Friday night, after hopping between a couple of drinking engagements, I wound up at a grocery store. As I wandered through the aisles, looking for one last thing, I noticed an old, familiar song coming from the speakers overhead. Continue reading

It was just after I posted last week’s Sunday Song that I noticed my Twitter plugin had way more activity than usual for a Sunday night. The news, of course: David Bowie was dead, age 69.

Growing up, I wasn’t much of a Bowie fan. I liked the Wallflowers’ cover of “Heroes” when it was released, and I knew of him, of course. But I also remember having a classmate in high school who was obsessed with Bowie, and how I thought that classmate was a total weirdo. Little did I realize, we were both right. Continue reading

Last night. In the wake of the news of LCD Soundsystem’s reunion, I decided to revisit the fantastic documentary about their farewell, Shut Up and Play the Hits. Continue reading

Until age 25, I never really got Bruce Springsteen. I tried. Oh, I tried.

I had the utmost respect for the man, of course. Having been born in New Jersey, how could I not? And my dad had loved him, too. But he never really clicked until I crossed from Oregon into California. Continue reading

I’m still not sure how it happened, that I wound up as the one defending Christmas songs. Continue reading

I sat down Thursday afternoon with the intent of marathoning the original Star Wars trilogy before I saw the new film yesterday. While the plan was cut short after A New Hope, it served its purpose.

(Minor spoilers for The Force Awakens ahead. Super minor.) Continue reading

Everyone creative has certain themes they inevitably return to. For Ben Gibbard, it’s distance. Continue reading

I don’t talk much about my teenage taste in music, because, well, there’s not much good to say. Continue reading

I was at my local record store this summer, perusing the racks, when I looked up to the shelves above, where the higher-priced LPs sit. There sat a copy of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s debut, Fever to Tell, at which I stared, wondering. Am I this much of a record collector?

Maybe next time, I decided. Continue reading

Two albums in as many months, two albums in a blink of an eye.

Tonight, I’m on my couch, listening to years-old Beach House instead of the new, and trying to make sense of where this year has gone. Continue reading