The Smiths commenced recording their fourth (and ultimately final) full-length knowing the title of the album and little else. Still, the band possessed such a strong sense of self -- with a…   Read Story »

Most of us go to work every day at jobs we find redundant, collaborating with people we don't like. And, generally speaking, the pay is terrible, and the benefits are worse. Yet, we plod on. But for…   Read Story »

After Gorilla Biscuits broke up and before he formed Rival Schools, Walter Schreifels led the great New York post-hardcore band Quicksand. Quicksand mastered an emotive but muscular form of seesawing…   Read Story »

Yesterday fans of the Smiths and Morrissey united at the Avalon in Hollywood to celebrate all things Moz. Plenty of pompadours and horn-rimmed glasses filled the venue as people danced their hearts…   Read Story »

Johnny Marr is the latest figure from the rock world to drop into this season of Portlandia, joining the ranks of Isaac Brock, Joanna Newsom, St. Vincent and Eddie Vedder (so far). In this sketch,…   Read Story »

Well, somebody's being cute. As the Verge reports, enterprising landscape architect Ste Allan has inserted a pixelated image of Morrissey, in classic Smiths-era recline, on Google Earth's "your world…   Read Story »

Katy Goodman is a red-haired human being who, as Kickball Katy, plays bass in the Vivian Girls, and who, as La Sera, also makes solo music. Recording under her own name for once, Goodman has…   Read Story »

Morrissey is either getting even more into the Christmas spirit than everyone else, or he's cold getting paid. The man recently licensed a cover version of the Smiths' song "Please, Please, Please…   Read Story »

Betheny Cosentino's in that rarified place where she's both on elder rock champions radar and also in their Fave Five. (We're still making "Fave Five" jokes, right? Great.) Rivers Cuomo nabbed her…   Read Story »

Time is a valuable thing, and the musicians who can make a quick point in a short amount of time deserve their props. We've put together a quick list of ten excellent songs from indie's past (and…   Read Story »