The Pitchfork Music Festival will take place on July 15th – 17th in Chicago, Illinois. The first batch of bands has got us rabid with unbridled anticipation: Animal Collective, TVOTR, Fleet Foxes, Cut Copy, Deerhunter, Ariel Pink, Destroyer, James Blake, Yuck, and others… Tickets go on sale at noon HERE. We will be there. Will … Read more
How did I fuck this up? I should have held my tongue. I usually say nothing or blurt out entirely too much. I’m sure many of you can relate — you know, the perfect formula for a common disaster. I don’t know the meaning of “just enough.” Singer-songwriter Jesse Thomas seems to have that same … Read more
The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles has produced numerous singer-songwriters: Joshua Radin, Cary Brothers, Rachael Yamagata — the lists goes on and on. If you’ve got something to say — if you can write a song — you will find your way, it seems. Just ask the latest Hotel Cafe sensation, the Dutch-born Laura Jansen. … Read more
Photo By Lauren Bland Tater Tots, Double Downs, Beer, and a Fantastic Evening of Music with Admiral Fallow (Sponsored by Speakers in Code) Presenting a show isn’t as easy as it looks – in fact, it’s hard work. We learned quite a few lessons in our efforts to bring Admiral Fallow to Durham, North Carolina the … Read more
As of spring 2010, Blake Sennett, had quit music. Abandoned it completely. No more Rilo Kiley, no more The Elected. The former guitarist and songwriter focused his efforts elsewhere, writing and directing a short film, moving out of his house of twelve years, and taking in a rescue dog affectionately named “The Baby.” Music was a … Read more
Brooklyn’s experimental rock heroes TV on the Radio are back, and they are prepping for the release of a new record, their fifth full-length, Nine Types of Light (out April 12th on 4AD). To perk up excitement for the record (as if we needed anything at all), the fellas have provided fans with a free … Read more
The Romany Rye Our new feature, The Radio Cure, provides you a smattering of great tracks to cure you of the radio blues. The Romany Rye – I Hate Myself (For Loving You) [download] The Romany Rye toured last summer with Delta Spirit and Dawes (if that’s any indication of this band’s cool factor) and … Read more
How can I say this best? Today’s JOTD is Western roots-rock. Yup. You probably guessed that from the picture posted above, or at least it had you thinking, “What the hell is this?” Well, let’s all get out of our comfort zones and enjoy some Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel! The first time I … Read more
Photo by Alicia J. Rose I rather adore that the bio for Portland’s seven-piece (yes, count ’em, seven), AgesandAges suggests that “church words” are the best way to describe its music. In fact, that same bio assures us that AgesandAges is not a cult. Good to know. Yet, I do get the comparison. The collective’s … Read more
Before Bon Iver and Megafaun separately blew the hell up, both bands were collectively part of DeYarmond Edison, the now defunct NC via WI super-group of folk power. Consisting of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, and Megafaun members Joe Westerlund, Phil Cook and Brad Cook, they were poised to become the biggest thing to come out … Read more
The guys who make up Manchester five-piece rock outfit Elbow have been making music together for over twenty years. Long lost (unjustifiably) amongst Coldplay, Doves, Oasis, Blur, and even U2 (and opening for at least a couple of these UK bands), Elbow have been cranking out beautifully layered and emotive songs since the 2001 (it … Read more
Photo by BJ Warshaw After the experiences of nearly ten years as a band, Brooklyn-based noise-pop trio Parts & Labor are having a career-defining moment by delivering a catchy, blown-out masterwork. The bare essentials that made them sui generis totems of modern art-punk: synthesized keyboard riffs distorted into oblivion, percussion pummeled hypnotically, crackling drones that … Read more
Does Radiohead’s King of Limbs Part II really exist? The evidence mounts and even the most skeptical conspiracy theorists are letting themselves get a tad excited by the thought of only having heard half the album at this point! Judge the evidence for yourself… The last song on King of Limbs is entitled “Separator.” Is … Read more
When I hear the word “break-up” to describe an album, I think of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker, or Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight. You know, albums filled with songs that are mainly about past lovers, heartache, and your life pretty much starting over. Nicole Atkins’ new album, Mondo Amore … Read more
Meet Kristin Dennis. AKA Née. Yeah, we had to consult a dictionary, too. née adj nā 1 : used to identify a woman by her maiden family name 2 : originally or formerly called As she recently told I Went To a Show, Dennis picked the name to represent her music because the creative process essentially allowed … Read more
