coll…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:14 EST
Releasing their third classic album in five years has cemented Animal Collective's reputation as one of the most important, distinctive voices in modern American music… - Animal Collective Biography - Artist Profile of Animal CollectiveUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:13 EST
Biographical history of Animal Collective, the shape-shifting American outfit whose earned a reputation as one of the new millennium's most important musical acts… - Panda Bear Biography - Artist Profile of Panda BearUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:13 EST
Biography of Animal Collective member Panda Bear, from his teenaged home-recordings to his solo flowering whilst living in Portugal… - History of Paw Tracks Records - Paw Tracks ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:12 EST
Profile of Paw Tracks, the label helmed by the members of Animal Collective… - History of Kill Rock Stars Records - Kill Rock Stars ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:11 EST
Profile of the long-running, fiercely-independent Pacific Northwest imprint, from riot-grrrl beginnings to its rebirth in Portland… - TV on the Radio Dear Science - Review of TV on the Radio's Album Dea…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:10 EST
TV on the Radio's 'Dear Science' has been acclaimed as one of the greatest albums ever made. Which is definitely getting a little carried away about it… - TV on the Radio Biography - Artist Profile of TV on the RadioUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:09 EST
Let us chart the rise and rise of the Brooklyn outfit who's never met a bad review… - Spacemen 3 Biography - Artist Profile of Spacemen 3Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:08 EST
The rise and fall of infamous English noiseniks Spacemen 3… - Spiritualized Biography - Artist Profile of SpiritualizedUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:08 EST
Chronicle of Jason Pierce's grandiose gospel-space-rock-soul outfit Spiritualized, from post-Spacemen 3 beginnings to his near-death experiences… - Death Cab for Cutie Biography - Artist Profile of Death Cab for CutieUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:07 EST
Potted, spotted history of the impossibly successful Seattle indie-rock icons, as told by its members… - Arthur Russell Biography - Artist Profile of Arthur RussellUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:06 EST
Chronicle of the life and times of the fallen angel of disco-as-art, New York cellist and home-recording scientist Arthur Russell… - Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell - Review of the DVD W…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:05 EST
Matt Wolf's posthumous chronicle of the fallen disco cellist humanizes the elusive, genre-shifting 'genius' with an unexpected sweetness… - Arthur Russell Another Thought - Review of Arthur Russell's Definiti…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:04 EST
Arthur Russell was too obsessive and fragmented to ever release a classic album. Yet, this posthumous compilation certainly fits the bill… - Arthur Russell Love is Overtaking Me - Review of Arthur Russell's Al…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:03 EST
Arthur Russell reissue mania continues, with this collection of country-ish cuts culled together to coincide with the documentary 'Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell.'… - Antony & The Johnsons Biography - Artist Profile of Antony & the Joh…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:02 EST
Profile, history, biography of the warbling New Yorker troubadour… - Spiritualized Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space - Review…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:01 EST
J. Spaceman's towering landmark builds heartbroken symphonies mixing shoegaze with gospel, rock-n-roll swagger with bowed confessional… - Brigitte Fontaine Comme à la Radio - Review of Brigitte Fontaine's …Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:02:00 EST
In 1969, a French chanteuse, an Algerian multi-instrumentalist, and a Chicago jazz quartet undertook an experimental, exploratory, revolutionary musical voyage… - MGMT Biography - Artist Profile of MGMTUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:59 EST
An in-depth look at the brief history of the hype-starting New Yorker duo… - Pavement Biography - Artist Profile of PavementUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:58 EST
Biography of the kings of lo-fi slackerdom, as told by Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs… - Max Tundra Parallax Error Beheads You - Review of Max Tundra's Album…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:56 EST
Six years after his last LP, Ben Jacobs brings his neurotic lyricism and hyper-manic electro-pop back in style… - Los Campesinos! Biography - Artist Profile of Los Campesinos!Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:53 EST
Smartypants twee-pop explosion Los Campesinos! burst onto the indie scene with the release of two albums in 2008… - No Age Biography - Artist Profile of No AgeUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:52 EST
History, bio, and breakdown of the Los Angelino duo, as told by drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt… - Broken Social Scene Biography - Artist Profile of Broken Social SceneUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:51 EST
