Music
-
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…
-
The Rumpus Interview with Bill Callahan
Bill Callahan’s Apocalypse is a sparse album of epic proportions, a celebration of American music, specifically what he describes as “that rich period in the ’70s when all the styles were converging in a loving way. ”Notoriously soft-spoken, I’d interviewed…
-
Swinging Modern Sounds #29: The Museum of Broken Things
Rick Moody interviews Moby about his obsession with drum machines.
-
Notable San Francisco, This Week: 4/11-4/17
This week in San Francisco, join The Rumpus in making a ruckus (tonight!), Mortified is back! and FREE ICE CREAM. This is gonna be a good week.
-
Notable San Francisco, This Week: 4/4-4/11
This week in San Francisco, two opportunities to pee your pants in public at Piano Fight’s Monday Night Foreplays and stand-up with Rory Scovel at the Punchline, Red Hots Burlesque puts on a show featuring an 6-foot MC in a…
-
The Rumpus Interview with Melora Creager
As the lead singer of the cello-based band Rasputina, Melora Creager was an intimidating interview subject because I thought she might be a witch.
-
How to Get a Record Deal
Musician Peter Squires (who we interviewed in 2009) recently joined forces with Anne Marple to take on the RPM challenge. The challenge, which “is a little like National Novel Writing Month” but with music, is to write and record a…
