Celebrating Winterpills' Surprise Single 'Colorblind'

October 19, 2017 Listen, Dammit

There’s nothing like a surprise release from a great band: Winterpills, say, putting out an unexpected single. Sure, the Northampton group posted “Colorblind” in August, but it’s never too late to celebrate, right?

Pixies Surge Back With ‘Um Chagga Lagga’: Best New Song of the Week

July 6, 2016 Listen, Dammit

With new bassist Paz Lenchantin, the Pixies have a new song and a new tour in the offing.

Erin McKeown Gives Love an Earnest Look on ‘Sugar in a Pie’

June 22, 2016 Listen, Dammit

The western Massachusetts singer delivers the most straightforward love song she’s ever written.

Bringing Big Thief's Visceral 'Masterpiece' to The River

June 15, 2016 Listen, Dammit

Big Thief makes peace with the inevitability of death on the band’s masterful single “Masterpiece.”

Zambonis Members Branch Out With Donald Trump Spoof ‘Mr. Drumpf’

March 2, 2016 Listen, Dammit

Inspired by John Oliver’s brilliantly constructed takedown of Donald Trump on “Last Week Tonight,” Connecticut musicians Dave Schneider and Tim Walsh called themselves Last Beat Tonight and wrote and recorded “Mr. Drumpf,” a new song mocking the probable Republican nominee for president.

Salvation Alley String Band Faces Death in ‘Merciless Scythe of Time’ Video

February 23, 2016 Listen, Dammit

Sooner or later, Death is coming. We all know it. Matt Silberstein just seems more aware than most in the Salvation Alley String Band’s stylish new video for “The Merciless Scythe of Time.”

The Fawns Are Back After a Decade With ‘Goodnight, Spacegirl’

February 22, 2016 Listen, Dammit

Though the Fawns won’t get anywhere near the recognition they deserve, the Northampton band set a high bar for all the new music that will follow in 2016 with the release on Jan. 1 of “Goodnight, Spacegirl,” their first new album in 10 years.

Paris

November 14, 2015 Listen, Dammit

The terrorist attacks last night in Paris last night make me want to cry, not least because they targeted the audience at a rock show.

Digging Into Craig Finn’s Overlooked Song ‘Three Drinks’

November 2, 2015 Listen, Dammit

Sometimes great songs that seem like potential album stand-outs get left off the record altogether, and see release instead as overlooked bonus tracks. Craig Finn’s “Three Drinks” is one of them.

Tim McGraw’s Sandy Hook Promise Controversy: Cynical, or Just Stupid?

April 18, 2015 Listen, Dammit

Gun-rights absolutists freak out over the country singer’s decision to donate profits from his Hartford date to Sandy Hook Promise.

Sufjan Stevens Takes Poignant, Powerful Turn on ‘Carrie & Lowell’

March 31, 2015 Listen, Dammit

Most of Sufjan Steven's music comes across as self-consciously precious. "Carrie & Lowell" is different, and so much better.

Publicists and the Personal Touch: Journalist Relationships Matter More Than Ever

September 10, 2014 Listen, Dammit

Good publicists matter, for artists and also for writers.

Alvvays Vents Chaotic Impulses on Catchy ‘Archie, Marry Me’

August 28, 2014 Listen, Dammit

There’s far too much new music to keep track of every album and single that comes out, but sometimes a song pops up after the fact and just latches on. “Archie, Marry Me” by Alvvays is one of those songs.

How Not to Write Like a Hack

July 28, 2014 Listen, Dammit

So, you want to be an entertainment reporter. You love music, movies, TV, celebrity slap-fights or whatever, and you’re convinced that your life’s work should involve discussing them in public, for as wide an audience as you can reach. Excellent. It’s a fun job. Here’s how not to suck at it: Don’t write like an entertainment reporter.

Beck Returns to Western Massachusetts With Mass MoCA Show

June 25, 2014 Listen, Dammit

Beck returns to perform in western Massachusetts for the first time since he squeezed into the Iron Horse in Northampton in 2003.

Gang of Four talks ‘Content’ LP and why the deluxe edition includes vial of blood

January 25, 2011 Listen, Dammit

Guitarist Andy Gill says the post-punk standard-bearers have found something to include with their latest album that you won’t find on file-sharing sites.