The Top 10 Albums of 2005
After a year of music, thousands of hours of listening time, and one worn-out iPod, Andrew Womack brings us his picks for the very best music this year.
Andrew Womack
The Esher Demos
In 1968, back from their disastrous confab with the Maharishi, the Beatles took their acoustic guitars to George's house in Esher and set down what has since come to be known as the Esher Demos. Most of the songs were later rerecorded for the White Album, but it&
Merchandising Your Very Heart and Soul
We used to offer T-shirts around here. You may have noticed. Hey, maybe you even bought one. And thank you if you did. If you wanted to but didn’t, it was probably because our shirts were lost in the mail (seriously) for about six months, and when we
Work
For a couple of years now, Sound Team has been issuing cassette releases from its Austin recording studio. Whether to make it difficult on file sharers (doubtful) or easy on those with car tape decks (a nice thought), the band's impressive early work was only a warm-up
Diane...
In 1990, Twin Peaks followers wanted to know who killed Laura Palmer. The producers of the show, on the other hand, may have wanted to know how to make a killing on Twin Peaks. Enter Diane.... Read by Kyle MacLachlan, this audiobook is a fascinating chronology of Agent Cooper'
Coles Corner
In Sheffield, England, Richard Hawley's hometown, Coles Corner is the place where lovers meet before an evening of romance. No other word could come as close to describing what his newest album, Coles Corner, feels like: romance. As a guitarist Hawley is an an ex-Longpig and ex-
Mastermind
Mastermind, less a magazine than it is a slim book, combines photography, writing, social commentary, and a heck of a lot of art direction. In the second issue, what at first looks like an ad is actually quite the opposite, and it's quickly apparent that equal parts humor
Raised by Wolves
You cannot listen to Voxtrot without thinking of the Smiths or Belle & Sebastian--distinct echoes of each are all over this Austin quartet's Raised by Wolves EP. But when you hear their heights of soulful melancholy in treats like "Long Haul" and "Wrecking Force,
Troubleshooting Your Déjà Vu
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we explain how you can tell if what you're experiencing is déjà vu or not, and how best to proceed when it is.
News About Three Writers, Two of Whom Are Really Real, Really
Last night’s Gary Benchley party for recently, author-ially outed Paul Ford was a complete success. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it. And thank you also to Spike Hill in Williamsburg for accommodating us and reminding everyone in attendance why we didn’t hold the