Music
-
Beautiful Sounds and Lyrics to Match
Check these first drafts, artfully constructed by The Mountain Goats’ front man, John Darnielle. He relays to the Atlantic, the challenges and the emotionally fraught state from which his music was created. He describes song-writing as a sort of deception,…
-
The Power of Gil Scott-Heron
My experience with Gil Scott Heron is (woefully) limited to his seminal work “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” and his final album I’m New Here. I didn’t know how much I was missing until the day he died and…
-
Songs of Our Lives: You Are Not Me, Inlandia
I hate Dave Grohl. This is purely professional, of course. I hate that he and his Foo Fighting pals manage to produce relevant and irresistible art prolifically. I hate that they all have embraced growing older, but are still so…
-
The 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…
-
Rumpus Sound Takes: Jay Reatard, Wild Man with a Vision
When Jay Reatard was alive, he got called anything from “possessed” to “total dick.” Looking back on his recorded legacy with the ease awarded by hindsight, I see that he was consumed by his own aesthetic: a wild man with…
-
Gil Scott-Heron in 1976
MP3s of Gil Scott-Heron live at the Village Gate in New York City circa 1976. (via @largeheartedboy) Update: Don’t miss “Winter in America: A Musical Lamentation Offered on the Passing of Gil Scott-Heron,” by Steve Almond.
-
Winter in America: A Musical Lamentation Offered on the Passing of Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron died on May 27, at age 62. As I write this, there’s no official cause of death. We’ll know soon enough. This is America, after all. Whatever the medical details suggest, I’m listing his official cause of death…
-
An Interview with Character(s)
Tara Jepsen and Beth Lisick recently interviewed New Zealand folksinging/activist sensations the Topp Twins (stars of the documentary Untouchable Girls). Even better? Jepsen and Lisick conduct the entire interview as their comedic characters Carole and Mitzi, in recognition of the…
-
The Problem with Comebacks: On the Return of The Cars
Growing up, I loved The Cars. They were probably the first band I ever called my favorite. In place of headphones, I’d sometimes just lay on the floor and put the record player speakers next to each of my ears.
-
Rumpus 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.
-
Rumpus Sound Takes: Fuzzy Auteur
Banjo or Freakout Banjo or Freakout (Rare Book Room Records) Considering how well produced Banjo or Freakout’s self-titled debut is, one assumes auteur Alessio Natalizia must’ve buried the vocals in the mix because sound trumps sensibility.
-
“Where the Train Goes Slow:” An Excerpt from Johnny Cash’s American Recordings
We love the 33 1/3 series from Continuum, which explores individual albums through slender investigations from rock critics such as Rob Trucks on Fleetwood Mac and Amanda Petrusich on Nick Drake alongside takes from musicians like John Darnielle on Black…