Hot Chip

Let Them Eat Peachcake

The Top 10 Reissues of 2008

By Chris Gray It's time to rank the best of what went around and came around again. BILLY JOEL The Stranger (Columbia/Legacy) As punk and disco exploded, the Piano Man's deeply unhip 1978 breakthrough proved that top-shelf Broadway/Brill Building songwriting could still sell - and, occasionally, ... More >>

New Hot Chip Only Available At Indie Stores

Hot Chip's "Ready For The Floor" is my favorite song of the moment, so I was interested to learn that the band's next project, an EP with Robert Wyatt and Geese is scheduled to come out on Jan. 27. If you want it, though, you're gonna have to go in to a (gasp!) record store.And not Target, either. A ... More >>

Is Chef Aaron Chamberlin’s St. Francis Holding Back?

Hot Chip's "Ready For The Floor" is my favorite song of the moment, so I was interested to learn that the band's next project, an EP with Robert Wyatt and Geese is scheduled to come out on Jan. 27. If you want it, though, you're gonna have to go in to a (gasp!) record store.And not Target, either. A ... More >>

Rihanna Announces Contributors, New Hot Chip Album, Vice Party in NYC

Electric Mustache: Awsomeness: Christopher Walken - "Poker Face"Idolator: Shakira Engages In Some Bedroom AcrobaticsNME: The Strokes' Nikolai Fraiture finishes 23,347th in New York MarathonPitchfork: Hot Chip Announce New AlbumRolling Stone: Rihanna Confirms Slash, Will.i.am, Young Jeezy Guest on " ... More >>

Passion Pit Is Coming To Clubhouse

​Passion Pit -- a band I regard as a poor man's Hot Chip but every girl I know seems to be crazy about -- is coming to The Clubhouse on Sunday, December 6. Like I said, this band, which was started by a guy writing songs for his girlfriend as a Valentine's Day present (no joke) does seem to have a ... More >>

Concert Review: Passion Pit at The Clubhouse

Ben Gibbard: Without his short-lived Postal Service project contemporary rock radio might have nothing at all to play​Damn you, Ben Gibbard, you're fucking up indie rock. Not by virtue of anything you've done yourself, mind you. Death Cab for Cutie is fantastic, The Postal Service's lone album is ... More >>

Courtney Love Loses Custody, Chris Brown Stops Tweeting, New Hot Chip

Electric Mustache: Video: Hot Chip "One Life Stand"Idolator: Chris Brown's Last Tweet: "GOODBYE!!!!!!!"Idolator: Courtney Love Loses Custody of Frances BeanNME: Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose denies he denied paparazzi attackPitchfork: Erykah Badu Announces New AlbumRolling Stone: The Stooges, Genesis, ABB ... More >>

2010's Most Anticipated Albums

2010 brings with it the hope of a new, much better decade chock full of impressive albums​Some of you may or may not have noticed that the 2000s, or aughts for the cool kids, was a pretty crappy decade. That sentiment is becoming more and more prevalent as we inch toward a brand new decade, and B ... More >>

Sade and Other New Releases

​Sade has long been on the hook-up playlists of many, since the group debuted back in 1983. You know, light some candles, throw your stuffed animals off the bed and put on some smooth R&B stylings from the classic British group. Now the band is releasing their first album in 10 years, So ... More >>

What's Selling: Stinkweeds

​Stinkweeds has always been a haven for indie rockers and hipsters. They specialize in independent music in a way that few others do. While it seems like most of the kids jonesing for their fix of the lastest indie release head to Tempe, they also travel a little further west of ASU to Phoenix's S ... More >>

Nothing Not New: I'm No Critic But I'm Also Not a Fan. I'm a Listener

​Stinkweeds has always been a haven for indie rockers and hipsters. They specialize in independent music in a way that few others do. While it seems like most of the kids jonesing for their fix of the lastest indie release head to Tempe, they also travel a little further west of ASU to Phoenix's S ... More >>

