Spoon (Band)

The Whigs, and What Made Milwaukee Famous

Sony Ruins eMusic's Indie Credibility, Raises Rates

eMusic adds Sony and pisses off its indie rock-savvy clienteleThese troubling financial times call for belt-tightening across American society. We all know what's going on with the auto industry, and the record industry is not safe from this recession. As announced Monday, online music retailer eMus ... More >>

When every song ever recorded fits on your MP3 player, will you listen to any of them?

eMusic adds Sony and pisses off its indie rock-savvy clienteleThese troubling financial times call for belt-tightening across American society. We all know what's going on with the auto industry, and the record industry is not safe from this recession. As announced Monday, online music retailer eMus ... More >>

Rogue Wave

Out of the Shadow
(Sub Pop)

New Release Tuesday: Spoon EP Got Nuffin

Austin rockers Spoon release three new tracks today with their Got Nuffin EPIt's a pretty slow new release schedule today, unless your name is Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy or Moby (or Mephistopheles, for that matter). What I do have to offer, however, is a new EP from Austin indie rockers Spoon. Got Nuff ... More >>

Immigrant Song

Gogol Bordello brings its foreign-flavored punk to the Marquee

Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello brings its foreign-flavored punk to the Marquee

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 >>

Spoon: Transference in "Nothing Not New"

Welcome to "Nothing Not New," a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert re ... More >>

Tim Burton Looks to Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy?

Alice in Blink-182 Land?​How could a man of such brilliance, who creates such visually stunning pieces of art, who can seemingly do no wrong, allow the likes of Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz to write for the soundtrack of his latest creation, Alice in Wonderland? We may ne ... More >>

Beach House: Teen Dream, in "Nothing Not New"

Welcome to "Nothing Not New," a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert re ... More >>

Franz Ferdinand Singer Calls Epic "Arrogant Motherfucking Pig-Brained Arseholes"

​Epic Records, owned by Sony, evidently allowed McDonald's to use a Franz Ferdinand song without checking with the boys first. Lead singer Alex Kapranos was less than pleased about the decision. While he did state, "I'd rather eat a cowpat on a bun than a bloody McDonald's," he's actually far more ... More >>

Zac Brown Band

​Epic Records, owned by Sony, evidently allowed McDonald's to use a Franz Ferdinand song without checking with the boys first. Lead singer Alex Kapranos was less than pleased about the decision. While he did state, "I'd rather eat a cowpat on a bun than a bloody McDonald's," he's actually far more ... More >>

Big Star's Alex Chilton Dies at 59

Alex Chilton.​Alex Chilton, singer and guitarist of '70s rock band Big Star died last night in New Orleans at age 59. The cause of death is suspected to be a heart attack, and Big Star was set to play at this year's SXSW.The band is cemented in history as a highly influential with a cult following ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Devo: Something for Everybody

​Artist: DevoTitle: Something for EverybodyRelease date: June 15Label: Warner Bros.You may be asking yourself, "Why does Devo have a new record out?" Is it for the money? Doubtful, because how much money could they possibly make by releasing a major-label record in 2010? And, anyway, aren't these ... 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 >>

Indie Rockers Versus Make an Artful Comeback

On the Ones and Threes

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 >>

What Does The Suburbs Hitting #1 Mean for Indie Rock?

​Arcade Fire is an indie band. I don't say that just because they sound like an indie band -- though they do -- but because they're actually signed to an indie label.All three Arcade Fire albums came out on Merge, a North Carolina-based company that was started in 1989 so D-I-Yers Superchunk could ... 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 >>

Weezer's Hurley as More Corporate Branding?

The cover of Weezer's forthcoming album, Hurley.​It was bad enough when Weezer felt the need to insert Best Buy into their incredibly overplayed radio hit "I Want You To." Now it seems that their record Hurley, scheduled to be released on Sept. 14, may not be a direct reference to the Lost charact ... More >>

Zac Brown Band

The cover of Weezer's forthcoming album, Hurley.​It was bad enough when Weezer felt the need to insert Best Buy into their incredibly overplayed radio hit "I Want You To." Now it seems that their record Hurley, scheduled to be released on Sept. 14, may not be a direct reference to the Lost charact ... More >>

Painting by Cris Kirkwood, Signed Calexico and DeVotchKa Guitars, and More in Artists For Action Raffle

