The Possible Absence of a Future: Talking with Jorie Graham
Jorie Graham discusses her latest collection, Fast, the terrifying destruction of our planet, a happy formal accident, and how to live in times of world crisis.
...more
Posts by: Erin Lyndal Martin
Albums of Our Lives: Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports
I drifted off and dreamed that Emily and I donned riding hoods and ran through the forest to escape from wolves.
...more
The Rumpus Interview with Owen Pallett
Canadian musician Owen Pallett talks Tori Amos, perfectionism, percussion, and dark head spaces with Erin Lyndal Martin.
...more
I Am Holding Your Hand by Myfanwy Collins
Erin Lyndal Martin reviews I AM HOLDING YOUR HAND by Myfanwy Collins today in The Rumpus Book Reviews.
...more
The Rumpus Interview with Jenny Hval
Norwegian musician Jenny Hval talks about the process behind her latest album, Innocence is Kinky, the influence of reality TV and pornography on her work, and how Meredith Monk has inspired her singing.
...more
THE RUMPUS INTERVIEW WITH ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
When Eleanor Friedberger (one half of The Fiery Furnaces) penned her solo debut, Last Summer, she didn’t show it to anyone until it was finished. Now that she has released her follow-up, Personal Record, she has learned the value of enlisting the help of others, including singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding. But collaboration didn’t diminish Friedberger’s […]
...more
The Rumpus Interview with Thao Nguyen
“I wanted to try to be a real live person, rather than just singing songs about them,” singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen said about the turn her life took after releasing Know Better Learn Faster, her second album with backing band The Get Down Stay Down.
...more
THE RUMPUS INTERVIEW WITH SAM AMIDON
Sam Amidon was raised on Irish fiddle tunes and early American folk-hymns but has left that history far behind. The 32 year-old, Vermont born-and-bred multi-instrumentalist and vocalist spends more of his time uncovering folk melodies in songs spanning many eras.
...more
The Rumpus Interview with Scout Niblett
Though Scout (née Emma) Niblett’s new record features a striking cover photo of her deep in a kiss, love songs are not on the menu.
...more
The Rumpus Interview with Julianna Barwick
With her haunting voice looped in a wordless glossolalia over pianos, keyboards, and other instruments, Julianna Barwick makes music like no other artist working today.
...more
THE RUMPUS INTERVIEW WITH OLOF ARNALDS
Iceland’s Ólöf Arnalds (cousin to contemporary classical wunderkind Olafur Arnalds) is only in her early 30’s, yet has already charted an impressive career path that is only gaining traction with the release of her latest full-length, Sudden Elevation.
...moreThe Last Poem I Loved: “Insomnia” by Elizabeth Bishop
It is near the time of my college graduation. I’m graduating early, barely 20 years old. Among my friends, the stuff of my romantic self-sabotage is legendary.
...moreTHE RUMPUS INTERVIEW WITH CORIN TUCKER
Corin Tucker, formerly of Sleater-Kinney and Heavens to Betsy and now the leader of the Corin Tucker Band, has been called “a punk-rock heroine” by Rolling Stone. Judging by her band’s newest record, Kill My Blues, there is no reason to disagree.
...more
THE RUMPUS INTERVIEW WITH MOUNT EERIE
Phil Elverum, who records as Mount Eerie (and formerly as Microphones) has the distinction of releasing not one but two acclaimed records, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar, in 2012.
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Ari Picker of Lost in the Trees
Upon hearing that Lost in the Trees’ A Church That Fits Our Needs was inspired by the suicide of lead singer and songwriter Ari Picker’s mother, Karen, my heart instantly broke.
...moreRussian Punk Band Pussy Riot Sentenced to Two Years for ‘Hooliganism’
Today in a Russian court, three members (Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30) of the all-female Russian punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism.” (For those unfamiliar with the story, here is a round-up of links that we published last week.) The trio had been facing up […]
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Michael Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies
Formed in 1985 with relentless touring and album releases to follow, the Canadian 4-piece, the Cowboy Junkies are one of the most enduring acts in music today.
...moreGod’s Geese Go To Pond
Now, with the Wave Books release of Aygi’s poems, translated masterfully by Sarah Valentine, audiences worldwide are able to celebrate Aygi among his Russian contemporaries.
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Sóley Stefánsdóttir
Icelandic singer-songwriter Sóley Stefánsdóttir has released her first full-length record, We Sink (Morr). This comes after Stefánsdóttir’s debut EP, Theater Island.
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Luke Rathborne
Maine-born, Brookyln-based musician Luke Rathborne is still in his early 20s, but he is already off to a promising start. Rathborne has opened for the Strokes and played with Devendra Banhart, among other accolades.
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Chelsea Wolfe
California native Chelsea Wolfe has returned, after her first album, The Grime and the Glow, to the aural world with Ἀποκάλυψις, pronounced “Apokalypsis.”
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Dar Williams
I discovered Dar Williams back in high school when I was, misguidedly, trying to be a singer-songwriter.
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Marissa Nadler
Since 2004, Boston-based singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler has released a steady output of thoughtful, acutely written folk songs highlighted by her dreamy vocals and distinct guitar stylings.
...moreWHERE I WRITE #15: The Hospital Room
I’ve only rarely worried about death. The one time I actually was dying in a hospital for a while, I wasn’t worried about it.
...moreThe Rumpus Interview with Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (aka Aly Spaltro) has been quietly minding her apiary in past years, recording LPs on her eight-track in New England apartments. After a stint at SXSW contributed to her opening for Beirut, this self-taught singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist started to garner more well-deserved attention.
...moreRumpus Sound Takes: Fierce, Feminist Beats
Austra Feel It Break (Domino Records) Not long ago synthpop was something of a boys’ club. The genre’s early days were dominated by male-fronted bands like Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk and The Pet Shop Boys.
...more