Music

Even if they vehemently deny it, the oft–costumed, mascara–wearing lads of My Chemical Romance have become the essence of all things “emo.” Their 2006 mega–hit concept album, The Black Parade, gave voice to a disgruntled sect of disaffected teenage suburbanites.
October 21, 2010 at 3:23 am

Release your inner awkward teen in First Unitarian Church’s basement. There’s nothing like the basement of First Unitarian Church to send you back to the days of awkward school dances.
October 21, 2010 at 3:21 am

Belle & Sebastian forgo the lyricism, focus on the instrumentation on their latest. There was a time, back in 1996 or 1997, when the hi–fi grandiosity of Belle & Sebastian’s Write About Love would have seemed ridiculous to the band’s growing fan base.
October 21, 2010 at 3:17 am

Southern rockers pursue a chiller state on their fifth record. It was hard to imagine what Kings of Leon would produce as a follow up to 2008’s Only by the Night. The album was a vastly successful yet drastic break from their former Southern Rock aesthetic that garnered them multitudes of awards and new fans.
October 21, 2010 at 3:09 am

We couldn’t be more excited for Local Natives to hit Penn’s campus. Hailing from Silver Lake, CA, the band made waves last year for their globally-inspired indie–folk sound on Gorilla Manor.
October 21, 2010 at 3:06 am

Labyrinth may be the scariest children’s movie ever made — what better inspiration to draw from when designing your gates, Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall? Prepare to be transported back to the film that gave you nightmares when you were six as you pass through the gates of Penn’s most smoker–friendly facility. As you no doubt fondly remember, our heroine Jennifer Connelly finds herself in quite the pickle in the 1986 flick when she falls through a trap door and is greeted by the “Helping Hands” — disembodied digits who “save” her from plummeting to her death. “Up or down?” they innocently ask, feeling poor Connelly up under the guise of rescuing her. Fears of molestation may grip one as they enter Addams.
October 14, 2010 at 2:49 am

We know how confusing music tech can be — it mostly consists of terms that only a handful of people could possibly understand.
October 14, 2010 at 2:33 am

“Like A G6” is one of those songs that crept up on us. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the Auto–tune–soaked track shot up the Billboard charts, and is currently sitting pretty at number two.
October 14, 2010 at 2:30 am

The key to the Trocadero is in the details: the way the parquet floor seems to wobble slightly as the crowd jumps up and down, the intricate red design on the decorative curtain, the Christmas lights that hang from the side balconies.
October 14, 2010 at 2:11 am

Stevens’s goes bigger on his latest LP, with less interesting results. It is undoubtedly a statement to release a one–hour–and–fifteen–minute–long record — it implies a burning need to be heard, or at the very least an abundance of musical ideas.
October 14, 2010 at 1:32 am

“Radioactive,” the newest effort from the reigning Top 40 champs Kings of Leon, isn’t a radical departure from their tried-and-true musical style, but it does reflect the aspirations of a band clearly energized by their status.
September 30, 2010 at 2:28 am

On Neil Young’s latest studio album, appropriately entitled Le Noise, he reminds us of where he’s been and where he can go.
September 30, 2010 at 2:23 am

Last week, super-diva Jennifer Lopez, wacky rocker Steven Tyler and music industry vet Jimmy Iovine were announced as the new American Idol judges, joining longtime Idol kingpin Randy Jackson.
September 30, 2010 at 2:18 am

It was easy to miss the release of “White Moon,” even for discerning indie fans: the track was snuck in the middle of an iTunes Session EP that came out a month ago.
September 30, 2010 at 2:16 am

Stemming from the off-brand glamour of South Street, the TLA has come into its own as one of the city’s most venerable music venues.
September 30, 2010 at 2:11 am

As one of those rare producers who become visible stars, Mark Ronson is constantly setting high expectations.
September 30, 2010 at 1:53 am

As a teenager, I had a minor love affair with Ted Leo. His pop punk anthems soundtracked my learning to drive, I never missed one of his frequent D.C.
September 30, 2010 at 1:49 am

Street: How has the tour been going? Charles Spearin: Good. It seems like a never ending tour.
September 23, 2010 at 4:57 am

Most guilty pleasures are more “embarrassing pleasures,” but I really do feel guilty for liking R.
September 23, 2010 at 4:46 am

Wake Up! sounds like a match made in heaven: alumnus crooner John Legend got together with Philly favorite The Roots for a politically driven covers album.
September 23, 2010 at 4:43 am