Berated

Musical collaborations can work a number of ways. A uniformly legalistic partnership for every song regardless of its actual writer is one method (Lennon/McCartney), while splitting songs up equally (like on OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below) is another. The latter seems to be the norm lately, probably because quality songwriting partnerships are so rare these days. [...]

Classical training is generally regarded as a positive influence on pop music. No one wishes to restrain ideas that originate from the theoretical intricacies of music, so the knowledge is neither looked upon as extraneous nor pretentious. To commit oneself to intensive training in this vein is exemplary of artistic passion in its own right, [...]

One of Sweden's premiere electronic-pop acts releases their first full-length album in four years. With both infectious and atmospheric moments, its inconsistency issues are overshadowed by several gems.

It is easy to rave about Casey Dienel’s voice, which recalls Joni Mitchell’s eclectic stylistic arsenal as much as Victoria Legrand’s ghostly croon. Even those that do not like her project, White Hinterland, are still enthralled by her voice for a reason. She recalls the classic feel of Mitchell or Joan Baez and gives it [...]

Anthemic rock music really has to soar to earn its name. To rouse an audience because they are already familiar with your work is one thing, but to come out anonymously and take a crowd by storm is the most blatant asset in this glossy depiction of “anthemic indie-rock”. For a band like The Kissaway [...]

by Mike Mineo Although they have only begun to break out the past two years, I already have fond memories of The Morning Benders. When I posted about them back in April 2006, it was only a month after the site formed and I was eager to cover something fresh and worthwhile. At the time, this [...]

Despite what its name entails, the concept of a “super-group” is becoming increasingly relative with the gradual expansion and appreciation of emerging styles and genres. The days where unanimous and successful super-groups – like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Traveling Wilburys – sell out concerts are long gone. Trends are more important in [...]

In one of New Orleans’ few instances where sports reigned over music, the super bowl has cast many into a week-long, universalized hangover. It permits locals to do, well, whatever they want as long as it is celebratory of the Saints. Even after its recent natural disasters, New Orleans is unarguably one of the most [...]

Jay Mattson takes a look back at one of the finest accomplishments in independent music, Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs. Over one decade later, it still continues to amaze.

I am interested to see what this decade brings to Swedish pop music. One would be hesitant to call the ’00s a moment of global emergence for the movement, especially considering that the country has been generating quality music already for several decades. Its separable status in Western pop music is indicative of its special [...]