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 recordings) and write about…
Patti Smith has always had the gift of being able create art in different media. From her poems to her songs to her photographs and even her film work, she is constantly creating something that others want to experience. On Tuesday, her memoir Just Kids was released. It is a…
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…
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 recordings) and write about…
This year’s annual collection of the opinions of thousands of music critics regarding the best albums and singles of the year has arrived. The poll was started in 1974 by famed music journalist Robert Christgau and has been continuously running ever since then. While not everyone on the New Times…
[jump] Lerche’s video for “Two Way Monologue” started what would be a tradition of silly, enjoyable videos, as I mentioned earlier. The Never-Ending Story vibe, coupled with the silly paper sets and a bunch of dancing hippies certainly makes this a one of a kind video — yet it fits…
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 recordings) and write about…
Mikel Lander has a certain contempt for female vocalists, particularly attractive ones who front all-male bands. Hayley Williams? Feh. Gwen Stefani? Ditto. “I’ve seen plenty of bands with chick singers who are really popular, but it’s just a gimmick,” he says. “They get more credit than they deserve just because…
Just as future generations will confuse Nickelback with the likes of Staind, Candlebox, and Breaking Benjamin, today’s coming-of-age music fan cannot be expected to reliably distinguish among Styx, REO Speedwagon, Journey, and other still-touring remnants of the early-’80s arena-rock scene. Especially since they all seem to perform at the same…
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 recordings) and write about…
If you listen to just one dream pop album this year, I implore you to make that album Beach House’s Teen Dream. The Baltimore duo’s second full-length comes out next Tuesday, but that didn’t stop those in the know over at NPR from providing us with an opportunity to give…
Seemingly always in the news, Lady Gaga has once again found a way to top all the other pop stars out there. This time her single Bad Romance broke the record for most weekly plays in the history of Billboard’s seventeen years of keeping track. The song was played 10,859…
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 recordings) and write about…
My head just exploded. Goldenvoice has finally revealed the Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival offical lineup for their 2010 edition. The lineup is usually announced this time of year, on or around the MLK Day holiday, and it comes 87 days before the festival kicks off on Friday, April…
The world has watched closely as the effects of the earthquake in Haiti are beginning to reveal themselves, both to the island nation and to the rest of the world. Prominent figures in the entertainment industry have made sure that the media know that they care, and that in their…
It’s been almost two years since Kieran Hebden — better known to the world as Four Tet — released his last album. That wait will be over next week as his seventh Four Tet LP, There Is Love in You, will be released a week from Tuesday. Hebden, being the super-decent…
For those not in the know, file-sharing is a pretty big way of life for some music fans. Shawn Fanning pushed the practice into prominence in the late 1990s with his super-slick software Napster (maybe you’ve heard of it). After Satan’s Lovechild Lars Ulrich bitched and moaned about the service,…
Well, according to Ronnie Wood’s ex-girlfriend, Celebrity Big Brother star Ekaterina Ivanova, it’s him! The couple with a 41-year age gap is finito, and Ivanova claims she is totally over it. She also hints that her co-star “Basshunter” may be her soul mate. In other news, Kanye West and Elton…
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 recordings) and write about…
Indie fusion/experimental band Leaf has announced an acoustic show at The Compound Grill, a Phoenix bar that hosts live music nightly (and gives free appetizers to new followers on Twitter.) The Tempe group, which claims influences including everything from Latin to death metal to electronica, has an eclectic sound and includes Spanish lyrics,…
For the second year in a row, The Sugar Thieves have won the Arizona Blues Showdown, and will be traveling to Memphis to represent the state in the 26th International Blues Challenge. While they’ll be up against seasoned musicians, the young Thieves bring a whole new energy to the table…
Axl Rose’s latest incarnation of Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy, took over 17 years to complete which quite possibly made it the most anticipated album of the past two decades. You may remember that the folks at Dr. Pepper were so excited and skeptical about its release that they agreed to give…
