Merrill Garbus has performed as tUnE-yArDs since 2009, and that band name has always been synonymous with forward movement—whether because of her explosive performance style or the always-surprising way in which her songs unfold. First gaining notice with the debut BiRd-BrAiNs, which The New York Times called “a confident do-it-yourselfer’s opening salvo: a staticky, low-fi, abrasive attention-getter,” Garbus forged a reputation as a formidable live presence through relentless touring. In 2011, tUnE-yArDs released its second album, w h o k […]

Death Cab for Cutie knew immediately that Kintsugi would fit perfectly as the title of their eighth studio album. A philosophy derived from the Japanese art of repairing cracked ceramics with gold to highlight flaws instead of hiding them, kintsugi speaks to the way an object’s history is part of its aesthetic value. “Considering what we were going through internally, and with what a lot of the lyrics are about, it had a great deal of resonance for us — […]

“I Love You, Honeybear” was recorded intermittently from 2013 to 2014 in Echo Park, Los Angeles and produced with Jonathan Wilson, who I also recorded and produced 2012’s Fairly Fun with. There’s a case to be made that it sounds and acts a bit like Scott Walker, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, and Dory Previn. Blammo. The songs are a narration of my experience falling in love, which means different things to different people, but which I found incredibly inspiring, personally […]

For more than 15 years, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has carried the torch for true rock and roll. From the guitar-heavy sonic aggression of the earlier BRMC years, to the blues-Americana stylings of studio releases like Howl (2005) and Baby 81 (2007) to the present, guitarist Peter Hayes, bassist Robert Levon Been and drummer Leah Shapiro, are unabashed in creating their own unflinching, true rock and roll sound. The most recent release by this firebrand rock troupe sees them at […]

The burgeoning collaboration between legendary East Coast producer DJ Premier and veteran Detroit-bred emcee Royce da 5’9” – PRhyme – resonates as both a head-nodding call to classic hip hop action as well as a raw response to the short attention span hip-pop audiences of today. “Right now, everybody seems like they are programmed to listen to singles and gravitate towards the popular songs,” Royce da 5’9” explains the thinking that led to PRhyme. “Our thing is to teach people […]

Bishop Nehru is as a multi-talented renaissance teen from Spring Valley, NY. Bishop is known for his talents as a self-taught hip-hop artist/producer/musician/ director/actor. Over the past year, Bishop has released 2 critically acclaimed projects, toured with the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, collaborated with UK super group Disclosure and landed a global Converse Ambassador campaign. Bishop just released his project with the reclusive underground hip-hop legend – MF DOOM titled “NehruvianDOOM” and is prepping his upcoming record that will be executive […]

Following a year of worldwide festivals and select shows supporting Queens of The Stone Age, Jack White, The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys, The Kills will return to North America for a run of summer festivals and low key headline shows. The Kills most recent album Blood Pressures, was released in 2011 on Domino Records. The album saw Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart deliver their vivid and uniquely gritty post-blues, but with a new level of thoughtfulness and depth not yet explored by the duo. Tinged with wistfulness and vulnerability, Blood Pressures has an enduring sense of intricacy […]

“I look at it like this,” METZ frontman Alex Edkins says. “You start a band, just as something to do, because music’s what makes you tick, the thing you dream about and think about and that’s it. You never think that you’ll be able to do it all the time. But then, for some inexplicable reason, people actually listen and latch on and the band begins to take on new meaning. All of a sudden there are expectations and pressure, real or […]