Superchunk

Whirr, Trunk Space, 3/6/13

Whirr @ Trunk Space | 3/6/13I don't want to be a shallow critic, but there's no denying the Whirr's firm place in the shoegaze section of the record store. They are knee-deep in the genre tropes: the excessive delay and reverb, the lead guitar doing some twinkly thing while the rhythm section hammer ... More >>

Dogbreth: Phoenix's Most Unlikely Motivational Pop Punkers

"I think Tristan's [Jemsek, guitars/vocals] Craigslist addiction is the biggest influence on the band," says Dogbreth bassist Erin Caldwell. Dogbreth -- the long running downtown pop punk combo -- has been around for a while, but 2012 has been a year of growth for the band, seeing it make a big tr ... More >>

Is a Nirvana-Style Breakthrough Looming with '90s Revival?

Dust Off Your Flannel: Is the Underground Rising to the Mainstream?

You've got a lot of reading to do, guys: snuggled tightly in this week's massive Best of Phoenix 2012 issue is a regular issue of Phoenix New Times. In anticipation of the busiest musical weekend of the year, you'll find pieces about KUPD's two-day metal festival Desert Uprising, EDM waterpark party ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Weekend

Curious about what's going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don't fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend.

King Tuff @ Meat Market Garment Factory

What Laura Says' Mitch Freedom on BobbyBrandNew, Crash Street Kids, and Terra Firma

Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please email music@new ... More >>

Replacements Fan Documentary Color Me Obsessed to Screen Tonight at Phoenix Art Museum

One of the preeminent rock bands of the 1980s finally has gotten the rock-doc treatment, and local fans of The Replacements will get a chance to see it at 7:30 p.m. today at the Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 North Central Avenue. Color Me Obsessed is self-admitted Replacements fanboy Gorman Bechard's lo ... More >>

Arcade Fire

Fired Up

Grammy winners come to Phoenix

Top 25 Lists of 13 New Times Contributors

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Indie Rockers Versus Make an Artful Comeback

On the Ones and Threes

Village Voice SXSW Party Features Superchunk, the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Surfer Blood

Superchunk​ Some news from our corporate parent: The lineup for the 2010 Village Voice SXSW party has been announced. Superchunk, the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Surfer Blood will play the show in Austin. We know the economy is tough, but if you can beg, borrow or steal your way to ... More >>

Amazon Trots out Their "100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time"

Amazon takes their shot at indie rock's 100 greatest albumsThe fine folks over at amazon.com decided that the time was ripe to assemble a list of the best indie rock albums of all time. Indie rock is a genre either really easy to define or kind of confusing to define, but that sentiment did not hol ... More >>

Portastatic

Be Still Please
(Merge)

The Thermals

Throwing genre labels out the window

!!!

Louden Up Now
(Touch and Go)

Pedro the Lion

Achilles' Heel (Jade Tree)

The Heavenly States

Not your average pop-rock band

Ragin' Up the Road

Hot Rod Circuit traveled from barren place to less-barren place to get signed. They say the journey was worth it.

Rilo Kiley

Quartet shares good that will come out

Young at Art

Finally playing for the right audience, Imperial Teen turns it On

Photo Finish

Death Cab for Cutie sees itself as just another guitar band, but you might disagree

Sugar, Sugar?

The music of San Fran popsters Beulah isn't quite as sweet as you think

Handpickin'

Pete Yorn at Nita's Hideaway

DJ Rock

Non-dance turntablists come to the fore; Smog puzzles; GbV rules; and more

Alejandro Escovedo

A Man Under the Influence (Bloodshot)

Rocket From the Crypt

Group Sounds (Vagrant)

Rhythm and Bruises

Girls Can Tell that Spoon's Britt Daniel is an unlikely soul man

Versus

Hurrah (Merge)

Dillinger Four

Versus God
(Hopeless)

Smarter Hearts

Superchunk's Jon Wurster talks about the group's new album, rocking indie style in Taiwan and being name-checked by Bruce Cockburn

Celebrate Good Times, C'mon!

Merge and Matador reach 10 years of indie success

Critics' Choice

A year-end recap of the albums that made it worthwhile to own a stereo in 1997

Merge Slowly

Superchunk matures without junking its indie ideals

The Nature of Static

Dr. Cynic's Revenge

Beat Angel Brian Smith's 10 Greatest Atrocities in '96

That's Just Peechee

Night of the Unabunnie (and Other Dark Tales)

Revolver

Where the seven-inch is still king

Punk Drunk

North Carolina's Archers of Loaf is on a roll, even if the group is off the wagon

READ DOWN, THEN LISTEN UP MORE FROM THE BOTTOMLESS CD PIT