Email Author Reyan Ali

2012 Stories by Reyan Ali

• Diplo: Show Preview

  published December 26, 2012

  Diplo has no trouble keeping himself occupied. In 2012, the prolific DJ and producer born Thomas Wesley Pentz worked with Snoop Lion,... More >>

• Sunn O))): Show Preview

  published December 12, 2012

  Over the 14 years that Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley have run Sunn O))), the pair have eagerly tested threshold after threshold.... More >>

• Simian Mobile Disco: Show Preview

  published November 28, 2012

  Ever since Jas Shaw and James Ford split off from indie-pop outfit Simian circa 2006 to form Simian Mobile Disco, a cheeky sensibility... More >>

• Death Grips: Show Preview

  published November 28, 2012

  Truly great band/label drama takes you behind the curtain of the music biz, and there was hardly a juicier battle this year than the one... More >>

• The English Beat: Show Preview

  published November 21, 2012

  At its core, the 2 Tone ska scene in 1980s England championed diversity, tenacity, and smarts, and none of its bands combined those traits as... More >>

• Tamaryn: Show Preview

  published November 21, 2012

  Tamaryn's roster of residences includes New Zealand, New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (the latter her current home), but... More >>

• A Place to Bury Strangers: Show Preview

  published November 7, 2012

  In a city overflowing with notable musicians, earning the informal title of "Loudest Band in New York" is no small potatoes. But that's what... More >>

• METZ: Show Preview

  published October 31, 2012

  Have you ever considered eating breakfast with your father or getting a haircut as symbols of deep existential doom? In the gloomy video for... More >>

• Ume: Show Preview

  published October 24, 2012

  Thus far, eating grilled chicken testicles on television hasn't signified the arrival of a viable new band, but hey, Ume could change... More >>

• First Aid Kit: Show Preview

  published October 17, 2012

  If First Aid Kit's music is proof, Stockholm must be much closer to the American South than any maps have had us believe. In "Emmylou,"... More >>

• Mouse on Mars: Show Preview

  published October 10, 2012

  When a band reaches the impressive achievement of record No. 10, it's okay to wonder if monotony and apathy are perhaps playing key roles in... More >>

• Mono: Show Preview

  published October 3, 2012

  Post-rock isn't a genre where much changes — both within the style's fundamental sound and the post-rock scene at large — but... More >>

• Saint Vitus: Show Preview

  published October 3, 2012

  Being socially ostracized truly sucks. A major upside? Outcasts often go on to write great songs about being outcasts. The title track of... More >>

• Garbage: Show Preview

  published September 26, 2012

  The most disappointing — but apparently necessary — stipulation for becoming a mega-sized rock band is that your sound must grow... More >>

• Six Organs of Admittance: Show Preview

  published September 19, 2012

  Psychedelic-folk soothsayer Ben Chasny (the main man behind Six Organs of Admittance) frequently lets his guitar instrumentals soar into... More >>

• Rustie: Show Preview

  published September 12, 2012

  You've (hopefully) never contemplated what the aural interiors of a Pokémon's genitals sound like, but Rustie sure has. "Inside... More >>

• Hot Snakes: Show Preview

  published August 29, 2012

  The more you think about it, the more "Hot Snakes" makes an awfully perfect name for the San Diego band that first operated from 1999 to... More >>

• Chromatics: Show Preview

  published August 29, 2012

  Originally, Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" served as a rugged tribute to rock 'n' roll's everlasting fire and a... More >>

• 10th Anniversary Tribute to Joe Strummer

  published August 22, 2012

  In its earliest days, punk rock was a genre almost entirely populated by assholes — artful, incendiary, culture-changing assholes, but... More >>

• Charli XCX: Show Preview

  published August 15, 2012

  Music fans have long recognized the word "post-grunge," thanks to Nickelback, Seether, and friends. With the arrival of Charli XCX,... More >>

• Polica: Show Preview

  published August 15, 2012

  Poliça is one of those fortunate bands with indie rock stardom written all over it. The four-piece treats its music —... More >>

• Agalloch: Show Preview

  published August 8, 2012

  The old tale of Faust — the doctor who strikes an agreement with Lucifer himself — has inspired innumerable creations, among them... More >>

• Woods: Show Preview

  published August 1, 2012

  As a state with a population of over 37 million, condensing California into one container — metaphorically or otherwise — would be... More >>

• Psalm One: Show Preview

  published August 1, 2012

  In her video for "Woman at Work (The Song)," Psalm One (aka Cristalle Bowen) raps while dressed as a chemist, blending mysterious... More >>

• Ava Luna: Show Preview

  published July 18, 2012

  You know that business about not judging a book by its cover — or, in the music equivalent, an indie-rock-looking band by its press... More >>