A Magazine for Craftmakers
ANGER MANAGEMENT: All Was Not Well In the Shiny, Happy World of CSS Last Year
Lovefoxxx, on CSS’ ex-manager: “We want the cancer to reach him as soon as possible” [Photo by Roberta Ridolfi] By Aaron Richter It’s hard to imagine CSS–the Brazilian-borne band responsible for such playful singles as “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above”–ever getting mad. Perturbed maybe; but never to the point of sounding […]
1MM: Sigur Rós @ The Grand Ballroom, 6.16.08
Photos by Andrew Parks We’ll have a full “NY Conversation” report on yesterday’s Love Is All/Sigur Rós shows in the afternoon. But for now, here’s what you missed at The Grand Ballroom, as told from a front and center spot on the floor. Oh, to answer your question: Yes, the show was that emo, which […]
ARE YOU DEAD OR ARE YOU SLEEPING?: Modest Mouse @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, 6.20.08
[L to R: bassist Eric Judy, frontman Isaac Brock] Photos/Text by Andrew Parks (now UPDATED with a clear, relatively rested head) Wow, it’s really 4:26 a.m. on Friday morning, and I’m not up because of an all-nighter or any unfortunate combination of drinking and drugging; I’m up because Modest Mouse decided to do a 1:30 […]
CLASS ACT: My Brightest Diamonds’ Five Steps to the Perfect Song
My Brightest Diamond, on the guitar: “[It’s] like someone you’ve been married to for 35 years, and it’s still a great relationship, but the sex isn’t quite the same.” Story by Courtney Balestier Photos by Matt Wignal With her slight frame, sweet voice and luminous eyes, Shara Worden–the main creative force behind My Brightest Diamond–looks […]
DANCE OFF: Santos Party House vs. Webster Hall, Featuring Free Blood, Crookers and More
FREE BLOOD: VHS or beta style With so many parties vying for your precious time (and dwindling budget) this summer, self-titled is determined to find out who’s ruling the night these days. That way you can make a more educated decision the next time an evening calls for dancing with someone other than yourself. And […]
THE REAL THING: Meet the Singers That Move Made Out of Babies’ Julie Christmas
Julie Christmas, on performing: “Once it starts, I’m off, you know?” By Andrew Parks When Made Out of Babies‘ new label, The End, first sent a press release about the band’s third LP (The Ruiner, out today) singer Julie Christmas was positioned as a steel-throated bastard child of PJ Harvey, Karen O and David … […]
1MM: Ladytron @ Terminal 5, 6.25.08
Photos by Andrew Parks Still think Ladytron‘s ‘just another electro-clash act’, a survivor of a subgenre that barely made it past its infancy stage? Here are four reasons you’re wrong … [audio:http://www.self-titledmag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/02%20Destroy%20Everything%20You%20Touch.mp3] “Destroy Everything You Touch” [audio:http://www.self-titledmag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/09%20Evil.mp3] “Evil” [audio:http://www.self-titledmag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/02%20Ghosts.mp3] “Ghosts” [audio:http://www.self-titledmag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/04%20Runaway.mp3] “Runaway” More evidence is available after the jump …
1MM: King Khan and the Shrines @ South Street Seaport, 6.27.08
Photos by Aaron Richter As pulse-quickening as it was to see A Place to Bury Strangers in broad moonlight at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport on Friday, self-titled was especially psyched about the stateside debut of King Khan and the Shrines. Touring fresh off the release of a catalog-skimming Vice compilation, the BBQ-free band tore through […]
FREE ASSOCIATION: Wolf Parade’s Track-By-Track Breakdown of “At Mount Zoomer”
Interview by Andrew Parks Photos by Mego Sam Cecil self-titled could care less about whether or not Wolf Parade ever delivered on the “next Arcade Fire” promises of hype-happy critics who couldn’t help but attach highfalutin expectations to the band’s breakout 2005 debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary (Sub Pop). To be honest, the only […]
1MM: Made Out of Babies @ Union Pool, 6.24.08
Photos by Andrew Parks Sorry for the lateness of this photo set, but we wanted to leave some space between Made Out of Babies‘ record release show and Julie Christmas’ self-titled essay about the singers that inspire her caterwauling, wail-to-whisper vocal range. As you might imagine from the size of Union Pool’s “venue,” the show […]
CURSIVE VS. THE 6TH ALBUM: Tim Kasher Shares An Exclusive Studio Diary
self-titled was so blown away by Cursive‘s live preview of their next LP that we hunted down Tim Kasher for a rundown of where the record’s at. Here’s what he had to say … It started … let me think here … about a year and a half ago, when (bassist) Matt (Magin) and I […]
THE S/T INTERVIEW: Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers
Tom Rowlands, on The Chemical Brothers’ mission statement: “We wanted machines to sound like they were sweaty and deranged and wild–things people associate with rock music.” [Photo by Hamish Brown; L to R: Ed Simmons, Tom Rowlands] Interview by Andrew Parks We’ve always been blown away by the people who brush off the Chemical Brothers‘ […]