Spin of the Day
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Zee Avi
Zee Avi
Word came out last year that Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records had signed their first female artist and, when the label’s Christmas album arrived, her song was the superb standout of the collection Read story.
Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
In the land of avant-garde indie pop, the battle for the crown wages on between Baltimore’s Animal Collective and Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear—and to argue your point one way or the other usually means sending hordes of hipsters into fits. Read story.
El Michels Affair
Enter the 37th Chamber
Only the best hip-hop acts employ live bands to back them, and luckily for these soul and funksters out of New York City (led by sax-man Leon Michels and producer Jeff Silverman) the Wu Tang Clan’s Raekwon is on that short list. Read story.
Death Cab for Cutie
The Open Door EP
Most Death Cab fans will tell you that 2008’s Narrow Stairs was a welcomed return to the band’s indie roots, especially after 2005’s slick and shiny Plans. Read story.
Green Day
21st Century Breakdown
From the sexually frank “Basket Case” to the ubiquitous graduation anthem “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” to the politically charged “American Idiot,” there’s no denying Green Day’s proved their worth. Read story.
Iron & Wine
Around the Well
In the fast-moving 21st century, rarely does soft and slow music find a strong fanbase, but somehow Austin’s Sam Beam continues to grip audiences with his subtle style and strong songwriting. Read story.
Viva Voce
Rose City
Viva Voce’s fifth album, Rose City, was recorded in just under a month, and it sounds that way. Read story.
Dan Zanes
The Welcome Table: Songs of Inspiration, Mystery, and Good Times
Sold-out all-ages shows have always been a good indicator of an artist’s success—perhaps even more so than a chart-topping album. Read story.
Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career
Glasgow, Scotland’s, Camera Obscura have always sounded, in a word, maudlin. Read story.
The Western States Motel
Painted Birds Flying in the Orange Mirror Sun
There seems to be a troubling pattern with indie-rock bands these days; the longer and more obscure their names are, the worse their music is. Read story.
The Northstar Session
New Prehistoric Times
Whoever said catchy, straightforward pop rock couldn’t be artfully done clearly has not heard the Northstar Session. Read story.
The Boy Least Likely To
The Law of the Playground
Back in 2006, the UK’s The Boy Least Likely To broke onto the pop scene in no small way with their adorably whimsical debut, The Best Party Ever. Read story.
Jaret Campisi
We Come and Go
Way back in 2007, Santa Barbaran Jaret Campisi caught our attention in no small way. Read story.
Brighton Port Authority
I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat
The Brighton Port Authority, the latest incarnation of Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim), is a puzzling but ultimately rewarding collection of songs featuring a relative who’s who list of guest vocalists. Read story.
Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
Nearly three years to the day that Fox Confessor Brings the Flood hit shelves, Neko Case returns with her latest sonic squall, Middle Cyclone. Read story.
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