Ok, we’ll admit it. We’re really, really, really excited for The National to release High Violet on May 11th. You might even say we’re giddy. Why? Well check out their performance of the opening track “Terrible Love” on Jimmy Fallon last night and try to tell us you didn’t miss Matt Berninger’s signature baritone.

If [...]

This installment in our Covers Project series is a two-fer. St. Vincent joined up with The National to cover Crooked Fingers‘ “Sleep All Summer” for Merge Records‘ 20th Anniversary compilation.

Photos by Jay and Laura; words by Anna.
Outside Lands 2009 could have been a lot of things: a failure, a disappointment, a misplaced attempt to draw a wider range of music fans. The slightly off-kilter lineup largely paid tribute to the ’90s (Pearl Jam, Incubus, Dave Matthews Band, Q-Tip and The Beastie Boys — before [...]

With so many bands (over 90 at last count) ready to diverge on San Francisco for the second annual Outside Lands Festival this weekend, we thought it’d be helpful to provide some playlists so you know what to look forward to.
Below are samples of all bands playing on Friday. We’ll roll out new playlists tomorrow [...]

Since the unexpected death of his wife last year, visionary Mark Mulcahy has been struggling to continue writing music and raise his three-year-old twin daughters. Thankfully, he has friends who can lend a hand. An amazing cast will appear on the tribute to Mulcahy’s wife, Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy. Set [...]

Initial announcements regarding the lineup at this year’s Outside Lands Festival may have received a more varied reaction, seeing as it branches pretty far beyond the more indie-centric lineup of 2008. Perhaps this announcement of the OSL daily schedule will help sway those teetering on the “not-sure-how-I-feel-about-the-Black-Eyed-Peas” fence.
Single-day tickets go on sale here on June [...]

The indie stars came out on Sunday for a live performance of songs from this year’s massive indie compilation Dark Was the Night. Like the album, the performance was a benefit for the Red Hot Organization, which raises money for AIDS-related support.
Bon Iver, The National, Feist, David Byrne, My Brightest Diamond, Sharon Jones & the [...]

The organizers of Outside Lands announced the initial lineup for the festival’s second year. The three headliners are Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys and Dave Matthews Band. Bay Area acts include The Dodos, John Vanderslice and The Morning Benders. Here’s the full lineup:

If you haven’t already picked up a copy of the Dark Was the Night compilation yet, stop reading this and go down to the nearest record store and pick it up (or head over to InSound if you wanna be all modern about it). The compilation is the latest by the Red Hot Organization, an [...]

It’s Sunday, I’m still in D.C. and I’m bored. I can’t think of a better time to kick off a new weekly feature I like to call “Meow Mix” – ten tasty mp3s from Vague Panther.
MP3s:
Darondo – Didn’t I
Midlake – Balloon Maker
The Snake The Cross The Crown – Cakewalk
Rogue Wave – Christians in Black
Grizzly Bear [...]