Tom Breihan, Stereogum

Tom Breihan

Stereogum

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Stereogum
  • VICE
  • Deadspin
  • Pitchfork

Past articles by Tom:

Album Of The Week: M83 'Fantasy'

We need better genre names. We don’t need more genre names; god knows we already have way too many of them. But none of our currently-existing genre names are up to the task of describing what, exactly, M83 does. Think of whatever single-word descriptors you’ve seen applied to the work of the mad Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez. Shoegaze? Synthpop? These won’t cut it. We need something better. We… → Read More

Hardcore Supergroup Sentinel Release Kickass New Four-Song Promo: Listen

The members of Mindforce, the great Hudson Valley hardcore band, have a habit of starting side projects that are almost as good as the mothership act. Various members of Mindforce also play in bands like Pillars Of Ivory, Colossus, and Out For Justice. Last year, we got the debut of Sentinel, another new band from Mindforce guitar ace Mike Shaw. Sentinel also has Mutually Assured Destruction’s… → Read More

Esther Rose Teams With Hurray For The Riff Raff For New Song "Safe To Run": Listen

Next month, the country-folk artist Esther Rose, formerly of New Orleans and now based in Santa Fe, will follow 2021’s How Many Times with her new LP Safe To Run. Rose recorded the new LP in New Orleans with How Many Times producer Ross Farbe. We’ve already posted first single “Chet Baker,” and now Rose has also shared the album’s title track, which features vocals from Hurray For The Riff Raff… → Read More

Elvis Costello & ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons Play A Benefit Show Together In Nashville: Watch

Elvis Costello and ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons are both legendary veteran road-dog types with long resumes and distinctive looks, and both of them did pretty well on MTV in the network’s early years. Still, Costello and Gibbons are not necessarily two people I would necessarily consider to be natural collaborators with one another, so it’s cool that they shared a stage and played some songs… → Read More

Chvrches Perform "Over" Live For The First Time In A São Paulo Stadium: Watch

Last month, Chvrches released the new one-off single “Over.” The group recorded the track with the Weeknd producer Oskar Holter, and it’s their first release for Island/EMI, their new label home. On Friday night, Chvrches gave “Over” its first-ever live performance, and they did it on about the biggest stage that they could’ve possibly envisioned, playing the song for tens of thousands of people… → Read More

The Number Ones: Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend”

In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present. → Read More

Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding Team Up For New Single "Miracle": Listen

EDM overlord Calvin Harris is no longer dating the world’s biggest pop star, and his all-star 2022 album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 didn’t conquer the world the way that its predecessor did. But Harris is still a big enough deal to hold down the weird honorary-headliner spot at Coachella, and he’s still making singles with pop stars. He’s got a new one today. → Read More

Sam Hunt Releases New Single "Outskirts": Stream

In a career that’s lasted for about a decade, the country superstar Sam Hunt has released a grand total of two albums, and given Nashville’s relentless churn, that basically qualifies him as a recluse. Hunt doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to drop a third record, but he is reporting for work once again. Last month, Smith released his new album “Walmart.” Earlier this week, he announced a summer… → Read More

Rose City Band Share New Song "Slow Burn": Listen

Ripley Johnson has made a lot of way-out molten psych-rock with bands like Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo, but he does something much more chill with Rose City Band, which was essentially a solo project until recently. Rose City Band’s whole vibe is on some amiable, unhurried Grateful Dead shit, and it always sounds supremely pleasant. → Read More

Waste Man Release Raw, Murky New Self-Titled EP: Stream

Waste Man have been around for a few years. They started in New Orleans and released their debut EP Outlaw in 2017, and they recently relocated to New York. The band’s sound is a scuzzy, intense take on post-hardcore and noise-rock — the intentionally off-putting sounds that fueled the American rock underground in the ’80s and ’90s, when that was a much less welcoming place. They’re really good… → Read More

