It takes a special artist to bridge the gap between The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, and Norah Jones, and apparently M. Ward is that man. Ward has opened for all of these acts in the past two years, and has somehow managed to appeal to all of their audiences. His wonderful album Post-War met with universal acclaim upon release, ending up on best of '06 lists from The Onion, Paste, The Guardian, and......

Where in the hell did My Morning Jacket come from? If you answered "Louisville, Kentucky", you're only half right. Few people know this, but MMJ was actually birthed collectively from a anthropomorphic bear-god, assuming human form so as not to scare off prospective audiences. They learned to play music on instruments they found while foraging at an abandoned mining camp. No, seriously. The reverb that coats their hauntingly translucent albums like so much honey......

There are tons of bands in this world that are carried solely by the strength of their vocalist. Bands without a dominant singer face a particularly difficult challenge in having to create music that commands attention and isn't boring or just plain smooth-jazz lame. The kids of The Big Sleep --Sonya Balchandani (bass), Danny Barria (guitar), Gabriel Rhodes (drums)-- attempt to prove that they're not trying to tuck you in for the night. A majority......

Whether you go down to the local record store or shop through the Tubes, today is new release Tuesday. Birdmonster No Midnight (SpinART) Despite the rock n roll media's underwhelmed response, No Midnight is going to be the biggest indie seller this week, quite easily. Considering the fact that they gained their audience primarily through the web, and were unsigned at the start of the year, it's a pleasant surprise to see such a......