​Artists for Action, those plucky do-gooders counteracting Evil Mastermind Zach de la Rocha's attempts to make our state silent until SB 1070 is "repealed" (despite the fact that California's "eerily similar" Prop 187 was never repealed -- it just got stopped by a judge, the same way SB 1070 did) ... More >>

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at Rhythm Room Last Night

Jonathan McNamara​Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Rhythm Room October 4, 2010 It's sort of rare when a mosh pit is possible but not inevitable. You know, when a band could inspire a little knock-push-bounce action but it isn't necessarily a forgone conclusion.Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, who played P ... More >>

The Corin Tucker Band: 1,000 Years

​Artist: The Corin Tucker BandTitle: 1,000 YearsRelease date: October 5Label: Kill Rock Stars Who else loves Sleater-Kinney and was disappointed to hear they'd gone on indefinite hiatus after the release of one of their best records, The Woods, in 2006? In my opinion, we're one of the finer bands ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz

​Artist: Sufjan Stevens Title: The Age of Adz Release date: October 21 Label: Asthmatic Kitty The new record by indie-music deity Sufjan Stevens is an hour-and-12-minute endurance test, one who's raison d'etre is revealed in the closing seconds of the record's final song, "Impossible Soul." A ... 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 >>

Black Mountain

​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 >>

Sun City Girls: Funeral Mariachi

​Artist: Sun City Girls Title: Funeral Mariachi Release date: October 26 Label: Abduction Sun City Girls' last-ever record -- they've made dozens since forming in Phoenix way back in the early days of West Coast punk -- comes off as a more somber affair. And some of it is downright -- odd to ... More >>

Mini Mansions: Mini Mansions

​Artist: Mini Mansions Title: Mini Mansions Release date: November 2 Label: Ipecac One of the biggest musical curveballs of the year has to be the debut record by the Southern California trio Mini Mansions. I say it's a curveball because I wouldn't have guessed such a Beatles-esque display o ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Phoenix Filmmakers' Movie The Heart Is A Drum Machine Gets Soundtrack from Flaming Lip

​Stephen Drozd of The Flaming Lips is releasing a soundtrack to the documentary The Heart Is a Drum Machine which was produced by local filmmakers Ryan Page and Chris Pomerenke.The film, a documentary which explores why people feel such a connection to music and features cameos by George Clinton, ... More >>

The Get Up Kids at Clubhouse Music Venue Last Night

Maria VassettThe Get Up Kids at The Clubhouse.​At any given point in a man's life, he's got that one shirt -- be it a tee, polo, western, or over-sized Packers jersey -- that just stands a bit taller than the rest of the crowd. A shirt with such a distinguished place in the normal shirt rotation, ... More >>

Pavle Milic, What Are You Listening To?

Pavle Milic​Pavle Milic You can find the co-owner of restaurant FnB at the Old Town Farmers' Market in Scottsdale every Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? If my wife drove, it's highly likely that NPR will ... More >>

John Vanderslice @ The Rhythm Room

Pavle Milic​Pavle Milic You can find the co-owner of restaurant FnB at the Old Town Farmers' Market in Scottsdale every Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? If my wife drove, it's highly likely that NPR will ... More >>

Luz de Vida Benefit Compilation Unites National Indie Acts and Tucson Bands

​Luz de Vida, a compilation featuring Neko Case, Spoon, Jimmy Eat World, Calexico, Giant Sand, Lenguas Largas, Robyn Hitchcock, Brian Lopez, The Meat Puppets, and many, many more, is set to see release in two formats, a 37-track digital album, and a limited-edition 12-song vinyl release, on Octobe ... More >>

Boris' Atsuo: "We Have Never Called Ourselves a Heavy Metal Band"

​Normally, a band releasing three albums in one year would be a big deal. But in the case of Japanese power trio Boris, the rapid-fire output is less surprising than the diversity featured on the albums. Over the course of Heavy Rocks (the group's second album sporting the title), Attention Plea ... More >>

Boris Are Heavy as Hell, But They'd Never Call Themselves Metal

​Normally, a band releasing three albums in one year would be a big deal. But in the case of Japanese power trio Boris, the rapid-fire output is less surprising than the diversity featured on the albums. Over the course of Heavy Rocks (the group's second album sporting the title), Attention Plea ... More >>

Top 15 Local Releases of 2011: Jason P. Woodbury

Andrew Jackson Jihad​Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun's 2011 Review. Over the next week, we'll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. Enjoy! Okay. I'm done. Spent. No more lists. The reissues list was hard. The show list was hard. The ... More >>