Depeche Mode, 'Sounds of the Universe' (Mute/Capitol/Virgin)
Iconic gloom merchants mellow out -- somberly.
By Mikael Wood 04.17.09 8:43 AM
This is Depeche Mode's 12th studio album, but it's only the second they've released since the dance-rock style they helped invent caught fire among crate-digging hipsters half their age.
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Peter Bjorn and John, 'Living Thing' (Almost Gold/Startime)
Success makes a mess of not-so-young folks' lives.
By Melissa Maerz 04.06.09 11:27 AM
Two years ago, this Swedish trio scored an international smash with "Young Folks," an indie-pop sleeper so relentlessly upbeat that everyone from Kanye West to Budweiser whistled its refrain. But now, as fans await another breezy hit, PB&J take a dark turn, as if consumed by success-story guilt.
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The Thermals, 'Now We Can See' (Kill Rock Stars)
Punk's peppiest diehards scream from the grave.
By Melissa Maerz 03.30.09 2:33 PM
Call it Songs in the Key of Death. Written from a corpse's perspective, these Portland, Oregon punks' fourth album celebrates the joys of being young and alive: drinking, snogging, and writing three-chord odes to drinking and snogging.
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The Warner Music/YouTube Breakup and the Future of Online Video
As a major label struggles to maintain revenue streams in the digital age, will artists ultimately suffer?
By Abigail Everdell 03.26.09 10:41 AM
Last Christmas Eve, singer Amanda Palmer posted a message on her blog: "If you hadn't noticed, all of the Dresden Dolls and Amanda Palmer official videos have been taken off YouTube. I loved my videos. Now they are gone...Did I mention that being on a major label is starting to seem like...not such a grand idea?"
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The Inquisition: Tough Questions for Martin Gore
"I think we've done pretty well," says the Depeche Mode songwriter. "If God was judging us, I think he'd give us a seven."
By Marc Spitz 03.26.09 10:32 AM
Dave Gahan may be the voice and snaky hips in front, but it's Martin Gore, with his choirboy vocals, perverse stage getups, and hyper-emotional songwriting, who provides Depeche Mode with its dark heartbeat.
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Hot New Band: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Playful Seattle quintet taunt bloggers with fake PSAs, satiate them with boisterous guitar rock.
By Tim Appelo 03.26.09 10:22 AM
It's safe to say that most bands are in touch with their inner child, but Seattle indie rockers Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band have an actual adolescent keeping the beat: Marshall Verdoes, 14. "He destroyed drum sets when he was two," says bandleader Benjamin Verdoes, 27, whose mother adopted Marshall as a baby.
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