Music

Tallest Man On Earth & Marissa Nadler @ Mercury Lounge, Tuesday, Dec. 9th

Image courtesy flickr user Karl Gunnarsson (note: not from Mercury Lounge show) Though Kristian Matsson’s stature does not meet the expectations set forth by his stage moniker, Tallest Man on Earth, he was plenty intimidating in presence during his recent show at the Mercury Lounge. Pacing about the stage and having staring contests with the...

Dan Deacon & Dirty Projectors @ The Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Thursday, Dec. 11th

Image courtesy flickr user thepiratehat Looking down on the audience at Dan Deacon’s show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Thursday night was akin to watching a strange orgy or mating ritual of some kind. People in their teens and twenties swayed as a group, not moshing so much as just moving, touching each other...

Pattern Is Movement @ The Knitting Factory, Tuesday, Nov. 18th

Left wanting more after seeing one of their many CMJ sets, Pattern is Movement conveniently came back to NYC to open for Subtle. As it stands, though, this pair should be headlining their own shows already. Pattern is Movement is the kind of band one can pull whatever one likes from, whether it be focusing...

T-Sides Contest: Win a TV on the Radio poster designed by Tunde Adebimpe

As you may have guessed from a few entries, or read in recent interviews, T-Sides can’t get enough of TV on the Radio and their latest album, Dear Science. In honor of these talented men from our home-base borough of Brooklyn, we’re giving away a poster designed by singer Tunde Adebimpe. I looks like that...

Nine Inch Nails @ DCU Center, Sunday, Nov. 9th

Image courtesy flickr user kernelslacker It would go against the trail-blazing spirit of Trent Reznor to use him as any sort of guideline, but it must be said that any arena rock band should turn to Reznor’s live show for inspiration. Every aspect of Sunday night’s show at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA was...

Smashing Pumpkins @ United Palace, Thursday, Nov. 6th

Anyone who was unsure as to what to expect from the Smashing Pumpkins’ performance at United Palace last Thursday surely had that question answered within the first few minutes. They started on time, and opened “Roctopus” with a Jimmy Chamberlin drum solo, after which erratic frontman Billy Corgan took the stage – in a dress....

T-Sides Elsewhere: T-Sides Interview Featured on PerfSpot.com

When you spend your time interviewing other people, the prospect of being the one answering the questions instead of asking them can be rather exciting. So, it’s with great excitement that I share with you this link to PerfSpot.com, who recently interviewed me for a feature on T-Sides. Unfortunately there’s no direct link to the...

Dispatches from CMJ, Day Five: Drink Up, Buttercup, Little Jackie, Pattern Is Movement

The first half of the last day of CMJ was something of a random draw, with there only being one band I was determined to see that day (Pattern Is Movement, seen above). I ended up at Cake Shop for a repeat performance of Drink Up, Buttercup, the only band I saw more than once...

Dispatches from CMJ, Day Four: Land of Talk, Broken Social Scene

By day four, this CMJ hound needed a bit of a rest – which, in CMJ terms, means I went to one show instead of five. Truthfully, the one show was likely better than any combination of five, as it featured everyone’s favorite obscenely huge Canadian collective, Broken Social Scene. Broken Social Scene kept it...

Dispatches From CMJ, Day Three: The Lovely Sparrows, Au, Goes Cube, Villa Vina

The third day of CMJ began at Fontana’s, with Austin, TX folk-duo the Lovely Sparrows. This is one of the shows I was looking forward to, as occasional T-Sides contributor Clay Franks turned me onto them. Fans of current rising-stars the Fleet Foxes will find much to love in this pair, who also play melodic-pop-folk,...

Dispatches from CMJ, Day Two: Sister Suvi, Drink Up, Buttercup, Project Jenny, Project Jan, Women, Ane Brun, So Many Dynamos

Remember how day one of CMJ was all about the blogs? Well, day two was also sort of all about the blogs, or at least one in particular, NYC-based Ear Farm, offering up the most appealing daytime option with its free showcase of bands as eclectic as its voices and subjects. Arriving late, I unfortunately...

Dispatches from CMJ, Day One: Emmy the Great, the Sammies, Shearwater, Ponytail, Passion Pit, Gang Gang Dance

The first day of CMJ (or the College Music Journal’s Music Marathon, should you prefer to be proper) this year was all about blog showcases, with New York City’s music and pop culture scribes scurrying off to give press to their own, most popularly The Music Slut, Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, Brooklyn Vegan and Stereogum....