It’s not uncommon for a band frontman to do solo work on the side, but few have been as rewarding as New Pornographers singer/songwriter A.C. Newman. His solo albums have included some of his very best tracks like “The Heartbreak Rides” and “Miracle Drug and his new album Shut Down The Streets looks to be [...]

Posted by Taylor in MP3 No Comments »

(photo by dcdead) I released my 50 albums of the decade list two years ago with all intentions to follow it up with a matching songs list. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. No such list ever materialized and I kindof gave up on the idea. That is until earlier this summer when [...]

Posted by Taylor in Lists 16 Comments »

It’s time for the annual Summer Edition of Commercial Watch, where I again highlight some of the songs that those marketing folks are harvesting for mass consumption. Since I realize most of you are the Hulu / DVR / next-day-on-youtube type, you’ve probably been blissfully unaware of the indie-savvy beer, car, and shoe ads that [...]

Posted by Taylor in Features 3 Comments »

Songs with girls names in the title are just about as old as pop music itself, from “Peggy Sue” to “Layla” to “Jenny (867-5309)” to “For Emma, Forever Ago”, artists have been written love songs addressed directly to that particular special someone. So to celebrate that tradition (and keeping in mind Valentine’s Day is quickly [...]

Posted by Taylor in Mix 14 Comments »

One of my best albums I’ve heard so far is Cape Dory, a nautical-obsessed indie pop album by Colorado husband-and-wife duo Tennis. The unique album cover is a near-exact replica of a vintage album cover by Lisa Hartman (the band apparently collects ’70s-’80s female pop artist vinyl just for the cover art). This got me [...]

Posted by Taylor in Features 3 Comments »

(photo by cubagallery) Best songs of the year is typically the most difficult list to make but also the most rewarding. There’s nothing more indicative of a year in music then it’s greatest songs, and evident from the tracks listed below, I’d venture to say 2010 was a pretty great year. To add some perspective [...]

Posted by Taylor in Lists 25 Comments »