Albums of Our Lives: Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight
Something about the twangy banjo and the melancholy vocals just made me feel less alone. And I hated being alone.
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Posts Tagged: rock
Song of the Day: “Gin House Blues”
Today, the so-called British Invasion of the ’60s is remembered primarily for its flagship band, The Beatles. Another English group called The Animals—widely known for their international hit version of the folk song “House of the Rising Sun”—are unfortunately obscured by the long shadow of the former, but their screaming fans knew and loved The Animals’s gritty rock. Their […]
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Albums of Our Lives: Rosanne Cash’s Black Cadillac
In her voice, I am held, cradled even. I am equal parts longing and hope. I am home.
...moreAxl Rose Wins at Being Demanding
While promoting his new show Roadies, Cameron Crowe was asked to recount the most ridiculous tour story he’d ever heard. Of course the story had to do with a crazy demand made by Axl Rose: There was a guy that worked with Guns N’ Roses, and there was a show and Axl Rose needed a yellow […]
...moreSong of the Day: “Matchbox Blues”
Perhaps no other blues artist in history, along with contemporaries like Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, and Lightnin’ Hopkins, had such an influence on later generations of musicians as Blind Lemon Jefferson. After growing up in Texas and reputedly playing on the streets from eight at night until four in the morning, Jefferson was one of the first […]
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Five Stages of Prince Fandom
You don’t need to know him personally, you say. You get the best of Prince through his music. Maybe that’s the truth, and maybe it isn’t.
...moreThis Week in Posivibes: The Feelies Reissues
If you don’t know The Feelies, you’ve been given the opportunity to remedy that: Bar/None records has re-released 1988’s Only Life and 1991’s Time for a Witness. Both hit stores March 11th and can be purchased via Bar/None’s website. The Feelies are one of those incredible bands that left a mark on just about everyone you think of as influential in […]
...moreSong of the Day: “Misunderstood”
The incredible cacophony of the bridge on Wilco’s definitive ballad “Misunderstood” is all the more striking because of its contrast with the rest of the tender, harmonious song. The brilliance of songwriter Jeff Tweedy is on full display here as the speaker laments his own bad attitude with a self-deprecating tone. A quiet and understated […]
...moreCharles Moothart’s Solo Debut
Charles Moothart has played in plenty of great projects out of the California garage revival—Fuzz, Ty Segall, GØGGS, and Charlie and the Moonhearts, for instance—and now has a record coming out for his solo debut, CFM. Backed by Thomas Alvarez (Audacity), Michael Anderson, and Tyler Frome, Moothart’s CFM released its first song this past week […]
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The Rumpus Interview with Derek Ridgers
British photographer Derek Ridgers discusses his fetish for nightclub portraits and what it’s been like to shoot the London underground scene for nearly four decades.
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Albums of Our Lives: Nirvana’s Nevermind
The first time I listened to Nevermind, I sat on the bathroom floor with the liner notes and jewel case open on my lap.
...moreIt’s Happening: L7 Reunion Tour
The formative LA group started talking about a tour with all original members at the end of last year, later coming out with a teaser trailer and plans for a documentary in the works. Sure enough, it’s all happening: tour dates are official, cover a lot of ground, and tickets might not be available for long, so […]
...moreThis Week in Posivibes: Swiftumz
The newest (and third) LP from SF Bay Area’s Swiftumz came out in mid-May on local label Melters, and as time’s gone on, more and more people have great things to say about it. Everybody Loves Chris is turning out to be aptly titled, if we’re to judge from the range of reviewers who are […]
...more13th Floor Elevators Reunited for First Show in 47 Years
The 13th Floor Elevators are one of those groups that seem to perfectly articulate their genre; a psychedelic band that disbanded in 1969 but whose records have a place in the core catalog of any kid trying to get to know that decade today. If you haven’t happened upon them yet yourself, suffice it to say, […]
...moreSong of the Day: “Kimberly”
Multi-talented artist and writer Patti Smith has influenced groups disparate as Sonic Youth, R.E.M., and Madonna. Her seminal 1975 album Horses helped to spur the early punk movement in New York City. Smith was an important member of the scene which spawned punk heroes The Ramones, Television, and The Sex Pistols. The infectious rhythm guitar on the upbeat track “Kimberly,” from […]
...moreSong of the Day: “Let Me Be Mine”
It’s hard to imagine rocking out for more than twenty years, without much of a respite, but that is exactly what Spoon have done. The difficult-to-label rock group that formed before Kurt Cobain’s death recently released their eighth studio album, titled They Want My Soul. This is a record that refuses to compromise artistically with […]
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Sound & Vision: Gail Ann Dorsey
Gail Ann Dorsey, a top session bassist and singer-songwriter who’s worked with David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Dar Williams, Tears For Fears, the Indigo Girls, Gwen Stefani, Lenny Kravitz, and many more, talks recording, touring, and learning to play.
...moreLights in Your Throat
The 2009 music release schedule is winding down, so people have started making their arbitrary top-whatever lists. While such rankings might be more potent some years from now, when we see which albums are actually still in rotation (like tomorrow’s Leonids meteor shower, where “trails laid down by the [meteor’s parent] comet in 1466 and […]
...moreAuthenticity And The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
“In the 1980s, arguments about the Rock Hall reflected many people’s discomfort with the insider mood of those dinners and the idea that pop music (and especially rock) could support an elite at all. The squabbles shifted in tone in the 1990s. The idea of authenticity was big then, as punk, hip-hop and indie rock […]
...moreThe Tortuous Past of Flogging Molly
Dave King sings for Flogging Molly, the punk band of choice for hipsters and hippies, green-beer Irish and real-life Dubliners, and party people everywhere. But did you know that he used to sing for Fast Eddie Clarke’s 80s metal band, Fastway? He seemed to really be into it. This was no passing interest of Dave’s; […]
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