Hear writer Seanan McGuire chat about the importance of editing, fanfic, machine gun typewriters (it’s a thing), and why B-horror movie flicks can sometimes lead to a fear of pudding.
2014 was a wonderful year for music, but it was also a wonderful year for forgetting that it was 2014. With so many of this year’s releases wearing their nostalgia for musical eras past on their sleeves, it seemed easier than ever to pick up a record that immediately whisked you back to the decade of your choosing despite being less than twelve months old.
Losing yourself in a ten-hour marathon of your favorite tv show is always fun, but it’s even more fun when you suddenly wake from your reverie at the sounds of some unknown, perfect song emerging from the speakers. For this week’s Tuesday Ten, we asked our writers about ten songs they fell in love with after hearing them on tv.
INDIO, California – Perhaps it was a sign that the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arcade Fire and Hot Chip were sharing the same bill. Whatever the case, Saturday was certainly one of the most scorching Coachella afternoons ever, with temperatures into the100s for hours on end. That meant the tented stages provided plenty of shadowy solace, while pre-sunset outdoor acts were playing to their diehards and suffering while doing it. (Let’s just say there were multiple hipster rockers quoting Lil Jon’s infamous sweat-dripping lyrics.) Still, Peter Bjorn and John and the Decemberists wore their suits and the Sahara tent was… Read more »
Burbank, CA – Since the April 26, 2005, release of “Trouble Is Real,” his debut album on Reprise Records, singer and songwriter Johnathan Rice has emerged as one of the most promising up-and-coming young vocalists and songwriters on the scene today. While building a loyal following here in the U.S., Rice’s popularity overseas is exploding at an alarming rate, especially in the UK: “‘Trouble Is Real’ is a tremendous debut,” enthused The Guardian. “Although indebted to Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, it is a record of singular ambition.” The excitement surrounding Rice is certain to spike when he… Read more »
Before they became flush with major-label cash, Jimmy Eat World had to rely on good old-fashioned ingenuity to make things happen. Everything they did – from booking shows and studio time to hawking merch and demo cassettes – they did on their own (believe it or not, some bands actually work this way). So it should come as no surprise that they’re taking that same DIY approach to their videos. While on tour in Japan earlier this month – in support of last year’s Futures album – frontman Jim Adkins picked up his camera and PowerBook and started making short… Read more »
Maybe you can blame it on some indie-minded guilt. On March 1, Death Cab for Cutie – longtime independent stalwarts recently inked to Atlantic Records – will drop The John Byrd EP, the final release for them on tiny Seattle label Barsuk Records. The EP will only be available in two places: on Barsuk’s Web site or in record stores who are members of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores. It could be the result of a guilty conscience. But it’s more than likely not. “We just wanted to have a properly recorded live record out there, because bootlegs show… Read more »
New York – Inside the giant factory of cool known as MTV headquarters, a crew of hip twentysomethings has been hard at work creating a two-headed monster. This beast wants to be man’s new best friend. On Sunday, during the Super Bowl halftime, MTV2 is relaunching with a new focus on 12-24 year-old guys – and a new logo. This silhouette of a dog with two heads (you may have seen the intentionally vague posters) is at the center of the new MTV2. The revamped network will maintain most of its current music programming, bonded with swirling graphics and constant… Read more »
New York – When Casey Stratton was a struggling singer-songwriter a few years ago, he had idealistic notions about artistic integrity. High on his list of what would jeopardize it: licensing his music to television. “When I was younger, I used to be really weird about stuff like that, like, ‘I will not cheapen my work by putting it on TELEVISION!’” he recalls with a chuckle. That was before the producers of the teen-oriented drama “Tarzan” called and asked to use the bittersweet ballad “Hollow,” from his debut album, on the WB show. Stratton gave the go-ahead, and while the… Read more »
Proving that the holiday spirit is alive and well, even in New York’s jaded indie scene, the Walkmen have released their own version of the ubiquitous Christmas album: a three-song EP with a minute-long track of feedback and shrieked profanity. “We spent a day recording ‘Eggnog,’ ” Walkmen frontman Hamilton Leithauser said of the explicit track. “I just screamed some curse words so we could slap a ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker on it.” Christmas Party, a limited-edition 7-inch, doesn’t exactly qualify as a new album for the band, which has been touring in support of its sophomore release, Bows Arrows, for… Read more »