Roisin Murphy Releases New DJ Koze-Produced Single "CooCool": Listen

The Irish singer Róisín Murphy has been making forward-thinking dance music ever since the ’90s, when she led the trip-hop group Moloko. These days, Murphy is a niche legend in underground dance-pop circles. She released her last album Róisín Machine in 2020, and she made her acting debut on the Netflix series The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself last year. Today, Murphy has dropped a new single. → Read More

Nation Of Language Release New Single "Sole Obsession": Listen

Last year, the New York post-punk trio Nation Of Language followed their 2021 sophomore album A Way Forward with the one-off single “From The Hill.” Today, they’ve got another one. Nation Of Language have just announced a big tour with Miss Grit, and they’ve got plans for a new LP called Strange Disciple. Today, they’ve dropped a video for the synthy, diaphanous new single “Sole Obsession.” → Read More

Lonnie Holley Teams With Bon Iver On New Song "Kindness Will Follow Your Tears": Listen

Lonnie Holley, a visual artist from Alabama, started making music a long time ago. On Friday, he’ll release his new album Oh Me Oh My, which features an impressive list of collaborators. We’ve already posted two early singles: the title track, with Michael Stipe, and “I Am A Part Of The Wonder,” with Moor Mother. Today, we get one last advance track, and it’s the one that Holley recorded with… → Read More

The Cure's Robert Smith Remixes Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' "Pretty Boy": Listen

The Cure and Oasis might represent two very different ideas and eras of British festival-headliner guitar-rock, but that doesn’t mean that the two bands’ primary creative forces can’t find some middle ground. Later this year, former Oasis co-leader Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds will release the new album Council Skies, and we’ve already posted the early singles “Pretty Boy” and “Easy… → Read More

The Number Ones: Akon’s “Don’t Matter”

In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present. → Read More

The Saxophones Announce New Album 'To Be A Cloud', Share New Song "Desert Flower": Listen

The Saxophones, the band made up of married couple Alexi Erenkov and Alison Alderdice, don’t really sound like anyone else. The duo has mastered a kind of arch, blurry, deadpan crypto-jazz style, with Erenkov singing lounge tracks and playing his own flutes, guitars, and, yes, saxophones. Later this year, the Saxophones will follow their 2020 album Eternity Bay with a new LP called To Be A… → Read More

Angel Olsen Announces New EP 'Forever Means', Shares New Song "Nothing's Free": Listen

Last year, the great Angel Olsen released Big Time, an album where she wrestled with major life events — losing her parents, coming out as queer, dealing with a broken heart — through the sound of old-school country music. It was absolutely beautiful. Today, Olsen announces Forever Means, a new EP of songs from the Big Time sessions that fit together as their own whole. → Read More

Black Thought & El Michels Affair Share New Song "Glorious Game": Listen

Next month, the Roots’ veteran virtuoso rapper Black Thought will follow up Cheat Codes, the very good album that he and Danger Mouse released last year, with Glorious Game, a new team-up with the lush and retro-minded soul act El Michels Affair. They’ve already shared the early singles “Grateful” and “That Girl,” and now they’ve also dropped the LP’s title track. → Read More

Drain Share New Song "FTS (KYS)": Listen

I hope the world is ready for a new Drain album and for all the insanity that comes with it. The Santa Cruz hardcore destroyers have already announced plans to follow 2020’s California Cursed with Living Proof, the new album that they recorded with past collaborator and God’s Hate/DeadBody member Taylor Young. They’ve already shared the early tracks “Watch You Burn” and “Evil Finds Light.” And… → Read More

The Menzingers Release New Single "Bad Actors": Listen

Heartfelt and melodic Pennsylvania punks the Menzingers released Hello Exile, their last album, in 2019. “Bad Actors,” a song from the Hello Exile sessions, has been kicking around for a little while; the band shared it as part of an Eagles Gameday playlist last year, and the Eagles played it in their stadium. Maybe the Menzingers were waiting for an Eagles Super Bowl victory to give the song a… → Read More