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 any given time the man can (and will) flip his entire style upside down and leave yet another broken puzzle for his fans to try to piece together. And as this puzzle continues to...
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 regulated to one-off singles. So then this set makes even more sense when you consider that this compilation is available as a box of seven-inch singles. But the Dansette isn't available now and we're just taking a look at this as...
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 find these questions hard to answer. Albums I would grab on the brink of mortality? Desolation? Starvation? MORTALITY?!!? That's asking for some pretty hefty loves. But I like that my friend asks these questions. I find myself thinking about...
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 the big post-rock boppers (Explosions In the Sky, Sigur Ros, Mogwai) layered in big, gooey streaks under the kind of explosively introspective verse that we’ve come to expect from such an underground legend...
Indiana-based post-punk and delightfully named outfit, Murder By Death, have indeed been very busy. Announcing both a new LP, Red of Tooth and Claw, and a new EP, Fuego! (available through all digital music providers on February 12, 2008), the band is certainly catering to their fans which as a group has been growing since their formation in 2000. Playing a blend of rocking Americana noir and dramatic post-punk, there’s a lot to look forward to with this dual...
There are few things more potentially gruesome and frustrating in the realm of journalism than the thought of a time-monitored interview. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like it should be a big deal; part of the job for any professional musician is self-promotion and it makes sense that one would want to get his or her name into as many markets as possible so a certain amount of time management must come into play, but that puts an extra...
In Part II of Ground Control's interview with the Adrian Belew Power Trio, drummer Eric Slick talks about finding the right fit, tour diets and the Philadelphia music scene. For Part I, click here. Eric Slick – Question & Answer Ground Control: From what I know about you already, if you meet someone and it feels right for you to play with them you just go with it. Eric Slick: Absolutely, if it doesn't feel right I really can't do...
Someone wise once said that if you walk into a room believing that you're the coolest guy in the room, you will be the coolest guy in the room, and Get Set Go obviously took that advice to heart before making a conscious effort to go against it. From the very first notes of "How Now," the band oozes a rare brand of sardonic cool that isn't condescending because it's so lyrically self-deprecating and morose, but it is incredibly infectious....
Twenty-nine years ago, Bob Mould—along with Grant Hart and Greg Norton—helped change the modern-rock landscape and laid the groundwork that everyone from Nirvana to Green Day and more would tread upon—and make history with—in Husker Du. When that band fell apart in 1987, Mould bounced back almost immediately, both with Sugar and as a solo artist. It’s an imposing body of work—no doubt—and now at 47 years old Mould is regularly saddled with descriptors like “living legend” and...
Now I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to "punk rock" shows, I'm a bit jaded these days. Growing up in the S.F. Bay Area I was lucky enough to witness many local bands such as M.D.C., Verbal Abuse, D.R.I. and Attitude Adjustment, all of whom played in glorious, shitty little sweatboxes such as Ruthie's Inn, Rock on Broadway and The Mabuhay Gardens. This was back in the days when there was still a sense of danger...