She & Him: Volume 2

​Artist: She & HimTitle: Volume 2Release date: March 23Label: MergeMy editor has claimed this project a triumph for no other reason than I've chosen the new over the old -- sort of. See, I told Martin Cizmar a while back that I wanted to review tonight's Ray Davies concert. I love the Kinks. T ... More >>

What's Spinning: Radio Phoenix

Mumford & Sons.​Just because a radio station is labeled as a "community" station doesn't mean it's lacking coolness or in street cred.In fact, Radio Phoenix's top ten for the week are all indie rock favs at the moment, with the down-home rootsy folk stylings of Mumford & Sons coming out on ... More >>

Indie Music Fans Beg for Some Play on Phoenix NPR Station KJZZ 91.5, Get Smackdown from Music Director

KJZZThis is the woman who doesn't want you to hear Animal Collective on the radio.​There's an interesting facebook battle shaping up over the future of Phoenix's NPR affiliate, KJZZ 91.5.The instigator is a guy named Greg Ensell who likes to listen to . . . well, umm, pretty much what I listen to: ... More >>

Growing: Pumps!

​Artist: GrowingTitle: Pumps!Release date: April 6Label: ViceNo less an authority than Pitchfork.com, the Bible of indie rock, declared the Brooklyn experimental group Growing to be "cruising music for Brian Eno fans." Better watch what you say, Pitchfork, or you're gonna have a lot of pissed-off ... More >>

An Open Letter To Coachella

How can such an idyllic scene be such an absolute nightmare? Selling 75,000 tickets is a start...​​​Dear Goldenvoice, Promoter of the Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival,My name is Michael Lopez and I have been attending your festival for the past five years. In those past five years, I ... More >>

The New Pornographers: Together

​Artist: The New PornographersTitle: TogetherRelease date: May 4Label: MatadorFor me, the equation's always been real simple when it comes to the indie-pop group The New Pornographers: songs with Neko Case taking the vocal reins = yes; songs with the wanna-be British dude singing = maybe. Wel ... More >>

Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma

​Artist: Flying LotusTitle: CosmogrammaRelease date: May 3Label: Warp RecordsA while back, a reader posted a comment on one of my Nothing Not New posts asking why I continued to listen to electronic/laptop music even though I don't care for it all that much.Well, first of all, in the spirit of the ... More >>

Male Bonding: Nothing Hurts

​Artist: Male BondingTitle: Nothing HurtsRelease date: May 11Label: Sub PopRemember all the buzz about Wavves last year? I thought they were just okay. Hopefully, their next record (slated for release this year) will be better. In the meantime, I'll be listening to the new record by Male Bonding, ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: CocoRosie, Natalie Merchant, Disco Biscuits, The Sadies, Small Black, and more

​It's been a pretty big past two weeks for indie rock: Hold Steady, New Pornographers, Flying Lotus, The National, The Dead Weather. That's a lot of heavy-hitters. Meanwhile, some lower-profile stuff has been piling up on my desk, so it's time to give you a rundown of the other stuff I've been lis ... More >>

Band of Horses: Infinite Arms

​Artist: Band of HorsesTitle: Infinite ArmsRelease date: May 18Label: ColumbiaTake a look at the cover art to the right of these words. If you were browsing through the racks at your local record store, this cover is nearly all that you'd need to know about the new of Band of Horses.From the band ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Delta Spirit, Stereo Total, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Cringe, The Dig, and more

​Let's clear off the desk, shall we?Stereo Total: Baby Ouh! -- This band on the Kill Rock Stars label is a multi-lingual new-New Wave boy-girl band with songs sung in English, German, and French. It's quirky with a capital "Q" and not nearly as charming as it thinks it is. Still, most songs are un ... More >>

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mojo

​Artist: Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersTitle: MojoRelease date: June 15Label: RepriseHow many of you have acts that you'd never call yourself a fan of, would never buy one of their records, or pay money to see in concert, yet recognize that the acts have been around for so long and written songs ... More >>

