Goodbye, Astroland?
Astroland closed for the summer this weekend – and quite possibly forever. I’ve spent a lot of time at Coney Island over the past year and a half, so if it does indeed shut its doors forever, I’ll greatly miss it. Death Cab For Cutie: “Coney Island” (download) Death Cab For Cutie: “Coney Island (Alternate)”...
Another Great Voice is Quieted.
Pavarotti did a lot of pop projects – some better than others. Though they may not have been very successful from a critical standpoint, I like the idea of mixing classical audiences with pop audiences, exposing them to each other. It reminds me of the Wordless Music Series. There’s too much needless disdain between the...
New The Boys and Girls Club: “Summer In The City”
I don’t generally read PR e-mails. It’s not that I’ve got anything against PR companies or bands with PR companies, I just want T-Sides to grow more organically, as they say in the marketing biz. But the Boys and Girls Club caught me on a lucky morning, and I’m sure glad they did. The Boys...
Quick Impressions: Rilo Kiley, “Under The Blacklight”
Things tend to get a little long-winded over here at T-Sides, I know. Sometimes I just get so excited I can hardly contain myself. But sometimes I can. As proof, I’m launching a new feature – “Quick Impressions,” in which I will review albums by jotting down a few words on each song as I...
The Return of T-Sides and Two Gallants
I’ve been wanting to get back to updating for awhile now, but I’ve been busy, and… well, you don’t need to hear all the details, but suffice it to say, it’s been a very, very long month or two. It should come as no surprise that the music that finally gets me up and going...
Bring Back the Guns Announce New Album
All the words that come to mind to describe “In Piles/On File,” the first-released song from Bring Back the Guns’ debut, Dry Futures, aren’t quite the right ones. I want to say “angular,” but I hate the word “angular,” and while it fits, it just sounds too boring and ordinary for this song. I want...
This is the Way Siren Fest Ends: Not with a Bang, but a Whimper
With the impending closure of Astroland at the end of the Summer, one question drove this year’s Siren Festival: “will it be the last?” The lackluster line-ups for the Siren Festivals of the past two years almost indicate that somebody knew this was coming. From 2001-2005, Siren Fest was a haven for people who didn’t...
St. Vincent @ Bowery Ballroom, July 17th
St. Vincent’s promotions team must have a grin on their faces a mile wide. In April, the wide-eyed, brunette songstress also known as Annie Clark was opening shows for long established act John Vanderslice in small to medium-sized venues. Fast-forward three months and she’s headlining them all on her own. Not as part of the...
Mark Ronson @ Highline Ballroom, Wednesday, July 11th
Though the phrase “big in Europe” has become something of a joke among the music set, for someone like Mark Ronson, it’s no laughing matter. While he was born in London, Ronson’s family moved to New York at the age of 8, and it’s this big city he considers his hometown. After attending prestigious schools...
Lost MP3 of the Week: “Inside and Out”
If you had asked me for my opinions on Feist about a year ago, I probably would’ve answered something along the lines of “meh.” I didn’t have particularly strong opinions about her either way, because while I liked what I had heard of hers, her music didn’t seem to impress me as much as it...
New Octopus Project: “I Saw The Bright Shinies”
My first introduction to the Octopus Project was a little over one year ago, through another intern at Rolling Stone. He handed me their album, One Ten Hundred Thousand Million and said something along the lines of, “you’ll listen to this 2-3 times and then hardly ever after that.” I believe the word he used...
Lost MP3 of the Week: “Coal to Diamonds”
I’m tired of defending Beth Ditto. Not because she doesn’t deserve to have someone defending her, but because she shouldn’t have to be defended. Yes, her behavior has been a little over the top. When you pose nude on the cover of NME, befriend Kate Moss and strip at Misshapes, people are bound to notice,...
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