THE S/T SCOOP: Black Strobe Frontman Premiers Solo Project, Exclusive New Single
From their deviant, pitch-dark record sleeves to the flashes of Depeche Mode and Detroit techno in their singles, Black Strobe never quite fit in with the neon-doused Ed Banger crowd. Especially after the long-awaited release of their debut record, Burn Your Own Church, a mangled, metallic listen that tempered its electro undercurrents with the emerging […]
TEST PRESSING: Circlesquare, “All Live But the Ending”
[Photo by Zoe Bridgeman] These days, it’s hard enough to find an EP that’s worth 13 minutes of our time. Cheers to Circlesquare, then, for making us listen to “All Live But the Ending” on repeat for the past week. And the beauty of it is we still can’t pinpoint why this song’s ensnared us […]
LONG PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: [28] Department of Eagles, “In Ear Park” (4AD)
We hate half-baked countdowns just as much as the next cynic. That said, self-titled couldn’t help but stare in horror as good but not great (Fleet Foxes at No. 1 and 2? Really?) albums top the lists of other publications. Here’s one of 30 selections from our rundown of wholly recommended 2008 records …
LONG PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: [27] Elbow, “The Seldom Seen Kid” (Geffen)
We hate half-baked countdowns just as much as the next cynic. That said, self-titled couldn’t help but stare in horror as good but not great (Fleet Foxes at No. 1 and 2? Really?) albums top the lists of other publications. Here’s one of 30 selections from our rundown of wholly recommended 2008 records …
1MM: Love Is All/Crystal Stilts @ Bowery Ballroom, 12.7.08
[Photos by Sunny Shokrae] Love Is All‘s latest LP, A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, is out now via What’s Your Rupture? Crystal Stilts‘ drunken disasterpiece, Alight of Night, is available through Slumberland.
LONG PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: [26] The Raveonettes, “Lust Lust Lust” (Vice)
[Photo by C Davey Wilson] We hate half-baked countdowns just as much as the next cynic. That said, self-titled couldn’t help but stare in horror as good but not great (Fleet Foxes at No. 1 and 2? Really?) albums top the lists of other publications. Here’s one of 30 selections from our rundown of wholly […]
1MM: Klaxons @ Modular’s Nevereverland Festival, 12.13.08
[Photos by Andrew Parks; click for slideshow version] As much as we loved their early singles–especially the air raid anthem “Atlantis to Interzone”–the Klaxons boys were godawful the first time self-titled saw them. Opening up for Soulwax at a raucous Studio B party, the trio was noisy and on the brink of self-destruction throughout their […]
1MM: Hercules and Love Affair @ Modular’s Nevereverland Festival, 12.13.08
[Photos by Andrew Parks; click for slideshow version] Speaking of most improved shows, Hercules and Love Affair‘s makeover since last May–a clunky debut that struggled to translate DJ/producer Andy Butler’s twisted house opus with a full band–has been drastic, making them one of dance music’s most entertaining live acts. With Butler (the guy in the […]
1MM: Dan Deacon’s 14-Piece Band @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple, 12.11.08
[Photos by Alexander Wagner] If there’s any doubt of Dan Deacon‘s status as a demigod among art school dropouts, last Thursday’s premiere of a grossly ambitious performance with a 14-piece band put that to rest immediately. We’d wax ecstatic about what self-titled witnessed but the photos speak for themselves, especially the last shot …