Led by indefatigable singer and songwriter Robert Pollard, Guided By Voices have been one of the most important rock groups of the past thirty years. After toiling for a decade in obscurity, they broke onto the scene in the early 90s by delivering generation- and genre-defining records such as 1994’s Bee Thousand and 1995’s Alien Lanes.Pollard and a rotating cast of musicians have kept at it ever since, releasing LP after LP of stadium-worthy rock...

Generation X cult classics Our Noise and Geniuses of Crack chronicled a group of friends just out of college who lived in a small town, cared more about their record collections than their careers, and never imagined they'd have to grow up.Losing Our Edge—the sequel to both books—revisits a number of the characters, seeing where they are twenty years later and discovering what's happened with their lives.There's Charles and Randy, two old friends ...

Chemistry is what everyone hopes for when meeting somebody for the first time. Yet, too often, relationships soon evolve into a union akin to rubbing two wet sticks together and hoping for fire, then hanging on for dear life should the spark produce flames of any size.In Attempted Chemistry, Jeff Gomez, author of the cult favorite Our Noise, charts the lives and loves of a variety of Manhattan men and women who find that it’s not establishing the foundation of a r...

In the mid‑nineties, Sammy checked all the indie‑rock boxes. The duo-East Village singer/guitarist Jesse Hartman and L.A. lead guitarist Luke Wood-released a jangly, lo‑fi debut on the label run by Sonic Youth's drummer. They moved up to major‑label Geffen for their second LP, Tales of Great Neck Glory, a literate, highly polished record that foreshadowed the skinny‑tie rock revival of the next decade. And then it was over.Sammy left behind two LPs, an EP, and a legion of ...

Guns. Bombs. Gangsters. Sparks.It's London in 1974, and Sparks is a band on the rise. Kimono My House, their first album for Island Records, has been an instant smash yielding two top ten singles and a sold out British tour. Now brothers Ron and Russell Mael, the band's songwriter and singer who have relocated to England, face the daunting task of recording a follow up. They have the songs, and a crack British backing band. The only problem is they're kidn...

Math rock sounds like blueprints look: exact, precise, architectural. This trance-like progressive metal music with indie rock and jazz influences has been captivating and challenging listeners for decades. Bands associated with the genre include King Crimson, Black Flag, Don Caballero, Slint, American Football, Toe, Elephant Gym, Covet, and thousands more. In an online age of bedroom producers and sampled beats and loops, math rock is music that is absolutely and resolutely played: men an...

Grunge. Flannel. Generation X. In 1993, Seattle was the capital of the world, Nirvana was king, and slackers were everywhere. When the Red Hot organization, a group of activists dedicated to raising money and awareness of AIDS, released their third compilation CD featuring the biggest bands of the era--Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, The Breeders, Nirvana and more it quickly became the touchstone of a generation. Rolling Stone called No Alternative a "jaw-dr...

Everything looks different underwater. Even murder.Los Angeles 1937. A nasty heat wave and crippling drought set the city on edge. LA desperately needs water, but Hollis Mulwray-the water department's chief engineer-needs answers. Before he'll build a new dam, he has to find out what happened to the old one. Years ago, the Van der Lip Dam collapsed in the middle of the night. More than five hundred people were killed. Trying to solve the mystery takes him to movie ...

In the fall of 1970, Lou Reed walked away from rock and roll. He left the Velvet Underground, and New York City, returning to Long Island. He moved in with his parents and got a job as a typist at his father's accounting firm. He told friends his career in music was over. Vicious takes an imagined look at what happened to Reed after he quit his band, and before the successful solo career that began in 1971."Vicious is a super fun read. I'll never listen to 'Sister...

Triple TroubleThree cops went looking for one of their own. What they found was sabotage.Los Angeles. 1978. For a trio of detectives, the City of Angels turns into hell.There’s the Chief, a detective who’s been around for years and knows all the angles. There’s the Rookie, fresh from the streets and still getting used to not being in uniform. And, finally, there’s Cochese, a dedicated cop on a frantic search to find his missing partner....

A new retelling of the classic novelInspired by Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck's timeless tale of Depression-era friendship, Unfamous Men chronicles a different group of doomed dreamers: Mexican fruit pickers in Southern California in the years following World War II.Tomás, a small man with a weakness for women and gambling, is constantly getting into trouble. Juanito, on the other hand, is a gentle giant with limited emotional intelligen...

Craig is armed with a college degree that has so far brought him nothing, certain that something better is just around the corner but unable to encounter it. He's been cohabiting with Ashley since college, and is caught in the dilemma of whether to break up with her or give in to marriage. Meanwhile, Ashley's efforts to earn a graduate degree seem futile considering that her diploma has taken up residence under the sofa cushions. Stuck in dead-end jobs; weary of commercial, corporate, and ...