[Rob In Stereo] Movie Star Moonlighting
There are many reasons for She & Him's "Volume Two" to be terrible. To begin with, the face of the group is Zooey Deschanel.
[Rob In Stereo] The Gaslight Anthem: Not Your Average Garden Variety Band
Bruce Springsteen casts a large shadow over New Jersey. Every rock band from the state needs to inevitably face comparisons to the man, no matter how similar or dissimilar their …
[Rob In Stereo] Decade In Review
It was a decade of regression in pop music. If you were to chart the quality pop albums that came out each year of the aughts, you would have a …
[Rob In Stereo] Don't Forget the Lyrics
The New Pornographers have long been the pop-music snob's dream band. It is a guitar pop band, but is also able to seamlessly add layered instrumentation and multipart harmonies when …
[Rob In Stereo] Breaking Up is Hard to Do
It's incredibly difficult to be objective about The Roots. It has been one of my favorite groups since I first heard "You Got Me" back in 1999. The song was …
[Rob In Stereo] A Desert of Seriousness
I was at a house party during the winter of 2003, and I remember noting the self-serious vibe pervading every room.
[Rob In Stereo] Music Worth Hearing
Band reunions are invariably letdowns. They are greeted with massive amounts of hype, only to result in tepid records. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones is flying counter to this.
[Rob In Stereo] Inching Toward the Present
I rolled my eyes upon first hearing Dr. Dog's flagrant aping of The Beatles and The Band. Critics' main disparagement continues to be over its derivative sound, and I was …
[Rob In Stereo] Growing Prince's Sound
Prince recently released his newest single, "Cause and Effect," (Youtube link) which is predictably tame and in keeping with the trend of his singles in recent years. It is appearing …
[Rob In Stereo] Dropping the Ball
The television event of the year is fast approaching: Super Bowl XLIV. Everyone knows that the Super Bowl is the annual perfect storm of sports, music, advertisements and pyrotechnics culminating …