The Thermals (a band I had to all but arm wrestle my editor to let me include in the music section for the Oct/Nov issue) released a video for the first single from their upcoming album Personal Life. The song is called "I Don't Believe You," and it features Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney guitarist and KRS label mate) running around in some leisure wear. That's really all there is to say on the matter, other than the fact that sometimes ... Read More

The much beloved indie/weirdo band Animal Collective has paired up with director Danny Perez for a visual album called Oddsac. What this project proves, at least to me while watching it wide-eyed on a Sunday afternoon, is that if you hand a group of boys a video camera, they will make something that's all about egg pods and slimy mutants with worm heads.  Oddsac comes in a paperback sized package, complete with a hard bound picture ... Read More

The hilariously specific comedy sketches made by Thunderant's Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen haven't been popping up on their website very regularly these days. This probably has something to do with the fact that they've been busy thinking up new material for 'Portlandia,' a Thunderant inspired comedy series set to air on IFC, which begins production later this month.  The show will be shot entirely in Oregon, and will pull from a ... Read More

Granted it hasn't been as hot here in New York as it's been for the past few weeks, but being still traumatized by the hell mouth of a Summer this has been weather wise, my thoughts have been consumed with how to stay cool. At one point I contemplated  filling a Ziplock bag with ice and putting in my underpants like a maxi pad to keep the heat away. It seemed oddly logical at the time, and I haven't completely thrown the idea away just ... Read More

Elisabeth Wilson went to yet another awesome show in Portland. Here's her take on Zola Jesus at Holocene on July 25th.  I went to see Zola Jesus last Sunday night (despite being in the final throws of a fever) just to see what all the cool kids were talking about. Twenty-one year old Nika Roza Danilova trained as an opera singer before morphing into her present form as noise/electronic/goth songwriter and chanteuse. On Sunday night, ... Read More