The Chemical Brothers

Top Ten Songs About Dust

July 5, 2011: The day everyone's cars were rendered absolutely filthyI was going to say that unless you were living under a rock the past few days, you probably heard about Tuesday night's massive dust storm -- known as a haboob in some parts of the world (parts that aren't home to Republican presid ... More >>

Coachella 2011 Set Times Are Up, Let the Conflicts Begin

Coachella set times have been announced. The Chemical Brothers vs. Boys Noize? Sigh...​The 2011 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival set times were announced ast night at a little past 11pm, as was rumored. The much-anticipated announcement was a big wave of relief for some and a harbinger o ... More >>

Linkin Park Made Their OK Computer

All hail A Thousands Suns, the finest dystopian fusion a major label can buy

Info Leaked About Britney Spears' New Album

​An internal Jive Records memo that contains information about Britney Spears' upcoming album has been leaked, according to Rolling Stone.The memo stated that Britney's album will be released on March 15. It also revealed collaborations with Dr. Luke and Max Martin.The majority of the information ... More >>

Duran Duran, The Strokes Tapped For Coachella; Official Lineup Coming Soon UPDATE

​Coachella's official lineup should be announced very, very soon -- lest anyone forget that this week is usually when the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival makes it big announcement.In lieu of the entire festival lineup, a few acts have already been confirmed for the festival's 2011 editi ... More >>

Rubber, Hugo Cabaret, Tintin, and Other 2011 Films to Look Forward To

Lily Allen's Worst Week Ever

​Poor Lily Allen. Her pop music hiatus is now very understandable, considering how much drama she's dealing with right now.Here's a quick recap of the 25-year-old singer's woes: First she suffered from being somewhat of a one hit wonder in 2007. Then in 2008, she suffered a miscarriage with Ed Sim ... 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's Spinning: Radio Phoenix

This is Flying Blanket, Vol. II​When running a radio station without the confines of corporate ownership and the need for mainstream FM commercial viability, the charts have the freedom to run wild. Radio Phoenix then, is always a mix of indie chic, local cool, and a hint of the unexpected. This w ... 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 >>

Tittsworth, Pat Benatar Dance-offs, Gay Beast, and Other Cheap Thrills This Weekend

​In case you're not up on all the latest hip-hop news, Mr. Earl Simmons (a.k.a. DMX) got himself sprung from Sheriff Joe Arpaio's tender care earlier this week after spending four months incarcerated in the county hoosegow. "THE DOG IS OUT THE CAGE!!" exclaimed the hardcore rapper's Twitter on Wed ... 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 >>

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 >>

White Hot

Caucasian, yes. Vanilla Icey? No.

This Weekend: Roller Dames, Shiny Toy Guns and The Hives

Brown Box Breakout

DJ AL3 pushes all envelopes

Déjà Dance

Newest DDR: Same game, fresh set list

Primal Scream
Kasabian

Riot City Blues
(Columbia)
Empire
(RCA)

Madonna

Confessions on a Dance Floor
(Maverick)

The Crystal Method at Myst

Home with the range

Mixing It Up

Variety is the spice of Coachella

Kasabian

Kasabian
(RCA)

Top 10 selling CDs at Zia Record Exchange (3851 East Thunderbird Road)

Chart-toppers for January 24 through 30

Panic! at Andersons

The madness is back -- with prizes inside

Dance, Dance Revolution

This was the year electronic dance music got its head -- and its ass -- out of the past

Electro-Style Wars

Sometimes, as in the case of onetime Phoenician Sandra Collins, you can't judge a trance DJ by her cover

Meth Boom

The Crystal Method returns with Legion of Boom, another cameo-spiked celebration of nasty breaks

Manitoba

Up in Flames (Domino)

Surviving the Jungle

Electronic music never erupted the way the faithful hoped it would, but jungle, and DJs like AK1200, still thrive in the underground

Primal Scream

Evil Heat (Epic)

Letdowns: Bummer, Man

Five artists came with the promise of a new day -- and defused faster than a wet firecracker

Soul on Ice

Veteran breakbeat selector DJ Icey pushes funk into the future

Basement Jaxx

Rooty (Astralwerks)

Fatboy Slim

Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (Astralwerks)

Clearing Samples

Moby returns to electronic music, and he's ready to Play

Q-Burning Down the House

Garbage In, Garbage Out

While radio rethinks its support for electronica, Sipping Soma emerges with electronic music that's instantly hummable

Recordings

R.C. Lair: House Keeper

Eye of the Orb

Picking the "ever growing pulsating brain" of Alex Paterson, don of ambient

Z-Trippin'

Mind-Bending Chemicals

Recordings