John Taylor

Exclusive Video Premiere and Interview: ‘Vacation,’ Bas

August 26, 2014

In the video for “Vacation,” Bas, the 27-year-old Queens rapper best known for his affiliation with childhood friend and labelmate J. Cole, is standing in a subway car departing First Avenue and 14th Street.

The Philosophy of Cormega

July 22, 2014

It’s truly a strange time to be a hip-hop fan. The Roots perform nightly from an NBC soundstage as Jimmy Fallon’s house band; Kanye West wears masks made of diamonds and is happily married to a reality star; Jay Z lands multimillion dollar deals with Samsung while rapping about how awesome his wife is; Common costars in a Western cable drama; the seventh-best-selling album of last year belongs to a former Degrassi star.

Party Politics: Andrew W.K. x Phillip Crandall

May 23, 2014

Interview spoke with Andrew W.K. at home in Manhattan, where he was joined via conference call with the author Phillip Crandall, who devoted an entire book, the latest in the 33 1/3 series, to the events leading up to and surrounding the release of I Get Wet.

Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Talk Shop,’ Duologue

November 4, 2013

Thanks to London’s Duologue, music videos are fun again.

Vic Mensa, Committed to Tape

October 1, 2013

Vic Mensa’s Innanetape, out this week, is a zany, delightful journey through the annals of Chicago’s burgeoning hip-hop scene.

Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Am I Crazy,’ The Physics

September 17, 2013

“Am I Crazy,” which we’re pleased to debut, eschews hip-hop shit-talking in favor of something deep and reflective.

Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Papa Says,’ Britt Warner

August 27, 2013

Britt Warner was seven years old when she packed her things and left home. Placing the essentials in her ruby red Radio Flyer wagon—Casio keyboard, Fisher Price tape recorder (“with microphone,” she adds), Hello Kitty diary, a blanket, and as many Capri Suns as the wagon would carry—Warner journeyed from the front door of the family household to the end of the driveway, where, away from the scorching Los Angeles sun, she set up camp beneath the shade of a eucalyptus tree.

King Krule’s Lunar Eclipse

August 22, 2013

“I use the train time for thinking,” says Marshall, who records under the alias King Krule, as the doors close behind him. Stepping aboard the Bakerloo Line heading southbound, he’s accompanied by two friends, back in town to help an old schoolmate move out of what was once his bedroom.

The Super Lindy Booth

August 14, 2013

Lindy Booth had already been working alongside Jim Carrey for two days when she was finally able to gather up the courage to introduce herself.

Porcelain Raft, Without Fear

August 12, 2013

At 40, Mauro Remiddi has lived a life that many novelists could only dream of: he’s assumed the part of Italian music ambassador to North Korea, undertaken restless vagabond touring throughout Europe with an accordion and a circus troupe for company, and, most recently, been an accomplished Londoner fronting a moderately successful indie-rock quintet.

Discovery: Bonzie

August 6, 2013

It’s been a long but thrilling week for the 17-year-old Wisconsin native, who only hours before our meeting was a time zone away in California, opening for Iron & Wine. Tomorrow she will meet and record with famed producer Steve Albini.

Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Big Star,’ Juliette Commagere

July 22, 2013

Juliette Commagere’s “Big Star,” which we’re pleased to debut, is dazzling: whether by a fireworks display of strings and snares, Commagere’s startlingly confident alto, or offbeat material—”Flying high in the dark / we won’t come down,” she swoons in character as a unicorn—the L.A. native comes across as a fully formed artist poised for her close-up.

Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Void Ripper,’ Infinity Shred

July 1, 2013

The story is simple enough: a guy walks into a bar, gets his ass kicked, returns with a hunting rifle, and kills everyone.

Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Freckles,’ You Me & Us

June 11, 2013

Citing the highly Instagrammable imagery (“The waves, the waves…”) of their sun-splashed California peers, You Me & Us riff on an otherwise blasé formula by channeling it via a sea of elegiac sonic distortion.

Discovery: Nylo

May 15, 2013

Nylo’s big break arrived in the form of a near car accident.

Nick Offerman Interviews Chris Baio

May 14, 2013

When the time came to critically dissect Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend’s latest musical offering, Interview immediately requested the efforts of Baio’s real life friend and West Coast correspondent, Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman.

Chance the Rapper Drops Acid

April 30, 2013

Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap, premiering today via his own website—Chance is currently unsigned—layers elements of gospel, juke, and neo-soul upon the free form textures of 2012’s #10Day to create a sound that sticks out from Chicago’s wildly popular trap scene like a sore thumb.

Discovery: Lulu James

April 8, 2013

“I always wanted to be a forensic scientist,” scoffs Lulu James in the silkiest of Tanzanian accents. “I just didn’t have the brains to do it, so I had to fall back on music.”

Caitlin Rose is Blessed

April 1, 2013

Caitlin Rose first heard London calling in the form of a simple MySpace message. “At first I thought, MySpace,” she says, laughing. “Who does that?”

The Bewitching Emmy Rossum

February 14, 2013

Emmy Rossum next appears in Beautiful Creatures, Hollywood’s most recent foray into YA fiction and Twilight successor hopeful. Adapted from the book of the same name, Creatures gleefully purposes the Stephenie Meyer formula as Southern Fried Gothic—with steamy, vibrant New Orleans replacing dour Seattle; sassy witches assuming the role once held by brooding vampires and werewolves; and a forbidden romance prompted by girl rather than boy.