Tom Breihan

"I been to the point where I felt like I was gonna die, bro," says Scarface. His thundering old-testament voice creaks and catches, a desiccated…

Tom Breihan | April 1, 2020 - 11:32 am

Amber Mark – “Heart-Shaped Box” (Nirvana Cover)

Right now, a lot of people are covering other people's songs. They're sitting home on quarantine, they're messing around with acoustic guitars, and they're staring…

Tom Breihan | April 1, 2020 - 10:23 am

Credit: Marcelo Krasilcic

The Magnetic Fields – “Kraftwerk In A Blackout”

With his long-running project the Magnetic Fields, Stephin Merritt loves releasing albums as grand conceptual stunts. The greatest of those stunts, the 69 Love Songs…

Tom Breihan | April 1, 2020 - 9:51 am

Credit: Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Chuck D Says Public Enemy’s Split From Flavor Flav Was A Hoax To Promote New Album

It feels like ancient history now, but one month ago, there was a whole saga about the legendary rap group Public Enemy parting ways with…

Tom Breihan | April 1, 2020 - 9:20 am

The Number Ones: Olivia Newton-John’s “Magic”

In The Number Ones, I'm reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart's beginning, in 1958,…

Tom Breihan | April 1, 2020 - 8:43 am

Stream Ty Segall’s New EP Of Nilsson Covers

The psychedelic rock wizard Ty Segall isn't the type to sit idle. Segall released First Taste, his last solo album, back in August. Since then,…

Tom Breihan | March 31, 2020 - 1:16 pm

Converge’s Jacob Bannon Announces Metal Supergroup Umbra Vitae, Shares “Return To Zero”

For the past 30 years, Jacob Bannon has led the Boston band Converge, which makes him a legend in the interlocking underground worlds of both…

Tom Breihan | March 31, 2020 - 11:55 am

Watch The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle Debut New Song “Until Olympius Returns”

The Mountain Goats has been a full-on band for many years, but the project started out as just John Darnielle recording blood-and-fire acoustic songs into…

Tom Breihan | March 31, 2020 - 11:13 am

Credit: Ben Hider/Getty Images

Fountains Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger Hospitalized With COVID-19

Adam Schlesinger, the longtime Fountains Of Wayne frontman and one-man power-pop factory, has been hospitalized with COVID-19. Billboard reports that Schlesinger has been on a…

Tom Breihan | March 31, 2020 - 10:16 am

Credit: Dorian Lopez

Empress Of – “Love Is A Drug”

Later this week, the dance-pop auteur Empress Of will follow up the great 2018 album Us with her new LP I'm Your Empress Of. Lorely…

Tom Breihan | March 31, 2020 - 9:38 am

Watch Jeff Tweedy & Sons Play “Evergreen” On Kimmel

Late-night talk-show performances are back! Sort of! In an extremely different form! In the quarantine era, some of the late-night shows are returning as broadcast-from-home…

Tom Breihan | March 31, 2020 - 8:58 am

Credit: Burak Cingi/Redferns

Watch Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker Cover John Prine’s “Summer’s End”

Yesterday, we learned the upsetting news that the great singer-songwriter John Prine was in critical condition, being treated for COVID-19. Today, Prine's wife Fiona --…

Tom Breihan | March 30, 2020 - 2:17 pm

The Weeknd Finally Knocks Roddy Ricch Out Of #1

Way the hell back in January, Roddy Ricch's out-of-nowhere sing-rap smash "The Box" -- known to some of us as the ee-urr song -- hit…

Tom Breihan | March 30, 2020 - 1:25 pm

Watch Joan Baez Cover “Hello In There” For John Prine

Yesterday brought the extremely shitty news that John Prine, the widely beloved singer-songwriter, has been fighting for his life in the hospital for the past…

Tom Breihan | March 30, 2020 - 11:20 am

Stream Conway The Machine & The Alchemist’s LULU EP

Veteran rap producer the Alchemist has been making truly incredible rap music for a very long time, and every time he hunkers down with a…

Tom Breihan | March 30, 2020 - 10:30 am

Peaked at #9.

+10 |

March 27, 2020 on “Oops!… I Did It Again” Turns 20

oh hey, i was at that show! upstairs bar, not the main room!

+3 |

March 27, 2020 on Superwolf – “You’ll Get Eaten, Too”

Went thru struggles, came back with big hits & weird hair. Also Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Spring Breakers would be a pretty good double feature.

+13 |

March 24, 2020 on Let’s Cast The Coronavirus-Relief “We Are The World”

I had Taylor down as Bruce initially.

+13 |

March 24, 2020 on Let’s Cast The Coronavirus-Relief “We Are The World”

This isn't "Let's Recast Do They Know It's Christmas"

+47 |

March 24, 2020 on Let’s Cast The Coronavirus-Relief “We Are The World”

you come on.

+19 |

March 20, 2020 on Premature Evaluation: The Weeknd After Hours

2004-2008 as a freelancer, 2009-2011 as full-time staff.

+17 |

March 20, 2020 on Premature Evaluation: The Weeknd After Hours

I don't believe in factoring in cultural impact.

+11 |

March 18, 2020 on The Number Ones: Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

Stereogum house style to do that with band names, even singular ones.

+10 |

March 18, 2020 on The Number Ones: Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

Oh hey, check out photog Michael D. Thorn's zine. It's thick and glossy and looks cool as hell. New issue up for preorder now. https://razorbladesandaspirin.bigcartel.com/product/razorblades-aspirin-9

+7 |

March 16, 2020 on The Month In Hardcore – March 2020

He was supposed to be in there last week, too, but the video of his song got taken down and I had to sub something else in at the last minute.

+12 |

March 11, 2020 on Lil Uzi Vert Shocks The World

not gonna make a habit of rating music videos but that "high enough" clip slaps so hard.

+10 |

March 6, 2020 on The Number Ones: Styx’s “Babe”

Isbell is waaaaaaay bigger than DBT now.

+8 |

March 6, 2020 on Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – “What’ve I Done To Help”

that was a fuckup, it was supposed to be a 4. i've been getting dyslexic with these ratings lately.

+29 |

March 6, 2020 on The Number Ones: Styx’s “Babe”

ding ding ding

+14 |

March 4, 2020 on The Number Ones: Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer’s “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”

not wrong!

+3 |

March 4, 2020 on Lil Baby And The Era Of Zoned-Out Singing-Rapper Dominance

hell yeah. copyright-flouting ecw entrance themes/package videos were the best shit.

+5 |

February 28, 2020 on The Number Ones: Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight”

"Goody Two Shoes" is a 9.

+10 |

February 26, 2020 on The Number Ones: M’s “Pop Muzik”

I love the Clash deeply, but "Rock The Casbah" has always come off a bit awkward and clompy to me. Would take every other big Clash single over that one.

+16 |

February 26, 2020 on The Number Ones: M’s “Pop Muzik”

I interviewed Ari less than a year before she died, and she was definitely hitting on me over the phone. She seemed cool as hell.

+22 |

February 19, 2020 on The Number Ones: Robert John’s “Sad Eyes”

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