When I was in second grade, “Rocket Ride” by Kiss was my hands-down, absolute most favorite song. It was released as a 45RPM single in 1977 on Casablanca Records, but I didn’t discover it until about 1982 when a neighbor gave it to me because I liked the Casablanca logo. I would listen to it [...]

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Murder By Death is hitting the road for the next few months. You don’t say? I don’t know how these guys have retained any semblance of sanity with as much touring as they’ve got under their belts. In addition to tour news, though, the band is starting a new 7″ series, whereby Murder by [...]

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This is the second video from Stereolab’s new Chemical Chords album- the band’s first in four years. I have yet to pick it up, but the first two singles have me itching to do so. I never tire of Lætitia Sadier’s voice or Tim Gane’s experimental droning lounge pop. It annoys me to death when [...]

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So, this comeback single from the recently reunited Verve is slowly growing on me. I was never much of a fan of Richard Ashcroft and company’s psychedelic hippie soul music, but I did have a soft-spot for “Bittersweet Symphony” before its relentless ubiquity reached astronomical proportions over a decade hence. At first I thought this [...]

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The original line-up of …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead played at Santos Party House in NYC last night. Consisting only of principal songwriters Conrad Keely and Jason Reece, the down-sized duo ripped through classics like “Richter Scale Madness” off the band’s self-titled debut from 1998. The new Trail of Dead [...]

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Via the always entertaining About Today comes the question regarding Ra Ra Riot as the new Arcade Fire, Annuals, et al. Hell, the blogosphere is all ra ra ra about ra ra riot, but honestly, I just don’t get it. Then again, I never really got into The Annuals despite the dozens of [...]

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I Kissed A Girl
Wow. I have only even heard 2 of the top 10 songs of summer as listed by Time.
My Summer Jams:
1. Katy Perry – I Kissed a Girl (McFly Remix)
2. Cut Copy – Hearts on Fire
3. M83 – Kim & Jessie
4. Stricken City – Tak o Tak
5. Ting Tings – That’s Not [...]

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First The Presets, then Cut Copy, now via Big Stereo comes word of the ’80s inspired dance pop of Boy + Girl. I don’t know what they’re feeding our antipodean friends down in Australia, but I hope they keep it up.
Additionally, it seems Melbourne, home of Cut Copy and Boy+Girl (among others), is moving [...]

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. [via Metal Inquisition]

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I was hugely annoyed that I couldn’t work out catching Damon Albarn’s Monkey: Journey to the West when it played at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC back in June. Word on the street is that it lived up to the hype. It won’t be quite the same experience, but the recordings are now available [...]

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If this is legit, it’s hilarious and sad and completely unsurprising.

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You can change the perspective of the video while watching. Fascinating concept. Bad song.

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Chris Knox’s Heineken ad freaked me out, but this is just crazy. Cinematic Orchestra?! Really?

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natalie portman’s shaved head

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(this is the video for Gary Jules cover of the haunting Tears for Fears track Mad World, featured in Donnie Darko)

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The Independent featured the perennial proverbial “album art is so last century” article Rock Art RIP this weekend. This time it’s Peter Saville declaring that album art is dead. Sigh. Perhaps we’ll be saved by the resurgence of vinyl? Gigwise has a collection of covers from this year that prove that [...]

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Zooey and M. Ward (She & Him) make an appearance on Sound Opinions this week, prompting a discussion of former Hollywood crossovers like Eddie Murphy, Ricky Nelson, and Will Oldham to name a few. Entertaining as always.

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My high school crush on Juliana Hatfield didn’t translate into quite what I had worked out in my head, even though she did once help a friend of mine and I sneak into a Lemonheads show (circa It’s A Shame About Ray!) when we were underage. She set us up to watch the entire show [...]

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With Bauhaus’ unceremonious and uncomfortable announcement that there would be no touring or promotion for its final album, Go Away White, the re-emergence of Love & Rockets is somewhat anti-climactic. Not that the two bands have much in common besides 3/4’s of a line-up, but, still, my surprising excitement for the new Bauhaus record [...]

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I’d practically promised myself I wouldn’t comment on The Cure anymore, since things have sunk so low that it’s just beyond embarrassing for my one-time favorite band. But it’s difficult to ignore news of new jaw-dropping lows in the career of perennial clown, Robert Smith. Allowing members of Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, [...]

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