Category Archives: Music

Tonight at Public Assembly, Vol.1 will be hosting a panel discussion of 90s punk. From the description: On Wednesday, January 5th, 2011, join Vol. 1 Brooklyn editors in this discussion with four authors as they talk about the decade that punk broke, sold out and eventually died — but not before changing the faces of … Continue reading →

So: a decade and change ago, there was a band called My Favorite Citizen. They played a noisy sort of indie rock, and wrote some incredibly catchy songs. They released one seven inch, and a couple of songs on compilations. Scott (who’s the fellow handling most of the vocal duties in the video below) used … Continue reading →

So: I did a writeup of albums I liked that came out this year for Dusted. I opted to pair each of the albums with another, as I tended to be able to find…at least some common ground when I did this. (Though the Monae/Amidon double bill may have been a bit of a stretch.) … Continue reading →

Made my way up to the Church of St. Paul the Apostle on Monday night for Credo, a concert held as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. The main draw for me had been a chance to see selections from Jonsi & Alex’s Riceboy Sleeps performed live, and while those pieces did impress*, the … Continue reading →

This week’s reviews at Dusted include Antony & the Johnsons’ Swanlight: Swanlights’ moves in the direction of accessibility are balanced by more unsettling moments. The pair of songs that close the album, “Salt Silver Oxygenâ€� and “Christina’s Farm,â€� are each bracing and occasionally shocking. The lyrical imagery in “Salt Silver Oxygenâ€� moves from a childlike … Continue reading →

Very quickly: it’s worth noting that Zach Baron’s “Is It Possible to Sell Out in 2010?” is one of the best pieces of music writing I’ve encountered this year. Fast forward to 2010. How do consumers vote with their dollar? By not spending it at all. Ask Ted Leo–people are no longer buying enough records … Continue reading →

Following my earlier thoughts for Flavorwire on their new album The Inevitable Past is the Future Forgotten, I have some additional thoughts on Three Mile Pilot up at Vol.1. There’s a steadiness to these songs that recalls Pinback’s entire discography, and a more complex emotional spectrum to Pall Jenkins’s vocals that hits a different space … Continue reading →

I reviewed Buke & Gass’s debut, Riposte, for Dusted. As my invocation of The Ex in the opening paragraph suggests, I thought it was pretty terrific — an album that’s half controlled dissonance and half wary beauty. …there’s a savagery to the playing here that unquestionably puts this in a punk rock tradition. There’s the … Continue reading →

Today at Dusted, I reviewed Mice Parade’s What It Means to Be Left-Handed. What It Means to Be Left-Handed is less one coherent longform document and more a collection of singles — all of which should probably prompt some sort of rumination on the album as art form, and what that means in the midst … Continue reading →

Today at Dusted, my review of The Walkmen’s fine album Lisbon is now up. The group has, however, always possessed the ability to make beguiling music. Admittedly, “The Rat,â€� from 2004’s Bows + Arrows, was a frenetic cry of frustration that still resonates. But we shouldn’t forget that one of the group’s earliest high-profiles songs, … Continue reading →

In June, I took part on Vol.1′s “Greatest Three-Minute Record Reviews” reading, along with a legion of fantastic writers. The piece I read focused on the final studio album by the band Pulp and, for those of you who may be curious, it’s now online for your reading pleasure.

Also up now at Flavorwire: a piece on 2010′s best musical comebacks. At their best, albums made after a long absence can be essential: a restatement of what made an artist great, or a revelation of something fresh and unexpected. What follows are 10 of the year’s most notable musical comebacks: some from recently reunited … Continue reading →

Also: figured I should, perhaps, say something about my time at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival this past weekend. Which I’ll do very quickly, with some brief rundowns of the festival’s musical highlights: * Fucked Up: I’m planning to write something lengthier about their set for Vol.1, but for now: damn right, that’s some hardcore. … Continue reading →