A few months ago, I did a concert review of Stars and Track of Field when they played at Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA. I really dug the opening act, who I referred to as “mystery noise man.” Well, good news, we tracked him down to see what he’s all about.
His real name is [...]

After what seems to have been a year’s long hiatus, English producer/singer/rapper/artist M.I.A. came out of the woodwork on Tuesday and posted a new song from her hotly anticipated third album on her Twitter account. Entitled “Theres (sic) Space for Ol Dat I See,” the song is definitely a throwback to the era of “Galang” [...]

Last night, the guys of Vampire Weekend performed “Cousins” on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. I’m posting this video clip for two reasons. 1. “Cousins” is a really fun & upbeat song and 2. It very well could be the last time that they ever perform on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
Now I’m [...]

Tony Quan has been stricken with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, for the past 7 years. ALS is a devastating neurological disease that slowly causes paralysis; those who have ALS essentially become prisoners within their own bodies. Tony is no different – the only parts of his body that he can move are his eyes.
That [...]

Swedish brother and sister duo The Knife has just released an epic 11-minute long track from their upcoming album Tomorrow, In A Year. Not due to be released until March 1st, Tomorrow, In A Year is the studio recorded version of an opera that brother Olof and sister Karin created based on Charles Darwin. The [...]

Now that 2010 has arrived, most of the major music publications have finished putting out their picks for the top albums of 2009.  Each newspaper, magazine, and blog uses their own criteria to determine their rankings, leading to an infinite amount of subjectivity.  In the words of my boy Alex, these lists are more or [...]

Vampire Weekend has been on a promotional blitz as of late, and with good reason: the release of Contra is just 7 days away. In these two videos, Ezra, Rostam, Chris, and Chris perform two songs from their upcoming album, “Cousins” and “White Sky,” for PitchforkTV’s “Juan’s Basement” segment. The strings section in both of [...]

With the release of Vampire Weekend’s sophomore album happening next Tuesday, DJ Toy Selectah has decided to release his own remixed version of Contra on the very same day. Known for his high-energy and fast-paced remixes, Toy Selectah is one of Mexico’s hottest DJs. His remix of Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli” was nothing short of [...]

Check out Jay-Z’s new music video for one of the sleeper hits off of The Blueprint 3, “On to the Next One.” The song’s main hook samples one of the more obscure lines from French duo Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.”, much in the same way that T.I.’s “Swagga Like Us” sampled M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.”
Is it just me, [...]

I just came across some more old, mesmerizing footage that needed to be shared. In this montage of home movie clips, we get to see what the Bay Area was like more than 50 years ago. I love the decidedly retro, supersaturated, and almost grainy look and feel of the 16mm footage. It actually invokes [...]