Kyp Malone @ Zebulon, Wednesday, Jan. 31st
Zebulon is softly lit. There is a candle at each table and 11 dim globe lamps hang overhead. It is a small place, about the size of four large bedrooms. In front of me, a couple is sitting at a table playing with a dog. To my right is the bar, lined with men in...
Lost MP3 of the Week: Mayday, “Groundhog Day”
One of my co-workers lived in Australia for awhile. A couple weeks ago, she was listening to an Australian radio station online. It was playing a really killer mix of music, mostly indie rock, but also a lot of great indie hip-hop. A song came on that I’d never heard, but I recognized something instantly...
Lost MP3 of the Week: Autolux, “Turnstyle Blues”
I tend to be wary about “indie bands” on major labels. I don’t mean bands like the Decemberists or Death Cab for Cutie that become big indie bands before they sign. I mean bands that seem to be plucked up by major labels before they make their mark on the indie scene, and that are...
There are too many Animal Names in Music.
Anyone remotely familiar with the psych-folk world will instantly recognize the name Animal Collective, who’ve been cranking out incredibly experimental, strange albums since 2000. Cutely enough, the labels putting out their releases are called Paw Tracks and Fat Cat. Even cuter is the fact that one of the members of Animal Collective calls his project...
T-Sides Best of 2006 Extravaganza: Top 5 Hip-Hop/Rap Albums
I understand that I am one of the few people in the world that really like the new Jay-Z album, and I’m fine with that (consider this Taylor vs. Everyone Else, Part 2). I also understand that regardless of what I say here, few of you will be convinced. But I’ve never been the type...
“Aw, Fine, Mom! How’s Washington?”
Although I’m sure no one will read this before the New Year, I wanted to share my favorite New Year’s song with you, oh internet. The Dismemberment Plan: “Ice Of Boston” (download) Enjoy! Tomorrow comes the T-Sides Best of ’06 lists, including the following lists: Top 10 Albums Top 6 EPs/7″/Demos Top 5 Rap/Hip-Hop Albums...
All Night Stay-Up, No Sleep!
I’m pulling an all-nighter tonight in preparation for my trip to Seattle for the holidays. But unlike in college where my all-nighters were usually thanks to ridiculous amounts of fun (I only ever pulled one or two all-nighters because of work that was due), I’m staying up because it just seems easier, as I need...
After this Flow, You Might Owe Me a Favor.
I had originally planned a sort of blog update weekend extravaganza. I’ve been crazy mad exhausted lately, so I was looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and mild but enjoyable work, such as finishing the little things left to do in the apartment, watching ROME and updating T-Sides. Then yesterday I realized that this...
It’s Only Wednesday.
I had a horrible day today. The kind of horrible day where everything starts going wrong the minute you walk out the door. In truth, my troubles really did start then, because when I closed the door and left this morning is when I locked myself out of my apartment. That was just the beginning,...
Racetrack: “Go Ahead and Say It” EP
Before we start, it’s disclosure time. I know Racetrack. I don’t know them in the OMG we’re best friends and we hang out all the time kind of way, but in a we saw each other at a lot of the same shows in Seattle and identified with some similar bands kind of way. And...
Central Services: “Central Services”
It’s a tough music world for side projects. Endlessly compared to main projects, no matter how different, they bear the brunt of greatness indirectly. (The Postal Service are perhaps the only/biggest exception to this.) Even if your main project isn’t so hugely famous, the side project is almost always subject to wider criticism. Perhaps it’s...
Soapbox