Email Author Tom Murphy

2008 Stories by Tom Murphy

• Hot Robots at the hi-dive

  published October 30, 2008

  Lots of bands try to do exactly what Hot Robots already do extremely well — that is, write solid, hooky, intelligent pop music. On... More >>

• Diplo's helping lay the groundwork for the new international underground

  published October 23, 2008

  Hip-hop evangelist, entrepreneurial philanthropist, talented producer and DJ extraordinaire Diplo (aka Wesley Pentz) came to international... More >>

• My Sister Outlaw at the Lion's Lair

  published October 23, 2008

  Formed in early 2005, My Sister Outlaw began life as the Sirens but played only one show under that name before switching to its current... More >>

• Matthew Sweet

  published October 16, 2008

  Early on, Matthew Sweet had the good fortune to team up with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, as well as with his sister Lynda's band, Oh-OK. But being... More >>

• Colder Than Fargo

  published October 16, 2008

  Colder Than Fargo has never released a less than excellent record, and Gentlemen Please! is no exception. Displaying a notable level of... More >>

• No High Fives to Bullshit at Old Curtis Street

  published October 16, 2008

  On first blush, the music these guys make sounds a whole lot like a poppier version of the melodic hardcore we've heard in this town for the... More >>

• Spontaneity is a big part of Stereolab's approach to making music

  published October 9, 2008

  Among the most critically acclaimed and widely known of experimental bands, Stereolab combines thoughtful social commentary with breathtakingly... More >>

• Meet two central figures in Denver's burgeoning underground scene

  published October 9, 2008

  Travis Egedy, who performs under the name Pictureplane, is becoming one of the more well-known figures in the underground scene, having been... More >>

• Yngwie Malmsteen

  published October 9, 2008

  As much the butt of jokes as an icon — and deservedly so on both counts — Yngwie Malmsteen burst into the world of international... More >>

• Requiem in Black

  published October 9, 2008

  Requiem in Black isn't breaking new ground with this release, but it's an artistic breakthrough for the band. A lot of the more recent goth and... More >>

• Modern Witch at Glob Glob Glob

  published October 9, 2008

  Mario Zoots and Kristy Fenton, the duo behind Modern Witch, are better known in the world of visual art. Just the same, on their first... More >>

• The Stnnng

  published October 2, 2008

  Too artsy to really fit in with the hardcore scene, Minneapolis's the Stnnng doesn't even bother to try. The act's jagged energy, sweeping... More >>

• Gritch

  published October 2, 2008

  The members of Gritch were definitely on to something titling their debut full-length The World Was Asleep... The music presented here... More >>

• Amicable Splits at the Skylark

  published October 2, 2008

  In an era when most punk rock is connect-the-dots, the Amicable Splits stand out with a sound that borrows from the raw and shredded... More >>

• Primasonic at Larimer lounge

  published September 25, 2008

  Many punk-rock purveyors of musical mayhem spout lyrics that make them sound like a bunch of idiots who are only in it to get drunk and maybe... More >>

• James

  published September 25, 2008

  James and its luminous folk pop certainly fits in sonically with the rich tradition of great rock music from Manchester. Although the outfit... More >>

• Runway Estates

  published September 25, 2008

  Runway Estates refuses to wallow in any particular musical genre, which may throw some folks. As the group moves effortlessly from sun-dappled,... More >>

• Ponytail: Baltimore's happy accident

  published September 25, 2008

  Ponytail didn't come together like most bands. The original five members were randomly chosen by poet Jeremy Sigler to collaborate on music.... More >>

• Chrome/Helios Creed

  published September 18, 2008

  Chrome was one of the most influential experimental bands, presaging the harsh, angular, mechanistic songwriting that would become industrial... More >>

• The Fire Drills

  published September 18, 2008

  It's refreshing to hear a band that's not trying to be clever or more innovative than its peers. That said, the straightahead power pop of the... More >>

• Frantix at Wax Trax

  published September 18, 2008

  Punk rock hit the musical world like a bomb in the mid-'70s, and the reverberations of that artistic eruption were felt even in places like... More >>

• Future Islands

  published September 11, 2008

  With its fusing of the best of analog and early digital synth-based music with a modern aesthetic, Baltimore's Future Islands might seem like a... More >>

• The Slants

  published September 11, 2008

  There's no right way to make a splash in the world of music, and Portland's Slants definitely didn't take the route one would expect of an... More >>

• To Be Eaten

  published September 11, 2008

  On this latest To Be Eaten release, the band proves once again that it can play razor-precise riffs and rhythms while infusing each song with a... More >>

• Young Coyotes

  published September 11, 2008

  A lot of former emo-turned-indie-rock kids take a bad turn when they get bored with the artistic limitations of punk rock's bastard child.... More >>