On Oct. 24, 2000, Dischord Records released No Kill No Beep Beep, the classic debut by Q and Not U. The cover is an arresting, whimsical snapshot of the punk-rock community that spawned the record—the band asked its friends and peers, most of them under 25 at the time, to pose for a [...]

In which the author discusses the perceived relationship between economic downturns and bleak aesthetics.
Constant reader, beware of the "trend story." Rather than say, "I had some thoughts about this not-incredibly-newsworthy subject that I thought I'd write about," journalists say "This study was undertaken that is sorta related to something I wanted to write about, and [...]

Black Dice: Repo (Paw Tracks)
You've heard Black Dice do shrieking hardcore-noise and you've heard them do meditative new-age bliss. Now, get ready for Black Dice's hiphop record. Sort of. Nobody's dropping any rhymes or boasts on Repo, the New York trio's 7th album, but there's lot of sampler twiddling. Had Boredoms crashed into J Dilla's [...]