Best New Music

Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.

Mon: 10-27-08
Deerhunter: Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.

Microcastle and its bonus disc, Weird Era Cont., sidestep much of the art-damaged squall of previous Deerhunter records, but they don't embrace 1950s and 60s pop as dramatically as lead singer Bradford Cox had intimated in early interviews. Instead, this 2xCD set captures urgent and imaginative songs that reorganize 4AD haze, off-kilter indie pop, crashing garage-punk, forward-leaning krautrock, and hypnotic Kranky ambience into a singular-sounding call-to-arms, or at least call-to-guitars. Black Lips' Cole Alexander guests.

Uproot

Fri: 10-24-08
DJ/rupture: Uproot

Jace Clayton, aka DJ/rupture, returns with another outstanding mix. While Uproot feels every bit as purposeful as minor classics Gold Teeth Thief and Minesweeper Suite, it's far more subdued and spacious. Combining dubstep, pulsing ambience, and orchestral flourishes on tracks from Ghislain Poirier, Shackleton, and Ekkehard Ehlers, Rupture doesn't just wade through music, he constructs an alternate history.

Features

Portastatic
Tue: 10-28-08

Interview: Portastatic

A husband, father to two, hockey zealot, and well-read political enthusiast, Merge Records' Mac McCaughan (Superchunk, Portastatic) helps guide one of the biggest independent record labels in what's sort of a build-or-bust time. Oh, and he's still very much a working musician.

[Grayson Currin]
Randy Newman
Mon: 10-27-08

Interview: Randy Newman

Randy Newman is an under-recognized treasure and a keen-eyed dissector of American culture-- and, if you have kids, he is lurking somewhere in your living room right now.

[Joshua Klein]
Fri: 10-24-08

Live Review: Iceland Airwaves Festival

Among Iceland's economic chaos, the Iceland Airwaves festival celebrated its 10th birthday with a five-day orgy of live music and debauchery that takes over Reykjavík-- basically SXSW on a smaller, much colder scale.

[Amy Phillips]
Thu: 10-23-08

Interview: Björk [Part Two]

While in Reykjavík for the Iceland Airwaves festival, we sat down with Björk for a lengthy chat about "Náttúra", her new single with Thom Yorke, and the Náttúra Campaign. In the process, she outlined Náttúra's plan for the development of a new, independent, environmentally friendly Icelandic economy. It isn't a quick fix. And it isn't going to be easy. But when has Björk ever taken the easy way out? [Part 2 of 2]

[Amy Phillips]
Wed: 10-22-08

Interview: Björk [Part One]

While in Reykjavík for the Iceland Airwaves festival, we sat down with Björk for a lengthy chat about "Náttúra", her new single with Thom Yorke, and the Náttúra Campaign. In the process, she outlined Náttúra's plan for the development of a new, independent, environmentally friendly Icelandic economy. It isn't a quick fix. And it isn't going to be easy. But when has Björk ever taken the easy way out? [Part 1 of 2]

[Amy Phillips]
Tue: 10-21-08

Interview: Mavis Staples

The gospel and soul legend, who recently recorded a live album at Chicago's famous Hideout, talks about the pain of singing the blues, Dr. King, and keeping on Michelle Obama's good side.

[Patrick Sisson]