Author Archive

Looking Forward & Looking Back: T-Sides is Two Years Old!

Amazingly enough, we’ve reached the two-year mark here at T-Sides. I say amazingly because as any avid blog reader/writer will tell you, blogs — and music blogs in particular — tend to have a short shelf life. After many unsuccessful brainstorms and attempts, T-Sides will not, in any foreseeable future, be implementing any sort of...

Lost MP3 of the Week: The Anniversary, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”

The Anniversary’s “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” is exactly the kind of song that I began “Lost MP3 of the Week” for. However, it’s a music journalist’s nightmare. The Anniversary: “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” (download) This is partly because I’m not sure how I came across the song. It was, in all...

Joanna Newsom @ BAM, Thursday, Jan. 31st

A Joanna Newsom album has never sounded as good as she did when she played at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last Thursday. Even the most middling of fans, the most ardent of critics, could not possibly have walked away unswayed by the remarkable skill and charm she emanated throughout the evening. Accompanied by the...

Lost MP3 of the Week: Two Gallants, “All Your Faithless Loyalties”

Among the many reasons why I love Two Gallants, one of the most prominent is the way their songs feel alive, as if they posses minds of their own. Stephens recently told Sentimentalist, “I’m constantly changing things in the songs, even live.” It shows, in both live and recorded versions of their work. The more...

Lost MP3 of the Week: Foreigner, “Cold As Ice”

If there’s one major aspect of the rise of hipster irony (which seems to be, basically – so bad/ridiculous/awkward it’s good!) that I appreciate, it’s what it’s done for cheesy music. “Africa” by Toto, for example, is now widely played and appreciated by countless 20-somethings. Go ahead and cringe, but let’s face it: you liked...

Welcome, 2008 & PopDose!

Now that I’m done with 2007, it’s time to turn our attention towards 2008, which I’ve sorely neglected for these past two weeks, though not out of spite. With the start of 2008 came the start of PopDose, a smart, uninhibited blog about all things pop culture and even a few things not. There’s a...

New Goldfrapp: “A&E”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRYvHYxezzk[/youtube] I’m not sure how I feel about the song… last I checked, Goldfrapp was dancier, sexier. This almost feels a little too new-age. That said, the video is fantastic. Goldfrapp: “A & E” (download)

Lost MP3 of the Week: Laura Nyro, “Gonna Take a Miracle”

There’s something so beautifully painful about “Gonna Take a Miracle.” In a way, she sounds almost happy about the hurt that her lover’s leaving has caused her. It’s a jubilant, upbeat song, and yet, she’s upset. Laura Nyro: “Gonna Take a Miracle” (download) It captures such a particular point in time, such a particular feeling....

T-Sides’ 2007 in Review: Top Albums – the “Best”

Where “best” = albums that were not only significant from a critical standpoint, but that I actually, truly, really listened to. A lot. 10. Jay-Z, American Gangster You’re completely, utterly surprised, right? Believe it or not, this spot was the hardest. It was almost Devendra Banhart, Kanye West, Beirut… At first, American Gangster was completely...

T-Sides’ 2007 in Review: Top Albums – the “Worst”

where “worst” = Top 5 albums I just couldn’t get into this year, no matter how hard (or little) I tried. 5. The National, Boxer It’s his voice. It’s also the inaccurate Springsteen references (can we please stop trying so hard to find people to carry the Springsteen torch? we really don’t need to find...

T-Sides’ 2007 in Review: Best Concerts

I refuse to whittle this down to just 10 shows. There were just too many standouts from this year, and all of them deserve to be recognized even if it means the defiance of a pretty number. 12. Kyp Malone @ Zebulon, Jan. 31st Kyp Malone is a member of TV on the Radio, one...

T-Sides’ 2007 in Review: Top 10 Songs*

More often that not, Best Albums of 2007 lists have a lot of overlap with Best Songs of 2007 lists. To make things more interesting – for both of us – instead of a list of the 10 best songs overall (many of them would be on my 10 best albums), this is a list...