Okay, we’re so excited about the 2011 LouFest Music Festival that we could just pee our pants. Jason, Darren, and I had almost too much fun at last August’s inaugural event in Forest Park. (We met Jeff Tweedy! And have pictures to prove it!) Although the line-up hasn’t been announced just yet (fingers crossed for mid-March), LouFest … Read more
Photo by Jeff Snow Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. first popped up on our musical map when the duo played the 2010 play:STL fest last September. They were a buzzy indie-pop band, riding high on a critically acclaimed EP, Horse Power, and a silly name. And let’s not forget that sweet-as-pie cover of The Beach Boys’ … Read more
All Photos by Ashley Babb “Those guys are in this for the right reasons,” said some guy standing next to me. Sometimes it’s the simple statements that can help wrap up an experience in a nice bow. The guy was right. The Apache Relay really is in it for the right reasons, assuming of course … Read more
Photo credit: Whitney McGraw Cotton Jones, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height of the 10 to Spin playlist you made for us last winter. I love thee to the level of your previous Pajammy Jam of the Day. I love you … Read more
Oh spare me today I’ve had enough of the hurry hurry It’s Monday. And yes, you need a little Young Galaxy in your life. I’m not sure if I’ve heard music like this in a while. That’s probably because I’m too obsessed with singer-songwriters, but hey, that story is for another day. Today, I’m caught … Read more
James Blake is on creative fire, but his flame is not one that rages. It is one that smolders slowly and beautifully. As he prepares the release of his stunning new single “The Whilhem Scream,” Blake has offered up, via the blog Disco Naivete, a stream of the b-side, “What Was It You Said About … Read more
I remember listening to Matt Nathanson’s last album, Some Mad Hope, for the first time and thinking, “Boy, if the radio ever caught wind of some of these songs…” Well, to my surprise, pretty much everyone I know has now heard “Come On Get Higher,” and while that might not be Nathanson’s best song on … Read more
Back in 2008, a lot of heads turned to clock Crystal Stilts‘ Alight Of Night, their first album after a string of here-today-gone-tomorrow singles and EPs. It wasn’t exactly a surprise – Crystal Stilts felt like part of a new age dawning of underground collectives and random crazy groups who’d rediscovered the joys of noise-pop. … Read more
Gifted with a voice that is as much sandpaper as it is silk, Wylie Hunter has taken his talent to the next level by also wielding a heavy pen. His lyrics are intimate and poetic, and play well beyond the songwriter’s twenty-three years. And the highs and lows that he speaks of are matched by … Read more
I don’t know why our words are so proud Yet their promise so thin And our lives blow about like flags in the wind Allow me to speak from the heart: There are few artists who move me like Brooke Fraser. I’m not about to make grand comparisons, or say she’s one of the best … Read more
New wave. Indie pop. Shoe gaze. Those are the mixins’ for a delicious sound. California Wives is a band that continues to explore the ways these ingredients intertwine. And, I continue to anxiously await the debut LP, drooling like Pavlov’s dog each and every time the Chicago outfit releases another single. No album just yet, … Read more
Photo by Peter Ellenby For a high school English teacher like me (yes, I only moonlight as a music blogger), there’s really nothing that rocks my socks more than literary references – whether oh-so subtle or fiercely blatant – infused into song lyrics. That’s why, when I saw The Lonely Forest at Old Rock House … Read more
Just last February, we featured a three-for-one Jam of the Day special with our favorite Ohio indie-folksters, The Lighthouse and the Whaler. Riding high on our unadulterated adrenaline rush from TLATW’s pristine take on whimsical pop ‘n’ folk, rife with head-in-the-clouds harmonies and dreamy percussion, we asked the Cleveland boys to put together a 10 … Read more
Floating. Fluttery. Sparse. Intimate. All words that have been used to describe the music Lia Ices creates, and while all are spot on, I hear a quiet reservation bubbling below the surface of her songs. And while they are melodic, and whisper-quiet at times, the energy behind the effort is palpable. As you hit repeat, … Read more
A few weeks ago, we alerted you to the release of (and download link for) the new single from The Strokes, “Under Cover of Darkness.” The garage rock New Yorkers now have a slick video for the new track, showing that they still look pretty damn cool as they crank out the throwback sounds of … Read more