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Music Features

The Beach Boys forget the past in order to embrace it

In harmony
For the past 50 years, the Beach Boys have been selling myths, and we've been buying them.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | June 21, 2012

Bands from the blogosphere

BMP 2012
There were nearly 100 bands, artists, or acts nominated in the Boston edition of this year's Best Music Poll, and yet there was still a healthy debate over omissions.

By: PHOENIX STAFF | June 14, 2012

Best Boston Band of the 2012 Best Music Poll

Gentleman Hall takes top prize
Gentleman Hall takes top prize

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | June 14, 2012

Santigold remains just out of pop's reach

Make-believer
We, as music listeners, tend to think of the business of music creation as one of inspiration, perspiration, meditation, and perhaps inebriation.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | June 15, 2012

Surveying the scene at Primavera Sound

Reign in Spain
Visiting Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona felt like a sometimes-surreal glimpse into an indie rock myth: the breezy stages surrounded by the Mediterranean sea, dreamy pop bands playing at sunset, hip European music geeks speaking all different languages, late-night punk and electronic sets raging until 5 am.

By: LIZ PELLY | June 15, 2012

Loudon Wainwright III ages appropriately

Grown man
The reason why Loudon Wainwright III drives us crazy is the same reason why we love him so much.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | June 05, 2012

Chris North connects life's road maps

Collector items
The best folk albums are road albums. They're written on the road or for the road, they drop in names of states and interstates, they channel land and transience and distance.

By: NINA MASHUROVA | June 05, 2012

Road Trippin’: 25 shows across New England you need to see before Labor Day

Sounds of summer
While we agree that kicking back in a shady backyard with a plate of barbecue, a cooler of cold brews, and some good tunes spinning on the iPod deck is one hell of a way to while away a lazy summer afternoon, we'd like to suggest that you get a bit more ambitious this year.

By: PHOENIX STAFF | June 04, 2012

Dengue Fever and Omar Souleyman at the Paradise

International sounds of love
I was hoping for cross-cultural pandemonium at the Paradise's double-bill of Dengue Fever and Omar Souleyman, and the two-hour show left me mostly satisfied.

By: JON GARELICK | June 05, 2012

Seer Group players share more than music

Organ beats
Seer Group's Jason Rozen has a history of working with — and helping out — his friends.

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | May 29, 2012

The preservation of Carolina Chocolate Drops

Living history
Seeing a Carolina Chocolate Drops concert is a transformative experience — and not just because of the old-time string band's immense talents and diverse instrumentation.

By: ANNIE ZALESKI | May 29, 2012

The Cult survives rock's highs and lows

Sturdy temple
There is a difference between an unknown musical artist and a superstar, and that difference isn't necessarily musical — it's mythological.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | May 31, 2012

They ain't heavy, they're the Kirkwood Brothers

Finding out what makes the Meat Puppets tick with a new oral history
Finding out what makes the Meat Puppets tick with a new oral history

By: JAMES PARKER | May 31, 2012

WFNX dies before it gets old

Radio Silence
One of the greatest anti-establishment rallying cries of the 20th century was the notion that you can't trust anyone over the age of 30.

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | May 23, 2012

Blurring gender lines with Speedy Ortiz

Punk poetry
During a recent Allston basement show performance with her loud, grungy pop band Speedy Ortiz, Sarah Dupuis found herself surprised.

By: LIZ PELLY | May 23, 2012

The Dandy Warhols don't care what you think

Dig safe
Courtney Taylor-Taylor may be the most pretentious band douche I've ever interviewed. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

By: LUKE O'NEIL | May 24, 2012

Queering the party with the DJs of Nu Life

Beyond Gay Night
Growing up gay on Long Island, Brian Friedberg went out dancing almost every night: at all-ages clubs, raves, dancehall nights, gay hip-hop nights, gay clubs, straight clubs, and late-night joints. But he couldn't find the party he was looking for.

By: EUGENIA WILLIAMSON | May 25, 2012