Popular indie music site Pitchfork announced it will launch Altered Zones, a sister site dedicated to DIY sounds so obscure not even those on staff at Pitchfork have heard of some of the bands or dreamt up cool new tags for the zany new tunes. Pitchfork has some lofty goals for the site, which will … [Read more…]
A massive argument amongst indie music bloggers spilled over Twitter on Thursday. Or, in real terms, a blip on Twitter’s scanner brought up some pretty big concepts about how new music is transmitted dispersed online, and right from the keyboards of a few “big” name indie bloggers. The whole shindig went down when I Guess … [Read more…]
Free the Music is a guide to new albums, EPs and songs that are available for free online. Today’s drop is: Caddywhompus – Remainder. At any one moment in indie music history, there are a number of divergent sounds heating up the national scene. They’ve got their communities, they’ve got their fans and they may or may … [Read more…]
On Tuesday, two of the most anticipated indie albums saw their official releases. The National dropped High Violet, an album that put Twitter users into a cumulative tizzy when The New York Times streamed the album in full a few weeks ago. The other album is Treats, the debut by Brooklyn “it” band Sleigh Bells. … [Read more…]
The folks behind Lollapalooza officially unveiled the lineup for this year’s fest (that’s right - no more letter guessing) Tuesday morning. And it looks like someone’s been reading Pitchfork. The lineup is jam packed with indie bands. Many of those acts have received the greatest praise Pitchfork has to offer, the oft-coveted “Best New Music” chalice/crown/shiny thing. … [Read more…]
Chuck Klosterman has grown into his role as the go-to writer for almost any publication when it comes to writing insightful commentary on pop music. His newest piece, an article on the Pavement reunion for GQ, will probably be a favorite read for music fans for the year, and it will more than likely be … [Read more…]
Anyone who complained about Jim DeRogatis’ review of The Pixies’ Doolittle-themed show because DeRogatis focused on the band’s rampant commercialism must be shocked by Pixies’ frontman Black Francis/Frank Black’s interview with Quietus [via Pitchfork]: “We’re interested in anything that’s going to earn us a fair wage. It’s not to say it’s not about art, but … [Read more…]
Pitchfork announced its annual music festival will take place July 16-18 in Chicago’s Union Park. Tickets for the Pitchfork Music Festival will go on sale Friday, when the music site will also announce part of its lineup. The Chicago Tribune‘s Greg Kot got word that Pavement and St. Vincent will be performing at the festival. The … [Read more…]
The new year is almost here, and with it comes a maelstrom of “End of the Year Lists.†Here on Ex-Spectator, I’ll be rolling out a few “End of the Yearâ€/â€End of the Decade†lists. Today’s list: The Best Overlooked Albums of the Aughts. A while back I started an ongoing feature called “Overlooked in … [Read more…]
I started writing here at True/Slant with a little piece that questioned the nature and purpose of year-end-lists. Who’s an authority on anything? Isn’t it all arbitrary? True, but, as I mentioned, it’s a bit fun to do. So, though we’re not even into December, I present a list of five memorable singles from the … [Read more…]