There are some artists who strictly defy genres. Think of Roy Orbison. Yes, he was one of the famed artists on Sun Records, but what was he really? Was he rockabilly? Pop? Country? Easy Listening? In my mind, the closest term to describe Roy Orbison’s music is the one Bob Dylan coined for him: “cowboy opera.” Orbison’s voice was a river of silk floating through the grit and dry heat cacti. And while I know that M. Ward is no Roy Orbison (although he did …

When people imagine music by an acknowledged gay male, they usually expect it to be filled with stage theatricality and a tone of angst that comes from the travails of being young and gay. Songs such as the Bronski Beat’s “Need a Man Blues” instantly come to mind when pondering the identity of the openly gay man in music. With its lonely vocals, shattering falsetto vocal range, and darkest blue melody, “Need a Man Blues” captures the gloom of wanting someone, anyone; but at …

As anyone who has had the misfortune of taking a postmodern theory course knows, nothing can escape its history. And usually, this historical entrapment is the biggest downfall of most modern music: singers, as we know, have a knack for getting ensnared in the coil of their influences. So with that in mind, you might be tempted to ask who is this Destroyer, with his Tyrannosaurus Rex and Ziggy Stardust feel?
Well, listen up kids: despite the fact that this album was loved by …

Maybe it’s because I wear hornrims and have a closetful of ironic T-shirts that I can be so judgmental. Or maybe it’s society that’s made me that way. It could have been all those episodes of Seinfeld I watched during my formative years. Or perhaps I’m just naturally inclined to be a bastard. I don’t know. But every once in a while, even I can’t bring myself to judge; every once in a while, I come across a person who I should naturally dislike, …

You can always hear an electronic music fan from a mile away. Some speak louder, due to years of gyrating near giant speakers…or perhaps it’s all of that dance floor confetti still stuck inside their ear. Scenester electronic music fans can often be heard proclaiming their authenticity (“I’m wearing my Peaches merkin today!”). And then there are the electronic music fans who seem to be trapped inside of a video game: they drive incredibly fast to the sound of glitches and robot voices. …

I have never been to Australia, and perhaps it’s for the best. From listening to Australian pop acts such as the Go-Betweens and the Lucksmiths, I have formed an idea that their home country is a beautiful sunlit place where people happily burst into richer than homemade chocolate cake pop melodies without warning. No one even notices that they are all singing instead of speaking, and even the kangaroos stop whatever they’re doing when this happens and begin bouncing along to the music. …

It’s finally January with all of the trimmings here in Michigan. Gusts of wind knocking down the innocent, those walking the streets hatless are aged upwards of forty years with wigs made out of snowflakes. The sky is stuck in perpetual pre-dawn haze and everyone seems to have grown a little quieter waiting for the spring sun to return. And this leads to the question: what better time is there to release a record titled Sun, Sun, Sun? Now is when we need an …