Various Artists The Great Gatsby Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Interscope) Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Motion picture soundtracks seem to either be attention-grabbers of the highest order, or, even if they’re decent, fail to land any sort of punch. Adding to the soundtrack’s enigmatic nature is the manner in which many great soundtracks are [...]

In the “Days” video, Creep producers Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard sit across from each other in front of an empty marble fireplace in what must be a haunted house. In between them is a flat device about the size of a yoga mat. It’s like a cross between a sampler with hundreds of pads [...]

The xx (pictured above) perform with Warpaint at The Chicago Theater on September 28, 2010.

Skip Matheny— currently a songwriter in the band Roman Candle and former bartender in a retirement community — caught up with Oliver Sim of The XX, before their show at the Bottletree in Birmingham, Alabama. The London-based band’s debut just scored them Britain’s coveted Mercury Music Prize. What’s your favorite drink? My favorite drink? Oh, [...]

Hey, cool kids, it’s Lollapalooza time. The venerable alt-rock fest has announced the latest lineup for their annual summer festival. Topping the bill this year are Green Day, the reunited Soundgarden, the off-hiatus Strokes, and…Lady Gaga. Okay…. The festival, which runs over the August 6-8 weekend at Chicago’s Grant Park, will also feature bands like [...]

Buddy Miller, The Belmont Far away in another time, Buddy Miller, before he moved to Nashville and became a legend, earned his bread as a bar band guitarist in the live music capital. So it was as a sort of godfather to the scene that’s emerged in Austin that Mr. Miller took the stage at [...]

The xx make dark, tightly composed and sensually delivered pop music, a unique result that sounds a bit like Interpol or Young Marble Giants, certainly in the indie rock tradition; therefore, in slight contrast to bassist Oliver Sim’s claimed influences: TLC and Aaliyah. That The xx embrace ‘90s r&b artists without a hint of irony is [...]