Ostensibly a low-circulation piece of Stop Making Sense promotional material, this 4 1/2 minute VHS-quality video (m4v) is absolutely priceless. Byrne was arguably at the peak of his creative powers at this point—and by saying that I’m not discounting anything before, but incorporating his incorporation of all forms of media, including, here, a very well-executed [...]

The songs I’m posting today provide decent insight into my complicated personal romantic history. Prior to my current relationship, which sounds like this, love songs were excuses to revisit past experiences and sensations, which were generally marked by just-missed opportunities, outright exaltation, and retroactively resonant moments of nervous chatter. Here are a few of the [...]

Definitely bound for the top 17 (or maybe even 16!) of marathonpacks’ year-end list, Sons and Daughters‘ debut The Repulsion Box (on Domino Records, of Franz Ferdinand notoriety) is a tense, driving affair rife with a high, rough drama recalling the American Southwest like the Pixies through Surfer Rosa and Nick Cave. The band is [...]

News of Rhino’s re-release and re-mastering of Talking Heads’ entire catalog (in DualDisc format, with a 5.1 version and videos, etc. on the flip) comes as a relief to those diehards (myself included) who lament the muddy and primitive digital mastering of their first three albums, especially Eno’s first knob job, Fear of Music.
To celebrate, [...]