Recent Articles in Online Exclusives
Placebo on the Gentleman’s Art of Never Dropping Your Guard
Chalk it up to lucky number thirteen, in terms of years and longevity, that is. Placebo has gone well past the decade mark with album sales of over ten million to release sixth record Battle For the Sun, one of their most passionate and upbeat to date. 2009 finds the band armed with a fresh [...]
The Rakes Klang It Up
It makes sense that The Rakes’ newest release, Klang, recorded in a Communist radio station in East Berlin, was a precise piece of work that was edited and re-edited until the band felt it was just right. The Rakes make hyper-smart songs brimming with bits from history and daily life and always manage to seek out the extraordinary within the mundane.
Littl’ans at Ben Sherman, Soho, NYC. 4.22.09
Those who don’t know East London’s Littl’ans, who ventured out to Ben Sherman’s “Big British Sound Party” expecting an epic English band along the lines of Coldplay or Doves, may have been in for a shock when the band kicked the night off with a purposefully long-winded, vocal-free number. A mere minute into the set, [...]
Coachella 2009: Sunday, Day 3, April 19, 2009: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Cure
Sunday was the scorcher of the Coachella stretch, so it seemed a good idea to sleep in and catch some pool hours before braving the 100+ degrees afternoon.
Fittingly, the Balearic pop of UK darlings Friendly Fires made them the hot ticket of the first shift. Their stirring, somewhat deranged punk/dance anthems like “Jump In the [...]
Coachella 2009: Saturday, Day 2, April 18, 2009: M.I.A., The Killers
Saturday was definitely crazier than Friday. Even though Friday was sold out, it seemed more tame because crowds had just driven in from work or were trying to “do” the Coachella festival while working from their blackberry on site. It’s not always that easy to find the stamina to rock after putting in your nine [...]
SXSW 2009 Day 4: Saturday, 3.21.09, Austin TX
We woke up early on an overcast Austin Saturday morning to meet with Silversun Pickups and shoot them for our feature in a friend’s nearby loft. The setting: the Silversuns lounging on a luxurious, Victorian carved bed, was quite cozy indeed, but it was too bad there wasn’t time to chat about their new [...]
SXSW 2009 Day 3: Friday, 3.20.09, Austin TX
Friday afternoons at SXSW are the most party-packed, but why pussyfoot around when Spin Magazine takes over Stubb’s, bringing on their annual bash just past noon, with a lineup more mouthwatering than the BBQ and slaw?
This year, the unstoppable Crystal Method spun for the lunch crowd, (which included Bloody Social singer/Calvin Klein model Jamie Burke, [...]
SXSW 2009 Day 2: Thursday, 3.19.09, Austin TX
Why dare to dream away the morning when there were spicy Bloody Marys, PBR tallboys and bands to be had just past noon at the Little Radio Party at Red Eyed Fly? We entered to hear the sunny, synth sounds of a New Wave act with hair (both bleached and unbleached) that was, admittedly, more [...]
SXSW 2009 Day 1: Wednesday, 3.18.09, Austin TX
A few minor catastrophes like storm clouds over Houston and flight delays may have gotten us into the thick of SXSW a few hours later than planned on opening day. However, after racing to get fitted with wristbands, we found our way over to Latitude 30, once again, the British Music Embassy’s official clubhouse, for [...]
A Pre-SXSW Chat with London’s The Chap
Mega Breakfast indeed, old chaps. I first stumbled across London pop quartet The Chap and their startlingly uplifting song, “Proper Rock”, while rifling through mp3s of seas of international acts playing SXSW 2009. Not only did they stand out for their witty, Flight of the Conchords-like lyrics, but their keen, almost dadaist, sense of play. [...]
