print
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band: Where the Messengers Meet
Experimental group looses its oomph Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band is a family affair, three-fourths comprised of guitarist/singer Benjamin Verdoes, his wife Traci Eggleston and Verdoes’ adopted 15-year-old brother Marshall. Their 2008 self-titled debut showcased this close-knit relationship; the album was relentlessly agile, its melodies twisting into snaking experimental masterpieces with ever-shifting time signatures and improvised riffing/drumming give-and-take. But on sophomore effort Messengers, the group’s once-boiling math-rock tendencies have cooled to a low simmer, like on “Gone Again,” where a single electric guitar trudges through a bog of troubled narratives. (“You felt you were cured, so I played... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsPhosphorescent: Here's to Taking It Easy
On the road again Last year, Phosphorescent braintrust Matthew Houck released a tribute to Willie Nelson featuring eleven well-chosen covers that avoided obvious hits and sentiments. He and his honkytonk band have obviously learned from that endeavor: The songs on their gorgeously sadsack follow-up Here’s to Taking It Easy evoke lost days and lonely nights with keen observations and road-weary melodies.... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsDownload Phosphorescent's "The Mermaid Parade"
Download Phosphorescent's "The Mermaid Parade."Phosphorescent's Here's to Taking it Easy will be released May 11 on Dead Oceans.... read more
Found in: Blogs, Free MP3The Tallest Man on Earth: The Wild Hunt
Swedish Americana master lodges excellent sophomore LP Kristian Matsson plays to his strengths on The Wild Hunt, his second album. It’s a smart move. He keeps it simple, finger-picking strings to propel his gristly vocal melodies, which feel simultaneously cavalier and carefully wrought.... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsDownload The Tallest Man on Earth's "Burden of Tomorrow"
Download The Tallest Man on Earth's "Burden of Tomorrow."The Tallest Man on Earth's The Wild Hunt will be released April 13 on Dead Oceans.... read more
Found in: Blogs, Free MP3The Tallest Man on Earth Talks New Album, Shows Love for Fellow Songwriters
"Ever since touring with Bon Iver in December 2008, this whole music-playing business has felt like a much more warm and fun place to be in," Kristian Matsson says... read more
Found in: Music, NewsDownload Phosphorescent's "It's Hard to be Humble (When You're From Alabama)"
Download Phosphorescent's "It's Hard to be Humble (When You're From Alabama)" here.Phosphorescent's Here's to Taking it Easy will be released May 11 on Dead Oceans.... read more
Found in: Blogs, Free MP3The Tallest Man on Earth Signs with Dead Oceans, Plans New Album for April
The Tallest Man on Earth (AKA: Kristian Matsson), is one of the many cool kids from Sweden (see Lykke Li, Jose Gonzalez, jj, etc.) who have, of late, burst onto the American independent-music scene. Matsson has opened for Bon Iver and grabbed critics’ attention with Shallow Graves, his quietly wonderful debut. Now, his second LP will be out in April via Dead Oceans.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsCalifone's Tim Rutili Talks Directorial Debut
Once, when Tim Rutli's grandfather thought he invited witches home, he chased them out the door with salt... read more
Found in: Music, NewsCalifone: All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Califone’s music sounds like it’s perpetually in the process of... read more
Found in: Music, Reviews
The 50 Best Movies of 2011
The 50 Best Movies of the Decade…
The 20 Best Movies of 2011 (So…
A Day In The Life Of Seryn
Album Stream: Eisley - Deep Space
Video Premiere: Rhett Miller - "Tower of…
Live From CMJ: Robert Ellis
Song Premiere: Milagres - “Quiet Street”
