Noise
Too Fast To Last
Longtime readers know I’m a big fan of Scout Gillett, whom I first discovered via her beguiling cover of Broadcast’s “Come On, Let’s Go.” I had her first full-length, 2022’s No Roof No Floor, on very heavy rotation for a couple of months after its release.
Lonely Road
I was unfamiliar with Natalie Bergman and discovered her new material while combing through this post by Jason Morehead about some of his favorite songs of 2025. This track leads off Bergman's 2025 release, My Home Is Not In This World. It's got a Brill Building
120 Minutes That Saved My Life
When I was starting to explore the scope of music in what used to be called the “alternative” scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the MTV show 120 Minutes was an effective teacher. The label described a loosely knit category—if you can even call it that—in
Streaming Cassettes
Jason Koelber tells the story of how he moved from streaming music to buying cassettes for 404 Media. When I came to Tokyo, a friend took me to a store that sold cheap portable cassette players, and I knew it wouldn’t be a huge leap to take my music
No Carbon Copies
Damon Krukowski from Galaxie 500 writes about the vitality of live music — not just music experienced in person, but also live albums. I started collecting live albums— bootlegs in particular — because they helped me hear how musicians actually play their instruments. Growing up in the heyday of 1960s and ’70s
Let Me Take You Out
Listening to “Let Me Take You Out” by Class Actress in 2025 feels like hearing the sound of promise unfulfilled. When the single from their first EP, Journal of Ardency came out in 2010, it seemed like the start of a band destined to make a mark. The song was
Long After Midnight
Few musicians are as prolific as Jenn Wasner, the creative force behind Flock of Dimes. She has made much critically acclaimed music as both as Wye Oak and Flock of Dimes as well as collaborating with a host of others on their tunes My favorite project of hers is the
Format Wars
It's difficult to decide whether buying physical media is worthwhile.
One Way Or Another
Every year, at Halloween, the mostly covers Spanish band Broken Peach puts out a new video with a spooky take on a rock standard. In 2023, they infused Blondie's "One Way Or Another" with a scary basketball motif. Their trademark elaborate costuming and synchronized jerky dance
Running Up That Hill
A few years ago, Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" experienced a resurgence of interest following an appearance on the Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things. It's probably safe to say that a new generation who had never heard Bush'