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Where to Start With Shoegaze: 10 Essential Albums

By Tom Hawking on

If you’re like us, you’re probably pretty darn excited about the news that a new My Bloody Valentine album might be out by the end of the week — after all, we’ve been waiting for new material from the shoegaze luminaries since 1991. To celebrate the possibility that the wait might finally be over, we thought we’d take a look back at shoegaze in all its reverb-laden, hypnotic glory. We’ve flipped lovingly through our record collection to pick ten essential examples of the genre, both old and new, encompassing both the 4AD/Creation-centric glory days of the early 1990s and the nu-gaze revival that started a few years back and continues to this day. But this list is just an introduction, so let us know what you’d add. … Read More

Music

The 10 Best Record Store Day Black Friday Releases

By Tom Hawking on

We’re generally skeptical about the consumerist crapfest that is Black Friday — spend Thursday giving thanks for everything you do have, and wake up early the day after to throw elbows like crazy at your fellow shoppers to spend a shitload of cash on everything you don’t have — but if there’s one thing we do like buying, it’s music. Happily, Black Friday does tend to bring a decent amount of music-related specials, mostly via the folks at Record Store Day. As such, we’ve dutifully thumbed through this year’s list of special releases to sort the proverbial wheat from the chaff, and shared our shopping list after the jump. What’s caught your fancy this year? … Read More

Music

Illustrating the Ting Tings and Other Thing Things

By Pauline Pechin on

Once upon a time a Brit-pop duo known as The Tings Tings was discovered by music producer Rick Rubin, which led to some appearances on MTV and ended with a hit song called “Shut Up and Let Me Go.” Apparently everyone lived happily ever after. The group, who just released their sophomore LP, is nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy, and this weekend they’ll take their irreverent antics to Saturday Night Livein an episode hosted by Sigourney… Read More

Earplug

Asobi Seksu’s Yuki Chikudate on Performing “Naked,” Acoustic Influences

By Jessica Suarez on

Asobi Seksu’s woozy, sugarsweet pop songs sound as if they were built with a microscope; their lushness a product of singer/keyboardist Yuki Chikudate and guitarist James Hanna’s extreme attention to detail. When their UK label asked them to record acoustic versions of some of their best songs at the legendary Olympic Studios, the offer was equally frightening and fun. “Because it was such a short timeframe, there wasn’t enough time for fear or doubt to kick in. We knew we had to move in order to get it done, and that turned out in our favor, really,” explains Chikudate. “If we’re given more time, it can easily become a perfectionist nightmare.” Yet the result, Rewolf, sounds just as lush, with a quiet intimacy and effortlessness that brings Chikudate’s voice and the band’s melodies into greater focus. Chikudate talks to Flavorpill about Rewolf, performing “naked,” and the artists that inspired Rewolf’s… Read More