It’s a real shortcoming of Hallmark as a company, that they don’t offer a “Post-Rock brings families together” greeting card. New York’s Phone Home is the second duo of brothers (the awesome Lymbyc Systym is the other) to channel  potential angsty rivalry into...

Pop Winds is a group with a distinct, unmistakable flavor. Not surprisingly, distinct unmistakable flavors have a tendency to appeal to a narrow range of people. Thankfully, this Montreal-based trio has done us all the favor of breaking from the norm—at least in this respect. Pop Winds has a...

When I think of the Detroit music scene, I think of a huge amount of musical diversity: the soulful sounds of Motown, Mick Collins’ gritty garage rock with The Gories and The Dirtbombs , the brash hip hop of MCs like Eminem and Guilty Simpson, and the analog synths of the early Detroit...

To be truthful, I rely on the RIYL picks to do a lot of the work for me. I could go on and on about a band, but if you know your shit like most of you do — and know the bands I use as similar recommendations — than really there’s no reason to read this. And today’s post...

Sometimes you just have to believe the hype. It feels like it's been ages since a truly fresh perspective has come out of the underground hip-hop scene.

It’s not often that bands break up and reunite over a decade later without some kind of clear financial motivation. Sure Polvo have had their share of shows over the last year in some of the biggest festivals around (they killed it at ATP), but after listening to their newest track...

Like SK favorites Jesu, these dudes ply their trade with a potent formula of sound-drenched melody, but unlike them, they have no problem shifting speeds and alternating degrees of accessibility.

Back in the day — now easily over a decade or so — my old friend Sam and I used to share a kebab over at Crystal, skate around the Sommerset parking lot (badly) and engage in friendly arguments about music. While the doner ingestion (and resultant swamp-ass) and skateboarding have...

Introspective track today I guess. Just heard word that our friends Adam and Amy had a baby a few days ago and my old friends Pete and Tracy should be bringing their first into the world any minute now. All this new life, these literal positive changes in the fortunes of parents and their...

My younger co-worker said something recently that caused quite a stir in the office. “John Hughes is totally overrated” or something similar to that. The more seasoned of us — nearly 10 years her senior — couldn’t believe the sentiment. No neophyte directors...

Really surprised and delighted by the newest record from guitarist Kaki King. Not being so in touch with the singer/songwriter set, I’m generally reliant on someone more knowledgeable to fill me in. To be honest, one of the few reasons I even gave this album a listen was because one of...

I’m glad that advanced album PR seems to have shifted almost entirely to the digital realm. Sure, I still get the occasional CD or 7″ sent over, but the majority of correspondence has clearly moved toward email. It makes discovery that much easier, when all a prospective writer or...

Stumbled across these guys after recently watching the fantastic documentary Helvetica. You’d expect a full length feature about a font to drag, but the combination of compelling interviews and beautiful photography with a standout soundtrack made it one of my favorite documentaries of...

This is the first of two posts of bands with the word “State” in their names. Other than that, they have very little in common. First off, is Washington D.C’s Statehood, the newest project from former-Dismemberment Plan rhythm section Joe Easley and Eric Axelson, Vehicle...