music – Page 23 – Vol. 1 Brooklyn

Minutiae, Michigan Punk, and the Memoir: A Conversation with Sean Madigan Hoen

May 20, 2014 No Comments

Songs Only You Know, Sean Madigan Hoen’s first book, is the story of a harrowing period of his life, as his family imploded due to his father’s addiction and his sister’s depression. Hoen vividly describes the process of losing himself in obsessive behavior and cathartic live performances with his band. It’s a staggeringly powerful read. In person, Hoen is soft-spoken; we met at Greenpoint’s BÚÐIN and discussed the process of writing this memoir, hardcore in the 90s, Denis Johnson, and […]

music

“Academics on My Mind”: Elation and Drone with WV White

May 16, 2014 No Comments

It’s a hard trick, writing songs that are at once elating and sustain a complex state of unease. The Grifters did it a whole lot in the mid-to-late 90s; Archers of Loaf did a similar thing with White Trash Heroes. Columbus, Ohio’s WV White achieve a similar feat on their new album West Virginia White: it gets its hooks into you, but there’s a howl of discontent that runs through the album. Writing about them in Still Single, Doug Mosurock noted, […]

Featured, Interviews, music

Vintage Synths, Distortion Pedals, and the Legacy of Freedom Rock: An Interview with Ruined Fortune

May 13, 2014 No Comments

The music made by Ruined Fortune manages to be looming and subterranean all at once. Thick layers of guitars propel bleary-eyed lyrics that regard the world from a sinister angle; then, that sound gives way to something more surreal: think repurposed technology, keyboards and drum machines interpreting the same aesthetic impulses in a wholly different way. I’d heard Angie Garrick’s work before, via her band Circle Pit; the music that she and Nic Warnock make on Ruined Fortune’s debut LP exists in a […]

Books, Featured, Interviews, music

Documenting the History of City Gardens: An Interview with Amy Yates Wuelfing and Steven DiLodovico

May 1, 2014 1 Comment

Last month at WORD Jersey City, I interviewed Amy Yates Wuelfing and Steven DiLodovico about their book No Slam Dancing No Stage Diving No Spikes: An Oral History of the Legendary City Gardens. As the title indicates, the book is a comprehensive history of the now-shuttered Trenton, NJ venue at which a host of notable bands played in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. (I still have fond memories of seeing Mouthpiece, Iceburn, Holy Rollers, Endpoint, Shift, and Falling Forward there in […]

Interviews, music

Editor Russell Beecher on Making a Book About Dinosaur Jr.

April 30, 2014 No Comments

Earlier this year, a handsome hardcover volume entered the world, containing a history of Dinosaur Jr. Much like the oral history of Galaxie 500 released last year, this gives the group the deluxe treatment, incorporating an oral history (part of which can be read at Spin), photos of the band live and in repose, flyers, and cover art. Of the ephemera, images of a trenchcoat-clad Matt Dillon directing the video for “Get Me” stands as a particular highlight. To learn more […]

Books, music

Sacred Bones is Now a Publisher

April 21, 2014 No Comments

Sometimes, putting out interesting music just isn’t enough. Last week, it was announced that Sacred Bones would be making a move into releasing books, with a collection of Alexander Heir’s artwork titled Death is Not the End. The Fader has more, including a selection of said art.

music

The Time Naomi Yang Directed a Marissa Nadler Video

April 17, 2014 No Comments

Any list of artists whose we admire greatly would have to include the names of Marissa Nadler, who has made numerous albums of haunting, textured music over the past decade, including this year’s staggeringly good July; and Naomi Yang: musician, photographer, and publisher of avant-garde literature. And thus, we’re excited to hear that Yang directed a video for Nadler’s song “Drive,” which turns the song into a kind of kaleidoscope of collages and vivid locations. Plus, there’s a View-Master, which is a […]

Featured, Interviews, music

Bookstores, Tour Diaries, and the Craft of Pop: An Interview with Galway’s Dott

April 16, 2014 No Comments

When visiting Portland at the beginning of March, I saw the Galway-based indiepop band Dott play at Holocene. I was quickly impressed with their songwriting; that singer/guitarist Anna McCarthy made reference to a visit to Powell’s on an earlier tour didn’t hurt, either. Soon afterwards, I picked up their recent album Swoon, which features a dozen harmony-rich pop songs, neatly crafted and winningly played. I caught up with McCarthy via email to discuss bookstores, pop songs, and more.