Voxtrot are the new Smiths. And before I start getting pelted with rotten vegetables, please hear me out. I’m not specifically talking musically, nor am I comparing quality, influence, or anything that has been solidified in the Smiths’ canon. I’m talking about how Voxtrot’s career outline is eerily similar to the humble beginnings of Manchester’s […]
Rob Simonsen
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Where You Been?
The Welcome Reunion of Dinosaur Jr.
These days, you can’t throw a stick without hitting a newly reunited seminal indie band. Name any band that has been dubbed “influential” from the ’80s or ’90s and, chances are, they’re on the road to reunion as we speak. From the regretful (Pixies) to the welcomed (Mission of Burma), reunited bands are being lulled […]
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For Dilla
The Past and Future of Slum Village
Loving J Dilla in the ’90s was an uphill battle. Before the super-producer adopted his new moniker he was known as Jay Dee, and expressing love for his work always garnered the same reaction: “Really, you like Jermaine Dupri? Huh?” And that reaction made sense. Dilla broke onto the scene with his work on Common’s […]
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Return to Form
Blue Scholars Bring it All Back Home
I remember when hiphop was young. Granted, I don’t actually remember the early days of the genre, but I do remember when it was young to me. I remember listening to A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul every day for years, I remember the 36 Chambers, and I remember the conscious underground. But […]
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Postrock Poster Boys
Explosions in the Sky Don’t Say a Word
It seemed like for a while there, back in the early ’00s, post-rock was destined to carve itself a nice little niche in mainstream society. There was a substantial amount of press coverage, the numerous genre offshoots (instru-metal anyone?) and bands were releasing stellar albums, one after another. At the forefront of this movement, then […]
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What’s in a Name?
The Twilight Sad Are Not Sad
I was initially hesitant about the Twilight Sad for a number of reasons. First, their name is terrible. How can you keep a straight face when telling someone you’ve been listening to a lot of the Twilight Sad? You might as well tell them you really love From Autumn to Ashes. Second, this foursome is […]
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Portland Renaissance
The Shaky Hands Are Summertime
Do you see that, Portland? Just look, right around the corner and it’s there: summer. February’s winter albatross is gone, and with one last push through the fading cold, it will be time for barbecues, house parties, river trips down the Sandy, and jacket-less biking. It doesn’t come as any surprise then that this week […]
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Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young, Spirituality, and Arbouretum
Thank god for Neil Young. Amid the aggressive, hyper-masculine, chauvinistic rock of the ’70s, he and his band of merry Canadians crafted an unfuckwithable decade of fragile rock fury. With every sloppily missed note, every extended guitar solo, every song on the brink of collapsing on itself, he defined the alternative: An ability to rock […]
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All Hail The Pop Princess
Lily Allen Is Pop Royalty
I’ve been a firm supporter of team “I Don’t Want Any Babies” in the past, but recently it seems as though I’ve been losing my home-field advantage. Between shopping for baby clothes and hanging out with two of my nieces for the first time in years, it was beginning to seem like my “no children” […]
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This Is Your Future
Fujiya & Miyagi Is Now
I don’t own an iPod. Lately I’ve been feeling as though this puts me in the same category as those who don’t own cell phones or DVD players. I may be missing out on “the future,” but I’m finally starting to realize and embrace the impact the internet and digital file sharing is having on […]
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Fleetwood Midlake
It’s Okay to Like the Mac and Midlake
Admit it: You like Fleetwood Mac. And not in some cheesy, irony-driven hipster way, either. I know, I know, it’s a tough thing to cop to, considering all those years of harassing our parents for loving the Mac, America, and Jackson Browne, begging them to change the radio station on the way to soccer practice. […]