It must be Summertime in Chicago. Why? Because there are 97 festivals in every part of town every single weekend. Taste of Randolph, Taste of Chicago, Taste of whatever, something something Block Party… you get the idea. But besides the ToC, the two big boys are Lollapalooza and the Pitchfork Music Festival. Unlike Lolla, Pitchfork has called Chicago home for the last decade, and has become the face of online music media, where “any publicity is good publicity” actually comes...

Even the most die-hard fans thought it was done – game over. On April 20, 2002, Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley's remains were found by his parents and police after an anonymous tip that the singer had been unreachable for an alarmingly long period of time. After his remains were examined, it was concluded that Staley had been deceased for roughly two weeks when his body was discovered. That was it – not many bands are able to orchestrate...

What opportune timing Cage The Elephant (or rather, their record label) has. After the announcement came down that Jack White would be embarking upon another side project apart from The White Stripes and The Raconteurs (for those that don't know, it's called Dead Weather and also features members of The Kills), Cage The Elephant's self-titled debut – which has been out in Europe since the middle of 2008 – finally sees release in North America. As “In One Ear” rolls...

Ever have one of those moments when you thought you heard something but, because the context and surroundings in which you heard it just seemed so far off, your brain recoiled and you disregarded it as being a figment of your imagination? Listening to The Birth is something like that. Walking in, you know that Stardeath And White Dwarfs is a band comprised of former members of the Flaming Lips' road crew and the voice involved belongs to Wayne Coyne's...

PJ Harvey and John Parish took the stage in grand style with Harvey appearing barefoot in a flowing black gown and the band wearing dark suits and hats. The stage was set with the drums and keyboards to the right and left respectively leaving a large open area in the center for Harvey to dance around during the performance. This tour is not only in support of their album A Woman A Man Walked By but also drew heavily from...

Minutes after making my way past the hipster kids and pushing my way to the front of the stage, I found myself surprised as the lights dimmed and Dexy and Chris Valentine, who go by the name of Magic Wands, walked out onto the stage. Not only did I not know that they were on the bill, but I knew absolutely nothing about them. But, fortunately it only took about half of their first song before I was intrigued, and...

Why am I such a late-comer to things? Am I stubborn or just out of it? “It” being the so-called “loop,” of course. How so? Well, I’ll refer to my favorite example, which is that I just now got into Crass, and I’m twenty-seven. Twenty-seven! Adding to this, I first heard Animal Collective last year when I decided to pick up Strawberry Jam after, sadly enough, reading the stellar review on Pitchfork, of all places. This is particularly baffling to...

Gliss is like the Petri dish lovechild of shoegaze greats, alternative rock fire-starters, maybe even some dancey hipster DJs and most definitely includes a dip in the gene pool of the psychedelic pop rock of the 1960s. In their latest release, Devotion Implosion, some tracks scream Pablo Honey while others stand as clear spawns of Psycho Candy with an overall adoption and simultaneous adaptation of Siamese Dream. Sprinkled with a little Crimson & Clover over and over, this sophomoric effort...

Sure, you’re reading work from an amazing socialite from Los Angeles. We’re of the best in the world. We have an actor for a Governor. We have palm trees, expensive houses and one of the best coasts in the world. (Eat it, Dubai.) As far as the music scene, we know more than say, Suzie from Alabama. All she knows is how to make a great kicker-can-fried-chicken dish. How low-class. I’m taking this time away from talking to gorgeous women...

There's something to be said for consistency. Since the split of Uncle Tupelo occurred and Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy went their separate ways fifteen years ago, Tweedy's Wilco has released a series of critically lauded records that have found that band treading consistently further from their No Depression roots into new and fascinating territory while, outside of a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses solo effort from Farrar (check out Thirdshiftgrottoslack – it's not bad), his endeavors in Son Volt have remained in line...