In Depth
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Interview
"It’s not a throwback...we’re trying to do something new with what we love" - DiS meets The War On D
The War On Drugs were about halfway through their set in the sweaty confines of Corsica Studios last year when band leader Adam Granduciel announced that they were about to play ‘Brothers’, arguably the centrepiece of their stunning last record S... »
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Interview
St. Vincent talks Tom Waits, technology and Strange Mercy
Drowned in Sound's editor talks to one of the artists of 2011 about one of the albums of 2011... »
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In Depth
This Week's Singles: 27/02/12 Magnetic Fields, Justice, Porcelain Raft, Shearwater
Single of the Week! The Magnetic Fields - ‘Andrew In Drag’ (Domino) When there are bands in existence who can write lines like ‘I’d sign away my trust fund, I would even sell the jag / If I could spend my misspent youth, with Andrew in drag’ you r »
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Interview
"We’re not trying to hide and we’re not trying to be too cool" - DiS meets Blouse
Blouse have emerged into a world in which the minutiae of life is blogged, micro-blogged and tweeted and re-tweeted to within an inch of its very existence. We’re one step away from a standard recording contract clause stating that band members must be fi »
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Interview
"Autonomy is overrated" - DiS meets Andrew Bird
“See a sea anemone, the enemy, see a sea anemone, and that’ll be the end of me.” So go the oblique opening lines to Andrew Bird’s ‘Anonanimal’. Cryptic, yes, but then nobody ever claimed him to be the most earnest songwriter in the world – not least himse »
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Column
Drowned in Leeds: March 2012
Our regular look at what's happening in Leeds... »
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Interview
"People expect some Eastern European cliché dance party" - DiS meets A Hawk And A Hacksaw
Jeremy Barnes has nothing to prove. Not only did he play drums in one of the most significant indie bands ever – Neutral Milk Hotel – forging close links to the highly influential »
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Column
Drowned In Nottingham #8
A new year, and with it, a little later than planned, comes the first local scene report and gig guide for Nottingham and the East Midlands from DiS' man in the city for 2012... »
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In Depth
This Week's Singles: 20/02/12 Field Music, Beth Jeans Houghton, Gemma Ray, New Look
It seems to me that late February is when singles start to get really interesting. And all those smart (or fortunate) enough to have avoided the inanity of new year tip lists pop up their heads, sleepy eyes washed of their clag. Hooray for nearly-Spring, if it result... »
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Interview
"I think romance is mostly a memory of a myth" - Drowned in Sound meets Stephin Merritt
Incredibly, it has been twenty-one years since The Magnetic Fields emerged with their debut record Distant Plastic Trees. As the band return from their self-imposed electronica exile with new album Love at the Bottom of the Sea on M... »
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Interview
"I’m not going to be cool" - DiS meets Perfume Genius
The very last thing Mike Hadreas (aka Perfume Genius) says to me during our conversation in some Shoreditch forecourt is both a decent summary of the energies behind his new record, and a microcosm of his approach to answering questions: “I wanted to... »
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Column
Champion Sound #5: feat. Big K.R.I.T.
The year’s first Champion Sound column picks up pretty much where it left off before Christmas, with Big K.R.I.T., whose ReturnOf4eva was my favorite rap release of 2011. K.R.I.T. was also featured in the first ever edition of this column last June, so it’s ... »
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Column
This Week's Singles - 13/02/12: The Kills, Sleigh Bells, M83, First Aid Kit
DiS' editor fills in for Wendy Roby and names The Kills single of the week... »
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Interview
"We do struggle with the idea of 'is what we do worthwhile?'” -DiS meets Field Music
Can being a musician, writing pop songs and gigging around the country, ever be considered a ‘proper job’? Most musicians might not delve too deeply into the true dynamics of what they do to make a living, but it’s definitely something that occupies thoug »
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Interview
"Guitar music's dead? I think that's absolute bollocks!": DiS meets Feeder
Currently out on tour to promote the lead single off the forthcoming record, 'Borders', DiS caught up with Feeder guitarist and frontman Grant Nicholas post-soundcheck prior to their long sold-out show at Coventry's Kasbah venue. »
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Interview
"I mention a lot of Jesus and faith in my songs but also a lot of drinking & drug use" - DiS mee
Great lyricists are a rare breed amongst the modern alt-rock pantheon and it’s an even smaller collective of these who are immune to clamming up in interview. With a brand new solo album to promote, Craig Finn lacks the opportunity to ‘do a Turner’ and let his drumme... »
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Interview
"Nostalgia...can make for some really pointless, meandering, bad music" - DiS meets Cloud Nothings
Cloud Nothings third album Attack on Memory marks a significant move forwards for the band. Not least that it's their first release as a full group - last year's self titled record and 2010's Turning On were essentially solo efforts by native Ohioan Dylan »
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In Depth
This Week's Singles: 06/02/12 Fucked Up, Mount Eerie, Disclosure, The Dø
Single of the Week! Fucked Up featuring Jim Jarmusch, Annie-Claude Deschênes & Austra - ‘Year Of The Tiger’ (Matador) Fucked Up are going on an adventure. And as adventures require a great deal of planning and preparation we shall forgive - »
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Interview
"Any thinking person is going to spend some time questioning the existence of God" - DiS meets Of Mo
This week sees of Montreal release their eleventh studio album - Paralytic Stalks - and one that marks a distinct change in direction away from the kaleidoscopic schizophrenic funk of recent albums towards what our Andrzej Lukowski describes as lengthy, v »
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Column
Drowned in Newcastle #7
Before we get into the cut and thrust of a seriously busy few months in our fair city, I owe Richard Dawson an apology. The last couple of Drowned in Newcastle columns have drawn one or two comments calling me out on the absence of coverage of his album T »
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Artist-generated
Planet Gear: Soap&Skin's Harmonium, Piano and Aero-Organ
'Planet Gear' is an irregular feature on DiS, in which we ask musicians to get a bit geeky and talk us through the equipment that makes the 'magic' happen... On 19th March 2012 Soap&Skin (aka the intense Austrian 21-year-old Anja Plaschg) will relea »
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Interview
DiS meets Bryce Dessner of The Long Count & The National
Better known as one of the guitarists, songwriters and occasional producer with The National, Bryce Dessner's work doesn't just end with the heavily feted Brooklyn quintet. »
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Artist-generated
Planet Gear: David's Lyre on his WEM CopyCat, Marxophone & Autoharp
'Planet Gear' is an irregular feature on DiS, in which we ask musicians to get a bit geeky and talk us through the equipment that makes the 'magic' happen... Here, David's Lyre (aka multi instrumentalist and producer Paul Dixon) talks us through some of »
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In Depth
This Week's Singles: 30/01/12 Deerhoof & David Bazan, Dan Sartain, Male Bonding, The Big Pink
Single of the Week! Deerhoof feat. David Bazan - ‘No One Asked Bazan To Dance’ from ‘DeerBazan’ 7” (Polyvinyl) Mr. David Bazan is a new one on me but it is definitely love, he has so much heartbreak in his gob it is like so many marbles splashing »