Recent Articles in Interviews

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Autolux: Never Force a Fire

You wouldn’t think a conversation with one-third of the artistic, provocative and elusive Autolux would drift to an idea partly gleaned from a television series, but in this case, it makes sense. While talking about the band’s latest album, guitarist/vocalist Greg Edwards recalls something said by Mad Men’s Don Draper…

3 Aug 2010 | More
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Taylor Momsen: Hot, Young and Pretty Reckless

Taylor Momsen has long blonde hair, stripper shoes with dollar bills in the heels and a low bullshit tolerance. If you read gossip blogs, you already know that much is true. What you might not know, unfortunately, is that the girl can wail.

14 Jul 2010 | 7 comments | More
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Finding the Perfect Daze with Veil Veil Vanish

When I was much younger, I often used the word “transportive” to describe songs that had a certain effect on me. Those little gems that evoked a certain mood or allowed me to get lost in the music and transcend reality, even if it was just for three short minutes.

9 Jul 2010 | More
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School of Seven Bells: Accidental Discoveries, Dream Reality and the Twin Thing

In 2004, Benjamin Curtis met twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza while touring with Interpol in their previous bands, the Secret Machines and On!Air!Library. The new friends and tourmates quickly connected and what began as an idea for a side-project soon became an all-consuming, and important, creative outlet.

9 Jul 2010 | More
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Nicole Simone

Singer Nicole Simone, twenty-something, noirish provocateur, has always felt like an old soul. Though she doesn’t live far from the glitzy Hollywood Hills, she admits she’s always felt more connected to the music and films of years past. “I have always loved the haunting quality of Chopin’s compositions and the soul in singers like Billy Holiday.”

29 Jun 2010 | More
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We Are Scientists: Arbitrary Rules, Cobras and Comic Relief

We Are Scientists have an unlimited capacity for clever wackiness. The artwork for the new album, Barbara, contains a rather comical self-help booklet entitled Rules of Romance, including chapters with titles like “How to Dress When You’re Looking to Get Undressed.”

15 Jun 2010 | 2 comments | More
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ArpLine: Vibes, Hooks and Travel Books

It was all fun and laughter as I caught up the lads of ArpLine for a brief but entertaining chat after recent show at Pianos. Even with a stressful load out (they were the last band of the evening and the late night DJ-set party crowd had already started arriving, blocking the stage exit)…

8 Jun 2010 | 3 comments | More
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Sparrow and the Workshop: Dark Americana, folk from Glasgow

Sparrow and the Workshop are a compelling dark Americana, folk and post-rock trio whose new release, Crystals Fall, tinkers with a wild and imaginative wall of instrumentation, from strange percussion to gunshot and whip sounds straight out of the dusty Old West.

5 Jun 2010 | More
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Carney: In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

On a recent spring evening in Manhattan, a certain skull cap-wearing Irishman knelt down to tweak the guitar pedals at the feet of a young, raven-haired protégée. The discussion that followed between celebrated sonic architect and rising star pertained to delays, effects and eighth notes.

4 Jun 2010 | 1 comment | More
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Melissa Auf Der Maur: Hearts and Minds

Over the past few years, Melissa Auf Der Maur, otherwise known as MAdM, fully immersed herself in a conceptual world while embarking on a brave new adventure inward to find her muse. Along the way, she delved not only into her music, but also mastered countless other pursuits, such creating a film and starting her own label, all to help fuel the creation of her ongoing multimedia narrative, Out of Our Minds.

1 Jun 2010 | More