Blog Grid

Inspired by the magazine layout, Grid makes neat and clean appearance. It is always a good layout to start with.

HYPE CHECK: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Live @ Mercury Lounge)

Words and Photos by Aaron Richter It was a monstrous week for the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. The Brooklyn group dropped its terrific self-titled debut, earned a Best New Music tag on Pitchfork and caught a highly esteemed Burn It recommendation here at self-titled. There is no doubt in our minds that the […]

1MM: The Black Keys @ Terminal 5, 2.6.09

[Photos by Andrew Parks; slideshow available here] Swampy mix aside (your acoustics never cease to amaze us, Terminal 5), The Black Keys plowed through the first night of a sold-out New York residency on Friday, including such set standouts as “10 A.M. Automatic,” “Strange Times” and “Girl Is On My Mind.” Standing a few feet […]

WOLVES IN THE BELFRY: Xela Digs Spiders, Blood and Freaking Us the F*ck Out

Let’s be real here: What’s more frightening than Christianity? John Twells (better known as Xela) poses this very question with his latest series of soundscapes, In Boccas Al Lupo (translation: “Into the Mouth of the Wolf”). Finding common ground between the giallo films of Dario Argento and the creeping drone tones of Sunn O))), the […]

FROM THE STACKS: The Vox Jaguars

We get a lot of crap CDs at the self-titled offices. But once in a while, a pleasant surprise slips into our promo stack. Here’s a recent delivery that knocked the S/T staff on its collective ass.

Pelican Sign to Southern Lord, Reveal Tour With Tombs, Wolves in the Throne Room

[Photo by Ryan Russell] In a move that’s left the crossover metal scene–okay, maybe just us–wondering about a potential turf war, Southern Lord has snagged Pelican for their fourth full-length and a soon-to-be-completed EP. That means the Chicago-based quartet  finally left their longtime label, Hydra Head. In some ways, the deal makes perfect sense (both […]

FEED THE ANGER: Tombs @ Union Pool, 2.4.09

Words and Photos by Aaron Richter Whenever I catch a show at Union Pool, I can’t help but wish an unhinged musician would bash in a few of the lights that line the stage’s frame, like Paige or Townsend would have done. Glowing a faint, delicate, nearly-dead yellow, the bulbs are just begging to be […]