Listening to any Eels record feels like going for a cup of coffee with the friend you’ve got that always makes you laugh because they’re remarkably bitter and cynical. While they have the ability to make light about those things when they’re in your...
As far as I'm concerned, San Francisco Bay Area thrash legends Testament should have been included in "Thrash Metal Big Four" of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Testament's legacy (no pun intended) is undeniable, and they have influenced a...
Tapes 'n Tapes will hit the road this spring in support of their upcoming album, Walk It Off, which is set for release on April 8. After select appearances at SXSW, they will start the tour in their hometown of Minneapolis on April 10 and continue their way across...
After a couple of stabs at being clever—which obviously didn't pan out, since you aren't reading them here—it's often time to cut the fat and just give up the meat. So here it is: April 15th—normally set aside for bitching about...
Metal has been waiting for a band like Dub Trio. After decades of countless bands mining the same themes, the same sources and the same sonic motifs, the genre was in desperate need of new blood in order to keep from getting so inbred as to be hopelessly impotent. Dub...
What did people listen to before Daft Punk became popular? The Chemical Brothers? The Prodigy? Yeesh. It seems like every good part of dance music today has some tie to the French duo. The amazing thing about this compilation is that it points out just how close to the...
There is one element of Ryan Adams that will always remain predictable. No, it’s not his greasy matted locks or beaten blue jeans, his bizarre comedic banter or the broken heart pinned to his sleeve. Sure, these are a few of Adams’ familiar traits, but at...
To celebrate their 15 years in existence, Thrill Jockey has decided to put this celebratory compilation together—which gives them the chance to have artists on the roster cover…you know, other artists on the roster. It's a time-honored tradition usually...
I have a friend who is fond of quantifications. "Top three songs you want playing at your funeral.” “Number one film to have in the event of catastrophic famine.” “Three albums you'd take with you to a desert island." Naturally, I...
It is a rare but joyous occasion when a music critic (and I say that with all necessary giggles) such as myself can coin a new genre. So with great hubris, I pronounce the birth of the hip-hop subgenre “post-backpack.” It has all the drugged-out breadth of...