The latest album from Death Cab for Cutie continues the recent trend of alternative artists who explore the sonic depths of the 1980s. The result is a very enjoyable record. 'Kintsugi' releases on March 31.

Performing in an arena like the Target Center can be a tough challenge for an artist to overcome. With all of that empty open space lingering between the stage and the sloping tiers of seats, it can be a downright Herculean task to convey any kind of authentic human emotion to the sea of people…

Prince is being sued by a producer named Jolene Cherry, who claims that Prince’s release of an album he produced for Judith Hill violates a contract that Cherry has with Hill. Meanwhile, Hill has filed her own suit against Cherry, arguing that Hill is “an independent artist, not bound by contract to anyone.” (Rolling Stone) The night before Prince…

2015 marks First Avenue’s 45th year of bringing world-renowned artists to the heart of the Twin Cities. We’re telling the stories of performers who have earned their places on the venue’s legendary Wall of Stars. Past features highlighted Babes in Toyland, Har Mar Superstar, Outkast, and Hüsker Dü. With their 30th anniversary show in the Entry tonight, next up are local…

Happy Friday! Here’s a handful of brand spanking new music videos to help your Friday afternoon fly by a little faster. Are you keeping up with these Hippo Campus guys?? Hippo Campus With a Conan appearance under their belt and a just-announced appearance at Lollapalooza on the horizon, this St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts-reared quartet are…

“I’ve always been a big fan of music,” said Jade as we sat in the Minnesota Public Radio atrium last week. “I’ve never been able to play instruments, though—and I have a horrible singing voice.” Short of actually making music, though, Jade has spent her career doing just about everything else possible to get awesome sounds out…

When the door at 425 Portland Avenue clicks shut behind longtime Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream today, he’ll not only be saying farewell to the building where he started his professional journalism career 40 years ago. He will also be parting with a monstrous collection of 25,000 vinyl albums and thousands of CDs that…

Vulture asked Brian Wilson to comment on rumors that he’d been collaborating with Frank Ocean and Lana Del Rey for his new album Pier Pressure, on which neither of the two appear. “Frank Ocean didn’t want to do the song,” explained Wilson. “He wanted to do rap, so we canceled him. Lana Del Rey, uh, she just canceled out on…

Local singer-songwriter Steve Noonan released his newest record, I Could Be Anywhere, last month. It’s his first full-length record following two EPs, Steve Noonan and A Mile Long. Though Noonan’s career as a songwriter began around 2008, his work in the local music scene extends quite a bit further back. He attended Berklee College of Music…

With their new album Strangers to Ourselves still new on record store shelves, Modest Mouse have confirmed that their next album will come out next year—and that it will feature a contribution by Krist Novoselic of Nirvana. Novoselic says the bass riff he played for the band is “pretty edgy.” (NME) Watch Modest Mouse perform “Be Brave” on The Late Late…