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The Ten Best Country Albums of 2012

By Alan Scherstuhl This list of the year's best country albums is assembled with two important premises in mind: First: If the people who record and listen to these records consider them country, than they're damn well country. Purists who argue that country should still sound like '68, '76, '84 or ... More >>

Zubaz Unleashed!

The rise, fall, and imminent rebirth of the zebra-striped wonderpants

Edina's Southdale Center named one of "10 Buildings That Changed America"

The Mall of America might lure tourists from all over the world and boast a bajillion stores, but Edina's Southdale Center has history, and the folks at PBS think it's kind of a big deal. The nation's first enclosed regional shopping center, Southdale has been named one of the "10 Buildings That Cha ... More >>

Martin Zellar releasing Roosters Crow at Fine Line

​Artists and bands alike rarely reach the age of maturity before they putter out or break up.  Not so for Austin, Minnesota native Martin Zellar -- who has been making music since the early '80s.  Zellar will be releasing his first album of original music since 2003 after a hiatus that h ... More >>

Rascall Flatts, Dale Watson, and the ghost of Gram Parsons

Photo by Nikki MillerGram Parsons Memorial, located outside Room 8 of the Joshua Tree Inn​This morning, I'm drinking coffee outside a motel 28 hours southwest of Minneapolis, and two hours east of the L.A. freeways. The coffee's thin and weak, but I slept well in spite of an evening spent gett ... More >>

Top 10 most ridiculous country songs of 2010

​We combed the Top 40 to bring you the bad, the badder, and the baddest of country music's biggest hits of 2010. You don't listen to country? Here's what you've been missing out on. (Quietly, though, I'm hoping this won't turn you off of nu-country; I kinda like some of this stuff. Shhhhh... ... More >>

Alec Soth, Kevin Kramp, Robyn, and more: Artists of the year

Influential artists of 2010

Prince Welcomes New Jersey 2 America at the IZOD Center

Photo by Nicole Ankowski for the Village Voice​Prince's Welcome 2 America "tour" (he's playing in New Jersey and New York) kicked off last night in East Rutherford, New Jersey's IZOD Center (like the pants, yes...and no, it's doubtful the Minnesnowta Yoda's full-length purple leather coat will be ... More >>

Man caught shoplifting says he learned some skills on YouTube

Maybe he was embarrassed that his sweet plan failed him, but the man allegedly told officers that he learned how to make his shoplifting gear from a video on YouTube.

Harbor View Cafe, Norton's, and Nosh are great road-trip restaurants

Finish with dessert at Stockholm Pie Company—pie so good you'll cry

'SFU': R.I.P.

The Last Rites of a 'Six Feet Under' fanatic

Of Micronauts and Men

The coolest toys of the 1970s return to our universe

One Foot in the Grave

A melancholic Beck waxes fatalistic on 'Sea Change'

Radio Radio

We search the airwaves for signs of intelligent life

The Coy and the Tarts

Haunted House

Chicago trackmaster Green Velvet burns down house music with wickedly funny anti-anthems

Brought to You By

We interrupt this class for some important messages

Healthy Happy Holidays

The Media in all its Past, Present, and Future Glory

Taken for granted and foregone?

Bubba Head

There is a certain poetic justice in seeing the president who made Family Values the central theme of his re-election brought low by his own reckless philandering.

Call of the Bell

Gap Kids