Potted history of the sprawling, many-membered, ever-evolving Canadian concern, as told by founders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning… - My Bloody Valentine Biography - Artist Profile of My Bloody ValentineUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:50 EST
A career chronicle of the recently-reborn godheads of the shoegaze movement… - Dig! - Review of the DVD Dig!Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:49 EST
A seven-year chronicle of the rise of The Dandy Warhols and the fall of The Brian Jonestown Massacre… - Parenthetical Girls Entanglements - Review of Parenthetical Girls' A…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:47 EST
The Portland outfit's latest longplayer marries jaunty orchestrations with lyrical grotesqueries, unexpectedly making for one of 2008's best discs. … - Frightened Rabbit Biography - Artist Profile of Frightened RabbitUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:46 EST
Frightened Rabbit are an emotionally-driven guitar-rock combo from Scotland. Learn more about their strange ways… - Spoon Biography - Artist Profile of SpoonUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:45 EST
Potted history of Austin indie-rock outfit Spoon, from their troubled early days to their chart-bothering recent rock classics… - David Berman Actual Air - Review of David Berman's Book Actual AirUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:44 EST
The debut book of poetry for the Silver Jews frontman is a striking collection of razor-sharp syllables… - Ian Svenonius The Psychic Soviet - Review of Ian Svenonius's Book Th…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:42 EST
The greatest rock-n-roll book in the world by the greatest rock-n-roll frontman in the world. And I'm not talking about Bono's autobiography… - Palace Music Viva Last Blues - Review of Palace Music's Definitive A…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:39 EST
Will Oldham's third Palace album is his masterwork; at turns urgent and volatile, reluctant and solemn, lovestruck and heartachin'… - Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Review of Neutral…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:38 EST
Neutral Milk Hotel main-man Jeff Mangum still hasn't been able to bring himself to attempt a successor to this slice of longplaying perfection… - Sonic Youth Daydream Nation - Review of Sonic Youth's Definitive Alt…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:37 EST
Sonic Youth’s decade-long reign as the '80s American underground’s Godheads came to an almighty culmination on this monolithic double-album… - The Smiths The World Won't Listen - Review of The Smiths' Definitive…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:36 EST
Never really an 'album' band, the patron saints of indie-pop are captured in full-flight on this singles compilation… - Young Marble Giants Colossal Youth - Review of Young Marble Giants' …Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:35 EST
Recorded in three days in a studio in North Wales, the one-and-only album for Young Marble Giants achieved a perfect kind of simplicity… - The Raincoats The Raincoats - Review of The Raincoats' Definitive Al…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:33 EST
Best known for diffusing punk's heaving machismo, the Raincoats' remarkable, ramshackle debut summons a peculiar musical magic… - Television Marquee Moon - Review of Television's Definitive Alternat…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:32 EST
At once fiercely punk and shaggily psychedelic, Television’s magnum opus transcends the time-and-place in which it was made… - Vashti Bunyan Just Another Diamond Day - Review of Vashti Bunyan's D…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:31 EST
Lost in oblivion for nearly three decades, Bunyan's magical debut has been granted an almost holy status by smitten listeners… - Os Mutantes Os Mutantes - Review of Os Mutantes' Definitive Alternat…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:30 EST
These barmy Brazilians' riotous debut album is a freakadelic fusion of Beatles-esque studio experimentation and traditional Afro-Portuguese rhythms… - The Monks Black Monk Time - Review of The Monks' Definitive Alternat…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:29 EST
With four decade's worth of hindsight, the Monks' still-thrilling debut may've birthed both punk and kraut-rock… - Animal Collective Sung Tongs - Review of Animal Collective's Definit…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:27 EST
Tapping into the freak-folk times, Animal Collective's acclaimed fifth album spearheaded a sweeping movement of 'new primitivism'… - Joanna Newsom The Milk-Eyed Mender - Review of Joanna Newsom's Defin…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:25 EST
Joanna Newsom's debut disc was a startling arrival from an alien artist, the virtuoso harpist a true musical original… - History of Merge Records - Merge Records ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:24 EST
Chronicle of the surprising rise of North Carolina's long-running independent label Merge Records… - History of Matador Records - Matador Records ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:23 EST
A traipse through the history of New York's venerable mega-indie, Matador Records… - History of Hardly Art Records - Hardly Art Records ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:20 EST
Profile of Sub Pop's recently-minted 'sister' label Hardly Art… - History of Factory Records - Factory Records ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:16 EST
