Editorials

Music and literature are just two different ways of telling stories. So it makes sense that many musicians have translated books into song, from Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” which retells Abraham’s moral dilemma over killing his son in Genesis, to Death Cab for Cutie’s “Meet Me on the Equinox,” which recounts Bella’s lip-biting dilemma [...]

On July 15, 2011, a childhood journey ended. For many who grew up with the books and the films, and many more who lived a second childhood through them, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” marked the end of a literary and cinematic adventure that they hoped would continue forever – and [...]

You guys, we did it! We made it to the year 2012, and you know what that means, right? The factual, commonly accepted end of all things. As we’ve all known for a while now, the world is not long for this world, and our last year as human civilization is going to be an [...]

I hate to see a good band go. It sucks when they’re big players, like the end of R.E.M. or Rilo Kiley, but it’s even worse when a band break ups on the cusp of breaking out. At best, we get an album, maybe a few EPs, to remind us of the potential and nothing [...]

Bon Iver’s intimate and beautifully haunting songs have made Justin Vernon a standout among new indie rockers, and Vitamin String Quartet Performs Bon Iver is a nod to both his intricate albums. Ballads such as “Skinny Love” and “Beth/Rest” in rich string arrangements are bound to make Bon Iver fans swoon.
Available now at iTunes

‘Tis the season for year-end lists. It’s that time when we watch all of our favorite music blogs, magazines and podcasters count down their favorite everything from the last 365 days. On most years, you can identify a narrative or consensus on which albums ranks highly. The flipside of this is that some albums get [...]

I learned a lot this past year. For example, did you know that Nicolas Cage could have been Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings? Crazy. But for more substantial learnings about life, let’s turn to this year’s music, and what it told us along the way.
1. Surprise People. 2011 in music was a year [...]

The sometimes-lovely Los Angeles has a reputation for being more of a hub for the film industry, but it’s always been a vibrant music center that grows more exciting every year. The weird structure of the city – many towns tied together by endless freeways – allows a cultural variety that facilitates the production of [...]

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you: The 2012 inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This recently announced bunch features a few uncharacteristically modern acts, namely, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns N’ Roses. You might read this as a grab for headlines in music publications, or garnering [...]

There’s a difference between the iconic music of the 1990s and the music that marked the 1990s. The former is the historically important stuff like Nirvana’s Nevermind, the music that echoed from their place in time outward, making an impact on music thereafter. The latter is the music that you associate with the decade, regardless [...]