Brooklyn-based trio Vivian Girls’ music just feels so, well, Brooklyn—a little gritty, rough around the edges, with lots of heart, and lots going on. I love Brooklyn. So much, in fact, that I live there atop the largest oil spill in U.S. history. No, I don't drink the water. Anyway, when I saw the trio of Cassie Ramone, Katy Goodman, and Fiona Campbell (new drummer!) play at New York City’s Webster Hall recently, it ... Read More

  They're young. They're super cute. And they're coming to a dance floor near you. Actually, Holy Ghost! is probably on the verge of taking over every club's sound system around the globe. Okay, not every club, but tons of them. I checked out the five-piece Brooklyn-based band Saturday night at Terminal 5, wondering how their infectious club beats would translate to a live stage performance. All I can say is: Holy shit! Holy Ghost! is ... Read More

As blue strobe lights flashed and the loud speakers played thrash music from an anonymous metal band, The Mountain Goats stepped onto the stage for their second of three sold out shows at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom. For the uninitiated, this incongruous introduction might prove alarming, but veteran fans will know that the band have made a tradition of introducing themselves in this ostentatious way. This hyperliterate indie rock ... Read More

Before I went to the Wild Flag show at NYC's Radio City Musical Hall Wednesday night, I checked out the band's Facebook page. Because I "like" them. Not because I enjoy staring at pics of Carrie Brownstein every day or anything. A post from the band read: "Hope Radio City is ready for the rough and the raw." Rough. Raw. Just how I like it. My giddiness jacked up to the 10,000th power. Wild Flag's line-up is nothing short of astounding. ... Read More

Full disclosure: prior to watching British band Esben and the Witch play at Manhattan's Mercury Lounge last Saturday, I hadn't listened to their entire full-length album, Violet Cries. (It released on Matador in February.) This is shameful for 2 reasons: 1. Goth is in my blood; My black, brooding blood. When Esben first released the single "Marching Song" in late 2010 I listened to it for two days straight. This obsessive cycle was only ... Read More