Foals: Total Life Forever

​Artist: FoalsTitle: Total Life ForeverRelease date: June 22Label: Sub PopThough I disagree with a commenter on one of my posts this week (Shawn from excellent local music blog Electric Mustache) about the merits of electro-punk Sleigh Bells, I agree with him that S.B. are a band that you either l ... More >>

13 Must-Hear Songs from the First Half of 2010

Dum Dum Girls​Today marks the halfway point of Nothing Not New. That means I've listen to nearly 140 records in their entirety in the first six months of 2010. Just another 140 or so to go before I can retreat to the familiarity of my record collection.To recognize the occasion, the Up on the Sun ... More >>

Authority Zero: Stories of Survival

​Artist: Authority ZeroTitle: Stories of SurvivalRelease date: June 22Label: Suburban NoizeI have a friend who's a native Phoenician and longtime fixture in the Valley punk scene, both as fan and musician. He loves West Coast punk, thinks Southern California spawned the best of the best punk, espe ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Cowboy Junkies, Winnie Cooper, Grieves, Shelby Lynne, and more

​Holy crap, only five-plus months left of Nothing Not New. I gotta get to a lot more new(-ish) releases. Let's roll . . .Cowboy Junkies -- Remnin Park: Who knew these dour Canadians were even still around? Remnin Park is a concept album inspired the Timmins' family month-long sojourn to China. Out ... More >>

Lollapalooza 2010: All Your Festivals Belong to GaGa

​ There are people who just don't like music festivals. It won't matter who's on the bill or whether the show is in the middle of the desert or the center of a city; they're just not interested in seeing bite-size sets crushed by an often bikini topped mob. Don't get me wrong, I understand. I hadn ... More >>

10 Most Bizarre Videos of the Year (So Far)

​Floating heads shooting lasers, machete wielding mad men, exploding gingers and Lady Gaga.You're probably asking yourself what all of these things have in common. If you said, 'things you see while dropping acid,' you aren't that far off. Actually, those scenes are just some of the oddball image ... More >>

Nothing Not New: Podcast #9

​Welcome to our latest podcast, in which Martin Cizmar and I play some new music and about it, too. On today's program, we discuss the merits of such bands as Wavves, Arcade Fire, The Budos Band, Jimmy Eat World, and local superstars Snake! Snake! Snakes!Here's the playlist:Jaill -- "The Stroller" ... More >>

Borat to Play Freddie Mercury in Queen Movie

​British funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen, also known as Ali G, Borat and Bruno, is slated to play Freddie Mercury in an upcoming Queen biopic.As you can see, the resemblance means this isn't much of a stretch. But will Sacha Baron Cohen really make a good Freddie Mercury?I think so. That man can play s ... More >>

Grinderman: Grinderman 2

​Artist: GrindermanTitle: Grinderman 2Release date: September 14Label: Anti-Most of the indie rock I've heard this year (well over 200 records and counting, with 11 weeks to go in this series) is really pretty toothless. Even the harder-rocking stuff, with its big drums or wall-of-sound guitars or ... More >>

Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown

​Artist: Kings of LeonTitle: Come Around SundownRelease date: October 19Label: RCAI think it's funny that people are getting all bent out of shape over the supposed "selling out" of Kings of Leon, saying their new record sucks worse than that sucky one that sold a bajillion copies a few years ago. ... More >>

Screaming Females: Castle Talk

​Artist: Screaming Females Title: Castle Talk Release date: September 14 Label: Don Giovanni Back in the day, I'd hate to miss a good show (I'm still not happy that my parents wouldn't let me drive to Kalamazoo one Monday night to see Scratch Acid and Big Black play, ditto the time I couldn't ... More >>

