Hailing from Scotland, and pursuing melodious, riff friendly pop-rock, popup is coming to town for our beloved SXSW music festival. Their latest single, “Chinese Burn” has been blazing feverishly on our playlists lately but we would like to stop short in trying to sell them as the next big thing from across the pond, especially since NME (Issue dated 27.1.07) recently stated that Babyshambles would like popup to tour with them. And having Pete... more ›

As SX07 approaches, we'll be keeping you informed on all of the official confirmations, rumors, and non-SX events that we feel are worth your attention. With January's arrival, a lot of news has surfaced in the past few days. Here's a quick recap: Confirmed Performers (via SXSW): Pete Townshend, Rachel Fuller, Emmylou Harris, The Stooges, Interpol, Lily Allen, Bloc Party, Devin The Dude, Hoodoo Gurus, Matt & Kim, Ghostland Observatory, The Watson Twins, Stax... more ›

Badly Drawn Boy - Born In The UK (Astralwerks): If Talking Heads were last year's band to emulate, The Boss is certainly the sound of 2006. After seeing a great Springsteen record from The Hold Steady and a suspect one from The Killers, we now find Brit Damon Gough wrapping himself in the English flag and turning up the shiny, Human Touch-style production. Unfortunately, Badly Drawn Boy's main charm were his lo-fi early songs... more ›

Jeff Buckley didn't seem to be of this world. And just as soon as he came to be appreciated by it, he was gone. Buckley composed and played some of the most gut-wrenchingly beautiful songs of the past 25 years. He was a raging poet who sang of the beauty and ache of the world with such passion that it is often-times hard to listen to any one of his songs without having every hair on your body stand at attention. He is one of those artists whom, when you first discover him, you don't quite feel comfortable listening to with others -the connection is raw and personal in a way that makes you feel as if the experience of appreciating him should only be done in private. The one opportunity we got to see Buckley in 1994 will forever be emblazoned on our minds. His four-octave range takes his songs from the depth of sorrow to the height of tortured romantic rage. He was simply sublime. more ›