Thursday, September 2, 2010 12:40 pm

By Jennifer D'Angelo Friedman

You don’t listen to Lost in the Trees if you’re in the mood for something light and fluffy.

For their second album, “All Alone in an Empty House,” the band’s soft-spoken founder, 29-year-old Ari Picker, has drawn on his parents’ turbulent marriage and divorce, his late mother’s mental illness (she passed away just over a year ago), and the death of his twin sisters at birth (before he was born). Lyrics such as “I spent my whole life on you/And I built you a gorgeous house/to put up with your bitched mouth” are brought to life by a seven-piece orchestra.

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Tags: All Alone in an Empty House, Arcade Fire, Ari Picker, Atom Heart Mother, Beach Boys, Beatles, Chopin, I Heart Huckabees, James Van Der Beek, Joni Mitchel, Lost in the Trees, Neutral Milk Hotel, Orson Wells, Paul McCartney, Phantom of the Opera, PINK FLOYD, Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou, Vivaldi, Wes Anderson

Posted in BANDWIDTH

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 5:37 pm

By Christine Lusey

A week ago we took a look at Harmonix’s upcoming “Rock Band 3” game and its new keytar accessory, but filmmaker and musician Freddie Wong envisions a future for music gaming that seems right out of a sci-fi film.

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Tags: Freddie Wong, harmonix, Holodeck, Rock Band, Rock Band 3

Posted in GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 6:01 am

Tags: Goo Goo Dolls, Heart, Richard Thompson, Ryan Bingham, The Weepies

Posted in PLAY > SKIP

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 6:00 am

By Shawn Amos

Receiving an Oscar can make or break a man. Ryan Bingham has covered the gold statue in dust, left it on the shelf, closed the door to Hollywood, and locked himself up with the ghosts of Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, and a young Bob Dylan. The 12 songs that make up “Junky Star” are weary, worn, and sung by a man with a hundred years of regret caught in his throat. Ryan Bingham’s songs will still be around long after the Oscar glow is gone. This dude is writing for the ages.

WATCH a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Junky Star.”

Tags: Crazy Heart, Junky Star, Oscar, Ryan Bingham, The Dead Horses, The Weary Kind

Posted in PLAY > SKIP

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 6:00 am

By Shawn Amos

It’s been four years since Goo Goo Dolls’ last album, “Let Love In.” Not much has changed. For the millions of Goo Goo Dolls fans, each album is a new frontier in post-alt rock paradise. For me, it’s just another collection of mid-tempo, corporate rock tunes. If someone can explain why I need to listen to any Goo Goo Dolls song other than “Name,” please let me know.

WATCH Goo Goo Dolls’ music video for “Home.”

Tags: Goo Goo Dolls, Home, Something for the Rest of Us

Posted in PLAY > SKIP