Using her home-recording smarts and a background of musical training, Ramona Gonzalez - or Nite Jewel - is coming into her own, graduating from nights alone recording into “shitty” gear to an ambitious approach that now includes a full band, a real studio, but those same palatable retro grooves that feel like the best distilled from the '80s seen through a new prescription. Gonzalez spoke about her surprise appeal, "Star Search," and things of that nature all before she heads down here with her band to play SXSW. more ›

Okay, Deerhunter, Deerhunter, Deerhunter. Where oh where do we begin to discuss such a spectacular, unclassifiable, confounding, excellent, inexplicable act? Do we begin with Bradford Cox, the impossibly lanky (read: lanky like crazy lanky) frontman? The frontman who maintains what quite likely is music's most accidentally inflammatory blog, and who puts his ever-honest foot into his mouth on a regular basis? The frontman who has been known to wear sundresses while performing, and is prone to bouts of both joy and breakdown? The frontman who is amazingly generous to his fans, and who is so prolific that he wrote three whole albums this year? Or do we begin with those albums themselves, two of which were released under the Deerhunter name? That Microcastle is practically unquestionable in its quality, and seems likely to find itself near the top of many best-of lists? Or that its companion album, Weird Era Cont., a supposed toss-in, is pretty fine itself? Or do we discuss the very good band, beyond its idiosyncratic lead singer? Or should we just cut the questions altogether and just say we circled this date on the calendar three months ago? more ›