May 14th 4 Comments
Everything feels heavier at night. Alone at home after dark, whatever solipsistic sentiment was developing by day takes on titanic proportions. All sense of perspective vanishes along with the… Read Story »
Apr 22nd 14 Comments
On March 16, Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co.'s Jason Molina died of natural causes in his Indianapolis home. The 39-year-old songwriter's organs gave out after a longstanding battle with… Read Story »
Apr 11th 44 Comments
As miracles go, the last two Phoenix records were somewhere between water-into-wine and raising a man from the dead, all ecstasy and wonder and effortless grace. The singles got all the ink, as… Read Story »
Apr 1st 43 Comments
The bar scene at Ohio University, where I was finishing up my freshman year this time 10 years ago, is a heavy-handed metaphor. Along the main drag, Court Street, are a few dozen establishments… Read Story »
Mar 14th 101 Comments
A few months ago, I wrote about the increasing influence of Mumford & Sons and how that band's brand of bleeding-heart folk-rock represents the convergence of certain indie trends (howling Avett… Read Story »
Mar 12th 8 Comments
So you're in a band. Let's say there's three of you: gives you a good fullness-of-sound to van-space ratio. Who else has to be in your camp? A producer, yeah. An engineer, totally. Roadies ... one… Read Story »
Mar 1st 67 Comments
In 2003, indie rock was undergoing an identity crisis. The "garage rock" bands had already peaked. "Dance-punk" was barely getting started. 2003 was perhaps the only year since the dawn of the… Read Story »
Feb 26th 111 Comments
The most memorable moment of my junior year Homecoming night wasn't the dinner (who knows where), the dance (in my high school gymnasium, I think?) or the date (though I hope she's doing well these… Read Story »
Feb 13th 114 Comments
Chris Brown stayed busy these last few weeks adding to his long rap sheet of objectionable behavior. The troubled pop star launched his latest notoriety campaign the night of Sunday, Jan. 27, when he… Read Story »
Feb 11th 32 Comments
When the Grammy nominations came out back in December, they looked significantly younger and hipper than usual. This legendarily conservative institution, the one that recognized late-period Steely… Read Story »
