Mixtape Confessions

When They’re 65…

[5.May.08] :. What will some of today's most well-known hip-hop artists be doing in 2035? Maybe they won't be running the music world, but they'll probably be doing something beyond applying Fixodent to their grills.

TV Commercials: the New, Nonstop Playlist

[25.Mar.08] :. TV commercials have become a legitimate source for discovering new music -- from Wilco on the Volkswagen ads, to Cat Power hawking DeBeers diamonds, to any number of artists pimping Apple.

The Best of the Basket Cases

[26.Feb.08] :. Deep down, in spite of all the bad music I have to plow through, I'm still that 17-year-old kid that can't believe he's getting sent free CDs. I know, I know; it's a rough gig.

Love from the ‘90s, Mix-Tape Style

[28.Jan.08] :. Rob Sheffield's Love is a Mix Tape interprets a recent decade in the ever-shifting sound of the universal language.

DJing the Weather Report

[8.Jan.08] :. What is the sound of flowers blooming? How does one match an oncoming storm with sonic accuracy?

Mic’d Up

[4.Dec.07] :. Karaoke: Those who can't, do anyway; those who wish they could, only watch in mute rapture.

Don’t Know Much About History

[6.Nov.07] :. As Lupe Fiasco learned in a recent faux pas, what you don't know won't scare you – until somebody calls you out.

Scene, Should Be Heard

[24.Oct.07] :. The Second City has some first-rate music scenes. So listen up, New York.

Nine to Five

[30.Aug.07] :. Eager to re-enter the 9-5 work world, before you could even say 401(k), I was halfway to J.Crew and Banana Republic to stock up on office-friendly wear. But adapting to my colleagues' taste in music? Ah, now that's much more difficult.

Out in the Cold

[31.Jul.07] :. HotHouse, a non-profit arts center in Chicago, embodied how beneficial a commitment to the arts could be, and surely this would override any business issues, I thought. I thought wrong.

Family Matters

[12.Jul.07] :. A well-rounded musical background is crucial -- otherwise, you could end up like a friend of mine, who had never heard Jimmy Soul's "If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life", and so felt lost during some hand-clapping good times at the bar last weekend.

Mixed Messages

[1.Jun.07] :. I want the music I love to speak for me, but I can't control what it's going to say.

Celebrity Deathmatch

[2.May.07] :. Every decision already consists of two wrong choices -- it's only a matter of which is the path of least regret.

Behind the Music

[27.Mar.07] :. It's impossible to listen to music in a vacuum, to take the sound of a band on its own merits. There are so many outside factors at play – reviews, friends opinions, larger cultural influences . . .

Moping Around

[12.Feb.07] :. Whether it comes through teenage rebellion, alienation, or heavy drug use, chronic music appreciation is not typically a choice made due to a desire for group participation; it's more often about wanting or needing to separate oneself.

Tapping the ‘Wire’

[17.Jan.07] :. The Wire's season-ending musical montage was a culmination, in many ways, of a season filled with musical meaning.

Jock Jams

[29.Nov.06] :. I'm getting giddy imagining Chuck Klosterman and Cam'ron having a two-minute bull session on the Who's return to relevance, or, better yet, figuring out a logical way to deal with Lil' Kim.

It Shall Be Released

[27.Sep.06] :. Rubenstein looks back at the release of a number of highly anticipated albums to contrast his opinions then and now. How much does personal expectation factor into our ultimate enjoyment of music?