STRFKR - Future Past Life
It's been four years since their last record, Being No One, Going Nowhere.
The Prodigy - No Tourists
How many bands from 1990, especially big beat electro rave ones, are capable of putting out a divisive record in 2018?
Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead Playing No Surprises - KROQ Radio (2003)
One of the few bands that could remix their own tracks with children's instruments and make them sound better.
Leonard Cohen's Suzanne et al
Revered possibly more as a writer than a performer, Leonard Cohen has a catalog that has been widely covered by others, and usually with great success.
Goodbye to The Fall’s Mark E Smith
In 1988, as a kid with a fresh CD of "I Am Kurious Oranj," I was not the toast of the party. I remember playing it for friends. No one was into it.* Christgau loved it apparently but that didn't amount to anything (despite the VV's popularity in that era). My favorite records have always been alienating. When I was 10, I played this LP for my grandparents and it, appropriately so, horrified them. A few years later, I bought Fact. 40 in a sealed purple box at a Listening Booth record store (without knowing what was inside). I couldn't shut it…
14 Years of Heartbeats
The Knife's "Heartbeats" is 15 years old now. Not soon after its release, fellow Swedish musician José González released an acoustic version, setting the stage (along with Gary Jules' version of "Mad World") for a genre of pop song renderings that challenge the success of their source material. José's Version The Knife In case you haven't heard it recently, here's the original Tears for Fears version of "Mad World."
Mike Skinner, The Streets and Norwegian Death Metal
1999 Norwegian death metal band, Bloodthorn releases the epic (and I am not being facetious) The Brighter the Light, The Darker the Shadow. 2016 The Street's Mike Skinner begins posting tracks under the name The Darker the Shadow, The Brighter the Light (iTunes Music people, get them here). Stripped down, like early Mountain Goats, the music is a framework for the author's quirky stories. Unfortunately, for Bloodthorn fans, it's not very Norwegian and, for Mountain Goats fans, it's not from Denton. 2017 The media is distracted. We're the only ones left to ask for comments from Mr. Skinner and Mr. Darnielle.
Los Angeles Police Department - Eponymous Record
I'm curious. Has Ryan Pollie had any feedback from the actual Los Angeles Police Department? A few years ago, Pitchfork reviewed their first disc and keenly noted the spate of indie bands obsessed with "un-googleable" names. This 10 song followup will be likened to many leaves on the Beach Boys limb of the rock-n-roll family tree. It's definitely not on the Beatles branch. Despite the fact that the singer is from Philadelphia, it is a classically southern California sound. At times, it feels like Washed Out (also not from SoCal). The difference with Mr. Pollie is that he's more than willing to add more doses of rock opera and synth pop syncopation to his material. It's a…
Vagabon - Infinite Worlds
We first heard the song "Sharks" courtesy of Brooklyn Magazine in 2016. Watch the video. I think you'll understand why we loved it. Her eight song album is out now (iTunes) and "Sharks" has become "The Embers." It's also louder, with a great stutter of bass and drums. It's just as captivating. Laetitia Tamko's aesthetic harkens back to so many artists that it's hard to pin them all down. If she wasn't so damn genuine, it might not work. These aren't happy songs but they all shine. Track 7, "Cold Apartment," has been on repeat for the last hour. AV Club, NPR…