The Magnetic Fields

The 5 Worst Cover Albums of All Time

I think when they're just starting out, every musician dreams of making a cover album at some point down the road. We all have our favorite songs that we wish we had written and we all fantasize about singing and playing them ourselves. It's why karaoke bars exist. Of course, everyone thinks they w ... More >>

Lawndale's Stellar Studio Show

Three resident artists put on a strong group show.

Robert A. Heinlein: Can You Grok This Playlist?

It was on this day in 1988 that science fiction lost one of its most brilliant and influential voices to emphysema and heart failure. Robert A. Heinlein was the man who wrote legendary novels like Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and the Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. All in all, more than ... More >>

Van Halen, the New Walter's and Radiohead: Things We're Looking Forward to in 2012

Photo by Mark C. AustinRadiohead returns and we're stoked. Do people say "stoked" anymore?​There was a lot to be thankful for in 2011 in the world of music, but, in some ways, it was also a pretty tough year. We lost some great people and almost lost one of our own. It's a crazy, topsy turvy w ... More >>

Ukuleles: Suddenly The Hippest Instrument Going

​Trends in music can be as prevalent - and subsequently fleeting - as they are in fashion. Though the eagerness to join trendy-indie bandwagons can be puzzling, music's most recent instrumental trend, the ukulele, grabbed our attention, especially after SXSW. Among the dozens of SXSW-related ... More >>

Peter Gabriel Coming To Houston June 16

​It's been eight years since former Genesis front man and mainstream avant-garde pop artist Peter Gabriel has performed in Houston, and on June 16 he will remedy that with what is sure to be a sold-out affair at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Last Saturday on his official Web site, Gabr ... More >>

Top 10 Double Albums That Should Have Stayed Single

​Not all double albums should have been double albums, just as some albums had to be double albums in order for their point to be made. Each case is different with each band or artist. The Who's Tommy and Quadrophenia had to be double albums to tell their stories of teenage wastelands and po ... More >>

Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!

He Said She Said: Breakup Songs to Help You Bawl

We've all been there, in the throes of a breakup so bad you fear you'll end up dying alone or in jail: Crying so hard your eyes are chapped and red, throat sore and aching from sobbing, hair matted from days without a shower and nails chewed to the quick. Your friends are tired of hearing you rehas ... More >>

John Mayer Is Full of Crap

​Something about John Mayer just gets under Rocks Off's skin. We'll admit there was a time he made us believe our body was a wonderland, and yes, we've even wanted to "run through the halls of our high school and scream at the top of our lungs." But no more. The quiet little guitar player we once ... More >>

The Magnetic Fields: Distortion

Beirut, The Flying Club Cup

CD Review

Stephin Merritt

Showtunes

Banging with Bang! Bang!

Chicago's rumpy-pumpiest punks dispense the Dan Savage-style advice

Merritt Badge

Humor is in the i of the beholder for fans of the Magnetic Fields

Letters

Rotation

Rotation