Modsnap Radio

In the early 2010s, there was a surge of indie rock bands that sounded restless and ramshackle and endearingly earnest. Much of this music came out through the label Salinas Records — bands like All Dogs, Radiator Hospital, and the early Crutchfield projects P.S. Eliot and Swearin’. Joyride! were the San Francisco outpost of that sound, combining the urgency of Bay Area pop-punk denizens Jawbreaker with some twee emotionality that […]

The annual Portland-area festival known as Pickathon hasn’t exactly been annual lately. Thanks to the pandemic, Pickathon hasn’t happened since 2019. This summer, though, Pickathon will return to Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, and it’s bringing an impressively all-over-the-map lineup.

Phoebe Bridgers has a new song, “Sidelines,” featured in the upcoming Hulu show Conversations With Friends, which is an adaptation of the Sally Rooney book of the same name. You can hear a bit of it in the newly-released trailer for the show — the full song will be released this Friday. Conversations With Friends premieres on May 15.

Over the past couple years, the xx’s Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim have both released solo material — Sim just released a new song, “Fruit,” last week. Jamie xx, who was the first xx member to break out on their own with 2015’s In Colour, hasn’t been nearly so active as of late, though in 2020 he released the one-off single “Idontknow.” Today, he’s back with his first new […]

When a punk or hardcore band goes long enough without releasing any new music, it’s usually a pretty good bet that the band no longer exists. So I’m delighted to report that mouth-frothing New York punks Warthog are back in business. Warthog are led by Chris Hansell, former singer from the Men, and the band features current and former members of bands like Nude Beach, L.O.T.I.O.N., and Witchtrial. Warthog’s music […]

Two experimental music icons are teaming up for a collaborative LP. Translation From Unspecified brings together David Grubbs (Gastr Del Sol, Bastro, Squirrel Bait, etc.) and Jan St. Werner (Mouse On Mars, Microstoria, etc.). The collaboration is the result of a years-long exchange of ideas, leading up to a recording session just before the pandemic. As Drag City explains:

Next month, Sacred Bones is releasing a 15th anniversary compilation featuring some artists from the label’s roster covering one another. We’ve already heard contributions from Marissa Nadler and the Hunt, and today the label is sharing another pair of tracks. Boris has covered “Funnel Of Love,” a song originally recorded by Wanda Jackson which director Jim Jarmusch then put his own spin on with his band SQÜRL for the Only […]

It’s been three years since the California punk institution Ceremony released In The Spirit World Now, their last album. Ceremony have been consistently moving from sound to sound ever since their early powerviolence days, and In The Spirit World Now took clear inspiration from new wave in general and from early New Order in particular. In the time since that LP’s release, the members of Ceremony have kept themselves busy […]

The Fest, the annual gathering of punk bands in Gainesville, Florida around Halloween, has announced the lineup for its 20th iteration. It’s going down in venues around Gainesville this Oct. 28-30, and it once again features every punk band on Earth. Topping the bill are a whopping six veteran groups playing two sets apiece: hometown heroes Hot Water Music, Anti-Flag, Bouncing Souls, Piebald, Samiam, and the Flatliners. Also on deck […]