There is no narration in the documentary Heaven Adores You, a film about the life and music of folk-punk hero Elliott Smith. Instead, the story of his life is told by Smith himself through his music and past interviews with the singer-songwriter. His friends and family join him in the…
Chilean experimental trio Föllakzoid’s newest release, the aptly titled III, has only four tracks, but there is nothing economical about what they do with their humble arsenal. Each song, including the opening track “Electric,” is an expansive, layered masterpiece that is organically constructed from the haunting rhythms inside their heads…
You can practically hear the artistry over the phone as Daniel Benjamin, one of the creative forces behind the Toronto-based band Moon King, tries to find a quiet place to talk as he walks down the snowy streets of Montreal, Quebec. He’s trying to put the finishing touches on the…
The soundtrack to the hit television show Empire reached the top of the Billboard 200 this week, which apparently is the first time a record of original music for a network show has achieved the feat in 20 years (Somewhere Jan Hammer is crying on his keyboard, since Miami Vice…
Paul Williams has accomplished much in life, but when it comes to his daily two mile run, he takes what he considers his tortoise-like his pace in stride. “As usual, there are people walking by me while I run,” he chuckles, “I’m not the fastest out there, but it keeps…
There is a moment in Girl Talk’s episode of the Hulu documentary series A Day In The Life where he states he’s never really associated with DJ culture, only to cut to several journalists asking him about DJing or his very small vinyl collection. Gregg Gillis, the name behind the…
In an age when the Internet immediately determines the popularity of an artist, it seems presumptuous to heap the hype on a musician after releasing just one song. After listening to the malaise-filled anthemic “Stuck In The South” by Nashville-based artist Adia Victoria, the song legitimizes the practice of being…
It must have seemed like such a good idea at the time. Sub Pop had released I Love You, Honeybear, the latest from Father John Misty, in the usual formats (digital, vinyl, and compact disc). Those looking to enhance their listening experience for an extra cost could purchase a copy…
From the time we are thrust into the world and make an attempt to find our place in it, we have to seek ways to be seen and heard by those around us. The things we say, the words we write, and the clothes we wear help to us to…
Nika Rosa Danilova, better known to her fans as Zola Jesus, walked onstage Friday night at Crescent Ballroom and slowly raised her arms in a style reminiscent of the savior as depicted in the Catholic faith. The soothing blue stage lights turned a deep crimson as she danced wildly to…
Detroit’s Motown Records had “Hitsville U.S.A.,” an office and recording studio that housed the songwriters and musicians who birthed a sound that spoke to the soul of the nation. Motown’s competitor, Memphis-based Stax Records, discovered such groundbreaking artists as Issac Hayes, Otis Redding, and the Staple Singers and committed them…
It’s easy to find new and interesting music these days. All we have to do is pull up an app on our smartphone, and in seconds we can find a song that will hopefully move, motivate, or make us feel that special something in the gray matter between our headphones…
Jim Eno, drummer for indie stars Spoon, reveals some insider knowledge about the creation of “The Beast and Dragon, Adored,” the opening track from their fantastic 2005 album Gimme Fiction. It’s a peek behind the curtain of how the Austin-based band constructs an album. Once privy to the information, you…
The first two albums Fleetwood Mac released after Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined Christine McVie, bassist John McVie, and drummer Mick Fleetwood provided the pop soundtrack of the late 1970s. The tender nature of singles like “Landslide,” the mysticism of “Rhiannon,” and the bold confessional nature of “Go Your…
The holidays are fast approaching, which means while you’re baking a ham, mashing potatoes, and putting those crispy onions on the green bean casserole, your mother is drunk on egg nog, and your father is going out of his way to push your buttons. My dad and I don’t generally…
Walking through the back rooms of the Tempe History Museum, it’s easy to get distracted by the various artifacts of the city’s lore. Boxes are stacked like in the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark; one clumsy turn could result in someone accidentally getting his face melted. Navigating…
At the end of Eric Robel’s Kickstarter funded documentary The Color of Noise, there is a montage of artists that were on or associated with the Tom Hazelmyer’s groundbreaking record label Amphetamine Reptile Records (AmRep) that attempt to describe the alternative music Svengali in one word. These words range anywhere…
The crowd at Gila River Arena in Glendale began to cheer before Judas Priest even took the stage. Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” played overhead and the audience, tuned into a frequency only they could hear, knew that one of the most prominent and distinguished metal band of the last 40…
A blonde musician sporting purple eyeliner and a leopard print jacket stares directly into the lens and asks the camera operator, “What are you trying to do? Get a snapshot into Sheffield life? The hopes and dreams of the common man?” The Sheffield he is referring to is the city…
Indie duo Tegan and Sara, identical twin sisters with the surname Quin from Calgary, have toured with their fellow countryman Neil Young and had their track “Walking with a Ghost” covered by The White Stripes. Their connection to their music and each other is clear during their live shows. The…
I had been waiting more than 20 years to see Pearl Jam live, and the time had finally come: I was going to see Seattle’s finest at the final weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It was worth the wait. Eddie Vedder drank a bottle of wine onstage…
When Joseph Mount of London-based Metronomy listened to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, he realized he’d have to change the direction of “Boy Racers,” the most upbeat song on his band’s 2013 album, Love Letters. He had intended to have the song include a German narrator speaking about how fast…
