Ben has been resigned to the life of a music geek ever since that fateful weekend in July of ‘97 he rode his bike to the record store to purchase OK Computer and Dig Me Out. As a writer, he strives to keep alive the dying art of geeking out about the music he deems indispensable. Further musings on the music he loves can be found on his blog, The Bearded Cephalopod. He currently resides in Astoria, New York.
Features
Wednesday, January 26 2011
Ballad of a Working Mom: An Interview with Corin Tucker
Following Sleater-Kinney's indefinite hiatus, Corin Tucker kept quiet for several years while raising a family. Now, with a new band and a new sound, she its down with PopMatters to talk about how this endeavor came into being, and where she'd like to go next.
Tuesday, October 26 2010
With a Little Help From My Friends: An Interview with Dave Sitek
Building your production studio after viewing a Craigslist ad? Producing a mix-tape with Aziz Ansari? Calling up David Byrne for a collaboration just 'cos you can? All in a day's work for TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, here revealing all the details about his new Maximum Balloon side-project ...
Monday, August 2 2010
Keep Me Away From the Present Tense: An Interview with Librarians
PopMatters spoke with the band’s co-leader, Ryan Hizer, about Morgantown’s surprisingly cool music scene, those fickle things called influences and the band you should really be listening to: Big Ass Manatee.
Thursday, April 1 2010
Singing in Stairwells: An Interview with Julianna Barwick
Fresh off of her critically-acclaimed new EP, Julianna Barwick discusses how her album was informed by church choirs, Panda Bear, and the joys of sheep herding.
Friday, February 27 2009
It Starts with an Earthquake: R.E.M.'s Monster
I have spent half my life being an R.E.M. fan, and I’ve consumed just about every album in their catalogue. So, at this point, I feel confident saying that Monster is unfairly maligned, and truly stands as one of their best.
Reviews
Tuesday, January 11 2011
Surf City: Kudos
On their debut LP, the Kiwi quartet provides an exciting update of the Dunedin Sound. They call it “shoewave”.
Wednesday, October 27 2010
Avey Tare: Down There
Animal Collective’s co-leader, Dave Portner, steps into the solo spotlight with a song cycle dealing with death, illness and depression. Surprisingly, it’s often a warm, comforting album.
Friday, September 10 2010
Sufjan Stevens: All Delighted People
The Illinoisemaker returns with a frustratingly inconsistent EP that showcases his old tricks as well as a few new ones.
Wednesday, September 1 2010
Japandroids: No Singles
This compilation of Japandroids’ early EP’s only highlights how breathtaking their debut LP is and how far the band has come.
Wednesday, June 16 2010
The Drums: The Drums
The Drums’ debut LP plays like an ‘80s time capsule. Unfortunately, the world only needs one Morrissey.
