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MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER

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Rex Brown delivers the word on Pantera

“No holds barred” and “warts and all” are typical qualifiers when it comes to rock-and-roll memoirs, but rarely do they fulfill the promise.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | March 20, 2013

Photos: DeVotchKa at the House of Blues

DeVotchKa performs live at the House of Blues on March 9, 2013.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | March 13, 2013

What's F'n Next? Alt-J

Leeds, United Kingdom
Bands that have taken home the United Kingdom's Mercury Prize in the past have included Suede, Pulp, Primal Scream, and Arctic Monkeys.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 26, 2013

Shout Out Louds | Optica

Merge Records (2013)
Stockholm's Shout Out Louds have always been a curious but consistent act.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 26, 2013

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Brooklyn, New York
Most people are probably sick to death of Brooklyn being a hipster's paradise where dinks with moustaches tatted on their fingers drive fixed-gear bikes to Williamsburg bars to pay $6.50 for a can of PBR.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 20, 2013

What's F'n Next? Bad Books

Atlanta, Georgia
Andy Hull is doing just fine with the introspective and sometimes angst-tinged alt-rock of Manchester Orchestra, and Brooklyn-based Kevin Devine has built up a solid following with his own singer/songwriter thing.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 12, 2013

The Year Million mature into the now

Cellars by Starlight
It's a chilly winter night in Allston, and I'm huddled around a table at Deep Ellum with the Year Million, discussing the band's just-released EP Broken Circuits .

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 12, 2013

Frightened Rabbit | Pedestrian Verse

Atlantic Records (2013)
Worrywarts who were stressed about Frightened Rabbit making the major-label jump after three well-received indie full-lengths and a pair of EPs can quit fretting.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 11, 2013

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What's F'n Next? King Tuff

Sounding like the bastard offspring of T. Rex and Alex Chilton, King Tuff's self-titled second album and first for the iconic Sub Pop label was one of the more pleasant surprises of last year.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | January 14, 2013

Quicksand rises from the '90s

There are two ways to go about being a post-hardcore band from the '90s.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | December 28, 2012

Chad Stokes empowers his radio

Cellars by Starlight
To say that this is a busy time for Chad Stokes is an understatement.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | December 12, 2012

Memory Tapes | Grace/Confusion

Carpark Records (2012)
It was a mad bummer when Philly's synth-infused post-punk outfit Hail Social quietly called it a day a half-decade ago after just two inspired releases.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | December 04, 2012

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Gaslight Anthem still burns

Four records in and still suffering the endless comparison treatment, it's high time folks started to let the Gaslight Anthem exist on its own merits, without the looming specter of that iconic fellow Garden State native.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | November 21, 2012

Ash names the alphabet

Do you remember the time I knew a girl from Mars? Probably not, since that Ash hit was from eons ago. But Ash frontman Tim Wheeler does remember, checking in via phone from London.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | November 16, 2012

Soundgarden | King Animal

Seven Four Entertainment/Republic (2012)
Soundgarden have long been the most-likely grunge outfit to reunite; the only surprise here is that it took this long for them to get their shit together.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | November 07, 2012

The Soft Moon | Zeros

Captured Tracks (2012)
Feeling disassociated, darkened, distressed, or just plain different this fall? Don't fret or suffer like the only hope out there for getting lost musically is by listening to early Depeche Mode or jumping on the Kraftwerk revival bandwagon.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | October 24, 2012

Bat For Lashes | The Haunted Man

Capitol/Parlophone (2012)
It's no myth that artists tend to struggle with the dreaded second-album slump, but less clichéd and much more real is the third-album choke — especially when previous releases are so critically acclaimed.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | October 18, 2012

The Walkmen fill in the gaps

Nothing on the seventh Walkmen release is remotely as jarring as their 2004 masterpiece, "The Rat," a song that had frontman Hamilton Leithauser howling over frenetic guitars and a wildly crashing drumbeat.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | October 10, 2012

Frightened Rabbit ready to emerge

It's always annoying when a band is touted as "the next big thing," especially when they've been around pumping out great stuff for years and then suddenly everyone is talking about them like the stork dropped them off that morning — see Bon Iver winning a Best New Artist Grammy this year, five years after their debut came out.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | October 02, 2012