Warpaint: The Fool

​Artist: Warpaint Title: The Fool Release date: October 25 Label: Rough Trade The musical path taken by L.A. foursome Warpaint is well trodden -- but this kind of ultra-moody, sort of experimental, Joy Division-indebted music is usually plied by men. But Warpaint is a quartet of women, and in ... More >>

The 88: The 88

​Artist: The 88Title: The 88 Release date: September 28 Label: Rocket ScienceWhat do you do if you're a band like The 88? You're top-flight songwriters and musicians, you get your songs placed in all kinds of big-name TV shows and high-profile TV commercials, you tour the country opening ... More >>

Elvis Costello: National Ransom

​Artist: Elvis Costello Title: National Ransom Release date: November 2 Label: Hear Music I really wish it weren't the case, but I'd have to file the new record by Elvis Costello under "For Completists Only" (of which I'm sure there many when it comes to Elvis Costello fans). If you heard hi ... More >>

Matt & Kim: Sidewalks

​Artist: Matt & KimTitle: SidewalksRelease date: November 2Label: FaderI suppose I should mention up front that I didn't like Tears for Fears in 1985 and I still don't 25 years later, even in a nostalgic sense. So it stands to reason that I have little use for Matt & Kim in 2010.It's not t ... More >>

DK Strickler Talks Retro Hi-Fi, Mondegreen, Lawnchair Generals, Boris Dlugosch, and More

DK Strickler​Name: David Kevin StricklerAKA: DK Strickler Current gigs: Retro Hi-Fi Sundays at SideBar, and private/public events on Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays. Genres spun: House and all it's varied sub-genres, space and indie disco, organic lounge and downtempo.How did you get started as a D ... More >>

OFF!: First Four EPs

​Artist: OFF! Title: First Four EPs Release date: November 23 Label: Vice Records In 2010, few things seem more ridiculous than a punk supergroup anchored by two guys who made their most indelible marks on American punk rock nearly 30 years ago. But, damn, OFF! pulled off an unlikely feat, ma ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Helmet, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Charlatans, Small Black, and more

​It's amazing how much music is released in a year. I've listened to nearly 270 records in their entirety this year, yet I still have a huge stack of unlistened CDs on my desk, several unlistened digital downloads in my iTunes, and a lengthy list of high-profile stuff I never got a chance to h ... More >>

Tierra del Fuego: Queen of the Rendezvous

​Artist: Tierra del Fuego Title: Queen of the Rendezvous Release date: December 11 Label: Scapular Winging Through pure happenstance, I witnessed this local band, Tierra del Fuego, on Saturday night play as they played to a small but appreciative crowd at Trunk Space. It just happened to be t ... More >>

The Top 10 Music Videos of 2010

​We've nearly got another year in the books, and with a great year came a great collection of fabulous music videos from musicians representing a wide variety of genres. So we're counting them down, in the far-too-usual fashion.The best part of this year end list?Kanye West is not #1.Crazy, I know ... More >>

Girl Talk: All Day

​Artist: Girl Talk Title: All Day Release date: November 15 Label: Illegal Art Whether sample-happy mash-up act Girl Talk is "good" or "not good" and whether you "like" or "dislike" Girl Talk are completely irrelevant to any discussion regarding Girl Talk. The only things I care about when it ... More >>

Top 25 Lists of 13 New Times Contributors

​Artist: Girl Talk Title: All Day Release date: November 15 Label: Illegal Art Whether sample-happy mash-up act Girl Talk is "good" or "not good" and whether you "like" or "dislike" Girl Talk are completely irrelevant to any discussion regarding Girl Talk. The only things I care about when it ... More >>

15 Good Songs You Might've Missed in 2010

Peter Storch​I listened to more than 3,000 songs in 2010, so I was asked to come up with a list of the best of the year. But you've probably heard "Swim" by Surfer Blood and "Boyfriend" by Best Coast and "Helicopter" by Deerhunter and "Hustle and Cuss" by the Dead Weather, so I came up with a ... More >>