Shellac of North America is a minimalist rock trio that knows what its strengths are and it plays to them with few, if any, missteps. This band is unconcerned with fame or record sales or any of the bullshit that typically accompanies the fanfare of a new release, as its self-imposed seven-year hiatus unceremoniously attests. […]

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The National works out of a dour stoicism- a nervous, crackling energy that spits just beneath the surface of its slow, grinding majesty. The music could easily be considered dull and lifeless by a clueless, casual listener. But anyone with an ear for the haunting splendor of, say, Joy Division will recognize like-minded individuals at […]

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In an excellent piece from Saturday’s Guardian, Cock and Bull author Will Self argues why Nick Cave is one of the greatest writers on love of our times: “Cave, as a poetic craftsman, provides all the enjambment, ellipsis and onomatopoeia that anyone could wish for. A word on eroticism and the dreadful dolour of knowing […]

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Matt Sharp’s cutesy, tongue-in-cheek, sythn-pop Weezer side project, The Rentals, turned into a full-time job after he left the Weezer-mothership in early 1998. But after 1999’s underwhelming sophomore record, Seven More Minutes, Sharp disbanded The Rentals and moved out to the boondocks of Tennessee. About the same time that Sharp released a weird self-titled solo […]

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[kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/EltPc9hmHJw” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Goddamn, this song rocks. From the Starless tour in 2000, Shiner slays its classic “Cake” at the Fireside Bowl in Chicago with Jason Gerkin on drums and Josh Newton on guitar. This is the line-up of the band that released The Egg one year later. http://www.myspace.com/shinerkc

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