Valentine’s Day 2012 Mix
True Romance By Taylor K. Long This Valentine’s Day, enjoy this collection of a handful of my favorite “love songs” and songs about love. Whether you are part of a duo or flying solo–remember this piece of advice: I kept asking Clarence why our world seemed to be collapsing and things seemed to be getting so...
Albums of the Year, Part 3: Best of the Rest (Including Singles and EPs)
In No Particular Order, 18 More Great Albums From 2011:
By Taylor K. Long
9 Types of Light consists of love songs and apocalyptic spaz-outs--so are we more free to love...
Albums of the Year, Part 2: Frank Ocean, “Nostalgia, Ultra”
Love Me Now, When I'm Gone, Love Me None
By Taylor K. Long
For an emotional R&B singing moniker, Christopher Breaux aka Frank Ocean couldn’t have done much better. Writers often use water metaphors – an ocean, in particular – to represent feelings, emotions, and hidden...
Albums of the Year, Part 1: Fleet Foxes, “Helplessness Blues”
All My Life I Will Wait To Attain It By Taylor K. Long At some point in our 20s, we inevitably feel what can best be described as a burden of proof. We begin noticing milestones, the age of achievements. How Michelangelo was 29 when he finished “David.” How Franz Liszt was famous and touring...
The Conscious Consumer
By Taylor K. Long While record browsing with a friend at Greenpoint’s Permanent Records last week, I found a copy of the Long Winters album, When I Pretend To Fall in the .99 section and realized that though I love it, I don’t own it in any physical form. The kind clerk informed me that...
Spun Out: Prisoner in Disguise by Linda Ronstadt
“Love is a Rose.” Written in a car on my way to La Havana Maui from the airport. Recorded at the ranch during rehearsals for the CSNY ’74 reunion tour. Later done up well by Linda Ronstadt, a soulful girl with big brown eyes.
Heartache To Heartache / Love Is A Battlefield
Love is a battley by Howard Lee Lyon By Howard Lee Lyon Some acquaintance (friend) was at the bar the other night pontificating freely, wrickedly raging upset and morbosed-out about some era-bygone classmate’s commit to suicide. They found him that morning, bored a hole in his face with a piece of metal on metal quick-action,...
Fleet Foxes, “Helplessness Blues”
If I Had An Orchard, I’d Work ‘Til I’m Raw By Taylor K. Long Sometimes it feels like a song has been written with a piece of you. Like someone invaded your house when you weren’t there, sat on your bed with a cup of tea, and looked at your old photos, read all your...
T-Sides Elsewhere, Jan. 24th Edition
I told you I would slowly get back into the game, and here I am. I wrote a review of Destroyer’s Kaputt for Bullz-Eye/ESD Music, I introduced one of my favorite tracks of 2010, Broken Social Scene’s “All To All” for the Contrast Podcast Festive Fifty, and I penned a write up of Giant Travel...
T-Sides’ 2010 in Review
Favorite Albums of 2010 Band of Horses, Infinite Arms For when you run away from home and want to keep on running. Current Favorite: “Blue Beard” (download) Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record For when you’re ready to start all over again. Current Favorite: “Water In Hell” (download) Chief, Modern Rituals For when you want...
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Sunday, February 28th
When Wild Beasts came to New York City last fall, they found themselves in the pressured position of having a lot to prove. They’d made only one US trek beforehand, to SXSW. Members of the press came out in droves to hear and see the UK foursome, now on their second album, Two Dancers, which...
Yeasayer @ Bowery Ballroom, Monday, February 8th, & @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Tuesday, February 9th
Alternately titled: How I got in to Two Sold Out Yeasayer Shows in New York City, A Tale of Happiness & Triumph One of the biggest challenges a music writer can face is writing about a band you adore. Sometimes you like something so much that the task of describing it is an overwhelming pressure....
Soapbox