“Selene Luna lives in a building once inhabited by Lucille Ball, and whatever magic Ball left in the walls seems to have rubbed off. Luna radiates old Hollywood glamour, and it’s not just the kitten heels or the torpedo bra. She’s got a quirky humor reminiscent of the red-haired comedian, made naughty by a touch of Bettie Page sensuality and the girlish charm of Betty Boop. It’s that kind of presence that has made Luna one of the most recognizable faces in the city’s burlesque-revival scene.” (more…)

New Yorkers often bring their most inventive A-Games to Coney Island’s Burlesque at the Beach, a series which has been taking place at Sideshows at the Seashore for nearly fifteen years. A theme show at Coney Island is a whole other kind of magical world.

Bambi the Mermaid, for many years the co-producer of the BOTB series, has created some outrageous theme shows there, and one of my favorites so far was the Blacklight Spectacular. She begins planning some of her theme shows years in advance, and they’re just not like anything else. (more…)

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The Notwist, the German electronica outfit you might recognize from collaboration 13 & God with Themselves, are preparing to release their first proper album under the Notwist moniker in six years. Two years in the making, The Devil, You + Me will be out June 17. Until then, you can watch the video for the first single, “Where in This World,” or find the “Good Lies” mp3 available from the City Slang website. (more…)

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Video for the long version of Death Cab For Cutie’s “I Will Possess Your Heart,” the recently released single from Narrow Stairs, DCFC’s new full-length out in May 13th on Atlantic. (more…)

Pennsylvanian noisecore sextet An Albatross recently signed to Eyeball Records, a label known for “discovering” bands like Thursday, My Chemical Romance, and Murder by Death. In a web exclusive interview with Revolver, vocalist Edward B. Gieda III described their forthcoming full-length on Eyeball, entitled Blessphemy…of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite, as being “significantly more listenable, [with] a heavy emphasis on the power of the performances.” (more…)

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Video for “Eat Drugs,” titular track of the new full-length from LA prog-punks Bad Dudes out April 15th on Retard Disco. The dudes will be on tour for most of the summer promoting the delightful Eat Drugs, some of which can already be sampled on their myspace page. For links and tourdates,  (more…)

When the Golden Gate was built, the San Francisco Chronicle called it a thirty-five-million-dollar steel harp. Its chief engineer, Joseph B. Strauss, probably didn’t mind. In fact, he seemed to think so too, writing, “As harps for the winds of heaven / my weblike cables are spun.”

Australia’s Glebe Island Bridge elicited a similar response in budding sound artist Jodi Rose. “When I was at art school in ’95, I would drive by the Glebe Island Bridge (Anzac Bridge) every day and it just looked like a giant harp to me.”
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Stephin Merritt is a quirky and frighteningly prolific singer, songwriter, and multitalented musician whose multiple projects include solo work, four bands (The Magnetic Fields, Future Bible Heroes, The Gothic Archies, and the Sixths), musical theater productions, and film scores. Merritt has recorded a number of songs and albums as a solo artist (including a variation on the classic children’s song “The Wheels on the Bus,” for a recent Volvo commercial), but he is best known for his work with The Magnetic Fields, the group he founded in 1989 while living in Boston. Though the band’s lineup has changed over the years, Merritt has always retained the role of primary composer, lyricist, and arranger. (more…)

Prog-based post-punk outfit Coheed and Cambria wrote the final chapter to its long-standing concept series with just one album. But for the New York-based act, the terminus of its own story almost became reality before its album storyline could be completed. (more…)

As soon as I entered Austin’s Encore Records, I should have surrendered my credit card at the door. Whose great idea was it to leave me unattended in a record store for six hours? The Austin, Texas independent music retailer (and DVD rental location) has one of the country’s best selections of metal and hardcore, as well as an impressive selection of music from local artists. Of course “local” in these parts means Roky Erickson and Scratch Acid, but that’s a story for another time. (more…)