Jack White takes a break from lead guitar and vocals to play drums on the Dead Weather’s second album, Sea of Cowards. Good. Composed of Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and the Greenhornes, The Dead Weather—created…

Twice a year, the Dalai Lama visits the United States to teach us about foreign concepts, such as selflessness, compassion, respect for the environment, basic human rights, and Harrison Ford’s oft-overlooked voice-over skills (see the soundtrack for the Dalai Lama’s upcoming film, narrated by Ford). Oil spills, climate change and…

Critically acclaimed indie rock gods Yo La Tengo will join Portastic, Claudia Gonson of Magnetic Fields, Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio, Sharon Van Etten, Dimmer, and Robert Scott and David Kilgour of The Clean to play a benefit show for Chris Knox, the New Zealand punk…

Bluesy guitar licks and unpretentious lyrics like, “You may think this song’s about a woman. What’s the matter, can’t you hear? Ain’t about nothin’ ‘cept an old John Deere” comprise the first songs off Seasick Steve’s (aka Steven Gene Wold) newest album, Man From Another Time. This album is made…

Even though the name of this band is Night Driving in Small Towns (lame), I preferred to listen to this album driving around on a sunny day last week. Actually, I think the music on Serial Killer is some of the least depressing indie stuff I’ve heard lately. It’s not…

Danish group (that means they’re from Denmark, ya’ll) The Kissaway Trail’s sophomore album and first U.S. release, Sleep Mountain, is the type of album that makes you feel a combination of sad and hopeful and lends itself to long, meditative car rides. Produced by Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, Sigur…

For anyone with successful siblings, the key is to break out and be your own butterfly or whatever. This is exactly what Zechs Marquise, started by Marfred and Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, the brothers of Mars Volta founder Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, have done. They’re not sitting in their parents’ living room wishing Omar…

The dense, slow moving post-rock of Brooklyn-based A Storm Of Light is covering my brain. It’s getting harder to concentrate. Viscous sludge is oozing out of my ears now. Must…not…stop…writing. Oh God, it’s getting darker. The end of times really is near. Before I go, they play Union Pool on…

Their third album since 2003, The Besnard Lakes’ The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night, is a rock album that murmurs, hums and drones. I was expecting an album that was entirely atmospheric, but husband and wife duo Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas have created highly textured rock songs. The…

Proving that you don’t need millions of dollars to make a difference (I’m looking at you, Bono), Bill Popp has been quietly and steadily organizing shows at Kenny’s Castaways to benefit the American Heart Association each year for the past 24 years. That’s as old as the Met’s last World…