A symphony of noise, intertwined with space radio dispatches. A seamless movement from ambient electro to heavily warped screaming. A crowd watching in awe before being coaxed into pulsating with the beat. A band experimenting with the sounds that ha... more info

One of the more “civilized” aspects of the Newport Folk Festival is being able to attend after parties that start before 11pm. Rhode Island’s own Deer Tick are curating a series of concerts at the Newport Blues Cafe, and donating all proceeds t... more info

Porcelain Raft’s Strange Weekend is awash in smears of keyboards and lethargic feedback that largely hang untethered to the drums beneath.  The atmospheric vocal performances are similarly insubstantial, rife with overly simplistic invocations of ... more info

It’s a hot night in June, and you’re driving down an empty highway about ten mph too fast. Or a July night in a crowded venue and you’re dancing so much you can’t tell if the sweat belongs to you or your neighbor. You yell like hell to the he... more info

Things we at melophobe love: 1) Newport Folk Festival 2) Blind Pilot 3) boats 4) functional and stylishly understated footwear, from Sweden So, we are slightly agog at the contest brought by the good folks at Tretorn that manages to combine a... more info

Some will find this overlong and excessively layered—all those strings, horns, choirs, drums, and feedback squalls. Me, I enjoyed peeling back Spiritualized’s onion skins of space rock and black gospel, bound together by Jason Pierce’s weary vo... more info

While many in Boston headed to the Esplanade to celebrate our independence with the Pops and Jenifer Hudson, the House of Blues was filled to sweat-capacity for the aural and visual explosion that is Sleigh Bells. You’ll get all hot and bothered lo... more info

Like Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen needs redemption and hope with his rage and bitterness, even when his despairing characters have every right to their raw anger. So, beware the synth-dominated, sappy clunkers here. That still leaves an EP’s... more info

Orchestrating arena rock theater to heights heretofore unknown, Roger Waters dazzled the adoring throng at Fenway Park with a performance of The Wall. His expansive two-year world tour has moved outdoors, making mighty use of sophisticated projection... more info

I’d heard exaggerated tales of local legend J. Geils’ blues guitar chops. Turns out they weren’t nearly exaggerated enough. Currently performing with a who’s-who of musicians, Geils pulls out all the tricks on jazz and blues songs ranging ... more info