Exclusive Preview: DNA TEST FEST

“I don’t really give a fuck about half of the shit that…Pitchfork talks about. I don’t care about the shit’s that’s on BYT(noted pornography website Brightest Young Things) and I don’t go party.”
This humble manifesto of sorts was uttered by one Sean Gray. For those familiar with the bespectacled, outspoken, suitably profane prince of College [...]

Album Review (EP): Blood Bank – Bon Iver

In the indie world of today, it is all too easy to rapidly win the hearts and minds of the NPR faithful and then lose them just as quickly. Considering that For Emma, Forever Ago was actually recorded during a cabin sabbatical in 2007, doubts that Vernon —now with Mike Noyce and Sean Carey [...]

Album Review: Noble Beast – Andrew Bird

“Let’s get out of here/past the atmosphere” implores singer/songwriter/multi instrumentalist Andrew Bird in “Oh No,” the opening track of his latest effort, Noble Beast. Listening to his rich soundscapes — immaculately constructed down to the last note — Bird’s simple lyric begins to take on increasingly added significance.
Noble Beast is by no means a revolutionary, [...]

Review: ‘Liver! Lung! FR!’ by Frightened Rabbit

Live albums can be a tired product, devoid of any real valid excuse for existence. But when you get a hold of a good one, a really good one, you cannot help but to be excited.

That’s how you should feel listening to Frightened Rabbit’s first live disc, Liver! Lung! FR! Not only is it a [...]

Review: ‘Who Killed Harry Houdini?’ by I’m From Barcelona

Who Killed Harry Houdini? Mammoth-size rock band I’m From Barcelona try to answer that question on their second album (named after that particular question). Or, rather, they don’t. They just thought it would be a good title.

In any event, the question is irrelevant. I’m From Barcelona delivers another enjoyable record, even though it is considerably [...]

Review: ‘Ferndorf’ by Hauschka

Ferndorf, the title of Hauschka’s new album, translates to “distant village.” That might just be where you end up after listening to the pleasantly soft, ambient album.

Or, you might just stay right in your place; only accompanied by the careful tunes of Hauschka. Ferndorf is very good as ambient music after all, not a [...]

Review: ‘The Ruiner’ by Made Out Of Babies

Surprising. Unexpected.
I did not know what to expect from this album. Album cover? Made Out Of Babies? Metal that’s “not metal”?
Well, turns out, it’s pretty darn good. Or at least, so far, it’s more accessible than expected. Good!
The first track, “Cooker,” definitely starts the album off on a good note. Or rather, some good pushed-to-its-limits [...]

Bonnaroo 2008

…was awesome.

Live: Drive-By Truckers, the Dexateens – 5/10/08 at the 9:30 Club

Awesome show. Great, great show. Completely different from the night before. Amazing. Absolutely great.
The band opened with “That Man I Shot.” They played “Bob,” “Steve McQueen,” and “18 Wheels of Love” (!!!). DBT played “18 Wheels of Love” with the start-the-song story intact and then followed it up by concluding the story with the present-day [...]

Live: Drive-By Truckers, the Dexateens – 5/9/08 at the 9:30 Club

It’s f__kin’ great to be alive!!
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What a great, great show. The Truckers gave it their all. Every ounce of their energy for one of the best rock shows I have ever seen.
You can put the Drive-By Truckers into whatever country subgenre you want, but when it comes down to it, they are just pure rock [...]

Live: Tapes’n'Tapes, White Denim – 4/23/08 at the 9:30 Club

Openers White Denim were energetic, fun, and interesting.
Tapes’n’Tapes were dull’n’dumb.
Not really too dumb, but it was definitely one of the more boring shows I have ever been to. They are not very good live performers. No encore. Not captivating. Very, very limited audience interaction (from the band) (basically none at all). The bass was good, [...]

Live: Dead Meadow, Ancient Sky – 4/16/08 at Black Cat Backstage

Dead Meadow at the Black Cat, backstage. With Ancient Sky.
The Red Room is a nice place. That’s where we wait before former local (D.C.) band Dead Meadow put on their show at the tiny backstage venue of the Black Cat.
The backstage is very intimate and small and comfortable and the sound system is pretty great. [...]

Live: The Boredoms, Soft Circle, Black Pus – 4/3/08 at the 9:30 Club

This may be a month late. But here it is.
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The Bordeoms are one of the weirdest bands you might ever see live. Not really too weird, but their shows are as interesting as any other show you’ve seen. They’re just so…different.
While the Boredoms may not make the greatest music or put on the greatest show [...]

Recap: Best Of 2007

If you haven’t noticed, it’s unlikely we will post any more detailed, comprehensive, elaborate posts about the media that appeared in 2007. But there’s this post. Which is slightly comprehensive (at least on the music side of things).
Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters by the Twilight Sad is the best album of 2007. Original, new, brilliant, [...]

April Fools’ Day: ‘Trilla’ by Rick Ross (Greatest Album of All Time)

Rick Ross once said, “My presence is my presence.” One of the most intelligent quotes a cool person can make. And Ross is right again, proving all haters wrong with the release of his second solo album, Trilla. His magnum opus is, without a doubt, the best album that has been and ever will be [...]