Chronicle of the rise and fall of Manchester's legendary Factory Records, home to Joy Division, New Order, the Happy Mondays and more… - Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album - Review of the Book Fac…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:15 EST
Manchester's legendary Factory Records were long defined by their consistent, insistent visual aesthetic. This art-book chronicles the label's entire output… - The Devil and Daniel Johnston - Review of the DVD The Devil and Dani…Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:13 EST
From home-made cassettes to trying to crash an air-born plane: the Devil made Daniel Johnston do it all… - Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man - Review of DVD Leonard Cohen: I'm Your …Updated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:12 EST
A film divided into three: one part study of Cohen, one part all-star variety concert, one part stuck-listening-to-Bono… - Bon Iver Biography - Artist Profile of Bon IverUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:10 EST
Justin Vernon made a heartbroken record in a Wisconsin cabin in the middle of winter. Plenty of people have warmed to it… - Nirvana Biography - Artist Profile of NirvanaUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:07 EST
Profile of the life and death of the alternative legends… - History of Sub Pop Records - Sub Pop Records ProfileUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:04 EST
In-depth historical profile of the influential, (semi-)independent Seattle label… - Iron and Wine Biography - Artist Profile of Iron and WineUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 09:01:03 EST
Shy southerner Sam Beam's quiet songs have made a loud noise on the alternative scene… - Silver Jews Interview - An Interview with David Berman of Silver JewsUpdated: 2009-11-21 @ 04:36:33 EST
Silver Jews' David Berman discusses his recent embrace of the road, pop's utter lack of message, and whether he's still on a mission from God… - Top 20 Albums of 2008Updated: 2009-11-13 @ 08:26:58 EST
Let's count 'em down: the very best alternative and/or indie records of the year. Old favorites, new loves, strange surprises, unexpected treasures. The essential picks of the '08… - Constellation Records: Top 10 Constellation Albums…Updated: 2009-11-13 @ 08:26:19 EST
Ten picks from the tastefully-artwork'd back catalogue of the mighty Montréal indie, from Godspeed You Black Emperor! to Clues… - Alternative Music 101 - Guide to the Genres of Alternative MusicUpdated: 2009-11-13 @ 08:21:26 EST
Don't know your shoegaze from your space-rock? Your twee from your C86? Read on to discover the peculiar secrets of all those baffling genre names… - Genre Profile - Post-RockUpdated: 2009-11-13 @ 08:20:17 EST
A look at the ragged instrumentalists and jazz-schooled dorks that've made up post-rock's wordless movement… - 10 Acts to Watch at SXSW 2009Updated: 2009-10-27 @ 10:48:36 EDT
Ten hot tips to get you through Austin's musical overload, including Here We Go Magic, XYX, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Micachu, and so many more!… - 10 Killer Under-the-Radar 2008 AlbumsUpdated: 2009-10-19 @ 06:21:22 EDT
Here's 10 (well, 12, actually) totally killer 2008 discs that, whilst currently consigned to obscurity, are definitely worthy of reaching a far-larger audience… - Jenny Lewis Interview - An Interview with Jenny LewisUpdated: 2009-10-16 @ 10:20:28 EDT
The child-actor turned Rilo Kiley indie-rocker turned flame-haired country-soul chanteuse talks in the wake of her second solo album, 'Acid Tongue.'… - Megapuss Surfing - Review of Megapuss's Album SurfingUpdated: 2009-10-14 @ 05:30:40 EDT
The debut disc for Devendra Banhart's side-project is an in-joke made public… - Megapuss Interview - An Interview with Greg Rogove of MegapussUpdated: 2009-10-14 @ 05:22:57 EDT
The non-Devendra member of the 'puss talks about publicly outing his own member, his dreams of being a Brazilian tranny, the joys of Little Joy, and how his band was built for good times… - Top 20 Albums of 2007Updated: 2009-10-03 @ 08:03:13 EDT
Let's count 'em down: the very best alternative and/or indie records of 2007. From Animal Collective to, um, Panda Bear, it's the definitive list of the year's essential listening… - Vetiver Tight Knit - Review of Vetiver's Album Tight KnitUpdated: 2009-10-03 @ 07:58:08 EDT
'Tight Knit' plays like the musical equivalent of building a model aeroplane: precious and painstaking… - Rio en Medio Interview - An Interview with Danielle Stech-Homsy of R…Updated: 2009-10-03 @ 07:51:33 EDT
With the release of 'Frontier,' the freak-folk siren talks the New Mexico snow, Vashti Bunyan comparisons, and trying to create a "field of miraculous occurrences."… - Genre Profile - Freak-FolkUpdated: 2009-10-03 @ 07:48:22 EDT
A look at the recent folk-revival revivalists who've redreamt the imaginary hippy utopia for the new century… - Top 10 Alternative Starter AlbumsUpdated: 2009-09-25 @ 07:53:02 EDT
The defining entries in any alternative record collection. The iconoclasts whose singular sound has shaped a whole generation of underground acts… - 10 Most Disappointing Albums of 2008Updated: 2009-09-04 @ 10:23:55 EDT
The unfortunate misses, anticlimactic follow-ups, and deflating letdowns that made music-loving in 2008 a little less wondrous… - Death Vessel Interview - An Interview with Joel Thibodeau of Death V…Updated: 2009-09-04 @ 10:18:00 EDT
The gentle folkie with the high, high voice colors in his pre-Sub Pop musical backstory… - Nico Muhly Interview - An Interview with Nico MuhlyUpdated: 2009-09-03 @ 19:58:22 EDT
Nico Muhly talks Coldplay's lack of originality, Nicole Kidman's "botox-ass'd face", and working with Antony, Björk, Will Oldham, and Sam Amidon…