Cohesion is overrated. Cornelius' latest record, Mellow Waves, mockingly wags its genitals at the very notion. It's creative and expressive without being schizophrenic or willfully obnoxious. Now, when I say that pretentious-ass music writer-y thing there, I don't mean that Cornelius... Continue Reading →
Look, some of this stuff works. The title track may have snagged its ballroom fragility straight from Abba, but that doesn’t make the song any less of an earworm. The “dancing to New Order” vibe on “Creature Comforts” overpowers any... Continue Reading →
Technological advances, both theoretical and active, that I hope to never engage with, ranked from "least offensive" to "move offensive." Keyless Cars - Here is the only inconvenience of the push-to-start model of car, which I have been brainwashed by... Continue Reading →
Here's what you should do: You should start listening to Sam Amidon's new album, The Following Mountain, as he and the lord intended, at track one. "Fortune" is a nice, beardy folk song in the tradition of Iron and Wine... Continue Reading →
Big Boi is an underrated weirdo. As much credit as Three Stacks gets for being the artistic half of Atlanta's rap Godfathers, he's not out here doing albums with Phantogram and rapping on Game of Thrones mixtapes. Andre Patton is... Continue Reading →
A few weeks back, I discovered that the robots that run my Spotify account had been successfully trained to auto-complete "Diplomats" and not "Diplo" when I typed the letters "D" and "I" into the search bar. This was a coup;... Continue Reading →
I can understand anyone who fell off with Craig Finn around the time The Hold Steady discovered the rock and roll powers of Kenny G, but know this: If you haven't been keeping up with the guy, you've likely missed... Continue Reading →
Death to the lads.
Your body: it hurts!
I probably liked Papa Roach more than I should have.
Bring me back to the alt-FM radio days of the 90s.
Twinkle rock for the actual celestial bodies.
Now I, too, know the pieces fit.
Do the things you like / don't do the things you like.
Bad camp movies - "Linger" - Middle-school kissing - Baltimore music for hormones
The tattoo you don't have is more important than the one you do.
Of the 43 albums that were released this year, these are the 15 that I felt like writing about.
Most music is fine. These 15 are better than fine. Good, even.
Dispatches from shows you did not attend and that I only sparsely remember.
Looking back on last year's mistakes before making this year's mistakes.
Philly youths make emotional screaming sound new again.
I don't know if I'm being trolled or what. There is no greater "I am an aging youth rocker" clarion call than this right here. https://soundcloud.com/polyvinyl-records/beach-slang-younger-us-japandroids-1
"BLEEEEEEHHH!" - Most Bear vs Shark songs.
Keep it up, grimy Fishtown.
If you ride your bike enough, it will eventually happen to you.
Four years of live shows informs the catchy realism of Lucky 33's first proper EP.
At least until they get paid.
John Adams of Sexy Teenagers on his alt-rock past and the draconian prices of second-hand tapes.
Every day, 140,033,230 people get married in New York State alone!
In honor of Father's Day, I put together a brief playlist of songs that remind me of my dad. I didn't get into the memories and motivations behind every one of them. Some things are just for family. Mexican Radio... Continue Reading →
Good haircuts on stage last night.
1) I’ve been thinking about why Surf comes off as cheesy to me and why Coloring Book doesn’t. Surf can sound like the most lavishly-produced episode of School House Rock at times, almost like it was a record made specifically for... Continue Reading →
This is what it looks like at the post-punk show.
Here's where the strings come in.
Horses The weekend was something of a mixed bag. It went like this: Bad: Ate out at a restaurant Good: Ate reasonably well, considering (hummus, veggie sandwich, fries) Bad: Drank, despite one of the goals of this whole thing to... Continue Reading →
Let's Talk About Booze I don't drink like I used to, but I still drink. Part of the idea behind this whole Don't Die plan was to respond to what had been a pretty heavy drinking month in April. Bachelor... Continue Reading →
