Interpol, “The Other Side of Make-Believe.” The creation of Manhattan indie rockers Interpol’s seventh album, The Other Side of Make-Believe, began the same way as so many pandemic-era records, with the band’s three members spread out across the globe and contributing their writing and recording individually. For a band known…

Many of us know a “record nerd,” a subset of aficionados with encyclopedic knowledge of and acerbic opinions about some musical niche or other. Record nerds wax poetically on the merits of the recording console at Sunset Sound, or the natural reverb in Abbey Road’s studio two. But many…

Under that moniker DJ Shadow, Joshua Paul Davis in 1996 gave sample-based music one of its first hit albums with Endtroducing. He transcended the established norms of ‘90s hip-hop by incorporating elements of ambient music, electronica and “sampledelia.” Davis found more common ground with U.K. trip-hop than West Coast G-funk—which might…

Morrissey performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Oct. 3, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello SAN FRANCISCO — Morrissey wasted no time Thursday night at The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The iconoclastic frontman took the stage and asked “How are things on the West Coast?” before immediately…

The Kills perform at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Oct. 6, 2018. Photo: Chloe Catajan. It is rare that I am ever in a camp of “bigger is better” when it comes to concerts, but sometimes, I really am. And sometimes, everything really is bigger and better in…

Interpol performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Oct. 6, 2018. Photos: Chloe Catajan BERKELEY — A disco ball might seem like the last thing you’d pair with gloomy post-punk music, but Interpol made it work. Against a darkened Greek Theatre, the mirrored streaks of light gave scattered…

Eminem (or MC Chris in disguise) Well, it finally happened. After doing 35 of these columns I got to a year where I couldn’t find five songs for the list. There were three locks, and a couple under-appreciated deep cuts in “Smoke & Mirrors” and “Days Go By” (or its…

Interpol, “Marauder.” It’s impossible to talk about 21st-century rock music without mentioning New York’s Interpol and its 2002 debut, Turn On the Bright Lights. Often considered the gold standard for the post-punk rival, Interpol’s first record helped salvage alt-rock from the depths of post-grunge. It did this by harkening back…

Cage the Elephant performs during Not So Silent Night at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Dec. 13, 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. The weather behaved and rain took the day off, saving event promoters from worry over attendance on the second night of the two-night event at Oracle Arena. The performances…