Email Author Rob van Alstyne

2013 Stories by Rob van Alstyne

• Christopher Owens

  published June 5, 2013

  The ex-frontman of San Francisco outfit Girls, Christopher Owens left guitar-driven rock band-dom behind to dive into sumptuous orchestral pop on... More >>

• Mikal Cronin

  published June 5, 2013

  Mikal Cronin's sophomore album, MCII, marks the 27-year-old as a power-pop classicist able to deftly shift gears from light and jangly to... More >>

• Junip

  published June 5, 2013

  Swedish singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez first gained international attention by stunningly retrofitting the Knife's electro-pop song "Heartbeats"... More >>

• Atlas Genius

  published May 29, 2013

  Atlas Genius's catchy first single "Trojans" went viral online before the Australian quartet had even finished self-recording their debut. Thus,... More >>

• The Hush Sound

  published May 29, 2013

  Weirdly lumped in with the emo-loving teen scene by dint of their signing to Fueled by Ramen records, Illinois outfit the Hush Sound were far from... More >>

• Savoir Adore

  published May 29, 2013

  Brooklyn indie-pop duo Savoir Adore sound simultaneously dreamy and danceable on their excellent third album, Our Nature, soon to be given... More >>

• Foals

  published May 15, 2013

  Foals' previous two records established the Oxford-reared quintet as top-shelf acolytes of twitchy Talking Heads-inspired post-punk. Their just... More >>

• Telekinesis

  published May 15, 2013

  So far Michael Benjamin Lerner has had an enviable career arc in the indie-rock world. On Dormarion, his third album recording as one-man... More >>

• Shout Out Louds

  published May 15, 2013

  Swedish rock 'n' roll ambassadors Shout Out Louds sound like a band in transition on their first album in three years, Optica. No longer... More >>

• Bethany Larson & the Bee's Knees

  published May 15, 2013

  For most people, heartbreak leads only toward paralysis, marathon cushion-cradling crying sessions, or, at best, an uptick in unproductive... More >>

• The Thermals

  published May 8, 2013

  Both political and pogo-friendly, riotously riffing pop-punk trio the Thermals have always been comfortable squeezing big ideas into short and... More >>

• Professor Blastoff

  published May 8, 2013

  Though the world of comedy podcasts tends to be insular and cultish, Professor Blastoff qualifies as a bona fide big deal. A key player in... More >>

• Joe Mande

  published May 8, 2013

  Since graduating from St. Paul Central High School in 2001 with a class-clown credit to his name, Joe Mande hasn't wasted any time making his... More >>

• Daughter

  published May 8, 2013

  Echoing a melody-minded crossbreed of Cat Power and the XX, buzzy British trio Daughter soundtracked steamy Grey's Anatomy scenes and... More >>

• Damien Jurado

  published May 8, 2013

  Though he releases records at a feverish pace, veteran folkie Damien Jurado creates songs that have always cast a slow-burning spell. Over the... More >>

• The Veils

  published May 1, 2013

  Fresh-faced Rough Trade records rookies a decade ago, London-based shadow-rockers the Veils have endured a near constant churn of members and... More >>

• Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band

  published April 24, 2013

  Written and recorded in the wake of the collapse of his marriage, Josh Ritter's latest album, The Beast in Its Tracks, is unsurprisingly... More >>

• Nick Drake's Musical Legacy with Haley Bonar, Mason Jennings

  published April 17, 2013

  British folkie Nick Drake's stature seems only to grow with each passing year since his tragic death in 1974 at age 26 from an antidepressant... More >>

• Joey Ryan & the Inks EP-release show

  published April 17, 2013

  Now five years and two albums into their ascent on the local scene, indie-pop quintet Joey Ryan & the Inks (whose frontman is employed here at... More >>

• Phosphorescent

  published April 9, 2013

  Matthew Houck's decade-long run as Phosphorescent has seen him set his cracked twang to both tried-and-true cowboy sounds with 2009's Willie... More >>

• Jamie Lidell

  published April 2, 2013

  A 39-year-old pasty Englishman with production skills and a soulful set of pipes, Jamie Lidell may not look the part of suave potential Prince... More >>

• Bethany Larson & the Bee's Knees

  published April 2, 2013

  For most people, heartbreak leads only toward paralysis, marathon cushion-cradling crying sessions, or, at best, an uptick in unproductive... More >>

• Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

  published March 27, 2013

  While Thao Nguyen and her backing band the Get Down Stay Down first wowed critics with a record featuring finely wrought folk-pop (2008's stellar... More >>

• Hayden

  published March 27, 2013

  A prized singer-songwriter in his native Canada, Hayden Desser boasts a significantly smaller, but feverishly devoted, cult stateside. Fans on... More >>

• Har Mar Superstar

  published March 27, 2013

  Alternately praised and dismissed for his decade-long run as an ironic, '80s-loving R&B lothario, Minnesota native and current NYC resident Sean... More >>