A standout record in Mark Kozelek’s long career is the critically-lauded 2014 release, Benji. The presence of everyday tragedies permeates the record and propels the keening voice of Kozelek, aka…
According to the experimental folk artist Mike Cooper, there is a tree in Almuñécar, in Southern Spain, that used to attract hundreds of birds. It inspired him to write the “avante…
Music producer Brian McTear talks with Allyson McCabe about building a studio centered on relationships with musicians, his non-profit Weathervane, and the end of the DIY era.
The expert lyricism in the music of Conor Oberst, founding member of Bright Eyes, is not often rivaled. Bright Eyes’s 2005 album, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, peaked at #2 on the…
The Rumpus talks to John Darnielle about his debut novel, Wolf in White Van, the differences between writing prose and songwriting, and what it's like to be a dad.
Halloween afternoon, my senior year of high school. At the end of the school day, shadows already stretch from the huge white pines near Newton Square.
Some artists demand our respect right away, and others earn it over time. Justin Timberlake made a big splash as a cast member of The Mickey Mouse Club in the…
Perfume Genius is the stage moniker of Seattle-based artist Mike Hadreas, whose buzz-worthy new album reeks of deliberate, inspired songwriting and technical ability. Hadreas showcases his impressive vocal range on…
In Sound & Vision #8, multimedia artist and performer David Barnes discusses his work with the band of Montreal, art as a career, and writing a graphic novel about a baby growing inside a pregnant male football player.
Four years ago, LA Weekly called Steven Ellison’s music “spiritual electronica.” Today, in the wake of his fifth release, Your Dead!, the artist known as Flying Lotus is still just as difficult…