American rock critics, after their oft-coldblooded fashion, took note of the battered heart of frontman Finn Andrews—son of XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews—since The Runaway Found first blipped the indie radar back in 2004. In this interview with Ron Garmon, Finn gives up a glimpse of characteristic romanticism while putting discreet end to some rumors.

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Chairlift are from a haunted hotel in Colorado but moved to Brooklyn to pursue music more intensely and to be intensely pursued by people who recognize them from an iPod commercial. They speak from Paris in between kissing graves and delivering DJ sets. Their album Does You Inspire You has been re-released on Columbia. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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The perfect antidote for the melancholy of June gloom is a soundtrack companion, like Other Lives. They are tender melody without being achingly maudlin. These melodic wanderings create open plains images of their home state of Oklahoma. This is the second review of a band (Colourmusic) I’ve done from Oklahoma, and I learned that both bands are from Stillwater. Although there are drastic differences between the bands, they both work in established genres, and have experimental elements and an honesty that demands you take notice.

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Fleet Foxes finished 2008 by overwhelming many best-of-the-year lists and scheduling a set on Saturday Night Live, during which they were wearing at least one smelly shirt. Singer Robin Pecknold speaks before decamping to a creaky new home studio. This interview by Thomas McMahon.

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