Music Events

Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart has always sounded like a wounded child singing an imaginary synth-pop opera while crouching in some secret sanctuary. That he invites you into this dark psychological space is an act of courage, even if Stewart's quavering vocal whines seem the very opposite of tough:... More >>

Considering that their history goes back 4,000 years, the Jewish people know a thing or two about longevity. That might help explain why in our fly-by-night culture, the Jewish Music Festival has lasted so long. With a schedule based around "revelation and revelry," according to festival... More >>

Unlike many modern noisers who lay down percussionless swaths of sound, Britain's Shit & Shine have been known to assemble as many guest drummers as they can fit into a chosen space — perhaps only Crash Worship or the Boredoms' 77 Boadrum experiment were more rhythm-centric than some of... More >>

Venezuelan-raised folkie Devendra Banhart already had a few critically acclaimed albums under his loincloth before the age of 25, cued to the proudly juvenile "I Feel Just Like a Child." But as the oddball novelty of "freak-folk" wears off and Joanna Newsom's album titles become phrases someone... More >>

"You have to get in a space where you can't even all the way listen to your friends, because they love you so much that they have places they want you to be." So says Jay-Z, on the subject of "Empire State of Mind," the song that finally put him atop the Billboard Hot 100. "They have moments in... More >>

Thanks to an appearance in Zombieland (as well as showing up in Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, and a popular soccer videogame), "Gold Guns Girls" has given Metric's year-old Fantasies a second wind. So the Canadian indie-pop act is back on the road supporting its first album since 2005's Live It... More >>

Unlike many modern noisers who lay down percussionless swaths of sound, Britain's Shit & Shine have been known to assemble as many guest drummers as they can fit into a chosen space — perhaps only Crash Worship or the Boredoms' 77 Boadrum experiment were more rhythm-centric than some of... More >>

Let no one deny the everlasting mega-power of pure metal. Not hair metal, death metal, doom metal, sludge metal, or arty ambient metal — and don’t even think about mentioning nü-metal — just good old-fashioned heroic power metal like HammerFall. For years these vehement... More >>

As Oakland's Slumberland Records continues its 20th anniversary celebrations, it's easy for fans to wax nostalgic about the imprint's influential early catalogue. American fuzz-pop pioneers Velocity Girl, Powderburns, and Black Tambourine staked a claim on territory established by U.K. acts... More >>

"A bed every night would certainly make for a more pleasant experience," Ernest Greene grumbles in an unusually unguarded moment from his nationwide tour. You can assume that artists who make their names via laptop and MySpace aren't easy about going on the road for the first time. And the man... More >>