E3 2012: Sony Casts A Wide Net
We expected Skrillex. Last year Sony’s press conference ended with a surprise performance by Jane’s Addiction. If Sony tried to follow that up this year Skrillex would have been the obvious choice. Dubstep is a constant at E3 2012, blasting out of every booth and on top of every game trailer. (Dubstep and Gotye. I heard four different versions of “Somebody That I Used to Know” on Monday and Tuesday.) There was no Skrillex after Sony’s press conference, though, just a somewhat abrupt end and an exit to a city buzzing from an NHL playoff victory. Sony briefly mentioned their... read more
Brandi Carlile
Bear Creek Studios is a turn-of-the-century wood-plank barn sitting on 10-acre horse farm outside Seattle. For Brandi Carlile and her band, it was the perfect place to hole up for a month and record Bear Creek. read more
Catching Up With The Mynabirds
The Mynabirds' Laura Burhenn decided to take her music in a new direction yet again for The Mynabirds' sophomore album, Generals, which was released today on Saddle Creek. read more
E3 2012: Thoughts on Microsoft's Press Briefing
“When you’ve begun to think like a gun / the days of the year are already gone.” – John Cale, “Gun” Microsoft’s press briefing immediately established the prevailing theme of E3 2012: guns, and the men who shoot them.... read more
Paste's Kickstarter Pick of the Month: Fat Kid Rules the World
Each month, your friends at Paste scour Kickstarter to find projects worthy of your support and love. This month we have a personal project from a familiar face, a rocking project worthy of your attention. Support independent art today by becoming a backer, why dontcha?... read more
E3 Day Zero: It's All For You
I’m on the thirteenth floor of an apartment building in Los Angeles. Below me are bars, nightclubs, coffee shops, and a multitude of people from various points of the socioeconomic spectrum. Some of them own dogs. I like dogs. I also kind of like Los Angeles, even when we have to call 911 after stepping over the catatonic husk of an unresponsive sidewalk sleeper. Los Angeles gets knocked for its perceived superficiality. What massive gathering of individuals isn’t superficial to a signifianct extent, though? LA’s just self-aware. In turn it makes us more self-aware, like when I put on my... read more
Codeine: A Commemoration 20 Years in the Making
“It’s hard getting back on a slow bicycle,” says Stephen Immerwahr, singer and bass player for the newly reactivated band Codeine. “I told a couple of friends that the group was getting back together, and they said it was good that we played so slow because it wouldn’t be as hard to learn the songs again. We wouldn’t have to learn to shred all over again.” read more
Ryan Monroe
"They always say it takes your whole life to make your first record and three months to write your second. I’m glad I got this one out of the way." read more
Catching Up With Bear In Heaven
Bear In Heaven’s third LP _I Love You, It’s Cool_ is identifiably subtly and welcoming. Reflective of a career not particularly restricted to fads and phases, Bear In Heaven welcomes _I Love You, It's Cool_ in the congruent manner of the albums title itself - caring, musing and collective. We sat down with guitarist Adam Willis in his hometown of Atlanta, Ga. before Bear In Heaven's show at The Earl. read more
Catching Up With Sixpence None the Richer's Leigh Nash
The last time most of the world heard from Sixpence None the Richer, they were topping pop charts with covers of “There She Goes” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over” in the early 2000s. Following the band’s break up in 2004, founding members Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash split ways and started families.... read more
Catching Up With Matisyahu
When Matisyahu was 17, he started freestyling in parking lots for spare conversation and change. Since then, a lot has changed: He hitchhiked around the United States with a drum attached to his hands. He got married, traveled in vans and regrouped old buddies from The New School to tour. He started a family, and he made three albums.... read more
Sigur Rós: Deconstructing The Band
Sigur Rós’ sixth studio album, Valtari, closes with eight minutes of crawling, pointillistic ambience called “Fjögur píanó” (translated in English to “Four Pianos”), a track built almost entirely on four gorgeous piano lines that trickle like waterfalls—one part played by each member of the band. read more
Catching Up With Admiral Fallow’s Louis Abbott
Having just released its sophomore album, Tree Bursts in Snow earlier this week, Admiral Fallow is in the middle of touring across the United Kingdom. Singer Louis Abbott, the leader of this merry band of Scottish folksters, chatted with Paste from Glasgow about the band’s new release, favorite bar, local scene and Twitter jokes.... read more
El-P: Attempts at Optimism
As David Letterman thanked him in the closing moments of the show, Jaime Meline goofed off behind the host, making faces and embracing his spotlight to the fullest. Things seem to be going well for El-P these days. read more
Catching Up With House Creator David Shore
After eight years of Vicodin-popping and solving medical mysteries, House went off the air with one last dramatic episode. The finale in the ground-breaking medical drama found Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) faking his death and riding off into the sunset with his cancer-stricken best friend Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard). read more
Adron: The Best of What's Next
“[Organismo is] mostly it’s about God,” McCann says, “but in a very personal kind of way, not in a, obviously not in an organized religion kind of way, but in like a very personal questing kind of way.” read more
Joey Ramone
It’s January 1985 and you’re flipping through the latest issue of Sounds magazine at a newsstand somewhere in New York City, shivering in the winter cold. A picture catches your eye: There’s Joey Ramone with his gaunt and expressionless face, the implacable king of cool even a decade now after the Ramones released their legendary debut. read more
The Temper Trap
It's an early Friday morning in London, and the members of The Temper Trap are in the midst of preparing for a European tour in support of their self-titled sophomore album. "I'm excited to start playing again," says vocalist Dougy Mandagi. read more
Catching Up With Community's Yvette Nicole Brown
Thursday’s three-episode final night for cult-favorite Community took us into a video game, through a fascist regime and ended with a poignant montage that included a nod to fans with one final hashtag. We know NBC will bring back the quirky comedy for at least 13 episodes on Fridays next fall, and we chatted with Shirley herself, Yvette Nicole Brown, about the past, present and future of everybody’s favorite study group.... read more
Ladyhawke
Anxiety is the fizzy new Modular sophomore set from Ladyhawke, the nom de plume of one quirky New Zealand keyboardist/guitarist named Pip Brown. read more
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